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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-05-20 Parks Minutes CITY OF MAPLEWOOD PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING Wednesday, May 20, 2009 700 p.m. COUNCIL CHAMBERS - MAPLEWOOD CITY HALL 1830 COUNTY ROAD BEAST 1. CALL TO ORDER Commissioner Roman indicated seven out of nine commissioners were present, so there was quorum. 2. ROLL CALL Commissioners Commissioner Craig Brannon Commissioner Don Christianson Chair Peter Fischer, absent Commissioner Dan Maas, absent Commissioner Mary Mackay Commissioner Carolyn Peterson Commissioner Bruce Roman Commissioner Therese Sonnek Commissioner Kim Schmidt Staff Doug Taubman, Parks Manager 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Roman requested additions or corrections to be made to the agenda. Commissioner Peterson asked to add that she would like to present a brief subcommittee report under item 8. Commissioner Roman asked for a motion to approve the agenda. Commissioner Christianson made a motion to approve the agenda as amended, seconded by Commissioner Schmidt. The motion carried by a unanimous vote. . 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. March 18, 2009 Commissioner Roman stated he had a change to make to the minutes of March 18, 2009. He said Commissioner Schmidt was not listed as one of the attendees, either present or absent, and she was not present at the meeting. Commissioner Roman said the minutes stated he voted for the Lydia Avenue Route for the Lake Links Trail; however he had stated preference for the County Road D route. There was a sentence on page four that stated Commissioner Schmidt was speaking, however it was Commissioner Sonnek who was speaking. Another change was to reflect Commissioner Maas speaking in one portion of the minutes, not Commissioner Mackey, as stated. Under item 10, Commissioner Roman spoke about the dog park subcommittee, not Commissioner Brannon. The minutes should also be changed to reflect that Steve Love, a city engineer, was present as a staff member at the meeting. Commissioner Brannon moved to approve the minutes; vvth corrections; and Commissioner Sonnek seconded the motion. The motion carried by a vote of 6 to 0, vvth Commissioner Schmidt abstaining. 1 b. April 15, 2009 Commissioner Roman had one correction; Commissioner Schmidt was not listed on the minutes as absent or present in the minutes, and she was present at the April 15, 2009 meeting. Commissioner Brannon made a motion to approve the minutes as amended, seconded by Commissioner Schmidt. The motion carried by unanimous vote. 5. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS c. Recreation Division Update (Pauline Staples, Audra Robbins and Jim Taylor) Pauline Staples, Audra Robbins, and Jim Taylor were introduced as members of the Recreation division. Audra Robbins is the Recreation Program Supervisor and has been with the city for ten years. She works with programming for seniors, preschool, school age, special events, sports, arts and crafts, and music classes. Jim Taylor has been with the city for two and a half years and works with adult and youth sports He manages field permits for soccer, baseball, and softball, and works with park maintenance to ensure all fields are maintained. Pauline is the Recreation Program Manager and works vvth community gyms at Carver and Edgerton. The Fourth of July event format vvll be changed this year, making the event more family friendly, featuring an All American Lumberjack Show Audra spoke about summer day camp at the Maplewood Community Center and Wakefield Park, and field trips to Valley Fair and Cascade Bay. She said there were two special events in April, 2009 a daddy-daughter dance and a kid's stuff sale. The daddy-daughter dance was the second annual, and it was a dress-up event. The kid's stuff sale featured a large garage sale atmosphere and was held on May 1, 2009. The Taste of Maplewood vvll be held August 1, 2009 at the Maplewood Community Center, and Bella Diva and Lamont Cranston will be performing. There were questions from the commissioners about revenue, reaching out to minority youth, and decreases/increases in enrollments of sports activities. There was discussion about minorities and how they organize their own sporting events and leagues. Ginny Yingling, Environmental and Natural Resources commissioner, was present to speak about Fish Creek and opportunities that have been presented to the city from funding sources. The city submitted a proposal to the LCCMR (Legislative and Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources), and an Expression of Interest Form was submitted, with a proposal likely to be submitted, to the Department of Natural Resources Metro Greenways Grant Program. She said they were encouraged to apply for $200,000 for land acquisition in the Fish Creek area; however the city would have to match (50-50) funds. Staff is determining where the funds will originate from, and vvll ask the Park and Recreation commission about funds they have authority over. Commissioner Yingling said there are three options that the city is pursuing Legacy funding, which may be a viable option for next year; the LCCMR proposal, in which the city submitted a request for 1.5 million dollars; and the Metro Greenways program requiring a 50-50 match, which cannot be matched with money received from the state. Natural Resources Coordinator Ginny Gaynor or/or Environmental Planner Shann Finwall will attend the next Park and Recreation Commission meeting and address the issue again. 8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Lions Park Neighborhood Meeting Parks Manager Taubman said they are planning to have a neighborhood meeting on June 29 or June 30, 2009 on this issue at the Maplewood Nature Center. The commission discussed and decided on Monday, June 29, 2009 at 700 p.m. for this meeting to take place. b. Park and Recreation Commission Annual Report This item was on the agenda as an informational item. On April 27, 2009 the commission approved the report and it was sent to the City Council. Parks and Recreation Manager Taubman stated the copy they have received is the official document. c. Lake Links Trail- McKnight Road to Bellaire Avenue 2 Parks Manager Taubman stated questions have been asked regarding constructing this trail as on-road. The City Council questioned how much the commission had addressed the on-road option, and decided it should have been discussed further. The three options to be submitted to the Engineering Department to consider are 1. the option the Commission had recommended, along McKnight Road and Lydia Avenue connecting to the existing trail at Joy Park; 2. an all on-road trail; and 3. an off-road trail on McKnight Road and on-road on Lydia Avenue. The Engineering Department will submit their report on May 28,2009 to the Council. The Park and Recreation Commission has strongly recommended against an on-road trail for safety reasons. One of the commissioners said that when they were presented with this issue, they understood it was to be constructed as an off-road trail. Much discussion followed regarding pros and cons of the three options. The commission felt very strongly in favor of off-road bike trails, especially in busy traffic areas. One of the commissioners asked if they could make a motion that they are opposed to an on- road bike trail. They concurred that a Park and Recreation commissioner should attend the next Council meeting. City Council member Will Rossbach joined the meeting and stated he wanted the Commission to understand how the Council felt about this issue. There had been residents present at the last Council meeting and there were concerns similar to the Park and Recreation Commission's concerns. He said the Council received minutes of all the Park and Recreation meetings and they believed the Commission did discuss on-road options and had ruled them out because of safety reasons. He stated the Council was well aware that few residents want a trail on or near their properties, and whenever a city attempts to construct a trail in an existing residential neighborhood, neighbors are unhappy. He suggested making McKnight Road a two lane road, with extra room for a trail and parking on the side of the road opposite the trail. Along Lydia Avenue, the trail would be off-road on the south side of the road. Eighteen parking spots could be added into the existing lot at Playcrest Park. 7 NEW BUSINESS a. Fish Creek Natural Area Greenway Commission (ad hoc committee) Parks Manager Taubman stated that on May 11,2009 the City Council explored options for Fish Creek Natural Area, to protect these natural lands and greenways including acquisition of private land, conservation easements, and design and funding options, and authorized the formation of an ad hoc committee to research this process. The Council identified issues for passive recreation on the greenways that would not degrade natural resources. There was discussion at the Council meeting as to the makeup of this commission, and they have asked that the Park and Recreation Commission appoint one commissioner to serve. The committee vvll meet one to two times per month; beginning in June, 2009, and will be open to the public. The time frame recommendation is to meet through December 30, 2009. The commission vvll include outside agencies; consequently the person appointed should have availability for daytime meetings. Commissioner Peterson stated she would be willing to serve. A motion was made by Commissioner Roman to nominate Commissioner Peterson to serve on the Fish Creek Natural Area Greenway ad hoc committee. Commissioner Schmidt seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously. 8. COMMISSIONER PRESENTATIONS a. Subcommittee Reports 1. Dog Park Commissioner Roman stated the dog park subcommittee members met on May 6, 2009, and toured parks/sites under consideration which were Shervvood, Gloster, Flicek, Western Hills, Kohlman, Harvest North and South, Four Seasons, and Hillside parks. After touring the parks, they ruled out Harvest North and Hillside. Commissioner Sonnek had created an information checklist for the members to assess features as they toured each park. They assessed what areas of the parks would be best for dogs. There were two neighborhoods that were strongly in favor of dog parks, and consequently they are considering these locations. Commissioner Roman said they may create a survey to distribute to the neighbors to assess how residents feel about dog parks in their area. Their next meeting will be June 3, 2009 in the 3 Maplewood Room at City Hall. Commissioner Sonnek stated as they looked at the parks, they discussed fencing and natural barriers, and proximity to streets. Commissioner Brannon stated there is a possibility of hockey rinks being used as "mini" or seasonal dog parks. Four Seasons, Wakefield, Gethsemane, and Afton have hockey rinks. 2. Natural Resources Subcommittee Commissioner Peterson is working vvth the Natural Resources Subcommittee. She stated there are two members from the Environmental and Natural Resources commission on this subcommittee, and she has joined them from the Park Commission. They have had two meetings with Natural Resources Coordinator Gaynor, and are setting goals and objectives for the greenway corridors. She said this is a work in progress, and will bring a report to the commission at a later date. 9. STAFF PRESENTATIONS a. Community Gardens Parks Manager Taubman stated Natural Resources Coordinator Gaynor is the liaison with the garden groups. He said citizen volunteers are currently working at demonstration (demo) gardens at the Ramsey County Extension Service vvth Master Gardeners and the University of Minnesota. Staff is bringing forth potential sites for commission members to consider at the June, 2009 Park and Recreation meeting. They will ask the commission to recommend a site for 2010 The citizen volunteers will attend the June Park and Recreation meeting and update the commission on the sites. The Park and Recreation Commission is to recommend one garden site for 2010 In September, 2009, preparation of the site will take place, and in winter 2009-2010 rules and regulations will be finalized to obtain one of the gardens, and in mid-April, 2010, the garden will open. There is a potential that the city may partner with the plots of land owned by First Free Evangelical Church on Hazelwood Avenue in the future. Currently, the city has involvement with gardens only at the Extension Service. Natural Resources Coordinator Gaynor will be at the next Park and Recreation meeting to answer any further questions. b. Legacy Tot Lot Parks Manager Taubman stated Community Development and Parks Director DuWayne Konewko is requesting approval for spending for this project; and will bring bids to the commission in the near future. 10 COMMISSIONER COMMENTS Commissioner Sonnek chose Legacy Park for the Earth Day/Maplewood Cleanup Day. She said she returned the next day to finish and it was already cleaned up. She reminded everyone to dispose of their cigarette butts properly. They discussed the possibility of receptacles or signage regarding smoking. She is teaching a Geo Caching class at the Maplewood Nature Center on June 6, 2009. Anyone age 10 and over may attend the class. Commissioner Peterson said there will be an ice cream social at the Bruentripp farm property Betty McCollum, Chuck Wiger and Nora Slavvk will be present to celebrate ten years of "saving the farm". The date for this event is June 11, 2009 from 600 to 800 p.m. with entertainment, ice cream, and root beer floats. People may bring non-perishable food items for the food shelf Commissioner Mackey stated there was a grand opening of the new grounds at the Maplewood Nature Center. She said the grounds are beautiful and she recommended people to come and see them. Commissioner Schmidt addressed safety problems at Lake Phalen. She requested this as a future agenda item for discussing lighting and other safety issues. Parks and Recreation Manager Taubman stated there patrolling has increased in the area, and he thought cameras would be a good addition to the lake area. He said the situation is currently under control; however he vvll inquire about lighting on the Maplewood side. Commissioner Brannon stated he had mixed feelings about greenway funding. He questioned how much money the Park and Recreation Commission had available, and the possibility of state funding. He said it is 4 a difficult decision because they do not know how much funding they could receive. He said if they have to make a decision in the next month or so, the commission should seriously think about this issue. Commissioner Roman stated that in Legacy Village the pond is dry due to the drought. He said it is a holding pond, and so if the weather is dry, the pond tends to dry up quickly. 11. ADJOURN - NEXT MEETING JUNE 17, 2009 The meeting was adjourned at 917 p.rn 5