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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-03-10 Parks & Rec Comm MinutesDraft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 7/14/2020 Minutes City Of Edina, Minnesota Edina Parks & Recreation Commission City Hall, Council Chambers Tues., March 10, 2020 7 p.m. I. Call to Order Chair Ites called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Staff Liaison Vetter introduced Matt Doscotch the newly appointed member of the Parks & Recreation Commission. Commissioner Doscotch introduced himself to the commission and gave a brief history of himself. II. Roll Call Answering roll call were Commissioners Doscotch, Miller, McAwley, Ites, Nelson and Student Commissioner Osborne Absent: Commissioners Good, Dahlien, Strother and Student Commissioner Lelas Commissioner Willette arrived at 7:13 p.m. Staff present: Staff Liaison Perry Vetter and Administrative Coordinator Janet Canton III. Approval of Meeting Agenda Motion made by Nelson to approve the meeting agenda. Motion seconded by McAwley. Motion carried. IV. Approval of Meeting Minutes Commissioner Miller noted in the Feb. 11, 2020 minutes under section VI. B. it states the motion was both made and seconded by Commissioner McAwley. The actual motion was made by Commissioner McAwley and seconded by Commissioner Nelson. Motion made by Miller to approve the amended Feb. 11, 2020 minutes. Motion seconded by Nelson. Motion carried. V. Community Comment Joni Bennett, 4003 Lynn Ave., indicated she is speaking on behalf of the City of Edina Complete Count Committee. She explained this is a group of volunteers appointed by City Manager Neal to help our community learn more about and participate fully in the 2020 U.S. Census. She went over what has and has not changed regarding the census. VI. Reports/Recommendations A. Courtney Fields Improvement Study Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 7/14/2020 Staff Liaison Vetter gave a presentation on the Courtney Fields improvement study. He noted the study focused on ballfield conflict, lighting, site amenities and field playability. He asked the commission for feedback in order to formalize a capital project request. Commissioner Nelson suggested reaching out to the Edina Football Association because they use some of those fields in the fall and it may be another place to tap into for additional funds. Also, if there is better lighting, they may be able to use it more. She added the irrigation is also something that bothers their field of play as well. Commissioner Miller asked if this is part of the Braemar Master Plan or separate. Staff Liaison Vetter replied certain components were identified in the plan and certain others were not. He noted drainage, irrigation, additional seating with sun protection and a future playground with ADA access were all very consistent with the original master plan. There was no safety netting in the original plan. Lighting at fields 2, 3, and 4 were not in the master plan. However, lighting at field 1 was in the plan and that has already been completed. Commissioner McAwley asked if they are working with the Energy and Environment Commission on sustainability with the new lighting going in. Staff Liaison Vetter replied not yet but once they develop the plan further, they will be looking at what it would offset and see if that would allow them any additional grant or alternative funding resources because of saving energy. Commissioner Ites asked if the estimated cost is included in the local sales tax number that was given to the legislature. Staff Liaison Vetter replied portions of it were. B. 2019 Parks & Recreation Commission Work Plan Update Staff Liaison Vetter asked the commissioners who haven’t already to go in and update their 2019 Work Plan initiatives in the document provided. He commented some initiatives have a next step to bring the initiative to the City Council and others are just to study and report. C. 2020 Parks & Recreation Commission Work Plan Update Chair Ites asked Commissioner Doscotch if he had any personal interest in any of the 2020 Work Plan initiatives. Commissioner Doscotch replied Initiatives #3, #4 and #5 were at the top of his list of the initiatives he felt fit his skill set and added that he is more than happy to help in any way the commission sees fit. After much discussion by the commission it was decided Commissioner Doscotch will be added to Initiative #1, #3 and #4 and Commissioner McAwley will switch from Initiative #4 to Initiative #3 due to quorum guidelines. Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 7/14/2020 Initiative #4 – Develop criteria that incorporates sustainability and equity for prioritizing capital improvements for park infrastructure needs, including playground equipment, warming houses and core amenities for expansion and replacement. Parks and Recreation Commission will create the criteria and both Energy & Environment commission and Human Rights & Relations commission will appoint up to 2 members for feedback on final criteria before it goes to council. Staff Liaison Vetter informed the commission they did host a meeting and looked at examples from other communities as well as talked about their own internal process. They looked at the current process of other communities and how they prioritize capital. It was also discussed briefly should it be more of a priority or should it be a scoring/ranking system. Commissioners felt they should head down the path of just a priority and not get into scoring projects. Commissioner Nelson went over a list in terms of what they felt the topics should be considered for prioritization to be further defined. They include: 1 Safety 2 ADA compliance 3 Protecting assets 4 User experience and community interest, 5 Existing assets versus new assets 6 Non-revenue facilities and amenities versus revenue facilities and amenities 7 Park by park approach versus the amenities by amenities approach 8 Neighborhoods wants versus park system wants 9 Enhancing the underutilized space for future growth 10 Leveraging partnership funds 11 Cost and expense levels 12 Race and equity goals 13 Sustainability improvements in saving offsets Staff Liaison Vetter pointed out none of the topics listed have been ranked. The next steps will be to further define what each of them means. They will look at available funds and will do a priority listing and not scoring. He added this is something that will evolve over time. No other initiative updates were given. VII. Chair and Member Comments  Commissioner Nelson informed the commission she wants to make sure they are being proactive with the COVID-19 situation such as do they have enough hand sanitizers at the parks, etc. Staff Liaison Vetter replied staff is planning a response for the COVID-19 and are gathering information from the CDC Department of Health as well as their own internal environmental health. He noted they will be deploying some additional strategies as they head into their busy season. Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 7/14/2020  Chair Ites asked if any signage has been placed at Arden Park with regards to dogs. Staff Liaison Vetter replied some temporary signs have been put in the area to remind people of the rules and regulations. He noted they are also putting in a few of the temporary signs along the Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail.  Chair Ites informed the commission that Commissioner McAwley and he attended the Ikola Dedication of the Statue at Braemar Arena and it was a good event. VIII. Staff Comments  The City Council passed a Resolution of Support to the state Legislature requesting the authorization to have a referendum for a local option sales tax. On Feb. 20 Representative Heather Edelson sponsored House File 3594, which supports the City of Edina’s request for that authorization. Council Member Anderson, City Manager Neal, Recreation Supervisor Bushland, City Management Fellow Casella and he were in attendance for the hearing. He noted several questions and comments were made; however, it did pass that initial step of going through the local property tax and local tax committee on the House side and was laid over for possible inclusion and a future bill. A date has not yet been scheduled for a hearing in the Senate. He noted typically this is a bonding year for the state legislature so they are not certain whether there will even be a tax bill. A lot of procedural steps at the state legislature remain to be seen; however, the first hearing went well which is a positive sign.  The 2020 spring/summer registration opened on Wednesday, Feb. 19. There were approximately 2,400 registrations in the first two hours online. It went well and he complimented the staff and registrants for a great job done.  There were 63,000 people who went through Braemar Arena in February and 5,700 who through on Super Sunday.  There are several special events listed in the packet from March through May.  The outdoor ice rinks closed on March 1. They did extend six of the 12 locations for an additional week. There were approximately 31,000 skaters based on the attendance stats so there was quite a bit more than the 2018-2019 season. Recreation Supervisor Bushland will attend the April Parks & Recreation Commission meeting to give you a more detailed report.  They are currently hiring for summer positions; you can text jobs to 57838 where you will be connected to employment information that the city offers.  The packet also includes a quick rundown of the 2020 meeting and events that you should be aware of. IX. Adjournment Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 7/14/2020 Motion made by Nelson to adjourn the March 10, 2020 meeting at 7:42 p.m. Motion seconded by McAwley. Motion carried.