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02/11/2002 - Advisory Parks & Recreation Commission ADDroved March 18. 2002 ADVISORY PARKS COMMISSION EAGAN, MINNESOTA MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 11, 2002 A regular meeting of the Advisory Parks Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on February 11, 2002 with the following Commission Members present: Joseph Bari, Phil Belfiori, Margo Danner, Terry Davis, N. Mark Filipi, Elizabeth Perry, Richard Pletcher, John Rudolph, and Melvin Williams. Commission member Peterson was not present. Staff present included Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation; Jeff Asfahl, Superintendent of Recreation; Paul Olson, Parks Superintendent; Jim Storland, Water Resources Technician; Beth Wielde, Research and Special Projects; and Cherryl Mesko, Recording Secretary. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Director Vraa added (2) Skyline Roadway under New Business. Terry Davis moved, N. Mark Filipi seconded with all members voting in favor t accept the agenda as amended. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JANUARY 14, 2002 N. Mark Filipi moved, Melvin Williams seconded with all members voting in favor to accept the minutes of the January 14,2002 meeting as presented. VISITORS TO BE HEARD There were no visitors who wished to address the Commission under this agenda item. SUPERINTENDENT'S UPDATE AND DEPARTMENT HAPPENINGS Items highlighted by Superintendent of Recreation Asfahl included a Valentine's Day dance for seniors at the Rosemount Community Center, the completion of Rink Rats hockey, adult softball packets are in the mail for returning teams to register for the 2002 season, teen programming opportunities, Youth Development changes and growth, the mid point for pre-school programs, the upcoming distribution of the 72 page Discover brochure and the beginning of spring summer youth athletic activities. Items highlighted by Superintendent of Parks Olson included Central Park Pavilionlwellhouse bid opening, Goat Hill/Sky HiIVClearwater/Rahn Parks still remain open for skating, the delivery of 6 loads of snow from the City of Burnsville to keep Trapp Farm tubing hill open longer, the study of a "commercial grade" tubing facility in Central Park, and the request for Council approval of plans and specifications for an entrance drive and parking area at Moonshine Park. CONSENT AGENDA There were no consent agenda items for the Commission to discuss. DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS There were no development agenda items for the Commission to discuss. OLD BUSINESS NORTH PARK UPDATE Director Vraa noted that at a January workshop the City Council reviewed the proposed grading and parking lot construction at North Park to provide an open green space for youth athletic activities. The City Council put the improvements on hold until a Council subcommittee could review the option of identifying other parcels of land that might also fit athletic needs. Director Vraa added that the City Council would ask for Commission involvement in the potential review of other properties. Advisory Parks Commission Minutes of Regular Meeting of February 11,2002 Page 2 NEW BUSINESS CIP Director Vraa introduced this item by stating that the Advisory Commission annually reviews the 5-year Capital Improvements Program and makes recommendations to the City Council. He noted that the current Park Site Fund balance is $3,038,000. Projects projected in 2002 totaled $1,186,000; $815,000 in 2003, $970,000 in 2004, $260,000 in 2005, $220,000 in 2006 and $290,000 in 2007. The projected projects within each year were identified and totaled $3,761,00, which exceeds the existing balance by $600,000. The CIP also identified several items not yet funded and placed them on a "parking lot" list so that they could be discussed for potential funding in future years. Director Vraa suggested that if the Commission were comfortable with their review from the CIP workshops, it would be appropriate to schedule a workshop session with the City Council. Member Rudolph reiterated that the CIP review is an on-going process and is updated yearly. He expressed his pride in the way the Commission has worked cooperatively to establish the CIP and made a motion to accept the 2002-2007 CIP and forward it to the City Council. Joseph Bari seconded the motion with all members voting in favor. Director Vraa was asked to coordinate ajoint workshop with the Commission and Council. SKYLINE ROADWAY Director Vraa introduced this item noting that a petition had been received to provide a trail along the north side of Skyline Road in the Highview Park area. Following a feasibility report, neighborhood meetings were conducted. Residents supporting the trail agreed to pay a proportionate share of the assessable cost of the trail installation. Photos were shared with the Commission identifying the specific location of the trail and its extension into Highview Park. Vraa added that the cost of the trail segment within Highview Park would be the responsibility of the City of Eagan and could be paid from the Park Site Fund. Member Rudolph asked if the trail could work around existing trees so they would not have to be removed. Director Vraa assured the Commission that the trail would work around park elements. Member Bari asked why the funds would come from the Park Site Fund rather than the trails fund. Director Vraa explained that the funds collected for trails dedication are merged with the street funds. Trails designated as a transportation link are paid for out of this fund whereas trails within a park are funded through the Park Site Fund. Director Vraa clarified that the City Council will not move forward with the construction of this trail until the residents have raised the funds to cover their portion of the trail costs. After further discussion, Joseph Bari moved, John Rudolph seconded with all members voting in favor to recommend the allocation of Park Site funding for an estimated $3,925 for Project 857 - Skyline Road/Highview Park Trail Improvements. WATER RESOURCES UPDATE Water Resources Technician Jim Storland provided a brief update on winter aeration at various locations. He noted that staff had experimented with a solar powered aeration system last year but did not have very good luck. Staff will continue to look at economical ways to maintain the oxygen level in some of Eagan's water bodies during the winter, Storland added. He concluded with a warning for people to use extra caution before going onto the ice because of its varying and uncertain depth. OTHER BUSINESS AND REPORTS METRO OPEN GREEN SPACE - AL SINGER Director Vraa introduced Al Singer who was present to talk to the Advisory Commission about the Metro Greenway Grants program. Advisory Parks Commission Minutes of Regular Meeting of February 11,2002 Page 3 Mr. Singer shared an extensive slide presentation outlining the background, purpose and funding opportunities of the Metro Greenway Grant. He noted that grant dollars have been used to provide technical assistance, long-range planning opportunities and work toward land protection and restoration. Each area has a specific selection criteria and deadline for submission. Mr. Singer noted that there is an upcoming deadline of March 29 should anyone wish to submit a request. He also stated that Metro Greenways is a potential funding source to preserve land as is the Trust for Public Land. Member Rudolph noted that the master plan for Patrick Eagan Park was moved up one year in the overall CIP to 2003. He added that the Commission would be discussing the CIP with the City Council soon and was hopeful that some preliminary work could be done this year to prepare for the potential master planning in 2003. Member Davis asked Mr. Singer what steps should be taken now, knowing the time line for grant submissions, so that the City of Eagan might be prepared to move forward with the master planning process for Patrick Eagan Park. Mr. Singer responded that although they don't fund master plans, they might be able to help find how the pieces fit together and how to proceed with partnerships and funding. He added that working with a "Friends" group or with the private sector is also an option. Member Davis asked how they might tie into the March 29 grant application deadline. Mr. Singer responded that anyone could nominate a piece of property. He added that there are no pre-determined match calculations; that each application stands on its own merit The application will then compete for funding with other submittals. In response to a comment from Member Belfiori, Mr. Singer noted that there would be approximately $1-5 million available by July, 2002 for funding opportunities. Director Vraa asked how many of the submitted nominations were funded in 1999,2000 and 2001. Mr. Singer responded that in 199941 sites were nominated with 11 projects funded, 12 were nominated in 2000 with 4 funded, and 13 nominated in 2001 with 8 funded. He added that there were no pre-set dollar amounts allocated per project; they were assessed individually. Director Vraa asked if an application could be submitted for a planning grant for areas surrounding Patrick Eagan Park. Mr. Singer responded that that could be an approach or an application could be submitted to simply provide a base line natural resources inventory for Patrick Eagan Park. Mr. Singer suggested that whomever submits a nomination/grant application it should be clear what the overall priorities are. Cordelia Pierson from Trust for Public Land noted that their organization could also be a helpful partner in pursuing land preservation. She stated that the area surrounding Patrick Eagan Park has been identified as a high priority within Dakota County by the Trust for Public Land. Given the amount of information provided to the Advisory Commission, Director Vraa suggested that the Commission consider a workshop to discuss planning grant options with both Al Singer and Cordelia Pierson. It was suggested that the Commission revisit the parcels they previously identified for acquisition to see if the priorities are the same. Member Danner asked if interested residents could also be invited to provide their input. Member Rudolph suggested that perhaps the Commission should tackle some of the preliminary work first to see how best to proceed. Mr. Singer reminded Commission Members that the deadline for applying for a planning grant had passed in January, however the deadline for a site protection nomination is the end of March. Member Davis reiterated that this review and discussion could grow into a larger "task force" group and suggested that anyone interested should be invited to participate. Mr. Singer cautioned the Commission that if they decided to have a great deal of public input at this time they should carefully craft an agenda so that there is a realistic expectation about the work they hope to accomplish. After further brief discussion a workshop was set for Wednesday, February 20 at 5:30 p.m. COMMUNITY CENTER UPDATE Director Vraa indicated that the excavation for the footings and foundation for the community center building was moving along. He also noted that the work for Well #20 had begun on the eastern portion of the Central Park site. Advisory Parks Commission Minutes of Regular Meeting of February 11, 2002 Page 4 GOLF COURSE EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE UPDATE Member Danner explained that a final report was presented to the City Council for the Golf Course Exploratory Committee. The Council made the determination that a championship golf course was not feasible on the property identified. They took action to disband the committee and lifted the moratorium on the properties identified during the study phase. Member Rudolph thanked Members Peterson and Danner for their participation on the committee on behalf of the Advisory Parks Commission. SKATE PARK UPDATE Director Vraa noted that following a City Council workshop staff was directed to move ahead with an addition to the skate park and relocate it to a more permanent location at Lexington Diffley Athletic Park. ROUND TABLE There were no issues brought up under this agenda item. ADJOURNMENT With no further business to conduct Joseph Bari moved, John Rudolph seconded with all members voting in favor to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m. ~~CL f2. f/~~ Secretary } / () I, q / () 'Z.- Date ! (