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05/22/2001 - City Council SpecialMinutes of a Special Meeting of the Eagan City Council Tuesday, May 22, 2001 Page 1 of 4 MINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE EAGAN CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2001 5:00 P.M. EAGAN MUNICIPAL CENTER COMMUNITY ROOM Present: Acting Mayor Bakken, Councilmembers Carlson, Fields and Tilley, Assistant City Administrator Duffy, Director of Parks and Recreation Vraa, Acting Building Official Schoeppner, Superintendent of Recreation Asfahl, Superintendent of Parks Olson, Parks Planner Lilly, Research and Special Projects Wielde, Administrative Specialist Hertel. Commission members: Peterson, Rudolph, Davis, Danner, Wright, Pletcher, Williams, Bari. ROLL CALL AND AGENDA ADOPTION Acting Mayor Bakken called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. VISITORS TO BE HEARD No members of the audience asked to speak about any issues not on the agenda. STATUS OF DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT FOR COMMUNITY CENTER FACILITY PROJECT Director of Parks and Recreation Vraa gave an overview, noting the June 5 regular City Council meeting as the target date for approval. Mr. Bill Armstrong of TKDA presented the design development package, including electrical, mechanical and plumbing specifications for the building. Councilmember Fields inquired about the bathrooms and the stairwell. Mr. Mark Bodien of Moody - Nolan stated that the stairwell had been widened and that the bathrooms were handicapped - accessible, according to ADA standards. Director of Parks and Recreation Vraa commented that the teens had requested ceiling accommodations to hang plants in their space. Councilmember Carlson inquired about access points considering the regulated areas of the building. She further inquired about the kitchen space, commenting that the Council had envisioned a more multi - dimensional space. Director of Parks and Recreation Vraa stated that the kitchen had always been identified as a catering kitchen and would fall under different guidelines than a cooking kitchen, primarily due to issues of handling grease. After a brief discussion, the Council concurred that the facility manager should work with groups to determine how they can use the space for their intended purpose without violating code regulations. Mr. Scott Everson of Stahl Construction stated that a full cooking kitchen would cost up to three times as much to install as a catering kitchen. Minutes of a Special Meeting of the Eagan City Council Tuesday, May 22, 2001 Page 2 of 4 Mr. Mark Bodien of Moody -Nolan showed the Council a selection of materials for the building's exterior. Councilmember Carlson stated that brick should not be used extensively on the exterior. Acting Mayor Bakken stated that a combination of stucco and stone would be appropriate. He further asked that the stucco /stone and one alternative combination of materials be brought back to the Council for consideration. Director of Parks and Recreation Vraa reviewed the site grading plan and options for soccer fields. Acting Mayor Bakken suggested that the Site Design Team review the options and make it work with the budget before seeking full Council approval. JOINT ADVISORY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING TO DISCUSS THE 2002 -2006 PARKS C.I.P. Director of Parks and Recreation Vraa gave an overview, noting that the CIP is driven by the Park Site Fund Balance. Superintendent of Parks Olson presented the current and future CIP projects. Acting Mayor Bakken suggested the Council discuss Moonshine Park first to accommodate the guests in the audience who wished to speak. Director of Parks and Recreation Vraa stated that the Parks Commission envisioned a retreat facility using the home on the former Don Grant property. He commented that the only current access is through a private road, but that access would be closed off, to be used only for emergency purposes and an entry to the south would be created. Councilmember Fields inquired if the parking ratio was smaller than average. Director of Parks and Recreation Vraa responded that the ratio was 5 spaces above the required amount. Mr. Dave Bartosh, the neighbor to the north of the property in question, urged the city to explore whether or not to connect to city utilities. He also inquired about how the City would block access to the private road. Director of Parks and Recreation Vraa described options for using hedges and landscaping as a barrier in addition to closing the road to non - emergency vehicles. Councilmember Tilley inquired about who would be able to use the facility. Director of Parks and Recreation Vraa stated that it would be treated like other public facilities, but that they would likely market it to youth groups in the area. Mr. Bartosh inquired about a timeline for developing the project. Director of Parks and Recreation Vraa stated that the developments to the home would likely occur in 2002. In reviewing the proposed CIP, Councilmember Bakken inquired about the quarter million allocation for North Park, noting that the amount may change. Commission Member Terry Davis inquired about the value of the park and the Council's intentions to sell. Councilmember Bakken noted that portions of the property are not buildable. Minutes of a Special Meeting of the Eagan City Council Tuesday, May 22, 2001 Page 3 of 4 Councilmember Tilley noted the need for more soccer fields. Director of Parks and Recreation Vraa stated that a study on the value of the property would be done and estimated the value at $70,000 - $80,000 per acre, but that depended on intended use and the ratio of usable to unusable land. Commission Member Dorothy Peterson stated that the North Park matter should be discussed thoroughly and take into consideration the potential loss of recreation space at Blue Cross. She recommended not selling the property. Acting Mayor Bakken stated that the property is not ideal for recreation purposes because of location. Commission Member Davis asked if the Council had considered other parcels to use for additional fields. Acting Mayor Bakken responded that they are still in the process. Commission Member Peterson stated that the Parks Master Plan calls for an additional youth recreation space in north Eagan. Councilmember Fields stated that North Park should be retained as a recreation option. Councilmember Carlson stated that the park should not be sold to subsidize the flood projects, but that other funds should be sought. Commission Member John Rudolph noted that next year lacrosse would probably be recognized as a high school sport, thereby further increasing demand on public recreation spaces. Councilmember Carlson stated that rugby and cricket were also increasing in popularity. Commission Member Rudolph stated that developments have consumed the bulk of the remaining land in Eagan. He further noted that preservation for the sake of preservation is a worthwhile undertaking. Councilmember Fields inquired about the potential for a skate park in Eagan. Director of Parks and Recreation Vraa referred to an earlier presentation by Research and Special Projects Wielde, noting that many of the liability issues that had been assumed had been resolved by the idea of a Tier I facility instead of a Tier II facility. He stated that additional studies are underway to determine demand and interest for a skate park, while the commission simultaneously considers possible sites, including Goat Hill and Sky Hill. A brief discussion of the differences between Tier I and Tier II skate parks ensued. Director of Parks and Recreation Vraa stated that the Commission would have a recommendation to the City Council sometime in the summer. Commission Member Joe Bari commented that he would like to see the Advisory Parks and Recreation Commission recognized occasionally for their role in the approval of development projects. He noted that the commission reviews the projects and puts forth a great deal of work. Councilmember Carlson requested that the APrC minutes be included with the APC minutes when development proposals are submitted to the City Council. The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. OTHER BUSINESS ADJOURNMENT Minutes of a Special Meeting of the Eagan City Council Tuesday, May 22, 2001 Page 4 of 4 Date City Clerk If you need these minutes in an alternative form such as large print, Braille, audio tapes, etc., please contact the City of Eagan, 3830 Pilot Knob Road, Eagan, MN 55122, 651- 681 -4600, (TDD phone: 651- 454- 8535). 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, sexual orientation, marital status or status with regard to public assistance.