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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-03-08 Park Board PacketsEDINA PARK BOARD TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2005 7:00 P.M. COMMUNITY ROOM EDINA CITY HALL AGENDA *1. Approval of February 8, 2005, Park Board Minutes. 2. "Parks and Recreation — Your Best Investment" 12 -Minute Video. 3. Adventure Peak KARE 11 News Story. 4. Park Board Community Involvement Projects. *5. Countryside Park Hockey Rink. • 6. Future Agenda Items Master Plan. A. Non-resident Use of Outdoor Hockey Rinks. B. Fourth Indoor Ice Rink at Braemar Arena. C. Skate Park Shade. D. Off -Leash Dog Park. E. Bredesen Park Needs. F. Basketball Court at Lewis Park. G. Walking Paths and Sidewalks. 7. Updates. A. Braemar Athletic Field Project. B. Kojetin Park Playground Equipment. C. Gymnasiums Proposal. D. Gold Medal Award. E. Senior Center Kitchen Project. F. Grandview Square Park Development. 8. Other. *9. Adjournment. *These are agenda items that require or request Park Board action. City Hall 4801 WEST 50TH STREET EDINA, MINNESOTA, 55424-1394 Park and Recreation Department www.c ityofed i na.coni City of Edina 952-826-0367 FAX 952-826-0385 TTY 952-826-0379 Memo To: Edina Park Board. From: John Keprios, Director Edina Park and Recreation Department Date: March 3, 2005 Re: TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 2005, PARK BOARD MEETING STAFF REPORT. Enclosed you should find the following items: 1. Tuesday, March 8, 2005, Park Board Agenda. 2. Tuesday, February 8, 2005, Park Board Minutes. The following is the monthly staff report concerning each item on the agenda with the exception of Approval of the Minutes and Other. "Other" is listed on the agenda for other information items (not requiring formal action), last minute items that may come up between now and the Park Board meeting, plus, cover any other concerns of Park Board members and/or attendees. PARK BOARD MEETING IN THE COMMUNITY ROOM EDINA CITY HALL 4801 WEST 50TH STREET The Tuesday, March 8, 2005, Park Board meeting will be at 7:00 p.m. in the Community Room 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. Board and Commission Meeting Reminder Be sure to mark your calendars for Tuesday, March 29, 2005, for the annual Board and Commission banquet, which will be at the Centrum Building at Centennial Lakes Park starting at 5:00 p.m. This is the evening where new incoming commission members are recognized and the outgoing members are given recognition for their years of service. If you plan to attend, please contact Susan Heiberg at Edina City Hall at 952-826-0403. "PARKS AND RECREATION - YOUR BEST INVESTMENT" 12 - MINUTE VIDEO I ask that the Park Board view this professionally done video that highlights the value and importance of parks and recreation in our lives. It is a reminder that parks and recreation has endless benefits and should be kept high on everyone's priority list, especially when competing for funding with other public services. No formal action is requested on this agenda item. • ADVENTURE PEAK KARE 11 NEWS STORY I ask that the Park Board view this 3 -minute video that was recently aired on KARE 11 news about indoor recreation opportunities during the cold weather months. They highlighted Adventure Peak, which gave us some great publicity. Also enclosed are statistics on Adventure Peak's tremendous success over the past year and a half. As you will notice, in just 16 months the $230,000 play structure has paid for itself more than two times over. This is the first year in the history of Edinborough Park that we will have finished the year in the black financially. We are anticipating about a $75,000 net gain, which will be deposited into the trust fund, which has been diminishing since its inception. No formal action is requested on this agenda item. PARK BOARD COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PROJECTS It has been brought to my attention that the Park Board has asked staff to brainstorm and suggest some community involvement park projects that Park Board members could get involved with. The following ideas are just a few suggestions to consider. I'm sure that there are dozens of other ideas that might work equally well. • Spring Clean-up • Adopt -A -Park • • Park shelter building painting project • Arbor Day tree planting project • Neighborhood park input meetings (ice cream social) • Verbal or handout surveys to neighbors in the parks • Buckthorn abatement day in the park • Special walk in the park - meet your Park Board member and neighbors day I hope these get your creative wheels spinning to suggest even better ideas. No formal action is requested on this agenda item. COUNTRYSIDE PARK HOCKEY RINK This is a complex and important issue that needs to be addressed early this year. The scenario is that the hockey rink boards are in need of replacement this year and the hockey rink lights are in disrepair and should be replaced as well. As I have mentioned before, the hockey rink at Countryside Park is currently in the wrong orientation (east/west, as opposed to north/south). Because of the improper orientation, the ice along the long north side of the rink significantly deteriorates earlier in the season than other rinks due to penetrating sun light. In staff's view, it would be a mistake to invest thousands of dollars to simply replace the hockey boards and build a new replacement rink and outdoor lighting with the rink in the wrong orientation. In addition, we have learned through the years that the sub -grade has a condition that causes part of the ice to melt prematurely. The cause of that condition remains a mystery. To further complicate the issue, it has long been staff's view that the entire park master plan design and layout needs to be readdressed. In staff's view, the park should have a parking lot centrally located within the park near major park amenities, such as a new replacement park shelter building. To relocate the hockey rink within Countryside Park in the proper north/south orientation would require a total park redesign. There are alternative solutions that would be healthy and appropriate for the Park Board to discuss and debate. It seems clear that the Edina Hockey Association and Park Board would prefer to maintain a minimum of ten (10) outdoor hockey rinks during the winter months for community use. I have asked Donna Tilsner to provide an analysis of the scheduled hockey use during the 2004/2005 outdoor ice rink season. That report will be presented at the March 8 Park Board meeting. If the goal is to continue to maintain 10 outdoor hockey rinks, there are three alternatives to the current problem: 1. Replace the Countryside Park hockey rink and lights in its current location. 2. Eliminate the Countryside Park hockey rink and add a new hockey rink to Todd Park. 3. Eliminate the Countryside Park hockey rink and add an additional hockey rink to Lewis Park. I don't believe that relocating the Countryside Park hockey rink in a new orientation within Countryside Park is a realistic option for 2005. We do not have adequate funding or a well -thought out plan to make such a change at this time. In addition, a significant change to Countryside Park should in my view require neighborhood involvement in the planning process. Temporarily eliminating the hockey rink at Countryside Park does not mean that we cannot provide an outstanding and creative general skating area, including a separate area for "shinny hockey," which is a small area without dasher boards that is designed specifically for small children to learn and play hockey. My first choice recommendation would be to consider adding a second hockey rink at the Lewis Park site for a number of reasons. Lewis Park has adequate parking to accommodate a second hockey rink. It provides an opportunity in the future to experiment with placing a covered structure over an outdoor hockey rink that would in turn serve as a picnic shelter in the summer months. A covered picnic area at Lewis Park would serve the athletic field users as well as those who often park in the Lewis Park parking lot to have their lunch. The hockey rink boards could be a removable system to accommodate the picnic shelter idea. When funding allows in the future, we could install an asphalt or concrete surface so that a portable refrigeration unit could be utilized during the skating season. A roof would significantly help extend the skating season even without a refrigeration system. Those are capital items that could be added in the future when funds are available. Another plus in having two hockey rinks at one site would be to try a restrictive use system at one of the two rinks that sets aside one of the rinks for specific user groups during specific times. In other words, we could experiment with declaring Saturdays from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. for adult pick-up hockey only. 12:00 p.m. -2:00 p.m. could be reserved for just youth pick-up hockey. The point is that having two rinks allows some flexibility to address the concerns about inability to find an outdoor hockey rink for adult pick-up play. The concept of placing an outdoor hockey rink at Todd Park might work; however, the biggest issue at Todd Park is lack of safe parking. Adding a hockey rink to Todd Park would definitely generate traffic to the site. If we are going to consider adding a hockey rink to Todd Park, we should consider a neighborhood hearing on the matter. Todd Park used to have a hockey rink at that location. The lights for that rink are still in place and are used to light the general skating area. The one real positive thing about placing a hockey rink at Todd Park is its nice park shelter building. The general skating rink and shelter building get minimal use during the winter months mainly because there is no hockey rink at Todd Park. It is my understanding that the Park Board would not support the concept of simply eliminating the hockey rink at Countryside Park and not replacing it somewhere in the park system. Another alternative would be to use our 2005 financial resources to fund the development of a covered structure over the existing Lewis Park hockey rink and maintain only nine outdoor rinks as opposed to ten. We have $25,000 budgeted to replace the hockey rink boards and backstop fencing. We have an additional $15, 000 budgeted to cover the cost to replace the hockey rink lights. Adding a second hockey rink to Lewis Park could be done within that budget; however, a hard surface area, picnic shelter roof, and artificial ice refrigeration system amenities would have to be funded in future years. If we were to add a second hockey rink at Lewis Park immediately to the north of the building, general skating would unfortunately be eliminated for that site. The new north hockey rink would be similar in size to our other outdoor hockey rinks. The typical outdoor hockey rink dimensions are 185' x 80' with a 20' radius in the corners. The dimensions of the existing hockey rink at Lewis Park are 184' long by 83' wide. If we were to add a hockey rink to the north of the Lewis Park building, the dimensions would be the same. Staff recommends removing the hockey rink at Countryside Park for the 2005/2006 season and add a second outdoor hockey rink at Lewis Park. Staff also recommends that we provide a creative general skating area at Countryside Park for the 2005-2006 season including a shinny hockey area. If the Park Board agrees with that recommendation, I would then recommend sending notices to area residents at both Countryside Park and Lewis Park of the issue and ask for their input and inform them of the process. Formal Park Board action is requested on this agenda item. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS MASTER PLAN At the February meeting, the Park Board established a list of issues that should be agenda items to be addressed this year. I would propose that we address each issue in the following manner and schedule: Non -Resident Use of Outdoor Hockey Rinks Begin discussion of non-resident access to outdoor hockey rinks at the March Park Board meeting as part of the Countryside Park hockey rink issue. Continue the discussion to the April meeting based on the outcome of the Countryside Park hockey rink issue. Fourth Indoor Ice Rink at Braemar Arena Braemar Arena Manager, Larry Thayer, will give the Park Board a presentation at the April Park Board meeting about the anticipated ice schedule and operating expenses associated with adding a fourth indoor ice rink. This presentation will help identify the supply and demand and provide the facts on financial expectations. The Edina Hockey Association and Figure Skating Club will be invited to attend. After the presentation and input from these user groups, the Park Board should discuss a plan of action. In April, we will also educate the Park Board about the remaining revenue bonds, operating expenses, as well as the long-range capital improvement needs for the west arena. Skate Park Shade I have recently learned that the two other city partners, Bloomington and Richfield, do not anticipate that they will financially contribute any more dollars in the next several years to making capital improvements to the skate park. The YMCA considers a concessions building and shaded spectator areas to be high priorities. We budgeted $35,000 in the 2004 capital improvement plan to help fund a concessions stand. Unfortunately, the other two cities did not do the same and do not anticipate to be able or willing to contribute towards a new concessions building in the near future. The YMCA would prefer that the City of Edina use the $35,000 to help fund a concessions building rather than shade at this point in time. The YMCA and I are currently exploring fundraising opportunities to finance a new concessions building. My plan is to further investigate the cost to provide lasting shade structures that would be affordable if all three cities and the YMCA contributed towards the cost. If all of the partners participate, we can use operational budget dollars to help fund this smaller project this spring. I will continue to update the Park Board on my progress. Off -Leash Dog Park Superintendent of Maintenance, Vince Cockriel, and I are analyzing the cost to install fencing around the Van Valkenburg Park site that was identified as a viable site in the off -leash dog park study. There are no funds available this year to fund the project, regardless of cost; however, we may wish to request donations to fund the project. I will give the Park Board our findings and recommendations at the April meeting. I have recently learned from the City of Minneapolis that the France Avenue site will not be available to use as an off -leash dog park site until the Minneapolis Water Works Department decides what they intend to do with that property on a long-term basis. Minneapolis is currently studying their land and facility needs for long-term water management. I am told that they hope to make a decision regarding the France Avenue property sometime late this summer. One of the options may be to sell the property, at which point the City of Edna may have an interest in the property as it abuts up to Weber Park to the south and St. Louis Park's park property to the north. Bredesen Park Needs We are currently in the process of replacing worn fencing that encircles the nature area around Bredesen Park. We have made a formal request of the watershed district to assist us with matching funds to afford the project. We have also asked the watershed district to assist us with comfort station repairs and upgrades at Bredesen. We are adding the keyless entry system to the restroom doors at Bredesen Park in efforts to cut down on vandalism that occurs at night in the building. A purchase order was approved three months ago to go forward with that project. I understand that there is a concern about the woodland areas of Bredesen Park that should be discussed. There is no question that buckthorn trees exist all throughout Bredesen Park. Unless the Park Board feels otherwise, it is staff's recommendation to focus our buckthorn efforts and resources in the other identified priority areas long before we even attempt to tackle the buckthorn problem in Bredesen Park. Basketball Court at Lewis Park There have been neighborhood requests for additional outdoor basketball courts at Lewis Park and Highlands Park. The outdoor basketball court at Utley Park (50th St. and Wooddale) was totally funded by donations from the Edina Basketball Association. Unless there is a desire to raise funds through donations, it is my recommendation that this request be placed on hold until we discuss the capital improvement plan for 2006. I would suggest that the request be placed on the agenda for Park Board discussion at the September or October meeting when the capital improvement plan is reviewed. It is questionable whether or not there is enough suitable space available to place an outdoor basketball court in Lewis Park. One idea would be to place basketball standards either in or just outside of the hard surface hockey rink at Lewis Park. As most of you know, we have been focusing our efforts and resources on upkeep and maintenance as our first priority. We find it difficult to justify adding more amenities to the parks until we feel we have adequately maintained the current infrastructure at a level that is safe and acceptable to our constituents. Walkine Paths and Sidewalks (Bike & Pedestrian Transportation Plan) This is a multi -faceted issue. There is a desire among residents to add more trails within the parks. That is clearly an important Park Board issue. For example, suggestions have been made to add a path around Garden Park and do the same at Highlands Park. I have also heard requests to add hard surface paths at Pamela Park and Countryside Park. Those are very appropriate issues for the Park Board to address. The addition of more pathways within the parks should be debated at the same time other new park amenities are suggested to be added to the capital improvement plan at the September and October Park Board meetings. Pathways (both pedestrians and bicycles) in parks should be strictly a Park Board issue. As you know, we are high on the Three Rivers Park District's priority list to develop a first tier regional trail across Edina. That process is already in motion, which involves the Metropolitan Council, Minnesota State Legislature, and Three Rivers Park District Board and their staff. Further Park Board involvement will be needed when funding is secured and more detail drawings are generated and proposed. The Park Board will then be called upon to respond to detail plans and process. In the mean time, I will continue to request updates from Three Rivers Park District as to the status of funding and the public process. In turn I will keep the Park Board informed. Making a sensible inter -connecting system of park paths and sidewalks to serve as a transportation medium for bicycles and pedestrians involves the Engineering Department and the newly formed Transportation Commission. There is a citywide sidewalk and bicycle master plan in place; however, building sidewalks in front of residential homes will always be a difficult political issue. Sidewalks and bicycle paths along streets and boulevards are strictly Transportation Committee and Engineering Department issues. City Engineer, Wayne Houle, will provide all Park Board members with the sidewalk and bicycle transportation master plan. If Park Board members have comments about the master plan, those comments should be addressed to the City Engineer and the Transportation Committee. UPDATES I will give the Park Board verbal updates on the following projects. A. Braemar Athletic Field Project. B. Kojetin Park Playground Equipment. C. Gymnasiums Proposal. D. Gold Medal Award. E. Senior Center Kitchen Project. F. Grandview Square Park Development. No formal action is requested on this agenda item. OTHER This is also an opportunity for Park Board members and residents to address other concerns. EDINA PARK BOARD 7:00 P.M. EDINA COMMUNITY ROOM EDINA CITY HALL FEBRUARY 8, 2005 MEMBERS PRESENT: George Klus, Karla Sitek, Alice Hulbert, Jeff Johnson, Mike Weiss, Mike Damman, Andy Finsness, Linda Presthus, Jessica Selleck, Todd Fronek MEMBERS ABSENT: Jeff Sorem STAFF PRESENT: Ed MacHolda, Janet Canton, Vince Cockriel, Tom Horwath OTHERS PRESENT: Floyd Grabiel, Jean White, John Henry, Ruth Saari, Geof Workinger, Betty Workinger, Robert Shaw, Hugh Wooldridge, Dan Latham, Dianne Plunkett Latham, Idelle Longman, Jane Moran, Jim Villas, Kris Wetmore, Sue Simonton, Jeannie Hanson, Richard Griffith, Naomi Griffith, Les Wanninger I. WELCOME NEW PARK BOARD MEMBERS JESSICA SELLECK AND TODD FRONEK Mr. Klus welcomed the two new Park Board members Todd Fronek and Jessica Selleck. Mr. Fronek indicated that he grew up in Edina and while in high school and college he worked during the summers for the Park Department to which Vince Cockriel was the Park Foreman. He noted that he is an attorney and works in downtown Minneapolis. He added that he recently ran for City Council. Mr. Fronek stated that he is very excited to be involved with the Park Board. Ms. Selleck indicated that she is a senior at Edina High School and stated that during the summer she volunteered her time to help out the Communications Department and City Council. She noted that when she heard about the student representative position she decided she wanted to be more involved. Ms. Selleck added that rugby is her main sport. II. BUCKTHORN MASTER PLAN Mr. Klus informed the Park Board that Diane Plunkett Latham is here tonight to give her annual report on buckthorn. Ms. Latham indicated that this year they raised approximately $1,800.00 for buckthorn abatement. She noted that they are now going to expand on that because they've set up a fund through the Edina Community Foundation so that members of the community can donate money and receive a tax deduction. Ms. Latham stated that this year they gave seven presentations and educated a total of 170 and are planning to continue doing this next year. She noted that they also had 14 articles in the Sun Current and various other publications and will continue to publicize it. Ms. Latham commented that 14 volunteers distributed 600 door hangers as well as a group from Garden Park handed out an additional 200 flyers in their neighborhood. Ms. Latham noted that they really appreciate what all of the volunteers have done. Ms. Latham indicated that she would first like to thank Mr. Keprios, Mr. Horwath and Mr. Cockriel for all of the work and support they have given during the past year. She added that even with the terrible problems the city has had with Dutch Elm Disease the City's staff was still able to do a lot of work in the parks which was wonderful and very much appreciated. Ms. Latham commented that she would also like to thank Tim Zimmerman., the City's horticulturist, who does a lot of work at Arneson Acres and is a very valuable resource to everyone. Ms. Latham explained that Mr. Keprios applied for and received a grant from the DNR Conservation Partners for $5,000 to evaluate all of Edina's parks that have buckthorn. She noted that the city hired Prairie Restoration Inc. (PRI) to research and make recommendations that identify buckthorn infestations in our parks and come up with a prioritized list of the parks. Ms. Latham indicated that before PRI did their study she visited the parks and came up with a list of her own and found that her tallies did agree with PRI's, however, there were a couple of surprises. She noted that PRI identified 9 parks as high priority parks. Ms. Latham indicated that Van Valkenburg was listed as the top priority park which took her completely by surprise. She explained that the reason it is listed as the highest priority is because it's Edina's only existent Oak Savanna, which is very rare. She stated that this area is also one that would be fairly easy to maintain using prescribed burns because it is away from residential areas, heavy traffic and could easily be taken care of. She noted that Van Valkenburg is 15 acres and hopefully Mr. Horwath will receive some help with this park. Ms. Latham stated that the second park listed was Arden Park which is one that the Tree Trust group worked on. She noted that the Tree Trust group is made up of youth under the age of 18 who have committed non-violent crimes and are required to do community service. She indicated that the Tree Trust people are not licensed to paint the stumps and if the stumps are not painted the buckthorn will regenerate. Therefore, they have the Tree Trust people cut the stumps high so that later in the fall Mr. Horwath can cut them low and paint them. She noted that they would like to continue to use this group. Ms. Latham noted that number three on the list is Normandale Park and at this time there is no work being done. She commented that it would be nice to have an adopt -a -park group at Normandale Park. Ms. Latham stated that Krahl Hill came in fourth which surprised her because she didn't feel it was that high of a priority and noted that currently there is no work being done. Ms. Latham stated that Highlands Park came in at number five and that is a park that Mr. Horwath has been heavily working on. She commented 2 that Mr. Cockriel's crews have already picked up three or four truck loads to which they are still going to need more help at the park. Ms. Latham indicated that Garden Park came in at number six and last fall a group lead by Les Wanninger and John Henry, Edina residents, starting removing the buckthorn. Ms. Latham pointed out that one threat to Garden Park is the garlic mustard because if that seeds into the area it will cover everything. She noted that Mr. Cockriel's crews took out two or three pick-up loads from that park. Ms. Latham indicated that Melody Lake was number seven on the list and noted that at this time there is no work being done. However, Mr. Cockriel has informed her that as the scout troops step forward he is going to deploy them to Melody Lake. Ms. Latham noted that Braemar Park is number eight on the list and pointed out that a lot of people don't understand that Braemar is really two separately managed areas. One is the golf course which John Valliere is responsible for and the other is the park, which is approximately 250 acres, that Mr. Cockriel is responsible for. Ms. Latham pointed out that Jean White, who is on the Braemar Golf Course staff, has been working with the Braemar Men's Club and they have done a wonderful job taking out several acres of buckthorn this past year. She stated that the golf course takes care of the perimeter of the golf course and Mr. Cockriel takes care of the park property which is enormous and would be impossible for volunteers to even put any kind of a dent into. Ms. Latham stated that it's her opinion that PRI should be hired to come up with a detailed report section by section on how Braemar Park could be restored. She noted that this park is also heavily used during the winter months. Ms. Latham indicated that Rosland Park is the last park listed as a high priority park. She noted that she thinks this made the list because of the lake as well as the heavy use it receives. She stated that her Garden Club has been working on this park since the fall of 2002. Ms. Latham explained that PRI listed 12 parks under the middle priority which included: Pamela, Todd, Lewis, York, Creek Valley, Heights, Walnut Ridge, Wooddale, Utley, Williams, Lincoln Drive Floodplain, Bredesen Park and Arneson Acres. She noted that the low priority parks were: Alden, Browndale, St. Johns, Birchcrest, Countryside, Sherwood Pump, Cornelia School, Frank Tupa, Bob Kojetin, Chowen, Weber, Lake Edina, Fred Richards Golf Course, Fox Meadow, Bristol, Yorktown, McGuire, Strachauer, and Tingdale. Ms. Latham informed the Park Board that they have worked out a liability waiver that the residents could sign indicating that they could use their chainsaws in the parks and that the city would not have liability. Ms. Latham pointed out that Bredesen is one of Edina's largest parks and there is a lot of buckthorn at the park. She noted that there are some people from Nine Mile Village here tonight because they live on the border of Bredesen Park and have done an enormous amount of clearing and if Bredesen Park is not going to be cleared they are going to have a hard time retaining theirs. The following Edina residents spoke to the Park Board about the various parks where they have volunteered to help remove buckthorn: Jean White, Hugh Wooldridge, Les 3 Wanninger, Jane Moran, Kris Wetmore, Suzanne Kerwin, Jeannie Hanson, Jim Villas and Robert Shaw. Mr. Wanninger stated that he feels with the exception of the larger parks most of the parks could have their buckthorn removal done by adopt -a -park kinds of groups. He noted that it's a building kind of exercise that is a lot of fun and there is a great sense of pride when it's done. Mr. Wanninger indicated that someone would need to train them on the appropriate way to get rid of buckthorn because if it's not done correctly they are wasting their time. He noted that once this is done then Mr. Cockriel's crews will need to haul it away. He commented that it would be great if Mr. Horwath had the support he needs to help get it done. He stressed that he also thinks it's important that the neighbors who are affected be involved in the project so they can do it how they want it done. Mr. Wanninger pointed out to the Park Board that the original plans for Garden Park had a walking path around it, however, if you try to walk around Garden Park you end up walking in mud because there is no path. He noted that he has talked to Mr. Keprios and he is supportive of the idea of putting in a walking path. He stated that if they are going to put in a lot of time and clear out a lot of buckthorn at some point it would be nice to have a walking path where people don't have to walk in the mud. Mr. Wanninger thanked the Park Board for their help and support. Jeannie Hanson, resident and member of the Conservation League of Edina, indicated that she would like for the Park Board to think about what would come in after the buckthorn is gone. She noted that sometimes you can't plant wild flowers and native buffers in time and therefore asked the Park Board to consider the idea of putting in rain gardens which can be very small to very large. She explained that the Conservation League of Edina has already put in a small one and would like to do more. She described rain gardens as working puddles in areas of storm water drain off and anytime it's downhill or near a storm sewer it can be good to put in a rain garden. Rain gardens take the moisture from run-off and the beautiful plants around it and it acts as a bio filter that can pick up any runoff that's going into it. She noted that rain gardens are a really good idea for cleaning up the water. Mr. Klus informed members of the audience that each of the Park Board members have been assigned to parks within the city and it is their responsibility to keep up with what is happening at the parks and to report back to the Park Board on what needs to be done. Ms. Presthus thanked everyone for all that they have done and their involvement in this project. It is truly remarkable all of the work the volunteers have done. Robert Shaw, Edina resident, indicated that he thinks Bredesen Park is a mess, the pathways are well maintained but everything else has been horribly neglected. He noted that he lives right next to Bredesen Park and spends a lot of time there. He indicated that he has not seen any volunteers there and asked if someone were to organize volunteers to work on the buckthorn at Bredesen Park under the authority and control of the Park Department would the Park Department carry the brush piles away. Mr. Cockriel replied 4 that there are other issues besides just cutting down pieces of buckthorn and dragging them to the parking lot. He pointed out that it's the five to six year follow-up maintenance that's important. He explained that it would take approximately 10,000 to 15,000 hours to complete a project like this from start to finish, it is no small undertaking and that's why it is quite a ways back on the priority list. Mr. Cockriel commented that it's not that it's not a priority park because everyone agrees it's a beautiful park, however, that's not the point. The point is that it can't get much worse than it already is, it's not going to look 10 times worse 10 years from now. Mr. Cockriel indicated that he would be supportive of volunteers working within a specific area of Bredesen and staying with it for five years. Mr. Klus indicated that he commends Ms. Latham and her group as well as the City of Edina who have taken the leadership to go after buckthorn because without it they would be in a lot worse shape. He noted that he realizes it takes considerate effort and a lot of volunteers to which they will continue to look for more volunteers. Mr. Klus indicated that he heard some good suggestions and Ms. Canton will compile a list of those for the next Park Board meeting to be given to the Park Board members. Dr. Hulbert noted that she would just like to thank everyone for all of the work they are doing because it's a tremendously huge problem but you have to start somewhere. Mr. Klus thanked Ms. Latham and everyone else in the audience. Mr. Cockriel stated that coming from the staff's point of view they too were in agreement with the assessment of the parks that was done by PRI. He explained that they will start by working from the top of PRI's list and work their way down. He noted that they are always happy to have volunteer groups who want to work in the parks, however, he asks that everyone goes through the forestry department and do it correctly during the correct times of year. Mr. Cockriel indicated that staff is continuing to work on Van Valkenburg Park as well as they started a little bit of work at Arden Park. He noted that they have not yet touched Normandale Park and commented that the priority of that park came as a surprise to them but he thinks it's because of the oak woods that are there. Mr. Cockriel stated that Braemar Park is an ongoing maintenance issue. Mr. Cockriel commented that Todd Park and Garden Park both had very nice neighborhood groups step forward and the Park Department is very supportive of them and will continue to support them with the haul -a -way and training. However, if it gets to be too big of an issue they will need to slow down a bit because Mr. Horwath cannot put Oak Wilt and Dutch Elm Disease on the back burner and only work on buckthorn. He added that so far there hasn't been an issue. Mr. Horwath indicated that everyone should have a copy of his annual report and pointed out that as most people are aware Dutch Elm Disease has been on the up swing and has already heard this year's projections and can't believe it. He noted that the city crews were very busy last year working on Dutch Elm Disease. Mr. Horwath pointed out that E his report also includes different trees that he has planted in the various parks. He stated • that the report also includes all city staff and volunteers who have been working on buckthorn removal. He commented that it is a lot of work and it's not going to happen overnight. He explained that controlling buckthorn and other invasive species as well is a huge task and something that they have to learn how to do most efficiently, most easily and most cost effectively. He stated that he was highly encouraged by all of the volunteers and that is what they will continually need to tackle this. Mr. Horwath stated that he would like to thank Ms. Latham and all of the other volunteers for the unbelievable amount of work that was done and is very proud of what Edina is doing. U Ms. Hulbert asked if there is any research going on to find other ways to control buckthorn. Mr. Horwath replied that the only thing he has heard is there may be some biological controls but they are still at least ten years away from that. Mr. Cockriel informed the Park Board that he received a letter from the DNR thanking the City of Edina for letting them use Highlands Lake for raising walleyes in 2004. He noted that in May they stocked 70,000 walleyes the size of a crappie minnow and in the fall harvested 1,880 which is a pretty high success rate. Mr. Cockriel indicated that the DNR is hoping the city will allow them to use Highlands Lake again in 2005. He added that Highlands Lake is one of the top walleye rearing ponds/lakes in the State of Minnesota. III. PARK ASSIGNMENTS PRESENTATION — MIKE WEISS Mr. Weiss indicated that his park assignments were Browndale Park, St. John's Park, Normandale Park and Braemar Park. Mr. Weiss noted that the slides he took were taken in October/November. Mr. Weiss stated that the first park he visited was Browndale Park which was named after Browndale Avenue. He indicated that it is a very, very small park that it located on Browndale Avenue and about 45`h Street. He pointed out that the park is right on the creek and has a little boat landing, a couple of benches and a garbage can. He noted that the park was very clean and looks like it gets used. He noted that no one was at the park but that it was a chilly day when he was there. Mr. Weiss indicated that St. John's Park was named after St. John's Avenue and is a very nice, small neighborhood park that is very clean. He noted that it has a little back stop but it didn't appear that it gets a whole lot of use. He stated that he did see one gentleman walking his dog on a leash. Mr. Weiss stated that Normandale Park was named after the Normandale sub -division and was surprised at how big the park actually is to which it is a little over ten acres. He noted that the park has a baseball diamond, a newer tennis court, a basketball court, a new playground, a nice picnic area with barbecue, a warming house and two skating rinks. He indicated that there was one person there with a dog. He also pointed out that there was a lot of buckthorn. RI Mr. Weiss indicated that Braemar Park was named after Dr. Jackson, a Park Board member who selected a variety of Scottish names which were voted on by the Park Board. He added that it was formerly the Hayes Farm. Mr. Weiss stated that it is a huge, huge facility which includes golf courses, a baseball complex, an all-purpose field, a hockey arena and a golf dome. He noted that the day he was there it was a cold November day and there were four guys teeing off and was told later that the golf course had approximately 80 rounds of golf turned in that day as well as people were still using the driving range. Mr. Weiss pointed out that everything was very well maintained in terms of the end -of -the year clean up. Mr. Klus asked Mr. Weiss if he had any recommendations for improvements. Mr. Weiss commented that at Normandale other than the buckthorn the park itself was in great shape. Mr. Klus asked Mr. Weiss if he feels the parks are being used the way they should to which he replied he thinks some of those parks could see more use. Mr. Weiss indicated that he thinks Normandale Park is probably big enough to support some of the smaller teams. He commented that he thinks one or two areas at Normandale may be a great place for lacrosse. Mr. MacHolda explained that the difficulty with lacrosse is that it's the same season as baseball, softball and soccer but it's a great thought. IV. APPROVAL OF THE TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2004 PARK BOARD MINUTES Linda Presthus MOVED TO APPROVE THE NOVEMBER 9, 2004 PARK BOARD MINUTES. Mike Damman SECONDED THE MOTION. MINUTES APPROVED. V. ELECTION OF OFFICERS Mr. MacHolda opened up the floor for nominations for Chair of the Park Board. Linda Presthus MOVED TO NOMINATE GEORGE KLUS. Mike Damman SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO VOTE FOR GEORGE KLUS AS CHAIR OF THE PARK BOARD Mr. Klus thanked everyone and indicated that he expects each Park Board member to take many responsibilities because the Chair runs the meeting primarily but when it comes to the work it takes everyone. Mr. Klus opened up the floor for nominations for Vice -Chair. Mike Damman MOVED TO NOMINATE ANDY FINSNESS FOR VICE CHAIR. Karla Sitek SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO VOTE FOR ANDY FINSNESS FOR VICE -CHAIR. 7 Mr. Klus pointed out to the Park Board that Mr. Grabiel is no longer an official Park Board member but is now an official Planning Commission member. Mr. Klus informed Mr. Grabiel that everyone will miss him and at the end of the meeting he has a gift for him. Mr. Grabiel indicated that he would like to thank John Keprios, Ed MacHolda, Janet Canton and all of the people on the Park and Recreation Department staff because he thinks they do a wonderful job for the city. He noted that Edina has a great park system and a great park system helps contribute to making Edina a really great community to be in so he applauds them and he applauds their efforts. Mr. Grabiel commented that he has been on the Park Board for seven years and has really enjoyed working with everyone on the board and hopes that he contributed somewhat to a really great park and recreation system for the City of Edina. VI. 2005 PARK BOARD MEETING CALENDAR Mr. Klus asked the Park Board if there is somewhere else they would like to have the Park Board meetings throughout the year. He stated that the Park Board will only meet on the months to which they have an agenda. Mr. MacHolda commented that it would be staff's preference to have the Park Board meetings at City Hall because if someone wants to give a presentation all of the equipment is there as well as it's a central location and is easy to find. Ms. Presthus indicated that she would be fine with the calendar as long as if it turns out they would like to look at a new building, etc. that they could change the meeting place at that time. Karla Sitek MOVED TO APPROVE THE 2005 PARK BOARD MEETING CALENDAR. Andy Finsness SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. VII. UPDATES A. Braemar Athletic Field Development - Mr. MacHolda informed the Park Board that the city has contracted the services of Roy Anderson, landscape architect. He noted this is the same architect that was contracted for the Lewis Park project. He indicated that the bid opening is scheduled for February 24th at 2:00 pm. Mr. MacHolda commented that he believes they would be on the same schedule as Lewis in that they would begin excavation around late May or early June and seeding would be done in August and typically you can see great growth and root structure by October. Ms. Sitek asked when they hope it will be playable to which Mr. MacHolda replied probably in time for the 2006 football season. B. Kojetin Park Playground Equipment - Mr. MacHolda informed the Park Board that he is hoping to have the bid opening during the month of February. He indicated that he N. is waiting for the manufacturer to come back with a new three dimensional drawing on the playground equipment and get the approval from the neighborhood committee. He stated that the neighborhood group has decided to go with the same manufacturer as what you see at Normandale Park. Mr. MacHolda noted that the cost is estimated at approximately $112,000 to $114,000 which is pretty close to their budgeted amount. C. Gymnasium Proposal — Mr. MacHolda informed the Park Board that so far they have had two meetings with the User Group. He noted that the User Group is basically made up of the athletic association presidents as well as Dan Rectenwald who is the representative from the neighborhood. He explained that Mr. Rectenwald who is an architect by profession has been very valuable in the process and has been able to give some great feedback and insight. Mr. MacHolda passed around a drawing of the ECC/Normandale site. He commented that this is a work in progress so there will be a new drawing the next time they meet. Ms. Presthus asked how are they doing on the cost of it to which Mr. MacHolda replied that at this time they do not have a cost estimate but will have a cost estimate for the next Park Board meeting. He noted that as far as the completion date they are looking at April 2006. D. Grandview Square Park Development - Mr. MacHolda handed out to the Park Board a site drawing and a master plan cost estimate. Mr. Klus asked how much money has been raised for this project to which Mr. MacHolda replied that it's his understanding that currently they are about $15,000 short. To date they have received $14,500 from Ron Clark and $14,500 matching dollars from Opus. They have also received $5,000 from Friends of the Library and $1,000 from the residents. Mr. MacHolda added that the Senior Center is planning to make a contribution but he is not aware at this time how much that contribution will be. Mr. Klus asked if they don't raise the money will this be put on hold to which Mr. MacHolda replied that's a good question and he does not know the answer. He believes they have $35,000 so that could get them into the lower range. Mr. MacHolda passed around some bronze sculptures and noted that he thinks Mr. Keprios has communicated that the Park Department will probably be making that contribution. Mr. Klus commented that it's disappointing to hear that the residents have only provided $1,000 and added that he hopes the residents of Grandview Square will step up and provide some more donations to that park. Mr. Klus pointed out that they should be sure they are hitting the businesses that are in the building that is adjacent because that would be another source of potential donations. He added that all of the donations are being run through the Edina Foundation so they are all tax deductible. VIII. 2005 PARK BOARD AGENDA ITEMS AND ISSUES Mr. Klus indicated that he would like for the Park Board to brainstorm on items they would like to discuss at the Park Board meetings for the coming year. He noted that Mr. Sorem e-mailed him suggesting that one topic he would like to see talked about is the outdoor hockey rinks on Saturday mornings because he is concerned there is no where to skate on Saturday mornings. He commented that the kids are using all of the rinks with 6 the exception of Lewis Park and that park has been taken over by kids from Bloomington. Mr. Sorem had suggested that possibly they look at whether or not they need to rent out ice during the winter to people who are using it outside of Edina although he doesn't know how they would control it. Mr. Sorem also brought up in his e-mail that another item he would like on the agenda is the situation with the hockey rink at Countryside Park because he feels we need more outdoor rinks as opposed to fewer. We cannot afford to lose rinks like Countryside, therefore, he really hopes that the Park Board can spend some time talking about ice rinks as it continues to become more of an issue. Ms. Sitek stated that she would like to talk about a fourth sheet of ice at Braemar. Ms. Presthus commented that she works in St. Paul and they have an outdoor ice rink that uses a mechanical chiller and wondered if this is something that would be feasible for them to look into for one of the rinks. She commented that by doing that the season could be a lot longer. Mr. Damman stated that he is hoping that they can somehow find a way to get some shade at the skate park. He added that he too was going to mention the skating rinks at Countryside Park. Mr. Finsness indicated that he would like to see the off -leash dog park put on the agenda for discussion. Mr. Klus replied that he knows Mr. Keprios will be bringing that issue to the Park Board possibly as early as next month. Mr. Fronek commented that he would like to see more outdoor hockey rinks and look into some sort of outdoor artificial surface like something they have at the Roseville Oval rink. Mr. Klus informed the Park Board that Ms. Presthus has said she would like to stay involved on Community Services Committee as the Park Board's representative. He noted that they are glad she has decided to stay on with the committee and it is very much appreciated. Dr. Hulbert indicated that she would agree with the gentleman who was here earlier in that something needs to be done at Bredesen Park not just from the buckthorn issue but there is broken equipment, a fence has fallen down, etc. She commented that she thinks they need a plan of how to renovate that woodland area as far as the amount of derelict stuff that is there. Mr. Klus indicated that he hopes staff will be able to put which parks each Park Board member is responsible for on the city's website so people can call when they have issues with a particular park. He noted that they will only list names. Mr. Weiss stated that he would like to put on the agenda the possibility of putting in an outdoor basketball court at Lewis Park because he knows the basketball courts on Tracy Avenue and 50`h Street are used all of the time. 10 Mr. Finsness pointed out that he would like to be brought up-to-date on the transportation issue regarding the walking paths and bike paths and how they connect through the parks and the city. He noted he would like to see what they could do that would be appropriate. Mr. Klus replied that maybe they can get an update in the next few months on what's going on with trails through the park system. Mr. Finsness indicated he would also like to see how sidewalk plans work into the park plans. Mr. Weiss commented that everyone on the Park Board gives a lot of time but was wondering if possibly everyone could commit four hours on a Saturday to do something within any of their parks so we are doing something more than just attending the meetings. Mr. Klus noted that will be put on the agenda for next month to talk about and see how we as a Park Board could commit our time. He stated that he thinks it's a great idea. IX. ADJOURNMENT Karla Sitek MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 9:10 PM. Mike Damman SECONDED THE MOTION. MEETING ADJOURNED. 11 To: John Keprios, Park and Recreation Director From: Donna Tilsner, Recreation Supervisor Date: March 3, 2005 Re: Outdoor ice hockey rinks The City of Edina has provided outdoor hockey rinks for its residents for many years. We have a strong tradition of far surpassing the quality of outdoor ice, as well as the length of the season from our neighboring communities. Our youth hockey association and residents appreciate that. A service we provide is reserving the rinks for practices and providing game schedules for the youth hockey association. The termites, first, second and third year boys and girls programs will have games outside as well as inside. The older groups will practice outside but have games inside. We currently have 11 outdoor hockey rinks. All rinks opened December 20, 2004. They are: Arden Park, Cornelia School Park, Countryside Park, Creek Valley Park, Highlands Park, Lewis Park, Normandale Park, Pamela Park, Strachauer Park, Walnut Ridge Park and Weber Park. (Todd Park is our 12"' rink and it currently has a general skating rink only.) Park and Recreation reserves rinks for the Youth Hockey Association Monday — Friday 6 — 9 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays may have youth hockey games beginning at 9 a.m. through 3 p.m. We may see a practice at 6 p.m. on a Saturday night. I have attached one week's schedule from our reservation book so you can get a feel for the heavy usage. Weather does play an important part of the length of the season and 2004-05 made us close some days due to warm weather but we were able to keep 6 rinks open two weeks past the normal time we would have been open. Those parks were Arden, Normandale, Lewis, Highland, Creek Valley and Cornelia School. The trend for heaviest use is Tuesday and Thursday nights followed by Monday. We continue to suggest low use on Wednesday nights to respect the religious education programs in our community. While each week varies, a normal week usage of hours will look like this: 0 Page 1 I e 1 (Week of Jan. 3, 2005) Reserved hours Total hours available Monday 24 33 Tuesday 29 33 Wednesday 6 33 Thursday 31 33 Friday 9 33 Saturday 22.5 121 Sunday 6 99 As you can see each week, Monday — Friday there are hours not used. One task the rink attendants are asked to do is keep a daily attendance log sheet. I have attached the results that we have so far. 0 Page 2 MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY d SUNDAY Nu ANDALE 6p 6pm W S 6pm '��/►^oNv 6pm �t ✓j 0*4 bpm s 6pm 6pm 7Pm ro 7pm 7pm 7pm Pm � ����� � Bpm —1/ rw c/ --3pm iy(. 8pm Bpm Bpm Ppt j C �. 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A V CO O W OD CO V m O 0) W 00 co Da N N V 8 Oj O A N W (O N O co Ln co A N O 0) A p O A N O ;W a WO N A0a O Ln Cl) 7 O N� ci 000 A 0 C CA V .i z D m OD z 0 D z 0 m m 0 I o o O / //$ƒ0 CD 0 0 K CL » 7 \CL \ \ j / f \ \ q X r = E= J J// E o CL CD = cnD ƒ \ co R\� /\k/ E\\ / w CA)= w-4 a t 0 o c a w J w a m c c g a- e o- % d m a w a w u u a co w a 9 o c= a w o = _ � w= I 0 w#- A CO c- a o W 2kk\SEk� w/kcn co \kkCD Uk %\\/kk \ �u�NJN) � -P,-Cnfq/\$ 4 o -N $ 2 & m \ ? 000 C) C) \ 000 00 � \ � 4P r" 4J To: Park and Recreation Board Members From: Russelle Kimmel Date: February 8, 2005 Subject: Bredesen Park From April of 2004 to mid January 2005, residents at Nine Mile Village removed buckthorn from between 4 and 5 acres of land. The cleared land consists of the buffer around the pond, the island, and the land between Nine Mile Village and Colonial Church. 75% of the buckthorn at Nine Mile Village has been removed. It is impossible to calculate the amount of time and effort that has gone into this project. Once the project got momentum, some residents worked for a couple of hours almost every day. Buckthorn creates dense thicket -like growth with larger plants sticking out at the top. While large plants were cut down with chain saws or extracted with weed wrenches, small plants were pulled out by hand or dug up with shovels. The buckthorn removal process also included: raking, hauling buckthorn branches, and painting stumps with Roundup. Residents of Nine Mile Village have worked very hard to get rid of buckthorn. However, if nothing is done about the enormous amount of buckthorn growing in Bredesen Park, which is located next to Nine Mile Village, we are fighting a losing battle. I urge you to make plans to eradicate buckthorn at Bredesen Park and to address the numerous outstanding maintenance issues. This lovely little park has been sadly neglected. Sincerely, Russelle Kimmel 6268 Sandpiper Court Edina, MN 55436 r ttgc L ui i N Subj: RE: Bredesen Date: 2/8/200511:37:18 A.M. Central Standard Time From: plunkettdi(d)mn.rr.com To: mulho002a-tc.umn.edu CC: HMWooly@aol.com, RKimmel(a)Spacestar.net 2-8-05 Thanks Catherine. Hugh can read this tonight. Dianne —Original Message— From: Catherine Mulholland [maifto:mulho002@tc.umn.eduJ Sent: Tuesday, February 08, 2005 9:02 AM To: plunkettdi@mn.rr.com Subject: Bredesen For the Edina Park Board concerning Buckthorn: As a resident of Nine Mile Village, I am concerned about the Buckthorn at Bredesen Park. Some of our residents have been working very hard to get rid of the Buckthorn at Nine Mile Village and have been able to irradicate most of it at this point. We would be pleased if the Park Board would consider dealing with the Buckthorn and other problems at Bredesen including standing water and broken fences at an early date. Catherine Mulholland, resident of Nine Mile Village for over 20 years. Tuesday, February 08, 2005 America Online: Hmwooly i rasc i vi i Subj: Date: From: To: FW: Bredesen Park 2/8/200511:29:03 A.M plunkettdi_amn.rr.com HMWOQIY@aol.com Central Standard Time -----Original Message ----- From: BecerraInt@cs.com [mailto:BecerraInt@cs.com] Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2005 6:06 PM To: plunkettdi@mn.rr.com Subject: Bredesen Park To whom it may concern, I have been a resident of Edina for 36 adult years and have enjoyed the park system in the Twin City area for all of my life. I've been saddened to see the deterioration of Bredesen Park over the years since I have biked and walked around it regularly. It desperately needs major attention paid to the fallen trees, broken fences, cracked paths, etc. The overgrowth of Buckthorn is developing into an almost uncontrolable issue in the park with ramifications at Nine Mile Village, where I've lived for 19 years. I recently volunteered several Saturdays to help remove a good portion of the Buckthorn around Nile Mile Creek. It looks much better but this improvement will be to no avail if you don't contain the growth over at Bredesen. Perhaps one could get the schools involved to help as a service project for the science classes. That's how they found out about the 5 legged frogs up in northern Minnesota a few years ago - a school science project. I strongly urge you to devote adequate funds to maintain this park; it is one of the few natural areas we have in Edina and it needs our care. I'm hopeful yet concerned about the Buckthorn Abatement Project. Thank you, Pat Deckas Becerra 6264 Sandpiper Court Edina, MN 55436 Tuesday, February 08, 2005 America Online: Hmwooly - �G. ��SS6v1Ct✓� �I�IiNIII��NIII�IN�N�N�NIN�I�IiIIIIII�IIIN�IIIII�iIIII�IINllllllll c1no 6194- e rFY,?< News! A Newsletter of Tobacco -Free Youth Recreation Association for Nonsmokers -Minnesota 2395 University Ave. West, Suite 310, St. Paul MN 55114 (651) 646-3005, tfyr@ansrmn.org, www.ansrmn.org Vol/ 5, No. 1 Ja*uut* y 2005 Study Reveals Minnesotans Support Tobacco -Free Park Policies Park directors also support policies Minnesota residents support tobacco -free park and rec- reation policies. This is a finding of the recently -com- pleted Tobacco -Free Park and Recreation Study (TFPRS) carried out by the University of Minnesota. A summer 2004 survey of Minnesota residents - from both the metro area and greater Minnesota — revealed that 70% of Minnesota adults support tobacco -free park and rec- reation areas. In addition, two-thirds of golfers and nearly three-quarters (73%) of families with children sup- port these policies. The study even revealed that 28% of smokers support these policies. • 88% reported no change in park usage. • 71% reported less smoking in parks. • 58% reported cleaner park areas. The TFPRS also investigated the experiences of park directors and park board members in adopting tobacco - free park and recreation policies. Interviews were con- ducted with 452 of these individuals, representing the 200 largest Minnesota cities, all Minnesota counties with county parks, and all Minnesota cities with existing to- bacco -free park policies. In communities where tobacco - free park and recreation policies have already been adopted, an overwhelming majority (88%) of park di- rectors and board members reported the policies were not very difficult to pass. Study findings also revealed feral positive observations after the policies were imple- mented: 88% reported no change in park usage, 71% reported less smoking in parks, and 58% reported cleaner park areas. Park directors and park board members also offered insight on enforcement and compliance of tobacco -free park policies. While most directors in communities with no tobacco -free policy had concerns about enforcing policies, only one-quarter of directors in communities with policies actually reported having compliance issues. The Tobacco -Free Park and Recreation Study was car- ried out as a partnership among the University of Min- nesota, the Minnesota Recreation and Park Associa- tion, and the Tobacco -Free Youth Recreation program, with funding provided by the Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco. Surveys were mailed to ran- domly selected Minnesota residents age 22 and older in July 2004; phone interviews with park directors and park board members were conducted from May to October 2004. For more detailed information on the study, please con- tact Liz Klein, study coordinator, at (612) 626-1799 or <klein—I@epi.umn.edu>. For assistance in adopting a tobacco -free park policy, contact Brittany McFadden, Tobacco -Free Youth Recreation director, at (651) 646- 3005 or <bhm@ansrmn.org>. Tobacco -Free Youth Recreation: Promoting Healthy Lifestyles Tobacco -Free Youth Recreation (TFYR) is a statewide program of the Association for Nonsmokers—Minnesota, with funding from the Min- nesota Department of Health. TFYR assists recreational groups and health professionals in promoting and modeling tobacco -free lifestyles to youth. TFYR offers assistance in the development of tobacco prevention strategies and the adoption of tobacco -free policies, as well as numerous tobacco prevention materials. Contact us to find out how we can partner with your organization to promote the tobacco - free messagel This newsletter is written and produced by Brittany McFadden, TFYR Director. 1 TFYR NEWS! PAGE 2 Throughout Minnesota, the nation, and the world, more and more outdoor places and indoor recreation venues are going smoke free. Here are some highlights: Beaches Cities on both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the U.S. are implementing smoke-free beach policies. In California, famous stretches of beach in Santa Monica, Venice, and Malibu are now smoke free. Nearly 34 miles of Los Angeles area beaches no longer allow smoking. Over a dozen New Jersey cities do not allow smoking on boardwalks or beaches, either. The smoke-free beach trend has spread to Australia as well. Sydney's Bondi and Manley beaches, as well as patrolled beaches in all of Queensland, are smoke free. Ski Resorts In September 2004, Maine's Black Mountain ski resort be- came the first ski area in the nation to completely prohibit the use of tobacco on its property. Black Mountain's manage- ment cited health and creating a positive environment for children and adults to recreate as reasons for enacting the policy. Hyland Ski & Snowboard Area (Bloomington, MN) and Buck Hill Ski Area (Burnsville, MN) have taken first steps to- wards being tobacco free by enacting policies that cover cer- tain times and areas of their facilities. Bowling Alleys As of March 31, 2005, allHennepin County, MN, bowling al- leys will be smoke free! In addition, some bowling alleys around Minnesota have voluntarily gone smoke free, including Sky- line Lanes in Hermantown and Recreation Lanes in Rochester. Many others are beginning to offer smoke-free family bowling during weekend hours. Public School Grounds The Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act (MCIAA) states that all public school buildings and all owned, rented, and leased facili- ties and vehicles must be tobacco free. In addition, nearly all Minnesota school districts have expanded on the MCIAA to include all school grounds and outdoor athletic facilities. While private schools are not included in the school portion of the MCIAA, some private schools have gone completely tobacco free as well. The Burnsville Sobriety High, an altemative school for students with chemical health issues, enacted a tobacco - free campus policy for the 2004-2005 school year. Edina and Maplewood Sobriety Highs became tobacco free on Janu- ary 1, 2005. Golf Courses This fall, the Minnesota cities of Edina and Golden Valley both enacted tobacco -free policies that include their city -owned golf courses. Their policies are among the best in the nation, joining others such as San Juan Oaks Golf Club in California in restricting tobacco use on the golf course itself. Way to go, Edina and Golden Valley! Zoos Zoos from around the U.S. are going smoke free to protect the health of both humans and animals. In Minnesota, Duluth's Lake Superior Zoo and Little Falls' Pine Grove Park Zoo have smoke-free policies for the zoo grounds. Examples from other states include the Sacramento Zoo, Bronx Zoo, Detroit Zoo, and Erie Zoo. Many other small zoos around the country have smoke-free policies for zoo property as well. Minnesota Coastal Cleanup Yields High Amounts of Cigarette Litter Each year, the International Coastal Cleanup engages people to remove trash from the world's beaches and waterways and to identify the sources of the litter. During the 2003 Cleanup, Minnesota volunteers collected 5,960 cigarettes and cigarette filters. In Minnesota, cigarettes were the #1 source of litter on Minnesota beaches and waterways, ac- counting for 50.3% of the total items collected, exceeding the international average. Globally, smoking-related debris accounted for 34% of the total collected items. Discarded cigarettes cause concern for several reasons: • Their harmful compounds pollute the land and water. • Toddlers, pets, fish, and birds may ingest cigarette butts. • Cigarette litter diminishes the beauty of public outdoor areas such as parks and beaches. • Clean-up of cigarette butts requires additional maintenance expenses. Tobacco -free policies for parks and beaches help elimin cigarette litter. On Bradley Beach in New Jersey, the Sprii.y 2004 annual beach clean-up yielded no cigarette butts because the city had adopted restrictions against smoking in 2003. TFYR NEWS! PAGE 3 U Fu`s 40 46 >s�' .. 416 4410 Metro Area A 40 GREATER MINNESOTA (40j Hoyt Lakes 24 Altkin I Crookston 13 International Falls 25 Aurora 2 Duluth 14 Kent 26 Austin 3 Eagle Lake 16 Luverne 27 Baxter 4 Elk River 60 Marshall 30 Biwablk 5 Eveleth 18 Monticello 31 Brainerd 7 Farlbault 19 Morris 32 Breckenridge 8 Fayal Township 20 Mountain Iron 33 Buhl 9 Fergus Falls 10 Norwood Young Cloquet 6 Grand Rapids 22 America 35 Cohasset 11 Hibbing 23 Owatonna 36 • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • • . • • • . • • • • • • • • . • • Mahtomedi WANT TO HELP PUT ; : YOUR COMMUNITY ON THE MAP? : Plymouth Champlin Ramsey Coon Rapids Contact TFYR to get started! Eagan Robbinsdale Eden Prairie Roseville Edina We've got everything you need: ; : training ; materials • quick answers to your questions ...all for free! Plus, we'll connect you with others in your community who are also working on this project! • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • METRO AREA (21 Anoka Mahtomedi Andover Maple Grove Bloomington New Brighton Brooklyn Center Plymouth Champlin Ramsey Coon Rapids Richfield Eagan Robbinsdale Eden Prairie Roseville Edina Saint Paul Golden Valley Savage Ifth- Shoreview Pelican Rapids 12 COUNTIES Prinsburg 38 1. Rock County Rochester 41 St. Cloud 43 Sartell 45 Spicer 48 Virginia 49 Willmar 50 Wolverton 59 Zimmerman 51 Communities with Strongest Tobacco -Free Park Policies in Minnesota Andover Anoka Austin Champlin Coon Rapids Eden Prairie Edina Golden Valley International Falls Luverne Maple Grove Marshall Monticello Morris New Brighton Pelican Rapids Plymouth Ramsey Robbinsdale Rock County Shoreview rw"Co - nm Yom RKCA"nom TFYR NEWS! PAGE 4 TFYR Materials Available 12" X 18" Metal Tobacco -Free Park Property Signs Here's how to get signs for free: 1. Contact TFYR for our model to- j" F!& bacco-free policy, sample policies, and A r tips on policy development. lbbsom Use is 2. Work with your community leaders on Th" to develop a policy that prohibits to- Park�4_ bacco use at all of your city's park prop- Tobacco -Free Park Sign erty. To ensure your policy qualifies for the signs, consult with TFYR staff. 3. Send a copy of the final, approved policy to TFYR, and let us know how many signs you'd like! Due to limited quanti- ties, a maximum of 100 signs is allowed per community. "This is a Tobacco -Free Facility" temporary lawn signs Does your community already have a tobacco -free park policy, but needs extra signs for specific events with high traffic? These 18" x 24" blue and orange plastic lawn signs are for you! Tobacco -Free Sports Posters: 1. "Improve Your Game ... Sports & Tobacco Don't Mix" (Multi -sport poster) 2. "Their Only Addiction is the Game" (WUSA women's soccer poster) Contact TFYR at 6r@ansrmn.org to receive FREE quantities of these materials! --------------------- www.owmn.org Association for Nonsmokers --Minnesota 2395 University Avenue West, Suite 310 St. Paul, Minnesota 55114 - 1512 Policy Publicity Spotlight: Anoka County, MN For the past year, Anoka County Tobacco -Free Communities nas been promoting tobacco -free parks and recreation. So far, four cities in Anoka County have adopted tobacco -free policies for their park and recreational areas: Andover, Anoka, Coon Rapids, and Ramsey. To help these communities T promote their Thankyou dor making our new policies, ®yparks tobacco Creel Anoka County Tobacco -Free M� Communities has created materials such as bookmarks describing the policy. The bookmarks are Anoka County Tobacco -Free Communities' being distrib- "Thank You" ad uted to community residents through mailings and community events. Articles and ads describing the new policies have also appeared in local newspapers. In addition, Anoka County Com- munity Health worked with staff in each city to develop a prd� implementation plan specific to that city. Pieces of the included signage, website and newsletter postings, etc. Anoka County's efforts will continue as members of Anoka County Tobacco -Free Communities work with community residents and organizations to further promote the tobacco -free policies and train youth to be leaders in these efforts. Also, athletic associa- tions that adopt tobacco -free policies of their own are eligible to receive gear items to promote the tobacco -free message. For more information, contact Rachel Hilyar, Tobacco Prevention Coordinator, at (763) 422-7282 or <rachel.hilyar@co.anoka.mn.us>. ----------------------- Edina Park & Recreation John Keprios 4801 w 50th St. Edina, MN 55424 NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Minneapolis, MN Permit No. 2985 14%4%4113140 %Z loll 11$lall l#1l11lgill 111111 — Existing Park Pathway 0 .25 .5 � 1 mile sca e SRF No. 0983117 City of Edina Transportation Plan Figure 10 March 1999 0 M,° Pedestrian/ Bicycle Facilities