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Home My WebLink About2023-10-17 City Council Work Session MinutesMINUTES OF THE EDINA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION COMMUNITY ROOM, CITY HALL TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2023 5:30 P.M. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Hovland called the meeting to order at 5:31 p.m. ROLL CALL Answering roll call were Members: Jackson, Pierce, Risser and Mayor Hovland Absent: Agnew Staff in attendance: Scott Neal, City Manager; Perry Vetter, Parks & Recreation Director; Rachel Finberg, Park Planner; Joe Abood, General Manager Braemar Golf; Tracy Petersen, Assistant Director Recreation and Facilities; Tom Swenson, Assistant Director – Parks & Natural Resources. BRAEMAR PARK MASTER PLAN: REVIEW AND COMMENT ON ENGAGEMENT DESIGN DEVELOPMENT Perry Vetter, Parks & Recreation Director, introduced the topic and provided an overview of Braemar Project History and Timeline from 2014 with the closure of the Fred Richards Golf Course, developing the Braemar Master Plan Design and Engagement, Local Options Sales Tax approval by the Legislatures and voters, and the current studies, community engagement on concept design and expansion of the referendum that is on the 2023 ballot. Rachel Finberg, Park Planner, reviewed the 2018 approved Master Plan trail investments for pedestrians, mountain biking and ski/snowshoe, natural resource stewardship, site improvements at trail heads, pickleball and accessibility; Courtney Fields improvements; and amendments to the studies of the Braemar Arena, Golf and Dome. Finberg reviewed the project process, which was currently in the schematic design phase, and said how this was the phase where Council and the community had major influence for relatively low costs. The next phase would be design and development where less influence was available. Ken Grieshaber, SRF Consulting Group, spoke about the trail design with shared use path, hiking and mountain biking, safety designs, accessible surfaces, wayfinding signage, minimal maintenance, designs to make the mountain bike trail more interesting and challenging based on community engagement, and more. Grieshaber spoke about minor impacts to the wetland area, removing buckthorn and natural resource restorations. Council asked questions and provided feedback. BRAEMAR GOLF OPERATIONAL UPDATE Joe Abood, General Manager for Braemar Golf, spoke about the rapid pace of growth at Braemar Golf Course and how to make improvements as they were reaching maximum capacity. He said they were conducting several studies to evaluate the clubhouse and options at the Golf Dome including parking, building access, and food and beverage services. Abood said the objective was to offer a premier golfing experience that produces a financially self-sufficient golf enterprise and spoke about the six improvement goals. He said narrowing the scope of the operation meant eliminating the Fred and moving these customers to Braemar. He spoke about investment improvements that started in 2015 including outsourcing ancillary services by leasing space to a restaurant; improved customer service by hiring golf professionals as City employees rather than independent contractors; natural resource improvements with Audubon International certification, one of three certifications in the area; modification to prices and discounts, a Player’s Club membership, and more. Abood reviewed total operating revenue and said how revenue had nearly doubled. He spoke about the Golf Dome revenue and how net operating income was a loss for many years but with improvements, profits were increasing. He said there had been exponential growth since reopening the Golf Course in 2019 and spoke about weekly access and league scheduling challenges. Finberg spoke about the Courtney Fields improvements to add lighting and a neighborhood playground, adding snowshoeing to the ski trails system, and conducting a pickleball survey to determine size, parking, and more. Council asked questions and provided feedback. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Hovland adjourned the meeting at 6:43 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ____________________________________________ Sharon Allison, City Clerk Minutes approved by the Edina City Council, November 8, 2023. ___________________________________________ James B. Hovland, Mayor Sharon Allison (Nov 20, 2023 08:32 CST)