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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1977-09-13 Park Board MinutesMINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE EDINA PARK BOARD Tuesday, September 13th, 1977 EDINA CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: J. Rice, Chairperson; M. McDonald; D. Pavek; G. Warner MEMBERS ABSENT: NONE A. Fischer; J. Lonsbury; W. Lund; V. Shaw; L. Wanninger; and STAFF PRESENT: K. Rosland; B. Kojetin; R. Jacobson; R. Campbell, III: and P. Benjamson OTHERS PRESENT: Dorothy Anderson, League of Women Voters I. MINUTES APPROVED Mrs. Lonsbury made a motion to approve the Park Board Minutes of Tuesday, July 12th, 1977, and of Tuesday, August 9th, 1977, as written and submitted. Mr. Lund seconded the motion and the motion was approved. II. ADDITIONS TO AGENDA Mr. Rice added the following to our agenda for this meeting: VII. Park and Recreation Department Budget VIII. Edina School District Request for Strategic Planning IX. Historical Site Excavation Report X. Property Abutting Hebrew Cemetery III. PLANNING REQUESTS: Z-77-15 and S-77-16 (Woodbury Park Second Addition) Mr. Rosland presented this proposed rezoning and subdivision of Woodbury Park Second Addition, generally located east of France and south of 55th Street, requesting realignment of the lot line between Lots 4 and.5, an acceptable developer's agreement, parkland dedication, and easement, deed restriction, or some other means to ensure no direct access from Lots 2 and 3 to France Avenue and vacation of the alley on the southern portion of the site, plus a request for a subdivision to create two single family lots and three double bungalow lots. Mr. Rosland recommended that we accept 5% cash in lieu of land. Z-77-17 and S-77-18 (Peter Deckas, Deckas Addition) Mr. Rosland presented this proposed rezoning and subdivision of Deckas Addition, generally located on the southwest corner of Olinger Road and Vernon Avenue South, requesting access to Lots 1, 2, and 3 from cul-de-sac and not from Vernon Avenue, an executed developer's agreement, parkland dedication, the berm be located on private property on the northern portion and not on public right-of-way, plus a request for a subdivi- sion of three doubles and four single family dwelling lots. Mr. Rosland recommended that we accept 5% cash in lieu of land. PAGE TWO SEPTEMBER 13th, 1977 III. PLANNING REQUESTS (Continued) S-77-19 (Lot 29, Rolling Green Replat) Mr. Rosland presented this proposed subdivision, generally located southwest of Annaway Drive and southeast of Bywood West, requesting one new single family lot. Mr. Rosland recommended that we accept 5% cash in lieu of land. S-77-20 (Jeam Addition. Garth 0. Holmes) Mr. Rosland presented this proposed subdivision, generally located south of West 63rd Street and west of Warren Avenue, requesting one new single family lot. Mr. Rosland recommended that we accept 5% cash in lieu of land. Mrs. Shaw made a motion that we accept 5% cash in lieu of land for the above zoning and subdivision requests. Mr. Fischer seconded and the motion was approved. IV. LOU LARSON PROPERTY - TOWNES ROAD Dr. Larson owns four lots at or near 4700 Townes Road. Mr. Rosland reported that the neighbors of Dr. Larson want to know if the City of Edina would accept the property if Dr. Larson offers it. We have 80% of this land (the largest outlot) in a perpetual easement. Of the other three lots, only one may be buildable. Mr. Rosland recommended that the Park Board recommend the preservation of this land as open space. After some discussion, Mr. Rice recommended that the Park and Recreation Department staff bring back additional information and some graphics regarding this proposal to our next Park Board meeting. V•. EDINA ART CENTER REPORT Mr. Rosland reported that the two co -directors of the Edina Art Center, Mrs. Marion Ward and Mrs. Pat Greer, opened the center on September 12th, with two hundred people enrolled in classes and with one hundred, fifteen members. Mr. John E. Lonsbury, was in charge of the remodeling crews and did an excellent job coordinating the work. The parking lots will be built, as soon as plans are finalized and funds are available. A spinet piano, worth $500.00, has been donated: 3M .Company will be contributing a $2,000.00 security system. Mr. Rosland also mentioned that the parking lots have been planned as follows: eight to nine cars in the meadow area and eight to nine cars in the old driveway area will be completed first; next spring the lot will be expanded down over the hill; in about three years we will put in some plantings and add seven or eight more parking spaces. Mrs. Shirley Taylor, who was on the Edina Park Board, will be donating funds to make a nature area (or buffer area) to the south of the center in memory of her son. PAGE THREE SEPTEMBER 13th, 1977 V. EDINA ART CENTER REPORT (Continued Mrs. Lonsbury reported on the meeting with the neighbors of the Edina Art Center: they were all satisfied by Mr. Rosland's report on the construction plans and progress. Mr. Rosland further reported that Mrs. Jean Adams has been hired as a part-time staff person for the Center. One of her duties is to do the publicity for the Center: she has started a newsletter called THE CENTERFOLD. Forty-one volunteers have signed up to help at the Art Center with whatever is necessary to be done. A picture window has been donated to the Center by Mr. George Warner and will be in- stalled in the new kiln room. VI. PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT REPORT Mr. Jacobson presented a written summary report of the partici- pants in the park programs in 1976 and 1977. The majority of the programs increased by a slight percentage. All are fee -charged programs. The adult softball program had 104 teams, including women's, men's, and co-rec teams. The champions of the women's teams won the Minnesota State Tournament. Mr. Rosland said the Frizbee Golf Course has opened and they will be paying us $500.00 per year. There was a change in management, but that should not affect our course. Between them, two Park and Recreation staff members scheduled 4,000 games, for a three month period this summer, at our fields. Mr. Rosland reported that a new C.E.T.A. employee will be starting at the Senior Citizen's center as a social worker. The Senior Advisory Board has been very active: their program has between 450 and 500 members. Mr. Rosland will report on the Golf Course Par 3 Extension at a future Park Board meeting: we have already received the permit from the state to drill a well and extend the irrigation system. Mr. Kojetin reported that the 1977-1978 football season sign-up has almost the same number of participants as last year: the fifth grade is larger by two teams, with the seventh grade being the largest. Girls' basketball has begun. The 1977-1978 hockey season will be starting soon, with the sign-up September 24th and September 28th. Mr. Pavek reported that the Reimann Memorial Tournament will be held in February 1978 for the Midgets and the Juniors (Juveniles). Mr. Rosland reported that Mr. Al Fischer has been doing an excellent job overseeing the Golf Course finances: there is a $35,000.00 increase in revenue this year. Mr. Rice commented that the increase in fees charged this year seemed to have presented no problems. Mr. Rosland also reported that Mrs. Lonsbury has been overseeing the Edina Municipal Swim- ming Pool finances in a year that has had few good days for swimming and therefore a downward trend in fees received has been experienced. Mr. Rosland mentioned that the ventilation system in one of the pool maintenance rooms has to be improved, since it has corroded badly: it is needed to ventilate the little maintenance room. PAGE FOUR VI. PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT REPORT (Continued SEPTEMBER 13th, 1977 Mr. Kojetin reported that the installation of irrigation systems at Garden Park and Pamela Park is progressing very smoothly. Mr. Rosland reported that our summer park maintenance crews have been busy spreading the wood chips,that have been recovered from the condemned boulevard trees, at Utley Park and other City parks. Mr. Rosland presented a review on the Minnesota State Subsidy pro- gram for reimbursement to homeowners for part of the cost of diseased tree removal. The State has authorized payment to homeowners and the Edina City Council authorized $100.00 per tree, as the maximum to be reimbursed: the State will pay 37% and the City will pay 63%. To date, we have received subsidy requests in the amount of $26,000.00. There have been about 1,000 trees removed, so far, but the total cost to the City and State is less, because some people have elected to waive their subsidy and cut the trees down themselves (we haul them away free, but the State reimburses us for doing this hauling), plus some trees are smaller and half of the cost of taking them down comes to less than $100.00 per tree. Mr. Rosland reported on the re -forestation program. We need more staff to accomplish our goals. The City Council wil be discussing this at their next meeting, so we will find out more about this at our next meeting. Mr. Campbell reported that 1,033 privately owned trees have been condemned, 161 of these were removed in August, and about 500 boulevard trees have been condemned. Edina has the best record of trees removed, with 92% of the private trees removed and 96% of the condemned boulevard trees removed. The City of Edina started a Dutch Elm Disease program in 1958: by 1983 we will be losing trees at the rate of 5,200 per year. The next step in our program is to take down all privately owned trees that have not been removed voluntarily and assess the property for the cost of doing so. Mr. Campbell said the Park and Recreation Department will ask the Edina City Council, next year, for a revised diseased tree removal program, which will hopefully streamline the procedures for removing the diseased elms and oaks. VII. PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT BUDGET Mr. Rosland requested comments from the Park Board after their perusing the proposed budget for 1978. There was quite a bit of discussion with these conclusions being made: the Park and Recreation Department programs will not be expanded at the present time, since we would need to increase our present staff to do so; Mr. Wanninger said the schools are not encouraging expansion in their programs at this time; Mr. Rosland and the Park Board recommend that a volunteer of the PAGE FIVE SEPTEMBER 13th, 1977 VII. PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT BUDGET (Continued year award(s) be given by the Mayor of Edina, since we depend so heavily on volunteers; the City has found car purchase to be more economical than car leasing, except for a few of our cars; the increase for central services is not as yet in the budget - we do not know what the City Council will add to this - we do not have any control over the amount; we have not added any extra funds, this year, for the Dutch Elm Disease program, but we will be reviewing the possibility of doing so next year, since we have had to pull five tree trimmers and, also, several workers from the Street Department to work on tree removals. Mrs. Lonsbury made a motion to approve the "Edina Park and Recreation Department Proposed Budget for 1978" as submitted. Mr. Lund seconded the motion and the motion was approved. VIII. EDINA SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUEST FOR STRATEGIC PLANNING IDEAS Mr. Rice presented a request from Mr. George Hite, of the Edina School Board, for our recommendations for input on their proposed program goals. They would like this written, or oral, report for their September 26th meeting. The Park Board decided to have a special Edina Park Board meeting September 20th, in order to get our recommendations readied for presentation. IX. HISTORICAL SITE EXCAVATION REPORT Mr. Rosland reported that the Heritage Preservation Board has decided to leave a smooth portion of the foundation showing, at the Old Mill Site, in order to define the outline of the mill, instead of using oyster shell chips for the whole outline. Mr. Campbell, III, explained that the work the summer help did on the Old Mill Site was set back considerably by the once -in -two -hundred -years storm we had a few weeks ago, but that the work is again progressing. X. PROPERTY ABUTTING HEBREW CEMETERY Mr. Rice decided to continue this to a future meeting of the Park Board, due to the late hour. Mrs. Shaw moved to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Fischer seconded the motion and the meeting was adjourned at 10:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Ken Rosland Edina Park Board plb