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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-05-13 Park Board Minutes 1 EDINA PARK BOARD 7:30 p.m. May 13, 1997 ____________________________ MEMBERS PRESENT: Beth Hall, Dave Crowther, Andy Herring, Michael Burley, John Dovolis, Bill Jenkins, Phyllis, Kohler, Andrew Montgomery, Jean Rydell MEMBERS ABSENT: Becky Bennett STAFF PRESENT: John Keprios, Ed MacHolda, Janet Canton, Susan Weigle, John Valliere OTHERS PRESENT: Jane Michael, Kay Bach, Gayle Crow, Catherine Mulholland, Mary Jackson, Marti Nelson, Tom Chochrek, Lila Larson, Harold Larson, Jeanne Fish, Helen Honmyhr, Glenda Corrigan, Tom Asp, Torrey Asp, Kim Sannerud, Pam Cabalka, Kate Donnelly Schenider, Jane Hesslein, Larry Leistiko ___________________________ I. APPROVAL OF THE APRIL 8, 1997 PARK BOARD MINUTES Bill Jenkins MOVED TO APPROVE THE APRIL 8, 1997 PARK BOARD MINUTES. Jean Rydell SECONDED THE MOTION. MINUTES APPROVED. II. SPIKELESS GOLF SHOES - BRAEMAR AND FRED RICHARDS GOLF COURSES. Mr. Keprios indicated that staff would like a recommendation from the Park Board to go ahead and implement the spikeless golf shoe proposal at both Braemar Golf Course and the Fred Richards Golf Course effective the beginning of the 1998 golf season. This way it would allow staff a full year to inform their customers and give them enough warning to have spikeless shoes. Mr. Keprios pointed out that as you will notice from the staff report, spike golf shoes do cause a lot of harm, especially on public golf courses that receive a high volume of play. He stated that a lot of golf courses have already implemented this policy. Mr. Valliere passed around samples of both the stainless steel spikes as well as the new soft spikes. Mr. Valliere explained to the Park Board how the steel spikes tend to tear up the greens and also pointed out that according to the rules spike marks cannot be repaired, 2 therefore, when a putt is towards the cup it tends to be deviated by spike marks. The soft spikes, however, do not seem to do that kind of damage to the greens. Mr. Keprios stated that one down side is the possibility of golfers losing their footing in wet conditions, which can result in falls. Mr. Valliere commented that last year signs were placed at Braemar Golf Course which indicated they highly advocate the use of the spikeless golf shoes. Therefore, in 1998 they would like to move to the next step and say that our golf facilities are spikeless facilities. However, if someone shows up with spikes they will encourage them to use soft shoes, they will not flat out prohibit someone from playing. It was noted that at this time they are asking for approval to move in that direction. Mr. Fee indicated that he is in agreement with Mr. Valliere but has a couple of comments. First, there is a liability issue involved in this and noted that at the Edina Country Club they are talking about having signs posted that indicate some areas are slippery when it’s wet. Also, from a legal standpoint they indicated that they banned the spike shoes but didn’t say you had to wear soft spike shoes. However, if something were to happen he doesn’t know how much that will protect you. Mr. Dovolis commented that he agrees posting signs is very important Mr. Fee brought up the point that there have also been a tremendous amount of lawsuits with spike shoes with people falling or slipping on the tile, carpeting, etc. He stated that lawsuits are going to happen regardless of which spikes are used. Mr. Herring asked Mr. Valliere if they will sell soft spikes as well as install them. Mr. Valliere replied they will sell them as well as replace them for a nominal fee and possibly have a promotion day or two at reduced rates. Mr. Fee MOVED THAT PARK BOARD ACCEPT STAFF’S RECOMMENDATION TO BAN METAL SPIKES FROM THE CITY GOLF COURSES AND THAT STAFF MAKE SURE THAT THEY LOOK INTO THE APPROPRIATE DISCLOSURE AND DISCLAIMER RELATIVE TO THE SOFT SPIKES EFFECTIVE NEXT SEASON. John Dovolis SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. III. SENIOR CITIZEN CENTER PROPOSAL Mr. Keprios gave a presentation on the Senior Center proposal. After the presentation he indicated that staff would like the Park Board to make a proposal to the City Council to adopt in concept the joint venture with the YMCA. Mr. Keprios explained the plan would be to fund it through revenue bonds if approved by the City Council. The revenue bonds would be backed by liquor store profits and, if those profits fall short, it would be picked up by the general fund. Mr. Keprios indicated that he is not asking at this time for the approval of the purchasing or spending vehicle but is asking for the adoption of the senior center venture with the YMCA in concept. 3 Mr. Dovolis asked Ms. Weigle how the senior citizen group feels about this joint venture. Ms. Weigle replied that the Senior Advisory Council is here tonight and they are 100% in favor of some sort of move because there is a whole segment of the population that is not being served. Mr. Burley asked how many participants are there with the Edina Senior Center and it was noted there are currently 1,600 members but how many people actually participate varies from day to day. Mr. Montgomery asked how the move would impact Community Education. Ms. Weigle explained that Community Education would come with them as far as their classes are concerned. However, the YMCA has asked that there be an agreement that any type of exercise or physical fitness classes would be done through the YMCA. Ms. Hall asked if the YMCA is planning on staying at that location for a long time. Mr. Keprios indicated that currently the YMCA is proposing to do their own fund raiser to add on an additional pool, some gymnasium space as well as meeting rooms. Therefore, they are planning on staying at that location for a long time. Ms. Weigle pointed out they did a study of the surrounding community senior centers and Edina does fall short as far as facilities. Programs, however, they match up pretty well. Ms. Rydell indicated that her only concern is that the Edina Senior Center is going to lose its identity and become part of the YMCA. Mr. Fee asked if the Edina Senior Center name would be on the building. Ms. Weigle commented that one of the issues talked about with the YMCA was they would not use the city name and they would not use YMCA, it would have a name of its own. Ms. Hall asked why they are against using the word Edina and Ms. Weigle explained it’s not using the word “Edina” but using “City of Edina”. Mr. Burley asked if there is an option to do a stand alone building and it was noted that a free standing building would cost considerably more and would also change the City's responsibility for ongoing maintenance expenses. Ms. Weigle indicated that what is appealing to the majority is the location, it’s on the bus line and on the ground floor, as well as the YMCA would do all of the maintenance. Mr. Burley asked why is the YMCA so motivated to have us involved, are they hoping to get more members. Ms. Weigle responded she thinks that is part of it and they are looking to the future because she thinks they see baby boomers becoming a huge senior population. Mr. Keprios added that it would also add to their expansion and they would have access to the senior square footage after the senior center is closed for the day. Mr. Herring indicated that the last information he had was of a survey of the Edina Senior Center and they gave the senior center a very high mark. Ms. Rydell commented that she thinks the Senior Center has always had very high mark, it’s the location of the building and she can understand the third floor being a problem. Ms. Weigle added that it’s not only the location being on the third floor but also the parking lot is a huge problem. 4 Mr. Montgomery asked Mr. Keprios what will be left of Yorktown Park because he is concerned about the softball diamond. Mr. Keprios explained that the tennis courts are gone. However, they may still be able to have a youth ball field but it will not be enough space for an adult field. Mr. Montgomery asked if there would be enough space for a soccer field and Mr. Keprios replied he will look into that. Ms. Hall asked if it would be possible to watch over the 43 spaces at the YMCA for just the Senior Center. Ms. Weigle noted that most of the seniors are gone by 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and the YMCA’s busiest programs are from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Ms. Weigle also commented that 43 spaces wouldn’t be enough but it is more than the 16 they currently have. Ms. Kohler pointed out that the YMCA is in the Richfield School District so you might have to program with Richfield’s Community Education and not the Edina School Districts. Ms. Bach indicated that she thinks a free standing building with tons of parking would be everyone’s first choice, however, that does not appear to be doable at this time. Mr. Burley stated that he is a little uncomfortable with the arrangement at the YMCA because in his experience with the YMCA is it is not that well run of a facility and he worries about kids getting into the Senior Center. Mr. Burley asked is there some way to guarantee that the senior citizen items will be protected because in his opinion there is not enough employees at the YMCA to watch everything. Mr. Montgomery asked is the intent of the motion now to approve the concept or continue discussions and look at some of the things that Mr. Burley is concerned about. Mr. Keprios replied that if the Park Board does not want to approve this in concept then staff would like to know what other recommendations the Park Board might have in mind. Mr. Fee asked Ms. Weigle if she is in favor of this and whether or not she thinks this is the best alternative. Ms. Weigle replied she is very much in favor of this and if they cannot have their own free standing building then yes, this is the best alternative. Mr. Fee asked Ms. Weigle how long she has been the Director of the Senior Center and she replied for 19 years. Mr. Dovolis asked if this would be a lease with the YMCA and Mr. Keprios replied it would be a legal written agreement in which the City would own its parcel of land on which the senior center rests. Mr. Dovolis asked what happens if all of a sudden there are issues and you need more than 43 parking spaces, etc. He indicated that to him there is a lot of down he can see. Maybe this is the best alternative, however, if you tie it into some sort of a long-term agreement and the program continues to grow and we are tied into a shortage of parking, we may not be looking down the road far enough. Mr. Keprios commented that one of the issues raised in the presentation is the potential disadvantage 5 of what if you run into a divorce situation where the agreement we find out wasn’t ideal like we were hoping it would be is a risk we are taking. Mr. Dovolis commented what if all of a sudden there is a change in the manager of the YMCA and all of a sudden it ends up a controversial relationship, or a change of employees, whatever. Mr. Crowther asked what the time frame is projected on this project because it seems like there is some urgency all of a sudden. Mr. Keprios replied there really is no deadline, however, the seniors have been very, very patient in asking us to come up with a plan. We have researched a lot of options and this is the best option we’ve been able to come up with so far. Mr. Herring asked if there is any real property that’s going to change hands in this deal. Mr. Herring asked if the proposal then is to leave the ownership so the city will own the parking lot and the YMCA will own the building. Mr. Keprios stated that the city will own the property that the senior center sits on and it might be the case that we are going to give up some of our land to accommodate the YMCA’s expansion. Mr. Herring stated that he would like to know what the proposal is because it does look there will be some property exchange. Mr. Keprios noted that he will look into that. Mr. Herring again stated that the last information he had regarding the senior center was very positive feedback with respect to the existing senior center. He noted that the space is currently available and is being used and he thinks it’s a good environment. Mr. Herring stated that he does understand the concerns with the third floor and he is trying to weigh the things about the community center that are not as good as spending 1.1 million dollars in building a new facility. Mr. Herring commented that he does like the idea of a joint venture with the YMCA but he does have some concerns. Mr. Burley MOVED THAT THE PARK BOARD TABLE THE ISSUE UNTIL THERE IS MORE INFORMATION AVAILABLE. John Dovolis SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY TO TABLE THE ISSUE UNTIL THE JUNE 10TH PARK BOARD MEETING. IV. TODD PARK MASTER PLAN Mr. Keprios indicated that recently there was a meeting with the Todd Park neighborhood residents regarding the master plan. It was noted that there was no one in attendance at the Park Board meeting from the Todd Park neighborhood. Therefore, Dave Crowther MOVED TO ACCEPT THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION FOR TODD PARK. Beth Hall SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. V. HEIGHTS PARK MASTER PLAN Mr. Keprios gave a presentation to the Park Board on Heights Park. 6 Mr. Montgomery indicated that he walked around the park and he agrees where the revised location of the basketball court is proposed to go does make sense. He commented that seems to be the only controversial issue with this neighborhood park. John Dovolis MOVED TO APPROVE STAFF’S RECOMMENDATION FOR THE HEIGHTS PARK MASTER PLAN. Andy Herring SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. A resident asked if the park benches could be moved and Mr. Keprios replied they can do that. A resident asked what the possibility would be of putting in an ice rink. Mr. Keprios indicated that there used to be a rink flooded at Heights Park approximately 8 or 9 years ago and no one ever skated there. Also, it is an extreme maintenance cost in flooding a rink. A resident pointed out that he would advise increasing the size of the Normandale skating rink because it is not that far away and there is a warming house there. Mr. Keprios indicated that they hope to regrade and enlarge the Normandale Park general skating area this fall. VI. WALNUT RIDGE PARK MASTER PLAN Mr. Keprios gave a presentation to the Park Board on the Walnut Ridge Master Plan. He indicated that over 200 notices were sent out to the Walnut Ridge Park neighborhood. Mr. Keprios indicated that a lot of the residents have asked how important is it to move the hockey rink. He explained that one of the problems with the current location of the existing building is we have to create a flooded area across that pathway which creates a slippery hazard for those who walk the path in the winter. He stated that some rubber surfacing could be put across the area but that isn’t always the best alternative. Also, for access to utilities, access to sewer, water, electricity and access to maintenance from the parking lot it makes the most sense to move the shelter building. Mr. Keprios also pointed out that more lighting is needed for the general skating area. He stated that the main reason for relocating the skating rink is to create the best location for the shelter building. Mr. Keprios explained that the current hockey rink is either 7 or 8 years old and we try to replace the hockey rinks on a 10 to 11 year schedule. Therefore, we could get two or three more years out of this hockey rink if we really needed to. However, if we built a new rink we might be able to salvage some of material from the current rink A resident asked what the additional cost would be to put asphalt in the hockey rink and Mr. Keprios replied it cost approximately $20,000. A resident asked if the rink would have a view from the parking lot itself because a lot of parents sit and wait for their kids. Mr. Keprios replied there would be very little view. 7 He explained that part of the reason for placing the rink where it’s proposed is we want to keep it far enough away from the building to avoid hockey pucks The residents asked Mr. Keprios to show them different aspects of the hockey rink, general skating rink and warming house. Mr. Montgomery indicated that he has a concern in that do we need to relocate the hockey rink at this time because it looks like it’s still in fairly good condition. He asked whether the house could be put in such a position that you don’t have to take down the existing hockey rink Glenda Corrigan, resident, indicated that her house backs right up to the park and she is not quite sure where the new shelter building is going to be located. She also stated that she doesn’t know why they have to move it other than Mr. Keprios indicated that it’s dangerous where the ice currently is. Mr. Keprios pointed out on the map where they are looking at placing the warming house and Ms. Corrigan asked if it could moved a little bit. Mr. Keprios replied that the new shelter building could be placed in a location that would not require relocating the hockey rink, however, that would require a longer utility run, which is a lot of money and it would not be his recommendation. A resident stated that one of the nice things about Walnut Ridge Park is that it’s very wide and open and if the hockey rink is moved it will block the view from the park across the path to the wetland, which is full of birds nesting and the view is gorgeous. Therefore, you are in effect putting up boards and you are separating this kind expansive wilderness that currently is only separated by a few feet of asphalt and that concerns her. Kate Donelly-Schneider, resident, indicated that what she is not understanding is what is the cost of water and sewer that effects this and is it worth breaking up the beauty of the park. Mr. Dovolis indicated that when it comes to sewer and water if you are lengthening it in any way, it’s a major expense compared to moving a hockey rink. Mr. Keprios indicated that everyone makes excellent points and it’s the staffs proposal to kill a couple of birds with one stone. Mr. Keprios pointed out that they had an architect look at the park who, without knowing the history of the park, proposed the location of the building, which would require relocation of the hockey rink. A resident stated that they all feel very, very strongly about keeping the activities confined to a certain area for a certain part of the year. Mr. Montgomery stated that he would like to get more involved in this issue and the Park Board needs to put some more thought into it. John Dovolis MOVED TO TABLE THE WALNUT RIDGE PARK MASTER PLAN. Andrew Herring SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 8 It was noted that the Walnut Ridge Master Park Plan issue will be on the June 10th Park Board Agenda. Mr. Keprios stated that what he thinks he is hearing from the Walnut Ridge neighborhood is that they are okay with all that is proposed with the exception of the hard surface area and the relocation of the hockey rink. VII. PARK REFERENDUM UPDATE Mr. Keprios pointed out to the Park Board that the City Council just approved $479,000 worth of playground equipment. Mr. Keprios indicated that we originally had hoped to save ourselves some money by doing a lot of the concrete ring work ourselves. However, we are not meeting a lot of expectations because when people see construction that want it done now. Therefore, we have since decided we are going to contract out a lot more than we were originally hoping. In some cases, the community is wanting to see quicker progress. Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that the playground equipment is in at Countryside Park. Mr. Herring questioned the current status of the referendum budget. Mr. Keprios stated that he would have a written update in time for the June Park Board meeting. Mr. Montgomery asked what is status with the baseball fields at Countryside Park and Garden Park. Mr. Keprios indicated that six weeks ago there was a meeting with Jon Edwards, Jim Donohue, Ed MacHolda, Vince Cockriel, Wayne Houle and himself. The Baseball Association was told six weeks ago that our goal is to get it done by the first week of May but you better bank on May 15th to have everything done. For Garden Park it will be June 15th. Mr. Keprios stated that we are going to make the deadline for May 15th for Countryside and we are going to be ready earlier than June 15th for Garden Park. Mr. Montgomery asked what the status is with the Courtney Baseball Fields Complex and Mr. Keprios replied that Wayne Houle assures him that we will have bids in hand by the middle of June which means it will be awarded in plenty of time for them to have their trucks out there that third week in July like we promised. Mr. Keprios indicated that he is looking for a volunteer or two to meet with him regarding priority use of public facilities. He stated that he is studying a policy that’s been adopted by the City of Eden Prairie with regards to their facilities. He noted that it is 8 pages long and he is working on revisions that best meet our needs. Mr. Herring and Mr. Montgomery indicated they would help Mr. Keprios with the project. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Dave Crowther MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 9:20 P.M. John Dovolis SECONDED THE MOTION. MEETING ADJOURNED.