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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-03-08 Park Board Minutes 1 EDINA PARK BOARD 7:00 P.M. EDINA COMMUNITY ROOM EDINA CITY HALL MARCH 8, 2005 _____________________________ MEMBERS PRESENT: George Klus, Jeff Johnson, Mike Weiss, Mike Damman, Linda Presthus, Jessica Selleck, Todd Fronek, Jeff Sorem MEMBERS ABSENT: Karla Sitek, Andy Finsness STAFF PRESENT: John Keprios, Ed MacHolda, Janet Canton OTHERS PRESENT: Idelle Longman, Paul Selcke ____________________________ I. ALICE HULBERT Mr. Klus informed the Park Board that he asked Dr. Hulbert if she would attend the first part of the Park Board so that everyone can thank her and let her know that they appreciate everything she has done this past year. He pointed out that Dr. Hulbert has contributed a lot and has helped to cultivate some very good discussion. Dr. Hulbert commented that the Park Board has been a wonderful group of people to work with and has very much enjoyed her time on the Park Board. She noted that her only regret is that she cannot serve on both the City Council and Park Board. Dr. Hulbert indicated that she really appreciates all of the mentoring into the ways of the city that she has received since being on the Park Board. She added that the Park Board was her inspiration for deciding to run for City Council. Dr. Hulbert stressed that she is so amazed at the amount of time and volunteerism that everyone has put into this and how they have brought something before the board, prioritized it and did something about it. She stated she has learned a lot and it has been a lot of fun. Mr. Keprios congratulated Dr. Hulbert on being appointed to the City Council and thanked her for all of the support she has given the Park Board and knows that she will carry that out on the City Council. Mr. Klus asked the Park Board members to e-mail him any names of people that they would like Mayor Hovland to consider before he makes his appointment of the Park Board member. 2 II. APPROVAL OF THE FEBRUARY 8, 2005 PARK BOARD MINUTES Linda Presthus MOVED TO APPROVE THE FEBRUARY 8, 2005 PARK BOARD MINUTES. Mike Weiss SECONDED THE MOTION. MINUTES APPROVED III. “PARKS AND RECREATION – YOUR BEST INVESTMENT” 12-MINUTE VIDEO Mr. Keprios showed the Park Board a video on parks and recreation. IV. ADVENTURE PEAK KARE 11 NEWS STORY Mr. Keprios showed the Park Board a news story that was recently aired on KARE 11 news talking about Adventure Peak. V. UPDATES A. Braemar Athletic Field Project – Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that bids were opened on February 24th to renovate the Braemar athletic fields, and there is $312,000 in the budget for this as part of the capital improvement plan. He noted there were four bids submitted to which the low bid was Veit Companies whose bid came in at $277,700. Mr. Keprios commented this is a good company who has experience and they hope to begin the project in June and if all goes well it will be done around August 1st after which they will start seeding. He noted that we would probably be able to use the field by mid to late June of 2006 and added that it will be the premier field in Minnesota when it’s done. B. Kojetin Park Playground Equipment – Mr. MacHolda informed the Park Board that Kojetin Park is currently being advertised in the Sun Current to which the bid opening will be held on Tuesday, March 22nd at 2:00 p.m. C. Gymnasiums Proposal – Mr. Keprios handed out to the Park Board six different plans of the construction that is going on at the South View gym and the Community Center gym. He pointed out that they have had several meetings already with the “Community Input Committee” which consists primarily of members from the Edina Basketball Association, the Edina Girls Athletic Association as well as they have received some input from the Edina Baseball Association. He noted that the committee has contributed a tremendous amount of quality input into the design. Mr. Keprios commented that the project is moving along at a very fast pace. D. Gold Medal Award – Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that the “Gold Medal Award” is the National Recreation Park Association’s highest and most prestigious award that is given out to municipal park and recreation departments in five different classes based on population. He noted that Edina is considered a Class 4 community (under 50,000 population) and they have submitted a multi-page application form to which the Park and Recreation staff had the opportunity to contribute to. Mr. Keprios stated that Jennifer Bennerotte, Communications Director, was given all of the documents of 3 information and wrote the application to which she did a wonderful job. He noted that during the week of April 19th they would find out who the finalists are. Mr. Keprios commented that he thinks Edina has a very good shot, however, he has heard that it is almost unheard of for a community to win on its first try. It usually takes two to three years of applying before receiving it. Mr. Sorem asked what does it mean if they win the Gold Medal Award to which Mr. Keprios replied it means Edina receives national recognition and puts us on the map. Mr. Klus added that it’s a really nice honor to the city and the staff for what they’ve done. E. Senior Center Kitchen Project – Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that the kitchen project at the Senior Center is now complete. He noted that the Rotary Club contributed almost $20,000 and the Masica family contributed $500.00 towards the project. Mr. Keprios stated that it turned out beautiful. Ms. Presthus asked if the rates would change for rentals to which Mr. Keprios replied it will stay the same but noted that it will now be more attractive to renters. F. Grandview Square Park Development – Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that they are on track with the development of the Grandview Square Park project. He noted that the quote they received is around $40,000 to which they are a little shy of what has been donated to date. However, that effort is still moving forward because they still need to come up with the rest of the funds to make it work. Mr. Klus informed the Park Board that there has been some miscommunication because the residents claim they were promised a park by Ron Clark and not by the City. Mr. Klus commented that he doesn’t think the city should recommend or move ahead on something like this unless the money has already been raised. He added that he doesn’t think the city should be putting extra money into the project without involvement from the people who live in that area. Mr. Keprios pointed out that the city attorney has drawn up a contract that Ron Clark will have to sign since they are going to serve as the general contractor and will use a lot of their own sub-contractors. He noted that all of the dollars received so far that have been deposited with the Edina Foundation have come from the Friends of the Library, the Edina Senior Citizen Center Advisory Board, and a few people who live in the Grandview Square condominiums. The city again paid for the architect fees; however, we are not planning to contribute any additional dollars towards the project. VI. PARK BOARD COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PROJECTS Mr. Klus indicated that at the last Park Board meeting Mr. Weiss suggested that the Park Board maybe do something together in the community outside of the Park Board meeting. Mr. Klus noted that he has asked Mr. Keprios to develop a list of potential things the Park Board could discuss and possibly come to an agreement on what would be good for them as a group to go out and do in the community. Mr. Keprios went through the list he prepared. Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that he met with Mr. MacHolda, Ms. Tilsner and Ms. Miller to come up with a few ideas on different projects that the Park Board may be 4 interested in being involved with. He noted that one thought is to have the Park Board be involved with the spring clean up that is done every year by the maintenance staff that takes place in early spring. He stated this is an opportunity where they really clean the parks, boulevards and side street areas that otherwise do not get a lot of attention later in the year. Another thought was to have the Park Board adopt a park that hasn’t already been adopted through the Adopt-A-Park program. Some other ideas they came up with were some of the shelter buildings need painting from time to time. Also, this year the Edina Conservation League is going to be heavily involved with the Arbor Day tree planting project which possibly the Park Board could help out with. Mr. Keprios stated that they could also do their own Needs Assessment Survey to which they could do a mailing and invite people to come to their park on a Saturday or weekday evening and ask them for their input as well as hand out a survey. This event could also be turned into an ice cream social or something like that. Other thoughts were to have a buckthorn abatement day or perhaps sponsor a special walk in the park day and meet your Park Board members. Mr. Keprios stated that these were some of the ideas they came up with. Mr. Weiss indicated that he thinks having a buckthorn abatement day would be a wonderful thing to do because there is so much of it and if everyone brought along another person they could get a lot done. Mr. Johnson suggested that they hold one of their summer Park Board meetings at one of the newer shelter buildings and post it so that neighbors can attend the meeting and give them their input and share their concerns. Mr. Sorem stated that he thinks it’s a wonderful idea to have the Park Board go out into the community and show them the commitment on our part. He noted that he’s not sure what project they should do but rather maybe do a couple of different projects a year. Ms. Selleck commented that she thinks they are all good ideas and thinks it would be really nice for the Park Board to get out into the community. Mr. Fronek indicated that he thinks it’s very important for the Park Board to get out and meet people. He stated that if the city puts on some type of festival or something that maybe the Park Board should be present at that. He noted that he thinks a lot of people don’t necessarily know that this avenue is available to them and commented that by them being out in front of the people is the best way to go about accomplishing that goal. Ms. Presthus noted that she brought this up to the Park Board a long time ago that she would be in favor of having some sort of a neighborhood night out that the Park Board would sponsor. Each Park Board member could be at a specific park. She commented that she has already taken out enough of her own buckthorn that she isn’t too excited about chopping down more. Ms. Presthus stated that having a night out is something that would be visible and would be sponsored all over the community. Mr. Damman indicated that quite often he goes to the parks and gets input from the residents. He stated that he would like for the Park Board to do something formal and 5 maybe hand out a survey to them while they are there. He noted that it doesn’t have to be on one certain day, however, they could do it in one day at the parks or they could do it throughout the year. Mr. Klus asked what events are held at the parks where the Park Board could volunteer. He noted that there is the Fourth of July Fireworks as well as the Art Center has some events but what do we do in the parks. Mr. Keprios replied that that there is the Iron Kids Triathlon, the Fall Into Arts Festival at Centennial Lakes, the Summer Beach Party in the middle of winter at Edinborough, the Parade of Boats, concerts throughout the summer at the amphitheatre and Lighthouse Night where they do a little fireworks display at the John Phillip Sousa’s Band concert at Centennial Lakes. Ms. Presthus pointed out that most of those events center around Centennial Lakes or the pool and commented that she was thinking more of an ice cream social one night and open up 11 parks where each Park Board member is at a park. Mr. Klus stated that he thinks it would be good if the Park Board did something together where they are visible as a group at one thing whether it be painting a park shelter that needs work or cleaning up a pathway or a walkway at a park just so it’s something that’s visible that they can put PR out there to let people know that this is what we are going to be doing and come and join us. Mr. Keprios stated that they could take on an Arbor Day project by planting trees at a particular park. Mr. Klus asked Mr. Keprios to put together a list of projects based on what was just discussed and e-mail it to all Park Board members so everyone can rank them. At the April meeting they will decide what it is that they want to do. VII. COUNTRYSIDE PARK HOCKEY RINK Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that in his staff report he stated there were 10 hockey rinks when actually there are 11 hockey rinks. Mr. Keprios handed out a report that shows what the current use is for the hockey rinks as well as the general skating areas. He commented that the average hours used versus the total numbers available shows that the hockey rinks for the most part are used on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. He noted that the hockey rinks are heavily booked on Tuesdays and Thursdays; however, there are times available pretty much on even the heaviest days. Mr. Keprios commented that they can’t build enough hockey rinks or gymnasiums to ever accommodate the Tuesday and Thursday night need because people will always want more of the 6:00, 7:00 and 8:00 times. He pointed out that the problem is there is a lot of time left over on the weekends. Mr. Keprios added that the rinks are not just there for organized hockey but are also there for general skating. Mr. Johnson informed the Park Board that the only times the mites get to play inside are on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Mr. Keprios stated that he thinks his staff report speaks for itself in that the dilemma they are in: they need to make a wise decision about what to do with the hockey boards at Countryside Park. He noted that he thinks it would be unwise to spend a lot of money to put in new boards and lights in the wrong orientation over bad soils at Countryside Park. He commented that Countryside Park could still be left open as a nice skating area as 6 well as a separate area for “shinny hockey”. Mr. Keprios noted that his recommendation would be to put another hockey rink in at Lewis Park. Mr. Fronek noted that he sent out a few e-mails regarding the situation and the responses were mostly from the under age 30 crowd and a lot depended on where they lived. He noted that he thinks a lot of people feel that the ice at Countryside Park is bad and it is totally dependent on the weather. If it’s cold then the ice is good which makes Countryside Park an ideal location because it has easy access. Mr. Fronek pointed out that access and parking is a big issue at Todd Park, however, there is a new warming house there that probably should be getting a lot more use. He indicated that he grew up close to Lewis Park, however, it does get overrun with a lot of Bloomington residents. Therefore, if they put in a second rink at Lewis Park does that mean it just opens it up for more Bloomington residents rather than providing a neighborhood hockey rink for the people who live by Todd Park and Countryside Park. Mr. Sorem stated that it’s no secret that Edina probably has the best ice in Minnesota if not the entire country for outdoor rinks and therefore Edina gets an incredible amount of non-resident use. He commented that he doesn’t know how they can stop it but his theory is the more parks you can get hidden the better because the non-residents won’t know how to find them. Parks like Lewis and Countryside are right out in the open and everyone knows where they are and they are easy access for people who are coming from outside the city. Mr. Sorem indicated that he thinks a place like Todd Park is tough to get to and that’s a benefit to our community because the people in Edina are going to know how to find it. He added that there are a group of older guys who use the Lewis Park hockey rink on Saturday mornings, they are all nice guys, however, he knows that not one of them lives in Edina. He noted that they get there early, chew up the ice and it’s pretty much unusable for the rest of the day. Mr. Sorem noted that he thinks maybe they should try to schedule the mites for Saturday mornings at the rinks that are out in the open like Lewis and Creek Valley in an effort to try and keep the non-residents away. He noted they should leave the parks open that are hard to find like Walnut Ridge and Todd and by doing this maybe it would help. Mr. Sorem pointed out that he thinks having two rinks at one location would be phenomenal and Lewis Park would be a great spot for it as long as they are renting it out. He noted that he would hate to see non-residents use the ice for an hour and chew it up and then go and do the same thing at the second rink. Mr. Johnson indicated that he thinks they can kill two birds with one stone by putting in an outdoor sheet of ice at Braemar between the golf dome and the south rink. He noted that they could put in a refrigeration system with a pole barn roof over it and it would be sheltered by the hill. He added that there already is a Zamboni there and this way they could have ice from approximately the middle of October to the end of March. He noted that by doing this they would always have an extra sheet of ice even with the unpredictable weather. Mr. Johnson stated that he thinks it should be primarily used for the youth program. He commented that the mites are constantly looking for ice because they get shut out at least four or five weekends a year. He noted that he would guarantee that the Edina Hockey Association would come up with some funding for that. Mr. Sorem asked if the city currently charges a rental fee to reserve an outdoor rink to which Mr. Keprios explained that the Hockey Association pays the same fee that the facility 7 users pay, which is $8.00 per participant per season. He added that it does get rented out to other users at an hourly rental fee. Mr. Klus asked if the neighborhood at Countryside Park would miss not having a neighborhood rink to which Mr. Johnson replied that Creek Valley is not that far away for them to use. Mr. Sorem commented that he’s sure they would, however, there are only a few houses that are there and he doesn’t feel like it’s truly a neighborhood park like some of the others. Mr. MacHolda indicated that he agrees he doesn’t really see Countryside as a neighborhood and thinks the group that would miss it the most would be the church and any high school programs. Ms. Presthus asked would all of the ice go or just the hockey rink to which Mr. MacHolda replied it would just be the boards. Mr. Sorem commented that the nice thing about Todd Park is there is already a nice facility there as well as lights. Mr. Keprios stated that they have the money for one rink and they can either put it at Lewis Park, Countryside Park or Todd Park. Ms. Presthus asked Mr. Keprios what he thinks of an outdoor rink at Braemar versus an indoor rink to which he replied that if they were to refrigerate an outside rink he thinks they would still need to put up a roof and walls. Mr. Johnson stated that he thinks it would only need a roof. Mr. Keprios indicated that he needs to find out more about the refrigeration system but he suspects it’s pretty expensive. Mr. Sorem commented that he thinks people would be surprised at how much use a rink like that would get. Mr. Keprios noted that he would do a little analysis on this and crunch some numbers and at least get some rough figures on it. Mr. Damman asked when they do eventually revamp Countryside Park and put in a parking lot would they be able to put the hockey rink back but into a better position? Mr. Keprios replied that’s a great question and at that point he would like to have a neighborhood meeting, hire a professional architect and draw up some concept designs with the neighborhood’s input. He noted that some master plan ideas could include a centrally located parking lot immediately adjacent to a new replacement park shelter building with a new hockey rink in the proper orientation and reorient the west baseball field. And there are probably a lot of ideas that we haven’t even thought about yet. Mr. Damman asked how would open skating be affected at Lewis Park if they just took it away from them. Mr. Keprios replied that they could literally set aside and schedule times that are designated for open skating only. Unfortunately, they do not have enough real estate to put in a decent general skating area outside of the hockey boards and added that they can’t put one on the new athletic field because it would kill the grass. Mr. Damman asked if there are normally a lot of people who use Lewis Park for general skating to which Mr. Keprios replied it’s a pretty small skating area and he doesn’t believe it gets a lot of use. Ms. Selleck commented that she has frequented both Countryside Park and Todd Park and feels that Countryside Park does have the little bit of a lack of community. She noted that she does have some friends who live over there and they do use the skating rink. 8 Mr. Keprios stressed that as they debate the money that’s available everyone needs to understand that the money they are talking about is not capital improvement dollars which carry over from year to year. We are talking about operational dollars that do not carry over to the following year. He explained that our own internal staff builds these rinks and that is how they are able to get the job done at such a reasonable expense otherwise they would cost close to $50,000 or more. Therefore, if they are going to do something with that $25,000 they need to do it this year because they cannot bankroll that money. Mr. Johnson asked if there is enough room and would it be possible to make the parking lot bigger at Todd Park to which Mr. Keprios replied he thinks that could physically be done. Mr. Keprios pointed out that the problem they are going to have is facing the neighborhood. He noted that they would have to send out a mailing and have a hearing because they can’t just go down there and put in a parking lot. Mr. Keprios commented that he thinks that is a good idea but the challenge is dealing with neighborhood opposition. Mr. Johnson noted that he would think the neighborhood would want a bigger parking lot rather than having all of the cars park on the street. Mr. Keprios replied that he was disappointed and surprised that some neighbors are strongly opposed to a parking lot. Mr. MacHolda indicated that he believes there is higher senior population by Todd Park and that those people might not be looking for boards and a hockey rink, they wanted a pathway, which they now have. Mr. Keprios stated that whatever we decide to do, we should send notices first to inform people about what we are thinking about doing and solicit their input. Mr. Sorem commented that maybe the Edina Hockey Association could raise some money for a second rink at Lewis Park and we can take the $25,000 we have now and put in a hockey rink at Todd Park. He noted that Todd Park already has a nice warming house and an attendant and that way we would then have 12 hockey rinks. Todd Fronek MOVED TO RECOMMEND THAT A HOCKEY RINK BE PUT IN AT TODD PARK. Jeff Sorem SECONDED THE MOTION. Mr. Klus stated that the only thing he would like to see added to the motion is the caveat that we publicize this however Mr. Keprios would deem necessary and allow the neighbors to comment at the next Park Board meeting. He noted that this way it would still give the staff plenty of time to build it this summer. Mr. Fronek replied that he is okay with that caveat. IN FAVOR – George Klus, Jeff Sorem, Todd Fronek, Jeff Johnson, Jessica Selleck, Mike Weiss, Mike Damman. OPPOSED – Linda Presthus. MOTION CARRIED. 9 Mr. Weiss asked does that mean that we are not putting in a hockey rink at Countryside Park, which Mr. Klus replied that is correct. VIII. OTHER A. Pathways – Mr. Keprios indicated that the pedestrian and bicycle pathways/ trails was on the list to put on future agenda items. He noted that there is no update at this point but showed a master plan of where they currently are. Mr. Klus commented that they would talk about the progress of this at a future Park Board meeting. B. Tobacco Free Park Policy – Mr. Keprios handed out a newsletter from the Tobacco Free Youth Recreation organization. Mr. Johnson commented that this is not being followed at the arena and people are still smoking in front of the arena. C. Skate Park - Mr. Keprios indicated that he heard there was a request for shade at the skate park at the February Park Board meeting. He pointed out that he has found a couple of vendors who have given him quotes on what it would cost to put in some shade at the park. He noted that for an area of 40x60 the cost would be approximately $4,000 and our own staff could put it in the ground. Mr. Keprios stated that for $4,000 he thinks that between the three cities and the YMCA they would be able to find that within their operating budget. He noted that he doesn’t think they would have to touch the money that is currently being set aside for the concessions building. D. Athletic Association Presidents - Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board they have scheduled a meeting with the Presidents of the Athletic Association on Wednesday, April 13th at 6:00 p.m. in the Mayor’s conference room. He added that the Park Board members are more than welcome to attend. He stated that the agenda would cover facilities, overlapping seasons and background checks. Mr. Klus asked Mr. Keprios to send out an e-mail to the Park Board members with all of the information. E. The Perfect Show – Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that the Adaptive Recreation Learning Exchange has put together a wonderful performance called “The Perfect Show”. He noted that it’s the same type of performance they did three years ago called “Totally Talent and Tunes” to which they received a lot of recognition. He noted that the performance will be held on March 12th at 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm at Richfield High School and tickets cost $5.00. Mr. Keprios pointed out that the Edina Rotary Club has been very supportive of this and have funded a good share of the expenses. Mr. Klus commented that if you get a chance it’s definitely worth going to. Susie Miller and the other director from Richfield have done a great job putting it together. Mr. Keprios stated that it’s very heartwarming to see the people who have disabilities feel so proud of themselves for their accomplishments and is very proud of Susie Miller for her passion and efforts. F. May Term - Ms. Selleck informed the Park Board that for “May Term” a few of her friends have applied to do buckthorn abatement at Highlands Park. She noted that they would find out whether or not they’ve been accepted on Friday. 10 G. Conservation League of Edina – A member in the audience, Paul Selcke, indicated to the Park Board that the Conservation League of Edina would like to have an Arbor Day event this year at Wooddale Park. He noted that the reason they chose Wooddale Park is because it’s one of the premiere parks in the City of Edina. He indicated that they would like to plant some trees and possibly have a free tree distribution activity. Mr. Selcke stated that this would be a great opportunity for the Park Board members to join them and noted that it will be held on April 30th. He pointed out that Mr. Keprios has already said it’s okay for them to plant the trees. Mr. Selcke explained that last year they held their first Arbor Day event at Van Valkenburg Park and their hope is to go to a different park each year. He noted that it’s not just about planting trees in a park, it’s also about trying to get residents involved with planting trees. Mr. Keprios commented that he has been very supportive of the Conservation League of Edina’s efforts and he is always supportive of programs that give the city more trees. He noted that they would need to know what species they are planting as well as where because the law requires that Gopher One be called to mark locations of underground utilities before any holes are dug. Mr. Keprios explained that they would need to be careful that it doesn’t get too large because Wooddale is a small park and they may want to think about going to Garden Park instead because the parking lot is much larger. Mr. Selcke asked if the Park Department could update their website regarding Arbor Day because the information is two years old. Mr. Keprios stated that he would look into it. IX. ADJOURNMENT Linda Presthus MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 8:45 P.M. Mike Damman SECONDED THE MOTION. MEETING ADJOURNED.