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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-09-10 Park Board Minutes 1 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE EDINA PARK BOARD HELD AT CITY HALL September 10, 2013 7:00 PM I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Steel called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. II. WELCOME NEW STUDENT MEMBERS This item was rescheduled to the October Park Board meeting, since student members were absent. III. ROLL CALL Answering roll call were Members Deeds, Cella, Gieseke, Steel, Segreto, Jones, Hulbert, Jacobson, Peterson. IV. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA Member Peterson made a motion, seconded by Member Hulbert, approving the meeting agenda. Ayes: Members Deeds, Cella, Gieseke, Steel, Segreto, Jones, Hulbert, Jacobson, Peterson. Motion carried. V. ADOPTION OF CONSENT AGENDA Member Peterson made a motion, seconded by Member Hulbert, approving the consent agenda as follows: V.A. Approval of Minutes – Regular Park Board Meeting of August 13, 2013 Ayes: Members Deeds, Cella, Gieseke, Steel, Segreto, Jones, Hulbert, Jacobson, Peterson. Motion carried. VI. COMMUNITY COMMENT None. VII. REPORTS/RECOMMENDATIONS VII.A. Weber Park Sidewalk Proposal Ms. Kattreh introduced Wayne Houle, Director of Engineering. Mr. Houle provided an overview of the sidewalk proposed on 42nd Street. The proposal would bring the sidewalk from France Avenue to the park. Staff is proposing to put in a park pathway, and he suggested starting the discussion with the public about the pathway around the park. He asked for discussion and recommendation to move ahead with the park pathway as well as the Grimes Avenue sidewalk. Member Hulbert expressed support for the pathway and sidewalk due to close proximity to a school. Member Deeds asked about bicyclists using the pathway, especially for kids on bikes going to and from school. Mr. Houle stated an expansion of the proposed Grimes Avenue sidewalk could be considered to accommodate young bicyclists. Member Peterson stated he appreciates the staff’s effort to avoid removal of mature trees. He also asked about a connection between active lifestyles with more sidewalks. Mr. Houle concurred sidewalks do help residents choose walking rather than automatically driving places. 2 Member Jones asked about the distance between the street and the proposed path. Mr. Houle responded the trees are about 8 feet off the curb and about 4 feet below the roadway, so about a 10- foot area would still be heavily vegetated. Member Jones asked why there is a sidewalk on the west end and a park path on the other end. Mr. Houle stated the project is tying into an existing sidewalk by the Montessori School. Chair Steel asked whether the path will be funded with the Pedestrian Cycling Safety Fund. Mr. Houle responded affirmatively. The path along 42nd Street would be funded with the tax fund. The funding for the other pathways is up in the air. Member Jones stated it seems to be functioning as a sidewalk, not a path, and it would not get put into the Parks budget for maintenance. Member Jones suggested continuing the sidewalk as a boulevard sidewalk all the way down on 42nd Street. She asked that staff keep in mind how bikes use this area when considering these sidewalks. Member Peterson made a motion, seconded by Member Hulbert, to approve the Weber Park Sidewalk Proposal as written. Ayes: Members Deeds, Cella, Gieseke, Steel, Segreto, Jones, Hulbert, Jacobson, Peterson. Motion carried. VI.B. Centennial Lakes Promenade Final Phase Mr. Houle presented the final phase of the Promenade project. The Byerly’s store is being redeveloped right now and actually they put in the right-in/right-out off of France Avenue, retaining walls, and the parking lot is all underway. The city has been working with Byerly’s for quite some time along with the water feature on the Promenade as well as the redo of the Hazelton Roadway. He focused on the Promenade area, recalling that the original plans for the water feature have been changed to something more modest today. For this phase of the project, an easement was given by Byerly’s to put in the pond; the pond will complete the trail on the Promenade and will also provide swinging benches and other key items. He also pointed out the proposed babbling brook. Also included will be trees and perennial plantings. Mr. Houle stated staff has worked with the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District on the water infiltration and the creek. He pointed out the four different ways to handle infiltration on this project. Staff has agreed on a combination of a couple options, which would create more of a shallow system. He noted pumping would only occur after it rains a little bit. Greg Brown, URS, provided an introduction to the surface element of the Promenade. He noted phase II was completed two years ago, and some temporary features were established at that time. None of that work will be thrown away, but rather will be incorporated into this new phase. He highlighted the main elements of the water feature, including the intention to have it function as a recirculation system. There is space for a sculpture piece at the introduction of the water feature. People will not be allowed to go play in the water, so it will be a bit more of a rough edging to it. Mr. Brown noted there will be two or three crossings where trails will intersect with the babbling brook. He noted the bike trail and the lighting associated with the bike trail will not be rebuilt and will remain as is. He pointed out a future water feature and trail which is located on current Macy’s property. It is not included in this design but is a future consideration. He noted the northern babbling brook is more 3 of a formal channel; the southern babbling brook will have more of a natural feel to it. Similar stones, probably river rock, will be used on both babbling brooks. Mr. Houle stated the Nine Mile Creek Watershed is looking at about a 50 percent contribution towards this water filtration system, which will be approximately $200,000 to $250,000. He noted staff will be back before the Park Board for approval in October or November. Staff will then present the plan to the City Council in October or November. Member Hulbert noted the walking trails in the Promenade are lovely, and a babbling brook would be a nice addition rather than having to look at the back of buildings. Member Segreto asked about the tree plantings that lose their leaves in the fall and drop into the stream. Mr. Brown stated this pond would be lined with some type of concrete, so it would facilitate cleaning in the fall or multiple times a year if desired. Kathy Ryan, URC, added that the exact plantings are not decided yet, but it will be designed to be easily cleanable. Member Segreto asked if there is any concern about extended high summer temperatures and the algae it produces. Mr. Houle responded that clean water will be pumped from Centennial Lakes through the pond; it will not be a settling pond with algae growing on it. Member Segreto asked whether agitation will be required in the pond. Mr. Brown indicated that part of the babbling brook will help aerate the water. Member Segreto commented it becomes a mosquito breeder when the water is too still. Member Segreto asked about lighting selections. Mr. Brown stated there will be a lot of opportunity with accent lighting as well as similar lighting with the rest of the Promenade. Ms. Ryan concurred about the accent lighting. Mr. Brown added the possible two sculptures will also have attractive lighting. Member Segreto asked when the water features shut down for the season. Mr. Houle responded the water features will come on line in early May and will shut down in early October, depending on the frost. Member Segreto stated this would be an excellent opportunity to work with the Arts Commission on the sculptures. Mr. Houle stated discussions have already begun with that group. Ms. Kattreh added that she has already shared this plan with Barbara La Valleur, the chair of the Edina Public Art Committee. Member Gieseke asked if there is a place to interact with the water. Mr. Houle stated discussions have been had about it; but water cannot be pumped out of Centennial Lakes because it would have to be potable water. The intent is not to have that interaction here because of bacteria. Member Peterson asked if there is thought to using solar or wind power for the energy for the lighting. Mr. Houle responded that can be considered. Member Jones noted that no financial aspects of this project have been presented yet. She knows how many people walk the Promenade path, so this is an important project. She asked about boundaries between the public and private land. Mr. Houle pointed out the boundaries on the overhead maps. 4 Member Jones asked whether it is possible to see a copy of where the existing path is and where the proposed path runs. She noted she was dismayed that the Park Board was not given the opportunity to discuss and comment on the six-story building that is so close to the Promenade. That changes the way the space will feel as a biker and a pedestrian. She noted the path is hugging up against a building; she would prefer the water feature to be on the other side. Mr. Houle noted the grass area to the building is 6 feet; it is a sloped area that is not well reflected on the overhead projections. Member Jones stated she would prefer the path go on the other side rather than to be so close to the building. Mr. Houle commented the master plan had a pond located in this area, which is why it was included in this plan. Member Jones asked about funding. Mr. Houle stated the funding will come from Centennial Lake TIF funds, which is funding coming from the surrounding property owners with Tax Increment Financing. How much it will be exactly remains to be seen. Chair Steel commented this would become a very busy area with the bike trail. She expressed concern about any intermingling of pedestrians and bicyclists. She likes the pedestrians being on the west side because they are closer to the stores they might travel to. She would like to know more at the next meeting about how this would all play out. Mr. Houle stated the main access from the bike trail would be a crossing through a pedestrian movement and through a sidewalk system near Byerly’s. There will have to be signage, perhaps cautioning people to walk their bikes, especially as they get close to Byerly’s. Chair Steel asked about bike racks. Mr. Houle responded that Byerly’s has bike racks, but there needs to be further discussion about other locations for bike racks. Member Jones asked if the Park Board can talk with other cities who may have installed ponds and trails similar to this. Mr. Brown responded that a couple reasons led to the decision on the location of the trails: the natural rhythm of the Promenade and this location of trails give the best opportunity for city ownership being the primary one. He noted he has also worked on constructing ponds and trails on the north side of Minneapolis, Humboldt-Greenway, Shingle Creek and the Midtown Greenway, whose ponds tend to have a more natural feel. He stated the location of the trails can still be reconsidered. Typically, eyes (from surrounding buildings) on the trails are good from a safety perspective. Chair Steel asked about the benefit for the infiltration system. Mr. Houle stated a system will be built to accommodate the water quality standards, and the city also will be able to bank credits so when the city does other projects, those credits can be sold or used for other capital projects. Member Segreto asked about the little island. Mr. Houle responded that in order to keep those two manholes accessible, an island will be built on it. Another way to do it is cap them off and seal them so no access is available. 5 Member Cella commented to Mr. Houle that every time he talks about the infiltration system he says this is great because we are going to bank those credits and then when other projects need to be done in Edina they will have credits to use. She stated if you are tinkering too much with the way the beauty of Centennial Lakes is supposed to look just so you can bank credits for other projects; is that necessarily the right way to approach it. She asked should they not be looking at those projects individually in saying how are we going to deal with those rather than putting all the ownness of all of our water issues and solving it through what we are doing at Centennial Lakes because that concerns her. Mr. Houle explained there are two ways of looking at accommodating rain water; one is to do it on individual sites and the other is doing it as a regional level. He pointed out that for a while watersheds were doing that on individual sites and they found that doesn’t work because people don’t maintain those sites on private developments and therefore would much rather have it at a regional level. He explained when you look at a regional level the only time that banking stuff comes into play is when it’s raining out so that is the only time that infiltration system would come into play. Chair Steel asked whether there is additional runoff from the Byerly’s new construction. Mr. Houle responded that is not really an issue. Member Jones stated she would love to see more play space on this plan and more interface between the area and the people utilizing it. She is disappointed this plan continues to build the no-touch feature of the Promenade. She also expressed concern about the cost of the project. Mr. Houle stated the Byerly’s housing has park dedication fees associated with it, but public discussion also needs to occur as France Avenue is completed with the boulevards and medians regarding whether to create a maintenance fund for these areas. Member Jones stated that type of assessment makes sense. This is a beautiful park, and it is really expensive to maintain. She would prefer a plan with less water because it is easier to maintain and provides more opportunity for interaction. Member Deeds suggested leaving some spaces for carts, such as a coffee cart. VI.C. 2014 Park Board Work Plan Chair Steel noted she has worked on the Board Work Plan with Ms. Kattreh. Ms. Kattreh provided an overview of the work plan. She discussed strategic planning with the comprehensive needs assessment. Member Segreto and Member Hulbert asked to join the subcommittee. Ms. Kattreh highlighted the Arneson Acres Master Plan. She noted the Edina Garden Council is willing to contribute $25,000 to $30,000 towards this project. They want to make sure they have a specific plan and purpose for this area. Member Jones asked to join the work group. Ms. Kattreh went on to discuss the Cost Recovery Goals for Enterprise Facilities, followed by the Barrier- Free Replacement Playground Equipment at Wooddale Park. She explained that traditionally, this park would not be at the top of the list to replace equipment. However, a resident has approached staff and Council members, volunteering to do fundraising to replace equipment. That is how it got moved on to the priority list for the CIP. It would be a matching-type project, with a possibility of a $100,000 contribution. 6 Member Deeds stated there is a heavy bias towards the higher-end neighborhoods rather than the lower-end neighborhoods, if this type of policy continues. Chair Steel stated nothing has been done with the donations policy, because that should set the overarching policy for projects like these. Member Cella stated it is a frustrating way to do strategic planning when things like this get bumped to the front of the line through external forces. Member Jones proposed the “Barrier Free Replacement Playground Equipment at Wooddale Park” be removed from the Park Board work plan until the donations policy is passed. Member Deeds asked if this is a potential ADA issue. Ms. Kattreh stated that is not the reason for this. There is a neighbor with a child who is disabled, and that is the reason for the request and potential donation. Member Jones asked about the new park at Countryside. Ms. Kattreh stated that park is not technically a universal playground. The playground proposed at Wooddale is barrier-free. However, Countryside will be the most accessible playground in the system, primarily because of the rubber safety surface. She noted most of the parks have pea gravel as a safety surface. Member Segreto suggested the Wooddale Park remain on the work plan for 2014, because a resident of Edina is trying to make a park barrier-free. Chair Steel stated she would prefer adding the caveat “pending approval of a donations policy by the City Council, select members of the Park Board.” Member Segreto stated she does not want to use the donations policy as a way to stall out well- intentioned residents of the City. Member Peterson commented the Park Board should move ahead with this park, and it should be designated as the first city-wide accessible park. Ms. Kattreh noted that an average playground costs between $100,000 to $200,000. In this case for Wooddale, $100,000 would likely be donated and the city would contribute $100,000. She noted if the donation was not reached, it could be bumped back to 2015 to complete the project. Member Segreto asked about approval of the donations policy to which Ms. Kattreh replied it will happen before the end of the year. Chair Steel stated if it happens before the end of the year, and this fits, then it should remain in the plan. Member Segreto stated this should be grandfathered in and should be viewed as an ADA donation. Member Deeds stated he is concerned that the donations policy will not be worth the paper it is printed on. He does not like the precedent being set, and he suspects the Park Board will see more of this every year. Member Jacobson expressed a desire to have a park renovation plan. Ms. Kattreh stated there is a prioritized plan for replacement of playgrounds, and the goal is to have that in place by the end of 2014. 7 Chair Steel expressed strong feeling for including the condition of an approved donations policy. Member Segreto made a motion, seconded by Member Deeds, to leave the new initiative regarding a barrier-free replacement playground equipment at Wooddale Park in the 2014 Park Board Work Plan without any amendments. Member Jones stated until there is a donations policy, it is hard to know when to begin a project like this. Ms. Kattreh stated the current agreement is 50% must be raised, and the city will then also spend up to $100,000. Member Deeds proposed an amendment to the motion, seconded by Member Peterson, that is contingent on the residents in the neighborhood raising 50% of the funds needed for this replacement. Ayes: Deeds, Cella, Gieseke, Steel, Segreto, Jones, Hulbert, Jacobson, Peterson. Motion carried. Vote on motion: Ayes: Deeds, Cella, Gieseke, Steel, Segreto, Jones, Hulbert, Jacobson, Peterson. Motion carried. Member Cella stated a large portion of the Cornelia School playground is barrier-free. Ms. Kattreh added another example is Miller Park in Eden Prairie. Ms. Kattreh continued that if the Council moves ahead with the Sports Dome, there may also be interest in the Pamela Park master plan renovation. If that is included as part of the Sports Dome project, she would need assistance from the Park Board on finalizing the Pamela Park master plan. Ms. Kattreh highlighted the green initiatives, with possible potential partnership with the Energy and Environment Commission. Ms. Kattreh introduced the idea of working on fundraising for the Parks & Recreation Department. Member Jones suggested perhaps getting started, even if it is on a small scale. Ms. Kattreh discussed the mountain bike paths initiative. Member Segreto recalled a Park Board discussion about mountain bike paths earlier in the year. She suggested deferring this until the needs assessment and possibly deferring to 2015. Member Peterson suggested this be postponed because millions of public money will be spent to complete the Edina section of the Three Rivers/Nine Mile Creek bike path. He noted it could be closed four or five times a year for mountain biking as opposed to family biking. He commented that it is very hard to find space in a built-out city. Member Segreto made a motion, seconded by Member Peterson, to take the Mountain Bike Initiative off the 2014 Work Plan and put it on the 2015 Work Plan. Ayes: Deeds, Cella, Gieseke, Steel, Segreto, Jones, Hulbert, Jacobson, Peterson. Motion carried. 8 Member Jones commented that she would like to develop programming in Edina in the area of disabled or older people renting bicycles to revitalize their health. The City of Minnetonka has such a program up and running. Ms. Kattreh stated staff will be happy to work with Member Jones on that. Ms. Kattreh highlighted ongoing responsibilities on the work plan. Member Jones asked about the Grandview project. Ms. Kattreh stated Grandview has its own Citizen Advisory Team. Member Jones stated it seems the Park Board should be involved in that process. Chair Steel commented she is struggling to understand why the Grandview CAT is pushing ahead with their needs assessment, because it is more important to get an overarching city-wide needs assessment. Member Deeds encouraged movement on the cooperative agreement between the school district and the City to maximize efficiencies and use of spaces. Member Cella stated the School Board and City Council is having one of their quarterly joint meetings next week, and that is one of their agenda items. Chair Steel stated she hopes the city will do a park-wide, community-wide needs survey rather than one just for Grandview. Chair Steel made a motion, seconded by Member Jones, to approve the 2014 Work Plan as amended. Ayes: Deeds, Cella, Gieseke, Steel, Segreto, Jones, Hulbert, Jacobson, Peterson. Motion carried. VIII. CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS VIII.A. Council Updates None. VIII.B. Other Correspondence None. VIII.C. Veterans Memorial Committee, June 21, 2013 Minutes Noted. IX. CHAIR AND BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS Member Peterson asked if anyone has any interest in the Veterans Memorial. He asked whether what part of the City can help the committee, as it is languishing. Ms. Kattreh stated the next step in the process is to hire a consultant to do the plan design. What the Veterans Memorial Committee wants to do is get the plans and specs drawn up so they are actually able to take those plans and start to solicit in-kind donations. They feel very strongly that without the plans and specs, they do not have anything to actually go out and sell. Therefore, the process is underway to try to select a consultant to complete those plans. Member Jones asked whether the proposed sculpture has been changed. She is reluctant to have the committee just choose another sculpture, as it just happens to be a friend of someone on the 9 committee. Perhaps the Park Board needs to relook at the plan and downsize it since the budget is smaller. Ms. Kattreh noted she is attending the Veterans Committee meeting on September 20, and she will report back to the Park Board in October. Member Jones asked about future advertising for alcohol in the arena. Ms. Kattreh stated she is unaware of it. Member Jones pointed out that all the research done on the effect of advertising in youth points out that it can help youth to start drinking earlier and also have a different attitude toward alcohol. Schools understand that, and all the research supports it. Ms. Kattreh indicated she will look into it. X. STAFF COMMENTS Ms. Kattreh made the following comments: the Park Board is invited to an open house for feedback on the 54th Street reconstruction and Arden Park storm water management plan; the Garden Park baseball field renovation is completed; Fall into the Arts Festival is this week at Centennial Lakes; the Countryside Park renovation project is coming along well and will be completed this fall. XI. ADJOURNMENT Chair Steel made a motion, seconded by Member Deeds, to adjourn the meeting at 9:20 p.m. Ayes: Members Deeds, Cella, Gieseke, Steel, Segreto, Jones, Hulbert, Jacobson, Peterson. Motion Carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m.