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Home My WebLink About2009-07-15 PRC Packet AGENDA CITY OF MAPLEWOOD PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING Wednesday, July 15, 2009 7:00p.m. Council Chambers. Maplewood City Hall 1830 County Road BEast 1. Call to Order 2. RollCall 3. Approval of Agenda 4. Approval of Minutes a. June 17,2009 5. Visitor Presentations 6. Unfinished Business a. Community Gardens 7. New Business a. Goodrich Park Rainwater Gardens- Holloway Avenue and Stanich Highlands Area Improvements b. Park and Recreation Commission Goals and Projects 8. Commissioner Presentations a. Subcommittee Reports 1. Dog Park 9. Staff Presentations a. Lions Park Update b. Council Action - Goodrich Lights, Vista Hills Courts and Nature Center Trail c. Wakefield Park Fishing Pier 10. Commissioner Comments 11. Adjourn - (9:30 p.m.) Next meeting - August 19, 2009 CITY OF MAPLEWOOD PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING Draft - Wednesday, June 17, 2009 7:00 p.m. COUNCIL CHAMBERS - MAPLEWOOD CITY HALL 1830 COUNTY ROAD BEAST 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Fischer indicated eight out of nine commissioners were present, so quorum. 2. ROLL CALL Commissioners Commissioner Craig Brannon arrived at 7:05 p.m. Commissioner Don Christianson Chair Peter Fischer Commissioner Dan Maas Commissioner Mary Mackay Commissioner Carolyn Peterson Commissioner Bruce Roman Commissioner Therese Sonnek Commissioner Kim Schmidt Staff Doug Taubman, Park Ginny Gaynor, Na 3. APPROVAL Commissioner Fischer requ agenda. He asked that "2009 Capital Improvement'Plan" be added m 7a. Peterson asked to add a Natural Area Greenways subcommittee repo under item 8. Chair Fischer asked for a motion to approve the agenda. Commissioner Christianson made a motion to approve the agenda as amended, seconded by Commissioner Sonnek. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. . );>'m,> .",::c 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner ROm~tl;.stat"'<ad a change to make to the minutes of May 13, 2009. A sentence should be corrected to read'<'6~QLe abstention". Another change was requested to read Commissioner "Roman" instead of "Chiis) nson". "Gloucester" was spelled wrong and requested to be corrected. Commissioner Peterson said a sentence stating "Dora" Slawik should read "Nora" Slawik. There was one additional spelling error: There was a sentence that read "Commissioner Brannon"; it should be corrected to state "Commissioner Roman". There was a motion to approve the minutes as amended. Commissioner Brannon made a motion, seconded by Commissioner Christianson. The minutes were approved by a vote of 7-0, with 2 abstentions. 5. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS- there were none. 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS . 1 A. Community Gardens - Natural Resources Coordinator Ginny Gaynor and Dr. Julie Binko Natural Resources Coordinator Ginny Gaynor and Dr. Julie Binko presented a report on plans for Maplewood community gardens. Dr. Binko has been working with volunteers, and Ms. Gaynor has been working with other staff with respect to preparing for gardening on city land. The volunteers and staff are focusing on the Ramsey County Extension site, and have demonstration gardens in progress. They are investigating the potential for community gardens on this plot in the future. Dr. Binko has been involved with the project since March, 2009, and she has been working in conjunction with Mr. Antonin, the new Maplewood City Manager. Mr. Antonin's wish is that community gardens be a citizen-initiated affair. City staff will be giving support; however volunteers ancl:,@itizens will be the main ruling and governing factions. The project team had a meeting in April, 20 d members from the Environmental and Natural Resources Commission and the Historical sion set up guidelines for the gardens. There will be a strategic task force set up to work on this$he said Pauline Staples has been working on the rules for the gardens. <,,>,<, ...."....... The group has received a set of sample rules for communi! "g~rci~ns which BrooklytKR~rk, Minnesota has created, and the city will create a packet for volunteers. 'gsted residents will registe~ig@d pick up an instructional packet which will include a plot map, fro the garde",n"""",e, J,S" can choose thlH,t,i,:,:,s"it",e. They are planning to have maintenance and management by citiZ:~nd ea9h,'8nthe plots will have oRe or two people to be "watchdogs" for the gardens. These volunteers'WP,ulciteceive a free plot and would be responsible for watering and monitoring the, ens. The Ramsl!iy,;County Barn would need one or two people to be responsible for the sprinkler 'dgther tasks. ''JII1i;l,city would have the responsibility of preparing and plotting gardens as they comrteVlew., "":":::}.>.->>. ':i6. .............. -..<'-," When the group met in April, itl'las decidgglhat t,he&aFdeh~)II&yJd bll evenly distributed across the city, as opposed to having [!1eID:plots in on~:~R&tF'The planisto'have 45 or 50 garden plots next year, and based on inte y would'ciecide and sele,ct additional sites in the future. Dr. Binko said she is currently working wit Hmong chY59~es in the a'fe!1. They have families (at least 100-120) that are interested in gardening also sai~ZRh~,ir:'l/grking " he Hmong Elder Center and the Hmong Association for Women WI ,tdtlitl;:Dt:,~infflo cause they have demonstration gardens at the Ramsey C()ymt*;l~ia[8,they hi! ",,' s to the Ra ounty and University of Minnesota Extension Service,-alid'stiiff therexh:We interest in enrolling the Hmong into a gardening class. They have a few ~I.ia,tt,tl'ii'lt is Hmong,Wl1f~h"wouelpful because language barriers are a problem. They will work withth~l:~*tension Service st~~:tp fin ,,,I. that could possibly service 50 or 100 families. The Hmong people nave'transportation, h6'1/~yer they'tliled land, and it is a recreational and intergenerational activity for them. .. "-.""''''''. ,':- '","","',','"'''''',,, """,',""""',',-"" Dr. Binko and a dta' en in~F;displayed the three sections at the Ramsey County Barn; a demonstration garden, a main gard inwater natural garden, and said there was a possibility of two sites for community gardens. Th ill be space for compost bins. The biggest area is an 18 x 55 plot, and they want to have an ADA (Americans with Disability Act) community garden with wheel chair access. Both the Master Gardeners and Extension Service are involved, because they wanted to eventually have an agricultural park in conjunction with the programs that are running inside of the barn. All the plots in the raised bed area will be "Best Practice" management practice; using raised beds, hay bales, signage and labels, and the compost area is a partnership between the Master Gardeners and the City of Maplewood. It is a three bin paper, vegetable and waste compost demo. Near the milk house area there is a patio garden, a container garden, and the rest has been re-Iandscaped into perennials, simulating a place for a small garden. They have also been approached by Perma-Culture Research Institute to put up cold frames on the property, either by the patio garden or in the gardens so they can extend the growing season. They are currently in the process of working on composting and cold frames. She said the whole project is part of the 2 "Food to Fork" movement. First Lady Michelle Obama has been gardening with middle school children, and this movement started in California. This is the Ramsey County Extension's interest in this; because they have their nutrition services at the Barn and they service schools in Ramsey County with nutrition. The idea is to get vegetable gardening and the nutrition education that goes with that out to the schools. Dr. Binko said they want to put up additional signage, because each partner has a special logo. They also have a business partner, Home Depot, which has been donating a good portion of the supplies. Discussion followed and questions were asked about the community gardens and Ms. Binko answered these to the best of her ability. Dr. Binko also discussed more about the Hmong community and what they are asking for and involved with. There were other questions and comments, and a commissioner had a request to receive a copy of the list of rules and regulations from the Brooklyn@,entercommunity garden document. This will be distributed to the commission. Natural Resources Coordinator Gaynor said there will be meeting r~Qgrcifri9',th~gardens on June 18, 2009 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Maplewood Library. She said everyone:iswelcOfl.\~:lp attend. It is the hope that they will have a set of rules completed by August, 2009 ang:!hey will be brougHkpack to the commission and staff. In December, 2009, everything woulgYlDecompleted so that w!\~nthe spring newsletter goes out a registration packet will be availablg, B. Questions on Proposed Sites for Community Gal'\lens ':'>> The commission was asked questions on which of two sites would be best for the potential community gardens. 1. Is street parking appropriate at the sit~~;,:.:;".":,,.. . .... 2. Is this location convej'li~,Qly!grthe people'YI!\o I11~~'Na.ntlpr~IDJ.gafaen plots? 3. How will the com itY'gardej'l9 impact tHe:'ffie)9Hborhoodsana the parks? Natural Resources CO,... or Gaynor"" ussed th~Y&[i!eria used when they began searching areas for the community gardens. SHe:~@id the g pjgtshad tobe/qn city owned property, on flat land, and large enough to accO/llmodate 4~!Rlpts; e"qg~ingfqr$Oils conducive to gardening; and checked for loamy soils'l'Ii\hPl.lfie~F~ssiveGI~X; ey were lobRfng;for a site that did not impact ball fields, budgets and progral11mitig; THe twoy~iterchb$gn'il'lere Goodrich Park and the neighborhood Prairie Farm Preserve. BecaH.r~the farm is classifi.~q.~s a Pre~~rve, there are issues to deal with when examining this site. RegardiDQthe Goodrich Par~Sit~, they~r~Jooking at the triangle of land located there, and there would be opportunil}i:y!qra half an acre; P~S~ibly expanding to an additional half acre. Both of these sites would have street parkitig(iiand potential to ~~[('adjacent property owners for partnerships with extra parking. At the farm, they arel&Q,Rij'lQ into the ~IlQlh side off of Woodlyn Avenue. There is about an acre, potentially another half acre,Wi!!\,~tre ... Ing. Questions and discussio ued regarding sites, pros and cons of each, about picnicking and recreating at Goodrich in the playground areas, and discussion about satisfactory room for gardening. There was concern about safety. Regarding the preserve, the intent originally had been to keep it a preserve, and there were concerns about overhead wires. They discussed water sources at each of the sites, and potential problems with parking. Chair Fischer discussed the "80-20" rule, which determined that no more than 20% of the land in an open space would be active and 80% was to be restored to a natural state. With the trail there, he felt anything beyond that would be encroaching what was established as this 80-20 rule. He said Goodrich may have challenges, however they could be overcome. It is centrally located for people coming from south Maplewood. The commissioners discussed other possible sites in Maplewood and Ramsey County. Natural Resources Coordinator Gaynor ended the discussion by stating staff will listen to 3 all of the discussion and will look at the additional sites requested, and will come back to the commission at their next meeting. C. Fish Creek Natural Area Greenway Grant Update Natural Resources Coordinator Gaynor stated the City Council submitted an Expression of Interest form for a Metro Greenways Protection Grant in May, 2009. She said they were invited to submit a proposal and they are currently working on this. The amount of grant money is $200,000 and the city would have to match this amount. In addition, they have an LCCMR grant which the Council finished a resolution on and it is currently before that granting agency. They are continuing to look at how they would manage the match, and will be submitting this at the end of June, 2009. She said at this point the ave to commit to a match, however, do not have to identify what pocket of money this will come out o.f: Iron mental and Natural Resources Commissioner Yingling stated she knew something about tb,erg rocess and explained some of the process. Natural Resources Coordinator Gaynor stated the c,iIM;h.~S",,:, sted 1.5 million dollars from the LCCMR and they suggested the city match with $100,000. They:want to b~'iq~,~ured the community is contributing something. This process may continue until Septertiber,2009. Natural Resources Coordinator Gaynor announced the.~~~jlet Creek Neighborhood P!'~~~l')Ie representatives will be meeting with neighbors and wa!Ki~~along the tr~l:t? look at optionSf&fle-creating this preserve. The public is welcome, and this event will'q~held on~Mme23, 2009 at 6:30 p.rn: She will put this information on the Web site and they will meet on the brfcigeptthepreserve, She said anyone can call the Maplewood Nature Center or herseif for more information. 6. NEW BUSINESS A. CapitallmproverneHt:Rliln for Chuck Hall, Assistant Cj!Y:':~~fJager inrvl@w.lewood, Maplewood Finance Director were at the commission meetingl8'giye a present .:.' on the Improvement Plan. He said this is a planning document, and it is als ument this document is what they will use for funding projects and ca It is a plan, and it mirrors what they hope to do, howeY ent so It doesn't place money in certain areas, It:!'fl~K s he will present the report to have the commissioners understand the assu/'l1~ti{jns they have r f Jlig:.that will be available and how it is going to be used, They hope to havea:PMqlic hearing at the ning c'Qro.mission level, and that will be on July 7, 2009. They will present to the COtinQiton July 13 or 2 . .09. HeWent through the Plan with proposed projects and ideas for each year regarding-Ihe Park Devel nt Fund, and discussion and questions ensued. One of the commissionersteqgested thattIDElcommission receive a copy of this report, and that request will be granted. Chair Fischer moved th commission recommend this document to the City Council and the Planning Commission as they have outlined. Commissioner Christianson seconded the motion, and the motion carried by a vote of 9-0. B. UPDATE ON 2009 Capital Improvement Plan Parks Manager Taubman asked the commission to help staff identify how they will spend the $60,000 which is available to the Parks and Recreation Department for 2009. He listed the projects: 1. Replacement of lights at Goodrich Park with replacement of light fixtures on fields two and three; 2. Replacement of backstops at Goodrich Park; 4 3. Fields replaced at Goodrich and Wakefield Parks 4. Resurfacing tennis or basketball courts in area parks He stated the Goodrich Park lights were installed in 1977. One of the biggest problems with these lights is that they cast a yellowish tint, making it difficult to see the balls, When the lights were installed they were playing with wooden bats, and now there are "hi tech" composite bats. He said in 1977 softball players were 6 feet, 180 pounds, and today they are 6 feet, six inches, and 280 pounds. Softball associations had moved the bases back from 60 to 65 feet, and now 70 feet for safety reasons. Pitching is done from 45 to 50 feet, and this year they are allowing pitchers to pitch from 6 feet behind the mound. The lights play into the problems of bats and balls becoming more "lively". He explained that fencing and backstops were not a safety issue and were still functional. He talked about tennis courts and resurf 'ng them every five years with two courts per year. He listed the parks where the courts are unplaya istal Hills is a heavily used court, and that is why they put it on the list to be resurfaced. He said h~A1\:go ing for a recommendation from the Parks commission on how they can spend this money for 2 C. LEGACY TOT LOT Fischer aske'ciifgr a motion to approve resurfacing 6f\,{i@ta Hills tennis and it was carried unanirn(jy~ly by a vote of A discussion ensued regarding these projects and issues, to use the $60,000 budget for new lighting for Goodrich basketball courts. Commissioner Maas seconded the 9-0, Parks Manager Taubman gave a brief repoiti$'Y received approval from the council to spend $80,000 for the Legacy Tot Lot deve.1 . ubman and Community Development and Parks Director Konewko wil ~~meet:~ithi~'Bubli .....~ engineer to discuss how they will spend this money. There)'li.!1 . provement@'(o th,e:rwrOI.ir\ciim~woperty, and hopefully they will bring this to the commission nextlt1PA 'n August,'ggg~QOld a neighBorhood meeting to gather input from neighbors. He said there:islno action .. ired on tnisi~sue. A discussion and questions ensued regarding the project. 0:"'. '" ,"" ;:.::::::::.. .::::::....:.,,;:::: :. The commission discussed planting.commynity gardens west of the Legacy Tot Lot development. Parks Manager TauBman said staff will discuss this and get back to the commission next month. 7. COMMISSIONER PRESENTATIONS A. Subcommittee Presentations >~~:had a meeting on June 3, 2009, and the subcommittee discussed Joy Park and the pluses and mini:! of having a dog park there. He said after the discussion they set this park aside as a potential site for the future. He stated that Sherwood, Gloucester and Harvest parks were all good sites in their opinions, and they also discussed hockey rink mini-dog parks, Commissioner Sonnek took photos of the dog park sites in Eden Prairie. They have determined that hockey rink sites should be a major consideration for a dog park. The subcommittee will come back with a report after their next meeting, Commissioner Roman also stated they will work on a survey for the neighborhoods involved, Their next meeting is July 1, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in the Maplewood Room. Chair Fischer added that he was impressed by the mini-dog park idea in the hockey rinks, Natural Area Greenway Subcommittee Report 5 Commissioner Peterson stated that the committee met a week ago, and on July 18, 2009 the members of the committee are doing a canoe tour. Five members will be going to Phalen Lake, Round Lake, and to Kohlman Lake to see the connections in that greenway. She stated there are historical markings along the way, and they are enthused and will bring back pictures and a report. She said Beaver Lake is connected to the other lakes, and the trails that the Indians used when they came up the Mississippi River are along those lakes. Fish Creek had a native village there and the Indians traveled up that greenway to Phalen Lake and went to Kohlman Lake where there was another native village. There were also native villages along the east shore of Lake Phalen. Some of the older residents remember seeing wigwams along Kohlman Lake. 8. STAFF PRESENTATIONS A. Lion's Park Neighborhood Meeting Parks Manager Taubman announced the Lion's Park Neighborho .hl? Maplewood Nature Center which will be held on June 30, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. Com .S,ioner Fischei\vlf[:o en the meeting with a welcome and introduction of any staff and commissioners 'rfdance. One of t at the Nature Center will give an overview of the two concepts. The PXt .,. ...difference between the e drainage problem handled by underground storm sewers and ho'lgir,g pond and th~.other is rain w rdens and drainage. They will install basketball courts; a ball field, til)@o,play picnic shelter and p ground equipment. The top items from the survey were the picnic sl1l!ilterfails. There will be improved landscaping and a children's play area. Th~,8pncept plans willb'~" sented in two different areas, at the Nature Center meeting room and in the c1asgrt)o'IJ18~pter. A timeline"l'Iill be provided as to when different areas of the project will be worked on, and the'3yrveY'~HrnJl\~ry will b'e~y~.ilable with comment cards for residents. Parks Manager Taubman sent out a:ID?tice tothi:l:Peighbors, anqhe will send the notice to all commissioners and to the Commission;. B. Parks Manager un.~. 9th the~ll)et with ten neighbors regarding the proposed trail along McKnight and L(S8V~~~g?Cteening/buffering options with the residents on Standridge~.y,~B.I.I~.f(mh.~Y wa the neighborsi:ana John Horn from Kimley Horn Associates staked out wherej:!~etrail Woul.I'!i.9palo night Road, and it seemed the greatest concern was traffic on McKni~~\'Road. The resiil~n.l~we ,,~yor of a two lane road there. They were satisfied with the screenili,~i8ptions that werePli~*l~nted Wh~n.they saw how few trees and brush would be affected. Of the two Lydia';iI,yenue residents thi;imW,ere present, one was opposed to the trail on Lydia Avenue, and one was not. John l'lqtn,put together a t~rJ;prt to the Council and it will come before them on June 22, 2009. Staff is recommending'th0ojf road optiggifor the trail. ',....""...--.... ... ...... .,...",.,..,..../.' Commissioner Maasl1l~~\i?jj~d the portion of the trail near Hazelwood Street and asked if that portion of the trail was finished. Pat~sManager Taubman had walked this trail and he stated that signage is needed on that portion of the trail, and he would address that. Questions were asked about the validity of bike riding on the sidewalk on that portion of the trail. C. Planning Commission Tour Parks Manager Taubman had a list of names of people they have not heard from regarding this tour. He reminded the commissioners that the tour is on July 1, 2009, and will leave at 5:30 p,m. from the city offices, returning by 8:30 p.m. Box lunches will be provided. He said this is a Planning Commission annual city wide tour to look at deveiopment sites and upcoming development areas. 6 9. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Commissioner Sonnek said the Dog Park subcommittee is meeting as planned so they will miss the tour on July 1, 2009. Commissioner Peterson asked if the commission had received an answer as to what their role in the community center is. Chair Fischer said this was a goal for the commission for this year. He suggested to have it on the agenda for their next meeting, and to get a list of other things that they wanted to work on. She suggested putting the Capstone Project recommendations on the list for discussion. Commissioner Roman said they need to consider time for discussion of the dg9,park, and he anticipated it will be a major part of an upcoming meeting. He said the final sUbcommittee,riieeting is the first Wednesday in September, 2009. He also said he thought a community garden wo~l.ci2M'Qlbe suitable at Flicek Park. Commissioner Christianson stated that he is familiar with the historyXc:!fNorth Paul; and the first residents living on the south side of Silver Lake stated there were Indian:~n9ampments on ".?rth side of Silver Lake. He also mentioned that he had a question of wheth~[:thgre was an Indian mOQID<J,mear Century Avenue and Joy Road; he learned there were large Indif1rt~ocampments there every summer in the distant past. Commissioner Maas stated as he has biked and walked along the trails in Maplewood and other areas, it was nice to see benches along the trails, He said Maplewood 't have benches along their trails. He said Little Canada to Roseville, to places in.southern Minnesota, I Wing; have benches with placards on them, donated by someone in memory of a loved one. He thou be something to discuss in the future and asked if this idea could be advertised in the Ci Chair Fischer said a possible subcommittee could be I . d on once the dog park subcommittee is finished. He said as our trails are evolving, they should be discussing benches, signs, kiosks, mileage markers, and other logistics of having benches along Maplewood trails. Parks Manager Taubman stated they have people donating benches; there is one at Sunset Ridge Park, and he is communicating with a neighbor about installing another bench there. Chairffii%cner brought fOrW<1rc!~ lettef:hehad written to Community Development and Parks Director Konewk9:rl3garding the traiisi~iciewalkir1]pr9Vements around the tourist cabin sites in Maplewood. is money, they should look at sidewalks on Beam Avenue, and the He said you cannot walk, you cannot bike, and there are very heavy eation Manager Taubman said he would make note of this, however he s project. Brannon said if continuity of .~Iks in that traffic areas thereY~~.rks believed this was a PUb!' 10. ADJOURN: Chair Fischer asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Commissioner Brannon made a motion, seconded by Commission Maas. The motion carried by unanimous vote. 7 MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE: Parks and Recreation Commission Ginny Gaynor, Maplewood Natural Resources Coordinator Doug Taubman, Park Manager Sites for a Community Garden July 8, 2009 INTRODUCTION Maplewood staff has been charged with finding a city-owned site for community gardens. At the June 17,2009 Parks Commission meeting, staff presented two possible sites. Parks Commissioners requested that staff evaluate several additional sites. That evaluation is presented herein. DISCUSSION Our goal is to find one city-owned site that can be used for community gardens without significantly impacting a park or a neighborhood. The site should meet the following criteria: 1. Flat sunny area, large enough for 50-60 plots 2. City-owned land 3. Soils amenable for gardening 4. Adequate parking on street or in lot 5. Does not require loss of ball fields 6. Ideally not in a park classified as Neighborhood Park Staff used the following evaluation process: 1. Using aerial park maps, we evaluated the above criteria for each park. Three-fourth of the parks were eliminated because they did not have a large enough area for a garden or would require removal of ball fields that receive high use. Table 1 lists all sites rejected based on this evaluation. 2. Staff visited the remaining 10 sites to review: a. Sun and shade b. Topography c. Parking d. Site characteristics Six of these sites were rejected. Table 2 lists the sites that received visits and were rejected. 3. Four potential sites remained as candidates for community gardens: Edgerton, Goodrich, Robinhood, and Sherwood. Table 3 lists the pros and cons of each for the community garden site. Attachments 1-4 show approximate location for a garden on each site. Staff believes Goodrich Park is the best site at this time for a community garden. The pros and cons for this site are listed in Table 3. We believe locating the community garden at Goodrich have the least negative impact on existing park activities and on the neighborhood. At the June 17 Parks Commission meeting, commissioners expressed concern about there being enough room at Goodrich for gardens, picnicking, volley ball and play area. The map of this site (Attachment 1) shows that if one acre is used for gardens, over two areas of open lawn area are available for other activities. If only 1:, acre is used for the garden, this would leave even a larger area for play. Table 1. Sites Eliminated Based based on map review and staff discussion of six criteria Site Park Classification other Afton Heiqhts Park Youth athletic Too small Aoolewood Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Too small, need plavarea Crestview Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Too small Geranium Mini/Neiahborhood Park Need all ball fields Gethsemane Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Not owned by city Gloster Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Poor soils, residential neiahborhood access onlv Harvest Communitv Athletic Poor soils, need all fields Hazelwood Youth Athletic Need all fields Hillside Mini/Neiahborhood Park landlocked Joy Park Communitv Park Would require major removal of trees Kenwood Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Too small (,5 acre site) Kohlman Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Need play space, old dumo site Lions Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Need play space in this neiqhborhood lookout Mini Park Too small (,2 ace site) Mailand Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Land locked, homes surround area Maolecrest Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Small oark, need olav area in this neiqhborhood Maplewood Heiqhts Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Need play area and fields Nebraska Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Too small, trees, wetlands Plavcrest Mini/Neiahborhood Park Need fields and play areas Pleasantview Mini/Neiahborhood Park Trees and topoaraohv Roselawn Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Slooes Sterlinq Oaks Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Trees and wetlands Sunset Ridqe Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Lonq steep uphill walk to open area Timber Mini/Neiqhborhood Park Too small (,5 acre site) Wakefield Park Community Park Rollinq hills and trees, need fields and play area Table 2. Sites That Had Field Evaluation and Were Rejected Site Reasons for Not Recommendina this Site Fiicek Youth Athletic Too many trees in area west of parking lot The small area east of parking lot is not ideal: . There would likely be some trampling of gardens because it is right next to the ballfield and between the ballfield and parking lot. . Short steep hill from parking lot down to garden . Parking lot fills and site if very busy during ball qames legacy Mini/Neighborhood Park . High wires . Limited parkinq Prairie Farm Neighborhood Preserve . community garden is inconsistent with Neighborhood Neighborhood Preserve classification Preserve . High wires . Street parkina Four Seasons Mini/Neighborhood Park . requires removal of ball field . small parking lot - 12 stalls (but street parking on north side of Gervais) Vista Hills Mini/Neighborhood Park . Reported heavy use of open area by residents 2 . Over population of deer, would require fencing whole garden . Small parkinq lot - 20 stalls Western Hills Mini/Neighborhood Park . Requires removal of playing field . Small parking lot . Lonq distance from parkin!'J to !'Jarden area Table 3. Sites with Best Potential for Community Garden in 2010 (See Attachments 1, 2, 3,4 for map of site) Site Pros Cons Edgerton . Youth Athletic . May be better used for school nature . Room for over 50 plots area or school gardens . Large city-owned parking . Might anticipate lots of visitation of lot garden by non-gardeners at this site . Rental apartments in neighborhood so may be serving people without yards . Minimal impact on park and on neighborhood since lots of traffic already as a vouth athletic park Goodrich . Classified as community . No parking lot on city land, would use athletic street parking and ask for permission to . adequate room for garden use church parking lot as well as play and picnic areas . Minimal impact on park and on neighborhood since lots of traffic already as a community athletic park Robinhood . There is enough flat, sunny . Mini/Neighborhood Park classification area for xx plots . Takes away lawn play area . Street parking only . Is very close to playground and close to Gateway Trail . Would anticipate lots of visitation of garden by non-gardeners at this site . Park may feel crowded since garden would wrap around playground Sherwood . If remove fields, lots for . Mini/Neighborhood Park classification room for garden . Requires removing soccer field used for . Parking lot with about 30 pick-up games stall . If soccer fields removed, would leave very large open space that may have other potential use . Is tucked into residential neighborhood . Garden would back on residential homes . Garden would be over 200' from parking lot 3 RECOMMENDATION Staff requests that Park Commissioners discuss the potential sites and recommend a preferred site and a backup site to use for community gardens in 2010. Attachments: 1. Edgerton Park 2. Goodrich Park 3. Roblnhood Park 4, Sherwood Park 4 Edgerton Park, 2001 Bradley St 18.25 Acres Apr 11, 2008 GOODRICH PARK PROPOSED COMMUNITY GARDEN Robinhood Park 2039 Manton St 4.13 Acres Apr 11, 2008 Sherwood Park 2237 Kennard St 17.94 Acres Apr 11, 2008 Agenda Item _ MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE: Parks and Recreation Commission Steve Kummer, Staff Engineer Holloway Avenue and Stanich Highlands Area Improvements, City Project 09-13 July 8, 2009 INTRODUCTION On June 22, 2009, the Maplewood City Council received a preliminary report and called a public hearing for the Holloway Avenue and Stanich Highlands Area Improvements, City of Maplewood Project 09-13 and North St. Paul SAD. 09-07. The project includes the reconstruction of Holloway Avenue from North St. Paul Road to McKnight Road and the reconstruction of Ripley Avenue, Kingston Avenue, Price Avenue, Hazel Street, Stanich Place, and Ruth Street in the Stanich Highlands area. The proposed improvements on Holloway Avenue are being initiated in cooperation with North St. Paul. The project includes the following: . Full reconstruction of the following streets: Price Avenue, Kingston Avenue, Stanich Place, Hazel Street (Price Avenue to Kingston Avenue), Ruth Street (Larpenteur Avenue to Kingston Avenue), and Holloway Avenue (Furness Street to McKnight Road). · Partial reconstruction of the following streets: Ripley Avenue, Hazel Street (Kingston Avenue to Ripley Avenue), Ruth Street (Kingston Avenue to Ripley Avenue), and Holloway Avenue (North St. Paul Road to Furness Street). . Sidewalk construction along the north side of Holloway Avenue. · Storm sewer and other storm water best management practices (BMPs) for runoff quantity and quality control. Storm sewer improvements are proposed to include catch basins and storm sewer pipe as needed in addition to existing storm sewer facilities. The construction of rainwater gardens and other storm water BMPs will be necessary to meet watershed volume control requirements. . Sanitary sewer repairs as identified through televising reports and manhole condition assessments. . Water main replacement in the Stanich Highlands area and on the east end of Holloway Avenue. The project is required to meet the Ramsey Washington Metro Watershed District requirements for storm water volume reduction based on the impervious area disturbed by construction. On past street reconstruction projects, staff has encouraged property owners to participate in the City's Rain Garden program to help meet this requirement. Through the Rain Garden program, individual property owners adjacent to a reconstructed street can opt to have a standard rain garden installed on their property. However, typically additional BMPs are required to successfully meet the watershed's volume reduction requirement. City staff has sent out a resident survey to all property owners within the project limits to identify property owners who may be interested in participating in the City's Rain Garden program. Staff is also exploring opportunities for additional BMPs throughout the project to achieve additional storm water volume reduction. Staff has identified an area along the north side of Ripley Avenue within Goodrich Park as a suitable location for a series of larger rain gardens to collect runoff from Ripley Avenue. These rain gardens would be designed to treat and infiltrate the "first flush" of storm water during a moderate rain event. During larger rain events, the additional storm water would bypass the rain gardens and enter the storm sewer system. These rain gardens would be designed to draw down any ponded storm water within 48 hours of the rain event. The attached Exhibit 1 shows the approximate proposed locations for these rain gardens within Goodrich Park. RECOMMENDATION Park and Recreation Commission members should review the proposed plan for the construction of rain gardens along the north side of Ripley Avenue within Goodrich Park and provide a recommendation to City staff. Attachments: L Exhibit 1 ",\T", Ch WI \'.'AP"W00D\C"niY' 'l STA"""WlSLC."W"""'AC"\I'!A1E",,'ED p[Wm\(PO,,~_-".'''"n "l'iGO'd'. ;,1 0'. '000 ",'Oom ~: :1 ' ;))' '" X-Xc ~~~:.?__~:~~~~"'_O~~O!~:':~~~"--~-~- 1------- , .' ! /;~------------------------\ f ! I,) ~ ' ! :,:Iil : : ~ 0 l(loLJ , , , " 0 ' 01 I [] i , , , , , , [] , I:) : ~ 0 : , , '! 0 I:.' 1 ;:.) 1: r,. Gl- 00 I:) v, L:1 (', , , 1\"ll~ ''''w ("!zsL m . I~ D D IzI" D -----:;:. 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')<' zi! a ~ cl' g )>'0 -G'):l> g~ ~3 I " "- e:;o ~:c-< [1 ",~ ~e )JS;:~ ~z a ij ~ ~'~~ m )>m ~zm o~ i ~r ~ <II X '0 mOZ r *:S I '"-< "we: I;o , 0; 00 m)>m '00 -g 'P'P z;o)> )>m " o~ (jj~5 ;oz ~ -iW "00 2009 Park Commission Goals Brainstorming List This list was compiled by park commissioners at the January 7, 2009 meeting. There will be an opportunity at a future meeting to review and revise these. CIP Projects staff and commissioners have already committed to: . Joy Park Phase I Implementation . Lion's Park Plan . Gladstone Savanna Plan . Legacy tot lot plan . Beaver Creek Trail . Lake Links Trail Plans (2 sections) Top goals after each member voted for three goals: . Community gardens (3 votes) . Work with other commissions (3 votes) . Receive more feedback from staff and other groups (Open Space Panel, Friends of Maplewood Nature, MAA, NISA) (3 votes) . Long-term funding and grants (3 votes) . MCC (3 votes) . Dog Park (2 votes) Other projects and topics: . Encourage involvement by diverse groups . Turf policy . Trail policy . Tree policy . Trail signage . Park signage . Programming (beyond youth sports) . Fitness (health and well-being) programs . Review budget information . Park hours . Park survey . Bulletin boards and other forms of communications . Prioritizing long and short-term goals (and following up on them) . Park security and public safety . Basketball hoops . Green corridors . Water in parks (buffers, water quality, aquatic invasives) . Sustainability of athletic fields . Sherwood Park · Hillside neighborhood (is light on active parks) . School sites (are we using them well?) . Volunteers Park and Recreation Commission Goals for 2009 From 2008 Parks and Recreation Commission Annual Report 1. Provide recommendations on development of park assets in the Gladstone redevelopment area. 2. Continue the park redevelopment process at Lions Park 3, To review the relationship and involvement between the Parks Commission and the Maplewood Community Center. 4. To work with other groups and commission on the Sustainable Maplewood report, 5, To finalize routes on the two last segments of the Lakes Links Trail. 6, Continue the park planning and naming process for the tot lot park in Legacy Village, 7, Continue work on the need for a dog park in Maplewood. 8, Finalize the recommendation on the purchase of land for a Gethsemane Park and pass it forward to the City Council. 9, Involvement with the development of community gardens, 10. Review long term park funding for redevelopment and restoration of Parks, Trails and Open Spaces. 11. Receive more feedback from staff and other partner groups (Open Space Task Force, Friends of Maplewood Nature, MM, etc.) 12. Review of Greenways for possible opportunities for parks and opens spaces, i.e, Fish Creek, Beaver lake, etc, AGENDA REPORT TO: FROM: SUBJECT: DATE: Parks and Recreation Commission Doug Taubman, Parks Manager Lions Park Redevelopment Open House July 10, 2009 The Lion's Park Neighborhood open house meeting was held at the Maplewood Nature Center on June 30, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. The two proposed concepts were presented by our consultant SEH to approximately 22 residents. The residents were given the opportunity to view and discuss the concepts. The consensus was in favor of Concept B primarily because ofthe management of storm water with rainwater gardens. Your packet includes the four items, the two concepts, a redevelopment schedule and the resident survey summary. All four of these items were available at the open house for public viewing. Staff will be meeting with our consultants within the next week of two to refine the preferred concept. 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"t1 '" ~ '" "T1 '" '" .... c: ~ '" '" ~~ ,,0 ~~ 0 6::> ~O iJ~ (0 ~~; -+ g~g OJ COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT DATE: James Antonen, City Manager DuWayne Konewko - Community Development and Parks Director Doug Taubman - Parks Manager Wakefield Lake Fishing Pier - Consider Authorization to Enter Into an Agreement With the Minnesota DNR for the Installation of a Fishing Pier on Wakefield Lake June 12, 2009 TO: FROM: SUBJECT: INTRODUCTION The community development and parks staff have been in discussion with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for the installation of a fishing pier site on Wakefield Lake. An agreement between the State of Minnesota, acting by and through the Department of Natural Resources, and the City of Maplewood has been drawn and considered by staff. The installation of the proposed 84 foot fishing pier site is on the east side of the lake and would certainly provide enhanced fishing opportunities, particularly for youth, at Wakefield Lake. Staff is supportive of this project. BACKGROUND As part of the DNR's Fishing in the Neighborhood (FiN) program, the DNR has been stocking Wakefield Lake with a variety of fish including bluegill, northern pike, yellow perch and black crappie. According to available DNR records, fish were stocked six of the past seven years. Currently there are a number of places to fish from shore on the east and north sides of the lake, including two formal shore fishing structures. Shallow water and an abundance of aquatic plants make fishing from shore difficult, particularly during mid-summer. The addition of a fishing pier would greatly improve opportunities for anglers. DISCUSSION The project plan is to install an 84' fishing pier on Wakefield Lake through the DNR Fishing Pier Grant Program. The installation of the pier will be a cooperative venture between the DNR and the City. The City will be responsible for providing an accessible pathway from an accessible parking area to the pier. The accessible parking and pathway, with the exception of approximately 50' of pathway, are in place. The City will also be responsible for all necessary routine maintenance and minor repairs including, but not limited to, repair. or replacement of decking and railings. The State will assist the City with major structural repairs subject to the availability of funding. FUNDING The cost of the fishing pier structure shall be borne as follows: $10,000 from the MN Darkhouse and Angling Association and Young Fishers, $6,000 from the City of Maplewood and the remainder will be provided by the State. PAC funds are available for this project. RECOMMENDATION a) It is recommended the City Council authorize entering into the agreement with the DNR for the installation of a fishing pier on Wakefield Lake. Attachments: 1. Resolution 2. Fishing Pier Agreement 3. Location Map 1a ~ ~ 't:l - ~ = 1a ~ ~ g. ;;s ,:; o '.0 '" o o H H '" p:: ~ :E en ~ "Cl '" en o P- O ~ " . .6 ~ " . 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