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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1995-01-10 Park Board MinutesEDINA PARK BOARD 7:30 p.m. January 10, 1995 MEMBERS PRESENT: Andrew Herring, Andrew Montgomery, Beth Hall, Ernie Fischer, John Dovolis, Bill Jenkins, Bill Lord, Jim Fee, Becky Bennett, Dave Crowther, Jean Rydell STAFF PRESENT: John Keprios, Ed MacHolda, Diana Hedges, Janet Canton OTHERS PRESENT: Carol Frisch, Lou Rohman, Kris McKeon, Tine Thevenin, Connie Handl, Pam Nelson I. APPROVAL OF THE DECEMBER 13. 1994 MINUTES Jim Fee MOVED TO APPROVE THE DECEMBER 13, 1994 MINUTES. Ernie Fischer SECONDED THE MOTION. Mr. Montgomery indicated that he would like a clarification on a few items. He asked what the tennis court consulting fee is and Mr. Jenkins indicated that Mr. Keprios now has those numbers for everyone to see. Mr. Montgomery then asked if there is any more information about the surveying that was being done at Braemar Golf Course. Mr. Jenkins indicated that he has heard nothing more since the last Park Board meeting. Mr. Keprios stated that there are no plans on any drawing board to expand the golf course at this time. MINUTES APPROVED. II. ART CENTER ANNUAL REPORT - DIANA HEDGES, ART CENTER MANAGER Mr. Keprios introduced Diana Hedges and noted that she has been the Art Center Manager for almost 9 years. He stated that Ms. Hedges has done a fabulous job for us and wrote a wonderful annual report. Ms. Hedges indicated that there were a few things that she forgot to put in the report. She noted that they do provide birthday parties for people of all ages in which they do many different activities. Ms. Hedges then handed out a letter that her committee recently sent out on their latest fund drive effort. Ms. Hedges indicated that in September there were 17 people from the Art Center who went to France and they are planning another trip in 1996. She stated that it is not a big money maker, however, they made a few hundred dollars. Mr. Fischer asked Ms. Hedges about working with the Art Department at the High School. Ms. Hedges indicated that she has met with the staff and they always pass out the Art Center brochures and recommend students to use the Art Center. However, Ms. Hedges indicated that the Art Center seems to lose kids when they are in about the 7th grade. She noted that it may be because they get too busy with other activities. Mr. Jenkins thanked Ms. Hedges for her report. III. TURF MANAGEMENT PLAN - MATT PETERSON CHAIRMAN OF THE EDINA COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND JOHN KEPRIOS Mr. Keprios indicated that the Turf Management Plan report is self explanatory as far as the history on what got us to where we are today. He noted that his compliments go out to a lot of people, especially the Health Advisory Committee and Matt Peterson. Mr. Keprios asked Mr. Peterson to inform the Park Board of the Health Advisory Committee's input and their concerns regarding the plan. Mr. Jenkins stated that it might be helpful to get a brief history on what has been happening to date. Mr. Peterson stated that he has been on the Edina Community Health Advisory Committee (ECHSAC) for seven years and has been the chairman for the last four. Mr. Peterson pointed out to the Park Board that they may be familiar with his committee's anti-smoking campaigns and poster contests that have been conducted in the jr. high schools and grade schools. Mr. Peterson explained that his interest in the pesticide issue began when he was Edina's representative to the State Community Health Board. He noted that primarily the issue was pesticide residue and that's where he became very concerned with ground water run-off contaminated by agricultural products in the area of fertilizers and pesticides. He then indicated that three years ago he felt that the citizens of Edina just don't know enough about the pesticides and fertilizers that they are putting on their lawns that runs off into surface water and into the community. He stated that his committee then did some research and wrote a series of articles in the Sun Current that told people about the proper use of fertilizer and environmentally friendly lawn care practices. Subsequently, this past year some residents felt that they had been exposed to pesticide residue and were very concerned that the City had not taken complete health hazards of these commonly used products into consideration. Mr. Peterson stated that it was at that time that he met with Mr. Keprios to work through these issues and address these concerns. Mr. Peterson explained that his committee then met and formulated a concept called a moratorium on the spraying of herbicides and pesticides until a policy was set. He stated that the committee's goal was quite simple in that it was to reduce pesticide use in the City of Edina on public lands wherever possible. Mr. Peterson pointed out that they try to use the word pesticide as sort of a catch all for herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, etc. Mr. Peterson stated that the City of Edina has many different types of property and the goal was to categorize the park lands as to their usage, as well as, classify them with regards to the level of maintenance required. He noted that the plan calls for a four level 2 classification system. The classifications ranged from class "A" (being the golf courses, which couldn't exist without a substantial use of chemicals) to class "C" (being the other end where parks are maintained without the use of any herbicides, such as, parks which have picnic tables where people eat and toddlers crawl around). Mr. Peterson explained that he is here to discuss the middle ground parks and whether or not the concept of pesticide reduction fits into the responsible concept of maintaining park and city property. Mr. Peterson explained that (on class "B" sites) when weeds tend to predominate on a turf area by about 25%, the turf becomes unacceptable for the kinds of appearances and uses that we expect to maintain and must at that point be controlled by means of chemical use. Mr. Peterson indicated that they have put the parks into five levels of classifications, A, B, C, and D. The A areas are the athletic fields Arneson Acres, Golf Courses, etc. The C levels would not receive any herbicide use. Mr. Keprios indicated that in the B levels there would be some weed tolerance that we would ask the participants to accept. The D classification addresses noxious weeds that must be eradicated by state law. Mr. Peterson indicated that non -irrigated scheduled baseball fields and soccer fields have been classified as B fields. Mr. Keprios indicated that the C level basically is 100% tolerance for weeds until we get to a point where the turf is no longer safe or useable in it's condition and will have to go through a returfinent. Mr. Peterson indicated that there are a lot of non-scheduled athletic fields that are in the C classification. The problem is that we don't save a lot of money by cutting out the use of pesticides. The City will only save approximately $2,500 by eliminating the use of pesticides on certain types of property. What it costs to replace pesticides would be manpower, equipment and some type of irrigation. It takes all of that to replace the use of pesticides if we want to maintain the exact same turf quality that we have now. Mr. Peterson noted that there will be people who will look at these C classified athletic fields and think that the City is neglecting them. Mr. Peterson pointed out that one of the big elements of this program is public education and letting people know that we are trying to create a safer community and that is the reason there may be a greater appearance of weeds and less luxurious looking turf. Mr. Peterson stated that the federal law indicates that these products are not declared safe, they are simply registered, which means that have just been tested and will do what they are supposed to do. Mr. Keprios indicated that this draft policy is just a stepping stone and we will learn as we go. He stated that he and his staff still have a lot to learn if we go forward with the plan. Mr. Peterson also pointed out that we would like to educate people on how to maintain their own lawns and gardens in ways that reduce or eliminate the use of pesticides wherever possible. Public education plays a big part in this. 3 Mr. Fee asked Mr. Keprios to,elaborate as to what happens to a C property or lower when it gets to the point that something has to be done. He stated that returfing sounds like a very expensive solution. Mr. Keprios indicated that it would be really expensive if we got into a total returfinent with sod, however, we would first attempt to do some top dressing, over seeding and slit seeding if returfinent was necessary. Mr. Jenkins asked Mr. Keprios if he has an example of what the turf management would be for a C category next year. .Mr. Keprios indicated that it would depend on a lot of factors. The Park Maintenance Department will change some of the practices that have been used in the past. He stated that they are going to attempt to cut the grasses a little bit higher and more frequently than what was done in the past. He also stated that they will try to do some top dressing, overseeding and slit seeding if there is available funding for labor, materials and equipment. He also pointed out that, for those areas that do not have irrigation, we are at the mercy of mother nature. Ms. Hall noted that her understanding is that we are mostly concerned about exposure to pesticides only shortly after they are applied and that people were mostly upset when we didn't mark the area being sprayed, however, now we will be marking everything. She also indicated that it's her understanding that the chemicals don't last forever. Mr. Keprios indicated that some products last 24 hours and others can last up to a week. Mr. Keprios also pointed out that there is some debate as to how long the chemicals do stay in the soil and how long they are hazardous. Mr. Peterson indicated that most of the products don't go away. Mr. Crowther asked if this experimental idea is to jump in and do every field or should we consider just taking two or three of the C designations and work with them for a year or two and see what happens before we do all 15 or 20 locations. Mr. Peterson indicated that the Health Commission's perspective is to ask the City Council to approve the most ambitious policy practical. Mr. Fee asked if the City Council has seen this report yet and it was noted that they have not but that they are aware of its development. Mr. Crowther asked if there are any reports or information on kids developing diseases because of the products. Do we know that we are doing something here to protect our kids who are being exposed to something that causes problems. Mr. Peterson indicated that we do not have that information. Mr. Crowther asked Mr. Keprios if he knows if we have had any claims brought against the city with regards to the use of herbicides. Mr. Keprios indicated not that he's aware of. Mr. Peterson indicated that he thinks there was a case this last year where people upset about being exposed to freshly sprayed herbicides. Mr. Fee asked Mr. Keprios what the staff's recommendation is. Mr. Keprios indicated that the staff's recommendation is to accept the plan as recommended by the ECHSAC. The main thing that the ECHSAC changed from the staff's original proposal is that a few B areas (soccer fields 4 and softball fields) were re-classified to C areas due to the high likelihood of exposure to the children. Mr. Keprios expressed a concern for the Creek Valley soccer fields being class C because they are irrigated and were recently constructed through significant donations from the Edina Soccer Association. Mr. Montgomery indicated that educating the public should be a bigger issue but other than that he thought the report was very good. Mr. Keprios indicated that at this time he is trying to focus on getting the turf management program on line. He stated that Mr. Peterson and his committee have offered to help out with the education part of it. Jim Fee MOVED TO RECOMMEND TO THE CITY COUNCIL THAT THEY ACCEPT THE TURF MANAGEMENT PLAN REPORT. John Dovolis SECONDED THE MOTION. The Chairman then opened it up for discussion. Mr. Fischer indicated to Mr. Peterson that his committee has done a wonderful job with the report. He then stated that when he was in the Navy they did a lot of things that they thought were absolutely safe and it turned out they weren't. He indicated that he's always open to the idea that we don't know it all and we have to do the best we can. Mr. Fischer stated that the idea of publicity is critical to make this happen. Mr. Fisher asked Mr. Peterson if his committee would be willing to take what they have learned and put together a syllabus to be used in the science classes. He noted that this is an excellent example of how science really works, that we don't have all of the answers and that there is a trade-off of one thing against another. Mr. Peterson asked if the Park Board believed that this could be a very successful program. Mr. Peterson stated that the Park and Recreation Department and community needs to monitor the success of the program because the Park Board needs the confidence that there is not going to be any significant deterioration of both the usability and the future maintenance of these properties. Mr. Peterson wants the City Council to know that if we avoid the use of pesticides we may have to put resources to work in another way to maintain what it is that we want. We want the City Council to know that we have a very high standard for our public park lands. Mr. Peterson also asked that the Park Board put in their recommendation a strong statement about stewardship. Mr. Fee noted that we need to convey to the City Council that this is not something that we are just going to file away. Mr. Keprios stated that we are going to get calls from people being upset about the weeds. However, the success of the plan is to be able to maintain safe turf and reduce our amount of herbicides and reduce the risk reduction exposure to children and other park users. The other part of the success is to change the public's attitude and get attendance at our turf care clinics. Mr. Keprios indicated that the reason for the request for the equipment is to be as aggressive as we can to keep the weeds away as best we can without the use of herbicides. Mr. Fee indicated that Mr. Fischer brought up a good point about publicity and he feels that there should be an article published in the Edina Sun Current and the About Town so that residents are aware of it. 5 Mr. Peterson stated that there should be signs placed in the parks that are not maintained with herbicides so that people will know why they look as they do. Pam Nelson, Edina resident, indicated that she believes this is an opportunity to do a good thing especially if we combine the new plan with public education. Ms. Nelson indicated that the sign she came up with is just an idea of identifying that an area is untreated and that we can't expect it to look like a golf course. Ms. Nelson then stated that she certainly urges the Park Board to pass the plan. Tine Thevenin, former Edina resident, indicated that about a year and a half ago she became concerned about this issue and decided to do some intensive research. She indicated that after her research she came to the conclusion that we have a time bomb on our hands and it's extremely serious. She pointed out that we are surrounded by chemicals and that an increasing number of the population is becoming chemically sensitive. She noted that it's not just pesticides, but that once a person becomes sensitized the body begins to react and it can happen to anyone. Ms. Thevenin pointed out that these things can be latent in the body and it can get to the point that the body simply cannot accept any more chemicals and a reaction takes place within the body. She noted that she applauds Edina's willingness to take a chance and say lets go ahead and do something. She also indicated that it is vital that the public must hear the other side of the story and not just the chemical companies side. The success of the program is going to depend on the level of education that the public receives. Kris McKeon, Edina resident, indicated that she wanted to comment about the documentation as to whether children were seriously affected by pesticides. She stated that the Journal of National Cancer Institute did publish a study by a doctor who found that children who were exposed to pesticides in their homes, gardens, and lawns had a 6.5 increase risk of getting leukemia. Ms. McKeon pointed out that when you find an association to cancer this large you really need to pay attention to it. Carla Frisch and Connie Handl, members from the League of Women Voters, indicated that they are very pleased at the efforts being planned. They also pointed out that they have members who do have expertise in this area and have also read a good deal of material. The League of Women Voters have also indicated that they would very much like to work with the City in public education. Mr. Fee MOVED TO RECOMMEND TO THE CITY COUNCIL THAT WE ACCEPT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE EDINA COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND RECOMMEND TO THE CITY COUNCIL THAT THEY ADOPT THE TURF MANAGEMENT PLAN AS PRESENTED IN THE REPORT SUBJECT TO ANNUAL REVIEW OR SOONER IF DETERMINED NECESSARY. Mr. Jenkins asked if we should also include in the motion that additional capital funds will be needed to make this successful. It was also asked if it should be included that there needs to be some Z publicity taking place in the schools and community so that the citizens understand what is going on. John Dovolis SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. IV. YOUTH ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION STAFF REPORT - JOHN KEPRIOS Mr. Keprios indicated that since the last Park Board meeting he has met with the Edina Girls Athletic Association and expressed to them his apologies and concern. Mr. Keprios indicated that he takes full responsibility for the mix-up on the scheduling of their basketball program. He indicated that he did not take the time to meet with Ms. Kattreh to help her avoid scheduling mistakes that are easy to make if you are new at the job. Mr. Keprios explained that he has taken Ms. Kattreh off that duty and has now assigned Julia Bertrand, Recreation Supervisor, as their new advisor. He noted that he feels the problem has now been resolved. Mr. Keprios indicated that the EGAA board has expressed that they do like having an advisor sit on their board. Mr. Crowther explained that he is concerned about the quality of the programs. He noted that his comment was never intended to be critical of the Park Department but rather know what our role is to make sure these programs maintain their high level of quality. Mr. Keprios stated that the staff would love to see the highest quality and standard in all of the programs and he thinks as staff we do care. Mr. Keprios stated, however, that the problem lies in how much control we have over their quality. Mr. Keprios explained that staff doesn't have (nor want to have) a vetoing vote. Mr. Jenkins stated that he thinks individual association problems should be addressed by the individual associations. He stated, however, that if there is a scheduling problem then yes staff does need to help out. Mr. Crowther then asked Mr. Jenkins if what he is saying is that the quality of the program isn't necessarily our concern. We just provide quality facilities and if it's a mediocre program that isn't being run well by an association we don't really have an interest in that. It was then asked how do we as a Park Board or staff go into an association's business to determine when they are having problems. Mr. Jenkins indicated that he doesn't think there's an answer to that. He indicated that generally the programs have been run by committed people and there really haven't been many problems. Mr. Fee gave an example when the Park Board and staff did have to step into an Association's problem. He indicated that the Edina Hockey Association was not distributing ice time equally and therefore residents came to the Park Board so that we could correct the problem since we controlled the ice time. Mr. Fee stated that was one area where we were able to implement some control but for the most part he agrees with Mr. Jenkins that it has to get to a certain point before we can step in. Mr. Crowther asked if the Park Department should have stepped in and asked the Football Association if they needed any help when they were having problems this year. Mr. Jenkins indicated that the problem was 7 with the Lake Minnetonka Association and not the staff's responsibility or authority. Mr. Crowther stated that he is just saying that if things aren't running smoothly maybe we should pay a little more attention to them. Mr. Keprios gave an example of when the Park and Recreation Department helped to create the Wrestling Association. He stated that they struggled from day one and were even helped financially to get back on their feet and the program still died. He noted that there wasn't the manpower to run it and therefore the Wrestling Association no longer exists. Mr. Lord pointed out that if the kids want a program it will happen but when the demand is not there the program will go somewhere else. Mr. Keprios stated that the staff is always willing to offer help to any of the associations that ask for it. However, it's a fine line when to jump in and tell an association how to run their business. It really puts the staff in a rough spot. Mr. Keprios explained of an incident years back when some parents complained to the Park Board that the Baseball Association was not putting teams together according to neighborhood but according to ability. Mr. Keprios indicated that the Park Board stated we cannot tell the Baseball Association how to run their program. The parents then took the issue to the City Council agreed that they don't tell the associations how to run their business. They are independently incorporated and do a wonderful job and we are not going to tell them to change what they are doing. V. VAN VALKENBURG PARK PLAN - JOHN KEPRIOS Mr. Keprios stated that at last month's meeting he was asked to give an update on the development of Van Valkenburg Park. He indicated that the City Council has been dealing with the final development of this quadrant of the city for quite awhile. Mr. Keprios then showed a map of the area and pointed out the plans for road and housing development in the Van Valkenburg Park area. Mr. Keprios stated that Phase I and Phase II of this plan will be completed this year. VI. OTHER A. Gypsy Moth - Mr. Keprios explained that the United States Department of Agriculture and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture will be attending the next City Council meeting to request their support to do a helicopter spray of a pesticide called bacillus thuringiensis. He noted that this spray is completely safe and is being used for a gypsy moth infestation that's developed in the Indian Hills District in Edina. Mr. Crowther asked if this is going to be an issue for the Park Board and Mr. Keprios indicated that it is strictly an issue for the City Council. Mr. Lord asked who pays for the spraying and Mr. Keprios stated that it will be the Federal government and the State government. Mr. Herring asked how big of an area is going to be sprayed and Mr. Keprios indicated approximately 99 acres. Mr. Jenkins asked if this is fairly treatable. Mr. Keprios replied that it is treatable, however, if it is not controlled at this stage, it could become a more serious infestation. B. Deer Population - Mr. Montgomery indicated that people have been telling him that we are trapping and killing deer in Bredesen Park. Mr. Keprios indicated that is correct. Mr. Montgomery stated that this resident was so upset that he was ready to write letters to the editor, etc. He noted that the resident seemed to think there was not a large deer population in Bredesen Park. Mr. Keprios asked Mr. Montgomery where the resident obtained his information. Mr. Montgomery noted that he lives right by Nine -Mile Creek and walks around Bredesen Park all the time. Mr. Keprios then explained that an aerial survey was taken of the number of deer in the area and, as a result, the City of Edina was granted a permit by the Minnesota Department of Resources to remove a limited number of deer. Even urban deer are extremely mobile, which also contributes to fluctuating population numbers in certain areas at different times of the year. Mr. Jenkins stated that this topic went before the City Council last year. C. Adopt -A -Park - Mr. Montgomery asked when the Adopt -A -Park program begins. Mr. Keprios explained that he hopes to gain approval by the City Council to have certificates of appreciation handed out at the Volunteers Awards banquet and the kick-off will begin sometime in the spring. He stated that it has been successful and so far approximately 65% of the parks have now been adopted. It was noted that the Volunteer Awards Banquet will be held on April 26th. D. Edinborough Park - Mr. Montgomery asked if the calendars for Edinborough Park and Centennial Lakes could be put in the Park Board packets. It was noted that will be done. E. John Keprios - Mr. Montgomery stated that Mr. Keprios has done a wonderful job for his first year and that having a staff report has helped a lot. F. Ernie Fischer - Mr. Fischer stated that Frank Bennett has expressed a lot of interest in being the School Board liaison to the Park Board and will therefore will be the new member. Mr. Fischer then stated that it has been a privilege to meet and work with all of the Park Board members this year and that he has learned a lot. The Park Board then thanked Mr. Fischer for the past year he has served on the Park Board. G. Archery Range - Mr. Dovolis indicated that a few residents have asked him why do we no longer have an archery range. Mr. Keprios indicated that he and Mr. Hoffman are currently looking for a site at Braemar to develop a new location for the archery range. Mr. Keprios then explained that Hennepin County recently informed the city that the gun range has a hazardous lead dust contamination problem in the soil outside the ventilation duct for the indoor range. In addition, the County is insisting that a new ventilation system be installed to correct future problems. Mr. Keprios then indicated that a 0 new ventilation system, which is now mandated by law, will cost between $30,000 and $50,000, which are preliminary estimates given to him by a consultant from JLA Engineering out of Ohio. The Park Board asked Mr. Keprios if he has contacted Caswell and Mr. Keprios indicated that he contacted Caswell during the spring of 1994 and was told at that time that ventilation systems are not something that they provide. Mr. Keprios then indicated that he has also been told that the lead shot in the hill sides will have to be removed at a point in time when the gun range is no longer used for shooting purposes. Mr. Jenkins asked if this is a federal law or a state law. Mr. Keprios stated that it appears to be a state law that is being enforced by the County. H. Lewis Park - Ms. Bennett indicated that she has been hearing complaints from some of the residents that there seems to be a lot of Bloomington Jefferson kids using the rink at Lewis Park. She noted that it almost looks like a scheduled practice and was wondering if anything could be done about it. Mr. Keprios stated that if there is an organized practice going on there we would be the first to ask them to leave. He noted that we don't allow non-residents to reserve ice time. He explained that the Edina Hockey Association does have exclusive rights to the hockey rinks on a reservation basis and they now pay an outdoor rink use fee. It was noted that it's a public facility and there is nothing that can be done to make them leave if there is nothing scheduled on a rink. I. Illegal Parking at Lewis Park - Mr. Keprios explained that people from Best Buy have been using Lewis Park as their overflow parking and it has become a problem. Therefore, parking signs are being put in that allow a maximum of two hours of parking between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Mr. Herring asked Mr. Keprios if he talked to Best Buy about this and he indicated that he met with manager of that Best Buy warehouse facility and he also submitted letters to their company. When Mr. Keprios met with the manager from Best Buy, the manager stated that there is nothing more that Best Buy can do at this point and encouraged the City to take further legal action to restrict public parking at that lot. J. Bill Lord - Mr. Jenkins indicated that this is Mr. Lord's last Park Board meeting and that he has been on the Park Board for 15 years. The Park Board thanked Mr. Lord for all of his hours and good work. VII. ADJOURNMENT Dave Crowther MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 9:15 P.M. John Dovolis SECONDED THE MOTION. MEETING ADJOURNED. 10