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03/17/1997 - Advisory Parks & Recreation Commission1997 ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MEETING SCHEDULE NAME Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan 24 17 14 19** 16 14 18 15 20. 17 15 19** 0 Randall Ahern 0* Tim Callister X Terry Davis X Jerry Farlee Alternate X Barbara Johnson X Guy Kohinhofer X George Kubik X ee Markell X Da le Petersen X John Rudolph X Michael Vincent Recreation Sub-Committee Natural Resources Sub-Committee Land Acatlsidon Sub-Committee John Rudolph Daryle Peterson Michael Vincent George Kubik Tim Callister Lee Martell Guy Kohinhofer Terry Davis Jerry Farlee UPCOMING MEETINGS: Holz Farm Task Force 5:00 pm.... Mar. 17.....Joint Council/APRNRC Meeting OPEN ISSUES 1. Tour of Community Centers In other cities 2. Commission Review Workshop ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION 1997 MEMBERS NAME AND ADDRESS TERM START TELEPHONE TERM EXPIRES Randall Ahern 1996 882-1953 (H) 1/99 4655 Wildwood Street (new 3 year) 891-4100 (W) Eagan, MN 55122 Resigned March, 1997 683-9900 (W) Tim Callister 1996 452-3848 (H) 1/98 1268 E. Balsam Trail (replaced Sherie 726-5519 (W) Eagan, MN 55123 Wallace's term) Terry Davis 1997 452-2635 (H) 1/2000 4895 Safari Pass (3 yr - 1997) 310-8941 (W) Eagan, MN 55122-2690 452-2152 (Home fax) Jerry Farlee (Alternate) 1997 454-1927 (H) 1/98 3694 Wescott Hills Drive 220-8855 (W) Eagan, MN 55123 Barbara Johnson 1997 452-2609 (H) 1/98 4535 Oak Chase Road (replaced Stephen Eagan, MN 55123 Thompson's term) Guy Kohlnhofer 1996 688-6757 (H) 1/2000 4608 Manor Drive (3 yr. 1997) 942-3052 (W) Eagan, MN 55123 George Kubik 1993 452-3887 (H) 1/99 3053 Pine Ridge Drive (3 yr. 1996) 725-3516 (W) Eagan, MN 55121 Lee Markell 1990 456-0749 (H) 1/2000 895 Park Knoll Drive (3 yr. 1994) 297-3790 (W) Eagan, MN 55123 (3 yr. 1997) 297-5818 (FAX) Daryle Petersen 1996 681-0170 (H) 1/98 4126 Lantern Lane (replaced Tom 572-5155 (W) Eagan, MN 55123 Walkington's term) John Rudolph 1993 454-8761 (H) 1/98 1644 Norwood Court (3 yr - 1995) 707-2402 (FAX) Eagan, MN 55122 707-2526 (voicemail) Michael Vincent 1994 686-9017 (H) 1/99 3786 Windtree Drive (3 yr. - 1996) 924-9747 (W) Eagan, MN 55123 905-0382 (FAX) 3/7/97 AGENDA ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION EAGAN, MINNESOTA Monday, March 17, 1997 7:00 PM Eagan Municipal Center City Council Chambers A. 7:00 PM Regular Meeting B. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance 7:02 pm C. Award of Appreciation - David Szott 7:03 pm D. Approval of Agenda 7:08 pm E. Approval of Minutes of Regular Meeting of January 21 and Febru ary 24, 1997 7:09 pm F. Visitors to be Heard 7:10 pm G. Department Happenings Pages 3-4 7:15 pm H. Consent Agenda 7:25 pm 1. Development Proposals (1) Eagan Business Commons - Ryan Construction Pages 5-12 7:26 pm J. Old Business 7:40 pm K. New Business (1) Earl F. Anderson Playground Presentation 7:41 pm (2) Child Protection Policy Pages 13-15 8:10 pm (3) Quarry Park Request Pages 17-19 8:20 pm L. Parks Development Update (1) Park Signs Pages 21-23 8:25 pm M. Water Resources Update (1) Citizen Wetland Monitoring Pages 25-26 8:40 pm N. Other Business and Reports (1) Subcommittee Reports 8:45 pm (2) Winter Recreation Report Pages 27-35 8:50 pm (3) Set Commission Meeting Dates 9:10 pm 0. Round Table 9:15 pm P. Adjournment 9:20 pm The City of Eagan is committed to the policy that all persons have equal access to its programs, services, activities, facilities and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or status with regard to public assistance. Auxiliary aids for disabled persons wishing to participate are available upon request at least 96 hours in advance of the events. If a notice of less than 96 hours is received, the City will attempt to provide the aids. city of eagan MEMO TO: Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission FROM: Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation DATE: March 14, 1997 RE: March 17, 1997 Commission Meeting As you can see, the joint Council/Commission meeting has a very aggressive agenda followed by our regularly scheduled meeting. It is staff's expectation that the regular agenda will be fairly short so that we should be able to adjourn at a reasonable hour. David Szott will be present to receive an award of appreciation followed by the approval of the agenda, the minutes of January 21 and February 24 and Department Happenings. There are no Consent Agenda items and only one development proposal for the Commission to review this month. John Demko and Dave Owens from Earl F. Anderson will be present to provide information the Commission had previously requested regarding playground equipment. They will be addressing issues of safety, ADA requirements, the changing technology in this industry and will be available to answer specific questions Commission Members may have. Memos are provided regarding the Child Protection Policy, Quarry Park Request and Citizen Wetland Monitoring. Recreation Supervisors Oyanagi and Nowarlak will be present to review winter recreation programs as well. Commission Members should note the meeting dates for 1997 and be prepared to adopt the meeting dates with changes as noted. As a final note, you will find a copy of a letter in your packet from Randall Ahem tendering his resignation on the Commission because of work conflicts. Please note that the joint meeting will begin promptly at 5:00 pm so there will be sufficient time to address the agenda items with the Council. As usual, if you are unable to attend, please give us a call at 681-4661. r PARKS AND RECREATION MARCH DEPARTMENT HAPPENINGS 1. Recreation staff are meeting monthly with the Yankee Doodle Festival planning group. Event organizers will provide sponsors for the Little Doodler's Art Tent. Recreation and Community Education will coordinate volunteer workers for the tent. 2. The Eagan Seniors group is enjoying the new McDonald's restaurant for its twice monthly gatherings. Attendance remains constant among the "regulars" and two new couples have recently come to the activity. 3. Recreation staff have begun planning summer activity although spring programs do not begin until March 17. Tennis is pretty well mapped out except for the adult lesson component. The USTA "Play Tennis America" format is being considered for adults. It involves a free lesson followed by opportunity to sign up for lessons. 4. Invitations to return for last summers seasonal staff are In the mail. Applications are being accepted for the limited number of vacant positions to be filled. The high rate of return is Important to the summer programs. 5. The February 22, Family Fun Night was well attended. Kit and Kaboodle provided silly, fun, family entertainment. Families then played in the gym or swam. 40-50 families took part. 6. The Department may host two additional undergraduate interns this year, one In the summer and one next fall. The potential summer intern is from North Dakota State University. The Department has not worked with that university's intern program before. The fall student would be from the U of MN. 7. Evening in the Park events are shaping up. As of this writing, all but two dates are filled, groups are vying to perform! It appears that six dates can be filled utilizing the planned budget. The primary audience is families with young children. 8. Recreation staff attended a workshop sponsored by the School District 196 Family Services Collaborative. The workshop entitled "Working Together for Change" focusing on leadership for the common good in a shared power world. This, In essence, is what collaboration Is all about. The workshop produced some interesting dynamics for those arrested in the top down hierarchical way of leadership. 9. Some of Eagan Athletic Association registration numbers for spring/summer sports are known. • In-house softball and baseball are at 1996 levels. • Travel baseball is down at older age groups. • In-house soccer is at 1020 children and rising; up 200%. • Travel soccer is down at the older age groups. 10. Field space will easily handle the numbers of participants EAA is showing. The one to watch carefully is in-house soccer at the youngest age levels. Staff Is confident that all needs will be met. In fact, with the Lexington Diffley soccer fields now available, the Department anticipates resting Quarry, Bridle Ridge and Mueller Farm soccer fields for the first time in 5 or 6 years. This will allow the turf on those three fields to recover from Its current worn state. 11. The Civic Arena has a new Assistant Manager, Chadd Benson. Chadd's first day Is March 17. 12. The Civic Arena will host the 1997 North American Short Tract Speedskating Championships on March 28, 29 a 30. The three day event attracts skaters from across the United States and Canadian Providence's. Last year 160 skaters were Involved In the championships. There is no admission charge. 13. The Wescott Center has been very busy! We are averaging between 50-60 youth participants per day. We can't wait for fairer weather to return so we can utilize the outdoors more often. 14. The Wescott staff and I are planning spring break activities which will run March 24-31. We are joining Paula's program for 3 of the field trips. 15. The annual tree sale will be conducted on Saturday, April 26th at the City Maintenance Facility. Order forms were included in the spring brochure which was distributed to all residents. 16. Analytical and historical data for the Borchert-Ingersol (North Park) site have been submitted to the MPCA/VIC program for review. Upon approval the data will be submitted to Dakota County for review. 17. Mr. John Fenn has been hired to fill the vacant forestry/park maintenance position. John has been the city forester for the city of Robbinsdale. He brings an exclusive background In forestry, nursery propogation and Installation to the position. John will start with Eagan on March 14th. 18. Applications are now available for a variety of summer seasonal positions with the Park, Forestry, and Recreation divisions. Daytime, evening, and weekend maintenance positions are available. Applications can be obtained at City Hall or the Maintenance Facility or by calling 681-4660. 19. City Forestry Supervisor, Gregg Hove, will be attending a tree preservation conference from March 16-18. Information obtained at the conference will be used to develop a new preservation brochure and other educational materials. 20. A research assistant will again be hired by the Park/Forestry Divisions to continue the facility and tree Inventory, begun last year using the Global Positioning System (GPS). The end product will be a detailed site Inventory in map form which will be useful for planning, maintenance and development. 21. Plans are nearing completion for the Installation of a large landscape planting around the new park sign at the corner of Lexington and Diffley. The plans Include the Installation of a subsurface "drip" Irrigation system which utilizes neoprene rubber hose. The system is considered to be more efficient In a landscape application then the traditional sprinkler type systems. 22. During the seasonal transition, staff has begun work on or completed construction projects at Wescott Commons Center, the Civic Arena, and several park buildings. Other current projects Include equipment maintenance and repair, sign construction, table repairs, and playground repairs. The new sign will be completed at a savings In excess of 50% when compared with the bid price. 23. The city of Inver Grove Heights and Eagan recently shared in the purchase of a new topdressing unit. Because use of the unit Is very seasonal, a shared purchase was considered to be cost effective for both cities. A letter of understanding outlining scheduling and maintenance procedures has been developed. 24. At the request of EAA and Dakota Hills Middle School the city will construct and Install two new batting tunnels at DHMS. The materials are being paid for by EAA and the school district. 25. The city will again participate in the "4" Your Parks cleanup on April 26, sponsored by WCCO and MRPA. Interested groups can register by calling 681-4700. Cs 11 /march happenings ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION MARCH 17, 1997 MEETING DEVELOPMENT AGENDA EAGAN BUSINESS COMMONS 1. This development will be responsible for a cash parks dedication and a cash trails dedication. 2. The Tree Preservation Plan shall be approved with the following conditions: • 70 Category B trees shall be installed in addition to any approved landscape requirement (Category B trees are defined as 21/2 inch caliper deciduous trees or 6 foot height coniferous trees) or some combination of Category A, B, or C trees to equal 70 Category B trees and • A cash mitigation in the amount of $20,184. • A revised landscape plan shall be submitted to staff indicating the location, species and size of tree mitigation trees. • Tree Protective Measures (i.e. 4 foot polyethylene laminate safety netting) shall be installed at the Drip Line or at the perimeter of the Critical Root Zone, whichever is greater, of significant trees/woodlands to be preserved. • The developer shall contact the City Forestry Division at least five days prior to the issuance of the grading permit to ensure compliance with the approved Tree Preservation Plan. 3. The development shall be subject to an on-site ponding and supplemental cash dedication requirement to fully meet water quality mitigation obligations. 4. Exemptions from regulation under the Wetland Conservation Act shall be issued for the two potential wetland areas in the northern portion of the site. city of eagan MEMO TO: ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: KEN VRAA, DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION DATE: MARCH 14, 1997 RE: EAGAN BUSINESS COMMONS BACKGROUND Roseville Properties is requesting a Preliminary Subdivision (Eagan Business Commons) to create 4 lots for Industrial development of 26 acres located at the northwest corner of the Intersection of R.H. 55 and Lone Oak Road. Most of the property is currently undeveloped with the exception of five residential lots abutting Lone Oak Road. The proposed subdivision consists of 4 lots ranging In size from 4.24 acres to 7.24 acres. The conceptual site plan indicates that two of the lots will containoffice/showroom type buildings that have a more decorative exterior finish, and two lots will contain more typical warehouse buildings. All the proposed lots can be developed with buildings and parking that meet seback requirements with the exception of Lot 1, Block 2 which Is across the street from a P (Public Facilities-Lone Oak Church) and A (Agricultural) zoning district. Code requires a 100 foot buffer yard where an I district is across the street from a R, A, or P district. As such, a variance is also requested to allow buildings and parking within the 100 foot buffer yard. The proposed landscape plan Is acceptable with a few modifications. The proposed plan Includes a mix of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs. Some additional shrub clusters should be located around the parking lot on Lot 3, Block 1 to provide screening at 75% opacity. Staff also suggests adding more plants arond the proposed ponds near the T.H. 55 entrance. In addition, the applicant should consider preserving some of the existing woodlands to the south of the building on Lot 1, Block 1 rather than replace them with new tree plantings. This site Is located within Eagan Tax Increment Financing District #3 also known as the Highway 55 Redevelopment District. The District was created in 1996 to assist in the orderly development and redevelopment of properties with substandard conditions located on either side of T.H. 55 between Lexington Avenue and Lone Oak Road. PARKS AND TRAILS DEDICATION This development will be responsible for a cash parks dedication and a cash trails dedication. TREE PRESERVATION This 28 acre site is located north of Lone Oak Road and west of U.S. Highway 52 in the SE 1 /4 of Section 2. The existing conditions of the site are 80% open grassland and 20% wooded. All of the vegetation is located either just north of Lone Oak road or just west of US Highway 52. Sienlficant Vegetation The submitted tree Inventory Indicates that significant vegetation on the site currently consists of 84 significant trees and 103,000 square feet of woodlands. Significant trees are categorized as follows: "anti Species and Size 14 Hardwood deciduous trees 6" - 20" (Ash, maple, birch) 4 Hardwood deciduous trees 20" - 30" 30 Softwood deciduous trees 12" - 24" (Elm, boxelder, cottonwood) 5 Softwood deciduous trees > 24" 31 Coniferous trees > 24' height (Spruce, pine) 84 The significant woodlands are comprised of elm, boxelder, and cottonwood trees In the 2" to 30" diameter ranges. As mentioned briefly In the preceding section, all of this significant vegetation is located in areas about 60' to 120' wide along both Lone Oak Road and U.S. Highway 52. The development proposal as submitted will result In the removal of 74 significant. trees (88.1 % of the total existing) and in the removal of 103,000 square feet of significant woodlands (100% of the total existing). According to the City of Eagan Tree Preservation Ordinance allowable removal for this type of development (Multi-lot, commercial, single phase development) Is set at 47.5% of the existing significant vegetation. With a proposed removal greater than allowable limits, tree preservation mitigation Is calculated as follows. Significant vegetation Existing conditions Proposed to be removed Allowable removal Amount to be mitigated Mitigation Cat. B trees Trees 84 74 40 34 136 Woodland 103,000 sq ft 103,000 sq ft 48,925 sq ft 54,075 sq ft 216 352 trees Cash mitigation equivalent of 352 Category B trees = $105,600.00 Discussion With the intention of developing a reasonable mitigation proposal for this development, staff has reviewed this site as to the "quality" of significant vegetation currently existing on site. First, the 103,000 square foot significant woodland (located parallel to US Highway 55) Is more than likely the result of re-growth of volunteer vegetation typical of a disturbed site. This plant material (cottonwood, boxelder, and elm trees) probably began growing following the original grading and Installation of the adjacent highway. Secondly, the individual trees located on the south property line (north of Lone Oak Road) are typical "residential landscape" trees, and are currently growing In yards of existing homes. These individual trees are spruce, pine, maple, elm, and birch species. A portion of the existing trees In this residential area are located In the future easement of Lone Oak Road and have therefore been exempted from the applicant tree Inventory, as they will be removed during the expansion of Lone Oak Road. Through meetings with the applicant, they have expressed the desire to remove most of the exisiting vegetation. General appearance and tree quality are major reasons for removal provided to staff as the applicant proposes to prepare the site for development. With this desire In mind, and the applicants expressed need to maximize developable space on site, staff has prepared the following mitigation proposal. This proposal will allow for both some tree removal mitigation, while at the same time allowing for this site to be developed. Staff Proposal Removal of the significant woodlands Identified by the applicant comprise 61 % of the tree mitigation. Understanding the origin and quality of this woodlands, staff is proposing to reduce the required mitigation by that same 61 %. Therefore, the developer will be responsible for 39% of the original mitigation, or a tree installation/cash mitigation total of $41,184.00. This total mitigation shall be fulfilled In the form of: a. Installing 70 Category B trees (dollar value of $21,000.00) on site, In addition to any addition to any approved landscape requirement (Category B trees are defined as 2 Y2 inch caliper deciduous trees or 6 foot height coniferous trees) or some combination of Category A, B, or C trees to equal 70 Category B trees, and b. providing a cash mitigation in the amount of $20,184.00. Recommendation Staff Is recommending approval of the Tree Preservation Plan as proposed with the following conditions: To require that the applicant fulfill tree mitigation requirements by: a. Installing 70 Category B trees, In addition to any approved landscape requirement (Category B trees are defined as 2 2 Inch caliper deciduous trees or 6 foot height coniferous trees, (or some combination of Category A, B, or C trees to equal 70 Category B trees)), and b. providing a cash mitigation In the amount of $20,184.00. To require that a revised landscape plan be submitted to staff Indicating the location, species and size of tree mitigation trees. To require that Tree Protective Measures (i.e. 4 foot polyethylene laminate safety netting be Installed at the Drip Line or at the perimeter of the Critical Root Zone, whichever Is greater, of significant trees/woodlands to be preserved. To require that the developer contact the City Forestry Division at least five days prior to the Issuance of the grading permit to ensure compliance with the approved Tree Preservation Plan. WATER QUALITY/WETLANDS This development Is located In northeastern Eagan In Drainage Basin F. It will generate runoff that will flow to the north, eventually discharging to Pond FP-1, a MnDNR protected water designated as a nutrient trap In the City's water quality management plan. There are no designated recreational water bodies downstream of the proposed development. The /I developer has incorporated on-site ponding into the development, but the ponding configuration meets only a portion of the total ponding requirements for full mitigation. Because there are no downstream recreational water bodies, staff recommends that the remaining water quality mitigation be met with a supplemental cash dedication. There are two small areas on the site; one at the very north end of the site and the other along the northeast boundary that exhibit wetlands characteristics. However, a thorough examination of historic air photos of this area shows no evidence of wetlands in either location prior to road construction and development activities in the area. In addition, the soils survey shows no hydric soil units In either area. Finally, this information and an examination of topographic Information indicate that If the areas are wetlands, the wetlands were created as a result of the blockage of small drainages that resulted from grading activities for roads and other developments and thus are exempt from regulation under the Wetlands Conservation Act. Recommendations • The development shall be subject to an on-site ponding and supplemental cash dedication requirement to fully meet water quality mitigation obligations. • Exemptions from regulation under the Wetland Conservation Act be Issued for the two potential wetland areas in the northern portion of the site. I a\? a A ?1 I I ? ? ?; `? ' •r' ?? ? ¢, ?\? I • „ V \ l I -t 3 , ? n ? f ' i I I J it I t JIM OR 0 fill D ? ;: V ly! Z Iri Ii N . \ Z' W 'i ?. 11 t ' I i1 •1 t a 10 u >K Iii.. : ? ~ "? ',`? \ •, ?! ' . ,- + l •? i VIII I 11 I? ? ? ? I ? ? I i 'i' b.•f+ ?Tt ?Y?1 ::? ' r.. .?1 -.. .. _ K \ \ IV f j... 1.. ff? "f ? ,. ?'i I I 1 ? t;' \ c 44 ICI:. !' •, .. 1 e t..?>_. it t t _ _ _ (s I' L^ 1 S ?L 'y' ? ., 1 .` ,e..y • ._ 1 .. n .... .... ?-. .. • • 1 : C to j I s_ ? t t!? .- , ''s;.. 1 .i u ) 1 ,3tt3y ,t ?-t\ ? r :{. :MA:b?0y0tIM1l(.1_?NOIt'• rt? slim a. •e t ('?• i z VIA w fit Jill! ?' \ 39 1 it ,?11 I '? /1 ?f. C I 111 I c 1'r l ?, -E lit fit j.p i ?! s z $ 111 4L if! 0 a i}! !'i?, u! 3 MUM 1111 till 11 tl ra 1411 tf, 4 I I'j,j i r tf I %' Q 8 f;1 113 t -= ? ??:7 r I W ? I ??k I I I Sl/ i • ilk A ?.r .: F ?I I Fr.• t:: o , i t E m m c) m_ cn t t EAGAN BUSINESS COMMONS Eagan, Minnesota L?f ?'! Ii tt ?I' /J I' 1 O 0? k s` N & o f !? ? ' f * III I I 'I ` 3 4 y ? \ _ I - u ' I I L ; .L W!IllIII , } t `'\ _ IIT'I^Triil TM-i1Ti1L 0 `tK a d P r \ S 1 l : tt l J, r„ y A, Z X11 II•Is I I ?•!. L A? `? ?`? to I,I I vy " . ? Cx ?? i • 1)1 t .I, $ I ','1+• `f ; .•,, -• 1y ? ',II I I ?'I I ''i i+/, 4 i ?'; l ,? ry,_,l il' '_•,!? ..ll I Ili IJ LII••,? ?t I Yy t , ?, a x ??t 1 r _ -(EE?IVE '= t + a Ivo. ?1 I 2 0 city of eagan MEMO DATE: March 5, 1997 TO: Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission FROM: Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation p Q Dorothy Peterson, Superintendent of Recreation SUBJECT: Child Protection Policy For Commission Action To approve or deny ratification of the attached Child Protection Policy and if approved recommend adoption by the City Council. Background The proposed Child Protection Policy has been developed to respond to the question, "What would the City do in the event of an employee, intern or volunteer being the subject of a complaint of harassment, intimidation, verbal, psychological, physical or sexual abuse involving a child?" The proposed policy has undergone review by the recreation subcommittee on two occasions, the Director of Parks and Recreation, recreation staff, the City Personnel Director and the City attorney's office. All parties recommend adoption. • Does the Child Protection Policy protect the City from legal action in the event of an incident? The intent of the proposed policy is to state the care with which employees, interns and volunteers are selected, trained and supervised. The volunteer aspect is new and refers to volunteer positions that are long term commitments; none currently exist. The proposed policy further outlines what steps would occur in the event of a complaint against an employee, intern or volunteer. Further, the proposed policy proclaims acceptance of no responsibility for independent organizations such as EAA, scouts, 4H groups and the like. In the event of an incident with the policy in place, the City would be less likely to be held legally responsible for the illegal acts of an individual. In addition, the policy affirms the City's determination to safeguard children who participate in City-sponsored activities. r8/dp35.97 CHILD PROTECTION POLICY This Child Protection Policy is established to meet the stipulations of the National Child Protection Act (Public Law 103-209) and to attempt to assure safety to children who participate in City sponsored activities. Coverage: (a) All employees and interns. (b) All volunteer positions in municipal employment existing or hereafter created that have occasion to interact with children without direct, continuous supervision by a regular employee. Hiring Procedure 1. Job descriptions shall be established for each position/category of positions. 2. Job postings shall include: • Minimum requirements. • Equal opportunity statement. 3. Applicants must fill out City application form and provide other information as requested. 4. Candidates meeting minimum qualifications may be considered for personal interview subject to: • Number of positions to be filled. • Objective review and point total (100 maximum) of minimum and desired qualifications. Veterans preference points will be applied when requested. 5. Candidates interviewed will be asked to respond to questions related to the position; all candidates will be asked the same questions. 6. All candidates interviewed shall be requested to sign the City form authorizing a criminal background check for the conviction of a crime or crimes as authorized by Minnesota Statute Chapter 364 and as otherwise allowed under the Minnesota Child Protection Background Check Act, Minnesota Statutes 299C.60 - 299C.64. Criminal background checks will only be performed for those applicants whom the City is still considering hiring after the initial interview. • State Statute does not create a duty to perform a background check. By enacting this policy the City is not under a duty to perform a background check on any employee, intern or volunteer. 7. The existence of a criminal conviction record will not automatically disqualify a candidate from employment with the City, though certain types of criminal convictions may prohibit working in certain positions. Records of arrest not followed by valid conviction; convictions which have been, pursuant to law, annulled or expunged; and misdemeanor convictions for which no jail sentence can be imposed, will not be considered by the City. Before any applicant is rejected on the basis of a criminal conviction, he/she will be notified in writing and will be given any rights to processing of complaints or grievances afforded by Minnesota Statute Ch. 364 and Section 299C.60 - 299C.64. 8. Candidate evaluation will continue with reference checks. 9. Positions will be offered to individuals who best fit requirements of the position. /1 I. Regular employee training shall be provided as appropriate to a position. 2. Seasonal and temporary employees and volunteers shall undergo training that shall include but not be limited to: • Personnel procedures and responsibilities. • Program/activity related experience in a workshop type setting. • General observation and awareness of surroundings of the work environment. • First aid and CPR. • Performance expectations, supervision, and evaluation. • Department/City policies and procedures including the prohibition of harassment, illegal discrimination, and child protection. Supervision 1. Program sites will receive a minimum of one site visit from supervisory staff each day. The purpose is informal feedback and assistance. 2. Supervisors shall provide seasonal/temporary employees with telephone and pager numbers at which they can be reached. 3. A staff meeting or meetings shall be held as required by supervisory staff. 4. Supervisor/seasonal-temporary individual meetings will be held concerning: • Performance below expectation. • Conformance with City policy. • Exit interviews. Child Protection Complaint Investigation Policy 1 The following steps may be taken by supervisory staff concerning a complaint of harassment, intimidation, verbal, psychological, physical or sexual abuse involving a child against an employee, intern or volunteer. The City's basic personnel policies, including its sexual harassment policy, will govern an investigation for child protection. • Immediate suspension with pay for the duration of the investigation. In the case of a volunteer, cessation of the volunteer activity. Notification shall be in writing. • Report the incident to the Director of Personnel who will conduct an investigation providing a preliminary report within 72 hours if possible. • If the complaint against the employee could result in a criminal charge, the complaint will immediately be reported to the police department. • Maintain confidentiality. 2. Minnesota Data Privacy Act provisions will be followed. INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATIONS The City of Eagan is not responsible for background checks or liable for actions by personnel and volunteers from independent organizations that use City facilities. cs 10%hildpro.tect /S. ._ city of eagan MEMO TO: Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission FROM: Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation DATE: March 14, 1997 RE: Quarry Park Request At the February meeting, Commission Members were made aware of a request by John Marks and Sam Remillard to pave a hockey rink at Quarry Park. This Item was referred to the Acquisition/Development Subcommittee for further review. The subcommittee did look at this request and opined that this could be Included for consideration and Inclusion in the overall CIP review. A letter was sent to the gentlemen making the request so that they would be aware of the Commission's review and consideration for such a facility. KV:cm 11 city of aagan THOMAS EGAN March 6,1997 Mayor PATRICIA AWADA BEA BLOMQUIST SANDRA A. MASIN THEODORE WACHTER John Marks Council Members Sam Remillard THOMAS HEDGES Pilot Knob Elementary School City Administrotcr 1436 Lone Oak Road Eagan, MN 55121 E. J. VAN OVERBEKE City Clerk Dear John and Sam; Your letter requesting consideration for paving the Quarry Park hockey rinks has been given to the Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission for consideration. At this time, no recommendation or decision has been reached about your request. You may be aware that the City, with a contribution from the Eagan Hockey Association, did pave a rink at Goat Hill Park late last summer. This project cost over $ 10,000 to complete. The success of this project has not yet been evaluated because the work was done so late in the year. We are hopeful that it will be heavily used by in-line skaters which would justify the additional investment in another similar project at some future date. There is some concern as to whether a paved rink at Quarry can be accomplished because a water main goes directly beneath the rinks and paving could cause the winter frost to penetrate deeper and freeze the water main. Soil conditions would also have to be evaluated to determine If this is a feasible location. These, and other issues, would have to be resolved before a project at Quarry could proceed. Hopefully you will be able to use the Goat Hill facility until a decision is made regarding paving another rink. Thank you for addressing your needs and desire for roller hockey. I know It's a fast growing sport with a number of people of all ages. Sincer lyf Ken Vraa Director of Parks and Recreation KV:cm cc: Tom Egan, Mayor Tom Hedges, City Administrator MUNICIPAL CENTER 3830 PILOT KNOB ROAD EAGAN MINNESOTA 55122-1897 PHONE (612) 681-4600 FAX (612) 681.4612 TDD (612) 454.8535 THE LONE OAK TREE THE SYMBOL OF STRENGTH AND GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITY Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer /I MAINTENANCE FACILITY 3501 COACHMAN POINT EAGAN. MINNESOTA 55122 PHONE (C)12)681-4300 FAX (612) 681-4360 TDD (612) 454.8535 -Pilot Knob Elementary School 1436 Lone Oak Road Eagan, Minnesota 55121 February 14, 1997 Parks And Recreation Department 3830 Pilot Knob Road City Of Eagan Eagan, Minnesota 55122 Dear Whom It Concerns: We are students from Pilot Knob. We are writing because of Quarry Park hockey rinks. We would like to know if you could please have the rinks paved this summer. It would give us kids a place to play roller hockey, adults would like it too. It would also be easier to ice the rinks over in the winter. All the kids would really appreciate it if you would consider it. We would have alot of fun! We kids really like roller hockey. Thankfully yours, m emillard, o n ar s 19 MEMO - city of eagan TO: ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: C.). LILLY, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT/PARK PLANNER DATE: MARCH 11, 1997 RE: COMMUNITY PARK SIGNAGE BACKGROUND As recently as four years ago all park identification signs were the same. Although this has worked very well for neighborhood parks, it has let to a degree of confusion with the public in being able to Identify larger community parks. This has resulted in staff having to explain how to find these parks and visitors trying to find them. To help resolve some of these issues, staff developed new criteria for community park identification signs. The size of the sign was increased with a unique design different than neighborhood park signs to assist the public In identifying community parks. Two examples of the new design are at Blackhawk Park and Lexington Diffley Athletic Fields. The monumental nature of these signs creates an identifiable landmark that Eagan residents and visitors can easily locate. Staff would like to add two more community park signs at Thomas Lake Park and Trapp Farm Park in 1997. ANALYSIS Last January sketches were drawn for future community park signs with Concept A and B presented to the Commission for their feedback. The Commission requested that cost estimates be obtained for the signs. Sign fabricators were contacted and given artistic license to develop the best sign they could for the most reasonable price. An important criteria for the fabricators was that the sign was to be built with durable, aesthetically pleasing materials. Four sign fabricators submitted designs and associated cost estimates. The estimate from Cylex, Inc. was eliminated since the weight of the imitation stone would require a footed concrete wall to support it. The cost for Concept A was $13,675 and Concept B was $9,345 excluding shipping from Tempe, Arizona. The manufacturing process for this type of sign would also not allow for a see-through tree symbol. The remaining three sign manufacturers slightly altered concept plans A and B to enhance the aesthetics and to get the best cost estimate. Although designs varied, the materials they selected were fairly consistant. All sign materials selected are sandblasted redwood, all internal frames are a combination of steel and wood and all tree symbols are metal and see through. CA / Some concerns had been voiced by Commission Members regarding the use of redwood. When asked about options, sign fabricators stated that redwood Is most often used because of Its tendency not to crack or have knots in the wood. Redwood by itself is not an especially strong wood however with steel and wood Internal framework anchored to a concrete footing, It should be as strong as it needs to be. LOCATION The sign for Thomas Lake Park on Pilot Knob Road must be double sided for best visibility. The sign will be aligned perpendicular to the curb for optimal reading from the north and south bound lanes. The sign for Trapp Farm Park on Wilderness Run Road may be either single or double sided since the sign would be located at the apex of a curve in the road. This option for a single sided sign Is presented as a cost saving measure. LANDSCAPING All signs will be mounted on supports three feet above the surrounding ground elevation. This will keep them above normal snow depths and allow sufficient room for landscaping around their bases. Landscape materials suggested around the base of these signs are perennial flowers such as purple and white coneflower, black eyed susan, rose coreopsis and daylilys. These varieties are long blooming and tend to be more drought tolerant than most species. A gently curving perennial border will also make lawn care around these signs easier to maintain. The combination of beautiful signage and landscaping will further enhance the positive character and Image of the community parks. SIGNAGE COST The following Is a cost analysis for both singe and double sided signs. Staff requests the Commission select one signage concept for Thomas Lake and one for Trapp Farm Park. The Commission may select one fabricator for both signs or different companies for each location. A. SIGN CITY, Annandale. MN Concept A Single Sided $10,450 Double Sided 12,536 Concept B Single Sided 9,432 Double Sided 11,980 B. EDISON SIGNS. Lone Lake. MN Hybrid Single Sided $4,910 Hybrid Double Sided 5,740 C. A-LA-POINTE SIGNS, Minneapolis. MN Concept A Single Sided $4,100 Double Sided 4,900 Concept B Single Sided 4,600 Double Sided 5,400 IMPLEMENTATION From the time the order is received by a sign shop It takes approximately 10 weeks to construct the signs. If the order Is placed mid-March, the signs should be ready to Install by the first week of June. During the month of May, the exact sign locations could be staked and parks maintenance staff can pour the concrete footings so they will have two weeks to set prior to Installation of the signs. Once the signs are Installed and approved, landscaping could be completed during the month of June. The same process could be followed until all of the community park signs have been updated. FOR COMMISSION ACTION The Commission should review the design/cost options and recommend from the following: • Preferred design for Thomas Lake Park. • Preferred design for Trapp Farm Park. • Do not proceed; discontinue further work on this project. H\Chenyi\Mar-97 CommiuionWark Signage.cj TO: CITY COUNCIL C/O THOMAS HEDGES ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: RICH BRASCH, WATER RESOURCES COORDINATOR DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION RE: PARTICIPATION IN DAKOTA COUNTY WETLAND ASSESSMENT, MONITORING, AND AWARENESS PROGRAM DATE: MARCH 12, 1997 Issue The issue before the Council and Commission is whether the City should participate in a cooperative program with Dakota County, the MN Pollution Control Agency (MnPCA), and the Audubon Council for development and evaluation of a citizen-based wetland monitoring, assessment, and education program. Background Dakota County, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the Audubon Society are proposing a cooperative project to test and evaluate a wetland monitoring methodology that can be implemented by citizens and will generate information of use to local governments in wetland management. The principle thrust of the program is to train citizens to carry out a technically valid monitoring technique which relies on a systematic evaluation of vegetation and invertebrates to assess the quality of the wetland. Equally important is whether the information generated from the program will be useful to local governments in their water resource and wetland management efforts. The effort is similar to one started by MnPCA more than 20 years ago to involve citizens in monitoring and tracking lake water clarity on a systematic basis. City water resources staff currently coordinate the involvement of 15-25 citizen lake monitoring volunteers who monitor lakes within Eagan. A similar citizen-based wetlands monitoring project was tested last year on a small sub-set of volunteers composed mainly of teachers from Apple Valley, Burnsville, and Lakeville. The participants were universally enthusiastic about their participation in the program. This years effort would be expanded to include lay citizens as well and would cover a larger geographic area of Dakota County. The development and application of the technique is drawing national interest for two principle reasons. First, it may be a very cost-effective way of generating information on the quality of wetland resources that local governments could find useful in establishing priorities for wetland protection. Second, it may be a way for citizens to generate useful, technically valid information on a very important aspect of the natural resources base and thus become actively involved in wetland resource management at the grass roots level. Project Proposal Description The project would involve three tasks. The first is citizen monitoring of selected depressional wetlands. It is expected that a total of six teams of five volunteers/team will be operating within Dakota County, with each team monitoring 5-10 wetlands. If the City elects to participate in the project, 1-2 teams would cover Eagan. The second task involves performing a detailed technical investigation of a sub-set of wetlands monitored by citizens in order to evaluate the accuracy of the citizen assessments. This task would be performed either by outside technical experts of MnPCA staff. The third task would be the development of public education materials on the wetland resources of Dakota County. Duties of City water resources staff in the project would include recruitment of volunteers, participation in wetland assessment training sessions put on by MnPCA staff, selection of sites, providing technical guidance and coordination assistance for citizen teams, and review and distribution of education materials. The term of the project is expected to extend through September 1998, and a City water resources staff time commitment of 100-145 hours is estimated. No significant cash outlay on the part of the City will be required. The majority of the coordination responsibilities for the project will lie with the Dakota County Environmental Education Program, with the cities of Burnsville, Lakeville, and Eagan the main municipal cooperators. It is expected that a presentation of the results of the project would be made to the City upon completion of the effort. For Council/Commission Action Staff seeks direction from the Council and Commission regarding whether the City should participate in the project. Rich Brasch Water Resources Coordinator c2(- MEMO - city of eagan TO: KEN VRAA, DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION FROM: ]ON OYANAGI, RECREATION SUPERVISOR DATE: MARCH 11,1997 RE: WINTER PROGRAM. REPORT The 1996/97 winter season was once again filled to the brim with activity. The weather controlled the outdoor programs. The indoor programs were limited by access to gyms and meeting areas. The staff supervising the skating sites and the tubing hill did a great job even though we had to scramble to cover all 13 parks. And throughout the hustle and bustle the 1997 softball season was mapped out. The following Is a brief summary of the various programs I directly supervise, a reaction to the survey completed by intern Ben Duvik, and recommendations for the future. BASKETBALL Adult basketball leagues are played on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Four leagues are offered including: 3-on-3 Unofficiated on Wednesday with six teams 5-on-5 Officiated Upper on Wednesday with ten teams 5-on-5 Officiated Lower on Wednesday with six teams 5-on-5 Officiated on Thursday with eight teams The leagues fill up quickly and more space is needed. The officials are not readily available but I have been fortunate to find associations to do the assigning rather than handling the duties myself. The winter league runs for ten games ending in mid-March for Wednesday(because there are no skip dates due to school activities) and in early April for Thursdays(because there are so many skip dates). BROOMBALL The number of teams remained strong this year. the following leagues were offered: Sunday Red League with six teams Sunday Blue League with six teams Monday League with eight teams Friday Co-Rec Upper League with six teams Friday Co-Rec Middle League with six teams Friday Co-Rec Lower League with six teams 00 17 2 The Co-Rec program seems to grow stronger every year. Those leagues are run In conjunction with Burnsville Recreation on behalf of the South of the River Recreators. Officials are very hard to come by. Eagan hosted a referee clinic to help provide some training for new officials. I ended up with six referees to cover the three evenings of play. There were two new individuals and a solid experienced group. The scheduling and paying of the officials does add quite a bit of work to the process. BOOT HOCKEY The boot hockey program has grown in popularity and competes with broomball in attracting new teams to outdoor winter sports. This year was the first In which I had to turn two teams away due to limited space. Next year there will be a closer look at accommodating as many teams as are interested. Once again there is the problem of finding officials to cover these games. I have been fortunate to find two referees to cover both rinks all season. Adding rinks puts more pressure on finding officials. The leagues offered were: Red League on Saturdays with six teams Blue League on Saturdays with six teams Both leagues are divided as equally as possible based on skill level. Next year I am contemplating creating upper and lower leagues in order to provide even competition for the duration of the season. Behavior has been a concern for several years but was relatively controlled this season. 4-ON-4 HOCKEY This was a surprising year for 4-on-4 hockey. I was evaluating whether or not to offer the leagues in 1997/98 due dropping numbers In previous years. However, Wednesday nights saw a slight increase to six teams and Saturdays grew to eight teams. All of last year's teams returned and three new teams joined the ranks. Behavior was a problem this season. There were a couple of pushing and shoving matches along with some naughty words. Because there are no referees the teams are on their own. This usually is a great system because most players are very polite. A select few seem to think that the only way to play Is the way they played in college and then maybe some pro scouts might notice them! If the numbers increase, I can look to create leagues based on skill level in order to avoid mismatches. DOG SLED RIDES Ward and Colleen Wallin came down from Two Harbors with their team of huskies to offer dog sled rides on February 8 at Trapp Farm Park. The trail was groomed on Schwanz Lake and the event coincided with the ice fishing demonstration and the tubing hill. 150 children were given rides. This unique opportunity grows more popular each year. HOLZ FARM The Friends of the Farm have been very active through the winter months. Last November the first official Board of Directors was voted in and have been conducting monthly meetings ever since. Plans for 1997 activities are being developed. Grants are being submitted to a variety of foundations for renovation and programming dollars. A benefit dinner was held at Jensen's Supper Club February 2 with over $300.00 raised to benefit the Friends group and an additional $5.00 per anniversary meal sold throughout February also being contributed. The Minnesota Farmers Union has been working with the Friends to Inform their members about Holz Farm and to look at opportunities to use the site for some of their functions. They are trying to revitalize their Dakota County members and feel this is an appealing project. Two dates are planned to hold day camps at Holz Farm bringing rural and suburban kids together. Currently progress has been slowed in order to have the City of Eagan's building Inspectors review the plans for use of the site. They will recommend Improvements, place restrictions, and detail safety measures that must be in place, before the public can officially use Holz Farm. There are the conflicting issues regarding preservation of the historical flavor versus making the site accessible and fire safe. Caution Is advisable from both aspects in order to carefully build and create a great site for the future. EVENTS FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES On Sunday, December 15, 75 people enjoyed a Winter Fun Fest at the Rosemount Community Center. This event was geared towards families with a child who has a disability. A snow storm the prior evening kept almost half of the registered participants away. Those that came enjoyed Indoor skating, dog sled rides, carnival-type games, ping-pong, pool, foosball, air hockey, and lots of prizes and refreshments. The South of the River communities co-sponsored this event. Money for the event was obtained through a grant from the Minnesota Recreation and Park Association. A Valentine's Dance was held February 13 at the Rosemount Community Center. Approximately 150 adults with disabilities attended. This was co-sponsored by the South of the River Recreators and River Valley Project Explore. A tubing evening for adults with disabilities, February 20, was cancelled due to poor conditions(warm weather). Around 40 people had registered. Staff continues to meet with a consortium of professionals called the Dakota County Recreation and Leisure Group. Their mission is to coordinate and communicate recreational opportunities for adults who are developmentally disabled. Initially the group was looking towards municipal parks and recreation to create programs that their clients wanted. Lately, the group is seeing that many activities are out there and that the word needs to get out. Also, with a little coordination, special events and programs needing larger numbers can happen without duplication or lack of Interest. A hotline is being planned to provide quick and easy access to current events. A softball league is In the works for this summer. The events that the S.O.R.R. group plans are also Included. Plans are forming for the third annual Recreation and Leisure Day May 14 at Trapp Farm Park. This program brings special education students from the area high schools out to sample a variety of recreational activities. Participants rotate through four stations with choices such as in-line skating, canoeing, outdoor cooking, t-shirt design, orienteering, fishing and more. This year the focus will be on emotionally and behaviorally disturbed individuals. The hope is that students will come away with new interests and the knowledge of how to pursue them in their communities. OUTDOOR SKATING LESSONS The outdoor lessons dropped off slightly In numbers compared to last year and the Introduction of the Indoor program. There still were numbers to support the outdoor offering and the lesser fees. John Glynn taught seven sections and Patty Brown taught two sections. Both instructors make the lessons fun and show much patience with their students. Patty started a new pre-school lesson. There is a demand for this age group and by focusing on their developmental skills, the burden of Including them In the general beginners classes is reduced. 63 students registered for the nine classes. THE OUTDOOR WINTER RECREATION SITES This area consumes the largest amount of my time and energy during the winter months. The budgeting for a program assistant to help cover supervising the seasonal staff has made a world of difference In keeping me fresher and saner. The seven day a week, evening, weekend and holiday responsibility lasted for 10 weeks this year. That Is the longest season I have seen in the eight years of performing these duties. The weather allowed us to open December 20 and the blacktopped rink kept Goat Hill open until February 26. Trapp Farm remains open through March 9. EVENTS Skate With Santa was held Saturday, December 21, 1996. For one hour, Santa skated with the public at Clearwater Park. He gave out candy canes and we offered to videotape anyone who wished to capture the moment. Close to 100 youth and their parents stooped In to enjoy a wonder-filled day. J1 4 During the school vacation break, a variety of events were held each day to jazz up the warming shelter sites. They Included: A Box Hockey Tournament Skating Games and Races Snow Sculpture Contest Coloring Contest Snow Bowl - Football On Ice! Guess How Much Candy In the Jar Each individual site organized the specifics for each activity. Quarry and Rahn Parks won the Snow Sculpture Contest with gigantic tunnels and carvings. The large amount of snow contributed to their inspiration. TRAPP FARM PARK The tubing hill at Trapp Farm Park continues to grow in popularity. There were several weekend days when 200-plus people crowded the hill. Groups come out in droves on Wednesday nights, for Cub Scout meetings, celebrating birthdays and entertaining out-of-town guests. 36 groups called to let us know they were coming during open hours. Paid reservations are maintaining strong numbers. Four groups of over 100 students from Black Hawk Middle School used Trapp Farm as a field trip this winter. In addition, nine other paid reservations were held for a total of $900.00 in revenue. Dakota County scarified the hill with their groomer on two or three occasions which helped to extend the season. BLACKHAWK PARK Blackhawk Park was new to the system this year. Frankly, the site was not used much at all. The occasional walker or skier would happen upon the shelter but few people actually came to go skating or sliding. The word is not out there yet. The setting and facilities are great for families to enjoy. An event or two would have helped promote the park. Refer to my comments for future thinking at Biackhawk Park. SEASONAL STAFF Seasonal staff recruitment was once again a struggle. Woodhaven Park opened one week after all of the others do to a shortage of staff. After that we pieced together coverage for all of the sites. Overall, the leaders did a solid job attending to the park guests and maintaining the building and grounds. We were put In the difficult position of firing one of the staff and phasing out another. When the numbers are tight, this puts a great strain on the rest of the staff. The graduated closing of sites helps free up people to cover as substitutes or fill in when trouble occurs. A few staff received compliments directly or via phone calls to our office. There are a few dedicated servants among the bunch. With Jason Schwamb leaving, the era of the person working more than two seasons seems to be over with. No one else hired this winter had worked more than one previous season. HOT CHOCOLATE Hot chocolate sales were provided at seven sites and Blackhawk. As of March 6, $3130.00 was earned while $1460.00 was spent on supplies. That's a net gain of $1670.00, or enough to buy next year's stock of hot chocolate, cups, napkins and stir sticks. Requests are frequently made for other Items such as pop, candy and snacks. HOURS OF OPERATION The skating season was fine tuned to maximize public use while efficiently using the minimal number of staff available. Hours at Lexington , Pilot Knob and Woodhaven were reduced on weekends. Late hours were eliminated at Clearwater, Carnelian, Ridgeciiff and Sky Hill. A few complaints about the reduced weekend hours were received from the Lexington Park area. Pilot Knob was essentially dead during week nights. GOAT HILL PARK The blacktopped rink at Goat Hill Park created base Ice faster than the other rinks, kept a smoother surface In a variety of weather conditions, and kept the Ice longer with warmer temperatures. At the end of the skateable season we closed all of the sites except Goat Hill. MAINTENANCE The maintenance crews provided excellent Ice In spite of the horrific weather. This winter was a season of extremes. Bitter cold was followed by lots of snow. The snow was followed by bitter cold. The cycle would repeat. Once In a while a really warm day or two would melt and soften the ice. There were few "ideal" days to be outdoors. ATTENDANCE The numbers have not yet been tabulated from the attendance reports. Ranking the sites by attendance, In my professional opinion, would look like this: Weekday evenings Weekends 1. Bridle Ridge 1. Trapp Farm 2. Goat Hill 2. Goat Hill 3. Quarry 3. Bridle Ridge 4. Rahn 4. Clearwater 5. Sky Hill 5. Quarry 6. Trapp Farm 6. Rahn 7. Clearwater 7. Sky Hill 8. Carnelian 8. Carnelian 9. Rldgecliff 9. Ridgecliff 10. Woodhaven 10. Lexington 11. Lexington 11. Woodhaven 12. Pilot Knob 12. Pilot Knob 13. Blackhawk Notice that Bridle Ridge and Goat Hill stay near the top while Trapp Farm and Clearwater jump from the middle to the top on weekends. The bottom third remain constant with Blackhawk added because It was only open on weekends. During the holiday vacation period there were two weeks of extended hours. Cold weather greatly impacted attendance. Typically, the start of the season coincides with this vacation period and the sites are at their busiest. After New Year's Day, the Eagan Hockey Association uses the reserved Ice at five sites and the numbers remain high with this regular use. At the beginning of February the attendance falls off and continues to spiral downward until the end of the season, typically mid-February. WINTER WARMING HOUSE SURVEY Intern Ben Duvick spent many hours talking with people In the warming shelters about life, love and how they liked the rinks. He reported his findings to the Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission February 24. 1 would like to give my reaction to the numbers as well. RECREATION HAPPENINGS HOTLINE That one-third of those surveyed use the hotline Is very disappointing. The use of the number is promoted In the winter brochure, Is posted at each site, and is handed out on a flyer at each site. One problem Is that many people know the phone number to their favorite site. Most phones at the shelter are out and available to the public. They can dial 611 to obtain the number or If they have caller ID they can call home and read the number. They call the site to find out how the Ice Is, if we are open, if their friends are there, and to tell their children to come home. The problem with the public calling the shelters Is that supervisors are unable to reach the staff if needed and the line may be tied up in an emergency. 6 My hunch on another reason that the Happenings hotline Isn't fully utilized Is because most people make up their own mind! If the snow Is coming down or the temperature Is above freezing or if the windchill is -25 degrees then they make the decision to stay home. Except for leagues, lessons, or practices no one really has to go skating. For our adult leagues, the manager of each team Is instructed to call the Manager's Hotline and the call his or her team or have them call you. In this way everyone can get through to find out If their game Is on or not Instead of getting a busy signal. STAFF PERFORMANCE I was pleased with the scores for recognizing who the staff person is and whether they were friendly or not. We stress the Importance of wearing the red windbreaker, of acknowledging people as they enter, of being accessible to everyone, and assisting those who desire help. In three other cities visited I saw the staff sitting In an office area and never coming out to Interact with the public. DAYS VISITED The number of visits and days visited were Interesting. I wasn't surprised to see that most people visit a rink once, twice, maybe three times a week. As stated previously, the numbers probably would reflect a large number of visits early In the season and then a tapering off. Homework affects many youth and shortens or eliminates a trip to the rink. I was somewhat surprised to see Tuesdays and Thursdays as the lower attended days and Wednesdays so high. A lot of families are impacted Wednesdays by church activities. Perhaps school activities and sports Impact Tuesdays and Thursdays attendance figures. DEALING WITH BUDGET CUTS When faced with possible budget cuts the popular choice was to close the less utilized sites. Close behind was to close one day a week. Closing Mondays was the top pick if we did close one day. That does not seem consistent with the earlier question about "which days do you visit the rinks?". Monday was consistently listed as a top attendance day! If and when a decision would have to be made affecting the winter sites, part of the discussion will need to be around whether to make everyone feel the cutback or not. Closing some sites would not be noticed by those at sites remaining open. Closing one day per week at all sites would Impact everyone and cause them to take notice. Cutting back hours would also impact users across the city but only those who might be out early or late on a regular basis. AGES SURVEYED The age range graphs are somewhat deceiving. The graph really shows who took the survey. It does not show who attends the sites. We know by vision that the vast majority of skaters and visitors to all of the skating sites are youth age 6 to 15. Most adults, except for adult leagues, are there with their children. HOURS OF OPERATION The majority were satisfied with the hours of operation. We have tried to provide the rinks when they want to use them whilemaintaining an efficient use of resources. SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT Some of the comments for improving the sites are understandable yet fall into the category of "would be nice if you didn't have to worry about money". Most are not cost-effective. Examples are: Selling food Olympic-size oval skate sharpening Small rink for under 10 More blacktopped rinks Different seating Expand the shelter Indoor bathrooms at Clearwater More parking at Bridle Ridge Some of the suggestions are based on maintenance procedures: Better Ice More consistent ice Longer season More lighting on the pleasure rinks Improve Ice Rinks cleared when it snows Better Ice Sweep the floors more often 0-1 ? And some ideas impact programming: Sell snacks Bonfires Stay open later Promote youth activities More open skating space 7 Overall, the survey was informative and should prove useful when making decisions affecting the outdoor skating program. RECOMMENDATIONS. COMMENTS, CONCERNS I would like to close with ideas to consider for next season and beyond. STAFFING Each year the recruitment of good staff Is a concern. The past few years we have hired enough bodies to open all twelve, and now thirteen, staffed sites. This has brought on problems with marginal and, sometimes inappropriate, employees working with the public. Ads are placed with both local newspapers. Flyers are posted at all area colleges and high schools. Announcements are read to high school students. Guidance counselors receive letters. Senior citizens are asked but the numbers are small in this young community. Past staff are asked to spread the word. The flyer Is posted for City employees to see. Evaluations are held with each departing staff person to find ways to Improve the overall program including how we can make the job more attractive. So far there haven't been any new enhancements suggested. The newspapers have done articles about the crisis for the last two years. New recruitment ideas are desired. 1. One thought is to see if a booth could be set up at each high school to attract staff. 2. Another is to wear a sandwich board sign at each major intersection in Eagan during the month of November. 3. The pay needs to be examined against other entry level service jobs in the area. 4. The darkness at closing time and isolation of the job are causing females concern and apprehension. 5. Perhaps an overall Parks and Recreation marketing campaign could be ignited to help build support, interest, exposure, integrity and attractiveness to the programs and facilities. One part would include all of the seasonal jobs and attempting to make them look attractive and desirable. 6. Restructure the program to reduce the numbers of staff needed. 7. Talk with high school coaches to have them plug the job with their team members who do not have a winter sport. 8. Have the community liaison officer at each high school mention the job to possible candidates. 9. Talk with work coordinators at schools to develop a relationship with our program and theirs. 10. Talk with seniors groups. 11. Ask churches to talk with their seniors and youth group leaders. 12. Your ideas here! New retention Ideas include: 1. Provide perks or incentive programs to earn perks. 2. Make the uniform they wear attractive or "cool" enough so that a pride develops. 3. Offer incentives for hours worked, milestones or for earning compliments. 4. Offer social gatherings just for the fun of it! 5. Bring surprises to staff on duty such as treats, coupons for freebies, snacks or pop. 6. Jazz up manuals, training sessions, name tags, or anything else we might give them. 7. We currently offer paid training, CPR certification, and meals at training sessions. 8. Have an awards ceremony at the end of the season. 9. Offer to write a Letter of Reference for them. STRUCTURE OF WINTER RECREATION SITES To ease the strain on finding enough good staff, one solution would be to restructure the winter program. 1. This year we reduced the weekend hours at Lexington, Pilot Knob and Woodhaven to noon to 5:00 p.m. This reduced the need for staff on the weekends to one per site Instead of two. 2. Keep the major sites open as usual. Change the following sites: Pilot Knob - Becomes an adult league site seven days a week. Broomball, 4-on-4 Hockey and Boot Hockey would be scheduled there. On nights when two rinks are needed, one rink at Quarry Park would be scheduled In addition to Pilot Knob. Lexington - No warming shelter. Provide a wind screen bench and put the lights on a timer. Woodhaven - No warming shelter. Provide a wind screen bench and put the lights on a timer. Another option for Woodhaven is to utilize the large area to convert it to a big pleasure rink similar to Clearwater. This could be the alternate site for the adult leagues if Pilot Knob is not selected, however the parking area is much smaller and intrudes on the neighbors. Ridaecliff - No warming shelter. Provide a wind screen bench and put the lights on a timer. Blackhawk - Create a major winter recreation wonderland! St. Louis Park has a site called Northern lights that includes: Warming Shelter Tot Sliding Hill Walking Trail Skating Loop Soft Puck Hockey Rink Cross Country Ski Trail Snow Sculpture Area Triple Track Bobsled Run Concessions 20,000 Tree Lights Blackhawk could easily provide the setting for most of these activities and possibly more. The parking lot can handle large crowds and the neighbors are not drastically affected by the lights, noise or traffic. This plan would require using Blackhawk Lake for skating purposes. Parks maintenance has moved away from maintaining rinks on lakes. The large hill could be used for the bobsled run. Their are great cross-country ski trails in place. The shelter would work well as a concession area serving food and renting skates and skiffs. The bunny sliding hill Is in place. 3. Create a large hockey site(3 to 4 rinks) where the Eagan Hockey Association could practice, the adult leagues could be staged, and tournaments could be hosted. Perhaps North Park could be this setting. This would take the heavy load off of Bridle Ridge and Goat Hill. At that point we would have major use concentrated at North, Blackhawk and Trapp Farm while Goat Hill, Bridle Ridge, Rahn, Quarry and Sky Hill parks would return to their neighborhood service. I realize this concept moves away from the easily accessible neighborhood shelter and focuses on fewer community wide locations. I feel this would lessen conflict between user groups, provide exciting facilities not easily obtained in a neighborhood setting, Condense resources to be more efficient, and possibly create a sexier program with which to attract seasonal staff. 4. The requests keep coming for us to serve other refreshments such as pop, candy and snacks at the sites. For 1997-98, a limited experiment may be tried out at the busier shelters such as Goat hill, Bridle Ridge and Trapp Farm. Initially, the added choices will hopefully cover their expenses. This is meant to be a service rather than a money-maker. 24 S. A clinic, camp and/or league for youth to play hockey outdoors will be investigated. The thought Is to provide an alternative to the indoor, travel program for those who would like to try the sport before committing a lot of time and money. The program would also serve youth not interested in the travel aspect but wanting an organized league. This will obviously cut into time available for open hockey at sites programmed. The site or sites dedicated to leagues and hockey would also be able to service this program. In closing, the winter season provides a variety of services and programs for the community and beyond. There are many struggles to manage and barriers to overcome. Providing my views in this report is meant to point out some of these issues. If we keep them quiet, the public will be unaware of the problems or choices. I feel we are at a juncture when new ideas are ready to ripen and changes, subtle and oven, can create fun and meaningful opportunities for Eagan while holding onto traditional offerings as well. Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission 1997 Meeting Dates February 24, 1997 March 17, 1997 April 14, 1997 May 19 *, 1997 Conflict with City Council Alternate dates: Thursday, May 15 or 22 June 16, 1997 July 14, 1997 August 18, 1997 September 15, 1997 October 20, 1997 November 17, 1997 December 15, 1997 January 19*, 1997 Conflict with Martin Luther King Day Alternate dates: Thursday, January 15 or 22 Randall J. Ahem 4655 W ldwood street Eagan, Minnesota 55122-3386 Home Phone 882-1953 March 04, 1997 Ken Vraa Director of Parks and Recreation City of Eagan 3830 Pilot Knob Road Eagan, MN 55122-1897 Dear Ken; When I started on the Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission my work schedule was very flexible, with regards to the needs of the commission. In the last year I have opened two new businesses. These ventures have taken more and more of my time. It has become increasingly harder to set aside dedicated quality time for the commission's activities. Both of my businesses have increased sales in the spring and fall. With that in mind, I just do not see how I can continue to be active with the commission, along with building my businesses to desired levels. Therefore, I feel it best to resign from the commission. I have enjoyed the last year of commission experiences, but feel that the commission would best be served with another who could spend more time on researching and familiarizing themselves with the issues of the community. It has been a pleasure to meet all the commission members, the Mayor, City Council Members, and the entire staff. I think that the work that is done by those involved with the City of Eagan is of the highest standards and I am proud of the quality of leadership that Eagan possesses. I have been thoroughly impressed with the manner in which both sides of the issues are beard at the commission meetings. I feel that this lends credibility to our cities leadership and decision-making processes. With all that said, I thank you all for the opportunity to serve the City of Eagan. Warmest regards, Randall 1. Ahern Subject to Approval MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING OF ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION EAGAN, MINNESOTA FEBRUARY 24, 1997 A regular meeting of the Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m on February 24, 1997 with the following Commission Members present: Terry Davis, Jerry Farlee, Barbara Johnson, Guy Kohinhofer, George Kubik, Lee Markell, Daryle Petersen, John Rudolph and Michael Vincent. Commission Members Randall Ahern and Tim Callister were not present. Staff present included Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation; Dorothy Peterson, Superintendent of Recreation; Paul Olson, Parks Superintendent; C.J. Lilly, Landscape Architect/Parks Planner; Rich Brasch, Water Resources Coordinator; Gregg Hove, Forestry Supervisor; Pam Dudziak, Planner and Cherryl Mesko, Secretary. INTRODUCTION OF NEW MEMBERS Director Vraa introduced Barbara Johnson, Terry Davis and Jerry Farlee as the three new members on the Commission. Member Davis will be serving a three year term; Member Johnson will be serving a one year term and Member Farlee will be serving a one year alternate term. Members Kohinhofer and Markell were also appointed to three year terms. COMMISSION ORGANIZATION After describing the responsibilities for each office and explaining the voting procedure which included initialing ballots, Director Vraa opened nominations for the Chairperson. John Rudolph nominated and George Kubik seconded the nomination of Lee Markell. George Kubik nominated and Lee Markell seconded the nomination of John Rudolph. Lee Markell nominated and Daryle Petersen seconded the nomination of Michael Vincent. George Kubik moved, John Rudolph seconded with all members voting in favor for close the nominations for Chairperson. Written ballots were submitted and counted naming Lee Markell as Chairperson. Director Vraa opened nominations for Vice-Chair. Daryle Peterson nominated and John Rudolph seconded the nomination of Michael Vincent. George Kubik nominated and Lee Markell seconded the nomination of John Rudolph. Lee Markell moved, Michael Vincent seconded with all members voting in favor to close the nominations for Vice-Chair. Written ballots were submitted and counted naming John Rudolph as Vice-Chair. Director Vraa opened nominations for Secretary. George Kubik nominated and Lee Markell seconded the nomination of Michael Vincent. A unanimous ballot was cast for Michael Vincent as Secretary. AGENDA Director Vraa asked that Item N, Water Resources Update be moved up on the agenda to follow Item J, Development Proposals. John Rudolph moved, George Kubik seconded with all members voting in favor to accept the agenda as amended. VISITORS TO BE HEARD There were no visitors that wished to be heard under this agenda item. Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Minutes of February 24, 1997 Meeting Page 2 DEPARTMENT HAPPENINGS Items highlighted by Director Vraa Included the upcoming adult softball registration, benefit dinner at Jensen's Supper Club for the Friends of the Farm, $900 grant from the Family Service and Collaborative Children's Library Service Program for tutoring and extended kindergarten at Wescott, the February 8 ice fishing event, spring program offerings, computer upgrades within the department, preschool winter program activities, $1,000 grant from the DNR to research and develop a new tree preservation brochure and the upcoming Interviews for Forestry/Park Maintenance worker position. CONSENT AGENDA OAK HILLS CHURCH Michael Vincent moved, George Kubik seconded with all members voting in favor to make the following recommendations to the City Council relative to Oak Hills Church: 1. This development will not be responsible for a parks dedication fee, however, If the use of this development changes from PF than the new designation will be subject to a cash parks dedication fee. 2. This development shall be responsible for a cash trails dedication. 3. This development will require the applicant to install 5 Category A trees or 10 Category B trees or 20 Category C trees as mitigation for tree removal In excess of allowable limits. A revised landscape plan should be submitted to reflect this tree mitigation. 4. Tree Protective Measures (i.e. 4 foot polyethylene laminate safety netting) shall be Installed at the Drip Line or at the perimeter of the Critical Root zone, whichever is greater, of significant trees/woodlands to be preserved. 5. The developer shall contact the City forestry Division at least five days prior to the issuance of the grading permit to ensure compliance with the approved Tree Preservation Plan. 6. Water quality mitigation requirements shall be met through on-site ponding. 7. Draining or filling of the jurisdictional wetland shall be prohibited and a minimum 30 foot wide ungraded buffer measured back from the delineated wetland edge shall be preserved (excluding the area affected by detention basin construction). DEVELOPMENT AGENDA RATHMAN ACRES - GREGORY & VALERIE RATHMAN Planner Dudzlak noted that this request Is for the approval of a Preliminary Subdivision of approximately 15 acres located at the southwest corner of Blackhawk Lake, east of Blackhawk Road and north of Silver Bell Road. The proposed subdivision would create eight lots ranging In size from just under /2 acre to 3.27 acres, with an average lot size of about 2 acres. Dudziak continued that the existing residence is located on the western portion of the site. Lots 1 and 2 are proposed to have direct access to Blackhawk Road and Lou 3, 4 and 5 would have access off a 200 foot cul-de-sac, Skater Circle, which would be extended east from Blackhawk Road. Lots 6, 7 and 8 would have access via the 20 foot wide existing private access drive off Riverton Avenue, Riverton Point which serves four lots within Blackhawk Lake Addition. Lots 1-5 would be connected to sanitary sewer and Lots 6-8 would have private septic systems. Coordinator Brasch explained that the eastern 3 lots will drain to the east and will have negligible impact therefore a cash water quality dedication is being recommended. Staff Is requesting, however that a conservation easement be secured to provide protection of riparian and adjacent upland areas along Blackhawk Lake as a condition of any variance granted under the shoreland zoning regulations. The area covered in the conservation easement should extend a minimum of 100 feet back from the OHW of Blackhawk Lake, Brasch concluded. Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Minutes of February 24, 1997 Meeting Page 3 Forestry Supervisor Hove noted that the Rathmans want to maintain as much of the vegetation on site as possible. The Tree Preservation Plan that has been submitted will result in the removal of .3 acres (3.1 % of the total). The developer is proposing to prepare Lots 1, 3, 4 and 5 during the initial site preparation and then perform custom lot grading of Lots 6, 7 and 8. Member Vincent asked if there would be an opportunity to connect a trail from this development to Blackhawk Park. Director Vraa responded that there are four lots between the property to be developed and the park which would make it difficult to create a trail at this time. It was also noted that the portion of Blackhawk Park near this development was Identified in the early assessment phase as one that should not be disturbed. Member Markel) questioned the installation of private septic systems on some of the lots. Director Vraa stated that in this particular development if septic systems are not allowed, the lots would have to have lift stations installed to tie Into the sanitary sewer system which may be cost prohibitive to do. After further brief discussion, Michael Vincent moved, George Kubik seconded with all members voting in favor to make the following recommendations to the City Council relative to Rathman Acres: 1. This development shall be responsible for a cash parks dedication. 2. This development shall be responsible for a cash trails dedication. 3. The Tree Preservation Plan as proposed shall be approved with the following conditions: • Tree Protective Measures (i.e. 4 foot polyethylene laminate safety netting) shall be installed at the Drip Line or at the perimeter of the Critical Root Zone, whichever is greater, of significant trees/woodlands to be preserved. • The developer shall contact the City Forestry Division at least five days prior to the issuance of the grading permit to ensure compliance with the approved Tree Preservation Plan. • Individual Lot Tree Preservation Plans shall be submitted at the time of Building Permit Application for Lots 6, 7 and 8. 4. This development shall be subject to a cash water quality dedication based on the area and development density of all lots excluding Lot 2 which is already developed. 5. A conservation easement shall be secured to provide protection of riparian and adjacent upland areas along Blackhawk Lake as a condition of any variance granted under the shoreland zoning regulations. The area covered in the conservation easement should extend a minimum of 100 feet back from the OHW of Blackhawk Lake. HOMESTEAD VILLAGE, INC. - PLANNED DEVELOPMENT AMENDMENT Planner Dudziak Introduced this proposed request for a Preliminary Planned Development to construct a three story, 133 unit extended stay hotel on 3.96 acres on the southeast corner of 1-35E and Lone Oak Road at Denmark Avenue. A previous Planned Development for this property was approved in 1988 for the construction of a 123 room hotel and a restaurant. The current proposal consolidates the two lots and proposes construction of a 133 unit three story hotel and no restaurant. Dudziak continued that the parking lot surrounds the building and the building's main entrance is oriented toward Lone Oak Road. A single driveway access Is provided to Denmark Avenue. Sidewalks are shown within the site and provide a connection to the public trail along the south side of Lone Oak Road. The developer was also proposing a sidewalk within the Denmark Avenue right of way along the full length of the property, Dudziak concluded. Forestry Supervisor Hove reviewed tree preservation issues noting that no Tree Preservation Plan Is required for this application however suggested some alterations to the landscape plan. Water Resources Coordinator Brasch noted that the development's location is in a high priority drainage and It would be appropriate for the development to provide on-site ponding for flood volume control. Brasch noted that although the pond shown on the revised plans dated 2-3-97 contained sufficient wet volume for the Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Minutes of February 24, 1997 Meeting Page 4 development, its average depth is 2 feet instead of the minimum 3 feet required in the City's pond design standards. Brasch concluded that there were no jurisdictional wetlands within the parcel. Director Vraa explained that the developer has shown a sidewalk on the east/southeast portion of the development in anticipation that Interstate Drive (now known as Denmark) will extend to the south and connect to the Promenade development and Northwood Drive. Vraa noted that the existing Trails System Plan does not include a trail along this segment of Denmark. It was also noted that consideration should be given relative to the potential development to the south of the proposed Homestead Village development. If the Commission chooses to recommend this trail segment It would be appropriate that the Trails System Plan be changed to reflect the inclusion Vraa concluded. Member Kubik opined that with the potential for development to the south it would seem logical to provide a connection to the Promenade area. Member Kohinhofer asked how to proceed with updating the Trails System Plan. Director Vraa responded that It would be appropriate to make the request of the City Council so that a public hearing can be scheduled to facilitate the change. George Kubik moved, Michael Vincent seconded with all members voting in favor to make a recommendation to the City Council that the Trails System Plan be amended to allow for the extension of the trail south of Homestead Village, Inc. along Denmark to Northwood Drive. Staff would work out the east or west location of the trail. Michael Vincent moved, George Kubik seconded with all members voting in favor to make the following recommendations to the City Council relative to Homestead Village, Inc.: 1. This development shall be responsible for a cash trails dedication and a change will be made to the Master Trail Plan to reflect a trail that will extend to the south of this development and connect to the Promenade development and Northwood Drive. 2. This development shall be responsible for a cash parks dedication. 3. No Tree Preservation Plan is required for this application. 4. The following alterations shall be made to the landscape plan: • Wider spacing of Colorado Blue Spruce and Fraser Fir trees. • Wider spacing or alternating species of oak trees along Interstate Drive (Denmark) • Sufficient soil preparation or alternate species selection of maple trees north of parking lot. 5. Water quality mitigation shall be met through on-site ponding. The pond design should be modified so that the mean depth of the pond Is no less than 3 feet. A skimmer of acceptable design to the City should be installed on the outlet. WATER RESOURCES UPDATE LAWN CHEMICAL UPDATE Coordinator Brasch noted that the City Council had directed staff to meet with commercial applicators to solicit their feedback on the proposed lawn chemical ordinance. Fifteen commercial applicators were Invited to a meeting on January 30. Three notified staff they would not be able to attend because of scheduling conflicts but expressed their Interest In keeping abreast of any ordinance the City is considering adopting. They also mentioned that compliance with the fertilizer control ordinances adopted by other communities in the Twin Cities did not present insurmountable problems for their firms. Only one commercial applicator, Barefoot Grass, attended the January meeting. They responded that their company would have no problem complying with an ordinance as outlined by staff. Some minor changes to the ordinance were suggested which would affect the phosphorus content and application date components. Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Minutes of February 24, 1997 Meeting Page 5 As a follow-up to the January 30 meeting Coordinator Brasch suggested two options; one to pursue the adoption of the lawn chemical control ordinance and the second to Increase efforts to solicit voluntary cooperation from commercial applicators and postpone consideration of ordinance adoption for at least one year. Member Markel) wondered if the lack of attendance by the commercial applicators could be construed as acceptance of the proposed ordinance. If that were the case, he suggested that the ordinance be pursued and ask for the voluntary participation by residents. Member Vincent opined that it appears that commercial applicators are finding similar situations In other cities they are working In. Member Kubik cautioned that with only one participant in the meeting the City may want to keep on top of feedback from applicators in the future. Member Petersen concurred stating that since the Council was uncertain if they wanted to proceed with this ordinance it may be beneficial to get further feedback from applicators before proceeding. He suggesting sending the proposed ordinance to the applicators to solicit their feedback. Member Davis asked If this type of ordinance varies from city to city or Is it fairly similar. Coordinator Brasch noted that they are very similar; the primary difference appears to be the phosphorous content of the fertilizer. Member Davis added that if the ordinance was similar to what the applicators are following in other cities, there may not be a great need to solicit further input. After further discussion it was recommended that staff send a copy of the draft ordinance to all applications with a cover letter soliciting their Input. The applicators should be given two weeks for comment and then the ordinance will be brought back to the City Council for further direction. FISH LAKE ALUM DOSING UPDATE Coordinator Brasch explained that Fish Lake has been designated as a high priority water body in Eagan and as such the City has worked at reducing the phosphorous level of the lake since there are no options for diverting surface water into the lake. The City has proposed using alum to remove phosphorus from the storm sewer inflows to Fish Lake. There appears to be significant Information that indicates an increase in the criteria for aluminum to a level that would be necessary to achieve the target removals would pose little toxic risk to aquatic life. However, the technical basis for the adjustment in the criteria remains an Issue and MnPCA remains concerned about the precedence that such a change would set. Another concern, Brasch added, is that any permit received from the State to operate a dosing system will probably be of limited duration until the effectiveness and Impact of operation of the system Is evaluated. Although this item was included as informational, staff Is Interested In feedback from the Commission regarding the recommendations being made to the MnPCA. Member Rudolph felt that the City was taking a very pro-active stand and that this positive stand may provide benefits to other communities who are looking at this experimental program for their own use. Member Kubik asked if the City has expressed a willingness to write this project up to share with other cities. Kubik complimented staff and the Natural Resources Subcommittee for their extensive work in reviewing this Issue in an attempt to find a cost effective way to Improve a highly valued water body in the City. CITY PARTICPATION WITH TORO ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS PROGRAM Coordinator Brasch explained that the Dakota Environmental Education Coordinator has approached the City to determine If they would be interested In participating in the TORO Company's Environmental Solutions Program to promote the use of mulching mowers. The primary Intent of the program is to reduce the amount of grass clippings disposed of through the solid waste system. The program Involves promoting use by residents of TORO's mulching mowers for several months. In return participating residents agree to put up signage that indicates they are a "Mulching Mower Demonstration Yard". Residents then have the Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission. Minutes of February 24, 1997 Meeting Page 6 option of purchasing the mower from the dealer at a discount at the end of the demonstration program. The City's effort would be part of a larger county-wide effort through which common environmental messages would be promoted. Member Kubik asked if the City Attorney typically provides feedback on ethics Issues and wondered If this would be one that should be looked at before proceeding. In response to a question of who else would be Involved In the program, Coordinator Brasch responded that Dakota County as well as other cities in Dakota County will be participating. Member Peterson opined that If this Is promoted as an environmental education opportunity there would be some benefit to participating. After further brief discussion, George Kubik moved, John Rudolph seconded with all members voting In favor to pursue the TORO Environmental Solutions Program but suggested that the program be passed through the City Attorney's office for clarification of ethical and legal implications. OLD BUSINESS DAKOTA HILLS UPDATE Director Vraa introduced this Item noting that Dakota Hills Middle School had approached the City to maintain ballfields on the school site. Since the school district does not have the type of equipment to maintain the fields In the same manner as the City fields, they have requested that they contract some of those services from the City. The Commission was asked to review the draft agreement before It is sent back to the school district for their review. Member Vincent suggested that some type of dispute resolution be incorporated in the agreement. Member Kohinhofer wanted it clearly Identified who would Incur the cost should an accident occur on the school fields. Member Petersen asked what would happen if the City lost the ability to use these fields. Superintendent Peterson responded that the school fields are used by the majors in baseball 5 nights a week plus Saturdays from May through mid-July. Were the school fields not available, It would impact 20-22 teams that would not be able to be facilitated with existing fields. Member Rudolph stated that although the City was being paid for services rendered would this work stretch an already stretched maintenance staff. Superintendent Olson responded that this location was a workable approach since the school fields are adjacent to an existing athletic facility therefore there isn't an Issue of trailering equipment to a remote location for maintenance. Should this request come at another location, the City may not be able to consider it. George Kubik moved, John Rudolph seconded a motion to approve the letter of understanding with Dakota Hills Middle School as presented. Member Davis asked that the "appropriate" liability coverage be clarified with a specific dollar amount. He also opined that the agreement should make sure that all costs are covered although It appears that they are. Director Vraa stated that rates are designed to cover all costs but there Is no profit or overhead figured into the numbers. It was also noted that this agreement should be for a minimum of 2 years. After further brief discussion, Chairman Markell called the motion which was carried unanimously. Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Minutes of February 24, 1997 Meeting Page 7 BORCHERT/INGERSOLL UPDATE Director Vraa explained that the Borchert/ingersoll property had been acquired as tax forfeit property from Dakota County. During the acquisition process, Gopher Resources had requested that Parcel B be exchanged for Parcel A. Since there have been some outstanding environmental issues with the property, the City has not officially taken title toit. The County, however, has allowed Gopher to acquire Parcel B so they can proceed with the expansion of Gopher Resources. The City has diligently been pursuing a closure plan with Dakota County for this property. The County has asked for additional testing on the site over the past year which has extended the time frame when the City had hoped to acquire the property. Superintendent Olson explained that the City had secured the services of Northern Environmental to do testing on the site. The most recent testing found a trace level of DOC well below the level of concern by PCA. The City Is taking a cautious approach to the results and is waiting to hear back from VIC. It is hoped that the City will receive a letter of "No Future Action" since they have made a good faith effort to remedy the situation. In this case the clean-up would be surface removal of appliances, etc. It is hoped that the City will know more information by early-mid summer. ANDERSON PARCEL UPDATE Director Vraa stated that staff has met with the Anderson regarding sanitary sewer service to their property. They will get back to the City once they have had an opportunity to review their options. PETITION PROCESS Superintendent Peterson reminded the Commission that they had requested that the Recreation Subcommittee review the subject of a petition process. After reviewing how petitions are handled through other City departments, the subcommittee came up with a set of guidelines for Commission review. Member Davis asked how "affected property owners" would be determined. Superintendent Peterson stated that it Is typically identified in the request. Member Kubik noted that the idea behind the petition process was to get clear articulation of what the petitioners want. There was some discussion about whether this should be used as a guideline or whether a standardized form should be created so that all requests are uniform. Michael Vincent moved, George Kubik seconded with all members voting in favor to adopt the petition guidelines for use in the department. NEW BUSINESS COMMISSION GOALS AND WORK PROGRAM Director Vraa reviewed some of the carry over items from last year's work agenda and asked the Commission to identify the Items they feel are Important to Include In the 1997 Work Program. Member Kubik opined that the central park/facility study was important and suggested that visits to community centers in the metro area would be appropriate. Michael Vincent added programming for teens. Member Kubik noted that the Commission had attempted to recruit teens to participate In the Recreation subcommittee in the past but there wasn't a strong Interest by teen to pursue It for an extended period of time. Member Kohlnhofer suggested allocating a block of time, or an extra meeting to have a brainstorming Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Minutes of February 24, 1997 Meeting Page 8 session. Member Kubik asked If there were any policies that the Commission should be reviewing. Director Vraa stated that the Commission will be addressing the Child Protection Policy at their March meeting. It was decided that a tour to community centers in Shakopee, Chaska and Chanhassen would be scheduled. Other work program ideas should be brought to the attention of Director Vraa. PARKS DEVELOPMENT UPDATE Parks Planner Lilly noted that the City Is preparing for the upcoming Arbor Day event. The celebration is scheduled for May 3 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will take place at Blackhawk Park. The Commission and public were invited to participate. OTHER BUSINESS AND REPORTS WARMING SHELTER SURVEY - BEN DUVICK, INTERN Superintendent Peterson explained that Ben Duvick was completing his Internship with Eagan Parks and Recreation and part of that internship was a research project which required Ben to conduct a survey of winter warming house users. This project included establishing the questions to be asked, conducting the survey, writing a report to reflect the results of the survey and making a presentation to the Commission. Ben explained that the purpose of the survey was to receive feedback from users of the outdoor skating rinks and facilities with Eagan to determine if the rinks and buildings are serving their purpose. The survey period was from early January through February 24, 1997. In an attempt to Interview 100 participants all sites were visited and every fifth visitor was interviewed. Various circumstances resulted in a total of 77 visitors being surveyed. Upon reviewing some of the questions asked, Ben noted that the majority of people responded that the quality of the Ice was good, however when asked what improvements could be made, better ice was suggested. He did find that most people are not aware of how outdoor Ice is made and maintained. He suggested that some education be provided to make people more aware of the process. In response to the question regarding use of the Happenings Hotline Ben found that very few people use It. He suggested that the number be better advertised or that It be posted many different places so that It Is more visible than It appears to be now. In response to a question regarding to potential closure of sites for budgetary reasons, most people surveyed favored sites being closed one day per week or closing sites that have the least attendance. Member Kubik asked what surprises Ben found during the interview process. Ben responded that people not being aware of the Hotline number since It Is advertised so frequently. The Commission thanked Ben for his thorough report that will be beneficial as the department looks at how changes can be made to the outdoor rinks MCCARTHY PROPERTY Director Vraa noted that Lillian McCarthy had passed away recently which meant that the City would soon be acquiring her home as part of Patrick Eagan Park. It is expected that the estate will be settled by the end of May. The question about what will be done with this property will need to be addressed at that time. Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Minutes of February 24, 1997 Meeting Page 9 SET ACQUISITION/DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING Director Vraa noted that the Acquisition/Development Subcommittee will meet on February 27 to work on the C.I.P. JOINT COUNCIL/COMMISSION MEETING Director Vraa asked Commission Members to hold open March 17, 5:00 p.m. for a possible joint meeting with the City Council. Further Information will be made available to Commission Members as soon as it is available. MARCH AGENDA ITEMS Items identified by Director Vraa that will appear on the March agenda will be 2 development items, review of the Child Protection Policy, DNR report and scheduling a meeting date for May. ROUND TABLE Member Petersen commented on the February 4 City Council meeting when the Council suggested that the Parks budget be the first to be scrutinized. Petersen opined that the department and its budget has been operating within the boundaries set forth by the City Council. He continued that the jewel of the City is the parks and the recreation programs that are offered. He stated that the department Is doing an excellent job in providing these facilities and services to residents. Petersen expressed a strong desire for the Commission to respond to the City Council in support of the Parks and Recreation Department. Member Johnson asked what conclusion the Council had come to regarding the budget. Member Vincent clarified that the Council has asked that there be another line item added to the budget calculation which would include a 5% reduction in the overall budget. Member Markell suggested that perhaps If Commission Member(s) were present at all Council meetings they may be able to respond to questions the Council has. Member Petersen suggested that the Commission find a way to open up a regular line of communication with the Council. He added that the Commission is a group of volunteers trying to work for the best interest of the residents and that there is no hidden agenda. Member Davis suggested that everyone could take a turn at Council meetings. Member Kubik suggested that a positive effort should be made to communicate with the Council so that both groups have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities. Kubik opined that the Commission had a good rapport with the Council and that they continue to grow with open communication. Member Petersen asked the status of the question by the Council regarding activities at Wescott being held at area schools. Director Vraa responded that Superintendent Peterson Is preparing a response to that question as directed by the City Administrator. Member Kubik asked If the Commission could have some video presentations prior to meetings such as demonstrated accomplishments within the Department, i.e. specific parks and the facilities within them, the recreational opportunities provided, assistance with winter snow removal, maintenance of outdoor Ice, etc. It was thought that this would be a good way to provide Information to the public, Commission and Council perhaps on a quarterly basis. Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission Minutes of February 24, 1997 Meeting Page 10 ADJOURNMENT With no further business to conduct, George Kubik moved, Daryle Petersen seconded with all members voting In favor to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 p.m. Secretary Date MEMO -- city of eagan TO: HONORABLE MAYOR & CITY COUNCILMEMBERS FROM: CITY ADMINISTRATOR HEDGES DATE: March 14, 1997 SUBJECT: APRNRC INFORMATIVE ITEMS There are several items not included on the agenda for formal discussion between the APRNRC and City Council. These items are considered informative; however, if time permits and there are questions regarding one of these topics, questions could be asked of staff or members of the APRNRC. Those topics are as follows: CAPITAL REQUEST FOR LIGHTING IN PARKS Following the community notification meeting that was held last Thursday, March 6, the Parks & Recreation Department has received calls from residents asking for the installation of lights in neighborhood and community parks. The calls have been small in number, but it does represent an attitude of fear that exists in the Cinnamon Ridge development and adjacent neighborhoods. WATER QUALITY an. FISH LAKE Enclosed on pages 3 through is a copy of a memo from Rich Brasch, Water Resources Coordinator, providing information on the water quality at Fish Lake. CHILD PROTECTION POLICY Enclosed on pages 6 through is a memo regarding the status and need for a child protection policy. WESCOTT COMMONS LOCATION Recently, at a City Council meeting, City Councilmember Wachter raised questions about integrating the Wescott Commons program with a school facility. The reason for combining the program with a school facility is to reduce the need for rental of a unit at the Wescott Commons location. Enclosed on pages 1i through is information ,IL regarding the program. DAKOTA HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL FIELD MAINTENANCE Enclosed on pages .3 . through 31 is a copy of a memo from Director of Parks & Recreation Vraa regarding discussions between the City and Dakota Hills Middle School regarding field maintenance. PARTICIPATION IN TORO ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS PROGRAM Enclosed on pages through is a memorandum concerning a program which Toro Inc. offers to local governments. The purpose of the program is to promote the use of mulching mowers by providing such mowers on a temporary basis to interested residents. The APRNRC is recommending that the City participate. The City Attorney has identified no legal or ethical restrictions to such participation. If given direction by the Council, staff will place this item on a regular Council agenda for approval. City Administrator Attachments TLH/vmd TO: CITY COUNCIL C/O THOMAS HEDGES FROM: RICH BRASCH, WATER RESOURCES COORDINATOR DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION RE: UPDATE ON ALUM DOSING COMPONENT OF FISH LAKE PHASE II PROJECT DATE: MARCH 12, 1997 Background/Issue As City Council members may recall, a key component of the City's effort to improve the water quality of Fish Lake is the construction and operation of a "dosing" station which would inject small amounts of alum into the mainstem of the storm sewer system draining to the lake in order to decrease phosphorus entering the lake from the watershed. With the approval of the City Council to proceed with the project, staff submitted a permit application to the State in June, 1996 to secure authorization to carry out the alum dosing component. Because the use of alum to treat inflows to lakes is relatively new, the processing of the permit has been very slow. However, we are nearing the end of permit negotiations and the Commission and staff wanted to take this opportunity to brief the City Council on the alum dosing aspect of the Fish Lake project. Attached is a letter staff sent to the Mn Pollution Control Agency regarding several key issues on which the dosing project hinges. Staff reviewed an earlier draft of this letter with the APRNRC at their February 24, 1997 meeting before it was finalized and sent to the MnPCA. While the memo contains some technical jargon, the messages are discernable if Council members keep in mind two key points. First, in order to use alum to remove phosphorus from the stormsewer inflows to Fish Lake, we need to convince regulatory authorities that a relaxation in the criteria for aluminum in waters of the state is appropriate. The current criteria will allow us to achieve only about one-third to one-half of the phosphorus removal we need to meet the City's water quality target for Fish Lake. There is an abundance of information that indicates that an increase in the criteria for aluminum concentrations to a level that would be necessary to achieve our target removals would pose little toxic threat to aquatic life. However, the technical basis for the adjustment in the criteria is an issue and MnPCA remains concerned about the "precedence" that such a change would set. Second, any permit we receive from the State to operate a dosing station will probably be of limited duration until the effectiveness and impact of the operation is thoroughly evaluated in the field. This issue is obviously of concern to the City as well. Staff and the APRNRC have outlined a position in the memo which attempts to balance the financial obligations of the City for construction, operation/maintenance, and monitoring of the system with the possible limited duration of the permit. Council Direction Requested Staff and the APRNRC are interested in whether the position and strategy outlined on the second page of the letter to MnPCA appears reasonable to the City Council. No formal action is requested. ?;7 Rich Brasch Water Resources Coordinator cc. Ken Vraa Advisory Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission r city of eagan March 3, 1997 T^+CMAS EGAN .ICV?r MR. MARK TOMASEK PATRICIA AWADA WATER QUALITY DIVISION N T MN POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY SA NDRA A. A A. MA 520 LAFAYETTE ROAD NORTH THEODO THEODORE WACHTER C ST. PAUL, MN 55155 ouncil Memhers bers THOMAS HEDGES Dear Mark: Cry Acminlstrbtor E. J. VAN OVERBEKE ity d Thanks very much for your efforts in setting up the meeting with the Department of Natural Res o urcceC,sean the Ramey Washington Metro Watershed District representatives to discuss the alum dosing proposals for the Fish Lake and Tanners Lake projects. I certainly gained more insight into what it will take to get the Fish Lake dosing proposal off the ground. I also continue to believe that, with the majority of phosphorus loading to Fish Lake coming through a single pipe and with the constant flow conditions provided by the lift station, we have a near ideal situation at Fish Lake for the application of alum dosing. As you know, the City's Water Quality Management Plan identifies Fish Lake as the second highest of thirty long-term lake enhancement priorities in the community. Concern about the degrbiation of water quality in Fish Lake in the mid-1980's was one of several factors that convinced the City Council to embark upon development and implementation of a vigorous water quality management effort. The high turn-out at both the public information meetings held to gather comment on the Fish Lake Diagnostic/Feasibiliry Study and Implementation Plan in 1993 and 1994 confirmed continuing high interest on the part of city residents about improving the quality of the lake. The City has done its best to implement conventional watershed Best Management Practices to improve the quality of runoff entering Fish Lake. The entire 3,000 acre watershed is swept in the spring and fall each year, with direct drainage areas receiving top priority. Virtually all new developments in the watershed are required to incorporate on-site ponding to treat runoff prior to discharge off-site. The watershed contains over 100 natural and constructed basins which treat runoff before it enters Fish Lake. In addition, the City has stepped up its efforts on an already vigorous public education program to curtail pollutant loadings at the source. The City's diligent application of both structural and non-structural BMP's has significantly reduced the phosphorus concentrations of the water in the mainstem of the stormsewer system near Fish Lake. The Fish Lake Phase I study reviewed and evaluated numerous remedial alternatives to reduce phosphorus loading to the lake. Dosing of alum into the mainstem of the storm drainage system to further reduce already low phosphorus concentrations was selected as the most cost-effective option for achieving the load reductions necessary to reach in-lake water quality goals. MnPCA technical staff who reviewed the report and recommended the project for Phase II funding under the Cleanwater Partnership Program agreed with that strategy. We are now at a pivotal point for implementation of the dosing aspect of the project. In response to the City's June 1996 application for a special permit to proceed with the dosing project, we have had numerous discussions with both representatives of your agency and the MnDNR regarding the conditions under which the dosing project should proceed. I hope we are moving closer to adopting an approach that recognizes our efforts are aimed at improving an already highly degraded urban system which will require balancing a number of benefits and impacts. For Fish Lake, it seems likely that the ecological and societal benefits of improving lake water quality will far outweigh the potential impacts of somewhat elevated total aluminum loading associated with the dosing project proposed. However, we won't actually know the trade-offs in these benefits and costs until we've had a chance to run and monitor system effectiveness and impacts over the intermediate to long-term. MUNICIPAL CENTER b30 Pgpt KNOB ROAD THE LONE OAK TREE MAINTENANCE FACILITY EAGAN. MINNESOTA 55122-18,2' THE SYMBOL OF STRENGTH AND GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITY E501 COACHMAN POINT PHONE (612) 081.4000 P CNE MI2) l .43 55122 EAGAN FAX (612) 081 4612 Equcl Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer P'"CNE (0 i 2) 08.4JC0 ,00 (6I 2) 454 85.35 Fax (612) 00 "CC (oi2)454 454-858515 In the interests of bringing the permitting phase of this project to closure, I would like to outline some guidelines for what I believe it will take to get the Fish Lake alum dosing proposal off the ground from the City's standpoint. First, the permit to operate the dosing system must have at least a five year term in order to allow sufficient time to refine system operation, detect significant long term trends in lake water quality, and make the financial risks to the City reasonable. The cost for design and construction of the dosing station is estimated at about $40,000 in 1993 dollars. It is my judgement that this would be perceived as a reasonable expenditure on the part of the City even if the project is operated for only five years. However, at annualized costs of $15,000 per year ($9,000/year annualized capital cost and 56,000/year for operation and maintenance), plus monitoring costs, it is still a rather costly undertaking for the City. Second, the total aluminum criteria applied to the outlet of Pond JP-47 must be high enough so we can operate at our proposed dosing rate of 1 mg/liter. The pilot dosing study suggested an aluminum removal efficiency of approximately 40% in Pond JP-47. Thus, a total aluminum standard of 600 ug/1 applied at the outlet of Pond JP-47 would likely be sufficient to allow dosing at the recommended rate. There is ample information available showing that the increase in chronic toxicity risk associated with raising the total aluminum criteria from 262 ug/l to 600 ug/l is minimal. I think there are also some relatively inexpensive methods we can employ to try to increase removal efficiencies for particulate aluminum, such as installing temporary baffles to better disperse flow between the inlet and the outlet. The City does IIQI want to have to incur the expense (about $75,000) of excavating Pond JP-47 to attempt to increase floc removal at this stage of an experimental project that may not be allowed to continue beyond five years. It is also very important to note that our work so far indicates ti-at elevated total aluminum concentrations resulting from a dosing operation would be composed almost entirely of bound or particulate aluminum and that dissolved aluminum in treated water discharged to Fhch Lake (and likely to Pond JP-47 as well) would remain well below the aquatic criteria. There is a strong possibility that the un-developed upland between Hurley Lake and Pond JP-47 could be developed at some point during the five-year test period for the dosing operation, allowing the City to secure the land for a floc settling basin by requiring a land dedication through the development approval process. To secure the land now would require condemnation, which the City feels is prohibitively expensive. Again, it would be difficult to convince the City Council that this expense is warranted now when we don't know whether the dosing system should or can operate beyond five years. In closing, I want to again reiterate the City's commitment to implementing an alum dosing project to enhance Fish Lake as a local and regional recreational resource. We also believe that it may be in the best interests of state lake management to implement a few of these projects so that they can be rigorously evaluated to better define the role this practice can play in protection and enhancement of Minnesota's aquatic resources. As such, the City expects to carry out a reasonable amount of monitoring to help define the effectiveness, costs, and impacts of operation of the system over the long term. I look forward to hearing from you in the near firture so we can continue to move this project forward and bring closure to this issue within the next several months. Please let me know if you have any questions or need more information from us. Sincerely, Rich Brasch Water Resources Coordinator cc. Ken Vraa Paul Nelson/Steve Kloiber JOINT COUNCIL/APRNRC MEETING March 17, 1997 5:00 PM CHILD PROTECTION POLICY Staff has been working on a "Child Protection Policy" for the Department of Parks and Recreation. Although the City had previously implemented the required background check on full time, part time and seasonal employees, volunteer workers were not be required to go through that process. Given two separate events reported late last year in which volunteers were involved with criminal sexual behavior in a park setting, staff and the Advisory Commission initiated a review of the need to develop a policy which also covers volunteers. This policy excludes the necessity to do background checks on volunteers who do not interact with children and those who do not have continuous supervision by a regular employee. The policy also excludes the City from assuming any responsibility for background checks or liability for actions by personnel and volunteers from independent organizations that use City facilities. The policy covers hiring procedures, training, supervision and complaint investigation. This policy has been reviewed with the City Attorney's office and Assistant to the Administrator Duffy. 6 CHILD PROTECTION POLICY This Child Protection Policy is established to meet the stipulations of the National Child Protection Act (Public Law 103-209) and to attempt to assure safety to children who participate in City sponsored activities. Coverage: (a) All employees and interns. (b) All volunteer positions in municipal employment existing or hereafter created that have occasion to interact with children without direct, continuous supervision by a regular employee. Hiring Procedure 1. Job descriptions shall be established for each position/category of positions. 2. Job postings shall include: • Minimum requirements. • Equal opportunity statement. 3. Applicants must fill out City application form and provide other information as requested. 4. Candidates meeting minimum qualifications may be considered for personal interview subject to: • Number of positions to be filled. • Objective review and point total (100 maximum) of minimum and desired qualifications. Veterans preference ,oints will be applied when requested. 5. Candidates interviewed will be asked to respond to questions related to the position; all candidates will be asked the same questions. 6. All candidates interviewed shall be requested to sign the City form authorizing a criminal background check for the conviction of a crime or crimes as authorized by Minnesota Statute Chapter 364 and as otherwise allowed under the Minnesota Child Protection Background Check Act, Minnesota Statutes 299C..60 - 299C.64. Criminal background checks will only be performed for those applicants whom the City is still considering hiring after the initial interview. • State Statute does not create a duty to perform a background check. By enacting this policy the City is not under a duty to perform a background check on any employee, intern or volunteer. 7. The existence of a criminal conviction record will not automatically disqualify a candidate from employment with the City, though certain types of criminal convictions may prohibit working in certain positions. Records of arrest not followed by valid conviction; convictions which have been, pursuant to law, annulled or expunged; and misdemeanor convictions for which no jail sentence can be imposed, will not be considered by the City. Before any applicant is rejected on the basis of a criminal conviction, he/she will be notified in writing and will be given any rights to processing of complaints or grievances afforded by Minnesota Statute Ch. 364 and Section 299C.60 - 299C.64. 8. Candidate evaluation will continue with reference checks. 9. Positions will be offered to individuals who best fit requirements of the position. Training 1. Regular employee training shall be provided as appropriate to a position. 2. Seasonal and temporary employees and volunteers shall undergo training that shall include but not be limited to: • Personnel procedures and responsibilities. • Program/activity related experience in a workshop type setting. • General observation and awareness of surroundings of the work environment. • First aid and CPR. • Performance expectations, supervision, and evaluation. • Department/City policies and procedures including the prohibition of harassment, illegal discrimination, and child protection. Supervision 1. Program sites will receive a minimum of one site visit from supervisory staff each day. The purpose is informal feedback and assistance. 2. Supervisors shall provide seasonal/temporary employees with telephone and pager numbers at which they can be reached. 3. A staff meeting or meetings shall be held as required by supervisory staff. 4. Supervisor/seasonal-temporary individual meetings will be held concerning: • Performance below expectation. • Conformance with City policy. • Exit interviews. Child Protection Comniaint Investigation Policy 1 The following steps may be taken by supervisory staff concerning a complaint of harassment, intimidation, verbal, psychological, physical or sexual abuse involving a child against an employee, intern or volunteer. The City's basic personnel policies, including its sexual harassment policy, will govern an investigation for child protection. • Immediate suspension with pay for the duration of the investigation. In the case of a volunteer, cessation of the volunteer activity. Notification shall be in writing. • Report the incident to the Director of Personnel who will conduct an investigation providing a preliminary report within 72 hours if possible. • If the complaint against the employee could result in a criminal charge, the complaint will immediately be reported to the police department. • Maintain confidentiality. 2. Minnesota Data Privacy Act provisions will be followed. INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATIONS The City of Eagan is not responsible for background checks or liable for actions by personnel and volunteers from independent organizations that use City facilities. es 10/childpro.tect CITY OF EAGAN DATA PRACTICES ADVISORY FOR PROTECTED INFORMATION FORM VOLUNTEERS READ THIS ADVISORY BEFORE COMPLETING THIS FORM: The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act requires you to be informed that the following information which you have been asked to provide on the attached form is considered private data. 1. Your full name. 2. Any and all previous names by which you are known, regardless of whether or not they were your legal names. 3. Your date of birth. 4. Your sex. 5. Your criminal history data maintained by agencies, political subdivisions and state-wide systems. The purpose and intended use of this data is to conduct the background inquiries which this City uses to establish your eligibility to serve as a volunteer for a Parks & Recreation program n to protect children who may interact with the volunteer. Although you may not be directly interacting with children. potential exists. Therefore, though the City is under no obligation to do so, it is conducting background checks in order to protect children. The specific use for each category of data is described below: I . To conduct a thorough and complete criminal history and background check, all names by which an applicant is or has been known must be listed. 2. In order to access driver's license data, date of birth must be supplied. 3. In order to access criminal history data, date of birth, and sex must be supplied. 4. A complete criminal 'tistory and driver's license check are conducted to determine whether there are any program- related factors which affect your suitability to serve as a volunteer. Driver's license checks only affect those positions which require that the volunteer drive during the program. This data will be used solely for the above mentioned purposes. This data will not be made available to the City's volunteer coordinator unless a criminal conviction record is discovered In that case, information gained by use of previous names, date of birth, or race, will be forwarded to the volunteer coordinator without reference to date of birth, age or race. existence of a criminal conviction record will not automatically disqualify you from volunteering with the City, though c rtain types of criminal convictions may prohibit you from working in certain positions. Your rights under Minnesota Statute Chapter 299C.62, Sub 3, are: (I) The right to be informed that the City will request a background check on the applicant for purposes of the applicant becoming a volunteer with the City and to determine whether the applicant has been convicted of any crime set forth under the Child Protection Background Check Act; i.e., child abuse, murder, manslaughter, felony level assault or any assault crime committed against a minor, kidnapping, arson, criminal sexual conduct and prostitution-related crimes; (2) The right to be informed by the City of the response to the background check and to obtain from the City a copy of the background check report; (3) The right to obtain any record that forms a basis for the report; (4) The right to challenge the accuracy and completeness of any information contained in the report or record pursuant to the Government Data Practices Act; (5) The right to be informed by the City if the application has been denied because of the background check; and (6) The right not to be required directly or indirectly to pay the cost of the background check. You are not legally required to provide the requested information. However, if you do not, the City will be unable to conduct the required background inquiries and will not be able to process your application and the City will not be able to consider you as a volunteer. I have read and understand the information stated above. Signature Date ci PROTECTED INFORMATION FORM FULL NAME: Last First Full Middle Name DATE OF BIRTH: SEX: DRIVERS LICENSE STATE & NUMBER: VOLUNTEER POSITION APPLIED FOR: List any and all other names by which you are or have been known: Have you ever been convicted as an adult for a crime which has not been annulled, expunged, set aside, purged or sealed by a court? EYes p No If YES, give date and place, nature of offense and disposition: I certify that all statements by me, on this form, are true, complete and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief, and are made in good faith. I understand that any false information on this form may be cause for rejection, or dismissal if already a volunteer. Signature of Applicant Date ,c MEMO city of eagan TO: TOM HEDGES, CITY ADMINISTRATOR FROM: KEN VRAA, DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION DOROTHY PETERSON, SUPERINTENDENT OF RECREATION DATE: MARCH 17, 1997 RE: INQUIRY CONCERNING USE OF A SCHOOL SITE FOR THE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM It is staff's understanding that Councilmember Wachter has inquired whether money could be saved if a school site were used for the Youth Development Program. Attached for background information is a copy of a March 27, 1996 memorandum which chronicles the goals and progress of the Youth Development Program. As the Department of Parks and Recreation has come to know the Wescott neighborhood, on site programming for recreational activity and collaboration with other agencies is efficient and effective. One of our first objectives was to have a "presence" in the neighborhood so that police and the City would not be viewed as outsiders. This concept was in line with the Police Department's Community Oriented Policing effort. ISSUES Would the benefit be the same if Wescott Youth Development Programs were conducted at an off-site school rather than from an on-site apartment? • How continuing progress in building trust for the City, reducing juvenile police contacts and the youth development recreational activity program would fare at a school site is an unknown. • How Community Oriented Policing efforts; that is the neighborhood presence of police officers plus occasions not in uniform, would be affected is an unknown. • What emphasis should the cost of apartment rent have in the overall picture of the collaborative effort in the Wescott neighborhood? • The City's continuous presence in a school may not reduce rental costs as it could lead to the school district initiating a rental arrangement to cover their costs. This is the situation with the YMCA. INFLUENCING FACTORS: Two specific incidents demonstrate the importance of the City's presence in the Wescott neighborhood. • Two years ago the Youth Development Coordinator observed a new "move in". The new "family" generated a lot of traffic, did not have typical family make-up and the atmosphere did not feel right. Working with the Police Department, the new "family" was identified as active drug dealers. Due to vigilance, they were soon gone from the neighborhood. • Recently, the Youth Development Coordinator arrived at Wescott to find a potential volatile argument in progress at a school bus stop. Parents and children from several families were shouting, pushing and shoving and threatening physical violence. The Youth Development Coordinator took the families into the Service Center and worked to diffuse the situation. In addition, she has arranged for an outside agency to provide anger management training. Other factors that influence the need for on-site presence at Wesoctt: • Lack of public transportation is an on-going limiting factor for residents in the Wescott neighborhood. This transportation issue affects even the weekly shopping for many. • Schools are a threatening environment for people who did not (parents) or do not (students) achieve success in their school experience. • Recognizing this school aversion, Dakota Hills Middle School and Glacier Hills Elementary fund tutors to work with Wescott youth in a familiar environment; the City's Wescott apartment • Two neighboring cities, Burnsville and Rosemount are emulating Eagan's Youth Development Program in high density apartment neighborhoods. • Access to a school site would be limited by school hours and restricted by summer maintenance. • The trust being fostered among Wescott residents toward the City centers around the experiences being offered to the children right in the neighborhood. DISCUSSION The department of Parks and Recreation actively seeks grant assistance as an ongoing effort to offset program costs. School District 196, Early Childhood Family Education, the library and Dakota Partnership for Healthy Communities are current partners providing funding for programs. In excess of $4,000 of other organizations funds are now earmarked for Wescott. An example is an Early Childhood Family Education School District grant which provides a school bus to bring preschoolers and parents to the Rahn Way Center opening up GED, ESL and Head Start programs to Wescott residents. This enables Parks and Recreation to focus activity to age groups other than preschoolers. In addition, the Eagan Police Department has recently received a $10,000 grant. The Wescott neighborhood has been earmarked for programs. Parks and Recreation and the Police Department will partner to benefit the neighborhood. Those endorsing the project include Sgt. Tom Shoenecker, DHMS Assistant Principal Jim DeLong, City Attorney May and District Judge Mary Pawlenty. The school district through its professional perspective of working with children and families in a low/moderate income, high density neighborhood have endorsed the on-site initiatives. A school site overlooks the transportation problem of getting youth/parents to and from the off site location at varied hours during the day. A school location would probably mean the programs would be severely limited on days and dates in which the program is probably needed most; holiday for kids, but not working adults. These are the very times kids can find ways to get into trouble. The City's Wescott apartment serves the neighborhood as a "relief valve" for the children. Regardless of what is occurring at home, i.e. family dispute, alcohol consumption or lack of boundaries; children can come to the center to find positive role models, a schedule of regular recreational activity and the opportunity to be a normal child. It should be emphasized that Parks and Recreation is not doing the work of County Social Service agencies, public health, the school district or any other agency. They are doing this work and expending dollars from their budget. A true collaborative has emerged whereby better understanding of areas of expertise has been achieved for staff, Wescott families and duplication of effort is avoided. The Wescott neighborhood is intensely sensitive to their community being referred to as the most unsafe area in the City. Parks and Recreation through its programming expertise and other agencies as partners are working to bring main stream experiences, values and skills to the community. All of this effort would be lost by moving off site. The city's investment pays off with each child who succeeds and stays in school, who looks for and finds a summer job, with each family that learns conflict resolution, with each police call that is not made, with each activity that fosters understanding of a culturally diverse population and each time the residents volunteer to assist with their children's activity. Experience with this population would suggest that moving off site would equate to no program. 1-3 MEMO - city of eagan DATE: March 27, 1996 TO: Tom Hedges, City Administrator FROM: Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation SUBJECT: Youth Development Coordinator - Wescott Commons You had requested additional background information relative to the Youth Development Coordinator position which serves the Wescott neighborhood (and others) and what the impact of the program has been. Specifically, you inquired whether there was any information relative to a reduction in the incidence of reported crime or police contacts within this neighborhood. Police Administrative Assistant Southern has provided me with a report relative to this issue which is summarized as part of this memorandum. Because the Youth Development Coordinator position is currently vacant as a result of the recent resignation of Walker Lee Ashley, staff has met with Dakota Hills Middle School's Principal Pat Sullivan and Assistant Principal Jim DeLong. The objective was to review the effectiveness of the Youth Development program from their perspective. An internal review of the original goals of the program and an assessment of attainment has been conducted. ORIGINAL PROGRAM INITIATION The Youth Development Coordinator position was created in response to the increasing number of juvenile offenses coming from the Wescott neighborhood, the property owners requests for city assistance in dealing with social-economic deterioration in the Wescott Square area, and in response to nearby property owners who were looking to the City to "do something" with the problems that were spilling over into their neighborhoods. In addition, a task force of School District, County, neighborhood and City personnel were meeting to assess the scope of deficits that were contributors to juvenile problems at school and in the community. As information was gained, it was determined that structured activities were essential for this area, given the Inordinately high number of youth in this dense housing development. Also, the significant number of low Income residents with limited resources for leisure activity was a factor. (See economic attachment *1) The School District reports data which substantiates the number of youth reflects the high number of youth in an isolated area. (See attachment *2). The first programming efforts actually occurred In 1993, largely through volunteer efforts by the neighborhood which were coordinated with the City Parks and Recreation Department. A temporary trailer was placed on site by the City and various activities were scheduled out of the trailer. Unfortunately, community activities were not cohesive, the leadership was split, and the program did not materialize to the extent desired. In November of 1993, with the support of the Eagan police, City staffs recommendation to hire a coordinator to staff and program the site was proposed. The Youth Development Coordinator position was approved by the City Council for inclusion in the 1994 budget at 3/4 time. Hedges memo March 27, 1996 Page two The Council will also recall that the property owners of Wescott approached the City with a proposal that the City acquire vacant lots for the purpose of developing a neighborhood park and creating a play area for the youth. The property owners contributed substantially to the acquisition of the vacant land for the park and Wescott Commons was subsequently developed using HRA/Community Development Block Grant Funds. A coordinator was hired In April of 1994 to begin programs on site. The park was completed in July, 1994, and the Wescott Service Center (apartment) began operation In the summer of 1994 at 1R the normal rent with the owners group covering the other 50%. This cost sharing agreement was continued In place for 1995. In December of 1994, the City and School District/Dakota Nils Middle School, began a cooperative relationship In which 25% (10 hours per week)of the Youth Development Coordinators time would be spent In the school. The City would be reimbursed for this time. The relationship between the school and the City was seen as another positive step in forging stronger relationships by completing a connection of home, school and community. Not to be forgotten is the concept and involvement of the Police Department's "Community Policing" efforts in this process. Through program and activities, the police officers assigned to the area were often involved or 'visible" to the residents. The Camegic Corporation of New York in its study entitled "A Matter of Time; Risk and Opportunity in the Non-School Hours" points out that "unfortunately young people from poor families are most likely to We in unsafe neighborhoods and to be unsupervised during the after school hours. They are the least likely to have access to constructive alematives." The study points out the unsupervised after school hours represents a period of significant risk; "it's a time when adolescents may engage in dangerous and even illegal activities ..." "substance abuse ..." Several recommendations are made in the report to deal with the "at risk" youth, but can be summarized by the report which notes that "both theory and empirical evidence strongly support the idea that community based programs are essential to the healthy development of young adolescents." PROGRAMS initiation of programs often comes from the collective thoughts of the families and youth in the parks' immediate vicinity. This "buy in" of program ideas is one measure of success at the site. On any given morning, afternoon or evening, programs are being offered to the community. The Service Center has become the focal point of the neighbors for recreation, support, Information and socialization. It is not just the youth who are served, but also the adults. Many of the programs offered are In partnership with others. Already mentioned is the relationship with the School District which extends to an academic tutoring program at the service center that services between 6-12 students on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year. Seven students achieved a C average or better during the winter term, a marked improvement. This program has served well over 245 students since Its Inception. Tutoring is funded through Dakota Hills Middle School which hires the tutorial staff. Attached is a letter from James DeLong, Assistant Principal at Dakota Hills Middle School, which outlines the success of the tutorial program as well as the success that Walker Lee was able to achieve at the site. (See attachment 93) District 196 Community Education is providing an Early Childhood Family Education (E.C.F.E.) activity at the Wescott Service Center. E.C.F.E. programs provide early intervention by involving parents and pre-school children in meaningful activities while addressing parenting issues. The program services approximately 40-50 families. Hedges memo March 27, 1996 Page three Fast Forward, funded by the McKnight Foundation, provides staff support to local collaborations. Fast Forward helps families utilizing computer networks to build self sufficiency through better case management. This service comes to the Center twice per month with it's on-one network and assists 3- 5 families each time. In addition, emergency assistance can be affected via the network. Parks and Recreation programs include a girls group/cooking program (ages 12-17) run in conjunction with Dakota County Extension; a morning latch key program and a Junior Program for youth ages 6-10. Between 35-40 youth take part in the Junior Program. A summer basketball league for boys and girls (ages 9-17) had approximately 100 participants in 1995. The site also offers numerous seasonal programs, activities, recreational and educational trips. Examples are trips to the Science Museum, Skateville, Minnesota Zoo, a Halloween party, photos with Santa, a Christmas caroling group which went to the Oak Woods of Eagan senior apartments, just to mention a few. IMPACT ON CRIME - POUCING As part of this review, staff researched recent literature for data on the impact of recreational programs on crime and policing. TIME magazine, in it's November 14th edition, had an article entitled "Going Soft on Crime" which notes that many mayors and judges "most of them Republicans, are breaking party ranks to say that it's prevention, not inflexible punishment, that puts a dent in crime". Police in Dallas report a 26% drop in juvenile arrest after a gang intervention program began reaching out to youth. In Ft. Myers, Florida the juvenile crime rate dropped 27% since the start up-three years ago of an academic and recreation program. (See attachment #4 for a copy of this article) The National Parks and Recreation Association, in a copyrighted article in March, 1994, makes note of the efforts of the City of Phoenix, Arizona to reduce crime. This article reports that crime calls tabulated by police show a reduction by as much as 52% in areas with expanded recreational programming. Reductions in juvenile crime are being reported in many other communities as well. The Evanston, Illinois Director of Parks and Recreation reports that during the six month period his department ran a late night program for youth in a high crime area which borders Chicago, juvenile crime dropped by 40%. After the program was allowed to lapse because volunteer funding expired, crime went back up by 70% during the following six months. The program has since been reinstated and again juvenile crime has started a downward trend. Closer to home, Minneapolis' new police chief cites his police league basketball program, a recreational program offered by the police department, as one of his major accomplishments in the fight against crime in Minneapolis. The chief, in explaining the program as a means to reduce inner city crime said, "If we don't get a hold on this generation (of youth), we're going to have the devil to pay". In Eagan, according to a memo prepared by Ken Southern, at the request of Chief Geagan and the Parks and Recreation Department, juvenile offenses in the Wescott area during 1995 were down by 57% from 1994, 59% from 1993 and 55% from 1992. This change is considered significant given that the overall calls to the Wescott area increased during 1995. (Note: The magnitude of these numbers may be influenced significantly by the relatively small area and small base number, where a reduction of one crime or one call could mean a large percent.) What is significant is that there is a reduction in juvenile crime and that this reduction corresponds to reductions experienced by larger populations in larger cities. A copy of the memo is attached for your review. Hedges memo March 27, 1996 Page four Research and the experience of others demonstrates that the provision of meaningful and structured activities for young people does deter costly negative behavior seen in the modem youth gang member. The City of Eagan can offer an alternative more positive experience for youth by providing recreational and other programs that promote positive, preventive experiences. When you provide yeareadans/ °Ppa s and swvkas ibr youngsters you get TEAMS; when yaa don% you get GANGS'. REVISE POSITION DESCRIPTION Staff has revised the Youth Development Coordinator position (Attachment pages _J to reflect the addition of the responsibilities associated with Dakota Nils Middle School. this description was also shared with residents of the area served by this position. Staff is seeking authorization to fill this position in order to begin program planning for summer months. Respectfully Submitted, ;9". Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation NOW If Members of the Council would care to review the Camegic Corporation Report (152 pages) or information from the Search Institute on "Healthy Communities: Healthy Youth" I have it available in my office. aftm?& Wt SEP-27-1994 14:28 DATA COUNTY - NSC Area 1 Area 2 Ana 3 Area 1= Zip Cods 56123, 8 or wo VMWco!'t Square or TraD Arm 2 . Zip Code 55122, 44# to 440 Clnarnmon Rldpe Tral or Clyde Ana 3 a Zip Code 56121, 1860 to 170 River Uuff Drs, QnwvtlaIe Drive, RaWi op Drive, Far Oaks Road, Farnham Drive, Evergreen Drive, River Bluff Ct. ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE Cases 73 28 31 Chants 247 66 90 Medical Astance 210 62 80 Food stamps 204 47 74 DC 134 31 57 Family General ApWancs 7 0 9 General Asafitance 1 10 1 MN mentaJ Aid 2 . 1 0 Emrrgurxy Assistance 0 0 6 Total Services 508 151 237 SOCIAL SERVICES Cases 14 3 5 Clients 38 3 10 ChOdrsns Servo" 14 0 13 Day Can Subsidy 20 0 3 Chsrrtical Heath 2 2 2 Services 1 0 1 DO 0 0 1 Chid DO 0 1 0 TotalServkes 38 3 10 PUBLIC HEALTH Cases 8 2 0 cum 1s 2 0 Chid Tian tonic 8 2 0 Family Health Promotion 5 0 0 SIdisd Morns Hea*h 2 0 0 Maternal Mean 1 a 0 Total Services 1s 2 0 6124582948 p.02/02 D csted data 'Rom HOB, NEC and *1U on S-23.04 =-99X /8 TOTAL P.02 JAN 25 '95 e9:2acn , PZAXIFZMC JAJVAR? 13, 1993 1:30 - 11:30 A.M. =":Zlt suss tl.?iiRTAit? P.2 asaeers to atttadaaoe: luaa Traenkel, Nary (?MCA),, Paula (Park&Rec), Leta Poz, Dorothy Peterson, fancy Peterson, Greta, Jenne suble, walker Lee hshly, Jim DeLong, Lynn Opatray and Vicki Turner. She group identified the following audience: AUCHINCS 1TU09 NTi OONCSRtas SUMMER P OG f11 W___ K?.11S Arita M cam tion. now Surrwrmr ioflooi Mid=30 rrrrrpsn*1 and Park & PAC teak M Fit • 2S ms .ru. tourrrartrte?ts (GMS/Di"?S) ir+ovt to schod Duckwoo:i K4•30 Mary +mO wva* a wsc f iU) Mid-35 SMOG m school Mss? (SKI, /WS) own K4=00 Mtyprourd (4 mad a Ovsorvrrm/Yanbt Do=k) Ha• 17 MidSa m school Cir+r rron Rage Mt -3" 0 Srfdga lD me- am (Loomed m Cadar/d") (OR/s~IMS) Mtsdowlards Ms.35 I.E. Min popWsoon No Wk (OR/1MMS) Mph !SL paptWIon Wd" to shod Mph reds WEks+r Athfy eery not Nrvt tlrm to work wth err ra surrwnsr. • integration - ways to link corsimitias to vbat we are already doing. • Targeted programing LL cr / The Entire City of Eagan: ____»...»__»»..».»..»»...........». 93.8% ...»...»__»»...__......._....__.......»»_..._»__...»_»_»._»...._».»_»»_».». African.American _»..._. 02.8% American Indian, Eskim or o 00.1 % Asian or Pacific Hispanic ..........__»..»...»»»_»»...___..»»..._»_..»_._»__.._......._...._»...____»_..._»..»............ 00.4% Wescott Commons: White.. ... African-American 5 1 % Am. Indian, Eskimo or Aleutian-_ 02% Asian or Pacific Islander»_.»__».»»»... 09% Hispanic .....»-------------- 05% Meadowlands: White...._.».»»»........»_...»...__.........._. 73 % African-American.....»_...__.___._»...».10% Am. Indian, Eskimo or Aleutian..........00% Asian or Pacific Islander..._._ ...............».12% Hispanic .___-__....----- .....-------- 05% Cinnamon Ridge: White.-......._ _...__».»_.»----.57% AfricarpAmerican .._......_.»...»_.»».17% Am. Indian, Eskimo or Aleutian 01% Asian or Pacific Islander....».»_._....23% Hispanic...._»......_.».»».»...»»....»».. 0 2 °?6 Duckwood Trail: 61 % African-American »_.»........ ___35% Am. Indian, Eskimo or Aleutian 00% Asian or Pacific Islander_--_ 03 % Ispanir 01% OD DAKOTA HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL 4183 Braddock Trail Eagan, MN 55123-1575 (612) 683-6800 Patrick L. Sullivan, Principal James A. DeLong, Assistant Principal Wendy McNamee, Administrative Assistant "Educating Our Students to Reach Their Full Potential." TO: Tom Hedges, City Administrator, Eagan, MN FROM: James DeLong, Assistant Principal, Dakota Hills Middle School DATE: February 5, 1996 SUBJECT. Wescott Program ft has been brought to my attention that at a recent city council meeting, a council member raised questions relating to programming for the Wescott community. During the past year and a half since we began programming, our students who live at Wescott have grown tremendously and have been given opportunities not previously available. The positive effect of the ten hours per week that Walker Lee Ashley spends interacting with students and families is unmeasureable. Our academic tutoring program at Wescott on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons has been very successful. On any given Tuesday or Thursday, there are approximately eight to twelve students receiving academic help from teachers from Dakota Hills. These teachers are paid from our own budget, but are provided space at the Wescott Service Center to help students who live in that area improve their academic levels. During the current school year, we have eight different teachers who rotate through a schedule to tutor at the Service Center. Throughout the last five months of the 1994-95 school year, 273 students received tutoring at Wescott. An evaluation was given to the students' classroom teachers to verify whether the tutoring program was successful. Conclusions from the evaluations were that 64% of the students who participated in the tutoring sessions improved in their classroom assignments and classroom completion, 48% improved in classroom behavior and attitude, and 54% improved their academic grades. The results for the 1995-96 school year so far have yet to be compiled, however, we have recorded 318 students who have received tutoring up through February 1. This one component of programming has been very instrumental in helping students become successful. Secondly, another vital part of our involvement in the Wescott area has been to develop an awareness and sensitivity to cultural diversity. I can attribute a large portion of our success with minority issues at DHMS this past year to the interaction of Walker Lee with students and families. Walker Lee has been involved in support groups with students who live in the Wescott area and have focused on topics dealing with relationships and respect, peer pressure, role models, the importance of an education, rascism, tereotyping, specific racial incidents at DHMS and in the Eagan community, self-esteem/racial self- esteem, intercurtural communication and community responsibility. After reviewing evaluations returned by the student participants, there was a sense that issues that have risen during the school year have been acknowledged and that students feel comfortable in addressing and discussing their frustrations with staff. Walker has helped bridge communication from school to Wescott homes, and has been very helpful in transporting parents to meetings at school. During the past year and a half since we began programming 'l l at Wescott, there has been a tremendous amount of parent satisfaction and involvement. During the first four years that OHMS was open, we had a 12% of Wescott families participate at student conferences. During the past three years that percentage has risen to over 90% parent participation at conferences. Even though we changed our conference format, much credit has to be given to Walker because he heli notify the parents of the upcoming conference time, assists parents in scheduling their conference, as well as provides transportation to attend a conference, if needed. With our 25% investment of Walker's salary, there is absolutely no doubt that we benefit greatly from the City of Eagan's commitment to provide assistance for the Wescott area. The families at Wescott whose children attend OHMS are much more comfortable and involved, not only because a trusting relationship is being developed, but also because students and parents acknowledge and share that for the first time, the community and school are helping them become responsible and committed community members. If there is a need for OHMS to share their thoughts at an upcoming city council meeting, please feel free to give me a call at 683.6800. "0a--414r'W1 .16; POLICE DEPARTMENT city of eagan MEMO DATE: February 12, 1996 TO: Ken Vraa FROM: Ken Southorn SUBJECT: Wescott Sauare Protect At the request of Chief Creagan, I have accumulated data relative to Police Department calls for service at Wescott Square for your use in evaluating the effectiveness of the program. The data included in this study is from the last four years (92 - 95). The most dramatic change in the pattern of calls in the Wescott Square area is that of juvenile offenses. Juvenile offenses in 1995 are down 57% from 1994, 59% from 1993, and 55% from 1992. This change is even more significant considering that overall calls to that area have increased during 1995. Juvenile calls for all types of offenses were reduced dramatically with the exception of theft (2 additional cases in `95). Notable examples are: Assault Burglary CSC Disturbing Peace Incorrigible Juvenile Domestics Down 76% from 1994 Down from $ cases in `94 to zero in 195 Down 66% from 1994 Down 75% from 1994 Down 33% from 1994 Down 66% from 1994 Contacts with youth of all ages during 1995 were down 61 % from the previous year and down 57% and 41% respectively from 1993 and 1992. The ages of the juveniles in this study range from 4 to 17 years of age. The predominate ages of the involved youth are from 13 to 15 years of age. Unfortunately a number of the juveniles are repeat offenders, for instance: One 11 year old had 6 offenses in 1994. One 13 year old had 5 offenses in 1994. (Wescott Square Project - Page 2) One individual had 12 offenses between 1993 & 1995 (age 13 - 15) One individual had 5 offenses between 1992 & 1993 (age 13 - 14) One individual had 5 offenses between 1992 & 1994 (age 12 - 14) Calls for juvenile incidents occur throughout the year, but are more prevalent during the 'fair weather "months. For the most part there is a higher frequency from April thru October than during the balance of the year. During 1995 we experienced three calls in April, five in May, zero in June, four in July and six in August. Most of the juvenile calls for service occurred during the afternoon and evening hours. The greatest concentration of these calls occurred between 3:00 P.M. and 10:00 P.M. During 1995 a 44.8% reduction in juvenile incidents was noted in this time period. Location of the offenses within the area does not present any particular trend. Occurrences are widely distributed throughout the complex. Repetitions at particular addresses relate to repeat offenders mentioned above but do not seem to represent a pocket of activity. I have attached charts which will provide additional information for. Type of Call - Juvenile Type of Call - All Calls for Service Ages of Juveniles Repeat Juvenile Offenses by Age Repeat Juvenile Offenses - Frequency / No. of Offenses Hour of Incident Month of Incident If I may provide any additional information or answer any questions, please contact me at ext. 709. cc: Pat Geagan Jim Sewald Rick Swanson WESCOTT SQUARE INCIDENTS - JIUVENILE ONLY YR Change YR Change YR Change Yr TYPE OF CALL 92 % to 95 93 % to 95 94 % to 95 95 Assault 11 -36.4% 8 -50.0% 17 -76.5% 4 Burglary 0 0 2 -100% 8 •100% 0 CSC 0 0 1 0 3 -66.6% 1 Disturbing the Peace 2 -50% 7 45.7 4 -75.0% 1 Incorrigible Juvenile 4 -50% 2 0 3 -33.3% 2 Juvenile Runaway 7 -14.3% 11 -45.5% 7 -14.3% 6 Property Damage 7 -28.6% 13 -61.5% 5 0 5 Theft 1 +500% 2 +150% 3 +66% 5 Domestics 14 -92.9% 8 -87.5% 3 -66.6% 1 • Other 3 -66.6% 9 •88.9% 8 -87.5% 1 TOTAL 59 -55.1% 63 -58.7% 61 -57.4% 26 S WESCOTT SQUARE INCIDENTS - ALL YR Change YR Change TYPE OF CALL 92 % to 95 93 % to 95 Assault (A) 25 Burglary (B) 5 CSC (L) 1 Disturbing Peace (N) 28 Property Damage (P) 13 Theft (T&U) 11 Vehicle (V) 2 Domestics 36 Other 11 TOTAL 132 +48% 23 +61% +300% 5 +300% +300% 4 0 +71% 39 +24% +13% 7 +114% +109% 14 +14% +250% 4 +75% +53% 55 -12.8% -27.3% 16 -50.0% +64% 167 +30% YR Change 94 % to 95 46 -19.6 12 +66% 6 -33.3% 51 -05.9% 10 +50% 18 +28% 2 +250% 54 +1% 7 +14% 206 +5% Yr 95 37 20 4 48 15 23 7 55 8 217 ?6 WESCOTT SQUARE INCIDENTS - AGES of JUVENILES AGE 92 93 94 95 17 0 11 6- 0 16 2 4 3 I X15 2 7 16 12 -14 4 11 15 5 '/13 6 11 6 5 12 7 4 2 0 11 4 4 9 0 10 4 6 1 1 9 6 1 1 1 8 4 1 2 0 7 2 1 0 0 6 1 0 3 1 5 1 0 1 0 4 1 0 2 0 TOTAL 44 61 67 26 CHANGE to 95 -41% -57.4% -61.2% WESCOTT SQUARE INCIDENTS - REPEAT JLNENII,E OFFENSES Over the 92 - 95 time period, a number of juveniles have had multiple offenses. Below is a representation of those individuals who have had two (2) or more offenses during that time. AGE 92 93 94 95 People / Offenses People / Offenses People / Offenses People / Offenses 17 3 7 2 2 16 2 4 15 1 3 51 15 2 7 14 323 10 4 7 2 4 13 2' 4 35 8 36 8 2 3 12 27 4 1 2 11 2' 7 10 1 2 2 4 9 1 2 8 1 2 7 1 1 ' One IS yr old individual had 4 offenses. 2 One 14 yr old individual had 4 offenses. ' One individual in 92, 94 & 95 had 4 offenses (age 10 -13). One individual from 92-94 had 5 offenses (age 12 - 14). ' One individual from 93 - 95 had 12 offenses (age 13 - 15), mostly runaways. 6 One 13 yr old individual had 5 offenses. ' One individual in 92 & 93 had 5 offenses (age 13 - 14). ' One 1 l yr old individual had 6 offenses. Maw+vL JUVENLE REPEAT OFFENSES NLNMER OF INDIVIDUALS REPEAT OFFENSES 92 93 94 95 6 1 5 1 1 4 2 1 3 4 3 2 6 9 S 4 TOTAL 6 I5 11 3 The balance of the juveniles had only single offenses in any given year. .i.4 Loff 0? WESCOTT SQUARE INCIDENTS - HOUR OF THE DAY Tunes reflect Police Department call times. HOUR 92 93 94 95 TOTAL 0000 -0059 1 1 1 3 0100 - 0159 1 1 2 0200 - 0259 1 1 0300 - 0359 0 0400- 0459 1 1 2 0500 - 0559 0 0600-0659 0 0700 -0759 1 1 0800 - 0859 1 1 1 3 0900- 0958 1 2 1 4 1000 - 1059 1 1 2 1100-1159 1 1 1 1 4 1200- 1259 5 1 2 8 1300 - 1359 3 2 5 1400 - 1459 2 2 4 1500 - 1559 2 3 3 8 1600 - 1659 4 4 9 3 20 1700 - 1759 3 5 2 10 1800 - 1859 2 4 1 1 8 1900- 1959 3 5 4 2 14 2000 - 2059 4 3 6 2 15 2100-2159 1 4 4 6 15 2200-2259 1 2 2 1 6 2300 - 2359 2 1 1 4 .30 WESCOTT SQUARE INCIDENTS - MONTH OF OCCURANCE MONTH 92 93 94 95 January 1. 4 1 1 February 1. 6 4 0 March 3 3 1 2 April 4 1 7 3 May 4 3 4 5 June 1 7 9 0 July 3 2 4 4 August 3 2 4 6 September 5 3 4 1 October 2 6 4 0 November 1 6 3 1 December 1 1 1 1 JOINT COUNCIL/APRNRC MEETING March 17, 1997 5:00 PM CITY OF EAGAN/DAKOTA HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL FIELD MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT The Advisory Commission recently reviewed a draft of an agreement in which City staff would perform specific maintenance tasks on Dakota Hills Middle School fields. Work performed would be charged out at normal City billng rates (see attachment). Staff has a meeting with school staff scheduled for March 19 to identify which tasks are to be included in the agreement. Unless the Council/Commission has thoughts to the contrary, it is staff's understanding that we should continue to explore this issue and to develop a final agreement. 3? 1 - city of eagan TO: ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: KEN VRAA, DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION DATE: FEBRUARY 20, 1997 RE: FIELD MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT DAKOTA HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL ISSUE: To review and make a recommendation on a proposed field maintenance agreement between the Parks and Recreation Department and Dakota Hills Middle School for the balifields at Dakota Hills. BACKGROUND: Principal Pat Sullivan and Assistant Principal Jim De Long of Dakota Hills Middle School have previously requested that the City consider doing the complete care and maintenance of the schools baiifields consistent with the standards of Eagan's parks. As Jim DeLong has said in discussing the proposal, " We want you to treat our fields as if they were a city park facility". HISTORY: The City and school district have had a long relationship of working together to benefit the community and tax payer. For example, the property where Woodlands Elementary School and Mueller Farm Park are located was acquired through a joint purchase. A development, maintenance and use agreement exist between the city and the district for this property which provides playflelds and play equipment for children during school hours and use by the community during non school hours. With the construction of Eagan High and Dakota Hills, an agreement was struck allowing the schools to use Northview Athletic Fields and In return, the community uses the schools facilities for community programs. The school district paid for a very significant portion of the eleven tennis courts located at Northview. For many years the department has dragged balifields at all the school locations In the city. There are numerous other examples of joint utilization and sharing of facilities, equipment and expertise. The EAA has also participated In some situations in which field improvements have been made, contributing funds for bench installation, pitching rubbers and home plates. REQUEST: In making the request to the City to perform the field maintenance, )im Delong noted that they do not have the proper equipment or knowledge base to do many of the tasks associated with the fields maintenance. As a result, some of the fields are slowly deteriorating. Tasks such as rebuilding the pitching mounds or re-blading the Infield take both an experienced staff and the right equipment. The school is concerned about the safety and condition of the fields without proper care. The City would maintain the turf and infields for four balifields, overlay soccer fields and the football fields. We would not take care of the Irrigation system at this time. Mr. DeLong has noted that Eagan's fields are In good playing condition and would like the City to apply the same level of care and attention to the school fields. He Is also concerned that the fields be In good condition for the schools' use In the spring and during the summer when the community uses them, therefore the maintenance would occur during the summer as well as during the school year. DRAFT AGREEMENT: Staff recently met with the two principals to review the various types of routine maintenance, time lines for work and tasks that are not routine In nature to insure there is a good understanding as to what is required. We also believe that if the city were to proceed, it should be with the understanding that it be for a minimum of two years so the program can be properly evaluated. As you will note from the attached draft, the City would bill the school for the work performed at a rate that covers labor and equipment cost. Supplies, such as additional infield material, would be a cost to the school. If the agreement Is finalized, it would commence this spring. DISCUSSION: The request for continued maintenance on the school fields Is somewhat unusual. However, given the school district/City's past collaborative efforts, perhaps not. Dakota Hills Is willing to pay the City to do this work. Given the City's equipment and knowledge base, we can probably do it cheaper then school staff who have to split time between grounds and building maintenance. Staff has some concern for becoming stretched too thin given the current staffing and parks responsibility. Some staff shifting would be required and the addition or expansion of seasonal staff hours would be necessary to make this program work. There Is the simple question to be answered: How does the City benefit from this? The answer to this is hard to quantify, but can be responded to by saying that better maintained fields in the summer benefit the youth baseball/softball programs. There have been times when the community has complained vigorously about the length of grass and other field conditions. If the school took the attitude that the fields need only be playable when school is in session, and the summer use does not matter, it's very likely the community would not use them. Fewer school fields means the community would look to the City to build additional fields elsewhere. That was the case with some of the fields at Metcalf Jr. High. Staff believes that a case can be made for this being an economic benefit to the City in this unique situation. The position can also be made that perhaps this agreement goes one step too far in the relationship between the school and city. There are other schools in Eagan and would we do the same for them If requested? FOR COMMISSION ACTION: It would be appropriate for the Advisory Commission to review this issue and it's implications for the City and community. A recommendation to the City Council would be appropriate. MEMO TO: Mr. Jim DeLong Assistant Principal Dakotah Hills Middle School FROM: Eagan Park and Recreation Department DATE: February 19, 1997 SUBJECT: Letter of Understanding, Cooperative Maintenance Program The City of Eagan and Independent School District #196 have determined that the athletic fields located at the Dakotah Hills Middle School are an important component of both school and athletic association-sponsored athletic activities. Whereas the City and School District have also agreed that athletic programs, and subsequently the community, would benefit from an increased level of field maintenance and that the School District does not currently have the necessary manpower or equipment to accomplish this. Therefore, the City has agreed to provide the resources necessary to maintain the fields under the following terms and conditions: A. The City shall provide the manpower and equipment necessary to carry out the selected activities of a field and turf maintenance program as described in Addendum #1. The specific activities of the maintenance program shall be identified through consultation with the School District. B. The City shall be solely responsible for the scheduling of City manpower and equipment after consultation with the School District. Every effort will be made to accommodate school activity schedules, though conflicts may result. C. All work approved by the School District and completed by the City will be billed to the School District monthly on a "time and materials" basis utilizing the unit fees and charges as established by the City of Eagan in the approved 1997 fee schedule. The 1997 fee schedule is detailed in Addendum #2. In future years of the agreement, the most current fee schedule shall be made part of this agreement as Addendum #2 and become the basis for the calculation of any charges. D. The actual cost of any materials used to maintain the turf or fields will be borne by the School District. E. Should the needs of the City or community require a re-allocation of manpower or equipment, the City reserves the right to temporarily modify or discontinue the maintenance program. The City will make every effort to notify the school district in a timely manner. F. The City or School District may render this letter of understanding null and void by providing the other parry with a two-week written notice. Said notice will pertain only to this agreement. G. Each party shall hold the other harmless for any claims or causes of action that may arise from the use or maintenance of the school site, except for any claim or cause of action arising out of any intentional act or gross negligent conduct. Each party shall be responsible for maintaining appropriate liability insurance. H. This letter of understanding shall be effective from to .9 For the City of Eagan: Title For School District #196: Title /: LfpmtD.Lont.044 Date: Date: 2L 1997 MAINTENANCE RATES PER APPROVED CITY FEE SCHEDULE • Pick-Up Truck S 22 @ Hr. • 1-Ton Dump Truck S 23 @ Hr. • Single-Axle Dump Truck S 32 @ Hr. • Tractor (W/ or W/O Grader or Drag) S 15 @ Hr. • Skid Steer S 35 @ Hr. • Tank Truck S 40 @ Hr. • Groundsmaster 72 Mower $ 22 @ Hr. • 455 Mower S 26 @ W. • 580 Mower S36@Hr. • Lining Cart/Utility Truckster $ 10 @ Hr. • Power Top-Dresser S 10 c@ Hr. Maintenance Staff (Supplied by City) • Maintenance Staff Person S 23 @ Hr. • Seasonal Staff Person S 10 @ Hr. • Acquired by School District - Field Ag-lime - Mound Clay • Available Through the City - Lining Paint 4 S 12 @ Ton S 14@Yard S 5.00 @ Field @ Application -q t2 DAKOTA HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL COOPERATIVE FIELD/TURF MAINTENANCE PROGRAM CITY ACTIVITY SUMMARY Mode I Recommendation Total Acreage = 20 acres Activity Area = 4 baseball fields = 1 soccer/football field A) TURF MAINTENANCE 1) Mowing and trimming • Mow large turf areas with high capacity rotary 2 times a week • Mow edges and borders with small rotary mower 1 time a week • Trim around obstacles with hand mower and trimmer I times a week 2) Fertilization • Apply granular, slow release fertilizer with 3 times a season rotary spreader (May, July, Oct.) 3) Aeration • Core aeration of athletic areas 2 times a season (May, Sept.) 4) Topdressing (Optional, to be determined) • Application of granular mix with rotary spreader 1 application (Sept.) 5) Overseeding (Optional, to be determined) 1 application • Athletic quality mix seeded with slicer seeder (Sept.) B) Field Maintenance 1) Spring renovation I time a year • Grade, fill and level infields (April) • Redefine baseline and infield edges • Reshape pitching mound • Miscellaneous 2) Field enhancement (Optional, to be determined) • Grade and level infields I time a year • Reshape pitching mounds (June/July) • Miscellaneous 3) Field dragging/daily preparation • Mechanical dragging of infield surfaces Each day 'NOTE: School District to line for school games. City to line for EAA games 4) Striping of fields Paint lining of foul lines and game lines on ball fields 1 time a week and game fields C) Miscellaneous 1) Trash removal • Pick up and dispose of refuse from scheduled EAA events 2) Irrigation system management • Provides consultation on installations, repairs and operation 3) Other maintenance (Optional) • Additional maintenance provided per request • Dependent upon the availability of city staff 'NOTE: The cost of providing the described maintenance functions shall be determined by the approved City Fee Schedule I:\24b\dakhills.045 TO: CITY COUNCIL C/O THOMAS HEDGES FROM: RICH BRASCH, WATER RESOURCES COORDINATOR DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION RE: APPROVAL TO PARTICIPATE IN TORO ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS PROGRAM DATE: MARCH 12, 1997 Introduction/Background Attached is a memo prepared for the APRNRC meeting on February 24, 1997 which outlines a proposal for City participation in TORO's Environmental Solution Program. The APRNRC voted to recommend participation in the program, pending a check with the City Attorney regarding any potential ethical problems. The City Attorney was consulted and identified no potential ethical problems the way the program is proposed. Council Direction Requested Staff and the APRNRC are requesting approval from the City Council to participate in the TORO Environmental Solutions Program as outlined. A i - /,-;: ? Rich Brasch Water Resources Coordinator TO: ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: RICH BRASCH, WATER RESOURCES COORDINATOR DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION RE: PARTICIPATION IN TORO ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS PROGRAM DATE: FEBRUARY 19, 1997 Introduction/Background The Dakota Environmental Education Coordinator has approached the City of Eagan to determine if we would be interested in participating in the TORO Company's Environmental Solutions Program to promote the use of mulching mowers. The primary intent of the program is to reduce the amount of grass clippings disposed of through the solid waste system. However, there are other environmental benefits as well. Mulching of grass clippings usually reduces the need to apply fertilizer and consequently reduces the potential for fertilizer mis-application. In addition, keeping grass clippings on the lawn means they are kept off pavement. Both help protect water quality. Participation in the program involves promoting use by residents of TORO's mulching mowers for several months. The City would be involved in holding a kick-off seminar and advertising/promoting the program. Interested residents then arrange with a local TORO dealer to use the mowers for 1-2 months on a trial basis. In return for using the mowers free of charge, the participating residents agree to put up signage that indicates they are a "Mulching Mower Demonstration Yard" and answer questions from interested neighbors regarding the use.of the mowers. Residents then have the option of purchasing the mower from the dealer at a discount at the conclusion of the demonstration program. City staff time to coordinate the program is estimated at 25-35 hours, and it is not anticipated that any significant cash outlay would be necessary on the part of the City. The City's effort would be part of a larger county-wide effort through which common environmental messages would be promoted. Issue The issue before the Commission is whether the City should participate in this program. Commission members may wish to consider the potential environmental benefits of the program, whether those benefits are consistent with the City's environmental management objectives, and whether participation in the program could be construed as an inappropriate endorsement of one company's product. For Commission Action It would be appropriate for the Commission to decide on a recommendation to the City Council regarding whether the City should participate in this program or not. Rich Brasch Water Resources Coordinator AGENDA SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday March 17, 1997 5:00 p.m. Community Room - Municipal Center Building 1. ROLL CALL & ADOPTION OF AGENDA H. VISITORS TO BE HEARD 5:00-7:00 III. JT MTG WITH ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION & NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION • Consideration of lawn chemical ordinance • Direction Re: Central Park & Other Capital Items Recognized in Lee Markell Letter/January 31, 1997 • Direction Re: Acquisition of North Park (Borchert Ingersoll) • Prioritization of CIP Items • Direction Re: Patrick Egan Park Master Plan (includes direction re: acquisition of Lee Anderson Parcel) • Citizenship Wetland Assessment Project • Public/Private Recreation Programming • Other Business 7:00 IV. DIRECTION, AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION, PROFESSIONAL CONSULTATION 7:10 V. 1997 COMMUNICATIONS WORK PROGRAM/ WALLACE GROUP VI. OTHER BUSINESS VII. ADJOURNMENT MEMO - city of eagan TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS FROM: CITY ADMINISTRATOR HEDGES DATE: MARCH 12, 1997 SUBJECT: SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING/MARCH 17, 1997 A special City Council meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 17, 1997 at 5:00 p.m. in the Community Room in the Eagan Municipal Center. The meeting is structured as a joint session with the Advisory Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Commission from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., and then two other agenda items will be discussed which include direction to the Airport Relations Commission regarding professional consultation and the 1997 Communications Work Program revision for the Wallace Group. The Advisory Parks Recreation and Natural Resources Commission will leave the special City Council meeting at approximately 7:00 to begin their monthly APRNRC meeting in the Council Chambers. JOINT APRNRC MEETING There are seven items listed on the agenda that require policy direction by the City Council to the APRNRC. The following provides a brief discussion about each item followed by the direction the APRNRC and City staff needs relevant to the agenda item. Also included for City Council review are a number of items that are considered informational and, if time permits, it may be appropriate to discuss one of those items. CONSIDERATION OF LAWN CHEMICAL ORDINANCE This item has been considered by both the City Council and APRNRC. Since the Council's last discussion, a draft ordinance has been finalized and forwarded to commercial applicators for comment. Enclosed on pages through c . is a copy of memo from Water Resources Coordinator Rich Brasch regarding this matter. Special City Council Meeting March 17, 1997 ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To provide direction as to whether a lawn chemical ordinance or continuation of community wide education is appropriate for coordination by the APRNRC and City staff. DIRECTION REGARDING CENTRAL PARK AND OTHER CAPITAL ITEMS LEE MARKELL LETTER Lee Markell, Chair person of the APRNRC sent a letter to the City Council dated January 31, 1997, asking for direction on several capital items including steps for a study and of possible locations and functions of community facilities including a central park. For a copy of that letter, refer to page(s) ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To provide direction to the APRNRC and staff regarding each of the following items: ACQUISITION OF NORTH PARK During the past three years, the City has been considering the acquisition of a tax forfeited parcel of property that was formerly owned by Borchert Ingersoll, located in northeast Eagan, more specifically, north and adjacent to Gopher Smelting. The property has been referred to as "North Park." To date, the City has not officially acquired the property and at a recent joint meeting of the City Council and Advisory Planning Commission held on February 25, there were questions and concerns raised by City Council members as to whether the property should be acquired and designated as parkland. Whether the City should or should not acquire the tax forfeited property from the County and proceed with its designation as a park needs to be determined before any additional cost is incurred in finalizing the acquisition. For copy of background information, refer to a memo prepared by the Director of Parks and Recreation found on pages 5 through I(. For information relative to the state legislation which granted the City the right to acquire the parks property and the exchange of property, a memo is enclosed on pages 7through Ja' prepared by the City Attorney's office. For a technical review and information relative to the environmental review the City has conducted, refer to correspondence prepared by the Superintendent of Parks to the MPCA on pages through . ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To provide direction to the APRNRC and staff regarding the future acquisition of North Park. a Special City Council Meeting March. 17, 1997 PRIORITIZATION OF CIP ITEMS Direction was given by the City Council to the APRNRC to evaluate all capital projects identified in the park systems plan and reprioritize those projects with the assumption that the only revenue source available for financing the CIP is the Park Site Development Fund. Enclosed on pages through is a copy of a work plan prepared by the Acquisition and Development Subcommittee of the APRNRC in regard to the CIP items. If the Council concurs, the subcommittee and commission will use this format as an approach to its prioritization. ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To provide direction as to how the APRNRC evaluates the CIP. PATRICK EAGAN PARK MASTER PLAN The APRNRC is asking for direction regarding the preparation of a master plan for Patrick Eagan Park. Also addressed is the status on the acquisition of the Lee Anderson parcel. Enclosed on page(s) is a copy of a memo from the Director of Parks and Recreation. ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To provide direction to the APRNRC regarding the preparation of a master plan for Patrick Eagan Park. CITIZENSHIP WETLAND ASSESSMENT PROJECT The City has used volunteers from throughout the community for lake monitoring for a number of years. The City has an opportunity to work with Dakota County, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Audubon Society to expand citizen wetland monitoring to cost effectively provide additional useful information for local government wetland management. The program would require a modest commitment of staff time but it has the potential of leveraging substantial additional monitoring information without additional out-of-pocket costs for the City. Additional information concerning the program is enclosed in the memo on pages 72 throug . hO C1 ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To provide direction to the APRNRC regarding participation in the Dakota County Wetland Assessment Monitoring and Awareness Program in cooperation with the MPCA and Audubon Society. 3 Special City Council Meeting March 17, 1997 PUBLIC/PRIVATE RECREATION PROGRAMMING The City of Eagan has been contacted by the Lost Spur Country Club, the Osman Shrine Temple, asking if the City would be interested in using the golf course on a cooperative basis and providing lessons, leagues, etc. The City has also been contacted by the Eagan Athletic Club about some joint public/private recreation programming at that facility. Following a meeting with Fred Morgan, owner of the Eagan Athletic Club, it appears that his interests extend further and may include the potential for City participation in the club itself. Staff has requested a letter from Mr. Morgan in this regard. It is hoped that the letter will be available for review on Monday's meeting. Enclosed on page IW3 for City Council review is a copy of a letter from the Shrine. ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To provide direction to the APRNRC and City staff regarding future discussions with the Osman Shrine Temple regarding the Lost Spur Country Club and Eagan Athletic Club for joint recreational programming opportunities. AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION PROFESSIONAL CONSULTATION At a special City Council meeting held jointly with the Airport Relations Commission on October 15, 1997, commission members presented a number of items for discussion with the City Council including the possibility of the City retaining a national consultant from a legal and operations standpoint to support the City in various noise abatement activities. The packet information from that meeting is enclosed on pages _5_ / through The minutes of the meeting reflecting the discussions are enclosed on page Z(,. Based on the Council's indications at that time, the commission requested responses from a number of nationally recognized firms. A copy of one of the letters outlining the City's potential needs is enclosed on pages through 3. The City has received one response to date due to conflicts within the industry due to firms representing other cities in our metropolitan region. Earlier this year, the commission determined that it would be worthwhile to move forward with further analysis of the one proposal received and solidify a cost proposal for consideration by the City Council. At that time, the commission asked that the Council be informed of its intentions to be certain that it was operating within the direction given. A question was raised about the informative item, but no direction was provided at that time. The commission has asked that its Chair, Jon White, approach the City Council to get clarification as to whether to investigate the costs of a proposal in this regard or to discontinue work on this matter. While this is not a joint meeting, other members of the commission may be present as well. 4 Special City Council Meeting March 17, 1997 ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: To approve or deny the continued exploration of outside professional consultation by the Airport Relations Commission along the lines defined in 1996. 1997 COMMUNICATIONS WORK PROGRAM/WALLACE GROUP The 1997 Communications Work Program was presented at a Special City Council work session on February 4. At that meeting the City Council discussed each of the goals outlined by the Communications Coordinator and the Wallace Group. Staff was directed to revise the goals and budget to represent to the City Council. The Communications Coordinator, Assistant to the City Administrator Duffy and City Administrator have met with Roy and Sheri Wallace and reviewed all of the objectives that were originally outlined in the proposed1997 Work Program. The list has been revised and reprioritized for consideration by the City Council. For a copy of that information, refer to the memo from the Communications Coordinator enclosed on pages [. ' through Please note that the attached information attempts to separate the tasks that are performed by our in-house Communications Coordinator from those goals that would be outsourced to the Wallace Group. Adopting a communications plan and providing more written/formal communications with the business and residential community was identified as a top goal for several years by both the City Council and management team at annual retreats. Due to funding restrictions, it took a couple of years to hire a Communications/ Recycling Coordinator (one-third recycling and two-thirds communications). It has been a conscious decision of the City Council to not add any additional staff but to outsource additional communications objectives to a consultant. The Wallace Group was hired in November of 1995 and some of their accomplishments, as directed by the City Council, in 1996 are outlined in the attached memo. ACTION TO BE CONSIDERED: The Wallace Group and staff are looking for direction regarding the Communications Work Program for 1997, as presented. City Ad inistrat TLHTjeh TO: CITY COUNCIL C/O THOMAS HEDGES ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: RICH BRASCH, WATER RESOURCES COORDINATOR DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION RE: ADOPTION OF LAWN CHEMICAL CONTROL ORDINANCE DATE: MARCH 12, 1997 Background At a joint meeting of the City Council and the Advisory Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission on December 4, 1996, one of the agenda items was the passage of a lawn chemical control ordinance as an aid in reducing phosphorus loads to the community's lakes. The City Council directed staff to meet with potentially affected commercial applicators regarding this issue. Staff held that meeting on January 30, 1997. The attached memo to the Advisory Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission summarizes the results of the meeting and describes two options for action on the lawn chemical control issue. At its February 24, 1997 meeting, the APRNRC voted unanimously to recommend to the City Council that a lawn chemical control ordinance be developed in accordance with the components agreed on by a working committee of APRNRC and City Council members (see attached Fertilizer Control Ordinance - Draft Components) and that the ordinance be adopted for implementation this spring. The APRNRC also directed staff to send a draft of the fertilizer ordinance to all commercial applicators invited to the January 30 meeting and solicit their input on the content of the ordinance. On February 26, staff sent a draft ordinance out for review and requested that comments be forwarded to the City by Friday, March 14. Thus far, comments have been received from four of the 15 parties to whom the draft ordinance was sent. A summary of those comments is attached. Staff will be prepared to report on the nature of all comments received at the March 17 City Council/APRNRC workshop. Council Direction Requested Staff request direction regarding preparation and adoption of a lawn chemical control ordinance. As mentioned previously, the APRNRC has recommended that the City Council proceed with adoption of an ordinance so it can be implemented as early as possible this year. Rich Brasch Water Resources Coordinator (0 TO: ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: RICH BRASCH, WATER RESOURCES COORDINATOR DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION RE: OUTCOME OF MEETING WITH COMMERCIAL LAWN APPLICATORS; OPTIONS FOR FUTURE ACTION DATE: FEBRUARY 17, 1997 Introduction At a joint meeting of the City Council and the Advisory Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission on December 4, 1996, there vas a discussion concerning the possible adoption of a lawn chemical control ordinance as an aid in reducing phosphorus loading to lakes. The draft ordinance was aimed primarily at licensing of commercial applicators. Commercial applicators service about one-third of the residential :awns in Eagan and most commercial and industrial property. After some discussion, it was agreed that it would be helpful for staff to meet with potentially affected commercial applicators regarding the issue. On January 17, City staff sent a letter to 15 commercial applicators who service this area inviting them to a January 30 meeting with staff to discuss a variety of issues. All Commission members received a copy of the letter and the mailing list. Following is a brief summary of the meeting as well as an outline of future options for action on this issue. Of the 15 commercial applicators invited to attend, 3 notified staff that they would not be able to attend because of scheduling conflicts. All expressed an interest in keeping abreast of any ordinance the City is considering adopting but also mentioned that compliance with the fertilizer control ordinances adopted by other communities in the Twin Cities did not present any insurmountable problems for their firm. One representative mentioned that an ordinance aimed only at regulation of commercial applicators could be construed as "picking on" one group. Only one commercial applicator, Dave Hope representing Barefoot Grass, attended the January 30 meeting. In addition to Dave, Charlotte Shover of the Dakota County Extension office and Mark Zabel from the Mn Department of Agriculture attended. After a discussion of the components of a possible ordinance, Dave indicated that his company would have no problem complying with an ordinance built around that framework. Dave indicated that his firm has also developed the capability to do soil testing to tailor the fertilizer applications to the nutrient needs of the soil, although that testing is now done only on an as-requested basis. Some minor changes to the ordinance were suggested which would affect the phosphorus content and, application date components. We also discussed the most effective way to resolve problems with fertilizer and pesticide/herbicide applications in the field if we see them. Dave and Mark both suggested contacting both the local manager of the company as well as the licensing and enforcement personnel at the Department of Agriculture to report a problem. In addition, we agreed it would be a good idea to communicate directly with commercial lawn care company representatives in March to brief them on the community's goals for proper lawn practices to protect the 7 environment, identify what messages the community is sending to residents in this regard, and solicit the cooperation of the company. There are two options the Commission may wish to consider in forwarding to the City Council a recommendation for future action on the lawn chemical control ordinance issue. They are as follows: 1. Pursue adoption of lawn chemical control ordinance The commercial applicators with whom we communicated had no significant opposition to adoption of an ordinance following the conceptual framework discussed during the last several months. However, the City will need to act quickly if an ordinance is to be ready for this spring. While non- zoning ordinances such as this one can become effective upon adoption and publishing by the City Council, it is possible that the Council may want outside review and comment before it votes on the issue. 2. D, ostpone consideration of ordm n adoption for at least one y a* City staff would seek to improve communication with commercial lawn care companies regarding City objectives for phosphorus control and the role of tie commercial applicators in reaching those objectives. In addition, staff would make a more concerted efforts to identify and resolve problems in the field through systematic, periodic reviews of field operations this summer. Adoption of an ordinance could be re-considered after evaluation of this effort. Staff anticipates that a recommendation from the Commission would be forwarded to the City Council for consideration at their March 4 meeting or at a future Council/Commission workshop. Rich Brasch Water Resources Coordinator cc. Ken Vraa 2 FERTILIZER CONTROL ORDINANCE CITY OF EAGAN DRAFT COMPONENTS (January, 1997) I. Commercial applicators operating within the City would need a license from the City each year. II. Conditions of the license would be as follows: A. Phosphorus content of any fertilizer applied within the City would be limited to a maximum of 3% phosphorus by weight. B. City would be allowed to randomly sample fertilizers used by commercial applicators within the city to determine compliance with phosphorus content standards. C. The total amount of phosphorus that can be applied to a unit area of turf would be limited to .5 lbs per 1000 square feet per growing season. D. An exemption would be allowed if higher rates of application or phosphorus content is documented by a reliable soils test. E. Prohibit fertilizer applications when the ground is frozen or between November 1 and April 15. F. Prohibit spillage of fertilizer on impervious surfaces/ require clean-up. G. Require licensees to have sticker issued by City affixed to their vehicle denoting possession of a valid license for that year. III. Newly established turf grass should be exempt from the provisions of this ordinance regarding fertilizer content and application rate for the first growing season. IV. License forfeiture would likely be the primary enforcement mechanism for compliance with conditions of the license. ,::T SUMMARY OF COMMENTS RECEIVED ON DRAFT LAWN CHEMICAL ORDINANCE (Prepared March 13, 1997) 1. Morgan Lloyd - Lawns-R-Us Has no problem with an ordinance if it is not much different than other communities in the Metro area and everyone will be required to play by the same rules. His company only uses phosphorus when they put down new sod. 2. Steve Churnham - Tru-Green Chemlawn He has two problems with the proposed ordinance. First, it does not regulate the homeowner. Even if it did, enforcement of an ordinance regulating homeowner use of fertilizer is impossible. Second, the dates of allowable application will vary depending on weather conditions. Also indicated that he didn't think the ordinance addressed the most significant phosphorus contributor to lakes which is vegetative material on paved surfaces. 3. Scott Severson - Greenstuff Lawn Compliance with the ordinance presented will not be a problem for his firm. The approach makes sense. His only concern is that he does not want to be required to post yet another sticker on his vehicle. 4. Chuck Sterzinger - Apple Property Services All commercial lawn care companies are already licensed by the Department of Agriculture, and are already very aware of their responsibilities to apply fertilizer in an environmentally sound manner. He does not believe licensing of commercial applicators by the City will decrease fertilizer pollution because the problem rests with individual homeowners in his opinion. They are a relatively small company with 40-50 total accounts - three of which are in Eagan- and he does not think that requirements for a license by each city will do anything but make it more difficult for responsible lawn care companies to stay in business. January 31, 1997 Dear Mayor Egan and City Council Members, At the most recent joint meeting with the City Council held on November 19, 1996, the Council directed the Commission and staff to pursue a study to determine the general suitability of various sites within the community for aquatic, multi-use facilities and/or a central park. In discussing the scope of this task, and in order to come back with a product that is meaningful to the Council and community, we recognize that there needs to be greater definition given to the task by the Council. The Commission also believes that the complexity and multiplicity of issues involved, having to do with possible design solutions, will require the assistance of an outside consultant. Therefore, the Commission authorized me to prepare this request to the Council seeking authorization to secure the services of a park planning consultant. The scope of services for the consultant would include: 1. Assist the Commission and Council in defining a "program" to be used in the analysis of various sites. 2. Provide a space needs analysis for each of the various components. 3. Assist the Council/Commission in determining a weighted priority system for site selection. This selection process should include, but not be limited to, the following: a. ease of access for vehicles and pedestrians, b. location within the community, c. adjacent amenities, d. physical features, e. relationship to complementary facilities which can be supportive, f. availability of infrastructure and g. ability to meet multiple needs. 4. Do an initial survey of both public and private property to identify the existence of sites that warrant further, more detailed review. 5. Prior to the completion of a report, conduct a public informational meeting(s) to solicit input from the community for a draft document. Eagan City Council Page 2 6. Provide general direction with cost comparisons of sites. This task may lead into a cost benefit analysis, depending on the degree of specificity in the program design'of any particular facility. This Is just a general outline of the work to be completed. If the Council authorizes the use of a consultant, the Commission and staff would complete the scope of services portion which would provide greater detail. Input on the services needed is requested from the Council to insure the final product meets the Council's expectations. After completion of the scope of services, a request for proposal would be sent to specifically Identified firms that have a background In this type of study. We believe that a firm could be selected within four to five weeks after the request for proposals are Issued and could begin work Immediately thereafter. This study should take four to six months to complete. in considering this, the Council may also wish to consider having a member, or members, of the Council participate in the process of work definition and consultant selection along with other consultant/Commission work sessions. Thank you for. your attention to this matter. Any additional Council direction relative to this study would be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Lee Markell, Chairman Advisory Parks and Recreation and Natural Resources Commission la _city of eagan MEMO TO: TOM HEDGES, CITY ADMINISTRATOR CITY COUNCIL ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: KEN VRAA, DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATOIN PAUL OLSON, SUPERINTENDENT OF PARKS DATE: MARCH 13, 1997 RE: BORCHERT-1NGERSOLL (NORTH PARK) SITE BACKGROUND To meet the projected community demand for athletic facilities in the next three to five years, the City has proposed the development of a complex to be known as North Park to be located in the northeast quadrant of the City. A significant portion of the site proposed for the park is a tax forfeited parcel known as the Borchert-Ingersoll site. By statute, tax forfeited parcels become the property of the State of Minnesota and the administrative responsibility of the County in which the parcel is locate. The tax forfeited parcel does not include the 18 acres upon which the original buildings and entrance drive are located. In 1994, the City and Mr. John Tapper, CEO of Gopher Resources, a privately operated lead recycling company located adjacent to the tax forfeited parcel (Parcels A and D) began negotiations for a land exchange involving a portion of the parcel. In exchange for a portion of the tax forfeited parcel (Parcel A), Gopher Resources would deed to the city other property contiguous with the adjoining tax forfeited land with access to Yankee Doodle Road (Parcel B). The new configuration would provide the City with an accessible site large enough to accommodate an athletic facility, preserve a major wetland and provide ownership of additional lakeshore property. The property exchanged with Gopher would be used as part of a facility expansion project. City staff performed a preliminary review of the property with County staff assisting. Assurances that the site could successfully be "closed" as an unauthorized dump site were received. An exhibit was prepared showing the land swap which was later to be part of the materials presented to the state. In 1995, upon completion of the negotiations with Gopher and subsequent final approval of the City Council, legislation authorizing the acquisition of the tax forfeit parcel and exchange of Parcel A for Parcel C was prepared and an agreement with Gopher was approved. Because the tax forfeited property is adjacent to a state protected water body, the prior approval of the Department of Natural Resources was also required. Legislation authorizing the acquisition specified that the property be used for public purpose. The City's acquisition of the tax forfeited property for public purpose received final approval by the Legislature in 1995. l3 In the fall of 1995, the Dakota County Department of Environmental Management requested that the City conduct a detailed environmental review and possible site "cleanup" prior to commencing park construction. Their request was based upon historical suspicions-that potential environmental contaminates, produced both on and off the site, had been buried there. Field reviews by County staff had also identified a small amount of specific foreign materials often considered to be "indicators" of industrial or hazardous waste. The indicators included pallet banding materials, mechanical components and several fluid filters. The potential contamination of ground water being the primary concern. DISCUSSION In the summer of 1996, the City contracted with an environmental consulting firm, Northern Environmental, to conduct a limited round of shallow ground water testing. The purpose of the testing was to make a preliminary assessment of contaminant leaching and flow through and under the fill pile, prior to the City assuming ownership. The initial results detected trace amounts of several foreign compounds including bis (2-Ethyihexyl) phthalate, acetone and lead. The bis/phthalate and acetone were also detected in the associated laboratory blank and were likely attributable to laboratory contamination. The lead concentration of .056 mg/I was considered minimal however additional exploration was considered to be warranted. A single shallow monitoring well capable of yielding a reproducible sample was installed in the late summer at the point where the elevated lead level had been detected. To the surprise of all, the well was now dry. Upon further investigation it was determined that a clay "tense" had created a "perched" cell of water that was dry due to a lack of rain fall. Following consultations with Northern Environmental the City determined that it would be prudent to conduct deep well testing that would not only determine the flow of ground water under the fill pile but also develop a profile of the fill pile. At approximately the same time the City of Eagan applied for inclusion in the Minnesota Pollution control Agency (MPCA), Voluntary Investigation and Cleanup Program (VIC). VIC staff conducted a site visitation and provided additional information regarding the program. The VIC Program appears to offer the type of assurances the City of Eagan, being the potential owner of a parcel having a questionable environmental history, would covet before consummating the acquisition. A fear of the unknown and the subsequent cost of a potential cleanup would be significant deterrents to proceeding. Following review of the City's application dated August 28,-1996 the Borchert Ingersoll Site was approved for further review and analysis by VIC staff. In November of 1996, Northern Environmental completed a second round of subsurface testing. Four wells were installed in the area of the fill pile. Two of the wells penetrated the fill pile down to ground water while the others were placed at the toe of the slope. The data revealed that the ground water did not flow directly to the adjacent pond but instead flowed in a radial pattern from North to South. Trace levels of 1, 1 Dichlorethane, Methylene Chloride and DRO were detected. The Methylene Chloride was determined to be a lab contaminate while the DRO required resampling due to lab error. DRO was detected during the resampling, however the concentration was less. Soil chemistry testing and composition analysis were also completed on samples taken from those well points that had penetrated the fill pile. The fill was found to be from 16 to 25 feet thick and composed primarily of sand, gravel, concrete and black dirt with minor amounts of woody vegetation. The absence of any detectable levels of organic contaminates would seem I to suggest that an on-site sources were most likely small and localized. No evidence of municipal waste o other types of debris were encountered. The City had previously undertaken a cleanup and removal of surface debris from recent unauthorized dumping. In March of this year the City submitted all analytical test results and a pictorial and topographic history of the site to the MPCA/VIC program for their review. The City has specifically requested that the MPCA issue two types of letters providing a degree of assurance regarding any potential enforcement actions: • No Action Letter - States that a release of hazardous substances, according to the technical definition, had been detected however the levels detected are below the Minnesota Department of Health recommended allowable limits. As a result, no additional cleanup would be required other than perhaps the removal of unauthorized surface debris. • No Association Letter - issued to a voluntary party who, through a good faith effort, has detected contaminants at a site which are currently the source of a detectable release or have the potential to be released. If a No Association Letter is issued, any future actions taken by the City in accordance with specified provision, will not associate the City with the release and protect the City from future cleanup liability. Upon issuance of the No Association Letter and No Action Letter the City will submit the information to Dakota County for their review as per the applicable County ordinances. We remain unsure of the County intentions pertaining to site cleanup, additional testing and closure plan preparation as their position has changed more than once regarding this property. In our opinion the data would seem to indicate that contaminants are present only in trace amounts posing no threat to public health or safety. Additional testing and removal of the fill would seem unreasonable and unnecessary. Our hope is that the County will draw the same conclusions and the acquisition process can be completed along with the completion of a closure plan. LAND EXCHANGE Although the City has not taken official title to the property to be exchanged with Gopher Resources, the County has permitted, and the Council has authorized the preliminary plat for the expansion of Gopher Resources. A closing on the exchange parcel can be held shortly to accommodate Gopher's expansion. Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation qWA OL'o... Paul Olson, Superintendent of Parks h\cm\council memos\B-I Site 3-17 1, .s. \ `-i , ` v .I -Ly--r?1...1??;>1:.:j • ?" :?`??A? ?- -i :L?' (Y- _ _ '__.vr'7:a? r r ";?.\\r } It fMtlyl: \\ `` ?, _ ?;'`?? \\``\.? 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IIdlt ,-i \\, y?=dFe_ Zoo ?• . Itt( 1Ir ?Py-(?{??_' IJ < s a !be l??i s>as>? ?p?'??`? / •r ' °I r ?? ?L•-"-? O'? s?:T ? \ i :+-z: :w_t?Kj ?1??_ I - 'r'fb, I • ?_. Y- i`1'. ih I rr ?• 'IJ IrA \ ``;. ,r,?4iv ', •/ •? ?i{` ? i\ ?•' \\ „__- •i..'j?7+'?,?5=_/?inq?•' er it N '1 ' •+1 / 1 B - .ra-rr? l.r^ r. 'i- t ?' .Ip? M sj1J?', r. Ian \,1 ??.. rJq rll lit • _ lx 1• Ili \ ;111 =ylq I-1` '71 3;Z ?)t? tj.=-1`'\ /'';e - ?7';? .r '(, I.t.. to - - _ '/i ? i -- - ?r• _ _ a / '. s - ' y ?f -',i ? .dr• t , , •E ? I I .it ..',I' 1• it MEMORANDUM TO: Tom Hedges, City Administrator FROM: Mike Dougherty, City Attorney DATE: February 27, 1997 RE: Acquisition of North Park Our File No. 206-13051 At the joint City Council/Advisory Planning Commission meeting held on February 25, 1997, there was considerable discussion regarding the acquisition of the tax-forfeited property from the County and its designation as a park (North Park). Several Councilmembers spoke of the fact that the City has not acquired the property nor has it made a determination that the property would be designated as parkland. As you no doubt recall, due to the property being tax forfeited, the County is charged with the responsibility to oversee the disposition of the property. At the behest of Gopher Smelting, legislation was introduced and approved by the State legislature which granted the City the right to acquire the park property from the County, without any consideration. Furthermore, the legislation allowed the City to exchange a portion of the park property for a parcel of land contiguous to the park property (a parcel owned by Gopher). However, one important element of the legislation is that the conveyance to the City must explicitly provide that the land shall revert to the State of Minnesota if it is not used by the City for public park or open space. Additionally, any property that the City should receive through an exchange of the parkland property shall be similarly restricted for use as a public park or open space, any other use of the property will cause the State of Minnesota to reacquire ownership of the property. Presently, the City of Eagan is under contract with Gopher Smelting to exchange a portion of the parkland property to be acquired for a parcel contiguous to the parkland, which is owned by Gopher. On behalf of the City and Dakota County, our office has completed a quiet title action to ensure that the City has good title to the parcel to be conveyed to Gopher Smelting. Also, we have reached a tentative settlement with Gopher regarding its appeal of assessments for Yankee Doodle Road, which were levied against the parcel to be received by the City in the exchange. Assuming that the settlement of the assessment issue is approved by the City Council, the land exchange should be completed shortly. 11 We have informed the County, and I believe there have been ongoing discussions between the City and County staffs regarding the cleanup of the debris still located upon the remaining parkland property. We do not expect that the City will acquire title to the remaining parkland property until such time that the City is satisfied that all environmental issues have been satisfied. It may be that the present Council decides not to pursue acquisition of the remaining land. However, to the extent that the City does eventually acquire the remaining portion of the parkland property, that land together with the parcel acquired from Gopher Smelting is required to be held for parkland and/or open space. Any use of either parcel other than for park or open space shall cause the State of Minnesota to automatically reacquire the property. If you have any questions, please give me a call. MGD/wkt cc: Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation Robert B. Bauer, Assistant City Attorney city of eagan THOMAS EGAN Mcvcr February 28, 1997 Mr. Joel Otto Project Manager MPCA/Site Response Section V.I.C. Unit 520 LaFayette Road St. Paul, MN 55155-4194 Dear Joel: PATRICIA AWADA BEA BLOMQUIST SANDRA A. MASIN THEODORE WACHTER Council Members THOMAS HEDGES City Administrator E. J. VAN OVERBEKE City Clerk The City of Eagan has been considering the acquisition of a tax forfeited parcel of property in Eagan for nearly three years. The site, known locally as the Borchert-Ingersol parcel, is intended to be part of a proposed athletic field complex scheduled for construction in approximately 3 - 5 years. In the fall of 1995, the Dakota County Department of Environmental Management requested that the City conduct a detailed environmental review and possible site "cleanup" prior to commencing park construction. lTheir request was based upon historical suspicions that potential environmental contaminants, produced both on and off the site, had been buried there. Field reviews by County staff had also identified a small amount of specific foreign materials often considered to be "indicators" of industrial or hazardous waste. The indicators included pallet banding materials, mechanical components and several fluid filters. The potential contamination of ground water being the primary concern. In the summer of 1996 the City contracted with an environmental consulting firm, Northern Environmental, to conduct a limited round of shallow ground water testing. The purpose of the testing was to make a preliminary assessment of contaminant leaching and flow through and under the fill pile, prior to the City assuming ownership. The initial results detected trace amounts of several foreign compounds including bis (2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate, acetone and lead. The bis/phthalate and acetone were also detected in the associated laboratory blank and were likely attributable to laboratory contamination. The lead concentration of .056 mg/l was considered minimal however additional exploration was considered to be warranted. Cont'd..... MUNICIPAL CENTER 3830 PILOT KNOB ROAD EAGAN. MINNESOTA 55122-1897 PHONE (612) 681-4600 FAX (612) o81 -4012 TDD (612) 454 8535 THE LONE OAK TREE THE SYMBOL OF STRENGTH AND GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITY Equal Opportunity/. (9 Employer MAINTENANCE FACILITY 3501 COACHMAN POINT EAGAN. MINNESOTA 55122 PHONE (612) 681.4300 FAX (612) 681-4360 TDD (612) 454-8535 Mr. Joel Otto February 28, 1997 Page 2 A single shallow monitoring well be capable of yielding a reproducible sample was installed in the late summer at the point where the elevated lead level had been detected. To the surprise of all, the well was now dry. Upon further investigation it was determined that a clay "lense" had created a "perched" cell of water that was dry due to a lack of rain fall. Following consultations with Northern Environmental the City determined that it would be prudent to conduct deep well testing that would not only determine the flow of ground water under the fill pile but also develop a profile of the fill pile. At approximately the same time the City of Eagan applied for inclusion in the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), Voluntary Investigation and Cleanup Program (VIC). VIC staff conducted a site visitation and provided additional information regarding the program. The VIC Program appears to offer the type of assurances the City of Eagan, being the potential owner of a parcel having a questionable environmental history, would covet before consummating the acquisition. A fear of the unknown and the subsequent cost of a potential cleanup would be significant deterrents to proceeding. Following review of the City's application dated August 28, 1996 the Borchert Ingersol Site was approved for further review and analysis by VIC staff. In November of 1996 Northern Environmental completed a second round of subsurface testing. Four wells were installed in the area of the fill pile. Two of the wells penetrated the fill pile down to ground water while the others were placed at the toe of the slope. The data revealed that the ground water did not flow directly to the adjacent pond but instead flowed in a radial pattern from North to South. Trace levels of 1,1 Dichloroethane, Methylene Chloride and DRO were detected. The Methylene Chloride was determined to be a lab contaminant while the DRO required resampling due to lab error. DRO was detected during the resampling, however the concentration was less. Soil chemistry testing and composition analysis were also completed on samples taken from those well points that had penetrated the fill pile. The fill was found to be from 16 to 25 feet thick and composed primarily of sand, gravel, concrete and black dirt with minor amounts of woody vegetation. The absence of any detectable levels of organic contaminants would seem to suggest that any on-site sources were most likely small and localized. No evidence of municipal waste or other types of debris were encountered. Given the level of testing completed to date by the City and predicated upon PCA/VIC review and approval of the materials included in this submission the City of Eagan is requesting the issuance of a No Association Letter and a No Action Letter prior to its acquisition of the parcel. The City only became aware of the potential for contamination during the preacquisition process. The City has made a good faith effort, at its expense, to determine the level of contamination, if Cont'd..... a-Z) Mr. Joel Otto February 28. 1997 Page 3 any. The City had previously undertaken a cleanup and removal of surface debris from recent unauthorized dumping. Upon assuming ownership of the parcel the City would again remove loose surface debris in anticipation of the park construction process. The primary fill area is the proposed location of a parking lot. Slope stabilization work may also be completed if necessary. Upon issuance of the No Association Letter and No Action Letter the City will submit the information to Dakota County for their review as per the applicable County ordinances. We remain unsure of the County intentions pertaining to site cleanup, additional testing and closure plan preparation. In our opinion the data would seem to indicate that contaminants are present only in trace amounts posing no threat to public health or safety. Additional testing and removal of the fill would seem unreasonable and unnecessary. Our hope is that the County will draw the same conclusions. To aide you and the VIC staff in a review of the site and circumstances I have enclosed a variety of attachments per your request. Each individual item is numbered to correspond with the following summary description. #1 Results of step 1 Environmental Investigation #2 Results of ground water monitoring, well installation and sampling (step 2). #3 Areal Photographic a) 1937 1:20,000 b) 1940 1:20,000 c) 1951 1:20,000 d) 1957 1:20,000 e) 1964 1:20,000 f) 1966 1:20,000 g) 1973 1:24,000 h) 1978 1:9,600 I) 1990 1:9,600 j) 1991 1:40,000 #4 Topographic History a) 1896 1:62.500 b) 1951 1:24,000 c) 1967 1:24,000 d) 1993 1:24,000 (Contour Interval) C.I.=20' C.I. = 10' C.I. = 10' C.I. = 10' Cont'd..... a? Mr. Joel Otto February 28, 1997 Page 4 #5 Anecdotal Interviews a) John Tapper Gopher Resources b) Other Sources - Carl Robinette 425-1649 Gopher Resources (40 years) no recollection of seeing hazardous material dumping, primarily construction debris. - Mike Doyle 854-8544 Excavator (1980's) Saw no dumping of materials other than construction debris. The City of Eagan looks forward to working with you and the VIC program. Should you require any additional information or desire to discuss an issue please contact me at 681-4313. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Respectfully Paul Olson Superintendent of Parks PO/pjp CC Tom Hedges, City Administrator Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation I:\44wp\joe1otto.059 as JOINT COUNCIL/APRNRC MEETING March 17, 1997 5:00 PM FOR COUNCIL/COMMISSION ACTION Review the draft methodology and criteria for development of the Parks Capital Improvement Program and provide direction/approval of process. BACKGROUND The City Council has requested that the Advisory Commission prepare a Capital Improvement Program for the Park Site Acquisition and Development Fund which responds to the question, "If this was all the money you were to have, how would you spend it?". The amount of money being identified is $2,000,000. The sub-committee, Lee Markell, Terry Davis and Michael Vincent, have met to begin that task. (See attachment for additional background.) DRAFT OUTLINE The sub-committee's work has focused on developing the internal process and criteria for prioritization. The basis of this prioritization begins with the Vision and Mission Statement of the Department: To preserve and enhance ecologically diverse open space throughout the City of Eagan, continue parks development and provide high quality active, educational opportunities to meet current and future needs and interests of a diverse and changing population. The sub-committee has developed 7 criteria to be used in evaluating park needs. Clearly the objective criteria needs to be framed within subjective realities. The sub-committee recognizes the importance of balance between athletic, neighborhood, revitalization, preservation and acquisition. The ongoing intent should be to invest in a diversity of needs and projects for those the City serves. A measure of flexibility must be maintained beyond the first years to be able to rapidly respond to needs that are emerging or may become clearly defined. The proposed C.I.P. prioritization criteria are: Those projects that: • The City has expressed a commitment to perform. For example, Walden Heights Park. • Focus on needed neighborhood parks development or enhancement. • Meet Consumer Products Safety Commission guidelines or other safety regulations or guidelines. • Require compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. • Generate revenue. • Reduce long term operational costs. • Realize partnership opportunities. Each of the above criteria will be individually weighted. A previous commitment may be weighted at 30%. A realized partnership opportunity at 5%. a:1) The sub-committee also felt that the C.I.P. prioritization process should focus on projects that are estimated to be in excess of $10,000. Smaller projects, while perhaps vital to neighborhoods, would be cumbersome and time consuming within the process, given the size of the task. Therefore, projects less than this amount would be combined together and processed through a designated portion of the Park Site Fund set aside specifically to deal with these needs. These funds could be identified as "contingency". In addition, the sub-committee would like to designate a portion of the funds for the unforeseen and the unexpected opportunities that are certain to arise. FORMAT FOR PRESENTATION The Commission would develop a matrix formula to evaluate each park/park project utilizing the aforementioned criteria. This matrix is a "working document" and might appear as in the following example: C riteria J Park Name Project #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 Overall Conclusion Berry Patch Replace old trail and broken stairway. Blackhawk Constuct 3 season building on north side. The sub-committee speculated on how the Council would like the C.I.P. presented and reasoned that a matrix would be simple, readable and understandable. An example is provided: Park Name +.. ? C tq a a? °? o? j U o i u J C Q 0 ? co ii Notation Berry Patch $$ $$$ Replace Trail Blackhawk $$ $$$ 3 Season Shelter Bridle Ridge $$ $$$ Light Parking Lot Bur Oak $$ $$$ Install Security Light The matrix would also identify for the reader which projects would not be funded from the $2,000,000. FOR COUNCIL/COMMISSION DISCUSSION The sub-committee would like consensus and additional direction. If this process format is acceptable, the subcommittee and Commission would like to move forward with this process. a?- Memo to: Acquisition and Development Committee From: Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation Re: Capitol Improvements Program, Park Site Fund Date: December 26, 1996 Issue: The City Council has asked the Commission to recommend a Capitol Expenditure budget for parks development, based on the funding available in the Park Site Fund. The Council has identified this approach as "Pay as You Go" History: Staff and Commission have previously presented five year CIP documents that projected the financial needs and costs for park development for the five year period. The costs for these projects usually exceeded the funds in the park site fund, inferring that either the items identified in the CIP would not all be completed or additional sources of revenues would have to be found to finance the project list. Typically the first year of the CIP project list was approved. In 1996 that list included several projects that were not completed, such as the Walden Heights neighborhood park or the trail in wondering Walk Park. These two projects were included for work in anticipation of the needed parkland dedication and, particularly as in the case with Walden Heights, the very high priority given for the completion of this park. Obviously, the park dedications have not occurred, and the projects remain undone. Status of the Park Site Fund. As projected in November of 1995 for fiscal 1996, the Park site fund would finish the year with about $360,000 in reserves. However, revenues from park dedication in 1996 have been more then triple that which was forecasted and, because projects were not initiated and Blackhawk was under expenditure projections, the Park Site Fund will finish 1996 with a carry forward balance of just over 1.7 million. 1997 revenues will bring that total to about 2 million. Priority for funding. Given the Council direction, "if this were all the money you were to have, how would you spend it?" the Commission needs to develop a priority list of projects to be done over the next several years. Implied, if not stated, is that there would be no park bond aS referendum to fund needs that go beyond the funds that are now or will be in the fund in the future. Given the potentially long list of possible park projects, the commission should first consider what are the guidelines to be used to help decide what are the priorities? Should neighborhood park development come before community parks or is it just the opposite? Where does acquisition come in? Do current needs take priority over projected needs of five to seven years? What about projects that were identified for 1996 and not done or those projected for 1997. Where to start, where to go. Clearly, there is no one singular place to start. There are probably a dozen approaches that could be taken to come up with both the criteria to develop the list and the list itself. The Commission has a great deal of information already in place and that is the park systems plan. This document helped identify the vast number of potential projects / needs of the park system from lighting of ball fields to replacement of play equipment. Reviewing this document should help the committee and commission as it tackles this task. Time Frame for Completion. Although there is no stated deadline for completion, its reasonable that at least a major portion be done soon or at least this coming years projects identified and agreeded to. There are several projects that were previously identified to be funded for this coming year (1997) and work initiated on them in anticipation that they would be underway. These projects should either be identified as priority projects to be continued or they are not as important as projects several years hence. Although it would be ideal to have a final list completed at one time, this may not be possible. Having a partial list in order to have projects underway for this coming year should be considered. Lets get Started! I would like the sub-committee to meet the week of Jan 6. Would you be able to meet at 5:00 on Wednesday the 8th? Please advise if this not acceptable and other dates that are preferred. Respectfu,ly, JOINT COUNCIL/APRNRC MEETING March 17, 1997 PATRICK EAGAN PARK FOR COUNCIL/COMMISSION ACTION Staff is seeking direction in regards to Patrick Eagan Park in general and specifically two issues relative. to the park. BACKGROUND At a previous joint Commission/Council meeting, direction was given to continue to work with the land owners (Lee Andersons) to the south of the entrance road off Lexington Avenue to determine if there was still an interest in selling a portion of their property for incorporation into the park. Staff was to report back on the outcome of those discussions. The Council will recall that the City has a Scenic and Open Space matching grant from the Department of Natural Resources for $26,000 with which to acquire a portion of the 10 + acre parcel. Staff has received a grant extension from the DN R giving the City until May 1, 1997 to come to some conclusion on the grant. Staff met with Mr. Anderson a few weeks ago to discuss options. Mr. Anderson had several questions regarding sanitary sewer availability and how much of his property might be serviced. Gravity sewer would not be serviceable to a significant portion of his property thus requiring a lift station or individual septic systems if developed. Staff met with Mr. Howard Kyllo on Friday, March 14 to review possible development ideas for the Anderson parcel. Mr. Kyllo stated that the Andersons had contacted him for advice on the options open to them which include full development or sale of a portion of the land and dedication of a portion. The second issue associated with the park has to do with the recent passing of Lillian McCarthy. Lillian had a life estate in her home and with her recent passing, the City will take possession of the home on May 31. Her daughter and son in law, who had been staying with Lillian to take care of her, are organizing her possessions and intend to have an estate sale in May before vacating the home. Discussion and direction is requested regarding what might be done with the home in the short and long term. Should the home be rented? What feasible options should be explored that require more information? Is there a park purpose for the structure? Is this finally the time to develop a "master plan" for the entire park or is the incremental approach still acceptable? Q1 TO: CITY COUNCIL C/O THOMAS HEDGES ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: RICH BRASCH, WATER RESOURCES COORDINATOR DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION RE: PARTICIPATION IN DAKOTA COUNTY WETLAND ASSESSMENT, MONITORING, AND AWARENESS PROGRAM DATE: MARCH 12, 1997 Issue The issue before the Council and Commission is whether the City should participate in a cooperative program with Dakota County, the MN Pollution Control Agency (MnPCA), and the Audubon Council for development and evaluation of a citizen-based wetland monitoring, assessment, and education program. Background Dakota County, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, and the Audubon Society are proposing a cooperative project to test and evaluate a wetland monitoring methodology that can be implemented by citizens and will generate information of use to local governments in wetland management. The principle thrust of the program is to train citizens to carry out a technically valid monitoring technique which relies on a systematic evaluation of vegetation and invertebrates to assess the quality of the wetland. Equally important is whether the information generated from the program will be useful to local governments in their water resource and wetland management efforts. The effort is similar to one started by MnPCA more than 20 years ago to involve citizens in monitoring and tracking lake water clarity on a systematic basis. City water resources staff currently coordinate the involvement of 15-25 citizen lake monitoring volunteers who monitor lakes within Eagan. A similar citizen-based wetlands monitoring project was tested last year on a small sub-set of volunteers composed mainly of teachers from Apple Valley, Burnsville, and Lakeville. The participants were universally enthusiastic about their participation in the program. This years effort would be expanded to include lay citizens as well and would cover a larger geographic area of Dakota County. The development and application of the technique is drawing national interest for two principle reasons. First, it may be a very cost-effective way of generating information on the quality of wetland resources that local governments could find useful in establishing priorities for wetland protection. Second, it may be a way for citizens to generate useful, technically valid information aQ on a very important aspect of the natural resources base and thus become actively involved in wetland resource management at the grass roots level. Project Proposal Description The project would involve three tasks. The first is citizen monitoring of selected depressional wetlands. It is expected that a total of six teams of five volunteers/team will be operating within Dakota County, with each team monitoring 5-10 wetlands. If the City elects to participate in the project, 1-2 teams would cover Eagan. The second task involves performing a detailed technical investigation of a sub-set of wetlands monitored by citizens in order to evaluate the accuracy of the citizen assessments. This task would be performed either by outside technical experts of MnPCA staff. The third task would be the development of public education materials on the wetland resources of Dakota County. Duties of City water resources staff in the project would include recruitment of volunteers, participation in wetland assessment training sessions put on by MnPCA staff, selection of sites, providing technical guidance and coordination assistance for citizen teams, and review and distribution of education materials. The term of the project is expected to extend through September 1998, and a City water resources staff time commitment of 100-145 hours is estimated. No significant cash outlay on the part of the City will be required. The majority of the coordination responsibilities for the project will lie with the Dakota County Environmental Education Program, with the cities of Burnsville, Lakeville, and Eagan the main municipal cooperators. It is expected that a presentation of the results of the project would be made to the City upon completion of the effort. For Council/Commission Action Staff seeks direction from the Council and Commission regarding whether the City should participate in the project. i-i- IT*-? Rich Brasch Water Resources Coordinator aI Robert E. Ferguson 1997 Potentate 1720 Taconite Trail Eagan, MN 55122 Phones Res. (612) 454-3909 Bus. (612) 683.6980 Fax. (612) 683-6870 DIVAN Ronald L. Nelson Chief Rabban Jerry Plachecki Assistant Rabban Stanley R. Tyler High Priest & Prophet Thomas L. Huppert Oriental Guide LR. "Larry" Stahl Recorder George Toby Treasurer Richard E. Thompson First Ceremonial Master Henry M. Paulson Second Ceremonial Master Sully Robins Director/Counselor Michael L Hildebrand Marshall Rahn S. Lund Captain of the Guard Charles V. Ferguson Outer Guard A.A.O.N.M.S. Osmaq hr i tLe 2750 Sibley Memorial Highway . St. Paul, MN 55121 (612) 452-5660 . Fax (612) 683-0231 Marvin L. Ellison, Business Manager February 19, 1997 j n Mr Thomas Hedges, City Administrator City of Eagan 3830 Pilot Knob Rd Eagan, Mn 55122 Subject: Lost Spur Golf and Country Club Dear Mr Hedges: Mr. Ferguson and I met with you and the Mayor on December 19, 1996 to discuss the potential interest by the city of Eagan for the use of the golf course. We appreciate very much your spending time with us to discuss this matter. We came away from our meeting with a feeling that we perhaps maybe able to develop a relationship with the city of Eagan for use of the Lost Spur Golf Course. The Lost Spur Management Committee at its January 14, 1997 meeting, reviewed and speculated on the matter of the City of Eagan's potential interest in using the Lost Spur Golf Course in some way for the 1997 golf season. We would like to propose we meet with the appropriate City of Eagan staff members in the near future to discuss the city's potential interest and to provide for scheduling of the City's programs at the Lost Spur Golf Course it the City is interested in programming here in 1997. Please advise if you have any questions regarding this proposal. Sincerely Yours, `Jene T Sigvertsen, AlA CN'' cc: Robert Ferguson Lost Spur Mgnt Committee 30 Host of the 1997 Midwest 4k MEMO city of eagan TO: CITY ADMINISTRATOR HEDGES FROM: ASSISTANT TO THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR HOHENSTEIN DATE: OCTOBER 11, 1996 SUBJECT: ISSUE OVERVIEW - CITY COUNCIL AND AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION JOINT MEETING The City's Airport Relations Commission last met jointly with the City Council at the end of 1995 as the Council took up the issue of the Dual Track Airport Planning Process. As you know the State concluded that the process be ended in the last Legislative session and that facilities at the current site be expanded to accommodate projected growth. While the airport issue has become less important to some communities in the aftermath of this decision, its immediacy for the City of Eagan has increased due to the continued high growth of operations and the expected construction of the North-South runway as 40 the means of expansion of the current site. The Commission has identified a number of issues to be shared with the City Council. Because of the limited time available at the workshop meeting, they have prioritized the items they wish to discuss to conform with the time available. BACKGROUND The City of Eagan has experienced a growing incidence of aircraft noise impacts in the years following the introduction of jets in the commercial airline fleet and especially since deregulation resulted in the increased use of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport as a hub. At the same time, the City has been developing, while designating a substantial portion of the northern part of the City for noise compatible land uses such as commercial and industrial. Despite this planning effort, noise effects are still felt in many parts of the community. This Is partially because some residents will be bothered by aircraft at different levels of impact and partially because the sheer number of operations is far above what many people experienced when they first moved into their homes. In addition, the north-south runway will introduce overflights in areas of south, west and central Eagan which have received substantially less noise in the past. 31 DISCUSSION ITEMS Land Use Policies and Metropolitan Council Policy Contours - The City of Eagan has a long standing history of concentrating commercial and industrial uses in areas expected to be impacted by aircraft noise. The City's planning has been reinforced by land use compatibility guidelines prepared by the Metropolitan Council. These policies generally defined the Eagan-Mendota Heights Corridor where aircraft are to be concentrated. Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Council began the process of amending the Aviation System Statement and Guide Plan to conform with the approved expansion plan. One of the primary aspects of the amendment was to develop new noise policy zone boundaries consistent with expanded operations. Staff shared the initial proposed boundaries with the City Council and received direction to urge the Metropolitan Council to retain noise zones of a sufficient size to maintain noise compatible uses where they currently exist. At the same time, the Airport Relations Commission was reviewing the City's noise policies for land use and concluded that the tools themselves - conditions for noise attenuation and notice to buyers as conditions of subdivision - were still valid but that the area in which they are applied should be expanded. Their reasons are that noise impacts are felt over a broader area than is depicted in typical DNL 65 or 60 contours, any reduction in the area controlled by the policies might tend to encourage residential development too close to the airport and the introduction of new noise in west and south Eagan requires some guidance for infill development and redevelopment of the area. These issues were discussed with the Metropolitan Council and their advisory bodies are recommending that the current policies be retained and that they be applied to an area around the airport up to one mile from the current 60 DNL contour. This is at least as large and somewhat larger than the current policy contours. The Council is expected to put this draft amendment out for comment in the next several weeks and the Commission will provide a formal recommendation to the City Council at that time. Rather than the City developing policy boundaries of its own, it appears more logical to respond instead to the Metropolitan Council's proposal, especially since it so closely conforms to the findings of our own Commission. MSP Mitigation Program - Mayor Egan has been an active participant in the MSP Mitigation Committee, using input from the Commission as a basis for negotiations with the other cities, the MAC and Metropolitan Council. The City's stated position as recommended by the Commission had four main points: 1. State Funding for Abatement and Mitigation - As Much a Part of the Airport Decision as its Location 2. Larger Mitigation Area - More Mitigation Tools than Part 150 - 60 DNL plus 3-2-1 Phase-In of Noise Abatement Programs - MSP Airport Area Concept Package 3;? 3. Equitable Sharing of Impacts by All Benefitting Communities - Narrower Corridor Operations - River Bottom Departure for Runway 17-35 Traffic - Expansion of Nighttime Hours - Nighttime Operations on Runway 4-22 4. Independent Operations Monitoring System The draft Mitigation Report attached outlines the results of the process. The report Includes a number of Eagan's positions or modifications of them. In particular 1. MAC funding should exceed the currently projected $25.5 million per year and, if that is not sufficient to complete the program in a reasonable time frame, state funding should be requested. 2. The Sound Insulation program will be completed to the year 2005 60 DNL with consideration of a reduced insulation package (3-5 dB) to the 54 DNL if it is warranted after homes within the 60 DNL contour are completed. The Community Protection Package plus additional community stabilization tools are included in the proposal. 3. Corridor operations will be reviewed although there are interests in Inver Grove Heights and Minneapolis lobbying to rescind corridor operating standards as a part of that review. A river bottom standard instrument departure will be one of the tracks used for operations to the south and west. The MAC will negotiate with the airlines to expand the voluntary nighttime restriction hours by one-half hour to 10:30 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Runway 4-22 will be used more hours of the day and night as anticipated in the runway extension EIS. On the downside, the committee is recommending, over the Mayor's opposition, that construction of the north- south runway be moved up and benchmarks of groundbreaking in 1998 and operations in 2003 were established. The Commission believes that the City of Eagan's interests are best served by that runway being built as late as possible so that the quietest possible stage Ill fleet is in place before operations begin over that part of the City. 4. The report calls on MAC to expand its ANOMS monitoring system although it is non-specific as to the extent of the expansion and did not endorse the concept of a separate system that wouldn't require FAA participation. 5. Other aspects of the report evolved through the discussions and negotiations between the Mayors and MAC. The Commission wishes to discuss the implications of the report with the Council and what additional positions, If any, the City should take in this regard. Since the report will ultimately be forwarded to the legislature, It may make sense to include the report or desired modifications of it in the City's airport legislative program. 33 PDATES AND FEEDBACK Legislative Program and Initiatives - The Council previously approved a Commission recommendation to support federal legislation requiring the Department of Transportation to further limit noise impacts in areas around airports. Last year, the City also adopted a legislative program for state airport issues and pursued it with the City's Legislative delegation. It is anticipated that a number of airport related issues will still be before the Legislature this year especially in light of the fact that operations growth continues to exceed projections. At the last Commission meeting, Chair Schlax submitted the attached draft of legislative issues for consideration by the Council and Commission together with any issues raised by Tuesday's discussion. Leoal Consultation - The Commission has been exploring the possibility of discussing the City's aircraft noise situation with a national consultant from a legal and operations standpoint. Mayor Egan contacted the firm of Cutler and Stanfield at the most recent NOISE Conference to determine whether they might submit a proposal for this service. The firm declined citing a possible conflict of interest because of previous work done for the City of Minneapolis. Staff continues to research the possibility with other firms and has received a response from one firm to date. The Commission will review any proposals and provide a recommendation to the City Council. INFORMATION ITEMS Current Operations and Noise Abatement Departure Profiles - The level of operations outside of the corridor continues to be excessive, averaging between twenty and twenty- five percent of all flights from the south parallel runway. Over the past year, the City is also experiencing a dramatic increase in the number of short final arrivals which overfly the City and make sharp turns to get into the arrival pattern. The City has been in contact with the FAA concerning both of these issues with limited success. With respect altitude, rather than location, the MAC has withdrawn its earlier analysis of the Noise Abatement Departure Profiles and will be developing a new analysis for City review later this year. The Commission will review this information when it is available and provide a recommendation to the Council for a City position at that time. Community Survey Responses - The Commission recently reviewed the Community survey results as they pertain to aircraft noise. The consultants also provided a breakdown of the locations of those responses within the City. The Commission noted that aircraft noise is significant in that it was the second most mentioned negative aspect of the community, following taxes, and more than sixty percent of those who find their neighborhood's noise environment to be poor cited. aircraft noise as the reason. The responses were spread throughout the City with some concentrations near the edges and ends of the corridor. The Commission is cautious about drawing too many conclusions about the location data because the raw number of the responses was fairly limited. It was concluded however that aircraft noise impacts are felt throughout the City and not concentrated in one area. 3`f Sound Insulation Program - Recent articles have raised concerns about the effects of the sound insulation program on indoor air quality. Articles in this regard are attached. The MAC Is moving quickly to respond to these concerns by communicating with the affected homeowners, distributing carbon monoxide detectors and preparing designs to remediate the problem and better ventilate the homes. Detectors and remediation will also become standard features of the program for future homes. It would appear that the problems encountered are scattered, are the natural consequence of tightening a home's exterior and can be corrected relatively easily once detected. The Commission looks forward to this opportunity to meet with the City Council and. staff would be happy to provide any additional information the Council may require. Assistant to the City Administrator EAGAN SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES; OCTOBER 15, 1996 PAGE 2 adopt an ordinance requiring residents to provide the responsibility of snow removal adjacert property in certain areas. 16A 4Z? JOINT MEETING WITH AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMITTEE Mayor Egan welcomed members of the Airport Relations Committee who were present for the joint meeting. Commission Chair Mike Schlax overviewed the issues currently before the Commission which warrant discussion with the City Council. In addition to several updates, the discussion items were noise related land use policies, noise mitigation for an expanded airport and how these issues should be pursued through the legislature and legal channels. With respect to Airport Noise Land Use Policies, the Commission asked the Council what its expectations are in terms of land use controls around operations areas including the corridor and the north/south runway. Mayor Egan noted that the Comprehensive Plan and conditions placed on subdivisions are useful tools to prevent noise sensitive land uses in noise impact areas. City Councilmember Hunter stated that the corridor generally works, despite flaws in the operations and that few people purchasing homes in the City are surprised by planes being overhead. Mayor Egan stated that the Commission and the Council should consider the appropriate contours for land use, mitigation and stabilization tools including contours for the north/south runway. With respect to mitigation, Mayor Egan noted that the MSP Mitigation Committee did not accept all of the positions of the City, but that mitigation will be provided beyond the 65 DNL and that the City was successful in forming alliances with other communities, especially Minneapolis. The Commission noted that the mitigation plan does not provide for an independent noise and operations monitoring system with enforcement. The Mayor responded that the City was not successful in getting support for this recommendation. City Councilmember Awada stated that it is important to keep operations in the corridor and the Commission agreed that it wants to see the corridor enforced and that the current levels of 20 to 25 percent of operations outside the corridor is unacceptable. Commissioner Harrison stated that actual excursions are higher. Mayor Egan also noted that the growth projections used in airport planning are dramatically understated. The. City Council asked the Commission to monitor the ongoing progress of the mitigation program. There was discussion of the use of a legal and operations consultant to assist the City with its positions. Councilmember Awada stated that if there is something that the City can do legally to enforce operations standards, it should be explored.- Councilmember Wachter asked the Commission to recommend a legislative program based on City priorities and initiatives which were omitted from the Mitigation Committee report. In particular, the Council noted that a triggering mechanism in the law for reconsideration of land banking or other growth options would be worthwhile. OTHER BUSINESS There were no Items for other business. The meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m. to the regular City Council meeting. October 15, 1996 Date TLH City Clerk city of eagen THOMAS EGAN McvC September 20, 1996 PATRICIA AWADA BEA BLOMQUIST SANDRA A. MASIN Richard W. Danforth THEODORE WACHTER R.W. Danforth and Associates Ltd. Ccuncd Members 303 Harbor Drive THOMAS HEDGES Seneca, SC 29627 City Ad^ ^ s rte c E J. VAN OVERBEKE Dear Mr. Danforth: City Clerk Thank you very much for the opportunity to briefly discuss Eagan's aircraft noise situation and the interest we have in retaining a firm or firms for consultation concerning operations alternatives for Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The City's initial interest would be to consult with an attorney or operations specialist knowledgeable in federal noise regulations to brief on the growth of operations at MSP, the proposed expansion of the airport, the history of noise compatible land use planning in Eagan, the airport's noise abatement activities and legal and operational parameters for alternatives. This briefing would be followed by one or more in-person consultations with the City Council, City staff and Airport Relations Commission concerning possible alternatives and strategies for bringing about the changes necessary to limit operations impacts in Eagan to the greatest extent possible. Depending upon the strategies selected, the City may retain the firm or firms for additional consultation, negotiation, professional support or legal action as appropriate. By way of background, the City of Eagan is a developing community south and southeast of MSP. The airport's two principle runways direct between fifty-five and sixty percent of all operations to the southeast. Due to the timing of construction of major river crossings and interstate highways, Eagan developed recently enough to anticipate the impacts of-commercial jet airport operations on these runways. Based upon the operational representations of the airport, FAA and the Metropolitan Council, a regional planning agency, a large area of the northern part of Eagan was planned for noise-compatible, commercial and industrial development. A substantial portion of that area has developed consistent with that plan while much of the southern portion of the community, where noise impacts were to be less, consists of various densities of residential and retail development. In the early 1970's, MSP developed its first preferential runway system and, recognizing the noise compatible planning to the southeast, designated that direction to have first priority for operations. In response to this designation, Eagan negotiated a set of departure and arrival procedures to maintain operations over the noise-compatible area and to minimize operations over noise sensitive areas. The airport, FAA and airlines participated in these negotiations which culminated in the definition of the Eagan/Mendota Heights Corridor in the local tower order. MUNICIPAL CENTER 3830 PILOT KNOB RO4:' EAGAN n9T.NESO1A 55'22-1897 PHONE (6. 681-4600 FAX (6' 2? `5 4612 TDC c'21454-85315 THE LONE OAK TREE MAINTENANCE FACILITY THE SYMBOL OF STRENGTH AND GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITY E5,, EAGAN M ESC A r?. PHONE 'r t8' Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer =AX (612; cE -43c^ In particular, departures were to be issued a heading approximately ten degrees north of centerline for at least three miles from the runway end and arrivals were to be vectored to a four mile final approach. The Metropolitan Council, in consultation with the airport and FAA, incorporated modeled assumptions for the procedures into the regional planning policies for cities surrounding MSP. Following deregulation and the operations growth associated with Northwest and Republic hubbing activity, the corridor procedures began to erode and, by extension, the land use controls became less effective means of noise abatement. Operations increasingly impacted adjacent neighborhoods despite ATCT's insistence that no procedures had been changed. In 1986, the Tower Order was changed internally to broaden the operations area by adjusting departures south to the localizer. Despite resident protests, no environmental review was done and the changes were left in place. Over the past ten years compliance with even the expanded operations area has further deteriorated to the point that approximately twenty-five percent of all operations on the south parallel runway track south of the localizer within the first three miles. The level of non-compliance is reported monthly through the airport's ANOMS system. Despite Eagan's repeated insistence that compliance be improved and excursions reduced, no substantial improvement has occurred. The City is also facing the consequences of the state's recent decision to expand the airport at its current location rather than relocate it to a new site. The two alternatives were extensively studied over the past seven years as means of anticipating and managing operations growth in the region. Eagan was very active throughout the airport decision. The City's position was that the airport should only expand if the new airport site were land banked and an aggressive package of noise mitigation tools were included in the cost of the expansion. The Legislature's decision was to not bank the new site and they directed the preparation of a mitigation program as a separate process after the siting decision had been made. As a consequence, there are parties actively opposing any mitigation greater than Part 150 tools applied within a projected future 60 DNL contour. Eagan and a number of other cities engaged in the mitigation planning process support an expanded package of tools applied to a much larger area of eligibility and phased out at graduated distances from the airport to better reflect the diminishing impact of operations over distance. We realize that this will be expensive and that only a portion of the area will be eligible for Part 150 or PFC funding, but the principal shortcoming of the airport's noise mitigation efforts in the past is that they do not go far enough to offset the real impacts of the industry. In addition to absorbing over half of all operations in the northern part of Eagan, the western and southern portions of the City will be impacted by the 17/35 runway proposed to be built under the airport's expansion. This runway is scheduled to carry thirty-seven percent of all departures and permit the airport's capacity to expand by nearly twenty percent. The area of Eagan to be affected by this runway includes some of the oldest, most established neighborhoods in the City. Specifically, it is an area where aircraft overflights were not anticipated and the land uses are not compatible with aircraft operations. 38 a Overriding all of these concerns is the City's awareness that operations growth at MSP continues to exceed the projections used in the expansion/relocation study. For the expansion plans to be adequate over the twenty-five year planning horizon, the airport may not grow faster than one- half of one percent per year. Over the past five years, growth has averaged between four and five percent. As such, the capital improvements and operational assumptions planned for the airport are likely to be overutilized much sooner than has been anticipated by the airport and the State. As such, strategies need to be identified to anticipate the means the airport will use to manage future growth. The City of Eagan is seeking assistance to: 1. Influence regional, state and federal policy to minimize noise at its source 2. Place noise impacts from operations at MSP where there are few if any people and equitably distribute the rest among the communities surrounding the airport and 3. Develop and implement a noise mitigation program which will extend sufficiently into the noise impacted communities and provide adequate tools to limit impacts on residents 4. Analyze local and industry trends and develop realistic projections for the growth in operations demand within the region. Please forward a response addressing your possible interest in working for the City of Eagan and outlining your firm's qualifications to assist in this effort, your proposed costs for telephone and in person consultations and any potential conflicts of interest which would prevent you from serving in this capacity. I look forward to your response. Please call me if you have any questions in this regard. Sincerely, Jon Hohenstein Assistant to the City Administrator 3I MEMO city of eagan TO: TOM HEDGES, CITY ADMINISTRATOR HOLLY DUFFY, ASSISTANT TO THE CITY ADMINISTRATOR FROM: JOANNA FOOTE, COMMUNICATION/RECYCLING COORDINATOR DATE: March 14, 1997 SUBJECT: 1997 PROPOSED COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES At the Special City Council meeting of February 4, 1997 we discussed numerous ideas for the City Council to recommend for incorporation into the 1997 Communications program. The list of proposals had been compiled as a way of building upon the accomplishments of 1996 in order to enhance the overall communications program. To date, City staff and Council members have worked in conjunction with the Wallace Group and have gone through positioning exercises and have developed a consensus on the themes that best convey a sense of the City. Further, a significant survey of resident opinions and attitudes was conducted and the results were disseminated widely. Finally, the media training program began with a large meeting with various City staff, on some of the key elements, with "hands-on" exercises planned for 1997. Other activities and subjects have included preparation of the Koch Refinery grant proposal for alum treatment of Fish Lake, work on media information regarding the water quality award, the "adopted tree" story, personnel issues, Carriage Hills, the May, 1996 wind storm, Country Joe lawsuit, the Mayor's op-ed article, discussion on the park bond referendum, working with the business community and several other topic areas. Also in 1996 the communication program included the following ongoing in-house duties of the Communications Coordinator. Most of these programs are scheduled to continue in 1997 In House Communications Coordinator Tasks: (2/3 time allocation to Communication Program, 1/3 time to Recycling) • Experience Eagan Newsletter--prepare, print and deliver quarterly to all residents • Chamber Newsletter-monthly Eagan Update • Press Releases\Media Relations • Miscellaneous informational brochures/inserts/publications • New Resident Guide • Community Pages-Eagan Fire Department Phone Directory • Lion's Club/City Map • Business Outreach Meeting coordination/promotion • Quarterly Employee Newsletter • Miscellaneous Advertisement production/placement • Special Event coordination/promotion • Open House/Tours • Arbor Day • Earth Day • July 4' • Lone Oak Days • Cablecast Public Meetings • Community Information Cable Bulletin Board • Miscellaneous Cable Production • Voter information programming • Miscellaneous public /neighborhood meetings • Video Reproduction-City Council/Public Meetings • Municipal Center Sign Board • Other Miscellaneous Communications Projects The Communications program has grown substantially since the incorporation of the Communication/Recycling Coordinator position in late 1993 and again with the additional services provided by the Wallace Group, beginning in late 1995. Staff is now seeking final direction from the Council regarding the additional objectives which have been proposed for incorporation in 1997 to continue the expansion of the City's Communications efforts. Understanding that all of the additional objectives cannot be incorporated in 1997without either eliminating some of the current communication program functions, bringing in The Wallace Group and other appropriate consultants, or expanding the current 2/3 time communication staff allocation. Staff including yourself, Holly Duffy and I have worked, along with the Wallace Group to compile the following table showing the possible additional objectives as presented at the February 4, 1997 workshop, staff's understanding of the City Council's modification of the possible additional objectives for 1997 and a work plan which staff and the Wallace group agree could be the best utilization of the $26,000 communication budget allocation, based on the City Council's stated priorities. X11 City of Eagan 1997 Proposed Additional Communications Activities Proposed Project Consultant costs as Fi- MM wimp 'T All costs as modified ` ne?id rem identified at 2/4/97 following 2/4/97 workshop Workshop ^ Non-Personnel Consultant costs Annual Report (Upgrade) $4,000 10,000 p ` tingJdelivery. -s. $4,000 Wallace's Ftk # ?' ?? $0 Business Newsletter $ ,000 nntm' i ry * { $8,000 Wallace's ' $ 000 $7,500 Wallace's Bus Tour-EDC $500 ? bus ren $500 Wallace's $0 X Bus Tour-Volunteers X00 r?t tis re f l . " '* Fs? $500 Wallace's 00. ?' ?` r,,+2 $0 Business Outreach $100 fi # hotice3rpbsters etc ,.. a $0 $0 Cable Bulletin Board $2,000 Braun/Cable Consultants $1,500 Braun Cable Production (additional) $10/hr. Braun/Cable Consultants $0 Communication Counseling ?$6,000 Wallace's $6,000 -- Crisis Communication Plan $b: $3,000 Wallace's $0 Media Training $5,000 Wallace's ;' $3,500 Wallace's J , Neighborhood Outreach 00'_135100' printing, notices, po, sters etc $1,50043,000 Wallace's ! $0 Photography a $50Q l;l)00 came`r?,lkotsluings'Council/Ciept TTda, $0 $0 Press Releases/Media Stories--12/yr. 0- $6,000 Wallace's f + $6,000 Wallace's Web Page Software 300 $0 00 $0 a D ,G ?4 €x $9,90 ?$8,SOd? $24 500 t{{t , 1 $25,900 Total' *Provided from separate budget Based upon the discussion by the City Council at the 2/4/97 workshop and our meetings with the Wallace Group since that time, the two columns at the right of the table reflect the items and associated costs which can best be accomplished within the $26,000 communications allocation. In this proposal, the Annual Report upgrades, the Crisis Communications Plan upgrades and the additional Cable Production would be eliminated from the Communications budget in 1997. These upgrades would not be included in 1997 for a number of reasons including: Annual Report Although this was identified as a medium to high priority at the 2/4/97 workshop, with the idea of the Annual Report replacing one issue of the City Newsletter, it cannot be accomplished for two reasons. First, the newsletter is distributed near the first of March, May, September and December. The March, 1997 newsletter is already out and the May newsletter content needs to be prepared by April 10, 1997. This does not allow enough time for Departments to prepare the Annual Report information effectively this year. Secondly, the newsletter is used to promote a number of educational programs which are funded through grants from various agencies. Several of the grants require the City to publish program information to all of its residents in order to receive funding. If the Annual Report replaces a newsletter, the City would have to satisfy these requirement through another mechanism which would likely add greater expense. If the Council so directs, Annual Report "highlights" from each department could however be included as an article in the May 1997 newsletter. A separate Annual Report of some sort could then be considered for the 1998 budget. Crisis Communications Plan This item was a low priority from the City Council and was therefore eliminated as a budgeted item. Modifications will be made by staff as necessary and as staff time allows. Additional Cable Production Council indicated a wish to have any increased cable production accomplished by the Cable Access volunteers, and therefore not budget any communications funds for this purpose. As access volunteers are under no obligation to the City, any requested projects will be produced based on volunteer interest and availability, which will not necessarily ensure that the projects will be produced. Modifications to the consultation costs have been made, based on Council input, for the Business Newsletter, EDC and Volunteer Bus Tours, Business Outreach Meetings, Cable Bulletin Board, Media Training, Neighborhood Outreach and Photography Projects. These modifications help to decrease the cost of each project while preserving a high quality finished product which the City will be proud to produce. These modifications would be as follows: Business Newsletter This project was determined to be of a high priority to the City Council members as well as to the Economic Development Commission, Chamber of Commerce and City staff. The Economic Development Commission and Chamber of Commerce each budgeted $4,000 toward the printing and delivery of this publication. Their budgeting was based upon the idea that Chamber staff, City staff and Economic Development Commission members would work collaboratively to produce this quarterly publication. As we have discussed, staff is concerned about the quality and timeliness of this publication if it is produced in this fashion. The Wallace Group is able to coordinate the layout, design and content of this publication, in conjunction with the aforementioned groups, to ensure timely production. They can do this at a cost that fits within this Communication budget. If a project of this scope were to be added instead as a staff responsibility, communication staff time would need to be increased from the current 2/3 time or some of the current projects would need to be eliminated. Community Development staff would also be required to add this responsibility to its present workload. 41!?? EDC and Volunteer Bus Tours These bus tours can be accomplished at minimal expense. A $500 budget has been established by the EDC for its tour for the rental of buses. The Communications budget can allow for matching funding for the Volunteer Bus tour. Informational materials for participants can be produced in house at no direct cost to the communications budget. Business and Neighborhood Outreach Meetings As discussed with the City Council, these meetings can be done effectively with no direct budget allocation. The Business Outreach meetings are being accomplished jointly with the Chamber of Commerce and can continue effectively in this fashion. The neighborhood Outreach meetings can be accomplished in a similar manner with notification through the local newspapers and Cable television at no direct cost to the Communication budget. Cable Bulletin Board The cable bulletin board has previously been maintained primarily by Paragon Cable staff. The new in- house system will require maintenance and upkeep by City staff and/or a cable consultant. As this system is a few weeks away from operational, it is difficult to determine how much time will be necessary for coordination and updating maintenance. As indicated previously, this project will be in addition to current Communications tasks and will need to be coordinated accordingly. This is a very visible project which will need to be upgraded frequently. In order to ensure this, funding has been indicated within this communication budget for the purpose of utilizing a cable consultant as necessary, up to $1,500. Media Training As mentioned previously, the Wallace Group conducted media training in a large group format for a number of City staff with the intent of conducting a second half, "hands-on" session. Based on Council direction, Staff and the Wallace's have decreased the number of participants for this session at a subsequent reduction in cost for which this project can be accomplished. Photography It is suggested that the City maintain good quality photos of each City Councilmember as well as key staff to be used in the City newsletter and media publications, awards and recognition events and Community presentations. The costs of photos taken at City recognition ceremonies as requested by Councilmembers and the Council/staff photos can be accomplished within this proposed budget. The other items included in the modified budget proposal include, ongoing communication counseling and assistance with press releases and media stories, a service which the Wallace Group has provided throughout 1996 as indicated previously. City staff and a majority of the Council seemed to maintain that these additions have provided a strong benefit to the communications program. Press Releases/Media Stories and Ongoing Counseling These stories, releases and counseling are geared toward "sharing our good news," maintaining and strengthening Eagan's positive image and helping to educate the public about matters of interest and importance to the community. As indicated, these efforts have encompassed a wide variety of topics in 1996 from the preparation of materials for Council and staff response, as well as media releases regarding the Country Joe Lawsuit (throughout the various stages), the public awareness of the National Water Quality Award and many other topic areas. These services help staff to more effectively provide education and communication vehicles for interaction with the public directly as well as through the media. The ongoing counseling also helps to focus and fine tune the other projects being produced through the City's ongoing communications program. 4 As previously stated, staff is seeking direction from the Council regarding the additional objectives for the 1997 communications work program. The modified budget accomplishes most of the projects which were identified as communication priorities by the City Council at the February 4 City Council meeting and provides a sufficient level of funding to produce high quality products. Please contact me if you have questions regarding this information or to direct me further on how to proceed. s/Joanna Foote Communication/Recycling Coordinator MEMO city of eagan TO: HONORABLE MAYOR & CITY COUNCILMEMBERS FROM: CITY ADMINISTRATOR HEDGES DATE: March 14, 1997 SUBJECT: APRNRC INFORMATIVE ITEMS There are several items not included on the agenda for formal discussion between the APRNRC and City Council. These items are considered informative; however, if time permits and there are questions regarding one of these topics, questions could be asked of staff or members of the APRNRC. Those topics are as follows: CAPITAL REQUEST FOR LIGHTING IN PARKS Following the community notification meeting that was held last Thursday, March 6, the Parks & Recreation Department has received calls from residents asking for the installation of lights in neighborhood and community parks. The calls have been small in number, but it does represent an attitude of fear that exists in the Cinnamon Ridge development and adjacent neighborhoods. WATER DUALITY na. FISH LAKE Enclosed on pages 3 through is a copy of a memo from Rich Brasch, Water Resources Coordinator, providing information on the water quality at Fish Lake. CHILD PROTECTION POLICY Enclosed on pages 6 through is a memo regarding the status and need for a child protection policy. WESCOTT COMMONS LOCATION Recently, at a City Council meeting, City Councilmember Wachter raised questions about integrating the Wescott Commons program with a school facility. The reason for combining the program with a school facility is to reduce the need for rental of a unit at the Wescott Commons location. Enclosed on pages // through is information regarding the program. DAKOTA HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL FIELD MAINTENANCE Enclosed on pages .3 . through 31 is a copy of a memo from Director of Parks & Recreation Vraa regarding discussions between the City and Dakota Hills Middle School regarding field maintenance. PARTICIPATION IN TORO ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS PROGRAM Enclosed on pages through is a memorandum concerning a program which Toro Inc. offers to local governments. The purpose of the program is to promote the use of mulching mowers by providing such mowers on a temporary basis to interested residents. The APRNRC is recommending that the City participate. The City Attorney has identified no legal or ethical restrictions to such participation. If given direction by the Council, staff will place this item on a regular Council agenda for approval. City Administrator Attachments TLH/vmd TO: CITY COUNCIL C/O THOMAS HEDGES FROM: RICH BRASCH, WATER RESOURCES COORDINATOR DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION RE: UPDATE ON ALUM DOSING COMPONENT OF FISH LAKE PHASE II PROJECT DATE: MARCH 12, 1997 Background/Issue As City Council members may recall, a key component of the City's effort to improve the water quality of Fish Lake is the construction and operation of a "dosing" station which would inject small amounts of alum into the mainstem of the storm sewer system draining to the lake in order to decrease phosphorus entering the lake from the watershed. With the approval of the City Council to proceed with the project, staff submitted a permit application to the State in June, 1996 to secure authorization to carry out the alum dosing component. Because the use of alum to treat inflows to lakes is relatively new, the processing of the permit has been very slow. However, we are nearing the end of permit negotiations and the Commission and staff wanted to take this opportunity to brief the City Council on the alum dosing aspect of the Fish Lake project. Attached is a letter staff sent to the Mn Pollution Control Agency regarding several key issues on which the dosing project hinges. Staff reviewed an earlier draft of this letter with the APRNRC at their February 24, 1997 meeting before it was finalized and sent to the MnPCA. While the memo contains some technical jargon, the messages are discernable if Council members keep in mind two key points. First, in order to use alum to remove phosphorus from the stormsewer inflows to Fish Lake, we need to convince regulatory authorities that a relaxation in the criteria for aluminum in waters of the state is appropriate. The current criteria will allow us to achieve only about one-third to one-half of the phosphorus removal we need to meet the City's water quality target for Fish Lake. There is an abundance of information that indicates that an increase in the criteria for aluminum concentrations to a level that would be necessary to achieve our target removals would pose little toxic threat to aquatic life. However, the technical basis for the adjustment in the criteria is an issue and MnPCA remains concerned about the "precedence" that such a change would set. Second, any permit we receive from the State to operate a dosing station will probably be of limited duration until the effectiveness and impact of the operation is thoroughly evaluated in the field. This issue is obviously of concern to the City as well. Staff and the APRNRC have outlined a position in the memo which attempts to balance the financial obligations of the City for construction, operation/maintenance, and monitoring of the system with the possible limited duration of the permit. Council Direction Requested Staff and the APRNRC are interested in whether the position and strategy outlined on the second page of the letter to MnPCA appears reasonable to the City Council. No formal action is requested. it4?. xg-i?. ? Rich Brasch Water Resources Coordinator cc. Ken Vraa Advisory Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission 3 r r city oFecigcin March 3, 1997 THOMAS EGAN \ cvcr MR. MARK TOMASEK PATRICIA AWADA WATER QUALITY DIVISION B N B T MN POLLUTION CONTROL AGENCY A RA A. A T A T 520 LAFAYETTE ROAD NORTH HEODORE E W ACH HEODORE Council Members ST. PAUL, MN 55155 THOMAS HEDGES Dear Mark: City Administrator E. J. VAN OVERBEKE City Clk Thanks very much for your efforts in setting up the meeting with the Department of Natural Resour ces and the Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District representatives to discuss the alum dosing proposals for the Fish Lake and Tanners Lake projects. I certainly gained more insight into what it will take to get the Fish Lake dosing proposal off the ground. I also continue to believe that, with the majority of phosphorus loading to Fish Lake coming through a single pipe and with the constant flow conditions provided by the lift station, we have a near ideal situation at Fish Lake for the application of alum dosing. As you know, the City's Water Quality Management Plan identifies Fish Lake as the second highest of thirty tong-term lake enhancement priorities in the community. Concern about the degriiation of water quality ish Lake in the mid-1980's was one of several factors that convinced the City Council to embark upoin development and implementation of a vigorous water quality management effort. The high turn-out at both the public information meetings held to gather comment on the Fish Lake Diagnostic/Feasibility Study and Implementation Plan in 1993 and 1994 confirmed continuing high interest on the part of city residents about improving the quality of the lake. The City has done its best to implement conventional watershed Best Management Practices to improve the quality of runoff entering Fish Lake. The entire 3,000 acre watershed is swept in the spring and fall each year, with direct drainage areas receiving top priority. Virtually all new developments in the watershed are required to incorporate on-site ponding to treat runoff prior to discharge off-site. The watershed contains over 100 natural and constructed basins which treat runoff before it enters Fish Lake. In addition, the City has stepped up its efforts on an already vigorous public education program to curtail pollutant loadings at the source. The City's diligent application of both structural and non-structural BMP's has significantly reduced the phosphorus concentrations of the water in the mainstem of the stormsewer system near Fish Lake. The Fish Lake Phase I study reviewed and evaluated numerous remedial alternatives to reduce phosphorus loading to the lake. Dosing of alum into the mainstem of the storm drainage system to further reduce already low phosphorus concentrations was selected as the most cost-effective option for achieving the load reductions necessary to reach in-lake water quality goals. MnPCA technical staff who reviewed the report and recommended the project for Phase II funding under the Cleanwater Partnership Program agreed with that strategy. We are now at a pivotal point for implementation of the dosing aspect of the project. In response to the City's June 1996 application for a special permit to proceed with the dosing project, we have had numerous discussions with both representatives of your agency and the MnDNR regarding the conditions under which the dosing project should proceed. I hope we are moving closer to adopting an approach that recognizes our efforts are aimed at improving an already highly degraded urban system which will require balancing a number of benefits and impacts. For Fish Lake, it seems likely that the ecological and societal benefits of improving lake water quality will far outweigh the potential impacts of somewhat elevated total aluminum loading associated with the dosing project proposed. However, we won't actually know the trade-offs in these benefits and costs until we've had a chance to run and monitor system effectiveness and impacts over the intermediate to long-term. MUNICIPAL CENTER 38M PILOT KNOB ROAD THE LONE OAK TREE MAINTENANCE FACILITY EAGAN. MINNESOTA 55122.18x7 THE SYMBOL OF STRENGTH AND GROWTH IN OUR COMMUNITY 3501 COACHMAN POINT PHONE (612) 681.4000 PHONE MINNESOTA 55122 0300 FAX (612) at 4612 Equal Opportunity /Affirmative Action Employer FAX ON (6E12) (612)681. 8330 rD0 (612) 454 8 5 3 5 T00 (012) 454 454.8535 In the interests of bringing the permitting phase of this project to closure, I would like to outline some guidelines for what I believe it will take to get the Fish Lake alum dosing proposal off the ground from the City's standpoint. First, the permit to operate the dosing system must have at least a five year term in order to allow sufficient time to refine system operation, detect significant long term trends in lake water quality, and make the financial risks to the City reasonable. The cost for design and construction of the dosing station is estimated at about $40,000 in 1993 dollars. It is my judgement that this would be perceived as a reasonable expenditure on the part of the City even if the project is operated for only five years. However, at annualized costs of $15,000 per year ($9,000/year annualized capital cost and $6,000/year for operation and maintenance), plus monitoring costs, it is still a rather costly undertaking for the City. Second, the total aluminum criteria applied to the outlet of Pond JP-47 must be high enough so we can operate at our proposed dosing rate of I mg/liter. The pilot dosing study suggested an aluminum removal efficiency of approximately 40% in Pond JP-47. Thus, a total aluminum standard of 600 ug/1 applied at the outlet of Pond JP-47 would likely be sufficient to allow dosing at the recommended rate. There is ample information available showing that the increase in chronic toxicity risk associated with raising the total aluminum criteria from 262 ug/1 to 600 ug/I is minimal. I think there are also some relatively inexpensive methods we can employ to try to increase removal efficiencies for particulate aluminum, such as installing temporary baffles to better disperse flow between the inlet and the outlet. The City does II4I want to have to incur the expense (about $75,000) of excavating Pond JP-47 to attempt to increase floc removal at this stage of an experimental project that may not be allowed to continue beyond five years. It is also very important to note that our work so far indicates ti-at elevated total aluminum concentrations resulting from a dosing operation would be composed almost entirely of bound or particulate aluminum and that dissolved aluminum in treated water discharged to Fish Lake (and likely to Pond JP-47 as well) would remain well below the aquatic criteria. There is a strong possibility that the un-developed upland between Hurley Lake and Pond JP-47 could be developed at some point during the five-year test period for the dosing operation, allowing the City to secure the land for a floc settling basin by requiring a land dedication through the development approval process. To secure the land now would require condemnation, which the City feels is prohibitively expensive. Again, it would be difficult to convince the City Council that this expense is warranted now when we don't know whether the dosing system should or can operate beyond five years. In closing, I want to again reiterate the City's commitment to implementing an alum dosing project to enhance Fish Lake as a local and regional recreational resource. We also believe that it may be in the best interests of state lake management to implement a few of these projects so that they can be rigorously evaluated to better define the role this practice can play in protection and enhancement of Minnesota's aquatic resources. As such, the City expects to carry out a reasonable amount of monitoring to help define the effectiveness, costs, and impacts of operation of the system over the long term. I look forward to hearing from you in the near future so we can continue to move this project forward and bring closure to this issue within the next several months. Please let me know if you have any questions or need more information from us. Sincerely, Rich Brasch Water Resources Coordinator cc. Ken Vraa Paul Nelson/Steve Kloiber JOINT COUNCIL/APRNRC MEETING March 17, 1997 5:00 PM CHILD PROTECTION POLICY Staff has been working on a "Child Protection Policy" for the Department of Parks and Recreation. Although the City had previously implemented the required background check on full time, part time and seasonal employees, volunteer workers were not be required to go through that process. Given two separate events reported late last year in which volunteers were involved with criminal sexual behavior in a park setting, staff and the Advisory Commission initiated a review of the need to develop a policy which also covers volunteers. This policy excludes the necessity to do background checks on volunteers who do not interact with children and those who do not have continuous supervision by a regular employee. The policy also excludes the City from assuming any responsibility for background checks or liability for actions by personnel and volunteers from independent organizations that use City facilities. The policy covers hiring procedures, training, supervision and complaint investigation. This policy has been reviewed with the City Attorney's office and Assistant to the Administrator Duffy. 6 CHILD PROTECTION POLICY This Child Protection Policy is established to meet the stipulations of the National Child Protection Act (Public Law 103-209) and to attempt to assure safety to children who participate in City sponsored activities. Coverage: (a) All employees and interns. (b) All volunteer positions in municipal employment existing or hereafter created that have occasion to interact with children without direct, continuous supervision by a regular employee. Hiring Procedure 1. Job descriptions shall be established for each position/category of positions. 2. Job postings shall include: • Minimum requirements. • Equal opportunity statement. 3. Applicants must fill out City application form and provide other information as requested. 4. Candidates meeting minimum qualifications may be considered for personal interview subject to: • Number of positions to be filled. • Objective review and point total (100 maximum) of minimum and desired qualifications. Veterans preference points will be applied when requested. 5. Candidates interviewed will be asked to respond to questions related to the position; all candidates will be asked the same questions. 6. All candidates interviewed shall be requested to sign the City form authorizing a criminal background check for the conviction of a crime or crimes as authorized by Minnesota Statute Chapter 364 and as otherwise allowed under the Minnesota Child Protection Background Check Act, Minnesota Statutes 299C.60 - 299C.64. Criminal background checks will only be performed for those applicants whom the City is still considering hiring after the initial interview. • State Statute does not create a duty to perform a background check. By enacting this policy the City is not under a duty to perform a background check on any employee, intern or volunteer. 7. The existence of a criminal conviction record will not automatically disqualify a candidate from employment with the City, though certain types of criminal convictions may prohibit working in certain positions. Records of arrest not followed by valid conviction; convictions which have been, pursuant to law, annulled or expunged; and misdemeanor convictions for which no jail sentence can be imposed, will not be considered by the City. Before any applicant is rejected on the basis of a criminal conviction, he/she will be notified in writing and will be given any rights to processing of complaints or grievances afforded by Minnesota Statute Ch. 364 and Section 299C.60 - 299C.64. 8. Candidate evaluation will continue with reference checks. 9. Positions will be offered to individuals who best fit requirements of the position. Training 1. Regular employee training shall be provided as appropriate to a position. 2. Seasonal and temporary employees and volunteers shall undergo training that shall include but not be limited to: • Personnel procedures and responsibilities. • Program/activity related experience in a workshop type setting. • General observation and awareness of surroundings of the work environment. • First aid and CPR. • Performance expectations, supervision, and evaluation. • Department/City policies and procedures including the prohibition of harassment, illegal discrimination, and child protection. Supervision 1. Program sites will receive a minimum of one site visit from supervisory staff each day. The purpose is informal feedback and assistance. 2. Supervisors shall provide seasonal/temporary employees with telephone and pager numbers at which they can be reached. 3. A staff meeting or meetings shall be held as required by supervisory staff. 4. Supervisor/seasonal-temporary individual meetings will be held concerning: • Performance below expectation. • Conformance with City policy. • Exit interviews. Child Protection Complaint Investigation Policy The following steps may be taken by supervisory staff concerning a complaint of harassment, intimidation, verbal, psychological, physical or sexual abuse involving a child against an employee, intern or volunteer. The City's basic personnel policies, including its sexual harassment policy, will govern an investigation for child protection. • Immediate suspension with pay for the duration of the investigation. In the case of a volunteer, cessation of the volunteer activity. Notification shall be in writing. • Report the incident to the Director of Personnel who will conduct an investigation providing a preliminary report within 72 hours if possible. • If the complaint against the employee could result in a criminal charge, the complaint will immediately be reported to the police department. • Maintain confidentiality. 2. Minnesota Data Privacy Act provisions will be followed. INDEPENDENT ORGANIZATIONS The City of Eagan is not responsible for background checks or liable for actions by personnel and volunteers from independent organizations that use City facilities. cs 10/childpro.tect CITY OF EAGAN DATA PRACTICES ADVISORY FOR PROTECTED INFORMATION FORM VOLUNTEERS READ THIS ADVISORY BEFORE COMPLETING THIS FORM: The Minnesota Government Data Practices Act requires you to be informed that the following information which you have been asked to provide on the attached form is considered private data: 1. Your full name. 2. Any and all previous names by which you are known, regardless of whether or not they were your legal names. 3. Your date of birth. 4. Your sex. 5. Your criminal history data maintained by agencies, political subdivisions and state-wide systems. The purpose and intended use of this data is to conduct the background inquiries which this City uses to establish your eligibility to serve as a volunteer for a Parks & Recreation program in to protect children who may interact with the volunteer. Although you may not be directly interacting with children.?v potential exists. Therefore, though the City is under no obligation to do so, it is conducting background checks in order to protect children. The specific use for each category of data is described below: I. To conduct a thorough and complete criminal history and background check, all names by which an applicant is or has been known must be listed. 2. In order to access driver's license data, date of birth must be supplied. 3. In order to access criminal history data, date of birth, and sex must be supplied. 4. A complete criminal history and driver's license check are conducted to determine whether them are any program- related factors which affect your suitability to serve as a volunteer. Driver's license checks only affect those positions which require that the volunteer drive during the program. This data will be used solely for the above mentioned purposes. This data will not be made available to the City's volunteer coordinator unless a criminal conviction record is discovered In that case, information gained by use of previous names, date of birth, or race, will be forwarded to the volunteer coordinator without reference to date of birth, age or race. The existence of a criminal conviction record will not automatically disqualify you from volunteering with the City, though certain types of criminal convictions may prohibit you from working in certain positions. Your rights under Minnesota Statute Chapter 299C.62, Sub 3, are: (I) The right to be informed that the City will request a background check on the applicant for purposes of the applicant becoming a volunteer with the City and to determine whether the applicant has been convicted of any crime set forth under the Child Protection Background Check Act; i.e., child abuse, murder, manslaughter, felony level assault or any assault crime committed against a minor, kidnapping, arson, criminal sexual conduct and prostitution-related crimes; (2) The right to be informed by the City of the response to the background check and to obtain from the City a copy of the background check report; (3) The right to obtain any record that forms a basis for the report; (4) The right to challenge the accuracy and completeness of any information contained in the report or record pursuant to the Government Data Practices Act; (5) The right to be informed by the City if the application has been denied because of the background check; and (6) The right not to be required directly or indirectly to pay the cost of the background check. You are not legally required to provide the requested information. However, if you do not, the City will be unable to conduct the required background inquiries and will not be able to process your application and the City will not be able to consider you as a volunteer. I have read and understand the information stated above. Signature Date PROTECTED INFORMATION FORM FULL NAME: Last First Full Middle Name DATE OF BIRTH: SEX: DRIVERS LICENSE STATE & NUMBER: VOLUNTEER POSITION APPLIED FOR: List any and all other names by which you are or have been known: Have you ever been convicted as an adult for a crime which has not been annulled, expunged, set aside, purged or sealed by a court? EYes p No If YES, give date and place, nature of offense and disposition: I certify that all statements by me, on this form, are true, complete and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief, and are made in good faith. I understand that any false information on this form may be cause for rejection, or dismissal if already a volunteer. Signature of Applicant Date 'c MEMO city of eagan TO: TOM HEDGES, CITY ADMINISTRATOR FROM: KEN VRAA, DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION DOROTHY PETERSON, SUPERINTENDENT OF RECREATION DATE: MARCH 17, 1997 RE: INQUIRY CONCERNING USE OF A SCHOOL SITE FOR THE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM It is staff's understanding that Counciimember Wachter has inquired whether money could be saved if a school site were used for the Youth Development Program. Attached for background information is a copy of a March 27, 1996 memorandum which chronicles the goals and progress of the Youth Development Program. As the Department of Parks and Recreation has come to know the Wescott neighborhood, on site programming for recreational activity and collaboration with other agencies is efficient and effective. One of our first objectives was to have a "presence" in the neighborhood so that police and the City would not be viewed as outsiders. This concept was in line with the Police Department's Community Oriented Policing effort. ISSUES Would the benefit be the same if Wescott Youth Development Programs were conducted at an off-site school rather than from an on-site apartment? • How continuing progress in building trust for the City, reducing juvenile police contacts and the youth development recreational activity program would fare at a school site is an unknown. • How Community Oriented Policing efforts; that is the neighborhood presence of police officers plus occasions not In uniform, would be affected is an unknown. • What emphasis should the cost of apartment rent have in the overall picture of the collaborative effort In the Wescott neighborhood? • The City's continuous presence in a school may not reduce rental costs as It could lead to the school district initiating a rental arrangement to cover their costs. This is the situation with the YMCA. INFLUENCING FACTORS: Two specific incidents demonstrate the importance of the City's presence in the Wescott neighborhood. • Two years ago the Youth Development Coordinator observed a new "move in". The new "family" generated a lot of traffic, did not have typical family make-up and the atmosphere did not feel right. Working with the Police Department, the new "family" was Identified as active drug dealers. Due to vigilance, they were soon gone from the neighborhood. • Recently, the Youth Development Coordinator arrived at Wescott to find a potential volatile argument in progress at a school bus stop. Parents and children from several families were shouting, pushing and shoving and threatening physical violence. The Youth Development Coordinator took the families into the Service Center and worked to diffuse the situation. In addition, she has arranged for an outside agency to provide anger management training. Other factors that influence the need for on-site presence at Wesoctt: • Lack of public transportation is an on-going limiting factor for residents in the Wescott neighborhood. This transportation issue affects even the weekly shopping for many. • Schools are a threatening environment for people who did not (parents) or do not (students) achieve success in their school experience. • Recognizing this school aversion, Dakota Hills Middle School and Glacier Hills Elementary fund tutors to work with Wescott youth in a familiar environment; the City's Wescott apartment • Two neighboring cities, Burnsville and Rosemount are emulating Eagan's Youth Development Program in high density apartment neighborhoods. • Access to a school site would be limited by school hours and restricted by summer maintenance. • The trust being fostered among Wescott residents toward the City centers around the experiences being offered to the children right in the neighborhood. DISCUSSION The department of Parks and Recreation actively seeks grant assistance as an ongoing effort to offset program costs. School District 196, Early Childhood Family Education, the library and Dakota Partnership for Healthy Communities are current partners providing funding for programs. In excess of $4,000 of other organizations funds are now earmarked for Wescott. An example Is an Early Childhood Family Education School District grant which provides a school bus to bring preschoolers and parents to the Rahn Way Center opening up GED, ESL and Head Start programs to Wescott residents. This enables Parks and Recreation to focus activity to age groups other than preschoolers. In addition, the Eagan Police Department has recently received a $10,000 grant. The Wescott neighborhood has been earmarked for programs. Parks and Recreation and the Police Department will partner to benefit the neighborhood. Those endorsing the project Include Sgt. Tom Shoenecker, DHMS Assistant Principal Jim DeLong, City Attorney May and District Judge Mary Pawlenty. The school district through its professional perspective of working with children and families in a low/moderate income, high density neighborhood have endorsed the on-site initiatives. A school site overlooks the transportation problem of getting youth/parents to and from the off site location at varied hours during the day. A school location would probably mean the programs would be severely limited on days and dates in which the program is probably needed most, holiday for kids, but not working adults. These are the very times kids can find ways to get into trouble. The City's Wescott apartment serves the neighborhood as a "relief valve" for the children. Regardless of what is occurring at home, i.e. family dispute, alcohol consumption or lack of boundaries; children can come to the center to find positive role models, a schedule of regular recreational activity and the opportunity to be a normal child. It should be emphasized that Parks and Recreation is not doing the work of County Social Service agencies, public health, the school district or any other agency. They are doing this work and expending dollars from their budget. A true collaborative has emerged whereby better understanding of areas of expertise has been achieved for staff, Wescott families and duplication of effort is avoided. The Wescott neighborhood Is Intensely sensitive to their community being referred to as the most unsafe area In the City. Parks and Recreation through its programming expertise and other agencies as partners are working to bring main stream experiences, values and skills to the community. All of this effort would be lost by moving off site. The city's investment pays off with each child who succeeds and stays in school, who looks for and finds a summer job, with each family that learns conflict resolution, with each police call that is not made, with each activity that fosters understanding of a culturally diverse population and each time the residents volunteer to assist with their children's activity. Experience with this population would suggest that moving off site would equate to no program. 1-3 MEMO _ city of eagan DATE: March 27, 1996 TO: Tom Hedges, City Administrator FROM: Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation SUBJECT: Youth Development Coordinator " Wescott Commons You had requested additional background information relative to the Youth Development Coordinator position which serves the Wescott neighborhood (and others) and what the impact of the program has been. Specifically, you inquired whether there was any information relative to a reduction in the incidence of reported crime or police contacts within this neighborhood. Police Administrative Assistant Southern has provided me with a report relative to this issue which is summarized as part of this memorandum. Because the Youth Development Coordinator position is currently vacant as a result of the recent resignation of Walker Lee Ashley, staff has met with Dakota Hills Middle School's Principal Pat Sullivan and Assistant Principal Jim DeLong. The objective was to review the effectiveness of the Youth Development program from their perspective. An internal review of the original goals of the program and an assessment of attainment has been conducted. ORIGINAL PROGRAM INITIATION The Youth Development Coordinator position was created in response to the increasing number of juvenile offenses coming from the Wescott neighborhood, the property owners requests for city assistance in dealing with social-economic deterioration in the Wescott Square area, and in response to nearby property owners who were looking to the City to "do something" with the problems that were spilling over into their neighborhoods. In addition, a task force of School District, County, neighborhood and City personnel were meeting to assess the scope of deficits that were contributors to juvenile problems at school and In the community. As information was gained, it was determined that structured activities were essential for this area, given the inordinately high number of youth in this dense housing development. Also, the significant number of low Income residents with limited resources for leisure activity was a factor. (See economic attachment #1) The School District reports data which substantiates the number of youth reflects the high number of youth in an Isolated area. (See attachment #2). The first programming efforts actually occurred In 1993, largely through volunteer efforts by the neighborhood which were coordinated with the City Parks and Recreation Department. A temporary trailer was placed on site by the City and various activities were scheduled out of the trailer. Unfortunately, community activities were not cohesive, the leadership was split, and the program did not materialize to the extent desired. In November of 1993, with the support of the Eagan police, City staffs recommendation to hire a coordinator to staff and program the site was proposed. The Youth Development Coordinator position was approved by the City Council for inclusion in the 1994 budget at 3/4 time. Hedges memo March 27, 1996 Page two The Council will also recall that the property owners of Wescott approached the City with a proposal that the City acquire vacant lots for the purpose of developing a neighborhood park and creating a play area for the youth. The property owners contributed substantially to the acquisition of the vacant land for the park and Wescott Commons was subsequently developed using HRA/Communlty Development Block Grant Funds. A coordinator was hired in April of 1994 to begin programs on site. The park was completed in July, 1994, and the Wescott Service Center (apartment) began operation In the summer of 1994 at 1/2 the normal rent with the owners group covering the other 50%. This cost sharing agreement was continued In place for 1995. In December of 1994, the City and School District/Dakota Hills Middle School, began a cooperative relationship In which 25% (10 hours per week)of the Youth Development Coordinator's time would be spent In the school. The City would be reimbursed for this time. The relationship between the school and the City was seen as another positive step in forging stronger relationships by completing a connection of home, school and community. Not to be forgotten is the concept and involvement of the Police Department's "Community Policing" efforts in this process. Through program and activities, the police officers assigned to the area were often involved or "visible" to the residents. The Camegic Corporation of New York in its study entitled "A Matter of Time; Risk and Opportunity in the Non-School Hours" points out that "unfortunately young people from poor families are most likely to live in unsafe neighborhoods and to be unsupervised during the after school hours. They are the least likely to have access to constructive alternatives." The study points out the unsupervised after school hours represents a period of significant risk; "it's a time when adolescents may engage in dangerous and even illegal activities ...0 'substance abuse ..." Several recommendations are made in the report to deal with the "at risk" youth, but can be summarized by the report which notes that "both theory and empirical evidence strongly support the idea that community based programs are essential to the healthy development of young adolescents." PROGRAMS Initiation of programs often comes from the collective thoughts of the families and youth in the parks' Immediate vicinity. This "buy in" of program Ideas is one measure of success at the site. On any given morning, afternoon or evening, programs are being offered to the community. The Service Center has become the focal point of the neighbors for recreation, support, information and socialization. It is not just the youth who are served, but also the adults. Many of the programs offered are in partnership with others. Already mentioned is the relationship with the School District which extends to an academic tutoring program at the service center that services between 6-12 students on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the school year. Seven students achieved a C average or better during the winter term, a marked improvement. This program has served well over 245 students since Its Inception. Tutoring is funded through Dakota Hills Middle School which hires the tutorial staff. Attached is a letter from James DeLong, Assistant Principal at Dakota Hills Middle School, which outlines the success of the tutorial program as well as the success that Walker Lee was able to achieve at the site. (See attachment 03) District 196 Community Education Is providing an Early Childhood Family Education (E.C.F.E.) activity at the Wescott Service Center. E.C.F.E. programs provide early Intervention by involving parents and pre-school children In meaningful activities while addressing parenting Issues. The program services approximately 40-50 families. /5, Hedges memo March 27, 1996 Page three Fast Forward, funded by the McKnight Foundation, provides staff support to local collaborations. Fast Forward helps families utilizing computer networks to build self sufficiency through better case management. This service comes to the Center twice per month with its on-line network and assists 3 5 families each time. In addition, emergency assistance can be affected via the network. Parks and Recreation programs include a girls group?cooking program (ages 12-17) run in conjunction with Dakota County Extension; a morning latch key program and a Junior Program for youth ages 6-10 Between 3540 youth take part In the Junior Program. A summer basketball league for boys and girls (ages 9-17) had approximately 100 participants in 1995. The site also offers numerous seasonal programs, activities, recreational and educational trips. Examples are trips to the Science Museum, Skateville, Minnesota Zoo, a Halloween party, photos with Santa, a Christmas caroling group which went to the Oak Woods of Eagan senior apartments, just to mention a few. IMPACT ON CRIME -POUCING As part of this review, staff researched recent literature for data on the impact of recreational programs on crime and policing. TIME magazine, in it's November 14th edition, had an article entitled "Going Soft on Crime" which notes that many mayors and judges "most of them Republicans, are breaking party ranks to say that it's prevention, not inflexible punishment, that puts a dent in crime". Police in Dallas report a 26% drop in juvenile arrest after a gang intervention program began reaching out to youth. In Ft. Myers, Florida the juvenile crime rate dropped 27% since the start up-three years ago of an academic and recreation program. (See attachment $4 for a copy of this article) The National Parks and Recreation Association, in a copyrighted article in March, 1994, makes note of the efforts of the City of Phoenix, Arizona to reduce crime. This article reports that crime calls tabulated by police show a reduction by as much as 52% in areas with expanded recreational programming. Reductions in juvenile crime are being reported in many other communities as well. The Evanston, Illinois Director of Parks and Recreation reports that during the six month period his department ran a late night program for youth in a high crime area which borders Chicago, juvenile crime dropped by 40%. After the program was allowed to lapse because volunteer funding expired, crime went back up by 70% during the following six months. The program has since been reinstated and again juvenile crime has started a downward trend. Closer to home, Minneapolis' new police chief cites his police league basketball program, a recreational program offered by the police department, as one of his major accomplishments in the fight against crime In Minneapolis. The chief, in explaining the program as a means to reduce inner city crime said, "if we don't get a hold on this generation (of youth), we're going to have the devil to pay". In Eagan, according to a memo prepared by Ken Southern, at the request of Chief Geagan and the Parks and Recreation Department, juvenile offenses in the Wescott area during 1995 were down by 57% from 1994, 59% from 1993 and 55% from 1992. This change is considered significant given that the overall calls to the Wescott area increased during 1995. (Note: The magnitude of these numbers may be influenced significantly by the relatively small area and small base number, where a reduction of one crime or one call could mean a large percent.) What is significant is that there is a reduction in juvenile crime and that this reduction corresponds to reductions experienced by larger populations in larger cities. A copy of the memo is attached for your review. 16 Hedges memo March 27, 1996 Page four Research and the experience of others demonstrates that the provision of meaningful and structured activities for young people does deter costly negative behavior seen in the modem youth gang member. The City of Eagan can offer an alternative more positive experience for youth by providing recreational and other programs that promote positive, preventive experiences. When you prow* naaadonai aFPortt?Ntles andswvk es !bryoungsters you get TEAMS; *1m you don% you get GANGS". REVISE POSITION DESCRIPTION Staff has revised the Youth Development Coordinator position (Attachment pages I to reflect the addition of the responsibilities associated with Dakota Hills Middle School. this description was also shared with residents of the area served by this position. Staff is seeking authorization to fill this position in order to begin program planning for summer months. Respectfully Submitted, Ken Vraa, Director of Parks and Recreation Note: If Members of the Council would care to review the Camegic Corporation Report (152 pages) or information from the Search Institute on "Healthy Communities: Healthy Youth" I have it available in my office. ..mnK, 17 SEP-27-1994 1428 DAKOTA COUNTY - NSC Mat Area 2 Area 3 ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE Cans 73 28 31 Clients 247 65 90 Medical Atestance 210 62 90 Food Stamps 204 47 74 DC 134 31 57 Family General Assistance 7 0 9 General Assistance 1 10 1 MN St pplemental Aid 2 . 1 0 Emergency Assistance 0 0 6 Total Services 668 151 237 SOCIAL SERVICES Oasis 14 3 5 Clients 38 3 19 Chi revs Services 14 0 13 Day Care Subsidy 20 0 3 Chemical Health 2 2 2 services 1 0 1 DD 0 0 1 Chid DD 0 1 0 Total Services 38 3 19 PUBLIC HEALTH Cases 8 2 0 tents 16 2 0 Chid Tien 00c 8 2 0 Family Health Promotleon 6 0 0 SIdMd Moms Neagh 2 0 0 Maternal Health 1 0 0 Total Services 16 2 0 Ic t$ente 42 Is 14 ,W,44C?M Aria 1 = Zip Cods 55123, IM or 00 VMese t Square or Trail Aria 2 • Zip Cods 55122, 44# to 400 C*wnmon Ridge Trap Or Ck+do Ares 3 w Zip Oode 55121, 1550 to 170 Rkw Bluff Driers, anveNflaks Drive, Rai i 'op Drie, Four Oaks Road, Farnham Drive, Essryresn Drive, River Bluff Ct. Otcated data Item NCB, HEC and NNU on S M-94 a-99% /9/ 6124502348 P. 22/22 TOTAL P.02 JAN 25 '95 09:26Ar'i 8M 1MOR* PIAXWINC 000(ITTU JAWMM 12, 1995 S:30 - 11:30 A.M. 4a".TZR sins st narr?ues P.2 .,?ac le ¢z asa•rs 3a atttadaaoa: Puss tra•nks 1, nary (sxcA) , Paula (Park&Rec), Leta Poe, Dorothy Peterson, Nancy Peterson, grata, J•aaa lnbl•, Walker L•• Ashly, Jia D•Lonq, Lynn Opatray and Vicki Turner. no group identified the following audience: AIJDIENC S ITUMTS OONCSM N$ MUMMER PNOORE$$ waaooa ___ __ _ 940125 Arm Mn vanslion, mw SurfM $k i*0 I Mid•S0 nWEPrrt and Psrk i RAC laiksmal His-25 nssidats. fournomeru (GMS/DMM$) hops to sshoo? CuoM?wood K4-30 v+e?y Mltie WD cM uds & ) Mid-39 SMOS ID Ms=7 (oM$, sMMS) Own X4000 41000d at OorohrMn/YW S Doodw) me-17 N+dOs to aehod Cinrarnon Midge Me-36a Sddps to sohooi (LooMad M OWer/difr) (Of'l/ONMS) MMdowiarlds Ms.35 S.E. Asian popuisdon No perk (OR/* We) MMph ESL pop.IRMon Minidpe to sohod M hru s WMw AmMy my not Hsvs fto to .conk vAh on re au?rwner. • Integration • Ways to link cossumiti•s to what vs are already doing. • Targeted programing /9 The Entire City of Eagan: White ......» ................. ...»»»..»».»»»»..».....»...........».........._».»»»»».....»_«»..».......»»».......... 93.8% African-American ....... ».... ».»»»»»..»...»_»...........»...»«....»...»»__...»»»_» ................_..»«».... 02.8% American Indian, Eskimo or Aleutian »»_».....».......»_.»»»».»»»...»..«»._.....»»..»_.»»«...»...00.1 Asian or Pacific islander_»...».,_..»» .................».»........»...»»«»»»»»._«»..»».__..»..»........._.02.9% Hispanic ..........» ................. ».... ..._..»..».......»»..»».»..»....»...»»».........»»__»_».........»..»........ 00.4% Wescott Commons: White ..... _....... «»._...«..»...».«....._........ 33% African-American _..._»._...»».....»«...». 5 1 % Am. Indian, Eskimo or Aleutian__.......O2% Asian or Pacific Islander_.._-_...... 09% Hispanic »».»»»..»»..._«...»»«»»...«»«. 05% Meadowlands: White .. .». .»...»»_......»».....».»»«. 73% African-American ......... »»..._.....«. 10% Am. Indian, Eskimo or Aleutian ...«..... 00% Asian or Pacific Islander ...... _._»..._.»...12% 05°k Cinnamon Ridge: White ............. «_»...«»......».....«...««. 5 7% Af ican•Amencan ..»»....»......«_.._«. 17% Am. Indian, Eskimo or Aleutian _..01 % Asian or Pacific Islander.......»».«....23% Hispanic.«...».»».»».......».«..«....«.... 02% Duckwood Trail: White...__- _.._.»».».»....».»........ 61 % African-American «_ ........... ..._......... 3 5% Am. Indian, Eskimo or Aleutian-00% Asian or Pacific Islander..«._«.__....03% Hispania 01% On DAKOTA HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL 4183 Braddock Trail Eagan, MN 55123-1575 (612) 683-6800 Patrick L. Sullivan, Principal James A. DeLong, Assistant Principal Wendy McNamee, Administrative Assistant "Educating Our Students to Reach Their Full Potential." TO: Tom Hedges, City Administrator, Eagan, MN FROM: James DeLong, Assistant Principal, Dakota Hills Middle School DATE: February 5, 1996 SUBJECT: Wescott Program It has been brought to my attention that at a recent city council meeting, a council member raised questions relating to programming for the Wescott community. During the past year and a half since we began programming, our students who live at Wescott have grown tremendously and have been given opportunities not previously available. The positive effect of the ten hours per week that Walker Lee Ashley spends interacting with students and families is unmeasureable. Our academic tutoring program at Wescott on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons has been very successful. On any given Tuesday or Thursday, there are approximately eight to twelve students receiving academic help from teachers from Dakota Hills. These teachers are paid from our own budget, but are provided space at the Wescott Service Center to help students who live in that area improve their academic levels. During the current school year, we have eight different teachers who rotate through a schedule to tutor at the Service Center. Throughout the last five months of the 1994-95 school year, 273 students received tutoring at Wescott. An evaluation was given to the students' classroom teachers to verify whether the tutoring program was successful. Conclusions from the evaluations were that 64% of the students who participated in the tutoring sessions improved in their classroom assignments and classroom completion, 48% improved in classroom behavior and attitude, and 54% improved their academic grades. The results for the 1995-96 school year so for have yet to be compiled, however, we have recorded 318 students who have received tutoring up through February 1. This one component of programming has been very instrumental in helping students become successful. Secondly, another vital part of our involvement in the Wescott area has been to develop an awareness and sensitivity to cultural diversity. I can attribute a large portion of our success with minority issues at DHMS this past year to the interaction of Walker Lee with students and families. Walker Lee has been involved in support groups with students who live in the Wescott area and have focused on topics dealing with relationships and respect, peer pressure, role models, the importance of an education, rascism, stereotyping, specific racial incidents at DHMS and in the Eagan community, self-esteem/racial self- steam, intercultural communication and community responsibility. After reviewing evaluations returned by the student participants, there was a sense that issues that have risen during the school year have been acknowledged and that students feel comfortable in addressing and discussing their frustrations with staff. Walker has helped bridge communication from school to Wescott homes, and has been very helpful in transporting parents to meetings at school. During the past year and a half since we began programming `L764? at Wescott, there has been a tremendous amount of parent satisfaction and involvement. During the first four years that DHMS was open, we had a 12% of Wescott families participate at student conferences. During the past three years that percentage has risen to over 90% parent participation at conferences. Even though we changed our conference format, much credit has to be given to Walker because he hel notify the parents of the upcoming conference time, assists parents in scheduling their conference, as well as provides transportation to attend a conference, if needed. With our 25% investment of Walker's salary, there is absolutely no doubt that we benefit greatly from the City of Eagan's commitment to provide assistance for the Wescott area. The families at Wescott whose children attend DHMS are much more comfortable and involved, not only because a trusting relationship is being developed, but also because students and parents acknowledge and share that for the first time, the community and school are helping them become responsible and committed community members. If there is a need for OHMS to share their thoughts at an upcoming city council meeting, please feel free to give me a call at 683-6800. 0 ? ,aa.1alwl jll? IT- 4P POLICE DEPARTMENT MEMO city of eagan DATE: February 12, 1996 TO: Ken Vraa FROM: Ken Southorn SUBJECT: Wescott Square Protect At the request of Chief Geagan, I have accumulated data relative to Police Department calls for service at Wescott Square for your use in evaluating the effectiveness of the program. The data included in this study is from the last four years (92 - 95). The most dramatic change in the pattern of calls in the Wescott Square area is that of juvenile offenses. Juvenile offenses in 1995 are down 57% from 1994, 59% from 1993, and 55% from 1992. This change is even more significant considering that overall calls to that area have increased during 1995. Juvenile calls for all types of offenses were reduced dramatically with the exception of theft (2 additional cases in `95). Notable examples are: Assault Burglary CSC Disturbing Peace Incorrigible Juvenile Domestics Down 76% from 1994 Down from 8 cases in 194 to zero in 195 Down 66% from 1994 Down 75% from 1994 Down 33% from 1994 Down 66% from 1994 Contacts with youth of all ages during 1995 were down 61 % from the previous year and down 57% and 41 % respectively from 1993 and 1992. The ages of the juveniles in this study range from 4 to 17 years of age. The predominate ages of the involved youth are from 13 to 15 years of age. Unfortunately a number of the juveniles are repeat offenders, for instance: One 11 year old had 6 offenses in 1994. One 13 year old had 5 offenses in 1994. ?3 (Wescott Square Project - Page 2) One individual had 12 offenses between 1993 & 1995 (age 13 - 15) One individual had 5 offenses between 1992 & 1993 (age 13 - 14) One individual had 5 offenses between 1992 & 1994 (age 12 - 14) Calls for juvenile incidents occur throughout the year, but are more prevalent during the "fair weather "months. For the most part there is a higher frequency from April thru October than during the balance of the year. During 1995 we experienced three calls in April, five in May, zero in June, four in July and six in August. Most of the juvenile calls for service occurred during the afternoon and evening hours. The greatest concentration of these calls occurred between 3:00 P.M. and 10:00 P.M.. During 1995 a 44.8% reduction in juvenile incidents was noted in this time period. Location of the offenses within the area does not present any particular trend. Occurrences are widely distributed throughout the complex. Repetitions at particular addresses relate to repeat offenders mentioned above but do not seem to represent a pocket of activity. I have attached charts which will provide additional information for: Type of Call - Juvenile Type of Call - All Calls for Service Ages of Juveniles Repeat Juvenile Offenses by Age Repeat Juvenile Offenses - Frequency / No. of Offenses Hour of Incident Month of Incident If I may provide any additional information or answer any questions, please contact me at ext. 709. cc: Pat Geagan Jim Sewald Rick Swanson a? WESCOTT SQUARE INCIDENTS - JIWENILE ONLY YR Change YR Change YR Change Yr TYPE OF CALL 92 % to 95 93 % to 95 94 % to 95 95 Assault 11 -36.4% 8 -50.00/0 17 -76.5% 4 Burglary 0 0 2 -100% 8 -100% 0 CSC 0 0 1 0 3 -66.6% 1 Disturbing the Peace 2 -50% 7 -85.7 4 -75.0% 1 Incorzigible Juvenile 4 -50% 2 0 3 -33.3% 2 Juvenile Runaway 7 -14.3% 11 -45.5% 7 -14.3% 6 Property Damage 7 -28.6% 13 -61.5% 5 0 5 Theft 1 +500% 2 +15001c 3 +66% 5 Domestics 14 -92.90/a 8 -87.5% 3 -66.6% 1 • Other 3 -66.6% 9 -88.9010 8 -87.5% 1 TOTAL 59 -55.1% 63 -58.7% 61 -57.4% 26 S ep- WESCOTT SQUARE INCIDENTS - ALL YR Change YR Change YR Change Yr TYPE OF CALL 92 % to 95 93 % to 95 94 % to 95 95 Assault (A) 25 +48% 23 +61% 46 -19.6 37 Burglary (B) 5 +300% 5 +300% 12 +66% 20 CSC (L) 1 +300% 4 0 6 -33.3% 4 Disturbing Peace (N) 28 +71% 39 +24% 51 -05.9% 48 Property Damage (P) 13 +13% 7 +114% 10 +50% 15 Theft (T & U) 11 +1090/0 14 +14% i8 +28% 23 Vehicle (V) 2 +250% 4 +75% 2 +250% 7 Domestics 36 +53% 55 -12.8% 54 +1% 55 Other 11 -27.3% 16 -50.0010 7 +14% 8 TOTAL 132 +64% 167 +30% 206 +5% 217 C06 WESCOTT SQUARE fl4CDENTS - AGES of XTVENILES AGE 92 93 94 95 17 0 11 6 0 16 2 4 3 1 45 2 7 16 12 44 4 11 15 5 A3 6 11 6 5 12 7 4 2 0 11 4 4 9 0 10 4 6 1 1 9 6 1 1 1 8 4 1 2 0 7 2 1 0 0 6 1 0 3 1 5 1 0 1 0 4 1 0 2 0 TOTAL 44 61 67 26 CHANGE to 95 -41% -57.4% -61.2% WESCOTT SQUARE INCIDENTS - REPEAT JUVENILE OFFENSES Over the 92 - 95 time period, a number of juveniles have had multiple offenses. Below is a representation of those individuals who have had two (2) or more offenses during that time. AGE 92 93 94 95 People / Offenses People I Offenses People / Offenses People / Offenses 17 3 7 2 2 16 2 4 15 1 3 5' 15 2 7 14 323 10 4 7 2 4 13 2` 4 33 8 36 8 2 3 12 27 4 1 2 11 2= 7 10 1 2 2 4 9 1 2 8 1 2 7 1 1 ' One 15 yr old individual had 4 offenses. 2 One 14 yr old individual had 4 offenses. 3 One individual in 92, 94 & 95 had 4 offenses (age 10 -13). ` One individual from 92-94 had 5 offenses (age 12 - 14). 'One individual from 93 - 95 had 12 offenses (age 13 -1 S), mostly runaways. ' One 13 yr old individual had 5 offenses. ' One individual in 92 & 93 had 5 offenses (age 13 - 14). One 11 yr old individual had 6 offenses. Wa"VLAV ANENILE REPEAT OFFENSES NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS REPEAT OFFENSES 92 93 94 95 6 1 5 1 1 4 2 1 3 4 3 2 6 9 5 4 TOTAL 6 15 11 3 The balance of the juveniles had only single offenses in any given year. w-gptoff a? WESCOTT SQUARE INCIDENTS - HOUR OF THE DAY Tunes reflect Police Department call times. HOUR 92 93 94 95 TOTAL 0000- 0059 1 1 1 3 0100 - 0159 1 1 2 0200 - 0259 1 1 0300 - 0359 0 0400 - 0459 1 1 2 0500 - 0559 0 0600- 0659 0 0700 - 0759 1 1 0800 - 0859 1 1 1 3 0900 -0958 1 2 1 4 1000 - 1059 1 1 2 1100-1159 1 1 1 1 4 1200 - 1259 5 1 2 8 1300 - 1359 3 2 5 1400 - 1459 2 2 4 1500 - 1559 2 3 3 8 1600- 1659 4 4 9 3 20 1700- 1759 3 5 2 10 1800 - 1859 2 4 1 1 8 1900 - 1959 3 5 4 2 14 2000 - 2059 4 3 6 2 15 2100-2159 1 4 4 6 15 2200 - 2259 1 2 2 1 6 2300 - 2359 2 1 1 4 20 WESCOTT SQUARE INCIDENTS - MONTH OF OCCURANCE MONTH 92 93 94 95 January 1. 4 1 1 February 1 6 4 0 March 3 3 1 2 April 4 1 7 3 May 4 3 4 5 June 1 7 9 0 July 3 2 4 4 August 3 2 4 6 September 5 3 4 1 October 2 6 4 0 November 1 6 3 1 December 1 1 1 1 3/ JOINT COUNCIL/APRNRC MEETING March 17, 1997 5:00 PM CITY OF EAGAN/DAKOTA HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL FIELD MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT The Advisory Commission recently reviewed a draft of an agreement in which City staff would perform specific maintenance tasks on Dakota Hills Middle School fields. Work performed would be charged out at normal City biling rates (see attachment). Staff has a meeting with school staff scheduled for March 19 to identify which tasks are to be included in the agreement. Unless the Council/Commission has thoughts to the contrary, it is staff's understanding that we should continue to explore this issue and to develop a final agreement. 3c;?, MEMO - city of eagan TO: ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: KEN VRAA, DIRECTOR OF PARKS AND RECREATION DATE: FEBRUARY 20, 1997 RE: FIELD MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT DAKOTA HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL ISSUE: To review and make a recommendation on a proposed field maintenance agreement between the Parks and Recreation Department and Dakota Hills Middle School for the balifields at Dakota Hills. BACKGROUND: Principal Pat Sullivan and Assistant Principal Jim De Long of Dakota Hills Middle School have previously requested that the City consider doing the complete care and maintenance of the schools balifields consistent with the standards of Eagan's parks. As Jim DeLong has said In discussing the proposal, " We want you to treat our fields as If they were a city park facility". HISTORY: The City and school district have had a long relationship of working together to benefit the community and tax payer. For example, the property where Woodlands Elementary School and Mueller Farm Park are located was acquired through a joint purchase. A development, maintenance and use agreement exist between the city and the district for this property which provides playfieids and play equipment for children during school hours and use by the community during non school hours. With the construction of Eagan High and Dakota Hills, an agreement was struck allowing the schools to use Northview Athletic Fields and in return, the community uses the schools facilities for community programs. The school district paid for a very significant portion of the eleven tennis courts located at Northview. For many years the department has dragged ballfields at all the school locations In the city. There are numerous other examples of joint utilization and sharing of facilities, equipment and expertise. The EAA has also participated In some situations In which field Improvements have been made, contributing funds for bench Installation, pitching rubbers and home plates. 33 REQUEST: In making the request to the City to perform the field maintenance, Jim Delong noted that they do not have the proper equipment or knowledge base to do many of the tasks associated with the fields maintenance. As a result, some of the fields are slowly deteriorating. Tasks such as rebuilding the pitching mounds or re-blading the infield take both an experienced staff and the right equipment. The school Is concerned about the safety and condition of the fields without proper care. The City would maintain the turf and Infields for four bailfields, overlay soccer fields and the football fields. We would not take care of the Irrigation system at this time. Mr. DeLong has noted that Eagan's fields are in good playing condition and would like the City to apply the same level of care and attention to the school fields. He is also concerned that the fields be In good condition for the schools' use In the spring and during the summer when the community uses them, therefore the maintenance would occur during the summer as well as during the school year. DRAFT AGREEMENT: Staff recently met with the two principals to review the various types of routine maintenance, time lines for work and tasks that are not routine In nature to insure there is a good understanding as to what is required. We also believe that If the city were to proceed, it should be with the understanding that it be for a minimum of two years so the program can be properly evaluated. As you will note from the attached draft, the City would bill the school for the work performed at a rate that covers labor and equipment cost. Supplies, such as additional infield material, would be a cost to the school. If the agreement Is finalized, it would commence this spring. DISCUSSION: The request for continued maintenance on the school fields is somewhat unusual. However, given the school district/City's past collaborative efforts, perhaps not. Dakota Hills Is willing to pay the City to do this work. Given the City's equipment and knowledge base, we can probably do it cheaper then school staff who have to split time between grounds and building maintenance. Staff has some concern for becoming stretched too thin given the current staffing and parks responsibility. Some staff shifting would be required and the addition or expansion of seasonal staff hours would be necessary to make this program work. There is the simple question to be answered: How does the City benefit from this? The answer to this is hard to quantify, but can be responded to by saying that better maintained fields in the summer benefit the youth baseball/softball programs. There have been times when the community has complained vigorously about the length of grass and other field conditions. if the school took the attitude that the fields need only be playable when school Is in session, and the summer use does not matter, It's very likely the community would not use them. Fewer school fields means the community would look to the City to build additional fields elsewhere. That was the case with some of the fields at Metcalf Jr. High. Staff believes that a case can be made for this being an economic benefit to the City In this unique situation. The position can also be made that perhaps this agreement goes one step too far in the relationship between the school and city. There are other schools In Eagan and would we do the same for them If requested? FOR COMMISSION ACTION: It would be appropriate for the Advisory Commission to review this Issue and It's Implications for the City and community. A recommendation to the City Council would be appropriate. 3 MEMO TO: Mr. Jim DeLong Assistant Principal Dakotah Hills Middle School FROM: Eagan Park and Recreation Department DATE: February 19, 1997 SUBJECT: Letter of Understanding, Cooperative Maintenance Program The City of Eagan and Independent School District #196 have determined that the athletic fields located at the Dakotah Hills Middle School are an important component of both school and athletic association-sponsored athletic activities. Whereas the City and School District have also agreed that athletic programs, and subsequently the community, would benefit from an increased level of field maintenance and that the School District does not currently have the necessary manpower or equipment to accomplish this. Therefore, the City has agreed to provide the resources necessary to maintain the fields under the following terms and conditions: A. The City shall provide the manpower and equipment necessary to carry out the selected activities of a field and turf maintenance program as described in Addendum #1. The specific activities of the maintenance program shall be identified through consultation with the School District. B. The City shall be solely responsible for the scheduling of City manpower and equipment after consultation with the School District. Every effort will be made to accommodate school activity schedules, though conflicts may result. C. All work approved by the School District and completed by the City will be billed to the School District monthly on a "time and materials" basis utilizing the unit fees and charges as established by the City of Eagan in the approved 1997 fee schedule. The 1997 fee schedule is detailed in Addendum #2. In future years of the agreement, the most current fee schedule shall be made part of this agreement as Addendum #2 and become the basis for the calculation of any charges. D. The actual cost of any materials used to maintain the turf or fields will be borne by the School District. E. Should the needs of the City or community require a re-allocation of manpower or equipment, the City reserves the right to temporarily modify or discontinue the maintenance program. The City will make every effort to notify the school district in a timely manner. 35 F. The City or School District may render this letter of understanding null and void by providing the other party with a two-week written notice. Said notice will pertain only to this agreement. G. Each party shall hold the other harmless for any claims or causes of action that may arise from the use or maintenance of the school site, except for any claim or cause of action arising out of any intentional act or gross negligent conduct. Each party shall be responsible for maintaining appropriate liability insurance. H. This letter of understanding shall be effective from to .9 For the City of Eagan: Title For School District # 196: Title L•tSpretDeLons.044 Date: Date: 36 1997 MAINTENANCE RATES PER APPROVED CITY FEE SCHEDULE • Pick-Up Truck S 22 @ Hr. • 1-Ton Dump Truck S 23 @ Hr. • Single-Axle Dump Truck S 32 @ W. • Tractor (W/ or W/O Grader or Drag) S 15 @ Hr. • Skid Steer S35@Hr. • Tank Truck S 40 @ Hr. • Groundsmaster 72 Mower S 22 @ Hr. • 455 Mower S 26 @ Hr. • 580 Mower S 36 @ Hr. • Lining Cart/Utility Truckster S 10 @ Hr. • Power Top-Dresser S 10 @ Hr. Maintenance Staff (Supplied by City) • Maintenance Staff Person • Seasonal Staff Person • Acquired by School District - Field Ag-lime - Mound Clay • Available Through the City - Lining Paint S23@Hr. S 10@Hr. S 12 @Ton $14@Yard S 5.00 @ Field @ Application 4 3? DAKOTA HILLS MIDDLE SCHOOL COOPERATIVE FIELD/TURF MAINTENANCE PROGRAM CITY ACTIVITY SUMMARY Mode I Recommendation Total Acreage = 20 acres Activity Area = 4 baseball fields = I soccer/football field A) TURF MAINTENANCE 1) Mowing and rimming • Mow large turf areas with high capacity rotary 2 times a week • Mow edges and borders with small rotary mower I time a week • Trim around obstacles with hand mower and trimmer I times a week 2) Fertilization • Apply granular, slow release fertilizer with 3 times a season rotary spreader (May, July, Oct.) 3) Aeration • Core aeration of athletic areas 2 times a season (May, Sept.) 4) Topdressing (Optional, to be determined) • Application of granular mix with rotary spreader I application (Sept.) 5) Overseeding (Optional, to be determined) 1 application • Athletic quality mix seeded with slicer seeder (Sept.) B) Field Maintenance 1) Spring renovation I time a year • Grade, fill and level infields (April) • Redefine baseline and infield edges _ • Reshape pitching mound • Miscellaneous 2) Field enhancement (Optional, to be determined) • Grade and level infields I time a year • Reshape pitching mounds (June/July) • Miscellaneous 3) Field dragging/daily preparation • Mechanical dragging of infield surfaces Each day 'NOTE: School District to line for school games. City to line for EAA games 4) Striping of fields Paint lining of foul lines and game lines on ball fields 1 time a week and game fields C) Miscellaneous 1) Trash removal • Pick up and dispose of refuse from scheduled EAA events 2) Irrigation system management • Provides consultation on installations, repairs and operation 3) Other maintenance (Optional) • Additional maintenance provided per request • Dependent upon the availability of city staff 'NOTE: The cost of providing the described maintenance functions shall be determined by the approved City Fee Schedule I:124b\dakhills.045 3? TO: CITY COUNCIL C/O THOMAS HEDGES FROM: RICH BRASCH, WATER RESOURCES COORDINATOR DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION RE: APPROVAL TO PARTICIPATE IN TORO ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS PROGRAM DATE: MARCH 12, 1997 Introduction/Background Attached is a memo prepared for the APRNRC meeting on February 24, 1997 which outlines a proposal for City participation in TORO's Environmental Solution Program. The APRNRC voted to recommend participation in the program, pending a check with the City Attorney regarding any potential ethical problems. The City Attorney was consulted and identified no potential ethical problems the way the program is proposed. Council Direction Requested Staff and the APRNRC are requesting approval from the City Council to participate in the TORO Environmental Solutions Program as outlined. / ? a /.-7. ? Rich Brasch Water Resources Coordinator TO: ADVISORY PARKS, RECREATION, AND NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION FROM: RICH BRASCH, WATER RESOURCES COORDINATOR DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION RE: PARTICIPATION IN TORO ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS PROGRAM DATE: FEBRUARY 19, 1997 Introduction/Background The Dakota Environmental Education Coordinator has approached the City of Eagan to determine if we would be interested in participating in the TORO Company's Environmental Solutions Program to promote the use of mulching mowers. The primary intent of the program is to reduce the amount of grass clippings disposed of through the solid waste system. However, there are other environmental benefits as well. Mulching of grass clippings usually reduces the need to apply fertilizer and consequently reduces the potential for fertilizer mis-application. In addition, keeping grass clippings on the lawn means they are kept off pavement. Both help protect water quality. Participation in the program involves promoting use by residents of TORO's mulching mowers for several months. The City would be involved in holding a kick-off seminar and advertising/promoting the program. Interested residents then arrange with a local TORO dealer to use the mowers for 1-2 months on a trial basis. In return for using the mowers free of charge, the participating residents agree to put up signage that indicates they are a "Mulching Mower Demonstration Yard" and answer questions from interested neighbors regarding the use.of the mowers. Residents then have the option of purchasing the mower from the dealer at a discount at the conclusion of the demonstration program. City staff time to coordinate the program is estimated at 25-35 hours, and it is not anticipated that any significant cash outlay would be necessary on the part of the City. The City's effort would be part of a larger county-wide effort through which common environmental messages would be promoted. Issue The issue before the Commission is whether the City should participate in this program. Commission members may wish to consider the potential environmental benefits of the program, whether those benefits are consistent with the City's environmental management objectives, and whether participation in the program could be construed as an inappropriate endorsement of one company's product. For Commission Action It would be appropriate for the Commission to decide on a recommendation to the City Council regarding whether the City should participate in this program or not. Rich Brasch Water Resources Coordinator 1_//