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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-09-26 PRC PacketAGENDA CITY OF MAPLEWOOD PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING Wednesday, September 19, 2012 7:00pm Meeting Council Chambers - Maplewood City Hall 1830 County Road B East 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Approval of Minutes a. June 20, 2012 b. July 18, 2012 5. Neighborhood Meeting a. Sale of Roselawn Property 6. Visitor Presentations a. 7. Unfinished Business a. Fish Creek Master Plan 8. New Business a. 9. Staff Presentations a. MN Twins Community Fund Field Grant b. MW /NESA Hazelwood Field Project c. Gladstone Savannah 10. Commissioner Comments 11. Adjourn — (9:00 p.m.) MINUTES MAPLEWOOD PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION 7:OOp.m., Wednesday, June 20, 2012 Council Chambers, City Hall A meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission was held in the City Hall Council Chambers and was called to order at 7:02PM by Chair Roman. Commissioners Commissioner Craig Brannon Presen Commissioner Don Christianson Presen Commissioner Peter Fischer Absent Chair Bruce Roman Presen Commissioner Therese Sonnek Presen' Commissioner Roy Adams Absent Commissioner RJ Erhardt Presen Commissioner Kim Schmidt Presen Staff Parks Manager, 3. APPROVAL OF TH n by Commissioner Christianson Ayes - All The 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. May 16,2012 Commissioner Erhardt made the correction under Commissioner Comments, "Commissioner Erhardt stated that she liked Commissioner Sonnek's suggestion about having rock bands at the Maplewood Community Center as a place for adolescents to go and listen to these bands as well." Commissioner Erhardt moved to approve the minutes as amended. Seconded by Chair Roman. Ayes - Chair Roman, Commissioner's Wednesday, June 20 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes Christianson, Sonnek, Erhardt Abstain - Commissioner's Brannon and Schmidt The motion passed. S. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS a. Recreation Coordinator —Neil Breneman Neil Breneman, Recreation Coordinator, f recreation programs and events that he c of the Commission. b. Resident, Dave Johnson, 2587 [�11i!ItlIN6y:lgr]IYllyl�l��y 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Parks Commission Vacancy Jim Taylor, Parks Manager, updated the mation about the different the city and answered questions Parks and Recreation and -ru fthe on the Gladstone Savannah project Creek Event Taylor, Parks it is in the or ger, stated that the event was rescheduled due to weather. The of being rescheduled and will be posted as soon as a date is c. Tennis Court Resurfacing Jim Taylor, Parks Manager, updated the Commission on the Tennis Court Resurfacing project. d. Beaver Creek Preserve Jim Taylor, Parks Manager, updated the Commission on the progress of the Beaver Creek Preserve and answered questions of the Commission. Wednesday, June 20 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes 9. ADJOURNMENT Commissioner Brannon moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Schmidt Ayes - All The meeting was adjourned. Next meeting is July 18, 2012. Wednesday, June 20 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes MINUTES MAPLEWOOD PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION 7:OOp.m., Wednesday, July 18, 2012 Council Chambers, City Hall A meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission was held in the City Hall Council Chambers and called to order by Chair Roman. Commissioners Commissioner Craig Brannon Commissioner Don Christianson Commissioner Peter Fischer Chair Bruce Roman Commissioner Therese Sonnek Commissioner Roy Adams Commissioner RJ Erhardt Commissioner Kim Schmidt Staff Parks Manager, 3. APPROVAL OF TH by Com Present Present Ayes — All The 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES ; a. June 20, 2012 Commissioner Sonnek me Johnson came to present. Seconded by Commissioner Christianson Ayes - Commissioner's Brannon, Christianson, Schmidt, Sonnek, Erhardt Nay - Chair Roman Abstain - Commissioner Fischer July 18, 2012 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes The motion passed. S. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Joy Park Utility Easement Maintenance Jim Taylor, Parks Manager, presented the Joy Park Utility Easement Maintenance and discussed it with the Commission. Commissioner Fischer moved to accept the recommendation that staff has made wit[ Policy has been made. Seconded by Commissioner 7. NEW BUSINESS a. Fish Creek Master Plan and Mat Jim Taylor, Parks Manager, pies( and answered questions of the C 8. STAFF PRESENTATIONS a. Lions Park Jim Taylor, Parks Manager, upda and answered auestions of the ( 9. ADJOURNMENT, Commissioner Fisch Seconded by Comm The meetiniz was ac Ayes- the Fish Creek Master Plan and Management Plan the Lions Park improvements Ayes — All Next meeting is September 19, 2012. July 18, 2012 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes AGENDA REPORT TO: Parks and Recreation Commission FROM: Jim Taylor, Parks Manager SUBJECT: Sale of Roselawn Property DATE: September 12, 2012 INTRODUCTION At the May 18, 2011 meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission City Attorney Alan Kantrud spoke of the possible sale of vacant park land located at 3XX Roselawn Ave. E. (P.I.D.17.29.22.23.0058). In addition to that discussion, the Parks and Recreation Commission toured the property on June 15, 2011 prior to their meeting. At the July 20, 2011, meeting the Commission voted 6 -2 recommending the sale of the property to the developer. DISCUSSION Although the land is labeled as park land, it is essentially vacant land. In the Comprehensive Plan process there is no vacant land designation. The city is obligated by state law to assign a future land use designation for every parcel of property in Maplewood. There are residential, commercial, industrial designations, as well as government, park or open space and institutional. Every piece of property owned by the city of Maplewood, as well as Ramsey County and the State of Minnesota, is either designated as government, park or open space. The city hall campus and fire stations are designated as government. The piece of property near Roselawn has always been guided park because it is adjacent to a park and has had no other functional use. The city cannot designate officially a property as vacant – it was to be designated as described above. The park designation does not prohibit the city from looking into alternative uses for the property or potentially changing the designation. Any designation made by the city – whether in private or public ownership – can be changed by the city council at any time. A public hearing has to be held with the planning commission and then the city council makes a final decision on all changes. This process is being conducted for the Roselawn parcel. This parcel of property has never been in the park plan and was never intended for park development. The Comprehensive plan refers to Roselawn as a "Mini /Neighborhood Park" and in the notes states: "Consider reclassification — Opportunity to better serve area ". The proposed sale and development of the property would result in approximately $236,000.00 that would go directly into the cities Park Acquisition Charge (PAC) account for future park development and land acquisition purposes. This money could be very well served throughout our parks system. The developer will be required to follow all City Ordinances. No additional covenants will be added. On July 12, 2011, Maplewood's Natural Resources Coordinator visited Roselawn Park to evaluate natural resources in the southwest parcels of the park. The wetland on the site is a Manage B wetland. The shoreline is stable and vegetation is dominated by invasive reed canary grass. The upland in the southwest parcel is wooded with a canopy of native and non- native shade trees, a shrub layer is dominated by buckthorn, and very little ground cover. Much of the ground is bare soil, though in some areas Virginia Creeper (a vine) and buckthorn seedlings cover the ground. In one area where there is an opening in the canopy and there is a weedy groundcover of grasses and (orbs and in another area there is Solomon's seal, a Minnesota native plant. The woodland is very degraded ecologically. This parcel provides wildlife habitat but the small size, lack of diverse shrub layer, and lack of groundcover limit the species and number of wildlife that will utilize the site. N x901 LVihVi14 L UL1111 I IQ Ll No further action is needed at this time. MEMORANDUM TO: Parks and Recreation Commission FROM: Ginny Gaynor, Natural Resources Coordinator DATE: September 12, 2012 RE: Fish Creek Master Plan INTRODUCTION Maplewood is developing a Master Plan for the 70 -acre Fish Creek parcel south of Carver Avenue. Three public meetings were held to develop concepts for the Master Plan. At the September Commission meeting, commissioners will review the plan and make recommendations. DISCUSSION Maplewood has an agreement to purchase 70 acres of land near Fish Creek in south Maplewood from The Conservation Fund by Fall 2013. Once the land is purchased, 50 acres will be owned by the city and 20 acres will be owned by Ramsey County. Grants received for site acquisition and restoration require that we prepare a management plan. Thus, the City and County will prepare a Master Plan and a Management Plan prior to owning the site. Development of the plans is a joint venture between Maplewood, Ramsey County, and Great River Greening. The attached documents make up the Master Plan: Master Plan Concepts (Attachment 1), Trail Concept Map (Attachment 2), and Target Vegetation Map (Attachment 3). Three public meetings were held to develop the plan, including a hike at the site. Residents from both Maplewood and St. Paul attended the meetings and everyone that attended the final meeting supported the Master Plan concepts. Once the Master Plan Concepts are adopted, staff and Great River Greening will develop the Management Plan for the site. At the September Commission meeting, staff will present the Fish Creek Master Plan. Commissioners will review the Master Plan and make their recommendation. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Parks and Recreation Commission approves the Master Plan for Fish Creek. Attachments: 1. Master Plan Narrative 2. Fish Creek Trail Concept 3. Target Vegetation Map Fish Creek Master Plan Concepts 9/12/12 The City of Maplewood and Ramsey County have prepared this Master Plan for the 70 -acre parcel of land south of Carver Avenue. This Master Plan was prepared jointly to ensure protection of natural resources, to provide public access to the site, and to ensure connectivity of habitats and trails. The Master Plan includes a map showing Trail Concept, a map showing Target Vegetation, and this narrative. Site Use and Activities This site is a natural area for wildlife and a place for people to experience and enjoy nature. Grants received for acquisition of the 50 acres south of Fish Creek restrict the land to passive uses. Hiking, bird watching, and nature study are appropriate uses at the site. The area north of the creek does not have these restrictions. However, much of the northern section is protected wetland and this plan proposes the north section remains natural. The 8 acres adjacent to Carver Avenue may be developed someday. If that area is not developed, it could remain natural or be used as active parkland or community garden. Master Plan Process Three public meetings were held in summer 2012 to develop the site plan, which was then drafted by city and county staff. The Master Plan will be reviewed by three Maplewood commissions for their recommendation: Parks and Recreation Commission, Environmental and Natural Resources Commission, and Heritage Preservation Commission. The Plan will then be submitted to Maplewood City Council. Parking Parking Lot on Henry Lane. The plan calls for a small parking lot of approximately 20 stalls on Henry Lane, sited north of the Fish Creek. This location will provide a direct connection to the rustic trail along the creek and will help constrict illegal vehicle access to the site since the creek is a "pinch point." Parking Lot Near Point Douglas Road. The plan shows trail access from the west at Oakwood Church, 1388 Point Douglas Road. In the past, the church indicated a willingness to explore being a trailhead for the rustic Fish Creek Hiking Trail and allowing people to use their parking lot. Prior to trail development, the city and county should pursue discussions of this with Oakwood Church. If this option does not come to fruition, the county owns land along Point Douglas Road north of the church and the trail could come to this point. However, parking on this parcel of county land would likely be limited to just a few stalls, rather than a parking lot. Trails Paved Trail Loop. An 8' to 10' -wide bituminous trail will take visitors from the Henry Lane parking lot on a loop to the bluff top. Some of this trail takes advantage of old driveways on the site, to reduce disturbance and need for grading. The trail would comply with the American with Disabilities Act standards. Two alternate trail sections are shown on the Master Plan, which would depend on funding. Fish Creek Hiking Trail. A rustic trail will take visitors along the creek from Point Douglas Road to Henry Lane. This trail would be graded to minimize erosion and would be mowed grass in open areas and soil surface in wooded areas. A portion of the trail would be on both sides of the creek. Additional Rustic Trail Loop. A rustic trail (graded, mowed) is planned for the southern portion of the site and continues on the county open space. Additional Discussion. During the public meetings a suggestion was made to have a section of paved trail from Oakwood Churchgoing south to the most scenic section of the creek —the canyon. This is not shown on the map but it is an idea worth further discussion by the county and Oakwood Church. Overlooks and Benches The Master Plan shows three vista locations. Benches would be located at these sites. Additional benches would be installed along the trails as needed. Water and Bathroom Facilities No drinking water or bathroom facilities are planned for the site. However, the parking lot on Henry Lane should be constructed to allow for a porta - potty, in case a porta -potty is needed in the future. Signage At a minimum, signage at the site should include an entry sign with the name of the preserve, a rule sign, a map of the trail system, and boundary markers where necessary to delineate public and private land. (Also see Site Interpretation below.) Target Vegetation The Master Plan shows the target vegetation planned for the site. This site was historically woodland, and was later cleared for farming. An aerial photo from 1940 shows only two small areas of trees on the site. Today the site is a mix of pasture grasslands, degraded woodlands, and a pine plantation. The restoration plan for the site is to transition the open grasslands to prairie and oak savanna and to enhance the existing wooded areas by removing non - native trees and brush and planting species that are native to oak woodland. History and Archeology In 2005, Summit Envirosolutions, Inc. conducted a Phase I Archaeological Survey of the 70 -acre site for Co Par Development. Summit recommended one archeological site for Phase II archaeological testing to determine eligibility in the National Registry of Historic Places (NRHP). This archeological site (shown on Master Plan) consists of fragments of ceramics, lithics, and one faunal remain. The slopes in this area make it the preferred location for the rustic trail from Henry Lane down to the creek. A Phase II Archaeological investigation should be done prior to developing a trail in this area and should be routed to ensure no damage or impacts to artifacts. The city and county shall support efforts of Maplewood Area Historical Society and Maplewood's Heritage Preservation Commission to document and better understand the history of this site. Ideally, grants would be submitted to conduct additional archeological work and to research and document the site history. Site Interpretation Once the history of this site is better documented, an interpretive plan should be developed to highlight site history, natural resources and restoration activities. Discussions at the Master Plan public meetings favored an interpretive trail with numbered posts that would correspond to printed material and web information about the site, rather than having extensive interpretive signage at the site. C O ca N O Q 0 a L N M L Lon - Tj a O x a a C C Y Y N C 0 > 0 6 d In ) a � a a O a L Lon - Tj