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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-01-14 Park Board Minutes1 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE EDINA PARK BOARD HELD AT CITY HALL January 14, 2014 7:00 PM I. CALL TO ORDER Chair Steel called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Answering roll call were Members Segreto, Deeds, Steel, Cella, Jacobson, Gieseke, Jones. Student Members present: Good, Johnson. III. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA Member Segreto made a motion, seconded by Member Gieseke, to approve the meeting agenda. Ayes: Members Segreto, Deeds, Steel, Cella, Jacobson, Gieseke, Jones. Motion carried. IV. ADOPTION OF CONSENT AGENDA Member Cella made a motion, seconded by Member Gieseke, to approve the consent agenda as follows: IV.A. Approval of Minutes – Regular Park Board Meeting of November 12, 2013 Ayes: Members Segreto, Deeds, Steel, Cella, Jacobson, Gieseke, Jones. Motion carried. V. COMMUNITY COMMENT None. VI. REPORTS/RECOMMENDATIONS VI.A. Veteran’s Memorial Update Ms. Kattreh introduced Kristin Aarsvold, Recreation Supervisor, and Richard Olson, Chair of the Veteran’s Memorial Committee. Ms. Aarsvold provided an overview of the history of the Veteran’s Memorial Committee and noted that a contract has recently been signed with Elliot Design Build, an Edina firm who will also be providing some in-kind services in support of the memorial. Work has begun, and the goal is to have the opening ceremony in November 2014. In response to a question by Member Deeds, Ms. Aarsvold explained the budget remains at $400,000. Mr. Olson explained further details about the budget, indicating the significant in-kind contributions which will significantly help that budget. Members Cella and Gieseke asked whether any money was paid to another artist. Ms. Aarsvold indicated $3,800 was paid to an artist in New York for a maquette. It was agreed to part ways with the artist and move on. She indicated there has been a learning curve in this process. It was 2 challenging to find the right people to delegate tasks to, but now that they are in place, there is much more energy in the committee. Ms. Aarsvold explained the goal is to have all of the donations and funds in place by May 1, at which point they will be presented to the City Council for approval. That would allow for ground breaking shortly thereafter. Member Jones asked about the sculpture itself. Ms. Aarsvold indicated the sculpture will be in line with the design concept already approved by the Park Board. She invited anyone to attend the meeting on Friday morning where more details will be given. Ms. Jones stated she is a little uncomfortable approving this, not knowing what the actual sculpture will look like. Ms. Aarsvold indicated the committee members have worked extremely hard on the design over the past four years; she believes they want to stay with the eagle and the wreath and are committed to a very beautiful sculpture. Chair Steel indicated a good way for Park Board members to weigh in in the meantime will be to attend the Veteran’s Memorial Committee Friday morning. Member Segreto noted the City Council will look at the final design, and so she is comfortable with their final approval. Ms. Kattreh indicated once the artist is selected, and the design is ready, the design of the eagle will be a focal point for the fundraising campaign. So the eagle will be a very public part of this process. Ms. Kattreh recalled the artist design contest, where a New York artist won the contest. Subsequently the committee looked at reducing costs, the first of which was to find a local artist who can best match the design that was approved. VI.B. 2014 Work Plan Ms. Kattreh asked for feedback from the Park Board on the priorities of the Work Plan. She noted work has begun on the strategic plan, but more work is needed early on in the year. Member Jacobson asked to join the subcommittee. Ms. Kattreh noted she would like staff to complete an inventory of the park system as well as an RFP for a potential consultant. The strategic plan is important, though it will be challenging with the heavy construction load in 2014. Member Deeds suggested selecting some peer and aspirational cities both locally and nationally to help set guidelines and planning. Ms. Kattreh concurred. Ms. Kattreh provided an update on the Arneson Acres Master Plan, noting staff is working with the Edina Garden Council, and plans are underway to hire a consultant for this plan. Ms. Kattreh explained the donors are interested in moving things along sooner rather than later. Member Deeds asked whether it makes more sense to place a moratorium on any changes to Arneson Acres, while the overall strategic plan is developed. 3 Ms. Kattreh noted part of the Garden Council’s concern is ensuring that the original vision of the donors is preserved, that it be a botanical garden. Member Segreto asked whether planning efforts can be put into Arneson Acres so their interests are not overtaken by the interests of golf and athletic fields. Member Cella agreed with Member Deeds that moving forward with an overall master park plan for Edina rather than carving out little pieces of the plan first. Member Segreto agreed about the process, while noting an overall plan does not lend itself to diversity in the parks. It was agreed the gifting documents for Arneson Acres need to be reviewed before proceeding. Ms. Kattreh reviewed cost recovery goals for enterprise facilities. She noted staff is wrapping up 2013 budgets right now. She would like to review this item during the summer of 2014 to provide staff adequate time to work on business plans for the next year. Chair Steel indicated that those serving on the strategic planning subcommittee should serve in this area too. Members Deeds, Steel, Segreto, and Jones asked to be included in this group. Ms. Kattreh brought up the next item of replacing playground equipment at Wooddale Park. She noted it is not a high priority for Park Board involvement, but she and Ms. Faus will continue communicating with the resident who was interested in fundraising. Ms. Kattreh briefly mentioned athletic field at Pamela Park, where work is already underway. There will be a working group for the shelter building at Pamela. The artificial field may be ready to play on in September. Ms. Kattreh asked about the Park Board’s priority for Green Initiatives. Chair Steel indicated all extra resources should be dumped into master planning right now. The board decided to reach out to the Energy and Environment Commission to find out more about their current initiatives, as well as to approach the strategic planning table through the lens of Green Initiatives. Member Gieseke asked how boards typically exchange information. Ms. Kattreh responded there is a “typical” way of exchanging information; it could happen through conversations between staff or members, a joint meeting, or a report at the meeting. Member Deeds commented a lot of these secondary issues will tie into the strategic planning process, as there will be a lot of data-gathering on the front end. Member Deeds asked about the School Board’s relationship with the Parks Department and the City. Member Cella stated it is something the School Board is very interested in partnerships, though there are several other ongoing studies at the School District. 4 Ms. Kattreh noted staff meets regularly with the School District, and they know the city is interested in more partnerships. VI.C. 2014 Park Board Meeting Calendar Ms. Kattreh noted that in 2014 a few Park Board meetings have been moved to Monday, so she wanted to point those out for advance planning for the members. VII. CORRESPONDENCE AND PETITIONS None. VIII. CHAIR AND BOARD MEMBER COMMENTS Chair Steel thanked Joseph Hulbert and Dan Peterson for their service on the Park Board. Ms. Kattreh also expressed appreciation for their service during the last six years. IX. STAFF COMMENTS Ms. Kattreh made the following comments: February 18 has been designated as the joint Park Board work session with the City Council. The plan is for Ms. Kattreh to make a presentation to the City Council at 5 p.m. regarding naming and donations. The work session will begin at 6 p.m. This past weekend was the Winter Ice Festival as well as the Quinn’s Cup, both of which were successful. Staff continues to work on the Sports Dome, and designs are underway for Pamela Park. A significant study is underway at Braemar Golf, and a public meeting will be held January 30 to discuss the future of Fred Richards Golf Course. Golf revenues were about $460,000 off for 2013. The sign-up process is underway for the Community Garden. X. ADJOURNMENT Chair Steel made a motion, seconded by Member Deeds, to adjourn the meeting at 8:24 p.m. Ayes: Members Segreto, Deeds, Steel, Cella, Jacobson, Gieseke, Jones. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:24 p.m.