HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-11-09 Park Board Minutes 1
EDINA PARK BOARD
7:00 P.M.
EDINA COMMUNITY ROOM
EDINA CITY HALL
NOVEMBER 9, 2004
_____________________________
MEMBERS PRESENT: George Klus, Karla Sitek, Alice Hulbert, Jeff Johnson, Jeff Sorem,
Mike Weiss, Mike Damman
MEMBERS ABSENT: Andy Finsness, Floyd Grabiel, Linda Presthus
STAFF PRESENT: John Keprios, Ed MacHolda, Janet Canton, Tom Shirley
OTHERS PRESENT: Jon Girard, Doug Nessan
____________________________
I. APPROVAL OF THE TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2004 PARK BOARD MINUTES
Mike Weiss MOVED TO APPROVE THE OCTOBER 12, 2004 PARK BOARD
MINUTES. Mike Damman SECONDED THE MOTION. MINUTES APPROVED.
II. CENTENNIAL LAKES PARK
Mr. Keprios indicated that he received a letter from Mike Kojetin, Managing Agent from
Laukka Management, Inc., informing him that the Village Homes at Centennial Lakes
Board of Directors are concerned about bike riders, skate boarders and roller bladders on
Centennial’s pathways. Mr. Shirley explained that Mr. Kojetin informed him that the
Board of Directors from the Village Homes are suggesting that the city look at banning
bikes from Centennial Lakes Park.
Mr. Keprios pointed out that they have never banned bikes at Centennial Lakes with one
exception to which bikes were banned only during the park’s initial construction period.
Mr. Shirley added that in August of 1991, during construction, they did post signs around
the immediate vicinity of the Centrum Building stating that all wheeled vehicles must be
walked. He noted that the Centrum Building is where the concerts were first held.
Mr. Shirley informed the Park Board that they really haven’t had any issues with bikes
other than once or twice a year people call and ask if it’s okay to ride bikes. He added
that there really are not very many bike riders going through the park because it’s just not
conducive to riding there.
Mr. Keprios suggested to the Park Board that he contact the Board from the Village
Homes at Centennial Lakes and see if they are looking for a formal action from the Park
Board and if so they should attend the next Park Board meeting. He stated that staff’s
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position right now is that they don’t see it as a major problem; there has never been an
accident that we are aware of; however, we will continue to monitor the situation.
III. UPDATES
A. Indoor Athletic Field Facility – Mr. Keprios indicated that Mr. MacHolda did some
research and contacted the user groups to see how many hours they would be willing to
commit if an indoor athletic field facility were built at Braemar. He noted that what he
found was out of 1,200 available rental hours the groups could commit to approximately
a total of only 200 hours. Mr. Keprios pointed out that because of the results the City
Council has decided to put this on hold indefinitely until they can be shown there is a
greater demand and validated need for it. He noted that they would like to see what
happens to the other communities who have built indoor field facilities. Mr. Keprios
pointed out that the City Council appreciates what the Park Board did to study and
address this issue.
Mr. Klus pointed out that Mr. Grabiel and Dr. Hulbert both attended the City Council
meeting. Dr. Hulbert asked the Park Board whether or not they think the article that
appeared in the Sun Current regarding the athletic field should receive a response from
them. Mr. Keprios replied that he has learned from past experience that it does not pay to
respond to what was written in the newspaper. He noted that he thinks the writer is
misinformed, however, he is entitled to his opinion. Mr. Klus pointed out if what he
wrote were true he would think there would have been a lot more people attending
tonight’s Park Board meeting.
B. Gymnasiums - Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that the proposal to build two
gymnasiums at the community center campus is on a real fast track. He explained that
the project would be totally funded by the city through lease revenue bonds for
approximately four to five million dollars. He noted that Mr. Hughes and he have
already met with the architect and the construction manager. He pointed out that they are
the same architect firm and construction manager that were picked during the Blue
Ribbon Committee process.
Mr. Keprios explained that currently there are some questions as to whether or not there
are special footings for the South View Middle School gym that may need to be built now
which would be a $20,000 financial risk for the city if the proposal is terminated later in
the process. The city would also be at risk for approximately an additional $35,000 for
preliminary architect fees to conduct the program design phase. Mr. Keprios pointed out
that the concept as it goes forward is that the city would cover all of the bonds as well as
the operational expenses which are estimated to be approximately $40,000 a year. He
indicated that notices have been sent to residents who live within 500 feet of the
community center campus. He noted that these residents have been invited to attend a
Public Hearing with both the Board of Education and the City Council on November 16th.
Mr. Keprios again stated that the $40,000 operational expenses would solely be the
responsibility of the city. He explained that the school district would actually become
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one of the facility user groups that would pay rent to use the gyms. The two new gyms
would be charged the same rate as the other gyms and whatever revenues are collected on
the new gyms would go to offset the operational expenses of the two new gyms. Mr.
Keprios commented that there obviously is going to be a shortfall and therefore they
would rely on approximately an $8.00 per participant per season user fee much like they
do for the field user fees. He added that there would also be an $8.00 per person charge
to the school district for their priority use times such as with Kids Club, etc. Mr. Keprios
pointed out that the school district would continue to do all of the permitting for the
facilities.
Mr. Keprios indicated that the meeting he had today with Ken Dragseth, Doug Johnson
and Jay Willemssen regarding the facility use agreement was a very positive meeting. He
stated there are some donors who have now committed to giving $5,000 per year for ten
years to help offset the operating expenses. Mr. Keprios also stated that the Edina
Community Foundation is helping find additional donations to cover operational
expenses of the new gyms for an even greater extended period of time.
Mr. Keprios stressed that he wants to make it very clear that the school district will have
no risks financially regardless of whether or not it goes through. He noted that we hope
this will help eliminate any similar problems and fears that people had with the 2001
referendum. All financial risk will rest with the city and not the school district.
Mr. Klus asked Mr. Keprios why don’t they use money from the Developer’s Fund for a
project like this. Mr. Keprios replied that when they say Developer’s Fund they need to
be careful how they use the term. He explained there’s a general parks developer’s fund,
which is funded through development of land for which 8% of the value of the land, goes
towards developing and improving the parks. They can either give a portion of the land
or cash in lieu of the land to which they typically always take the cash, however, the
money has to be used for parks and cannot be used for anything else. Mr. Keprios stated
that he thinks the fund Mr. Klus is referring to is the Trust Fund for Edinborough and
Centennial Lakes Park. He explained that if the City Council ever decided to they could
use what’s left of that trust fund for other park use. He pointed out that from the start the
concept for the trust fund at Edinborough and Centennial Lakes was to use the interest
earnings from that to help pay for the operations of Edinborough and Centennial Lakes
Park. He noted that this affords us to offer all of the recreation programs and concerts at
Edinborough and Centennial Lakes Park without additional fees and charges. Mr.
Keprios commented that the trust fund used to be as high as 9 million dollars and is now
approximately 4.7 million dollars. Mr. Klus indicated, for example, at Edinborough Park
they are going to actually make money, which they have not been able to do in the past.
Mr. Keprios stated that Edinborough and Centennial Lakes are considered one enterprise
budget and they are getting close to a break-even scenario. He noted that after they pay
bonds and interest on their debt and all of their capital expenses this will probably be the
first time they won’t have to rely on taking a portion of that trust fund to pay their cash
debt at the end of the year. Mr. Keprios explained that the problem they’ve had is they
used to have a balance of 9 million dollars, however, there have been some years where
they had some big losses. He noted that he really applauds Mr. Shirley because this will
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be the first year ever that they will probably see a balanced budget and won’t have to
keep picking away at the trust fund. Mr. Klus asked if technically that money could be
used for other things within the city. Mr. Keprios replied that technically it could;
however, that would be City Council’s decision. Mr. Klus asked if the city was so
inclined to could they put some of the money towards a project like this? Mr. Keprios
responded that they could but it would be kind of like robbing Peter to pay Paul. It’s still
the taxpayer’s money because Edinborough and Centennial Lakes are still going to have
to rely on some of the interest earnings from that in order to have a break-even budget. If
they don’t break even now it’s going to go back to the taxpayers year after year. Mr.
Keprios explained that it would be ideal if we could increase that trust fund to a level
where the park maintenance and operations would be self-supportive. Mr. Klus asked
Mr. Keprios if Edinborough Park and Centennial Lakes make money would he rather see
that money go back into the Developer’s Fund. Mr. Keprios replied that he would like to
see it go into their trust fund to keep Edinborough and Centennial Lakes well maintained
and fund its own improvements.
Mr. Klus noted that he thinks it’s important for the Park Board to know that the
developer’s fund is there and if there’s a project that the Park Board thinks they should
look into they should be able to express that to the City Council. Mr. Klus noted that he
sees the developer’s fund as something the Park Board should talk about once in a while
and challenge each other about how they use that money. He added that it is a pot of
money that is there for the use of the city for the parks. Mr. Keprios pointed out that he
believes the balance of the general park developer’s fund that they relied on heavily
during the early years of growth and development of the park system; however, it
currently has less than $100,000 and we need to keep in mind that Edina is just about
100% developed. Mr. Keprios noted that they anticipate approximately another $14,000
to be added to that within the next seven years but after that essentially they will be done.
Mr. Keprios commented that it’s kind of a sacred trust fund right now; however, it’s
always open for discussion.
IV. 2005 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Mr. Klus noted that Mr. Keprios has indicated that there are three things that he would
like for the Park Board to look at since this was tabled at the last Park Board meeting.
The three items are the Braemar multi-purpose athletic field, the Braemar maintenance
garage at Courtney Field and replacing the playground equipment at Kojetin Park. Mr.
Keprios explained to the Park Board that he believes they are still on track to
replace/repair what’s worn or broken. He pointed out that looking over the next five
years there’s very little that’s new that’s being added to the park system, it’s pretty much
fix what’s broken and repair and maintain what we have. Mr. Keprios stated that as he
sees it if they are going to add a lot of infrastructure then it becomes more of a
referendum type item.
Mr. Keprios explained that staff prioritizes the capital plan according to what they
analyze to be the most critical the needs. He noted that on paper the schedule calls for
specific years for playground replacement but after doing their onsite visits the schedule
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changes due to their current conditions. The playground equipment at Kojetin Park,
which is wood frame equipment, clearly is the first one that needs to be replaced.
Mr. Keprios stated that they have been delaying the maintenance garage at Courtney
fields for several years because it’s one that has been easy to put off. However, now they
are finding that by putting it off it’s costing them money. He noted that there have been
several break-ins where the irrigation system panel has been destroyed as well as
equipment has been stolen. It makes daily operations less efficient and does not provide
adequate security for our equipment. It has been a real problem.
Mr. Keprios indicated that obviously the biggest one is the multi-purpose athletic field at
Braemar. He noted that in staff’s view it’s time to do this field and added that this is their
premier multi-purpose athletic field. Mr. MacHolda commented that by renovating the
field they would have much greater scheduling flexibility. Mr. Keprios pointed out that
the renovated fields at Lewis Park have truly withstood the test in that they can take quite
a beating and still pop back. He noted that if they were to go with artificial turf it would
cost approximately one million dollars and would need to be replaced within ten years.
Mr. Keprios indicated that by renovating the fields it would cost approximately $400,000,
which is significantly less, and wouldn’t need to be replaced in ten years. Therefore,
staff’s recommendation is to renovate Braemar’s athletic field to a premier sand/peat
natural grass athletic field.
Mr. Klus explained his concern is he would hate to see the city spend $312,000 when five
or six years down the road the Edina Hockey Association may want to expand their arena
onto that piece of property. Mr. Keprios replied that it’s fair to ask that question and
noted that from what Mr. Thayer has told him the Hockey Association has already
returned over 300 hours of prime ice time which is primarily weekend ice. He noted that
Mr. Thayer also made the statement that the city would never be able to build enough
indoor rinks to accommodate the Monday, Tuesday and Thursday need. He commented
that Mr. Thayer has to go out and sell 300 prime hours because the demand isn’t there for
our own programs. Mr. Keprios explained that even if they do develop this and later find
out they need to add a fourth rink Mr. Thayer feels that the smartest place to put it is just
to extend the west arena building or expand to the west onto the parking lot. Either way
it wouldn’t encroach at all on the athletic field. He stated that he thinks they could still
do both and doesn’t think they would be locking themselves out. Mr. Johnson stated that
he would agree that the field is not the spot for a fourth rink.
Mr. MacHolda indicated that he talked to Steve Dove today and he would agree with this
recommendation because as it is now there is not enough green space on the two
campuses to accommodate the District’s current athletic field needs.
Jeff Johnson MOVED TO APPROVE THE 2005 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN.
Mike Weiss SECONDED THE MOTION.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
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V. MCCARTHY ATHLETIC FIELD PROPOSAL – GREG ETTINGER,
PRESIDENT EDINA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
Mr. Klus introduced Doug Nessan, Past President of the Edina Football Association and
Jon Girard, soon to be president of the Edina Football Association. He indicated that
they would like to discuss McCarthy Field with the Park Board. He noted that Mr.
Keprios did provide some of the background on McCarthy Park in his staff report. Mr.
Klus read the following from Mr. Keprios’ staff report “ McCarthy athletic field used to
be a multi-purpose athletic field that served as a baseball field, football practice field, as
well as track and field event uses. As part of the successful referendum projects, the
School District has renovated the natural grass area between South View Middle School
and Concord Elementary School and developed a varsity level baseball field, which used
to be served by the McCarthy field. The old McCarthy athletic field site has been
renovated to serve primarily as a natural grass multi-purpose athletic field for football,
lacrosse, and track and field. The field is owned and maintained by the Edina School
District.”
Mr. Nessan explained that the Edina Football Association (EFA) used the field between
South View and the Community Center for football. However, that has since been taken
out. He noted that McCarthy also has a practice site on it and of course there is Kuhlman
field. Mr. Nessan commented that what’s happened is the South View field has been
taken out and the baseball field that was at McCarthy has been moved to the other side
which he believes is now called Concord field. Therefore, what they are left with as a
space for football is McCarthy at least until they put in the turn-around. Mr. Nessan
indicated that for the 9th grade, sophomore, junior varsity and varsity football they really
only have Kuhlman and McCarthy as space to use for football.
Mr. Nessan stated that Mr. MacHolda and Mr. Dove were kind enough to meet with Greg
Ettinger and himself earlier this spring to talk a little bit about McCarthy Field. He noted
they were looking into the possibility of perhaps putting in artificial turf on the 100-yard
field at McCarthy. Mr. Nessan commented that it would seem to him that this would be
the cheapest time to do this since the crews would already be there working. He noted
that their discussion was put aside when the idea of possibly putting in a covered field at
upper Braemar progressed; however, it is now his understanding that the idea has been
tabled. Mr. Nessan explained that the EFA is interested in seeing if there is an appetite
for putting in a turf field on the practice field at McCarthy. He pointed out that this
would really benefit the football program in the fall but it would also benefit the soccer
and lacrosse programs in the spring and summer. He commented that they would like to
know if there is an interest on the city’s part to put money toward renovating this field to
gain a more fully serviceable and wear resistant field over the next ten years. He noted
that by putting in a turf field at McCarthy it could be used for both city and school
purposes.
Mr. Nessan indicated that they think user fees could support this concept. He suggested
that perhaps the city and school would be interested in directing a portion of money
towards renovating the field with the balance being paid by user fees. He commented
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that he just doesn’t know in the end how much money could be generated that way. Mr.
Nessan pointed out that it’s his understanding that the cost of a new turf field would be
somewhere between $800,000 and one million dollars. He indicated that since this
would be on school property and would be used by the varsity sports during different
times of the year couldn’t there be allocations of use between school projects and city
projects. He stated that they are interested in finding out if there would be any funds
available from the city to do something like this.
Mr. Keprios asked Mr. Nessan in order for the football program to utilize the fields
would there have to be lights to which Mr. Nessan replied no. Mr. Nessan stated that it
would be great to have them but for years they’ve practiced until the sun went down.
Mr. Keprios asked, if it didn’t have field lighting, then would it still be a big enough
benefit to which Mr. Nessan replied that he thinks it would be a big benefit to all of the
field using sports in general.
Mr. Keprios asked what is the school’s need for that field to which Mr. Nessan replied
the school runs varsity football there from 3:00 pm to 6:30 pm every night starting in
mid-August and ending the last part of October or first part of November. Mr. Keprios
stated that with the sun setting earlier in the fall that means the Football Association’s
primary use is limited to just weekends since there are no lights. Mr. Nessan explained
that because the dads coach football they usually start around 5:30 pm to 5:45 pm and it
usually gets dark around 6:45 pm to 7:00 pm.
Mr. Girard commented that the 7th and 8th graders were practicing between the
Community Center and South View and now that has been removed. He noted that every
year they try to work with the city and the school to try and get green space and every
spring and fall they run into problems trying to figure out where they can put all of the
teams.
Mr. Weiss asked what will the Valley View field be used for to which Mr. MacHolda
replied it is heavily used for phy-ed classes as well as it is used for the high school soccer
program. He noted that he hopes that lacrosse and rugby will also be able to get on those
fields in the spring. Mr. MacHolda commented that lacrosse and rugby are always
struggling to find green space in the spring. Mr. MacHolda indicated that the question
Mr. Keprios raised is a lot of times the spring sports want to start in March but we are
telling them the earliest we want them on the fields is mid-April. He noted that if the
ground is wet then there is a lot of root damage being done. He stated that is why you’ll
see lacrosse players in the parking lot throwing the ball or baseball practicing in the
gymnasiums. Mr. MacHolda pointed out that artificial turf definitely extends the season
and gives you the same quality practice/game venue.
Mr. Klus asked Mr. Nessan why McCarthy and not another field within Edina. Mr.
Nessan replied that he would pick McCarthy simply from the standpoint that it’s a big
open space and is the only site he can think of where they can combine both city and
school participation.
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Mr. MacHolda indicated that if the City of Edina were to add another artificial surface he
thinks McCarthy would be the best location because it’s the High School football
program that needs it the most. He noted that the community would benefit from it as
well. Mr. MacHolda commented that he has the same concern that Mr. Keprios has in
that if the players are stepping on the field at 6:00 pm and there is only daylight until 6:30
pm that is a very small window. He stated that it concerns him a little bit not having
lights, however, he does like the fact that they would have an extended season because
sports like lacrosse and rugby would also definitely benefit.
Dr. Hulbert asked who is using Kuhlman field when the varsity football team is using
McCarthy. Mr. MacHolda replied that soccer is there on Tuesdays and Thursdays as well
as the marching band also uses that field for their practice. He then explained that when
they say varsity football they are talking 9th grade, sophomore, junior varsity and varsity.
He noted that the 10th graders through 12th graders all suit up for Friday games, however,
they break up separately for practices leading up to the varsity games. Dr. Hulbert asked
so having artificial turf on Kuhlman has not been able to take care of all of the
scheduling? Mr. MacHolda replied that artificial turf does give a much better playing
surface because there are less injuries, they can play in the rain and as soon as one sport
is done the next one can go right on and they can get on the field early in the spring.
However, if there are four football teams on that postage stamp and there are 8 soccer
teams on the other one at the High School, they’re short.
Mr. Keprios indicated that putting in turf at McCarthy would be great for the community
as a whole as well as it philosophically makes sense that the city and school work
together on this and each group pays their percentage of the benefit. He noted that it
sounds like it would be a huge benefit to the school during the fall season. Mr. Keprios
pointed out, however, that he has been told there is no way McCarthy will ever have
lights because it is so close to residential homes. He asked what percentage of benefit is
it to community use groups compared to what percentage of benefit for school district
use. As a matter of priority, is this where we want our money to go versus something like
putting it towards a Walnut Ridge Park to make it a more playable field. Mr. Keprios
commented that, in his view, the school should play a large role in this financially if they
are going to be the primary benefactor. However, he would say that the city should have
an interest because it’s our job to put our dollars where it benefits our community-based
programs. He added that’s why they are putting their money towards improving Braemar
because during the last three years they focused their money on Lewis Park and upgraded
the Courtney ball fields because they serve primarily our community user groups. Mr.
Keprios stated that on the converse those are the same fields that significantly benefit the
school district and therefore maybe we should ask the school district if they would be
willing to help pay for some of those renovations. Mr. MacHolda indicated that really
there is a third party, which are the community user groups. He believes there could be
private funds raised for this project.
Mr. Klus indicated that if he understands correctly Mr. Nessan and Mr. Girard are here
tonight to see if the Park Board would have an interest in looking at this project to benefit
McCarthy field. He pointed out that he also thinks Mr. Nessan and Mr. Girard will need
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to work with the other associations/clubs to see if they are willing to help to commit to
this project. Mr. Klus stated that they already know that the school is not willing to do
anything at this point because the money isn’t there.
Mr. Nessan asked Mr. Johnson if all of the money has been spent from the referendum to
which Mr. Johnson replied it has all been allocated but not spent. Everything that is
listed in that referendum is what they plan on doing and if anything is left over it’s going
back to pay off the bond. Mr. Klus stated that they don’t know how much money has
been allocated by the school for what’s going to be done at McCarthy. Mr. Johnson
replied that he will take this back to the school board and look at the figures to see how
much money has been allocated to McCarthy Field. He noted that he would see if there
is any interest, perhaps through donations, to pursue this and see if there are any funds
that could be set-aside for this.
Mr. Weiss asked by using a second all-purpose field would it lengthen the life of
Kuhlman because it wouldn’t necessarily get used as much. Mr. Johnson replied that he
thinks they would use it just as much. Mr. Weiss commented that if that is the case then
there is clearly a need for more artificial turf. He pointed out that, irrigation or not, a
regular field after two six-hour days of heavy practice in the heat of August is going to
get chewed up. Mr. Weiss stated that he would urge the Park Board to at least partner up
with the school to see if there is enough interest. It was also pointed out that the bus
takes the kids from Valley View and the High School for baseball and football practices
to the community center campus.
Mr. Klus stressed to Mr. Nessan and Mr. Girard that he would encourage them to talk to
the other associations and see what interest and commitment there is and come back to
the Park Board to discuss what that commitment is. He indicated that by doing this it
would help the Park Board to have a better direction of what needs to be done. He noted
that it sounds like Mr. Johnson is willing to go back to the School Board and find out
what the situation is and report back to the Park Board at their December meeting. Mr.
Klus suggested to Mr. Nessan and Mr. Girard to do their homework on this and if they
would like to report back at the December Park Board meeting to let Mr. Keprios know
and he will put it on the agenda.
Mr. Keprios asked the Park Board to look at the Capital Improvement Plan between now
and next month’s meeting and give it a lot of thought as to how could we afford to do our
share with this by moving things around in the plan. He noted that there isn’t another
fund to get money from so it’s a matter of choices. Therefore, he encourages the Park
Board to look at this and see how they might be able to fit it into their long-range plans.
Mr. Klus pointed out that it also depends on how much money they can get from the
community for a project like this. He stated that it’s very important to see on projects
like this not only how much money can be raised by the community but how much can be
raised by the associations and clubs. He also indicated that the Edina Foundation could
be another source they could look to for help in raising money for things like this.
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Mr. Sorem asked what is the expected life on a turf field that’s going to be used heavily
to which Mr. Keprios replied a maximum of approximately ten years.
VI. PARK ASSIGNMENTS PRESENTATION – KARLA SITEK
Ms. Sitek indicated that her park assignments were Rosland Park, Strachauer Park and
Yorktown Park. She noted that the first one she visited was Strachauer Park, which is
located at 6200 Beard Avenue, formerly named Beard Park, and was renamed after a
longtime Park Board Chairman. She noted the park sits on five acres and includes a full-
size basketball court, ice hockey rink, warming house, two soccer fields and playground
equipment. She pointed out that it has one of the older warming houses but people seem
to be content with it. Ms. Sitek indicated that parking is really the only negative thing
that was mentioned because it goes all the way around the block. However, the
neighborhood uses this park a lot.
Ms. Sitek noted that the next park she visited was Rosland Park, formerly named Lake
Cornelia Park, which was renamed after former Park Director and City Manager Ken
Rosland. She stated that it is located at 4600 West 66th Street and sits on 22 acres. Ms.
Sitek pointed out that the park includes the Edina Aquatic Center as well as the Edina Art
Center. She noted that the park has playground equipment, two tennis courts, a baseball
field, sand volleyball and a fishing pier. She pointed out there is also a gazebo, grills and
a Frisbee golf course. She pointed out that the Frisbee Golf Course was also part of an
Eagle Scout project. Ms. Sitek stated that the parking lot is pretty sufficient now that
they have redone it. She noted that the gazebo is rented out all of the time and
commented that the drinking fountain does work. She indicated that the bathrooms are
great because they are always open unlike some of the other parks. Mr. Keprios replied
that Rosland Park is on the keyless entry system and that’s why they are always open
during the daytime hours. He noted that soon they would be adding Bredesen Park,
Pamela Park and Normandale Park into their keyless entry system. Ms. Sitek added that
the Frisbee Golf Course is the best thing for the teenagers, there are always kids using it.
She commented that she has never seen anyone use the sand volleyball court to which
Mr. Keprios replied that it does get pretty minimal use. Mr. Keprios noted that Mr.
MacHolda has made a great suggestion of perhaps of converting that area for a different
use, it’s a very valuable space for the few times it’s used. Ms. Sitek commented that
there is a wonderful walking path and one complaint she received was that the exercise
equipment stations that are there are very old and falling apart. Mr. Keprios replied that
they would look at removing those.
Ms. Sitek indicated that the last park she visited was Yorktown Park, which sits on 2
acres and is located at 73rd Street and York Avenue. She explained that the YMCA Tri-
City Skate Park is located within Yorktown Park. The cities of Bloomington, Richfield
and Edina along with the YMCA worked together to make this park possible. Ms. Sitek
mentioned that they still desperately need to build a permanent building for bathrooms,
storage, concessions and safety gear. She commented that there also is no shade for the
spectators so it would be nice to build something for them as well. Mr. Keprios replied
that both the Edina Park Board and Edina City Council have approved money for Edina’s
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share of the permanent building. However, the joint powers agreements state that each of
the other communities and the YMCA will work together to make future capital
improvements. Neither Richfield nor Bloomington has the money at this time to do it.
Mr. Johnson asked if there have been any major injuries at the skate park to which Ms.
Sitek replied there hasn’t been one and there are kids of all ages using the skate park.
Ms. Sitek also added that the staff at the YMCA is awesome.
VII. OTHER
A. Slide Presentation – Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that he took some photos
today of the projects they have been working on this year and are trying to wrap up. Mr.
Keprios gave a brief slide presentation that showed the following renovations and park
improvements; Lewis Park parking lot, Lewis Park west athletic field, Lewis Park tennis
courts, Art Center roof, Grange Hall and Cahill School buildings siding and windows,
and Arneson Acres Park sidewalk and entrance.
B. Buckthorn at Braemar - Mr. Weiss noted that he has been asked by a few people in
his neighborhood to see how they can accelerate the buckthorn removal at Braemar,
particularly on Gleason going up that hill. He stated that apparently it’s an Oak
Savannah. Mr. Weiss indicated that the neighborhood group would provide the majority
of the labor. Mr. Klus informed Mr. Weiss that he should contact the City Forester, Tom
Horwath, to see what kind of help he would be able to provide the neighborhood. Mr.
Klus added that they want to make sure they do it correctly otherwise they will just create
a bigger problem.
C. Signage - Mr. Sorem asked Mr. Keprios if a sign could be put up at Pamela just like
that one that is at Lewis stating that the park can be used by permit only. He commented
that there are a lot of athletic events going on and he’s pretty sure they aren’t Edina
residents. Mr. Keprios replied that he would gladly get similar signs placed at Pamela.
Mr. Keprios also stated that he hates to suggest this but some day we should consider
putting a fence around that field. He commented that the Pamela Park large athletic field
gets a lot of unauthorized non-resident use.
D. Hiking Trails at Golf Dome – Dr. Hulbert asked if there is still public access to the
hiking trails across from the golf dome since that area has been fenced, can people still
hike there? Mr. Keprios replied that’s a good question to which he doesn’t have an
answer but will look into it.
VIII. ADJOURNMENT
Mike Weiss MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 8:50 PM. Alice Hulbert
SECONDED THE MOTION. MEETING ADJOURNED.