01/11/2007 - Advisory Parks & Recreation CommissionApproved as amended
March 19, 2007
ADVISORY PARKS COMMISSION
EAGAN, MINNESOTA
MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF JANUARY 11, 2007
A regular meeting of the Advisory Parks Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on January 11, 2007
with the following Commission Members present: Joe Bari, Phil Belfiori, Margo Danner, N. Mark Filipi, Laurie
Halverson, Dorothy Peterson, Richard Pletcher and Ryan Zipf. Member Duane Hansen and Muhammed Lodhi were
not present. Staff included Director Juli Seydell Johnson; Superintendent of Operations, Cherryl Mesko; and
Superintendent of Parks, Paul Olson.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA
Member Filipi moved, Member Pletcher seconded, with all present members voting in favor to approve the
agenda as amended.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF DECEMBER 18, 2006
Member Danner moved and Member Pletcher seconded, with all present members voting in favor to
approve the minutes of December 18, 2006 as presented.
VISITORS TO BE HEARD
There were no visitors to be heard.
DIRECTOR'S DEPARTMENT UPDATE
Director Johnson provided a brief update of activities and events within the various divisions of Parks and
Recreation, reminding viewers that the ice conditions of ponds and lakes in Eagan are not monitored by the city and
viewers should go to the DNR website to read about ice safety. The transition of the Art House instructors
becoming Parks and Recreation employees has gone smoothly and classes are running as normal.
Director Johnson answered questions regarding the anticipated Coffee Bar at the ECC, which was
originally an ETAB initiative. Johnson confirmed the coffee products will be prepared in the concession area that is
being upgraded with the necessary equipment. Johnson also clarified private rental hours of Cascade Bay are
Thursday and Sunday evenings and are typically rented by companies.
CONSENT AGENDA
There were no Consent Agenda items for the Commission to review.
DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS
There were no Development Proposals for the Commission to review.
OLD BUSINESS
WATER QUALITY MANAGEMENT PLAN
Director Johnson introduced this item, stating Member Belfiori had represented the APrC on the WQMP
committee during the fall and winter. Member Belfiori announced that the two month public comment period on the
draft plan of the Water Quality and Welands Management Plan ended today. Belfiori overviewed this item, stating
it is an opportunity for the Advisory Parks Commission to affirm a position on the draft WQWMP and express
interest in future involvement in the implementation of this plan. After briefly reviewing information contained in
the Commission's packet, Chair Peterson asked for a motion regarding the WQMP. Member Zipf moved, Member
Danner seconded, with all present members voting in favor to recommend to City Council the following:
• The APrC affirms it's support for the concepts and initiatives presented in the Water Quality
Management Plan Update and is interested in future involvement in an advisory capacity in
partnership with the Advisory Planning Commission and at the direction of the City Council, on
common issues addressed in the plan.
Advisory Parks Commission
January 11, 2007
Page 2
NEW BUSINESS
ACQUISITION CRITERIA RECOMMENDATIONS
Director Johnson provided background information, stating that this is the second part of the work
completed by the consultants HKgi, who already developed the Patrick Eagan Park Master Plan. This Park and
Open Space Acquisition Criteria Report provides a plan for the City to judge a parcel of land and determine whether
or not it is a good acquisition for the overall park and City plans or if should be passed up. Johnson emphasized that
the process is very important in guiding the City on how to wisely spend their limited resources in the coming years
as the park site funds diminish. The criteria to be met for "smart acquisitions" requires that a parcel make sense to
the overall park system, preserve a natural or historical piece that has some relevance to the city and it does not
cause undo burden to the budget. Johnson told the viewers that a scoring system was developed to help determine
the benefits of a potential acquisition and connect the criteria to the overall park system and 20/20 Vision. The
intention is that the acquisition criteria and 20/20 Vision will eventually become part of the Comprehensive Guide
Plan Update to help objectively view properties that might be proposed for acquisition.
Chair Peterson moved, Member Pletcher seconded, with all present members voting in favor to present the
Acquisition Criteria at the next City Council workshop with the APrC.
OTHER BUSINESS AND REPORTS
RECREATION FACILITIES REPORT
Recreation Facility Manager, Sonya Rippe, and Sports Program Assistant, Jonathan Moore represented the
provided a brief overview of the fall and early winter season. Rippe described her position as developing &
implementing adult leagues, winter facilities and seasonal concession operations with the assistance from Sports
Program Assistant, Jonathan Moore. She also manages the customer service staff and the department's software and
technology needs.
Manager Rippe provided highlights of the Adult Sports and Concession statistics. Moore discussed
staffing and winter facilities at skating rinks and Trapp Farm Tubing Hill, anticipating that they will useable by the
weekend. Rippe concluded the presentation with information regarding upcoming spring sports and also clarified
for the commission that Arena Softball is a program through the Civic Area and will use a soft-core softball for
indoor play on the East arena. When asked about lack of cold weather, Moore responded that many managers
continue to call for information and Burnsville assisted him by hosting Boot Hockey and Broomball last weekend.
When asked about length of winter season, Director Johnson said the city will try to keep rinks open longer but the
weather will determine how long the ice will stay in good condition.
SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS
Director Johnson provided an update for the Acquisition and Development Subcommittee meet saying they met with
staff from Community Development for assistance in updating the City Wide Comp Guide for 2008, noting they
gave direction of how specific to be. A working draft is complete and it will continue to be worked on at the next
workshop. Chair Peterson noted that the Community Development staff was helpful in providing focus for the
subcommittee. Director Johnson added they fortunate for having the 20/20 Vision Plan being completed recently
because that public input and vision for it will be included in the Comp Guide.
COMMUNICATIONS
There were no communications to share with the Commission at this time.
ROUND TABLE
There was no discussion during Round Table.
Advisory Parks Commission
January 11, 2007
Page 3
ADJOURNMENT
With no further business to conduct, Member Pletcher moved, Member Danner seconded with all members
voting in favor to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 7:24 p.m.
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