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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996-09-10 Park Board Minutes1 EDINA PARK BOARD 8:00 p.m. September 10, 1996 MEMBERS PRESENT: Andy Herring, Mike Burley, Jim Fee, John Dovolis, Bill Jenkins, Andrew Montgomery, Jean Rydell, With Almog MEMBERS ABSENT: Beth Hall, Becky Bennett, Dave Crowther STAFF PRESENT: John Keprios, Ed MacHolda, Janet Canton OTHERS PRESENT: Pete Anderson The Park Board went on a tour of the following Parks: Chowen Park, Strachauer Park, Normandale Park, Heights Park, Countryside Park and Garden Park. The Park Board meeting began at 8:00 p.m. I. APPROVAL OF THE AUGUST 13, 1996 PARK BOARD MINUTES Jean Rydell MOVED TO APPROVE THE AUGUST 13, 1996 PARK BOARD MINUTES. John Dovolis SECONDED THE MOTION. MINUTES APPROVED. Mr. Montgomery expressed his thanks to Mr. Keprios for an excellent tour to the various facilities and noted that it is nice to see the Bond Referendum dollars working well. II. INTRODUCTION OF NEW PARK BOARD MEMBER Mr. Montgomery welcomed the new Park Board member With Almog who has taken over for Frank Bennett as the School Board representative. III. PETE ANDERSON - RESIDENT Pete Anderson introduced himself as a resident from the Strachauer Park area and noted that he is only observing the Park Board meeting. He stated that he would like to compliment Mr. MacHolda and Mr. Keprios for soliciting input from the neighborhood regarding Strachauer Park. Mr. Fee asked Mr. Keprios what process he will use to get input from the Heights Park neighbors before working on their park. Mr. Keprios explained that he would like to have a plan ready to show the neighbors at a neighborhood meeting. Mr. Keprios indicated that the Engineering Department is currently working on shooting all areas of the park so we know what we are dealing with for contour. Then we will put some ideas on a park map close to scale and will solicit the Park Board's thoughts before the neighborhood meeting is held. 2 IV. EDINA BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PROPOSAL Mr. Keprios explained that the Basketball Association is willing to donate up to $12,000 to put in a basketball court at Wooddale Park. He noted that in 1986 a small committee of residents in the neighborhood came up with a master plan. He indicated that the master plan does have a basketball court, however, there wasn't enough funding available to put one in at that time. Mr. Keprios explained on the map where the basketball court would be put in. Mr. Keprios noted that any trees that may be in the way can be spaded out and relocated. He then indicated that if the Park Board feels they would like to add this amenity to Wooddale Park, it is staff's recommendation to send out notices to the residents, which can be done one of two ways. First, a simple survey can be sent out to be marked yes or no and then have it sent back in a self-addressed stamped envelope. Secondly, the neighbors can be invited to the next Park Board meeting for a brief discussion to hear their thoughts before a recommendation is made. Mr. Fee asked Mr. Keprios what his feeling is on having a basketball court at Wooddale Park. Mr. Keprios replied that he feels it would get a lot of use and has had a lot of requests for it for many years, however, there are always going to be some people who disagree. It is important though to get the input of the neighborhood. Ms. Rydell asked if there is any way a basketball court could be put in at Utley Park and therefore eliminate some of the neighborhood problems. Mr. Keprios indicated that his recommendation is not to do that because Utley Park is more of a picnic site area. Mr. Keprios explained that at Wooddale Park they are also planning on putting in a comfort station because one of the biggest problems at the park is diapers and kids going to the bathroom in the bushes. It will be a small unisex bathroom with a small area to store baseball field grading equipment. Mr. Herring indicated that his reaction is this is a park that is used primarily by parents with little kids and questions adding to the mix basketball being played by teens and adults. Mr. Keprios stated that there is no question it will draw more use to the park and hopes that it will serve an age group in that quadrant that isn't currently being served. Mr. Burley noted that he grew up in that neighborhood and it is a heavily populated area with a lot of kids. Mr. Dovolis indicated that he thought it was one of the highest density areas when it comes to children and Mr. MacHolda responded that youth programs are very popular at Wooddale Park. Mr. Fee asked why Arden Park is not a possible alternative site and Mr. Keprios responded that it is possible, however, he doesn't know if the neighbors would want one there. Mr. Burley indicated that these issues came up when he was on the Basketball Board many years ago when the money wasn't there to do it. However, now that they have the money it's imperative to have a basketball court there. Mr. Herring asked Mr. Keprios if the Basketball Board asked for his input on the location in which he replied 3 they asked him what he thought of the idea. Mr. Herring noted that he doesn't want to find out that all of the Basketball Board members live in the country club area. Mr. Keprios responded that this is an old issue and the Basketball Board members live all over Edina. Mr. Keprios indicated that Wooddale park is a heavily traveled section of Edina where basketball will gain a lot of exposure. Mr. Fee MOVED TO GO AHEAD AND PROCEED TO POLL THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND COME BACK TO THE PARK BOARD WITH THEIR INPUT. Mr. Keprios asked the Park Board if they would like a survey done or would they rather have the neighborhood come to the next Park Board meeting. Mr. Dovolis asked Mr. Keprios what his recommendation would be. Mr. Keprios indicated that he would like to do a survey with verbiage on the bottom indicating that based on the results of the survey a decision will be made to the Park Board at the next Park Board meeting if anyone feels inclined to show up. John Dovolis MOVED TO ADD THIS TO THE ORIGINAL MOTION. Bill Jenkins SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. V. PARK REFERENDUM PROJECTS UPDATE Mr. Keprios pointed out that at the last Park Board meeting he was asked to put together information on where we are at with all of the projects that are currently going on. Therefore, a list has been compiled of all the multitude of projects that are going on as well as what has been accomplished. Mr. Keprios indicated that the largest construction project is obviously the new third indoor ice arena. The new south arena is being designed to go south of the east arena in a north/south orientation with a shared entry way, new concessions area, off ice training and shared team locker rooms accessible from both sides. Mr. Keprios stated that with the money available they are not able to build an Olympic size sheet of ice. Mr. Keprios explained that right now the bids are coming in at 20% higher than normal due to a supply and demand in the construction industry. Mr. Keprios explained to the Park Board the aquatic center bathhouse plans. He noted that one very nice amenity will be the family changing room. Mr. MacHolda showed the Park Board the first master plan of the aquatic center and noted that it obviously will not fit within the dollar amount. Mr. MacHolda pointed out that the minimum items they will be able to do are: the bathhouse,. doubling the size the wading pool and renovating the filter room. Mr. MacHolda showed the original plan as having a sand volleyball area with lights and fencing to be used beyond the pool season along with a pathway down to the park. Mr. MacHolda indicated that they also talked about moving one of the one meter boards and putting in a drop slide as well as having lap swimming lanes, etc. Mr. MacHolda indicated that he would also like to put in lily pads with a cargo net above where kids can challenge themselves to walk across the water. Also, the original plan expands the perimeter fence and brings in some of the green space and natural beauty of the park with the trees and shrubbery. He would also like to double the size of the zero depth pool, have more passive zones for the real young kids and double the size of the play structure. In addition to this 4 he would like to see a 20 ft. deck all the way around as well as have a sand play area where the kids can play with a shower to pass through before entering the pool. Mr. MacHolda also expressed the idea of having a sun lawn area and an area for rental for birthday parties, etc. Mr. MacHolda indicated that they have had to scale back considerably, however, he is hoping to get the bathhouse, zero depth pool and renovate the filtration room. He explained that right now they are projecting approximately $126,000 over budget. Mr. MacHolda stated that the original plan was to build a new bathhouse that would accommodate 1,400 bathers, which is what they averaged last year. He pointed out that on extremely hot days they have had as many as 4,000 bathers at the pool. Mr. MacHolda expressed his concern of how many kids they let in the pool and therefore a turnstile will be put in at the entrance and exit to have an accurate count of bathers so as not to exceed the bather limit. Mr. Herring asked what the cost would be to have everything and Mr. MacHolda replied that he doesn't think it would be that much more, possibly $75,000. Mr. Keprios pointed out that it is something that can be worked towards in the future. Ms. Almog asked if the aquatic center makes money and Mr. MacHolda replied that the last three years they have done extremely well. Mr. Keprios noted that Mr. MacHolda has been able to pay his debt service, meet operation expenses and clear $100,000. Mr. Burley pointed out that the money cleared does not go back into the pool but goes directly into the general fund. Mr. Montgomery indicated that he would like to keep these options available down the road. Mr. MacHolda noted that even though we don't have the money to go forward with the master plan at this time, now is the time we need to put in the piping for the master plan so we don't have to go back and tear up the concrete. However, it is unfortunate that we are not going to able to do that. Mr. MacHolda stated that St. Louis Park is under construction right now to build an aquatic center and they are a community that sees 1/4 of the business that Edina sees. He noted that St. Louis Park is spending approximately 2.5 million on the whole pool project. Mr. MacHolda pointed out that St. Louis Park's pool was built in 1974 and they have ripped everything out and are starting over because the competition pool does not attract people. You need shallow water and water in motion. Ms. Rydell asked how much business are we going to lose to St. Louis Park and Mr. MacHolda responded that we could lose a lot. Mr. Jenkins asked if the aquatic center would be a fairly self-sustaining enterprise facility and Mr. MacHolda replied most definitely. Mr. Dovolis indicated that we should be doing the things that are needed such as the piping to make this a reality. Mr. Montgomery asked how do the admissions for the area pools compare 5 to ours and Mr. MacHolda responded they are about the same. Mr. MacHolda pointed out that he sells twice as many season tickets as anybody else. This year almost 3,000 season tickets were sold and they had $385,000 in total revenue compared to five years ago when it was approximately $140,000. Mr. Montgomery noted that he would like the Park Board to entertain a motion that would recommend a plan that is not going to reduce the options available to us. Mr. Jenkins asked if this project would be taken out of the bond money or where would it come from. Mr. Dovolis indicated that Mr. MacHolda will probably have to do some sort of projections and look down the road to see what sort of revenues can be generated and if it can be a self-sustaining facility. Mr. Dovolis then asked Mr. MacHolda if he has any projections. Mr. MacHolda responded that he is blown away by how the last three years have gone and noted that this year again was a gift from God as far as weather. He indicated that they exceeded last years total revenue by $30,000 yet were down 13,000 in visitors. However, over 100,000 visited the aquatic center compared to just a few years ago when there were 50,000 to 60,000 visitors. Mr. Dovolis again asked if some sort of projections could be made to see if it could be self-sustaining and Mr. MacHolda noted that he certainly has kept all of the numbers. Ms. Rydell asked what is the demographics of the younger population and it was noted that it is growing. Mr. Keprios stated that one of the unknowns is what is going to happen to our business when St. Louis Park opens their new facility. Mr. Dovolis brought up the point that we are always going to have competition. Mr. Fee pointed out that he doesn't see us losing a lot of business because the St. Louis Park location is hard to get to and there is a lot of traffic. Mr. Keprios indicated that he and Mr. MacHolda would love to see the master plan accomplished some day and it is something to work towards, however, there is no money at this time to do it. Mr. Montgomery stated that he doesn't want to see us close the door. Mr. Burley asked do we want a quick fix for an aging pool instead of altering a new exciting pool area. Mr. Keprios indicated that he doesn't know what the bids are going to come in at. He indicated that Mr. Burley pointed out that city is putting $100,000 into a putting surface at Centennial Lakes which he is not too sure about. He indicated that they seemed to find the money to do that. However, the city is $75,000 short to build a better pool. He stated that he is frustrated by the system and asked how do we pass into other money. Mr. Dovolis indicated that hopefully Mr. MacHolda and Mr. Keprios can put this together so we can look at it again down the road. Mr. Keprios asked if it would be appropriate to ask a representative from the Park Board to meet with himself, Mr. MacHolda and Mr. Rosland to go over where we are at. Ms. Rydell asked about taking money from the Developer's Fund for this project and Mr. Keprios noted that the Park Board could make that recommendation. She then asked how much money is in the Developer's Fund and it was noted there is over $400,000. Mr. Dovolis asked how do we progress from here and Mr. Keprios replied we need to have a representative from the Park Board meet with Mr. Rosland. It was noted that Mr. Dovolis and Mr. Montgomery will attend a meeting with Mr. Rosland, Mr. Keprios and Mr. MacHolda. Mike Burley MOVED TO RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY CONSIDER EXPANDING THE CURRENT BUDGET TO LOOK FOR A MORE BROADER SWIMMING POOL FACILITY FOR A MORE EXCITING AQUATIC CENTER. John Dovolis SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Mr. Montgomery asked Mr. Keprios if there are any other projects he has a concern with at this time. Mr. Keprios responded that most of the projects are right on schedule. VI. LEWIS PARK PLANS Mr. Keprios explained that the City has hired a new Assistant City Engineer and his name is Wayne Houle. He noted that Mr. Houle's main focus right now is to help us get through all of the park construction, writing specifications, drawing park plans, drawing up conceptual things, writing specs for fencing, and a multitude of projects. He indicated that Mr. Houle has been a tremendous help. Mr. Keprios pointed out that Mr. Houle quickly drew up a conceptual plan of Lewis Park. Mr. Keprios then explained the layout of the park on the map. Mr. Keprios reminded the Park Board that at their last meeting they asked staff to come up with some ideas regarding where we might put certain amenities in the park. He noted that staff was asked to place a basketball court where it might best fit the site. He then indicated on the map where they plan on putting the comfort station so it can serve everyone. Mr. Keprios explained that Lewis Park really is not a good area to put in a sand volleyball court unless one day we eliminate the bandy rink. Mr. Jenkins stated that there should be a sand volleyball court but the location for it should be at the aquatic center. Mr. Herring agreed that is a great idea and Mr. Keprios noted the aquatic center is really where it belongs. Mr. Montgomery asked if the basketball court at Lewis Park would be more for the neighborhood or would it be a basketball court people would drive to. Mr. Burley responded that he thinks it would be more for the neighborhood. Mr. Herring indicated that he recently was at Lewis Park for flag football and noted that he was skeptical at first, however, he now feels it is the perfect location for a basketball court. Mr. Herring also pointed out that at the flag football game the play area was very wet and thinks there may be an irrigation problem. Mr. Dovolis brought up the point that he was approached by a few football coaches indicating that the grass needs to be 7 cut. Mr. Keprios noted that he will look into both issues. Andy Herring MOVED THAT WE FOLLOW STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION John Dovolis SECONDED THE MOTION. Mr. Keprios asked the Park Board that before they vote one thing to think about is the basketball court for this site was not originally part of the park bond plan. Therefore, he would prefer to take the money for this project out of the Developer's Fund and have that be part of the recommendation. Mr. Keprios explained the reason he feels this way is people may start questioning why we are changing the plan on them and that is not what they voted for. People may also be upset if we put in a new basketball court where there has never been one and yet still have park amenities throughout the park system still in need of repair. All along we have told the community that we would repair or replace the worn park amenities first before adding new ones. Mr. Montgomery questioned why the neighbors are being surveyed on having a basketball court at Wooddale Park but the neighbors are not being surveyed on having a basketball court at Lewis Park. Mr. Keprios indicated that we could certainly canvas the neighborhood, however, he doesn't think there is going to be any controversy at Lewis Park. Mr. Fee pointed out that Lewis Park is not the same type of park as Wooddale Park. Mr. Keprios also stated that Mr. and Mrs. Lykken already came to the Park Board with their thoughts and noted that they intended to canvas the neighborhood. Mr. Montgomery asked if we need to be concerned with the people living in the condominiums and Mr. Keprios responded that is a good point and the condominium area can be canvassed. The Park Board then asked why bother. Mr. Montgomery asked if a decision has to be made as to whether or not the dollars come from the Developer's Fund and Mr. Keprios noted he would like that recommendation. The Park Board indicated they may not want to take money from the Developer's Fund if they are going to ask for money from the Developer's Fund for the aquatic center. Mr. Keprios stated there is over $400,000 in the Developer's Fund which is enough money to do all of it. Mr. Burley asked what is the purpose of holding onto the money and it was noted to be used as a back up because when the bond money is gone there will be very little money coming in. Mr. Jenkins asked approximately how much is needed for the aquatic center and Mr. MacHolda guessed it would be approximately $75,000 to $100,000 depending on the bids. It was also noted that it would cost approximately $12,000 for the basketball court at Lewis Park. Mr. Burley asked how realistic is it that the City Council will allow $200,000 to go out of the Developer's Fund. Mr. Keprios indicated that we will have to wait and see how the bids come in and the meeting with Mr. Rosland and the Park Board members will help give the Park Board some more insight and direction. Mr. Keprios pointed out that if necessary, there are some other alternatives. We can lease to own the filtration system which would be $200,000 right there or there could be revenue bonds, which is a City Council decision. Mr. Jenkins added that this would be a classic case for revenue bonds. Mr. Herring indicated that if this issue was explained to the community he feels there would be an overwhelming positive reaction that we should do it right. He stated that he agrees it doesn't have to be the 8 cadillac but it does need to be done right. Mr. Keprios noted that part of the problem is that we saved money by not hiring professional architects or engineers to do cost analysis at the front end. However, we are now being held to numbers that were simply our best guess. He stated that, unfortunately, we guessed too low. Mike Burley MOVED TO ADD AN AMENDMENT TO THE ORIGINAL RECOMMENDATION. AMENDMENT: TO FINANCE THE BASKETBALL COURT AT LEWIS PARK FROM THE DEVELOPER'S FUND. John Dovolis SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. VII. SHELTER BUILDING TASK FORCE Mr. Keprios explained to the Park Board that an architect has been hired to work on the seven new shelter buildings. He indicated that he will seek community input and get residents involved at the very beginning. Mr. Keprios stated that four of the buildings will be similar to the warming houses with restroom facilities and a place to change skates. The rest of the design is yet to be determined. Mr. Keprios noted that hopefully we can save some costs and have all of the buildings be the same. Mr. Keprios then explained the three comfort stations that will be built at Lewis Park, Garden Park and Wooddale Park. They will probably consist of a unisex bathroom with a small utility room for storage. Mr. Keprios noted that he would like to have at least one Park Board member as part of a task force on the shelter buildings as well as have one person from each of the four neighborhoods where there will be a shelter building facility: Cornelia School, Walnut Ridge, Todd and Weber. Mr. Keprios indicated that once they have the plans to show everyone there will be one meeting with each of the neighborhoods at which time they will kill all birds with one stone. It will not just be for the shelter buildings but for all of the items that are planned for their particular park. Mr. Keprios indicated that he is asking for the Park Board to recommend that staff go forward with this process. Mr. Jenkins asked if the hired architect has done any other community shelter type buildings and Mr. Keprios responded that he has done Eden Prairies and has a lot of experience in architecture. Mr. Montgomery and Mr. Dovolis noted that they would both be happy to help out with the task force. VIII ADJOURNMENT Jean Rydell MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 9:15 P.M. Bill Jenkins SECONDED THE MOTION. MEETING ADJOURNED.