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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2007-09-11 Park Board PacketFe 't� oy ch \�roRPORP'��� AGENDA Regular Meeting of the Edina Park Board Tuesday, September 11, 2007, 7:00 P.M. Edina City Hall Council Chambers 4801 West 50`'' Street PARK BOARD MEETING PROCEDURES During "Public Hearings," the Chair will ask for public comment after City staff members make their presentations. If you wish to speak on the topic, you are welcome to do so as long as your comments are relevant to the discussion. To ensure fairness to all speakers and to allow the efficient conduct of a public hearing, speakers must observe the following guidelines: • Individuals must limit their presentations to three minutes or less. The Chair will modify presentation times, as deemed necessary. • Try not to repeat remarks or points of view made by prior speakers and limit comments to the matter under consideration. • In order to maintain a comfortable environment for all those in attendance, the use of signs, clapping, cheering or booing or any other form of verbal or nonverbal communication is not allowed. During "Public Comments," the Chair will ask to hear from those in attendance who would like to speak about something not on the agenda. Individuals must limit their presentations to three minutes or less and cannot speak to an issue for which a public hearing was previously held and closed or a matter scheduled for a future hearing. Individuals should not expect the Park Board to respond to their comments. Instead, the Park Board might direct the matter to staff or consideration at a future meeting. PARK BOARD AGENDA I. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: *Tuesday, August 14, 2007, Park Board Minutes. II. NEW BUSINESS: *A. Morningside Neighborhood Association Fee Waiver Request. III. OLD BUSINESS A. Athletic Facilities Fund Raiser Committee/Foundation — George Klus. B. Bike Edina Task Force Update — Todd Fronek. IV. PUBLIC COMMENT V. UPDATES FROM STAFF VI. PARK BOARD COMMENT *These are agenda items that require or request Park Board action. The City of Edina wants all residents to be comfortable being part of the public process. If you need assistance in the way of hearing amplification, an interpreter, large -print documents or something else, please call 952-927-8861 72 hours in advance of the meeting. 2 Memo • To: Edina Park Board From: John Keprios, Director Edina Park and Recreation Department Date: September 5, 2007 Re: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2007, PARK BOARD MEETING STAFF REPORT. Enclosed you should find the following items: 1. Tuesday, August 14, 2007, Park Board Minutes. 2. Tuesday, September 11, 2007, Park Board Agenda. 3. August 30, 2007 Memo from Jennifer Janovy and attached email from Lt. Dreier, St. Louis Park Police Department. 4. September 4, 2007 E-mail from Jennifer Janovy. The following is the monthly Staff Report concerning each item on the agenda with the exception of Approval of the Minutes, Public Comment and Park Board Comment. PARK BOARD MEETING IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS EDINA CITY HALL 4801 WEST 50TH STREET The Tuesday, September 11, 2007, Park Board meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at Edina City Hall. If you are unable to attend, please call either Office Coordinator, Janet Canton, at 952-826-0435 or me at 952-826-0430. II. NEW BUSINESS: A. Morninsside Neishborhood Association Waiver Request. As stated in the enclosed memo from Jennifer Janovy, the Edina Morningside Neighborhood Association Steering Committee is requesting that the Park Board waive the fee for use of the Weber Park warming house for their October neighborhood association annual meeting and up to two events each year. Their annual meeting is scheduled for October 11 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and they are expecting between 30 and 60 people to attend. As you will noticed in the enclosed email, I asked Jennifer Janovy, "Is it possible to be more specific as to what exactly the "two events" will be, such as, approximately how many people would be attending those events and what activities would be in the park and what facilities and City services would be needed." Her email response was: "The two other events each year would be neighborhood social events, such as national night and/or a social time during our annual food drive, or a special membership meeting if needed. As for facilities needed, the request is specifically for the warming house." To provide Park Board members with some background information on this agenda item, this same issue was brought before the Park Board last year. Below is a copy of the September 11, 2006 Park Board minutes that addressed that agenda item: • MORNINGSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION REQUEST TO WAIVE FEE (Sept. 11, 2006 Minutes) Jennifer Janovy, Edina resident, informed the Park Board that she is on the steering committee of the Morningside Neighborhood Association to which they are a 501C4 non-profit organization that was founded in 2003. She noted that they seek to represent every property owner and resident in Morningside which consists of approximately 720 homes. Ms. Janovy explained that they don't have dues and all of their meetings are open to everyone in the neighborhood. She also added that they do have their own by-laws. Ms. Janovy indicated that they have held several events at Weber Park to which some of them they have needed to use the warming house and have paid the rental fee. Therefore, because they are completely reliant on donations and in-kind contributions they have decided to approach the Park Board and ask if the rental fee could be waived for their annual meeting and up to two events per year in the warming house. Mr. Finsness asked what the two events per year would be to which Ms. Janovy replied that they did not specify the two events, however, in the past they have had the "National Night Out" party held there because of rain. They have also had a City Council candidates forum, a public safety forum, a skating party during the winter, although that was held during regular open hours so that did not require a rental. Ms. Janovy pointed out that last November they wanted to use the warming • house for a food drive for the food shelf but because they didn't have the funds to pay for the rental they were unable to. Mr. Keprios gave the Park Board some background information on how he typically handles these requests to which he usually gets this request once a week. He explained that in cases where groups or individuals get free rentals or discounted rentals is because they have either donated money or given in-kind services to the city in some other form. For example, the Garden Club is not charged for the use of the greenhouse or Arneson Acres Park because of their donation towards planting and raising flowers to plant the city's 75 flower gardens. In addition, the Garden Club has contributed thousands of dollars to the city to build the gazebo, fountain and formal garden. Mr. Keprios commented that other groups whose rental fees have been waived are for those groups whose function it is to use the facility for the purpose of raising money for the City of Edina, not for their non-profit cause. He noted an example of that is they don't charge the Baseball Association to use the concession stand because all of the money that is raised through concessions goes back into the Courtney ball fields whether it's for scoreboards, batting cages, sound equipment, etc. Mr. Keprios pointed out that groups such as the Edina Historical Society are also waived any rental fees because they provide an archival service to the city as well as historical education and preservation services and the operation of the historical museum for Edina residents. In turn, they don't pay any rent for the Terrace Room or for the use of the two historical buildings. Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that he also gives groups and individuals who rent Edina's public facilities on a real long-term contractual basis get a 10% discount for multiple rentals that are done in a type of contract form. -2- Mr. Keprios explained that he gets a lot of requests from non-profit organizations such as the American Cancer Society to rent facilities and they all pay the full fee. He commented that in the past the Park Board has waived fees for things like Edina's contribution toward giving money to the hurricane fund. A group of Edina kids in a band were given the use of the amphitheatre at Centennial Lakes, representative of the City of Edina, to raise money to help do hurricane relief. Mr. Keprios stated that this is the process they have followed and noted that the Park Board does have the authority to grant or not grant a waiver. Mr. O'Connell commented that the Morningside area is a special circumstance and at one time they were a separate community from Edina but now they are part of Edina and they pay taxes in Edina and they are a non-profit group which does need to be taken into consideration. Ms. Janovy informed the Park Board that Morningside does have a strong identity and strong desire to come together as a community and keep neighbors informed about things that are going on and getting to know their neighbors. She stated that so far it's been very positive, not only for the neighborhood, but for the city in some ways too. She explained that every year most of the money that they've raised is used to deliver flyers to every household approximately four times a year, not only inviting people to events which are free, but to also give information to residents so they can stay informed of what's happening in the community. Not everyone has internet and not everyone is involved in events that are going on in the city. Therefore, this is a way they contribute to the City of Edina. Mr. Weiss stated that because this is a community organization and they are actively involved in trying to better the community he would be in support of it. Ms. Presthus pointed out that she understands what is being said but if you look at the other side of this if they do approve this it will set a precedent and if Mr. Keprios is receiving these requests weekly she wouldn't want to give special consideration here. Mr. Keprios stated that he definitely is concerned to start a precedent as well as would this be a one time thing or would they forever have free use of the Weber Park building, that's the other consideration. Ms. Presthus asked Mr. Keprios are there a lot of other neighborhood groups like this who ask for the use of facilities with the fee being waived. Mr. Keprios replied that he has received requests from neighborhood groups in the past who asked for a break in the fee to which he said no and they accepted that. Mr. Keprios pointed out that if you set precedent for one neighborhood group there are going to be a lot more groups asking for the same thing. Ms. Janovy indicated that she realizes that Edina has their own way of doing things but pointed out that the City of St. Louis Park has a city funded and city supported neighborhood association program whereby most of their 35 neighborhoods are formally organized. She noted that one way they get support from the city is they are given free use of park facilities. Ms. Janovy explained that they call the city, fill out a form and they are able to use it. However, there are guidelines that these groups have to follow to which they need to be formally organized with by-laws and also have a method of transferring leadership from year to year. Ms. Janovy pointed out that with those two guidelines in themselves there are a lot of groups out there that will not be able to meet the criteria. Ms. Janovy suggested two more -3- criteria be added to that which would be that all events offered are to be free of charge and secondly everyone in the neighborhood must be invited so that there is no sense of anyone being excluded. Mr. Damman indicated that he agrees with the staff and that there should be a charge for these facilities. Ms. Sitek stated that she thinks a neighborhood group should be able to use their neighborhood park at no charge and possibly stipulate that they have to have the criteria listed such as by-laws, transfer of leadership from year to year, no charge for events and that everyone in the neighborhood be included. Mr. O'Connell commented that the Morningside neighborhood is a unique situation and they have cohesiveness. He noted that he doesn't want to set up a situation that makes if more difficult for the Director but feels that some consideration should be given to the Morningside neighborhood to provide a waiver for the facility. Mr. Weiss stated that he would have an issue doing it solely for the Morningside neighborhood. He commented that if they are going to do something like this they need to make it a policy with certain criteria. He indicated that he doesn't want to say that this is something that the Morningside neighborhood can do but that the Todd Park neighborhood can't. If they are going to do it, it needs to be broader. Ms. Keprios pointed out that one thing that concerns him is at what level of service becomes free. He explained that there have been very large picnics, etc., where people have trashed the facilities. Ms. Presthus stressed that is one of the reasons why they have a fee, because it involves cleaning up, etc. They do not charge a fee just to make money, there are definite costs involved. Mr. Keprios explained that the League of Women voters rent facilities to host their events and inform the public of elections and candidates and they are charged for the rentals. Therefore, they need to be very cautious. He commented that he doesn't want to sound like the total bad guy because he loves the idea of providing neighborhood based programs and services at no charge similar to the block party concept. Mr. Keprios stated that he would be happy to study the issue and come back to the Park Board with some policy alternatives. Mr. Keprios suggested to the Park Board that maybe they approve it this one time and ask staff to study this further and come up with a policy. Mr. Finsness commented that maybe it is worthwhile to make a motion to approve the function on October 29th and then staff could look at the different parameters of how this could work. Mr. Keprios stated that it encourages groups to use the warming houses and he's all in favor of that, however, they do need to be careful with the expense part. He explained that they can't set themselves up to all of sudden it's free to these groups and every weekend there's another function and they have to schedule for clean-up, etc. Mr. O'Connell asked Ms. Janovy if they leave facility in the same condition as they found it to which Ms. Janovy replied that they do pick stuff up off the floor and leave it very clean with the exception of they don't take the trash with them. They just bag it up. Ms. Janovy stressed that they are very respectful of it because in essence it's their property too because it's part of the city. -4- Linda Presthus MOVED THAT THEY GIVE A WAIVER TO THE MORNINGSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION FOR THE USE OF THE WEBER PARK SHELTER BUILDING FOR THEIR ANNUAL MEETING IN OCTOBER AND IN PARTICULAR DIRECT STAFF TO THINK ABOUT FORMULATING A POLICY THAT MIGHT BE WORKABLE FOR ANY FUTURE KINDS OF ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THIS. Ray O'Connell SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY As requested by Park Board, this issue was placed on the November 14, 2006 Park Board agenda. The following is a copy of the minutes from that section of the November 14, 2006 meeting: FEE WAIVER POLICY FOR NEIGHBOHROOD ASSOCIATIONS (Nov. 14, 2006 Minutes Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that he did some research and talked to the Park and Recreation Director from St. Louis Park and other local park directors regarding a fee waiver policy. He noted that in his findings, St. Louis Park is the only one he talked to that waives the rental fee for this purpose. Mr. Keprios explained that he does support what St. Louis Park is doing which is they give the formal neighborhood associations; ones that have by-laws and are incorporated, free use of the city's park shelter buildings to conduct their formal neighborhood association board meetings. He noted that this is still in the pilot project basis for St. Louis Park and so far it has been working. Mr. Keprios noted that St. Louis Park does not give their facilities to neighborhood associations to run special events, such as fund-raisers and neighborhood socials at no charge. For those types of events they pay the normal fee. Mr. Klus asked if this would only be for neighborhood associations that have park buildings or is it for any formalized neighborhood association that wants to use a park. Mr. Keprios replied that he would not object to letting informal neighborhood associations have their official board meetings as long as they are not parties. Mr. Keprios commented that he thinks it's really designed to accommodate their board meetings, much like we host athletic association meetings at no charge. He noted that by doing this there is very little cost to the city because it's not a maintenance item. However, if they were to start to have events and parties then there would be more of a maintenance refuse cost, etc. He added that it will also set a precedent for other groups and at what point do you say no. Ms. Presthus asked whether or not there would be any problem with overusing these buildings or is there a lot of open time. Mr. Keprios replied that they are not overused. However, they are rented enough where people need to schedule them ahead of time so there are no issues with double bookings. He commented that some buildings are used more than others. Jennifer Janovy, Edina resident, stated that when they have their meetings there is usually a social component to it and asked how clear is the line going to be drawn. Mr. Keprios replied that in his view if it's just the board that meets and you have coffee or cake it's not a big deal. However, if you are talking about a big food drive event or a political rally that would be a neighborhood wide event which would run -5- up costs; that would not be considered a board meeting. Ms. Janovy clarified that their annual meeting, which is a neighborhood wide, meeting, would be charged the fee to which Mr. Keprios replied that in his view under this type of a policy that would be correct. is George Klus MOVED THAT THEY OFFER THE PARK SHELTER BUILDINGS FREE OF CHARGE FOR FORMALLY ORGANIZED EDINA NEIGHBHORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS TO HOST THEIR FORMAL BOARD MEETINGS. Jeff Sorem SECONDED THE MOTION. Mr. Fronek commented that Hurricane Katrina was a perfect example of the Park Board waiving a fee on that particular event/fundraiser. He noted that he doesn't see an overload of various groups wasting their time if it's not a reasonable cause to have a fee waived. Mr. Keprios pointed out that this doesn't preclude groups from coming to the Park Board in the future to ask for a special one time circumstance waiver of fees. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY Over the past two days (September 5 and 6, 2007), I contacted the Park and Recreation Departments at St. Louis Park, Bloomington, Eden Prairie and Richfield to ask about their policies. St. Louis Park now has an unwritten informal policy that does allow free use of their shelter buildings for neighborhood association board meetings and social events. The Richfield Recreation Services Department has a very similar policy, which allows all civic groups and neighborhood associations free use of their park shelter buildings once a month; however, their Recreation Services Manager admitted that he addresses each request on a case by case basis. St. Louis Park and Richfield both charge for private rentals. Eden Prairie and Bloomington both charge neighborhood associations for social events; however, Bloomington also charges for neighborhood association board meetings (Eden Prairie does not). Over the past three years, we have had the following number of rentals at our four newest park shelter buildings. Warming House Rentals The current rental fee for these four shelter buildings is $65 for half-day rental and $100 for a full-day rental. I am told that over 90% of our shelter building rentals are for half-day rentals. General park area rentals are $45 per hour or $130 for the entire day. I Me 2004 2005 2006 Total Cornelia 13 11 8 32 Todd 25 14 11 50 Walnut Ridge 7 7 4 18 Weber 26 21 18 65 GRAND TOTAL 165 The current rental fee for these four shelter buildings is $65 for half-day rental and $100 for a full-day rental. I am told that over 90% of our shelter building rentals are for half-day rentals. General park area rentals are $45 per hour or $130 for the entire day. I Me For past requests to use the park shelter building and park for neighborhood related social special events, I have never charged for privatizing the park itself ($45/hr. or $130/day); however, I have made it a practice to charge for use of the shelter building. For example, I have not charged a general park area use fee to Paul Thompson for his annual Mother Earth Festival and Family Flying Disc special event (both at Weber Park) mainly because both events are open to the general public at no charge. I have, however, charged the shelter building use fee if the building is used. In other words, I believe that the City of Edina does support and encourage neighborhood associations and neighborhood based social activities in the parks. As the Park Board discusses the appropriate course of action and considers a change in current policy, it is important to know that the $65 to rent one of the four newer park shelter buildings for a half-day is already set at a subsidized fee intentionally to inspire and support more public use of the park shelter buildings. Park shelter building rentals cost approximately $140 per rental just for maintenance labor if the rental occurs on a weekend. That does not include costs for utilities (heat, light, power and water), refuse removal, snow removal (if needed) and any other capital and general maintenance expenses to build and maintain such beautiful structures. We strongly encourage and support more public use of the park shelter buildings and encourage and support more neighborhood social activities. Neighborhood association special events and block parties are strongly encouraged to use the parks and facilities. These special social neighborhood events do help create a sense of community and provide value to the neighborhood in a number of ways. In my view, however, it is highly doubtful that a $65 half-day park shelter building rental fee deters neighborhood associations from planning social activities. If the Park Board feels strongly that formally incorporated neighborhood organizations should have free use of the park shelter buildings, it would not be a significantly greater subsidy than what is already provided. The Park Maintenance budget could easily absorb that additional subsidy. The issue in my view becomes; "where do you draw the line?" In other words, what other groups should also be given free use of these park facilities? We should ask ourselves; "Why should formally incorporated neighborhood associations have fees waived and not other neighborhood associations that are not formally organized and incorporated, or businesses, civic groups or individuals who wish to use the parks for the same or similar purpose?" If a local business or church requested to provide a similar community neighborhood special event as a gesture of good will and promotion, should they be charged a fee for the shelter building? That is not to suggest that formally incorporated neighborhood associations are not of value to the community. They are a wonderful asset to the community and neighborhoods. In my view, however, we set ourselves up for controversy and debate when singling out one specific special interest group. My fear is that if we single out and begin to fully subsidize only formally incorporated neighborhood groups, there will be more requests for the same subsidy from other groups or individuals who will challenge the practice and policy. Other groups and individuals will demand that if they provide the exact same service to the community, they should also be eligible to use the park shelter buildings for free. It is my intent to continue to provide free use of our park shelter buildings for special events that are sponsored by the City, such as National Night Out when Edina Police Officers are actively engaged in the event; or for City run special events like Family Jamboree, or City run recreation programs, such as, playground program, Become a Magician, Balloon Sculpting etc. That is practice and policy will not change. -7- If the Park Board decides to honor the Morningside Neighborhood Association's request and change the existing policy, then I would ask that the Park Board include as part of the motion that the general park user fee also be waived for their special events. It is my recommendation, however, that the Park Board maintains the existing policy in place that was approved unanimously in November of 2006, and denies the request from the Morningside Neighborhood Association. Formal Park Board action is requested on this agenda item. III. OLD BUSINESS A. Edina Athletic Facilities Foundation — George Klus. George Klus will give the Park Board a verbal update on the Edina Athletic Facilities Foundation. B. Bike Edina Task Force Update — Todd Fronek. Park Board member Todd Fronek will give the Park Board a verbal update on the Bike Edina Task Force's progress. IV. PUBLIC COMMENT This is the opportunity for the public to give no more than 3 minutes of comments (each speaker) to the Park Board. V. UPDATES FROM STAFF Staff will give the Park Board verbal updates on status of current construction projects. VI. PARK BOARD COMMENT This is the opportunity for Park Board members to provide comments on park and recreation related matters not on the regular agenda. -8- Minutes of the Edina Park Board Tuesday, August 14, 2007 Edina City Hall, Council Chambers MEMBERS PRESENT: Ray O'Connell, Randy Meyer, Todd Fronek, Linda Presthus, Jeff Sorem, Mike Damman, George Klus, Carolyn Nelson MEMBERS ABSENT: Howard Merriam, Andy Finsness, Karla Sitek STAFF PRESENT: John Keprios, Ed MacHolda, Janet Canton I. APPROVAL OF THE JUNE 12.2007 SPECIAL WORK SESSION PARK BOARD MINUTES George Klus MOVED TO APPROVE THE JUNE 12, 2007 SPECIAL WORK SESSION PARK BOARD MINUTES. Ray O'Connell SECONDED THE MOTION. MINUTES APPROVED. II. NEW BUSINESS A. Proposed Developers Fund Projects for 2007 — Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that there is a seventh project that he would like to add to the list. He noted that he would like to purchase a water tank and trailer because they are having more and more tree planting projects. He indicated that they are already overextended in their ability and capacity to keep everything watered. He stated that the tank would cost approximately $500.00 and the trailer would cost approximately $3,500 for a total of $4,000. Mr. Keprios stated that he would like to amend the staff's recommendation to the Park Board to use the Developers Fund in an amount not to exceed $54,000. Ms. Presthus asked when was the last time the Developers Fund was used to which Mr. Keprios replied it was used several years ago for the expansion of the Art Center for approximately $300,000. Ms. Presthus asked with the lack of development space is any money going back into the Developers Fund. Mr. Keprios responded that there are few remaining properties to be developed so it will probably be very minimal for years to come. It is definitely not a fund they are going to rely on as a significant source of funding for park improvements in the future. Linda Presthus MOVED TO RECOMMEND USE OF THE DEVELOPERS FUNDS IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $54,000 TO FUND THE SEVEN PROJECTS. George Klus SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. B. Insurance Requirements for Edina Youth Athletic Associations — Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that he sent out a follow-up memo to the Presidents of the athletic associations regarding the insurance requirements. He noted that he received two responses. One was from the Edina Hockey Association indicating that they already have liability insurance in place and other was from the Edina Girls Athletic Association stating that they do support the mandate. Ray O'Connell MOVED TO APPROVE THAT THE PARK BOARD RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY OF EDINA MANDATE A MINIMUM OF $1,000,000 WORTH OF GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE. IN ADDITION, PARK BOARD RECOMMENDS THAT IN THE EVENT THERE ARE EMPLOYEES OF AN ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION, I.E. REFEREES, UMPIRES, INSTRUCTORS, ETC.; THERE SHOULD ALSO BE A REQUIREMENT TO SHOW EVIDENCE OF WORKERS' COMPENSATION INSURANCE COVERAGE. Todd Fronek SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED. Linda Presthus abstained from voting for purposes of disclosure that she is aware of a possible insurance carrier who is involved in this. III. OLD BUSINESS A. Comprehensive Plan Final Draft — Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that he believes he has included everything that was requested by the Park Board at their June Work Session and by the City's consultant and Planning Commission's Comprehensive Plan Task Force. Mr. Keprios went through the Comprehensive Plan Final Draft with the Park Board. Mr. Keprios indicated that he did add some language at the end with capital improvement plans for the next five years. He pointed out that with the exception of the 5 -year capital improvement plan, the Park and Recreation chapter of the Comprehensive Plan does not state exactly what they are going to build or replace. He explained that it's all about process, policies, goals and vision. He noted that he thinks it's a little dangerous to get too specific. He commented that he thinks that this chapter of the Comprehensive Plan provides primarily direction and vision. Mr. O'Connell commented that there are so many things that will have an impact on or are important to the Comprehensive Plan, such as the 2020 Vision plan, Needs Assessment Survey, and the upcoming Gateway project development, that he wants to comment on. There is somewhere between 135 and 148 acres of land between Hwy. 100 and France Avenue. That is right in tentative stages right now of being developed. There have been hearings on it and there are going to continue to be hearings. Mr. O'Connell commented that our parks are so essential to the ambiance of the city as a whole and the Park Board should be an important part of that process. He stated that the Gateway project, which is moving forward, • is in a strategically located area because it abuts Fred Richards Golf Course. Fred Richards Golf Course is a jewel in that corridor and he's so glad they have this before them today because it accentuates who we are and what we are doing and where we are going to be in the near future. As part of that they have developers 2 that are going to be coming in that gateway project which is going to be an expansion of somewhere between 1.9 and up to 4.1. million square feet of floor space which will add more residential homes and provide improved commercial property. Mr. O'Connell remarked that he equates the Fred Richards Golf Course to the skating rink gem that is located in Rockefeller Center in New York City. He also stated that this will be an excellent opportunity to make the Fred Richards Golf Course gem much more visible and accessible to the public through good planning and redevelopment that will become the Gateway project. Mr. Meyer asked what the future plans are for Van Valkenburg Park for $600,000. Mr. Keprios explained that the $600,000 shown in the CIP would complete the neighborhood park which still remains undeveloped. Mr. Keprios pointed out there is a designed plan on paper for the park; however, we do not yet have adequate funding. George Klus MOVED TO APPROVE THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FINAL DRAFT. Linda Presthus SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. B. Athletic Facilities Fund Raiser Committee/Foundation — George Klus — Mr. Klus handed out a copy of the committee's mission statement. He informed the Park Board that there will be a meeting tomorrow night where they will be talking about their goals as well as get approval of their initial projects. He noted that the first project is to look at an additional multi-purpose field with synthetic turf at Pamela Park. He stated that the second project is to take the upper Community Center fields, previously known as the McCarthy Field, and look at providing turf for those two fields. He noted that their hope is that they will be used by both the school and the community. Mr. Klus commented that they continue to move along in a positive motion and he is cautiously continuing to be optimistic that during the first part of next year they will be able to come out with a project for the community. He explained that the projects will be ones in which the school and the city currently have no money for. Mr. Klus stated that he thinks it's time that they continue to put together private funding to do things in the future. He noted that at some point the projects will have to go in front of the School Board and Park Board and then from your recommendation on to the City Council. Ms. Presthus asked Mr. Klus if the Foundation falls under the Edina Foundation or is it a 501 C3. Mr. Klus explained that they are going to be a designated fund under the Edina Community Foundation. He noted that people will write a check to the Edina Community Foundation and will designate where they would like the money to go. Mr. Klus pointed out that Edina Athletics Facilities Foundation is not formally structured and at this time they have no intention of becoming incorporated. He noted that down the road there will need to be more structure. Ms. Presthus asked if the group has established by-laws, guidelines, etc. to which Mr. Klus replied no, those are things yet to come and they are going to start developing some of those once they have enough in the fund to start looking and 3 • working on the projects. Ms. Presthus asked if the financials of this foundation will be public record to which Mr. Klus replied absolutely because it's going through the Edina Community Foundation. C. Bike Edina Task Force Update — Todd Fronek — Mr. Fronek informed the Park Board that the Bike Edina Task Force has been busy developing their portion of the Comprehensive Plan. They met with Dan Cornejo who gave them some direction and they have now gone through their first phase of the project. Mr. Fronek indicated that if you go to the website www.bike.edina.or you can get an update of where they are headed. He noted that the first phase is to have an inter- loop that would go through all of the quadrants so people would be able to get from one quadrant to the next within the city. IV. UPDATES FROM STAFF A. Garden Park Pathway Plan - Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that they opened bids for the Garden Park pathway master plan project which was supposed to be for Phase One, which is the interior loop of the master plan. Unfortunately, they only had one bid which was rather high. Therefore, after discussing it with both the vendor who submitted the bid and one of the neighborhood leaders it was decided it would be wise to reject that bid. They decided that the best thing to do was to re -bid the entire project in January once their capital plan is approved for 2008 because at that time they should have the dollars available to bid the entire project. B. Countryside Park Master Plan — Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that he has hired a consulting firm to come up with a minimum of three concept drawings to address a new master plan for Countryside Park. Mr. Keprios noted that he would like to assign one Park Board member to volunteer to serve on their first meeting with the neighborhood. Mr. Damman replied that he would be willing to volunteer. C. Braemar Picnic Shelter - Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that the Braemar Picnic Shelter has been awarded and currently is under construction. He noted that next month they open bids for the Chowen Park Picnic Shelter. D. Courtney Fields Maintenance Building - Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that they are going to have to re -bid the maintenance building at Courtney Fields, which was in their capital plan this year, because they only had one bidder. He explained that they are going to re -bid it next month hoping to get some more competitive bids. In addition, they have scaled down the project and they will be doing a little more internally to bring it in under budget. • VI. PARK BOARD COMMENT A. Highlands Park - Mr. Klus informed Mr. Keprios that one of his neighbors approached him regarding all of the cars being parked around Highlands Park for the 11 soccer program. He noted that at one point his neighbor counted 350 cars and guesses there were approximately 1,000 kids to which his neighbor is very concerned. Mr. Klus commented that he did assure his neighbor that this was just a one year deal and that next year the Edina Soccer Association would be able to use their regular field again. Mr. Klus suggested to Mr. Keprios that the Park Board somehow communicate with the neighbors who live around Highlands Park how much you have appreciated them putting up with this one summer with a lot of cars and a lot of people and that you will be able to relocate a lot of those kids away from Highlands Park so that it will not be over utilized in the future. He noted that he also thinks that maybe there could be better communication with the neighbors so that they know what is happening at the Park. B. City Council/Park Board Joint Meeting - Mr. Klus informed the Park Board that he recently met with Mayor Hovland encouraging him to put on the schedule a joint meeting with the City Council and Park Board. He indicated that he would publicly like to say that he would like to see this happen before the Park Board's last meeting of the year. He noted that there are a few long-time Park Board members whose terms will be up and the City Council really needs to hear some of their feedback. He noted that he thinks the Park Board needs to get a better understanding of what the City Council's expectations are for the Park Board. Meeting adjourned at 8:00 pm • August 30, 2007 To: Edina Park Board; John Keprios CC: Edina City Council Re: Fee waiver request Dear Edina Park Board, Last year, the steering committee of the Morningside Neighborhood Association (MNA) approached the Park Board to request free use of the Weber Park warming house for our annual meeting and up to two events a year. The Park Board granted a one-time fee waiver for the annual meeting and, at a later meeting, approved free use of the warming house for regular board meetings, but not larger neighborhood events. Much has happened in a year. As part of the Comprehensive Plan process, the City held an Intergenerational Dialogue. In that discussion, ® residents described the "critical features that any neighborhood should include to meet the needs of members of all age groups." Participants stressed the importance of: o Open spaces that offer outdoor recreational opportunities for all ages, encourage intergenerational social interaction, and promote physical activity, i.e., parks, nature areas and trails o Neighborhood social activities that expand the informal support systems among neighbors. Examples included: ■ Block parties, skating parties, 4th of July potlucks, and informal social gatherings ■ "Neighborhood Directories" to encourage communication Through our social activities, meetings, website and e -list the MNA works toward these goals. Neighborhood organizations add value to our community, much as sports associations do. We bring people together, offer organized and informal activities, keep people informed of city happenings, foster communication, and provide a social network that enriches the quality of life for us all. This year, the Edina Parks and Recreation Department has developed a new vision statement: "We create community through people, parks, and programs." Neighborhood association activities are a fitting use of park facilities, consistent with the Park and Recreation Department's vision. For these reasons, we are requesting that you waive the fee for use of the Weber Park warming house for our October annual meeting and up to two events each year. We understand that other organizations may request the same, but believe guidelines can be instituted to limit fee waivers to only neighborhood organizations that are incorporated, have bylaws and a method of transferring leadership from year to year, and for events that are free and open to the neighborhood. The City of St. Louis Park offers its neighborhood associations (and they have 25 of them) free use of their warming houses, shelters and pavilions for neighborhood meetings and social events (see email included). If it can be done there, it can be done here—and it would be a great way to show that Edina values the work that neighborhood organizationsdo to create community. Please give thoughtful consider, - from our steering committee wo meeting to answer any question the MNA can be found at www.{: Thank you. Jennifer Janovy For the Morningside Neighbor in to this request. A representative I be happy to come to a Park Board Additionally, more information about namorninEside. ora. Association Steering Committee Attachment: email from Lt. Dreier, St. Louis Park Police Department See Building a Neighborhood for Ages: Edina Intergenerational Dialogue, April 18, 2007, for quotes on Intergenerational Dialogue Ftc gn. "Lori Dreier" <LDREIER@stlouispark.org> Subject, RE: neighborhood association question aaz August 13, 2007 8:12:32 AM CDT Too "Jennifer" <rjmeyovy@comcast.net> ............................................................................................................................ It is correct. All they have to do is let Park and Rec ki of reservation, if the space is available they get it for i you run in to trouble, have your P/R staff contact Rich 952-924-2554. -----Original Message ----- From: Jennifer [mailto:rjmeyovy@comcast.net] Sent: Friday, August 10, 2007 11:43 AM To: Lori Dreier Subject: neighborhood association question ow at the time o charge. If Birno at Lt. Dreier, It's been about a year since you came to speak to thEdina League of Wornen Voters. That was such a good program --I still get comments about it. I wonder if you can answer a question. I emailed Cla Johnston -Madison a while ago to ask if St. Louis Par associations get free use of park buildings/shelters, E Browndale Park warming house and the Wolf Park p meetings, National Night Out, or other social events. I want confirmation of that. The reason I ask is becau. approach our Park Board again to ask if our neighbo can have free use of the Weber Park warming house meeting and up to two events per year and sometimE that it is done and works in other places. Hope all is well in St. Louis Park! Thanks. Jennifer Janovy dia neighborhood ich as the vilion for annual he said yes, but 1 plan to food association or our annual ; it helps to show Mr. Keprios, The MNA annual meeting is Thursday, October 11, 6:30-8:30 p.m. It's a neighborhood -wide meeting and attendance has varied at past meetings from 30-60 people at any one time. The two other events each year would be neighborhood social events, such as national night and/or a social time during our annual food drive, or a special membership meeting if needed. As for facilities needed, the request is specifically for the warming house. Having it on the September 11 agenda would let us know far enough in advance of the meeting so that we could thank the Park Dept. and Park Board in our printed annual report if this request is granted. Thanks. Jennifer -----Original Message ----- From: John Keprios <JKeprios@ci.edina.mn.us> To: jkj966@aol.com Sent: Tue, Sep 4 2:06 PM Subject: Weber Park Jennifer: Thanks for the letter regarding MNA's use of Weber Park at no fee. As you know, the Park Board approved a policy to not charge neighborhood associations for board meetings. Is your October annual meeting a board meeting or is it a large social event? If it is just a board meeting, then there would be no charge. When is MNA's "October annual • meeting?" Also, your letter requests that the fee be waived for "our October annual meeting and up to two events each year." Is it possible to be more specific as to what exactly the "two events" will be, such as, approximately how many people would be attending those events and what activities would be in the park and what facilities and City services would be needed. I am also trying to determine whether this needs to be on the September 11 Park Board agenda or if it can wait until the October 9 Park Board meeting. Thank you, John Keprios, Director Edina Park & Recreation Department 4801 W. 50th St. Edina, MN 55424 Voice: (952) 826-0430 Fax: (952) 826-0385 jkeprios@ci.edina.mn.us A I e zI &LS. IFmk LKA�0 3 �4 �5 �6 �8 A B 7� C i D C E I F H z 3 �4 105 i ,.a• �v�c � ice...®� ®�� �� � , WE D E F G H