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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-11-13 Parks & Rec Comm MinutesDraft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 12/12/2023 Minutes City of Edina, Minnesota Edina Parks & Recreation Commission Braemar Golf Course November 13, 2023 7 p.m. I. Call to Order Chair Doscotch called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. II. Roll Call Answering roll call were Commissioners Doscotch, Ites, Pfuhl, Spanhake, and Student Commissioner DiLorenzo Commissioners Absent: Luangrath, Weaver and Ytterbo Commissioner Welsh and Student Commissioner Holtey arrived at 7:19 p.m. Staff Present: Staff Liaison Perry Vetter, Assistant Director Recreation & Facilities Tracy Petersen, and Administrative Coordinator Janet Canton Staff Liaison Vetter informed the Commission that at this time they have four voting members and are waiting for the fifth to have a quorum. They can start the meeting but will not be able to take action on items requiring a motion. III. Community Comment None IV. Reports/Recommendations A. 2023 Work Plan Initiative 1.6.5: Comparable Community Parks/Recreational Opportunities Commissioner Pfuhl gave an update on the comprehensive work done by the Parks & Recreation staff in going through comparisons. She noted there are also supplementals in the report. Staff Liaison Vetter informed the Commission that a lot of the comparison work was put together by Sam Ure, Parks & Recreation Summer Intern, and gave background on the research done. Commissioner Pfuhl informed the Commission the subcommittee would like to receive feedback on the packet to then be melded into a report by the subcommittee, and then be presented to the City Council. The Commissioners asked questions and discussed a community center, accessibility issues, fee comparisons, and overall desires for what the report consists of. B. 2023 Commission Work Plan Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 12/12/2023 Initiative #1 – Support Fred Richards Park Implementation. Staff Liaison Vetter updated the Commission that they are proceeding with getting authorization for the wetlands banking portion, before moving into other design considerations. Initiative #2 – Support Braemar Park Implementation. Staff Liaison Vetter updated the Commission that the City Council added a few items regarding seating and netting with the users of Courtney Fields. Initiative #3 – Support Braemar Arena Implementation. Staff Liaison Vetter updated the Commission that now the referendum has been passed the scope and size of the project has been defined to begin professional services selection. He also noted that the referendum was approved by a large percentage. Initiative #4 – Alternative Funding Sources. This item is on the agenda. Initiative #5 – Comparable Community Parks/Recreational Opportunities. This item is on the agenda. There was a quorum at 7:19 p.m. V. Approval of Meeting Agenda Motion made by Pfuhl to approve the meeting agenda. Motion seconded by Spanhake. Motion carried. VI. Approval of Meeting Minutes Motion made by Pfuhl to approve the Sept. 12, 2023 minutes. Motion seconded by Welsh. Motion carried VII. Reports/Recommendations A. Proposed Parks & Recreation Fees for 2024 Assistant Director Petersen asked for the Commission to review and recommend fees for 2024. She informed the Commission they are looking to retain high-quality staff, the appropriate number of staff, incentive offerings, fair hourly wages, high levels of customer service, and maintain safe and clean operations. She outlined the specifics for certain facilities, including a 5% increase in the price of season passes for the Aquatic Center, increase in player’s cards that would be limited this year to uphold value and usability for the Braemar Golf Operations, a 3% increase in primetime and non-primetime skating at Braemar Arena, minimal increases for concessions and rentals at Centennial Lakes Park, a 3% increase for track memberships at Edinborough Park, and a 10% increase in the Play Park annual membership. They are also recommending a decrease in the Youth Athletic Association gymnasium user fee. The Commission asked questions regarding the number of golf carts, advertising at Braemar, player’s cards, and the Aquatic Center pricing increase. Draft Minutes☐ Approved Minutes☒ Approved Date: 12/12/2023 Motion made by Ites to recommend the proposed 2024 Parks & Recreation fees be adopted by the City Council. Motion seconded by Pfuhl. Motion Carried. B. 2023 Work Plan Initiative 1.6.4: Alternative Funding Sources Study and Report Review and Comment Chair Doscotch gave a brief overview of the report and asked for input for recommendations on evaluation. He also discussed the three categorizations on the summary page and their purposes. The Commission asked questions regarding removing recreation-generating activities and tree preservation from the summary section of the report, current naming, and evaluating and selling naming rights. The following changes were made: eliminate the section and summary of alternate strategy option line item on tree preservation, modify “recreation-generating activities” to “revenue-generating activities” on the summary of alternate strategy option, and put a check box in recommend. Motion made by Ites to recommend for approval for the City Council presentation and consideration with the modifications as noted. Motion seconded by Spanhake. Motion carried VIII. Chair and Member Comments A. 2024 Work Plan City Council Presentation Recap Chair Doscotch informed the Commission that he attended the City Council presentation and presented the five Parks & Recreation initiatives for 2024 and gave a brief overview of what was discussed. IX. Staff Comments A. Upcoming Meetings and Events  Staff Liaison Vetter updated that there is one meeting remaining for the year. He also updated that in 2024 there will be three dates that do not follow the typical schedule, those are the meetings held in May, August, and November. He also asked that if Commission members know of certain dates that will not work for them, they should let him know ahead of time to help with potential cancellations and rescheduling. The Commission decided to cancel the July meeting due to traditional summer conflicts and other commitments. X. Adjournment Motion made by Pfuhl to adjourn the Nov. 13, 2023, meeting at 8:22 p.m. Motion seconded by Spanhake. Meeting adjourned.