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09/15/2008 - Advisory Parks & Recreation Commission Approved October 20, 2008 ADVISORY PARKS COMMISSION EAGAN. MINNESOTA MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 15, 2008 A regular meeting of the Advisory Parks Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m. on September 15, 2008 with the following Commission Members present: Thor Anderson, Phil Belfiori, Jennifer Dahlquist, Bruce Goff, Laurie Halverson, Duane Hansen and Dorothy Peterson. Member Zipf was not present. Staff included Director Juli Seydell Johnson; Superintendent of Operations, Cherryl Mesko; Superintendent of Parks, Paul Olson; Recreation Program Manager, Paula Nowariak; Recreation Supervisor, Julie Andersen and Recreation Supervisor Kerry Phillips. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Member Halverson moved, Member Goff seconded, with all present members voting in favor to approve the agenda as presented. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JULY 14, 2008 Member Dahlquist moved, Member Belfiori seconded, with all present members voting in favor to approve the minutes of July 14, 2008 as presented since there was no meeting in August. VISITORS TO BE HEARD There were no visitors to be heard. DIRECTOR'S DEPARTMENT UPDATE Director Johnson encouraged residents to get out and enjoy the parks and trains. She highlighted the upcoming Lone Oak Days at Holz Farm the weekend of September 27-28 as well as the Mothers of Multiplies annual sale at the Eagan Community Center the same weekend. It was noted that the Dakota County Library on Wescott Road is closed for renovation and in the meantime, the library is being housed on the second floor of the Eagan Civic Arena. So far, it has been a very positive experience for both the City and the library. The library will occupy the mezzanine floor until the end of the year when they move back to their original location. Space will then be available for public rental. Director Johnson also noted the MRPA touch football tournament that will be hosted at Northview the weekend of October 11-12 and the ECC fitness member promotion from September 22-27. Seasonal park staff is winding down from the summer and the maintenance staff is trying to continue the same level of maintenance to the parks and trails. Seasonal water shut-offs and restroom shutdowns are taking place in the parks although some park sites still have portable restrooms still available. CONSENT AGENDA There were no Consent Agenda items for the Commission to review. APrC Minutes September 15, 2008 DEVELOPMENT PROPOSALS There were no Development Proposals for the Commission to review. OLD BUSINESS There were no Old Business items for the Commission to review. NEW BUSINESS Public Art Request - Community Tile Mosaic Director Johnson pointed out that the Eagan Art House programs have been under the City of Eagan Recreation Division for approximately one year and introduced Julie Andersen. Supervisor Andersen opened up the tile mosaic project discussion. She stated it was a collaborative project to help bring the community together to do an art project. The idea of a tile mosaic gives the community a chance to share in this project as everyone paints their own tile and then the tiles are fitted together to create the mosaic. On Thursday, September 11, there was a workshop at the Lone Oak Room for the community to paint a ceramic tile for the mosaic. Supervisor Andersen presented several tiles that had been painted by the attendees and each showed individual interpretation. Once the tile mosaic is completed, it will be moved periodically around various sites within Eagan. Member Peterson asked for details of the grant, to which Supervisor Andersen explained that it was a grant in the amount of $2900.00 from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and the grant ran from June through September, 2008. Member Peterson suggested that since there is a Public Art Policy, she would like to see a 30 day comment period to provide feedback to the APrC and City Council that would help decide where the mosaic would be displayed. Member Halverson motioned to tentatively approve the project and open up a 30 day public comment period starting September 16, 2008. 2009 Park and Trail Dedication Fees Paul Olson, Superintendent of Parks, provided a brief overview of how the parks and trails dedication process works. East year the City is required to make a recommendation for the fees for the following year. The City computes these fees in relation to the value of the property from the County Assessor's Office. Based upon the valuation, the City would then determine the following year dedication fees. Supervisor Olson noted that for 2009 the valuation for properties in Eagan will decrease slightly. Due to the downward swing in housing and property values, it was staffs suggestion that there be no increase in parks dedication fees for the year 2009. Member Peterson moved to adopt no increase in park and trail dedication fees for 2009 and Member Hansen seconded with all members present voting in favor. Photos in Parks Reservation Procedure Cherryl Mesko, Superintendent of Operations, presented a proposal for commercial photography within Eagan parks since commercial photography has increased in the last few years, especially at the Eagan Community Center, Central Park and Holz Farm, and sometimes conflicts with reserved park reservations. The APrC requested that a sub-committee meet and try to come up with a proposed policy for photography in the parks. The sub- committee proposed that photography be allowed in the parks through a no fee reservation system so as not to interfere with reserved activities. Member Peterson questioned how much staff time would be required. It was determined that it would not take a lot of staff time. Member Hansen made a motion, APrC Minutes September 15, 2008 Member Peterson seconded with all present members voting in favor to address photography in parks in the following way: ¦ Implement a procedure that will allow commercial and non-commercial photography in parks that will include: o Information packet for commercial and non-commercial photographers that would help plan photo sessions so as not to conflict with scheduled rentals or events. o A photo reservation form that is easily available on-line or through front line staff that will allow for reserved photo sessions. o No fee for the reservation. o Provide periodic feedback to the APrC to ensure the procedure is meeting the expectations of implementation. OTHER BUSINESS AND REPORTS Kerry Phillips, Recreation Supervisor and Market Fest Coordinator, gave a Power Point presentation highlighting the recreation program from the April - September time frame. Those programs included Art House programs; the Preschool dance program, classes and camps; youth activities such as T-ball and camps; Start Smart programs; new teen programs and the Holz Farm Festival. Kerry highlighted the Market Fest and the tremendous response to this year's events. Attendance was up considerably higher this year and the Market Fest season started in July and will continue until the end of September. Events at the Market Fest such as the Classic Car Night had record numbers in attendance. Planning for next year's Market Fest is already in progress with sponsors anxious to participate next year. COMMUNICATIONS There were no Communications items for the Commission to review. ROUND TABLE Member Goff mentioned that he took a tour of Thresher Fields and commented that the plantings and buildings were attractive at that site. He also commented on the Art House renovations and said that City staff had done a very good job with the new entrance to the Art House. ADJOURNMENT With no further business to conduct, Member Goff moved, Member Dahlquist seconded with all members voting in favor to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m. 3r4,v9 Secretary Date