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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-03-14 Park Board Minutes 1 EDINA PARK BOARD 7:30 P.M. COUNCIL CHAMBERS MARCH 14, 2000 ______________________________ MEMBERS PRESENT: Tom White, Dave Fredlund, Chuck Mooty, Floyd Grabiel, Karla Sitek, George Klus, Andy Finsness, Scot Housh, John Murrin, Andy Herring, Linda Presthus STAFF PRESENT: John Keprios, Ed MacHolda, Janet Canton OTHERS PRESENT: Mike Kojetin, Bob Kojetin, Tish Crane, Chris Halden, Paul Meehl, Liz Nordstrom, Mary Peterson, Ralph Peterson, Carl Gulbronson, Duane Nordstrom, Andrew Peterson, K.C. Olson, Tim Hohn, David Olson, Pete Anderson, Adam Arvidson, Del Miller ______________________________ I. ELECTION OF OFFICERS Mr. Keprios opened up the floor for nominations for Park Board Chair. Chuck Mooty NOMINATED ANDY HERRING AS RENEWING HIS POSITION AS PARK BOARD CHAIR. JOHN MURRIN SECONDED. Mr. Herring commented that he would be happy to do it but wanted everyone to be aware that he has been given the opportunity to participate in a management program which will take him out of town for nine weeks. Therefore, he will miss the next two meetings and with his travel schedule he can’t promise that he won’t miss another meeting. Chuck Mooty MOVED TO CLOSE NOMINATIONS. Dave Fredlund SECONDED. ANDY HERRING WAS VOTED IN AS CHAIR . Mr. Keprios opened up the floor for Park Board Vice-Chair. John Murrin MOVED TO NOMINATE GEORGE KLUS. Andy Herring MOVED TO NOMINATE TOM WHITE. Chuck Mooty MOVED TO CLOSE NOMINATIONS. Andy Herring SECONDED. Paper ballots were handed out and results were counted by staff. TOM WHITE WAS VOTED IN AS VICE-CHAIR. II. CITY/SCHOOL REFERENDUM UPDATE 2 Mr. Keprios explained that at the last meeting with the School Board and City Council there was some very good discussion. The meeting left off where the City would send a memorandum of understanding to the school district regarding the operational expenses, priority access to facilities, construction management and ownership. Decision Resources will be surveying approximately 400 households and they are currently in the middle of that process. There was also discussion of what will and will not be in the referendum as well as looking at the feasibility of building a dome. He noted that is currently being studied by Anderson/Johnson Architects and they should have the results on the facts and figures in a report by early next week. Mr. Keprios indicated that he was asked to attend a meeting with the president of the Edina Swim Club, the Swim Club Coach and Edina School swim coaches. He noted that Tim Moody, President of the Edina Swim Club, made it very clear that they will support this initiative only if an additional pool is added on to Valley View. They indicated that if an additional pool is not built it doesn’t gain them any additional pool time. Mr. Moody stated that the Edina Swim Club will not support a plan that simply renovates the existing pools in the middle schools and does not add more available pool time. Mr. Keprios stated that the City Council has also indicated that they will not make a decision on the proposal until hearing the results of the survey by Decision Resources and more information from the School District with regard to the memo of understanding. Depending on the timing of the results of the survey, the vote may have to be delayed until the fall. Mr. Klus asked when the results from the survey will be in. Mr. Keprios responded that they should have the results by the April 4th City Council meeting. Mr. Mooty indicated that realistically there is no way a referendum could be put to vote by this May. He noted that currently there are so many moving parts to this that residents don’t know yet if they are in favor or not because no one knows exactly what’s involved at this time. Mr. Mooty stated that he feels realistically fall is going to be the earliest that it’s going to be able to get done. III. APPROVAL OF THE FEBRUARY 9, 2000 PARK BOARD MINUTES George Klus MOVED TO APPROVE THE FEBRUARY 9, 2000 PARK BOARD MINUTES. John Murrin SECONDED THE MOTION. MINUTES APPROVED. IV. SKATE PARK Mr. Keprios explained that he and Mr. MacHolda met with KC Olson and Andrew Peterson to discuss the possibility of building a skate park. Mr. Keprios indicated that there are no two skate parks that are the same. He noted that the consensus from the two young gentlemen and their parents is their interest right now lies with having a supervised, pay as you go facility. Mr. Keprios stated that there is a lot of leg work that needs to be done once they get further into the process. 3 Mr. Olson informed the Park Board that a skate park would be the answer to a lot of problems. First, whenever they go skateboarding or rollerblading in a public area they always get kicked out such as sidewalks, parking ramps, etc. Secondly, not all kids play sports all year and they need something else to do. Thirdly, the local skate parks are few and far between except for the one in Minneapolis on Lake Street, which is a not real safe area to drop a kid off at. Therefore, Edina needs a skate park. Mr. Olson indicated that there is a skate park company for people who are interested in purchasing ramps, rails, etc. to build a tier 1 skate park as well as a tier 2 skate park. Mr. Murrin commented that he thinks the skate parks look like they could be dangerous and kids could get hurt. Mr. Olson explained that the tier 2 ramps are over three feet and need to have adult supervision whereas the tier 1 ramps are under three feet and there does not need to be supervision. Mr. Murrin indicated that just because someone is supervising doesn’t necessarily prevent a kid from making a wrong turn and really hurting themselves. Mr. Peterson stated that there are always going to be accidents in every sport whether it’s hockey, baseball, football, etc. Mr. Murrin asked if they feel this is any more dangerous than any of those other sports. Mr. Peterson replied that for sports like football and hockey they wear protective gear which are also worn at the skate parks. Mr. Murrin asked with protective gear does that help to keep high risk injuries to a minimal amount. Mr. Peterson responded that protective gears does help to reduce injuries but you can’s always prevent injuries. He also stated that all participants at skate parks have to sign waivers indicating that they know there is serious risk of serious injury and they are taking responsibility for themselves. Mr. Housh asked what kind of a demand is there for a skate park. Mr. Peterson pointed out that they have started a petition and there are a lot of kids interested and the demand is there. Mr. Keprios indicated that they had a wonderful meeting with these two young gentlemen and he really applauds them for being here. He said that these are a couple of great kids. He noted that some of the ideas that he put in his staff report are to fence in the area around the golf dome. At this location there are restrooms available, a telephone and concessions area. Another idea is to fence in an area at the Braemar Arena parking lot. Also, another possibility would be to look into a joint venture with the YMCA. The City of Edina owns Yorktown Park which is right next to the YMCA. Mr. Keprios pointed out that this is an age group that likes high risk activities and not all kids are into team sport activities. Mr. Keprios noted that he likes the idea of having an unsupervised, very low risk skate park made of concrete where kids can show up and use it at their own risk, unsupervised, at any time. He indicated that the kids thought it was a good idea but are concerned that they might get bored with a tier 1 after awhile. However, looking at the plus side there would be very little operating expense and very little insurance premium expense. Mr. Keprios indicated that another idea is to use a tennis court, take down the nets and declare 4 it as a skate park for the summer. They also talked about not putting in ice at Braemar Arena on the third sheet for the summer and just absorb the cost for that operating expense and have that be the supervised indoor area. Mr. Herring asked how big of an area is needed for this and asked if it can be concrete and/or asphalt. Mr. Olson replied that asphalt is okay but when it gets really hot it gets soft and sticky and it’s hard to skate on, therefore, if you have the right temperature it’s fine but otherwise, no. Mr. Herring commented that he thinks the golf dome is a great idea because it’s not used in the summer months and all of the amenities are there to support it, however, the one down side is it’s asphalt. Mr. Keprios indicated that there is always the possibility that with adequate funding it could be converted to concrete. Mr. Klus indicated he likes the idea of having a joint venture with the YMCA. He noted that if a skate park is developed it will probably be a tier 1 and over time kids are going to want a tier 2 skate park. Therefore, if the YMCA worked with us it would be a way to provide supervision as well as have a cost savings. Mr. Herring asked if possibly other cities would be interested in doing this such as Richfield and Bloomington and have it be more of a regional opportunity. Mr. Keprios responded that is something they can definitely look into. Carl Gulbronson, Edina resident, indicated that he has been skateboarding for 36 years and has been roller blading for the last 12 years and he supports these young gentlemen’s efforts to develop some aspect of a skate park anywhere in Edina. He stated that areas that are nice for skate boarding and rollerblading are generally in public areas where people don’t want them to be, such as the Aquatic Center. Mr. Gulbronson noted that as a parent he would support a plan for developing a tier 1, unsupervised, skate park. He also commented that in his opinion the incidence of serious injury is probably lower than there is with hockey or football. He stated that football has the highest level of injuries in any sport. Mr. Gulbronson pointed out that from an adult perspective there are other people out there like him who may have toned down their rollerblading or skateboarding to circles around Lake Harriet or on city streets. He noted in his opinion traffic in the neighborhoods is getting worse and that tends to be very dangerous as well. Tish Crane, resident, indicated that she has talked to Mr. Keprios about a skate park in the past. She explained how her family would go to Golden Valley where there was a rotating skate park that went to different cities and asked Mr. Keprios how Edina could get one of these. She noted that within the month this skate park was in Golden Valley her family ventured there at least 8 to 10 times. She pointed out that it was supervised by one adult and there were very specific rules, such as you had to sign a waiver, wear all of the pads and a helmet. She indicated that it cost about $4.00 per hour and was always crowded. Ms. Crane commented that the Park Board should really listen to these young gentlemen because there is not a lot for this age group to do unless they are in organized sports during the summer months. She noted that these kids are still going to be skateboarding and rollerblading in most places where people don’t want them to be doing 5 that. Mr. Crane stated that in her neighborhood they have built four ramps in which one is 12 feet high and they have never had any injuries. She also noted that the kids always wear protective gear. Mr. Keprios indicated that he remembers when Ms. Crane approached him about the traveling ramp and he did look into it. At that time, however, there was no funding available because they had to have money to up-front to pay the private skate park provider. Mr. Keprios pointed out that the traveling group has since gone out of business because it’s very expensive due to insurance premiums and staffing costs. There was not enough profit margin for the private firm to continue. Liz Nordstrom, resident, indicated that she has a 9 year-old and a 5 year-old and they have experienced a skateboard park in another city and her kids were there every moment she would take them. She commented that they also have their own makeshift skateboard ramp in their driveway and would truly like to see the city put one in because when the kids come the driveway, off the ramp, into the street it can be very dangerous. She noted that it’s not just the kids who are using these, it’s people from age 5 to 45 that would utilize it. She noted that there is some very strong support for this and she would like to see it happen. Mr. White asked what it happening with the gun range site. Mr. Keprios responded that they are going to wait for one last legislative session to see if the dollars will become available to build a fire/police training facility, so that land may be available. Mr. Grabiel indicated that he likes the idea of a skate park and his first reaction was to put it someplace over by Braemar so that it’s out of the way. But he really likes the idea of working with the YMCA, Bloomington and Richfield. Ms. Sitek stated that she agrees, the city lacks activities for the pre-teen to early non- driving teen age group and this would be a very good activity for them. George Klus MOVED THAT THE STAFF LOOK INTO RANKING SOME OF THE OPTIONS FOR A SKATE PARK THAT COULD BE PUT IN THE CITY AND BRING THAT INFORMATION BACK TO THE PARK BOARD WITHIN THE NEXT 60 DAYS. Mr. Keprios indicated that he would like to know a little more as to what the Park Board is looking for such as a tier 1 or tier 2, supervised or unsupervised, or just look at all of the options. Mr. Klus commented that his concern is that a tier 1 would get old quickly. Mr. White commented that they should spend money on what the kids want. Floyd Grabiel SECONDED THE MOTION. 6 MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Mr. Herring thanked everyone who attended the meeting and provided input and noted they will let everyone know when this item will be back on the agenda. Mr. Olson suggested have a small tier 1 for the younger kids and small tier 2 for the older kids and that way no one would get bored. V. LEWIS PARK BANDY RINK - AMERICAN BANDY ASSOCIATION Paul Meehl, City of Savage resident, indicated that he has been in contact with Mr. Keprios and Mr. MacHolda for a number of years regarding the bandy rink at Lewis Park. He stated that the bandy group hasn’t done the best job of reminding the city that they appreciate all of the work they do each year. He noted that after they use it in February they forget about it until the next fall when they usually have a conversation about two weeks before the season starts whether there will be a bandy rink or not. He noted that they get all worked up and ask how can you talk about losing the rinks when they haven’t done anything about it in the last 8 months and therefore, he apologizes for that and that is what has brought them here tonight. Mr. Meehl stated that they really do appreciate the facility and knows that it’s not all Edina residents who use it and that economically he doesn’t know all of the details. He pointed out that the bandy program is very unique in that it is the only one of its kind in the whole continent and outside of the Scandinavia countries and Russia. He explained that at its peak there were about 300 to 400 participants in the program. Mr. Meehl stated there is talk about replacing the bandy rink with a high quality soccer facility and that is a great thing too. He noted they have done some research and have looked at different sites for a bandy rink but because there are 300 players spread around 35 different cities, it’s pretty tough for any one of them to go to any one town. Mr. Meehl commented that they are clinging to Lewis Park as their home and with all natural ice their program is really in jeopardy. Therefore, they are here to ask the Park Board to look outside their normal frames of vision for city projects. If you look within your normal frames of deciding what facilities to keep and what facilities not to and you look at the residents use, cost effectiveness, how many weeks of the year are used, bandy would lose. He indicated that they would like the Park Board to look at things like the uniqueness given that the program is one of a kind in the country. Because of Lewis Park hundreds of people have had the opportunity to play international bandy and there are almost 200 kids coming into the program now that are going to have those opportunities as long as the program continues. Mr. Meehl pointed out that without a cost effective place to play with natural ice like Lewis Park, they are in pretty rough shape. He noted that they have to pay around $250.00 an hour for oval bandy rink in Roseville. Mr. Herring asked how much is the oval to which Mr. MacHolda responded they charge $250.00 including referees whereas Edina charges $120.00 an hour. 7 Mr. Meehl commented that he hopes there is a way, should the soccer facility be approved and budgeted for, to keep both sports. He indicated that he understands the pressure from the soccer side and that it’s not realistic to expect you to set aside this area for 6 to 8 weeks a year in a lieu of a facility that would be used 6 to 10 months a year. He indicated that he hopes the surface can be used for both ice and grass. Bob Kojetin, resident, gave a history of bandy and how he brought the sport to the United States in 1976. He introduced softball to the Soviet Union and they in turn introduced bandy to the United States. He explained that he thought this would be an opportunity to give youngsters more time on the ice. Mr. Kojetin noted that the sport of bandy has grown in the Scandinavian countries and the Soviet Union. Mr. Kojetin indicated that it took a lot of promoting and the bandy program was started in 1980. Mr. Kojetin explained that a lot of people asked him why he promoted the sport because it’s expensive and uses a large sheet of ice. He noted that his response to those people was there is a group of people out there who want to do other things and indicated that a lot of people at that time were not using the outdoor rinks. And needed something to bring the kids back to the outdoor ice. Mr. Kojetin indicated that at that time Lewis Park was starting its construction. He pointed out that Lewis Park was always looked at as a soccer facility but at that time kids weren’t playing soccer and he literally had to call people to get them out to play soccer. Mr. Kojetin pointed out that soccer was a dead sport for 50 years in this country and it has only exploded in the last 25 years. Mr. Kojetin indicated that he thinks the area can be used for both soccer and bandy and that there is a lot information out there on what could be used for the surface. He explained that almost all of the small communities in Europe use the same area, which is like a grass surface with sand in it, for both soccer and bandy. Mr. Kojetin noted that the staff has looked at some kind of dual surface in the past and realizes that the most parents want their kids to play on grass and not an artificial surface. Mr. Kojetin informed the Park Board that the soil at Lewis Park is very, very poor and there is a sink hole. He indicated that they have put tons and tons of sand in there and it just keeps sinking away. He noted that originally they put irrigation out there but had to eventually take it out because it had settled so much. Mr. Kojetin again stated that he would like to see some type of a dual purpose surfacing out there so that both sports could be played there. Mr. Kojetin pointed out that even though a lot of the participants do not live in Edina they did grow up in Edina and they always come back and want to play in Edina. Chris Halden, Minnetonka resident, indicated that he has been with the bandy program for 18 years. He indicated that there is a lot of culture at Lewis Park with the bandy rink, and if it’s ever taken out, it will do some real damage to Edina. Mr. Halden stated that two years ago there was this same discussion and the local neighborhood stepped up and said they wanted to keep the bandy rink. He noted that they have never created any problems and have just gone about their business very quietly and never really asked for 8 much other than a place to play and they are charged $2,000. He noted that they basically run the program themselves. Mr. Halden explained that bandy has done a lot of good things for the community, they’ve had the soviet national teams here and the world championship here. He stated that they played at the World Cup in Russia last year and it was on national television with 20,000 people at the game. Mr. Halden noted that not everyone in Edina knows about bandy because they haven’t really promoted it and that’s the Bandy Associations fault. However, they have worked really hard to keep it going and Edina should be proud of the accomplishments they’ve had. He stated that it would be a real mistake to eliminate it because it’s something that’s very unique in the United States. Therefore, he feels Edina should continue to support the program. Mike Kojetin, Eagan resident, asked if the Bandy Association could be informed of what the Park Board’s thoughts are in the future as well as be informed of any meetings where this issue would be brought up. Pete Anderson, President of the Edina Soccer Association, indicated that the Edina Soccer Association (ESA) has over 2,500 participants in their house program, which does not include the traveling program. He informed the Park Board that for the first time they are going to have to deny participation to some children who want to play because they are constrained in terms of facilities that are available for soccer games. He explained that the Under 6 age group will play at Lewis Park this year, that means 600 to 700 children of Edina residents will be playing each week at Lewis Park. Mr. Anderson indicated that in talking with members of the staff in the past it’s impossible to grow grass on that area primarily because of flooding and no irrigation system can be put in there. Lewis Park is an area that is very susceptible to flooding, even an inch of rain will sit on that area for up to a week or more. Therefore, it’s not an ideal facility but because soccer facilities are so constrained they have to use it. Mr. Anderson stated that if the proposed improvements to this facility were made it could be used not only for soccer but also for football, rugby and lacrosse. He indicated that as Mr. Kojetin mentioned soccer in its inception was not a popular sport. However, the difference between the time of soccer starting and the current time with bandy’s popularity, Edina is a very well developed community and there is not enough green space available to allow a program that uses the facility for 6 or 8 weeks a year. Mr. Anderson suggested looking at communities south of the river that possibly have more green space as well as might be a better location for a bandy program. Mr. Anderson stated that ESA is paying approximately $4,000 to use the Lewis Park facility. He indicated that ESA has also contributed over $20,000.00 in the past couple of years to the City of Edina for various field improvements throughout the city. Mr. Anderson explained that they are asking that the Lewis East area be developed as a better quality turf field with real grass and no flooding. He pointed out that the amount of maintenance required to maintain a soccer field versus a bandy rink and the amount of residents versus non-resident’s use of Lewis Park, he would ask that it be developed as a soccer facility. 9 Mr. Klus asked Mr. Keprios where they are at with doing some work at Lewis Park. Mr. Keprios replied that last year they decided to keep bandy because there wasn’t money available to do the things that Park Board wanted to see done at Lewis Park. He noted that it is still a question mark if we are going to get money through a capital plan, however, it looks much more optimistic this year than it did last year. Mr. Klus asked are we still a year away from being able to do any upgrades to Lewis Park if it was deemed necessary. Mr. Keprios responded that it’s possible funding could be available this calendar year. He noted that the previous direction from the Park Board was as soon as funding is available he is to start to develop that into a soccer field and stated that is the track he has been on. Ms. Sitek asked if they can co-exist, flood the sheet of ice and have grass. Mr. Keprios indicated that previously they looked into the possibility of flooding over astro turf and the professional in the field said no. Mr. Keprios noted that there are places in Sweden that do it but it’s more of a combination of grass and gravel. He stated that maybe it could be possible but it is not something that ESA would want. Mr. Housh asked the bandy people if they expect to continue to have players who are going to want to use this rink. It was noted that right now they have the largest youth program they have ever had with almost 200 kids, which is almost as large as the adult program. Once they are done with the youth program they will need a place to play because right now they are in a small area. Mr. Meehl noted that they cannot compete with soccer by saying they have over 2,000 players who are Edina residents. They are saying there is one natural ice rink in North America and it’s here in Edina. Mr. Herring asked how many Edina residents are in the bandy youth program to which Mr. Meehl replied only a handful. Ms. Presthus asked how many Edina residents are in the adult program to which it was noted approximately 15 to 20. There are 200 participants in the program and they are spread throughout the state. However, at least half of them either grew up in Edina or have lived in Edina at one point in time. Mr. Halden stated that when this issue came before the Park Board about 5 years ago the neighborhood clearly liked having the big sheet of ice in the winter. He noted that he doesn’t think the neighborhood would want a soccer complex. Mr. Halden commented that a decision based on only money shouldn’t always be the correct decision, there are other things involved. Mr. Herring indicated that he is speaking for himself and a number of the members on the Park Board that they do want to look very seriously at converting Lewis Park into a soccer facility. However, it’s a mute point right now because we don’t have the funding to do the renovations necessary to convert it. He noted that he would suggest that long- term it’s probably going to be a soccer facility and therefore bandy may want to think about where the program is going so you are on notice that he thinks this is where we are headed. He stated that right now it’s year to year because we cannot make a change but 10 long-term it probably will be a soccer facility. He noted that it is driven by economics as well as the number of Edina residents. Mr. Halden asked why can’t it be both. Mr. Herring replied he keeps hearing that because of the soil we either have a quality bandy rink or a quality soccer field, the soil that is out there cannot be used for both. Mr. Klus asked what other soccer facilities are in Edina. Mr. Herring suggested that Mr. MacHolda have a report for the next Park Board meeting indicating where all of the soccer fields are in Edina, their look, use, location and who owns them. Ms. Sitek asked if staff would again look at what type of surface could be used for both. Mr. Herring agreed that staff should further study the possibility of dual surfaces to accommodate both sports. Mr. Herring thanked everyone for attending the meeting. Mr. Halden suggested to the Park Board to find another piece of land that could be converted into a youth soccer field instead of going through the painful process of trying to eliminate an ice sheet and inflame the neighborhood. VI. FIRST TIER REGIONAL TRAIL - SRF ARCHITECTS Mr. Keprios introduced Del Miller from Hennepin Parks and Adam Arvidson from SRF Architects who will talk about the first tier regional trail. Mr. Miller explained that Hennepin Parks is not a part of the county government, they are a special park district set up by the legislature in 1957. He explained that the suburbs now number over 700,000 people and Minneapolis has approximately 350,000 people. He pointed out that the first ring suburbs are a lot smaller than the second ring suburbs and therefore the second ring suburbs have a lot of trails and park reserves. Mr. Miller indicated that park reserves are typically a couple thousand acres and a lot of them are on a significant body of water. More intense recreation park reserves have a much bigger component of natural resource management and preservation. Mr. Miller stated that Edina pays taxes to Hennepin Parks as a special park district and recently they realized they have never systematically gone back and really analyzed the ten first ring suburbs, particularly looking at trail connections. Therefore, they brought SRF Architects in to take a look at this. Adam Arvidson, SRF landscape architect, explained that he was hired by Hennepin Parks to look at first ring suburbs to see what kinds of parks and trails there are. He explained that the process started off with a steering committee. Members from each of the first ring communities, including John Keprios, met and devised the process for how to go about the trail planning. He indicated that another planner and himself met with Mr. 11 Keprios one day and actually drove around Edina to look at the facilities and see what possibilities there are for a regional park trail facility. He stated that the steering committee continues to meet and they are putting together a plan that Hennepin Parks would theoretically adopt as the first tier trails and green way plan. There are a variety of corridors shown throughout the first ring suburbs. He pointed out that some of them are being called “recommended contingent” which means it would be a great corridor but it needs railroad abandonment or major redevelopment. Mr. Arvidson explained that there are two other possible items to identify within Edina. One is Bredesen Park to receive help from Hennepin Parks and become a special trail because there is not enough acreage for it to be a regional park. He noted that the second item would be to incorporate a trail and a green way through Edina. He stated that if this were to happen, there would be a whole detail design phase that would have to be undertaken. He noted there are a lot of things that have to be worked out. Mr. Arvidson then stated if anyone has any ideas he would like to hear them because this is definitely not an absolute corridor. Mr. Arvidson then explained different possibilities of what can be done in natural environments with trails. Mr. Miller emphasized that this is a work in progress and that the implementation would definitely be driven by the communities. This would have to involve both Richfield and Edina, they have to know that both communities want it to happen and it’s definitely going to be driven by the community. This would have to be something where the citizens of Edina, through their park commission and ultimately the City Council, feel it has merit. He indicated that this is something that might happen in three, five or ten years, timing is very critical. Mr. Keprios asked Mr. Miller to explain to the Park Board that if they go along with this what is the process. If this becomes a reality who pays for the development and maintenance. Mr. Miller replied that if everyone thinks this is a good idea conceptually then he would encourage the Park Board to tell the City Council that you think it’s something worthwhile. If the City Council agrees that it’s a good idea then they would start looking at it and would expect to pick up most of the costs involved. However, if every community came to them at the same time that might tap their resources, not only from a money standpoint but from a staff standpoint, etc. What is looked for from the city is where they have properties where they would give us an easement. Mr. Miller again stressed that this has to be community driven. Mr. Herring noted that we are not wedded to this specific trail to which Mr. Miller replied that is correct. This is just a draft, a conceptual idea. Mr. Herring indicated that he thinks a trail through Edina is a great idea and we should move forward with it. Mr. Keprios stated that he feels very strongly that this is a great opportunity for Edina residents that we should take a serious look at and Hennepin Parks is very open to us adjusting the plan to what we think might fit better. He stated that he would like to see the 12 Park Board go forward with working with Hennepin Parks and their consulting firm to establish a first tier trail through Edina. Linda Presthus I’LL MOVE TO WHAT HE SAID. Tom White - SECONDED MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Mr. Keprios thanked Hennepin Parks and for all of their time and looks forward to working with them. VII. COMMUNITY EDUCATION SERVICES REPORT - LINDA PRESTHUS Ms. Presthus indicated that they approved the budget and spent most of the time talking about objections and considerations from Normandale School for the proposed referendum. The problem Normandale School has is that they were never recognized as a school, it was recognized as the Edina Community Center and didn’t take into consideration that there are 500 and some kids at that school. VIII. OTHER A. Minneapolis Off-Leash Area at Weber Park - Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that the Minneapolis Park Board is proposing to develop an off-leash, run free dog area in the City of Edina on property that is owned by Minneapolis. He explained that the piece of land has a Minneapolis well and building on it and it’s a swampy area. Mr. Keprios stated that Mike Siitari, Edina Police Chief, has contacted them and told them that they would have to abide by Edina Code which currently does not allow off-leash dogs on public property. Mr. Keprios stated that the Minneapolis Park Board is proposing to fence in the area and sell season passes to which Edina residents will have to pay non- resident fees. Mr. Keprios stated that Edina’s view is there is not enough parking spaces or access to toilet facilities. He informed the Park Board that there is going to be a public input meeting on Thursday, March 23rd, 7:00 p.m. at Linden Hills Park and he will be there to speak on behalf of this group. He noted that it’s a real unique situation that they have put on the shoulders of the City if Edina. IX. ADJOURNMENT Tom White MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 9:20 P.M. George Klus SECONDED THE MOTION. MEETING ADJOURNED.