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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-05-10 Park Board Minutes 1 Minutes of the Edina Park Board May 10, 2011 Edina City Hall, Council Chambers MEMBERS PRESENT: Todd Fronek, Dan Peterson, Randy Meyer, Ellen Jones, Louise Segreto, Keeya Steel, Susan Jacobson MEMBERS ABSENT: Joseph Hulbert, Felix Pronove, Austin Dummer, David Deeds STAFF PRESENT: John Keprios, Ed MacHolda, Janet Canton, Ann Kattreh Vice Chairman Steel called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm I. WELCOME NEW PARK BOARD MEMBER SUSAN JACOBSON The Park Board welcomed new Park Board member Susan Jacobson. Ms. Jacobson informed the Park Board that she works full-time at General Mills as a chemical engineer and manages their intellectual property for the R & D Division. She explained that she decided to become involved because she thinks it is interesting and hasn’t done anything like this before and is looking forward to meeting people and engaging in the community. II. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES Dan Peterson MOVED TO APPROVE THE APRIL 12, 2011 PARK BOARD MINUTES. Louise Segreto SECONDED THE MOTION. MINUTES APPROVED. III. NEW BUSINESS A. Veterans Memorial Committee Update – Mike Goergen, Chair of the Veterans Committee, gave the Park Board an update on what has been happening with the Veterans Memorial Committee. Mr. Goergen informed the Park Board that the committee has established various elements for the memorial and that one of the elements is what they refer to as the focal point. He noted that after much discussion the committee decided they did not want a human figure but rather a symbolic focal point which is yet to be defined. Mr. Goergen stated that after a lengthy process they selected Short, Elliott & Hendrickson (SEH) as the architect for the project. He explained they are working with the architect to find the actual site selection within Utley Park and at their last meeting the architect presented them with three sites within Utley Park. He noted the committee is now in the process of reviewing those and at their May meeting they will make the final selection for the site then the architect will go ahead and start with a preliminary design plan. Mr. Goergen informed the Park Board that the committee invited representatives from the Edina Garden Council and Edina Public Art Committee (EPAC) to their April 2 meeting. He noted they are looking for assistance from the Garden Council to be involved with flower gardens, etc. that are in conjunction with the memorial to which they were very receptive to do that in conjunction with the committee and architects. He stated that the committee is also relying heavily on the EPAC to help them find an artist. Mr. Goergen explained that their timeline has been to get an architect, start preliminary discussion on a design of the memorial itself and then get into the fundraising phase of the project. He commented that currently there is a subcommittee working on a preliminary fundraising plan. Mr. Goergen informed the Park Board that the EPAC distributed a "Call for Design Sketches" to artists who may be interested in designing and building a symbolic focal piece sculpture for the memorial. He noted they received a $500.00 donation for the project from the Kiwanis Club in Edina that they are going to use as a stipend for the artist that is selected. He added that the deadline for the sketch submissions is June 1st. Mr. Goergen indicated that they are hoping to have the memorial dedicated on July 4, 2012. He stated that he is very happy with the committee and thinks they are 11 dedicated individuals who are passionate about establishing a veteran’s memorial in Edina. B. MN Flying Disc Classic – Paul Thompson – Paul Thompson, 4244 Crocker, thanked the Park Board for supporting their US Overall Championships last year and added that it was one of the most successful Frisbee tournaments they have had. He noted that this year that tournament will be held in Fort Collins, Colorado. He indicated that Mr. Keprios had asked how often they would be having this big event to which he had informed him approximately every ten years they have the big tournament in Minnesota. Mr. Thompson informed the Park Board that when the tournament was over everyone came to him and asked if they could use the same fields next year for the Minnesota Classic and therefore he is asking for the Park Board’s support. He explained that this event is much smaller and would just be people from the metro area and a few players from St. Cloud. Mr. Thompson indicated that they are looking at having the event Friday night, June 24th with a picnic at Highlands Park and an accuracy event. On Saturday they would do self- caught flight, distance and DDC which is a couple’s game. He noted on Sunday they would play disc golf at Bryant Lake and then go to Normandale Park for one event called “disc-a-thon” which is a running throwing event up and down the hills, Normandale Park is perfectly suited for it, and then they would go back to Highlands Park for the freestyle. He informed the Park Board that they would be using Highlands Park for one evening from 6:00 to 9:00, the whole day Saturday and then again Sunday afternoon. He stated they are expecting 15 to 25 of their regular disc players and are hoping to generate at least 50 people with local participation. Mr. Thompson indicated that what they are looking for from the Park Board is approval to run the event and to let them use the fields at no charge like last year as well as help in the promotion of the event; however, that’s not essential, they will be doing that through their own Cool Planet and other sponsors. He indicated that they will be asking the Edina Community Foundation to be a sponsor again as well as some local businesses to help provide food 3 and drinks. He added that they will also be taking care of all of the recycling and composting like they did last year because they are trying to run a no waste event so there would be less stress on the park. Mr. Meyer stated that he doesn’t believe there is a policy that decides how and when they waive fees. In addition he’s not sure the Park Board can actually do that and that it may be under the City Council’s authority. He asked if there are any rules on when the City of Edina can be a sponsor of an event and if so what the requirements are. Mr. Keprios replied there is no standing policy, it’s been done on a case by case basis; however, the Park Board could make a recommendation to the City Council on a case by case basis, like you did with this group last year for the National event that was held at Highlands Park and Normandale Park. He noted Mr. Thompson is requesting that you waive the fee again; however, staff does not have the authority to waive the fee, therefore it becomes a policy decision for the Park Board and City Council which has been addressed in the past on a case by case basis. Mr. Keprios pointed out that he receives multiple requests for free access to pathways, shelters, fields, golf courses, etc. He pointed out that if the Park Board says yes to this group, which obviously they want this to be an annual event, then how do you decide when to say “no” to other groups that may want to do something similar on an annual basis. Ms. Segreto stated that she thinks as a matter of good will they waived the fee last year; however, if other groups are requesting similar things then out of respect to the declinations other groups have been given they should not waive the fee this time. Mr. Keprios indicated that one thing he would like to clarify from his staff report that may be a bit misleading is that the cost to rent a general park area for the day is $137.00. In this case at Highlands Park, if they consume all three athletic fields they would count that as three field areas times $137.00. Ms. Jones commented it was a wonderful tournament last year and that she loves the sport and would love to be able to support the tournament. However, last year she didn’t realize there really is nothing in the policy that allows for waiving fees. She indicated that there is a resolution that is passed by the City Council that sets fees and there is nothing in there that says anything about waiving a fee. She noted that until they change their policy she is uncomfortable if they once in a while allow someone free access and therefore thinks they need to possibly rewrite it in their policy that occasionally they will look at the circumstances and waive the fee. Mr. Fronek asked Mr. Keprios if he has any idea how much revenue is received for fields not including things like soccer and baseball. Mr. Keprios replied arguably there would be no loss in revenues; however, it would displace youth athletic association games and practices that otherwise would be scheduled on those fields at that time. Mr. Fronek stated just to play devil’s advocate and look at it another way is the Park and Recreation Department marketing the parks by saying here are the things you can do in the parks. He asked if they have other marketing events, he realizes it’s probably not hard to market the traditional sports like hockey, soccer, baseball, etc., because to him as a Park and Recreation Department don’t they want to promote the use of the parks. He 4 stated that maybe this is a marketing situation to say let’s get out as a community and try different things. Mr. Keprios replied that becomes a little subjective and would answer that by saying there are a lot of things that could be in the park that would promote different uses and a lot of them that come their way want free access. He noted the answer he always gives them is staff is not authorized to waive the fee, you have to go through a process and the start of that process is with the Park Board. Mr. Keprios pointed that they do have a few non-traditional things; disc golf at Rosland Park and the skateboard park with the YMCA, Bloomington and Richfield. He stated there are a lot of things he would love to promote to get more people in the park; however, having said that, not everyone in the neighborhood appreciated having this event at Highlands Park last year. He noted that he received a handful of calls, most from neighbors, who didn’t like it when people were sitting on their private property eating lunch, small things like that but none of them were willing to give their names. He noted that they also didn’t like the parking and disruption to their private property, so it all goes with a little bit of cost to the neighborhood. Mr. Fronek asked Mr. Thompson to talk a little bit more about the involvement of the Edina Community Foundation with this particular event. Mr. Thompson responded that he hasn’t asked anyone for sponsorship yet because he was waiting until he got approval from the city so this is the first step. Mr. Thompson explained that his non-profit group, Cool Planet, would be a main sponsor and added that they are a 501C3 through the Edina Community Foundation. He indicated that last year Dick Crockett from the Edina Foundation sponsored and made a contribution to their fees; however, last year was a big tournament and they had a big budget. He noted this year they are not going to charge very much and it won’t be that huge of an event, but that they will certainly ask the Foundation. Ms. Jones indicated that the sport is really of an intergenerational nature and the way it’s getting kids out into the parks she thinks they should be commended for that work. She stated since they do not have the authority to do this until they change the policy she would recommend that what they do as a group is decide whether or not they can support a waiving of the fee and then send that recommendation on to the City Council. She noted that until the policy is changed she is very uncomfortable doing it. Mr. Keprios replied that the Park Board does not have the authority to create policy but the Park Board does have the authority to recommend policy and recommend practice such as what was done last year. He noted that last year they didn’t have a prewritten policy that stated this is what you have to do; he added that the Park Board does have the authority to think outside of the box and deal with cases like this on a case by case basis. He indicated that the Park Board can make a recommendation that they think is in the best interest of the community for both today and the future and then the City Council will take it under consideration and make the final decision. Mr. Thompson asked what if they were to not use any of the athletic soccer fields Friday night and would do most of it on the south end of the field and on Sunday have everything at Normandale Park just using the hill area, would that have an impact on the charge. Mr. Keprios replied if it’s a general park area it’s a $137.00 per day or $48.00 5 an hour, whichever is less. He explained if you use multiple fields the cost is per field and not per park and if it’s a general park area it’s the same fee. Ms. Steel stated that what she is hearing from the Park Board is there is a hesitation more in regards to the policy which she believes ties into what they are considering in their fees committee. She indicated when the fees committee is established they should discuss this and decide. She commented that Mr. Fronek brings up a great point what is our role, do we want to bring in marketing, what is our service to the community and asking all of those questions. Ms. Steel asked what the timeline is if the subcommittee were to decide. Mr. Thompson replied they have six weeks until the event and so they would like to start promoting the event now. Therefore, if it’s going to be a long process they probably would look for another site. He stated they would have to go back to their people and see if they can raise the entry fee or go out and find sponsors to cover it. He noted that since it looks like it would cost approximately $800.00 that his group will probably say no. Ms. Jones asked how frequently during that period of time are fields normally booked, is it in high demand and likely that somebody else is going to be renting it. Mr. Keprios replied renting it probably no, but being used by one the athletic associations, most definitely in high demand for their use. Mr. Thompson asked is there middle ground here of a partial payment or something like that. Mr. Keprios asked Mr. Thompson if this is something he is asking of the Park Board tonight to be an annual event and annually waive the fee. Mr. Thompson replied that would depend upon the response from the community but thinks there is a good possibility because he knows that he is committed to doing these things. He noted he would like this to become an annual event and would like to engage the Park Board and the parks in more of an outreach campaign to teach them a cooperative. He stated that it’s not like it’s non-competitive but it’s very different from traveling teams which cost big dollars. He noted that he also thinks this offers something that other sports don’t and that’s the intergenerational piece that Ms. Jones mentioned. He commented that he is 62 years old and he is a serious player so they want to engage families in this activity so those would be the selling points to actually engage more people through a regular Park Board program where they would go into the schools and the parks and offer workshops and things like that. Ms. Jones asked if Mr. Thompson were to make this into an association and call it the Frisbee Association the fee would be by player, correct. Mr. Keprios responded that is something that would have to be discussed by the Park Board to see if they were independently incorporated and followed all of the guidelines of the athletic associations. However, being a non-traditional sport you could vote them in as one of the priority access independently incorporated groups and they would then likely pay the $9.00 per participant for the season and they would compete for sites with the other athletic associations if that is something the Park Board would like to do. Ms. Jones asked if there are currently any Ultimate Frisbee leagues in Edina to which Mr. MacHolda replied that the Edina High School has multiple Ultimate Frisbee teams and he believes they can letter in the sport. He also pointed out that one of the things they may want to talk about is the residency policy because he believes their access to facility 6 policy states that not only do reservations need to come from a resident but he thought there was a minimum residency requirement. He stated that he receives multiple calls from youth and adult teams or programs looking for facilities and he always falls back on the access to facility policy. Mr. Keprios replied that is correct, the Park Board would have to vote that in based on all of the mandates that are currently in place. They would need to provide their insurance and they would need to be sure that 90% of the participants are Edina residents. Mr. Keprios stated that he feels they need to think what would you say to the next group that’s in front of you whether it be the American Heart Association, Cancer Foundation, etc., and maybe brings something unique that draws more people and more activity to the park, why would you waive the fee on an annual basis to one group and not the next. Ms. Steel stated that she would like to be consistent as a board so she is uncomfortable at this time making a decision but would enjoy working on this issue and maybe other Park Board members would be willing to meet in a timely fashion to discuss it since it is coming up soon. Mr. Meyer indicated that it sounds to him that they don’t have support for this because they don’t have guidance in policy to direct their decision making. He added that on top of that it sounds like they are creating the potential for receiving many of these requests and some may show up at Park Board or have the capacity to get here, some may not and he doesn’t think they are in a position to approve this. He noted that it was great that they could support the event last year but it sounds like this is something they do not support right now. He commented that it is possible to get a policy written but that would be putting Mr. Thompson in a bad spot if they stretch this thing out two or three weeks and then ultimately say no at that point. Randy Meyer MOVED TO FORWARD THIS TO THE CITY COUNCIL SAYING THAT WE DON’T SUPPORT THIS REQUEST AND WE REQUEST THEIR COOPERATION IN DEVELOPING A POLICY AROUND BOTH ELIMINATION OF FEES AND THE REQUESTS IN HOW WE DO THAT AND NUMBER TWO ON WHAT THE GUIDELINES ARE FOR SPONSORING EVENTS WITHIN THE CITY. Todd Fronek SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. C. Golf Course Consultant Proposals – Park Board Committee – Ms. Segreto gave an update to the Park Board from the Golf Course Consultant Proposals Park Board committee meeting that was held on Monday, May 9th. She noted that in attendance were Mr. Hulbert, Mr. Peterson, Mr. Fronek, Todd Anderson and Mr. Keprios. She indicated that they reviewed the five proposals they received in response to the RFP that was sent out to which they were able to eliminate two by process of elimination. She explained that they looked unfavorably at “Golf Course Consulting Group” in a large part because their fees and expenses totaled $40,000 which was quite a bit more than they had previously discussed at a prior Park Board meeting. She pointed out that they also passed on Sirius because they had more of a track record of preparing appraisals for acquisitions for lenders and finance situations so they thought they would probably be weak in doing municipal evaluations. She indicated there was a discussion about Golf Convergence and although Jim Keegan, who is the principal of Golf Convergence, is well known and very well regarded in the industry they felt it wasn’t a good fit for what the city needs. Therefore, they narrowed it down to two proposals; NGF and THK and 7 after some discussion they decided unanimously that NGF had the depth of experience, an excellent reputation in the industry, a well written proposal and a fee of $16,500 plus expenses not to exceed $3,500. She explained that NGF has also committed that it could prepare a report within six weeks of making their site visit so it would be done in a timely manner. She commented that she believes Mr. Keprios contacted NGF and they agreed to substitute one of their teleconferences for a personal visit. Ms. Jones asked what the process will be now. Mr. Keprios replied that if the Park Board makes this recommendation tonight it will immediately go on to the City Council agenda next week and he would like to write a Report of Recommendation to award the contract as proposed and if the City Council approves it, then we can move forward. He noted that if it is approved by the City Council they will begin the process on June 13th and it will be a six week process and once they are done they will share their findings with the City Council and Park Board. Mr. Keprios thanked the subcommittee, they did excellent work and had a great discussion to which he thinks they came up with a wonderful recommendation. They are a well-known firm and he knows that Mr. Anderson spoke highly of them and supports the decision. Mr. Meyer asked if they know who will actually be doing the work, will they be getting their “A team” and those types of things. Mr. Keprios replied it will be Mr. Singer who is one of the key players and his assistant. Louise Segreto MOVED THAT THE PARK BOARD RECOMMEND TO THE CITY COUNCIL TO ACCEPT NGF’S APRIL 29TH, 2011 CONSULTING PROPOSAL TO STUDY EDINA’S GOLF COURSE ENTERPRISES CONSISTING OF BRAEMAR, FRED RICHARDS AND THE GOLF DOME. Dan Peterson SECONDED THE MOTION. Mr. Meyer asked if they could include the fee amount in the recommendation to which Ms. Segreto replied that it’s in the proposal. Ms. Steel asked if they would like to include in the motion the fee amount to which Mr. Meyer asked how about a friendly amendment. Todd Fronek MOVED TO ADD THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT THAT THE PROFESSIONAL FEE IS $16,500 WITH TRAVEL COSTS NOT TO EXCEED $3,500 FOR THE ENTIRE SIX WEEK STUDY. Louise Segreto SECONDED THE FRIENDLY AMENDMENT. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY ON THE AMENDMENT AND THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Mr. Fronek thanked Mr. Keprios and Mr. Anderson on the great job they did and added that he thinks the reason they received such good proposal back was the RFP that was put together and thinks it will be great for the course. He stated that obviously the game of golf is not doing great right now but hopefully it will help them move forward. D. Edinborough Park RFP – Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that he put in their packet an RFP for Edinborough Park and that he needs to give all of the credit to Ann Kattreh, Manager of Edinborough Park. He noted that he thinks the key is that they kept 8 it to the point and simple. He indicated that he already has a list of 20 different consultants to see if they are interested. Mr. Meyer asked if the June 4th deadline is realistic to which Mr. Keprios replied he believes it is if they can move forward because it does not require City Council approval to submit an RFP so, realistically, it could go out tomorrow if the Park Board wishes. He added that the City Council would have to approve the contract of the recommended consultant from the Park Board. Ms. Jones indicated that one of her questions about Edinborough has to do with the needs of the community and the uses. She asked if this is something they would ask the consultant to comment on or conduct a focus group or do a survey. She noted that she wonders if their most recent survey of the community’s desires is getting to be a little old. She stated she is wondering if they really have the data to inform the consultant this is how people use the park, what matters to them, whether or not they want a pool, etc. Mr. Keprios replied that a needs assessment of the community at large and doing sample surveys would be a different type of consultant. He noted that not long ago they did hire “Leisure Vision Institute” to do their community attitude and interest survey. He indicated that they did ask a lot of questions that he thinks are somewhat relevant to Edinborough but they did not ask specifically about Edinborough. Therefore, if the Park Board feels that it’s important as they go down the road for what is in front of them that would be a different RFP and a different set of consultants. He pointed out that what they are looking at is more of an architect consultant facility management which looks at things more like what are some things that might draw more people, what are some of the deficiencies they may find or what are some creative ideas of other amenities etc. He explained that a needs assessment of the community is a different approach and different process. Ms. Jones indicated they have a lot of standalone facilities but what she would like to find out is where the community wants to go with all of those things in a more comprehensive manner than to just look at Edinborough as if it were in a vacuum. She explained that she doesn’t want to see them waste money on looking at the details of one area without finding out if there really is a need for some of the features. Mr. Keprios replied that one of the things they learned in their attitude and interest survey is the community came forward with a desire for a community center. He noted that what they failed to find out is what does that mean to the community, what is it that they are not providing that they seem to think in their mind is a community center. He stated that a community center can take on different definitions and different meanings depending on what community you are in. He pointed out that the community center in New Brighton is very different what we call a community center in Edina. He stated that most community centers in the world of parks and recreation have all of their enterprise facilities, with the exception of the golf course, under one roof. He asked what a community center means for Edina when they have all of the satellite facilities they are just in their own satellite location. Therefore, what is a community center in the community’s mind that they are lacking to which he doesn’t have the answer, is it a health club, is it some kind of facility where they are not addressing a need. He noted that if the Park Board feels strongly they may want to make a recommendation to do a survey before they go down this road, that’s another approach. He pointed out that he 9 believes what the City Council has asked them to do is to look at Edinborough and see if there are other ways and efficiencies that they haven’t thought of or something creative that’s going to draw more business or at the very least reduce some of their expenses. Ms. Steel asked Mr. Keprios if he thinks a survey would need to come before the RFP or perhaps could they do a survey with the findings of the RFP. Mr. Keprios responded that he thinks you could approach it either way. They could do the RFP first and bring it to the City Council and be sure it is what the community wants or ask are we meeting the needs we feel we are going to identify and meet. Mr. Keprios pointed out the key thing they know is that Edinborough from the start doesn’t meet its expenses that is just how the nature of these types of buildings are, none of them make money. He noted that Mr. MacHolda and he have researched over a decade ago and have found that Edinborough is not unique in that way. Ms. Segreto asked if a consultant responded to the RFP and came up with a new concept plan that involved certain modifications or changes it could end up being contradicted by a community survey or some type of user study. She stated that she doesn’t completely understand how that would work. Mr. Keprios explained that he thinks that there is an underlying unanswered issue out there that asks; "What is a community center and what exactly are the needs that currently are not being met?" The City is still studying the old public works site and there are some residents who feel that the site should become a community center but we don't really know what that means. That unmet need has yet to be identified. Mr. Fronek asked what the expected budget is for this RFP to which Mr. Keprios replied he would hope they could do it for $20,000, just like the golf course. Mr. Peterson indicated what he would be interested in getting from the consultant is what percentage of Edina families use the facility and how do they expand it to 10 or 15 miles away from the city. He stated that he thinks understanding what their market is and understanding how to reach out from Edina is important because it may be a metro resource that isn’t well known. Mr. Keprios replied that Ms. Kattreh has a pretty good handle on who their market is, where they are coming from, how many are residents, what percentage are non-residents and approximately where they are coming from. He pointed out that he thinks what a consultant can bring to the table is how might we better market it and what other things might be more appealing to the market we currently serve or is there another market we currently are not serving that might draw more. He indicated that they do need to be a little cautious because they do have somewhat limited parking. He indicated that he thinks their first and foremost charge is how to find efficiencies and what are some ideas especially with an aging facility. He stated that Edinborough is over 20 years old and we are at that point where we should rethink some of the spaces because they do have an outside space that is virtually undeveloped. He noted that they have a pool that is utilized and is very expensive to operate so maybe look at some other creative ideas to maybe capture additional revenues at a lesser expense. Mr. Keprios stated that he thinks their charge from the City Council is to find a way to help the bottom line because the trust fund is going to run out in less than five years. 10 Ms. Jones asked Mr. Keprios to explain what he means by the trust fund is going to run out. Mr. Keprios explained that when Edinborough Park and Centennial Lakes were built they were built through a tax increment finance district and through that there was approximately a 9 million dollar fund that was set aside. He noted that part of the strategy and philosophy back then was that the way to pay the maintenance of the facility of operations of both Edinborough and Centennial Lakes would be to live off the interest of this what he calls a “trust fund” . In addition, they would receive the dollars from the residents and the businesses would pay on a monthly basis to have the privilege to live there plus whatever fees and charges on top of that would then cover the operating expenses. He pointed out that as time went on and these larger items became expensive to replace and the dollars that they draw from to make up that subsidy is that trust fund. He noted since interest rates have dropped they are now earning less interest and therefore consuming more and more of the principal. He indicated that what started out at 9 million dollars is now down to approximately 3 million dollars and with expenses in excess of revenues at approximately $400,000 to $500,000 a year you will see they are a train running out of track. Ms. Jones asked Mr. Keprios if they were to do nothing, that $400,000 to $500,000 a year would need to be added to the city budget. Mr. Keprios replied that is correct. Ms. Jones asked with the RFP would it be possible to hire a consultant that would also give them some financial advice as to taxing mechanisms. Mr. Keprios responded that again that would be another set of consultants that they would rely on when it comes to any additional, new or special taxation opportunities. He pointed out that one of the thoughts was maybe they should have a franchise fee for utilities and that would cover it or use that to pay for the capital improvement plan which would then free up dollars to cover the subsidy for Edinborough. He also explained that in the not too distant future, approximately 10 to 20 years, some of the maintenance fees of the people who reside there will go away. He noted that he doesn’t know why it was written that way but it’s a fixed fee of $15.00 a month per household and by written agreement when it was built over 20 years ago that’s the way it was written that it goes away so they will have an additional loss of revenue of $300,000. Therefore, that will be another problem to deal with in another 10 to 20 years. He added that they don’t all go off the books at the same time, the clock starts ticking once the property was developed. Ms. Steel indicated from their work session with the City Council one of the issues that was brought up was how Centennial Lakes and Edinborough Park are kind of combined financially and asked if staff has been working on that, will that affect the RFP and what they are able to assess. Mr. Keprios replied they have data to show how the funding is separated but the City Council has requested from the Finance Department that from now on they need to show in the budget reports a much more separated budget which is currently being done. He indicated that he thinks what they want him to focus on more is Edinborough, that is the challenging one because of its energy costs and operating expenses. Ms. Steel stated that it seems like the emphasis in why they are being asked to do this is because of the structural uniqueness of the facility and although she does not want to go this route she would suggest they get an assessment of the market value of the facility. She noted that she wants to make sure they are covering all of their bases and seeing all of their options to make a good comparison and feel firm about their 11 decision. Mr. Keprios replied that he will ask the Assessing Department to give them the value. Mr. Fronek stated that he thinks this is a well written document in terms of the needs that they have right now. Todd Fronek MOVED TO APPROVE THE RFP AND RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL DIRECTS YOU TO SEND OUT THE RFP. Dan Peterson SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. IV. OLD BUSINESS A. Park Board Bylaws – Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that Scott Neal, City Manager, has asked that this matter be put on hold for now. He indicated that there is a desire to keep a consistency with bylaws. He noted that even though there are no two boards or commissions that are the same there is still a strong desire to make them all the same. Therefore, until the City Council directs otherwise, the City Manager has asked that they hold off until the next meeting. B. Committee Assignments - Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that currently each committee has only one member who has volunteered. He asked the Park Board what is the minimum number of members that should be on a committee to which Ms. Segreto replied she thinks two is fine as long as the item is available to be discussed at the Park Board meeting. In addition there should also be enough information circulated among the full board so that everyone has the facts in front of them. Ms. Steel asked what if there was a disagreement how would you come to a consensus. Ms. Segreto replied she would think it would be brought before the board to see if they could come to a consensus as a whole. Mr. Meyer indicated his thought is maybe what they should do is have the committees formed and then have each committee gather up their information and then the Park Board as a whole schedule a workshop so that they can touch on those two issues. He noted that he thinks having the committees do some of the background work and some of the initial research and maybe come back with some tentative proposals would be a good way to proceed. Ms. Jones indicated that she thinks at a minimum there should be one Park Board member on a committee and that member would chair the committee plus other members at large from the community. She stated that she thinks there should be some flexibility on certain committees to see if there are certain groups of people that might have an expertise that they would like to make sure are part of the committee. She pointed out regarding the Naming Committee she has talked to a number of people and it’s interesting how this resonates with the residents. She noted there are a lot of people who actually do want to get involved in the public process and she would encourage that as much as possible. Ms. Jones stated that she knows that other advisory boards operate like that and maybe the Park Board would also like to open up the committees to other people and added they are currently doing it with the veterans committee. She stated for example for the Naming Committee she was trying to come up with a group she would like to have which she thought the Heritage Preservation Board, the Historical Society, 12 Rotary Club and the League of Women Voters. Ms. Jones indicated that she would also like to ask Gene Persha to be part of the committee since he is the resident who brought this forward and started to get the ball rolling. She noted that in addition she would like to add at large members and suggested they could put out a press release and ask for letters of interest. She commented that Mr. Hulbert, Mr. Keprios and she could discuss how many places they have on that committee. She noted this may not work for all of the other committees they want to form but for this one she would be looking for demographic diversity, quadrant diversity and gender balance and would look at all of these things when selecting a committee and thinks this process would be engaging for people. Mr. Keprios pointed out that for the Veterans Committee they were looking for a two year commitment of intense volunteer work on fundraising, serving on subcommittees, doing research, etc. There are a lot of hours they were asking of the volunteers and that is why it was so formalized, it would have at least a two year time span. He stated that for the committees they are talking about that at the end of the day there is going to be five or six pages of new policy and asked if it would really be worth going through that exercise to get 11 to 12 people to work on that. He indicated that if the answer is yes, then he would be happy to do it but he feels this situation is very different from the Veterans Committee. Ms. Jones agreed it’s not a two year process but also she doesn’t think it’s going to take that many meetings to put it together; however, she does think opening up committees to the public is something they should be active with because they need to be aware that their voice can often add a whole other dimension to the discussion. She stated that she would recommend that when they look at the number of people on a committee that they look at a minimum of one Park Board member and then open it up to the public. Ms. Segreto indicated that she likes Ms. Jones idea about having the flexibility to include non-Park Board members; however, she would like to maintain some flexibility to have committees with only Park Board members just for expediency. She explained that she doesn’t want to get bogged down in advertising. She commented that she also thinks the committees tasks will dictate whether or not it’s a committee that should lean towards more public input. Mr. Peterson suggested since each committee only has one Park Board member signed up maybe that member and staff can put together some recommendations and bring it up at the next Park Board meeting or the one after that. Ms. Jones informed the Park Board that she is hearing from people in the community that would like to be involved in the Naming Committee so she is not sure why they would limit that. Mr. Peterson pointed out that it seems to him all they can do is make a recommendation to the City Council. He noted that if the City Council wanted help in developing a naming policy they probably would ask for it. He stated it would be an awful lot of work for staff and citizens when the City Council may go in a very different direction. Mr. Fronek commented that he thinks Ms. Jones is talking more about data collection where she would talk to these groups/residents to figure out what their opinion is and 13 come back to the Park Board with some sort of direction. He noted at that point the Park Board would develop a policy with the assistance of staff to work through the process and from there go onto the City Council. He indicated that he agrees with Ms. Steel that in terms of structure it seems to be more of a bylaws matter than a specific committee assignment. Mr. Meyer stated if there is an interest from certain groups/residents he doesn’t know why they wouldn’t want to get their feedback particularly with naming rights. He suggested they set up an ad hoc committee, set a timeline that you are going to get it done in and invite these groups/residents if they want to participate and give their feedback. He noted that he doesn’t have a problem with that. He indicated that he agrees they don’t necessarily want the public writing Park Board policy but at the same time establishing the framework and understanding what options are out there and what other people may add to the discussion is worth the level of involvement and therefore thinks it would be a mistake not to invite others to participate at least in that discussion. Ms. Steel indicated that she agrees we need to honor people’s willingness to serve not only our own members but the public as well. She noted the Park Board members who are interested in serving on these committee assignments would like for a Park Board member to chair the committee as well as come forth to the Park Board with a proposal of who they would like on that committee and how many members they were thinking of. She commented then they can go from there and have a better idea on the direction the people who want to serve on the committee would like to go. Randy Meyer MOVED TO NOMINATE MS. JONES TO CHAIR THE NAMING COMMITTEE. Todd Fronek SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED. Ms. Jones asked if she should go ahead and suggest who she would like to have on her committee so that they can get it moving or should they wait until the next meeting. Ms. Steel replied in the interest of time they should wait until the next meeting and give Mr. Keprios a written proposal and perhaps they can do that in coordination with the other committee. She informed the Park Board that Mr. Lough and she are interested in serving on the Athletic Facility User Fee & Other Related Fees Committee. V. UPDATES FROM STAFF Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that they will be seeing a different format for the agenda and staff report. He explained that to be consistent all of the boards and commissions will be using a standardization of the staff report, agenda and the by-laws that they are moving towards. Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that the golf course is struggling a little bit due to weather but that Edinborough has been doing extremely well this spring as well as the dome has done slightly better due to the weather. VI. PARK BOARD COMMENTS 14 Ms. Jones informed the Park Board that the Community Assessment Team (CAT) has had two meetings since the past Park Board meeting. She noted that CAT is welcoming input from the community and that they meet every third Thursday of the month. She indicated they are all open meetings and for the times and locations they are posted on the city website. Ms. Jones gave the Park Board an update on the CAT. She stated they were able to get money from a grant to hire consultants so they are currently in the process of trying to hire a consultant. She commented that they are really hoping that the community can get involved as much as possible to create a vision for the old public works site. Mr. Keprios informed the Park Board that the City Council has decided that for now all board and commission meetings will continue to be videotaped. He added that work sessions will not be permitted off camera and noted that committee meetings have to be publicized to meet open meeting laws. Ms. Steel noted that after some thought regarding the bylaws if they were to have changes or suggestions what would the process be. Mr. Keprios replied if anyone has any suggestions, changes or additions to send them to him and he will copy it for all Park Board members because there will be another discussion regarding this. Meeting Adjourned at 9:15 pm