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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-11-12 Park Board Minutes 1 EDINA PARK BOARD 7:00 P.M. BRAEMAR GOLF COURSE COOPER ROOM NOVEMBER 12, 2002 _____________________________ MEMBERS PRESENT: Andy Finsness, Mike Damman, Karla Sitek, Tom White, Ardis Wexler, George Klus, Jeff Johnson, Floyd Grabiel, Linda Presthus, Allyson Grande MEMBERS ABSENT: David Fredlund STAFF PRESENT: John Keprios, Ed MacHolda, Janet Canton, John Valliere, Todd Anderson, Vince Cockriel, Tom Horwath, Susan Weigle, Diana Hedges OTHERS PRESENT: Jim Van Valkenburg, Dianne Plunkett Latham, Susan Simonton, Dan Latham, Louis Armstrong, Jean White, Janet Larson, Jeff Cordes, Joan Lonsbury, Kay Bach, Marcia Akins, Jean Stuart, Ed White, Marty Friede, Judy Cipolla, Ruth Johnson, Arden Aanestad, DJ (Jim) Villas, Tom Swenson, Jeannie Hanson, Mary Jo Straub, Doug Schmidt, Richard Griffith, Naomi Griffith, Eric Pehrson ______________________________ I. APPROVAL OF THE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2002 PARK BOARD MINUTES Andy Finsness MOVED TO APPROVE THE OCTOBER 8, 2002 PARK BOARD MINUTES. Karla Sitek SECONDED THE MOTION. MINUTES APPROVED. II. BUCKTHORN ABATEMENT PROGRAM PROPOSAL – DIANNE PLUNKETT LATHAM Mr. Keprios indicated that he first wants to applaud everyone, especially Diane Plunkett Latham, for their efforts for bringing this to the forefront. He noted that this project is a challenge and has taken a lot of effort. Mr. Keprios stated that the Edina League of Women Voters and the Edina Garden Council have teamed up together to give the Park Board a formal presentation and proposal. Diane Plunkett Latham indicated that she is an Edina resident who is representing the Edina League of Women Voters, the Edina Garden Council as well as many residents of Edina who are concerned about the buckthorn invasion. Ms. Latham commented that she would first like to thank the City of Edina who worked with them this summer to put on 2 their first buckthorn abatement program in Edina. They could not have been as successful as they were without the City’s help. Ms. Latham informed the Park Board that the State of Minnesota put a ban on planting buckthorn on December 1, 2000. She explained that the problem with buckthorn is that it has no biological controls, such as animal, insect or disease to control the spread of buckthorn. In addition, it’s poisonous. Ms. Latham pointed out that it also has no normal controls and can grow just about anywhere. Its seeds are spread by birds and water and are viable for up to six years. She noted that buckthorn forms dense thickets, which shade out other plants and, worse, it contains a chemical in its roots that suppresses the growth of anything next to it. Ms. Latham pointed out that Applied Ecological Services (AES) prepared a chart showing where our forests are headed. She explained that there are four different diagrams, the first of which shows the original Savannah pre-settlement, which consists of 28 varieties of birds and over 300 varieties of vegetation. The second diagram shows that after the settlement a wild fire is suppressed and the forests are starting to grow in. At this time there are 22 varieties of birds and 150 varieties of vegetation. The next diagram shows the buckthorn invasion, which has been in this state for the last century, however, it’s only been during the last 20 years where it has really taken off. At this time there are 15 varieties of birds and there are less than 50 varieties of vegetation. The last diagram shows the degraded forest. Ms. Latham pointed out that Edina is currently in the third section because we still have our hardwood trees, however, hardwood trees have a fixed life because of natural causes and when they go, there will be nothing left in the forest to replace them. There will be no birds, flowers or fall colors. Ms. Latham stated that we are heading towards losing our forests and we need to do something to save them, however, to save them we need more funds and resources. She explained that last June the League of Women Voters and the Edina Garden Council teamed up with a budget of $425.00 and started a half dozen programs for residents to educate them on why and how to eradicate buckthorn. She noted that they are not going to give up because they want their birds, wildflowers and fall color. Therefore, they have decided to open up the program to the City for the whole month of October. In addition, they have a found a tree service, Top Notch Tree Service, that is willing to work with them on this project. Ms. Latham indicated that one of the reasons why residents don’t do anything about their buckthorn is because they feel if the city isn’t doing anything why should they bother because the berries are just going to come right back into their yards. She noted that isn’t true because the city is doing something, however, the funds are very limited so there is only so much they can do. Ms. Latham discussed their proposal for a buckthorn abatement program in Edina. She pointed out that of the 11 items they suggested to the city to start working on to get rid of buckthorn, the city is currently working on four of them, items #5, #7, #8 and #9. She noted that the city has purchased some weed wrenches that residents can check out and 3 noted that the City Forester is looking into purchasing root talons that can be checked out as well. Ms. Latham indicated that she has also asked Mr. Cockriel if it would be possible to have two weekends during buckthorn abatement week when residents can drop their buckthorn off at no charge. She noted that for items #8 and #11 she has not yet had the opportunity to specifically speak with the city representatives but these are items that can probably be easily worked out. Ms. Latham then went through each item. Ms. Latham explained that items #1, #2 and #3 talk about clear-cutting and clarified that in the timber industry clear-cutting means taking out all of the wood. However, in this case when they say clear-cutting they mean to only take out the buckthorn, all of the native trees are left and would not be taken out. Ms. Latham informed the Park Board that their biggest problem is manpower because it takes a lot of manpower to treat buckthorn. There are not enough city workers and volunteers to treat buckthorn within the City of Edina. More resources and funds are needed to complete this project. Ms. Latham commented that someone has to coordinate this massive task because there are 1,500 acres of parkland in Edina and all of the woodlands are infected to some degree. Ms. Latham noted that she realizes there is a hiring freeze and funds are low, however once funds become available she feels this is something that should be placed at the top of the list. Ms. Latham indicated that the real reason why they are here tonight is they would like for the City to prepare a report on the buckthorn infestation in Edina and make a proposal for buckthorn eradication in Edina. She noted that they have made suggestions as to what the program might look like but that’s not to say it’s the best way or only way to do it, it’s merely a starting point. Ms. Latham stated that once the City prepares a program hopefully they will be able to determine how long it will take to eradicate the buckthorn. She noted that given the resources we currently have she thinks the woodlands can be saved, however, it will be way too little and way too late. Sue Simonton, an Edina resident who has worked with the University of Minnesota Arboretum in their wood and plant research for the last 12 years, noted that she has watched the buckthorn explode especially in the last four to five years. She indicated that what they have found to be the most effective and least damaging way to control buckthorn is clear cut and painting with either Garlon or Round-Up on the stumps. It’s very simple and very cost effective. Ms. Simonton pointed out that education is huge and the word needs to get out. Tom Swenson, who works with maintenance at Braemar Golf Course, noted there is a tremendous infestation of buckthorn at the golf course. He indicated that they started working on the problem with chainsaws and painting. Mr. Valliere stated that they are educating people about buckthorn and are moving forward with trying to eliminate it. Vince Cockriel, Park Superintendent, indicated that he agrees with everything that has been said regarding the undesirability of buckthorn. However, there are a few issues that they run into that the average homeowner wouldn’t. The City would definitely have 4 liability issues with allowing private residents onto City property with chemicals and equipment that they are not licensed or trained to use. Safety is also a big concern for them. Mr. Cockriel noted they do have civic groups, boy scouts, tree trusts, etc. who are available to help out from time to time. He stated he encourages those types of organizations because they come with some type of a damage waiver and therefore they are less of a liability to the City. Mr. Cockriel stated that a lot of residents worry about the city being able to keep up the pace with them. He explained that if you have a good lawn maintenance program, whether it be for buckthorn or dandelions, the problem will go away and will not come back regardless of what your neighbor does. Mr. Cockriel indicated that he agrees this is a situation that we need to deal with. However, the City has 1,500 acres to maintain whereas the average homeowner is dealing with approximately 20 to 30 plants. He noted it’s fairly easy to cut one big 8” buckthorn tree and spray it. However, it’s the 2,000 after-growths that have to be taken care of on a daily basis. The average homeowner can spray their 20 stumps on a nightly basis and not take near as much the manpower or labor that would be needed to take care of Braemar Golf Course. Mr. Finsness asked what the difference is with buckthorn now compared to ten years ago to which Mr. Cockriel replied it has increased from 100% to 200%. He noted that he agrees with the concept and the concerns with buckthorn because it is a tremendously invasive exotic undesirable species that has invaded the whole state of Minnesota. Mr. Finsness asked if other cities have been able to get rid of buckthorn. Ms. Latham responded that both the St. Anthony area and the Linden Hills area of Minneapolis have been clear-cutting very rapidly and have quite a bit of experience. She noted that the trick is to protect any piece of property that is within a 1/3 of a mile of buckthorn. The reason for this is because the birds can carry it 1/3 of a mile before they drop it. Tom Horwath, City Forester, indicated that this is definitely a huge task. He noted that chemical control is an issue for him because if we keep spraying every stump and go back and pull or spray another dosage of chemical he would like to know what kind of stress that is putting on the trees that we are trying to preserve. He explained that what he questions is putting stress on trees that may lead to other diseases that will affect the trees. Therefore, he cautions the overuse of chemicals in the woods because we don’t know what all of the results will be. Mr. Horwath added that there are other methods to use besides chemicals and those methods also need to be looked at. Ms. Latham commented that Mr. Horwath has a valid concern with the use of chemicals, however, if we don’t do something eventually there will be no trees. We need to get rid of the buckthorn so that we have some trees to preserve. Mr. White asked if Round-up or other chemicals can be used within Bredesen Park. Mr. Cockriel explained that the City was put under a turf management plan six to eight years 5 ago and at that time buckthorn wasn’t as big of an issue. He noted that the plan pretty much calls for prudent use of herbicides and pesticides on city property to which he feels this would be prudent use if it’s done in a controlled manner. Mr. Cockriel pointed out that school property would be a whole other issue because they do not allow any type of chemicals or pesticides on school property. Mr. Klus asked for a clarification as to what exactly it is that the committee is asking for from the Park Board. Ms. Latham replied that they would like for the city to inventory their parks and indicate how much buckthorn they have and second to prepare a plan and indicate what it would take to implement it. She noted that she is willing to bet that it will take more resources than what the city currently has. She indicated that they are willing to go to the City Council to ask for those resources. Ms. Latham noted that basically they are asking for an inventory of what the infestation level is by the acreage and then a plan to eradicate it. She noted that it’s also important that the City report each month to the Park Board what has taken place and how far along on their plan they are. This way they can go to the residents and inform them as to what the city is currently working on regarding the eradication of buckthorn. Mr. White asked Mr. Cockriel and Mr. Horwath how long it would take to figure out how big the problem is and to develop a plan. Mr. Cockriel indicated that there are a couple of other items that would need to go along with that plan. He noted that the city is not authorized to deal with the school properties, private golf courses and the larger private properties. Therefore, these are some issues that would have to be dealt with in conjunction with the parkland. Mr. Cockriel stated that as far as figuring out an accurate count of how much buckthorn is on parkland he could probably have a report done by the end of March. Mr. Grabiel indicated that he thinks this is definitely a city concern, however, as a Park Board he is not sure they can do anything other than to agree with everything that has been said. He noted that he thinks this presentation needs to go before the City Council. Ms. Wexler stated that she would like to commend the Garden Council and the League of Women Voters for addressing this problem and bringing it to everyone’s attention. She noted that she thinks because of the work that has been done in terms of collaboration that maybe that’s one of the ways they can address the problem. Perhaps ultimately the Park Board will make a recommendation to the City Council on how groups and individuals within the city can work collaboratively. Mr. Johnson asked if they can legally enforce people to eradicate their buckthorn to which it was noted they cannot. It was pointed out that buckthorn has been classified as a noxious weed and can no longer be planted in Minnesota, however, there is no law that says it has to be removed. Mr. White indicated that he thinks this is a very important issue for Edina as well as the State of Minnesota, however, he is not sure what the Park Board can do. He noted that he doesn’t necessarily think it’s important to have a buckthorn report at each Park Board 6 meeting indicating what level of buckthorn has been removed in the last month. Mr. White stated that his sense is the City staff will take their job seriously and will do whatever they can to try to remove the buckthorn. Mr. White also commented that he thinks the more people are aware and involved in removing buckthorn the better. He noted that possibly the Park Board could propose to the City Council that they somehow try to have a greater participation in the removal of buckthorn. Ms. Wexler suggested the Park Board make a strong recommendation to the City Council based on the information presented and ask that they work with the League of Women Voters and the Garden Council. She pointed out that there are approximately 30 people in attendance tonight and if everyone here took a block and talked to their neighbors and started working on eradicating the buckthorn it would cover a good chunk of the city. Ms. Wexler indicated that she would also go as far as to recommend to the City Council that they purchase the equipment mentioned for residents of the community to rent at no charge. Mr. White indicated that he would like to see this group of people go before the City Council and make their presentation and then determine what they think the next best step is for the City. Mr. Klus pointed out that he thinks the Park Board also needs to support them in their proposals that they have presented tonight. Mr. Klus MOVED THAT WE SUPPORT THEIR PROPOSALS AS THEY WERE PRESENTED TO US TONIGHT SO THAT IT CAN GO TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND THEY CAN MAKE THEIR PRESENTATION THERE. Ardis Wexler SECONDED THE MOTION. Mr. Keprios indicated that it is appropriate that this group is before the Park Board tonight. He noted that he thinks what everyone is hearing from the Park Board is that they support and agree with what has been said and agree it is an important issue. However, the 2003 budget has already been submitted, which has prioritized financial and manpower resources in place for this calendar year. Mr. Keprios suggested that maybe it would be appropriate to come back to visit the issue again when we propose a 2004 budget. Mr. Keprios commented that to think about taking on a whole new initiative and put more resources towards it is great except that would mean something else would have to give this coming year. Mr. Finsness asked if there is anything that says that this could not be a whole volunteer effort. Mr. Keprios replied that he is really proud of this group for what they have accomplished and he applauds them for that. He noted that he also applauds his maintenance staff who have already been working on this issue for the past several years. Mr. Keprios commented that he agrees this is an important issue and stated that the City has been and will continue to address the issue with the resources that are available. Ms. Latham noted that it was asked if this could be an entire volunteer effort to which she indicated they would be more than happy to do more. However, the project still requires 7 someone from the City to coordinate it. Mr. Keprios indicated that he has to rely on the experienced professionals who know how to properly manage these clear-cut areas. It sounds as if we clear cut an area and don’t use pesticides and plant new vegetation, we will ultimately end up with an even bigger problem and he is quite concerned about that. He stated that if we start encouraging people to go out and spray constantly for all of the new seedlings that come up we are going to have another whole new issue. He noted that he is not confident that we have the answers for the right approach. Mr. Keprios commented that Mr. Horwath suggested doing some research and tests to see what can and cannot be done. We shouldn’t just quickly jump in and clear-cut everything only to find out that we need ten times the resources to maintain what we’ve just done. It’s definitely a concern. Mr. Klus suggested that the current motion be amended to reflect these concerns. Ardis Wexler suggested that one approach would be to amend the motion in a manner that states that the Park Board is very supportive of the efforts of the community and we recognize that we need to be mindful of prudent use of pesticides and approve the concept in general as proposed. George Klus stated that the concept would still be the ten points that are proposed. We should support this and encourage the group to take those on to the City Council to discuss those. Ms. Latham comment there are 11 points. Mr. Klus noted that he would say the first 10 and not number 11 because of budget constraints. He would support the first 10 for now because it’s a volunteer thing that could be done well. He thinks the City Council needs to get involved with that premise. Mr. White asked for a clarification on the amendment, which he understands to mean that the Park Board supports points 1-10, but not number 11, plus a recommendation that the group go to the City Council for further direction and support. Mr. Klus replied yes. Also, noted that he thinks number 11 will naturally happen if the City Council is going to get involved. Mr. Klus commented that any restrictive pesticide wording not be included in the motion, and clarified his MOTION THAT THE PARK BOARD SUPPORT THE TEN POINTS AND ENCOURAGE THE GROUP TO GO THE CITY COUNCIL AND ASK FOR FURTHER SUPPORT AND CLARIFICATION. Mr. Grabiel asked does the motion have anything to do with herbicides or pesticides to which it was replied no. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. III. BRAEMAR GOLF COURSE PRESENTATION – JOHN VALLIERE John Valliere, Manager of Braemar Golf Course, gave the Park Board an overview of the golf course and how it operates. Mr. Valliere explained that golf in terms of growth is 8 actually quite flat right now. He noted that an optimistic view is about a 2% growth annually and basically as many people that are coming into the game are also leaving the game. He stated that is a concern as we tend to build more golf courses than we need, there is currently an excess number of golf courses, even in Minnesota. Mr. Valliere indicated there are 457 golf courses in Minnesota. He explained that they are embarking on a new program to try and encourage more people to come to the game but more importantly to stay in the game. Mr. Valliere indicated that at Braemar they have 27 holes as well as a 9-hole executive course. They also have another 9-hole executive course called Fred Richards, therefore, they have 45 holes of golf. He noted that on a typical busy day the main golf course sees between 550 and 600 rounds of golf. The executive courses see between 30,000 and 32,000 rounds of golf. However, the past couple of years have not been as good because of the bad weather we’ve had. Mr. Valliere stated that on an average they have approximately 2,700 patron card holders. He explained that of the patron card holders, whereas, 1/3 of them hardly use them at all it’s more of a convenience. Another 1/3 uses them fairly regularly, once to twice a week. The last 1/3 of the patron card holders uses them three to four times a week and are very loyal customers. Mr. Valliere noted that they have a good location and they have a good product at the right price. Mr. Valliere pointed out that they have 19 ladies leagues with approximately 1,200 members. He noted that they have approximately 600 men in their men’s leagues and 350 members in their men’s club. Mr. Valliere indicated that their junior program has 350 members. He stated that they also have approximately 1,200 people taking group golf lessons from the 7 golf professionals they have as well as a numerous amount of people take private lessons. Mr. Valliere explained that they have ongoing capital improvements for the golf course. He commented that they are very proud of the fact that their operations and improvements are paid for by the revenues that are generated at a course. We are therefore able to continue to try to upgrade our facilities annually. Mr. Valliere pointed out that they also have a number of elderly people who come to the golf course to play cards during the day. Mr. Valliere indicated that Todd Anderson manages the Braemar Golf Dome and noted that the dome is having a good start to their season and thinks they will have a good winter. IV. 2003 FEES AND CHARGES PROPOSAL Mr. Keprios indicated that a minor change has been made on the fees and charges since the last Park Board meeting. He noted that the skate rental at Centennial Lakes went up $1.00. Also, the Art Center made a few adjustments to their fee schedule. He noted that 9 he thinks the fees that are in front of you do reflect what he feels are still within the philosophy of keeping programs affordable and yet competitive in the market place. He pointed out that our mission is not to become a profit center. Mr. Finsness asked Mr. Valliere when the last time was that Braemar Golf Course had an increase. Mr. Valliere replied that on an average they have been going up $1.00 per year for 18 holes of golf. Mr. Valliere added that this year most of the golf courses in the metropolitan area are holding the line on prices because of the economy. He noted that he also agrees it is the right thing to do. Mr. Johnson asked how Braemar compares to the Meadow Brooks, Bakers, etc. to which Mr. Valliere replied they are very competitive, however, there are different levels of golf courses. There is the private golf course, the upscale public course, the publicly owned public golf course and the municipal owned golf course. Mr. Klus indicated that he has noticed people parking their cars at Braemar and leaving and asked if anyone knew where they are going. Mr. Valliere responded that he thinks because of tough economic times people are carpooling and going to where they can find good deals. He added that he thinks a lot of these golf courses are going to go under. Mr. Klus asked Mr. Valliere if he felt there was a heavier usage of people going elsewhere this year to which he replied the people who are on a fixed income are the ones who are probably looking for the best deal around. Mr. Klus asked if because of competition are we currently in a time period where we need to pretty much stabilize the rates and hope that rounds go up in order to increase revenue to which Mr. Valliere replied yes. He indicated that first he thinks we need to remain more competitive as they build more golf courses around us. Secondly, we need to look at part of the capital plan. He pointed out that the new 9 is a more challenging course with narrow fairways and steep inclines. At some point in time, we would like to address those issues and make the course more user friendly, which will help us keep our good customers. Ms. Wexler asked Mr. Keprios if he thinks the prices have gone up progressively or are most of them the first increase in two years for example. Mr. Keprios replied that’s a tough question to answer, however, he would say that most of their fees go up a small percentage in order to keep up with increasing expenses. He added that if you look at the history of our fees and charges, the majority of the fees go up in order to keep in tune with inflation. Ms. Presthus asked why isn’t there a bigger gap in the fee between the residents and the non-residents to use the Aquatic Center. Mr. MacHolda replied that currently the non- resident fee is roughly the same or less than what their competitor’s charge their non- residents. In addition, non-residents represent 46% of the season ticket sales which is one of the reasons why we’ve been able to do renovations at the facility. Mr. MacHolda indicated that this year is also going to be more competitive than last year because the Richfield pool will be open again. Also, Eden Prairie is looking at building a new 10 facility. Mr. MacHolda pointed out that when he has talked with other communities typically the difference between residents and non-residents is $10.00. Mr. Johnson asked what the daily membership fee is for residents. Mr. MacHolda replied the price is the same for residents and non-residents, it’s $8.00 for a daily admission and after 6:00 p.m. the cost is $6.00. Mr. MacHolda commented that he feels when the pool is over crowded the first place that should be cut back is the daily admission because we want to honor our season ticket holders. Ms. Wexler asked what the price break is for children. Mr. MacHolda replied that there is no charge for children younger than 12 months and for children who are 12 months and older it’s the same price for everyone. Floyd Grabiel MOVED TO RECOMMEND THE FEES AND CHARGES AS PROPOSED BY STAFF. Linda Presthus SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. V. CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN Mr. Keprios asked the Park Board to recognize how grateful we are to have such a healthy capital plan. We are now able to make some wonderful improvements and can start to catch up. Mr. Keprios explained that the capital plan looks a little bit different than it did last year as the staff reviewed the priorities for the next five years. He noted that this is something that is going to change slightly each and every year as different items keep coming up. Mr. Keprios indicated that he brought all of his staff together, including all park maintenance staff, to receive their input, which was extremely valuable to the process. As a result, they did change some things around. Mr. Keprios pointed out that Sherwood Park and Normandale Park playground equipment clearly need to be replaced in 2003. Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that the Edina Lion’s Club has offered to donate $25,000 towards the show mobile. He indicated that he has abandoned the idea of co- owning a show mobile with the City of Bloomington. Mr. Finsness asked for an explanation on the show mobile. Mr. Keprios explained that the show mobile is a portable stage on wheels that the John Phillip Sousa Band uses during the Fourth of July concert at Rosland Park, as well as, it is used for a lot of other venues. The current show mobile is 30 years old and is not road worthy as well as the stage is in very rough shape. It has reached beyond its life expectancy and it’s time to be replaced. Mr. Keprios indicated that he has talked to the Historical Society and will be approaching the Garden Council regarding the expenses with the new entrance to Arneson Acres. He noted that he is also bringing to their attention the sanitary issue they have with the septic tank at Arneson Acres. 11 Ms. Presthus asked if Lewis Park was always two years out on the capital plan to which Mr. White replied they moved things around so Lewis Park would be done by this end of this year. Ms. Presthus asked if Lewis West was always two years out. Mr. Keprios responded that they were planning on working on Braemar next, however, Mr. MacHolda suggested doing the west field at Lewis first and putting in lights at the same time. He noted that by doing this they would have a net gain of essentially two fields. Mr. Keprios stated that Braemar is in good enough shape that it can be delayed until 2005 without a problem. Mr. Keprios indicated that he is asking the Park Board for approval of the 2003 Capital Plan. Linda Presthus MOVED TO RECOMMEND THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN AS PROPOSED BY STAFF. Floyd Grabiel SECONDED THE MOTION. Mr. White asked what happened to the Rosland Park parking lot. Mr. Keprios explained that all of the enterprise facilities are responsible to pay for their own parking lot and that project is being put on the shoulders of the Aquatic Center. The Golf Course and Arena pay for their respective parking lot repairs. Mr. Keprios also pointed out that both the Cahill School and Grange Hall are now urgently in need of significant repairs and he views them as a high priority. We have windows falling out of their wood frames and the buildings need a new roof and exterior painting. MOTION CARRIED. ABSTAINED – George Klus VI. OTHER A. First Tier Regional Trail - Mr. Grabiel asked what the status is with the First Tier Regional Trail to which Mr. Keprios replied they are successfully moving along. He noted that the trail is going to be completely funded by Hennepin Parks. B. Edina Football Association Playoffs – Mr. Klus indicated that he wanted to thank Mr. MacHolda for his work with the Edina Football Association during the playoffs this year because of the bad weather. He noted that it was very difficult to find fields for the younger kids to play on and he appreciates Mr. MacHolda’s time and effort in working this out. C. Police/Fire Training Facility – Mr. Klus asked about the kick-off for the Police/Fire Training facility. Mr. Keprios replied Mike Damman attended the event on behalf of the Park Board and noted that only the elected officials spoke. He noted that it was very nice and that the facility is now under construction. Mr. Keprios pointed out that he is also in 12 the process of writing a memo regarding the naming of one of the training rooms to the “Wippermann Training Room”. Mr. Keprios also commented that they are planning on opening up even more time to the public than was originally thought. Also, there will not be any outdoor shooting. Everything will be indoors. D. VanValkenburg Park – Mr. Klus asked if any more has been said on the possible expansion of VanValkenburg Park to which it was noted that the gentleman who owns the property did pay his taxes. Therefore, we are not going to get the land. E. Rugby and Lacrosse Teams – Mr. White indicated that last year there was a problem with Rugby and Lacrosse teams and asked if anyone has had a chance to talk to Steve Dove regarding this. Mr. MacHolda explained that the problem still exists and they have added two new programs but they have not provided any additional game space or green space. He commented that he does think the communication channel is very good between the school district and the city. Mr. MacHolda stated that his hope going into the spring season was to put the Lacrosse Association at Lewis West, however, he is doubtful that will happen because of how saturated the field has been. He explained that the proposal still stands where he would like to see the school’s baseball move their junior varsity from McCarthy to Garden Park. He noted that McCarthy would then be used for varsity football training and possibly Rugby. McCarthy would also be shared with the track/field sports. Mr. MacHolda noted that for fallback green space they would use Highlands. Other thoughts of green space would be Todd Park. Mr. MacHolda stated that the School District is currently assessing its facilities and he believes that their staff hopes to present their perceived facility needs to the School Board sometime in February or March. Mr. White asked Mr. MacHolda if it would be possible, after he has talked to Steve Dove, to have a plan worked out before the next Park Board meeting so we know all of the sports will have fields to play on. Mr. MacHolda replied that he will at least follow-up with the proposal on shifting the baseball team. Mr. White stated he would like to know that all of the sports that need fields next spring are going to have a place to go that’s useable. He noted that we need to know that information now so that if it’s not going to be able to happen we can start exerting pressure. VII. ADJOURNMENT George Klus MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 9:15 P.M. Ardis Wexler SECONDED THE MOTION. MEETING ADJOURNED.