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Home My WebLink About2003 Farmington Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes from the Regular Meeting on February 26, 2003 Members Present: Randy Oswald, Paula Higgins, Dawn Johnson and Mike Beringa Members Absent: Debbie Ruth Other's Present: Parks and Recreation Director, Randy Distad 1. Call to Order. The Park and Recreation Advisory Commission (Commission) February 26, 2003 meeting was called to order by current Chair Johnson at 7:35 p.m. Quorum present. 2. Election of Officers. Johnson nominated Oswald for 2003 Chair and seconded by Beringa. Johnson, Beringa and Higgins in favor, Oswald abstained from voting. Motion passed. Beringa nominated Higgins for 2003 Vice-Chair position and seconded by Chair Oswald. Oswald, Beringa and Johnson in favor, Higgins abstained from voting. Motion passed. . 3. Approval of Agenda. Beringa moved to approve the agenda and seconded by Higgins. All members voted in favor. 4. Approval of Minutes. Motion made by Chair Oswald and seconded by Johnson to approve the November 20, 2002 meeting minutes. Johnson and Oswald voted in favor, Higgins and Beringa abstained from voting. Motion passed. 5. IJ!t,-oductions. Chair Oswald noted that introductions had been missed and asked that Commission members and staff introduce themselves. 6. New Business. A. Development of Park in the Charleswood Development. Director Distad showed a plat of the development that identified park development items of playground equipment, trails, ballfield and a basketball court. The trail leading to the park has been constructed. Director Distad identified that there may be some issues with getting construction equipment down into the park to construct the improvements because there was no street frontage to the park. This will mean that the construction equipment will need to be brought down into the park via the trail. Members Johnson and Oswald stated that past practice of purchasing playground equipment was done through looking through catalogs. Director Distad suggested going through a Request for Proposal process that would require two or three playground manufacturers to submit playground plans to the Commission. The Commission would then review and select one playground plan for the park. By consensus commission members approved of this process. Director Distad will submit a request for proposals to two or three playground manufacturers and will bring back the plans at either the March or April meeting for review by the Commission. B. Hours for Community Parks and Neighborhood Parks. After a general discussion about park hours, Commission members by consensus agreed that the park hours should remain the same as what are currently stated in City Ordinance. C. Outdoor Rink Opening and Closing Dates. Director Distad stated that staff would like some direction on when the opening and closing dates of the outdoor rinks should be. After some discussion, motion made by Higgins that the target date for having the outdoor rinks flooded for use would be December 1 st of each year, weather permitting and that the last day of outdoor ice would be no later than February 15th weather permitting and seconded by Beringa. All members in favor, motion passed. 1 D. Skate Park Opening and Closing Dates. Director Distad stated that staff would like to have some direction on when the skate park should open and close for the season. After some discussion, members reached a consensus that the skate park should open for the season on May 15t and close for the season on October 1 st. E. Park Dedication Ordinance Discussion. Director Distad reviewed the current Northfield Park Dedication Ordinance to see if Commission members were interested in either amending or writing a new ordinance. Member Beringa thought that the Commission ought to have more time to review the Northfield ordinance and then give feedback to Director Distad on what members thought ought to be incorporated into a new ordinance for the City of Farmington. Director Distad stated that the process of changing the ordinance would take some time due to it being a Subdivision Ordinance and that it would need to be taken to the Planning Commission for a public hearing and then it would need to go to the City Council- for its review and approval. It would then need to be published before it would become effective. Members were in consensus that they would like to rewrite the ordinance. It was suggested by Chair Oswald that members get their comments on a new park dedication ordinance to Director Distad in time for the March meeting. F. Meeting Date and Time. Director Distad stated that since there were several new members on the Commission that it might bea good time to discuss the meeting date and time to see if it still was ideal for everyone. Director Distad stated that member Ruth had called and stated that she could meet earlier than 7:30 p.m. and was in favor of moving the meeting to an earlier time. After some discussion a motion was made by Chair Oswald to move the meeting to the second Wednesday of each month and the meeting starting at 6:00 p.m. and seconded by member Beringa. All members were in favor, motion passed. 7. Staff Report. Director Distad stated that he would like to have other Department staff come on a seasonal basis to report on the activities that they do on a seasonal basis. Members were okay with doing this. Director Distad announced that the Senior Center was changed to the Rambling River Center because it was a facility that was used by more than just senior citizens and that there is trend a foot to not label facilities or programs as only for senior citizens. 8. Agenda Items for the March 12th meeting. Director Distad identified several items for the March meeting including: . discussion on an exclusive soft drink vending contract in facilities and parks . review and discuss fees and charges for the Parks and Recreation Department . review a proposed Youth Scholarship Program for economically disadvantaged youth in the community . review proposed new park dedication ordinance Chair Oswald and member Beringa would like to see a discussion start on outdoor athletic facilities and how a task force might be assembled to begin looking at the City's deficiencies with outdoor athletic facilities, which mayor may not lead to a referendum. It was agreed upon by members that Director Distad should give areport on the City Council and City staff April 5th Work Retreat at the Commission's April meeting. 9. Adjournment. Member Beringa moved and member Higgins seconded to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 p.m. All members in favor, motion passed. ~_. es _ectfu1ly SU~-li~~_ 17 Ko_il_,tJ~ Ran~d,CPRP Parks and Recreation Director 2 Farmington Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes from the Regular Meeting on March 12, 2003 Members Present: Randy Oswald, Paula Higgins, Dawn Johnson, Mike Buringa and Debby Ruth : Members Absent: None Other's Present: Parks and Recreation Director, Randy Distad; Robin Hanson, President of Farmington Youth Athletic Association and board member of the Farmington Youth Baseball In-House Program; Jon Rowan, i board member of the Farmington Youth Baseball Traveling Program and Scott Retterath, board member of the Farmington Youth Baseball In-House Program I. Call To Order ! Chair Oswald called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Quorum was present. I I II. Approval of Agenda. I Motion of Johnson and seconded- by Higgins to approve the meeting agenda. Higgins, Oswald and Johnson . voted in favor. Ruth abstained from voting. Buringa was absent during the vote. : Motion carried. III. Approval of Minutes. , Motion by Johnson and seconded by Higgins to approve the minutes from the February 26, 2003 meeting. . Voting in favor were Higgins, Oswald and Johnson. Ruth abstained from voting. Buringa was absent during the vote. Motion carried. I IV. Presentations A. Farmington Youth Athletic Association (FY AA) and the Farmington Youth Baseball Program Robin Hanson, President of the FY AA provided a hand-out to PRAC members that gave an overview of the history ofFY AA and what its mission is in the community. Commission member Buringa entered the meeting at 6:05 p.m. Paperwork has been filed with the State of Minnesota to incorporate FY AA as a 501 (c) 3 organization. This will take several weeks to occur. Hanson also provided a handout on the in-house baseball program. There are just under 550 youth participating in the in-house baseball program. Jon Rowan from the Farmington Youth Baseball Traveling Program introduced himself and gave a quick review of who participates in the traveling baseball program informing PRAC members that there are just under 100 youth that participate in the traveling baseball program. Scott Retterath, representative from the in-house baseball program, explained that both programs, while having some of the same needs, also have different needs such as the length of bases. Hanson informed PRAC members that there is a shortage in youth baseball facilities in Farmington. They are interested in having the ballfield at Meadowview Elementary and at Prairie View Park upgraded to allow these fields to be used for older youths since this is where the need for baseball facilities is most critical. Hanson stated that youth baseball is interested in applying for a Minnesota Twins grant that is available to communities to access that can be spent on improving baseball fields. This grant requires matching contributions. After some discussion about how much of the cost should be shared between the City and the baseball programs to improve the ballfield at Prairie View Park, Buringa moved to upgrade the baseball field at Prairie View Park for use by the in-house and traveling baseball programs and that the cost to upgrade the ballfield would be split evenly by the City and the two baseball programs. Seconded by Higgins. Discussion: Johnson thought the split should be one-third by the City and two-thirds by the baseball program. Voting in favor of the motion were Buringa, Higgins, Ruth and Oswald. Voting against the motion was Johnson. Motion carried. Commission member Buringa left the meeting at 6:26 p.m. V. Old Business A. Review and Discuss Park Dedication Ordinance Members asked questions specific to the draft ordinance. Several typing errors were found and corrected. Members were directed to get final comments to Director Distad within the next week so that the final draft ordinance could be sent to the City Attorney for initial review. Once the initial review is done by the City Attorney, Director Distad will bring it back to members for their final comments. VI. New Business A. Soft Drink Vending Contract Director Distad gave an update on his meeting with Coke. Coke was given a list of potential facility sites for its vending machines. Agreements can be anywhere from 3-12 years. The more years and more facilities that Coke can secure the more attractive the compensation package is. Coke will be putting some figures together over the next few weeks and then will be meeting with the City again with a proposal. B. Fees and Charges Several items were discussed by PRAC members. There was some disagreement about whether or not a fee should be charged for the use of picnic shelters. Chair Oswald noted that many communities charge a fee for picnic shelters. Director Distad suggested that it be called a reservation fee rather than a rental fee. , Commission members requested that Director Distad complete a survey of surrounding communities to see what kinds of picnic shelter fees are charged and to bring back the survey at a future meeting. Question was asked by Commission members Ruth and Johnson about what the group rental rates are for the use of the City's outdoor pool, since this was not indicated on the City's fees and charges schedule. Also Johnson asked if people were aware of the W AVER (sp) program that provides funding for kids with disabilities to take private swim lessons. Director Distad stated that he would do some further research about group rental rates at the outdoor pool and bring back this information at the April meeting. C. Preliminary Discussion on Recreational Facilities Task Force PRAC members brainstormed some possible ideas on who might best represent the community if a recreational facilities task force is ever formed. Suggestions included the following: . School district member . YMCA . Downtown Business Owner . North Business Owner . A few at-large members of the community not affiliated with an organization . Farmington Youth Athletic Association . Older Adults in the Community . Teens Some discussion occurred about how this might be initiated. Commission members thought that it might be best to not get to far ahead since the City Hall Task Force recommendation has not yet been debated and a decision made by the City Council on a new city hall. Members agreed that for the task force idea to move forward, it ought to be a grassroots campaign that is initiated by a community petition to the City Council. VIII. Additions to the Agenda Chair Oswald requested that he be allowed to add three items to the agenda. No Commission members opposed the adding of the items. A. Charleswood Development Chair Oswald stated that in looking back at previous meeting minutes, a name for the park in the Charleswood Development was never formally approved and thus the park has still not been named. Commission members by consensus agreed that names for the park should be solicited from the students at Meadowview Elementary School and requested that Director Distad would work with the school to get possible names for the park. B. Middle Creek Development Chair Oswald stated that he would like information on whether or not the park area in the Middle Creek Development has any street frontage along the west border of the park. Director Distad will research this to determine if there is any street frontage. C. Giles Addition Commission members are interested in finding out if the small park area in the Giles Addition is ready to be turned over to the City. Director Distad will research this to see if the park area is ready to be turned over to the City for developing. IX. Staff Report Director Distad reported that a Request for Proposal (RFP) went out to three playground equipment vendors for playground concept plans. The plans will be brought back to the April meeting for Commission members to reVIew. i Director Distad asked Commission members how they felt about designing and putting in new park signs in City parks. Commission members supported this idea and would like to see some possible designs for park signs brought back at a future meeting. !Director Distad informed Commission members that the PRAC's monthly meeting minutes would be included in the City Council packet. He felt that it was a good communication tool for the City Council to see what the PRAC is doing at their meetings. i X. April Meeting Agenda Items There were several items that were identified for the April meeting. . Review playground equipment concept plans for Charleswood Park . Discussion on programs for kids with disabilities . Information to update Commission members on the park areas in the Giles Addition and Middle Creek Development . Park Dedication Ordinance draft review from the City Attorney's office . Update on the Soft Drink Vending Contract XI. Adjournment Moved by Johnson and seconded by Ruth to adjourn the meeting. APIF, motion carried. Meeting was adjourned at 7:46 p.m. }7a:fullY s~ Randy &, CPRP Parks and Recreation Director and Recording Secretary Farmington Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes from the Regular Meeting on April 9, 2003 Members Present: Randy Oswald, Dawn Johnson, Mike Buringa and Debby Ruth Members Absent: Paula Higgins Other's Present: Parks and Recreation Director, Randy Distad; Recreation Supervisor, Patti Norman; Senior Program Coordinator, Missie Kohlbeck; and Recreation Specialist, Kellee Omlid I. Call To Order Chair Oswald called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Quorum was present. II. Approval of Agenda. Motion of Johnson and seconded by Ruth to approve the meeting agenda. APIF III. Approval of Minutes. Motion by Buringa and seconded by Oswald to approve the minutes from the March 12, 2003 meeting. APIF IV. Presentations A. City of Farmington Recreation Program Staff on Winter and Upcoming Spring and Summer Programs Recreation Specialist Omlid distributed and briefed Commission members on this past winter's programs. Omlid also provided a brief description about some new programs that are going to be offered to the community this coming summer. Senior Program Coordinator Kohlbeck distributed and briefed the Commission members on the name change of the Senior Center to the Rambling River Center, which was approved by the City Council. Kohlbeck also provided information on the Volunteer Bucks program whereby any senior citizen that volunteers one hour at the Rambling River Center earns one dollar towards paying for fees associated with senior programs. Kohlbeck made Commission members aware of the Peddler in the Park Program that is coming up in May. Kohlbeck also distributed to the Commission members the Rambling River Newsletter. Kohlbeck explained a Green and Clean Camp that will be done as an intergenerational program. Recreation Supervisor Norman distributed and discussed with Commission members a draft of the summer brochure. She stated that it will be distributed to the community in early May. Norman introduced to the Commission members that a swim bus will be provided to the community that will stop at parks to pick up youth and bring them to the pool. Some of this cost will be underwritten by a couple of community organizations that were approached for funding assistance. Commission members would like a report brought back at the end of the pool season to see how successful the swim bus was. Oswald suggested that the City look into purchasing and owning a bus so that it had its own bus for field trips. V. Old Business A. Playground Plans for Park in Charleswood Development Proposals for playground equipment were received from MinnesotalWisconsin Playground, Earl F. Anderson and Webber Recreational Design, Inc. After some discussion, Ruth moved and Johnson seconded to recommend to the City Council to purchase the playground equipment from MinnesotalWisconsin Playground. APIF. Commission members would like Director Distad to research whether or not the roof style could be changed on the playground. B. Draft Park Dedication Ordinance Director Distad gave a brief summary to Commission members about the draft Park Dedication Ordinance. He stated that the City Attorney had reviewed the draft Ordinance and had made some revisions to it. Buringa moved and Johnson seconded to forward the draft Ordinance to the Planning Commission for a public hearing. APIF. C. Review Picnic Reservation Fees Director Distad reviewed picnic shelter fees for other communities. Director Distad recommended that the Commission consider the fee of $20.00 for a half day reservation or a $35.00 fee for a full day reservation, which came from Parks and Recreation Department staff members. He also suggested that this fee not be considered until 2004 due to the City already taking reservations for picnic shelters. Oswald moved and Johnson seconded that a recommendation be forwarded to the City Council for its consideration of approving picnic shelter reservation fees of $20.00 for a half day reservation or $35.00 for a full day reservation during the adoption offees for 2004. APIF. D. Name for Park in Charleswood Development Director Distad briefed the Commission members on the park naming contest that was initiated with Meadowview Elementary School students. There were over 20 different names submitted. After some discussion, Ruth moved and Johnson seconded to recommend to the City Council that it approve the name Meadowview Park for the park in the Charleswood Development. APIF. E. Group Rental Rates for Outdoor Pool Recreation Supervisor Norman provided a brochure to the Commission members that explained group rental rates for the outdoor pool. Buringa moved and Oswald seconded to approve the brochure that explained the pool rental rates for groups. APIF VI. New Business A. Youth Scholarship Program Recreation Supervisor and Director Distad explained the Youth Scholarship Program. Of primary concern by staff is how to fund the scholarship program. An idea was presented that would result in a 3% fee taken off of each registration fee that would go into a fund that would be dedicated for the Youth Scholarship Program. Ruth moved and Oswald seconded to forward a recommendation to the City Council that it approve the Youth Scholarship Program. APIF B. Youth with Disabilities Recreation Supervisor Norman provided information about training that she is going to be providing to staff through a Therapeutic Recreation professional on working with youth with disabilities. She will be working with Carla Kress who works for the City of Eden Prairie in this capacity, to provide inclusion training to summer seasonal staff. C. Street Frontage for Park Area in Middle Creek Estates Director Distad updated Commission members on the street frontage for a future park in the Middle Creek Development. Distad stated that currently there is street frontage only through a trail that leads from the park to the street but that there may be an opportunity at a future time to acquire street frontage during a future development to the west of the park. D. City Council and Staff Retreat Director Distad updated Commission members on the retreat that occurred between staff and City Council members on Saturday, AprilSlh. Distad stated that one of the goals identified was for the City to expand its recreational opportunities and facilities. Discussion ensued about the Commission's feelings about approaching the City Council with a request to assemble a Recreational Facility Task Force in order to begin working on the identified goal. Buringa moved and Oswald seconded that a request be made to the City Council that the 'Commission be allowed to assemble a recreational facility task force. APIF E. Updates on Riverbend Development, Giles Addition and Spruce Street Corridor Director Distad reviewed with Commission members the Riverbend Development concept plan to see if there were any issues with it. No issues were expressed. Director Distad informed Commission members that the Giles Addition is a small piece of park property that currently is not ready for development due to construction on the homes adjacent to the small park area not completed yet. Director Distad updated Commission members on the Spruce Street Corridor Master Plan and stated that he would bring back information to the Commission as it becomes available. VII. Additions to the Agenda There were no additions to the agenda. VIII. Staff Report There was no staff report given. IX. May Agenda Items Commission member Buringa would like to place on the May agenda that a citizen wishes to speak about the bike moguls in Prairieview Park. I X. Adjournment Ruth moved and Oswald seconded to adjourn the meeting. APlF. Meeting was adjourned at 8:19 p.m. :3{;lfullY SlaV Ran~ CPRP I : Parks and Recreation Director and Recording Secretary i Farmington Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes from the Regular Meeting on May 14, 2003 Members Present: Randy Oswald, Dawn Johnson, Mike Buringa and Debby Ruth Members Absent: Paula Higgins Other's Present: Parks and Recreation Director, Randy Distad I. Call To Order Chair Oswald called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. Quorum was present. II. Approval of Agenda. Motion of Oswald and seconded by Ruth to approve the meeting agenda. APIF III. Approval of Minutes. Motion by Ruth and seconded by Johnson to approve the minutes from the April 9, 2003 meeting as amended to show that Commission member Higgins was absent and to add a sentence about the discussion on the City purchasing a school bus for the Parks and Recreation Department. APIF i Buringa entered the meeting at 6:08 p.m. IV. Presentations A. Moguls in Prairieview Park Citizen was not in attendance to make a presentation to the Commission. V. Old Business A. Vending Proposal Exclusive soft drink vending proposals from Pepsi and Coke were reviewed. Appeared to be some disappointment that the proposal from Pepsi didn't contain more up front money. Commission members directed Parks and Recreation Director Distad to try and get more product value per year from Coke. Motion by Oswald and seconded by Johnson to approve recommending to the City Council that the proposal from Coke be approved. APIF VI. New Business A. Recreational Facility Task Force Discussion Discussion occurred about which two Commission members should be on the task force. Motion by Buringa and seconded by Ruth to appoint Chair Oswald and Higgins to the task force. Voting in favor were Commission members Buringa, Johnson and Ruth. Abstaining was Oswald. Commission members suggested some ideas on providing some direction to the task force. The following direction will be carried to the first task force meeting for review by task force members: . The task force should look at needs of entire group. . Whenever possible, the task force should try to focus on the City and school district working cooperatively together on facilities so that there is not overlap in facilities or so that facilities may be shared. . The task force should focus its attention on where the City currently falls short or is deficient in facilities. . There should be a short-term vision (2-3 years) and a long-term vision (5-10 years) created by the task force when looking at future recreational facilities. . Whenever possible, public/private partnerships should be considered by the task force. . The information that is gathered and presented by the task force should be factual and not skewed or biased. . If possible different finance methods should be examined. . By the end of 2003 a final report should be presented to both the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission and City Council for adoption. . Recreational facility needs should be prioritized in some manner by the task force. B. Update on Spruce Street Corridor Task Force Parks and Recreation Director Distad updated Commission members on the status of the master plan for the Spruce Street Corridor. Of importance to the Commission was the park and open space plan component of the master plan. Commission members seemed to like the parkway concept. Chair Oswald would like to have the suggestion brought back to the task force to look at the option of securing the area along Denmark that is shown as residential become park and open space because it is already surrounded by park and open space. He felt that it would be a more usable area then for athletic fields. This would be the residential area that is currently right across from the existing high school. Director Distad said that he would bring this idea back to the task force at its next meeting. j C. Meadow Creek Fourth Addition Preliminary Plat Review I Director Distad updated Commission members on the Preliminary Plat for Meadow Creek Fourth. Currently the I plat shows oversized ponds for a possible canoe route. This would require some portaging of canoes to make this concept work. Director Distad commented that it might make more sense to reduce the size of the ponds and put a trail along the ponds. He stated that trails would most likely get more use than if it were left as a canoe route. Commission members agreed. Motion by Chair Oswald and seconded by Buringa to recommend that the preliminary plat be redrawn so that the ponds are downsized and trails are added in along the west side of the ponds. APIF VII. Additions to the Agenda There were no additions to the agenda. VDI. Staff Report Director Distad updated Commission members on the Giles Addition and that it is not quite ready to be developed. Director Distad voiced a concern about how small the size of the park is and that it will limit what kind of programmed activities could be done in the park. One suggestion was to put a climbing rock that was previously seen by the Commission on a playground proposal submitted by Webber Recreational Design, Inc. Commission members seemed to favor this type of equipment. Director Distad also updated Commission members on City Council approval of the Youth Scholarship Program and the Meadowview Park name for the park located in the Charleswood Development. IX. June Agenda Items The Commission would like the following items placed on the June meeting agenda: . Concern from citizen about moguls in Prairieview Park . Update on the vending proposals from Coke and Pepsi . Update on the Park Dedication Ordinance . Update on Park Master Plan for Meadowview Park . Presentation by Don Hayes on winter season X. Adjournment Ruth moved and Oswald seconded to adjourn the meeting. APIF. Meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m. ~ctf\lly V~ R~d, CPRP Parks and Recreation Director and Recording Secretary Farmington Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes from the Regular Meeting on June 11, 2003 embers Present: Randy Oswald, Paula Higgins and Debby Ruth embers Absent: Mike Buringa and Dawn Johnson ther's Present: Charlie Weber, Rambling River Center Advisory Board member; Chris Commons, Rambling iver Center Advisory Board member; Don Hayes, Parks Maintenance Supervisor; Missie Kohlbeck, Senior oordinator; Patti Norman, Recreation Supervisor; Amanda W olkenhauer and Randy Distad, Parks and ecreation Director. . Call To Order hair Oswald called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. Quorum was present. I. Approval of Agenda. swald requested to add the following items: swim bus discussion, brochure concerns, update on Park edication Ordinance, hiring consultant to assist the Recreational Facility Task Force, discussion on using credit ards for payment for program registrations and discussion on weed control policy. Motion by Ruth, seconded by Higgins to approve the meeting agenda as amended. APIF I ~II. Approval of Minutes. Motion by Ruth, seconded by Oswald to approve the minutes from the May 13, 2003 meeting. Oswald and Ruth voted in favor. Higgins voted to abstain. lV. Presentations 1\. Winter Park Season Don Hayes, Parks Maintenance Supervisor, reviewed this past winter season's outdoor activities in parks maintenance. Mr. Hayes stated that his staff performed the following duties in winter: . remove snow from sidewalks downtown . remove snow from trails around the City . flood several hockey rinks and several pleasure skating rinks . remove snow from the hockey rinks and pleasure rinks. . repair and paint picnic tables and park signs He said because of the increasing number of trails, it is becoming more and more difficult to not only keep all the trails open, but also to be able to repair and paint picnic tables and park signs and to flood rinks and remove mow from the rinks. He stated that when it snows, the first priority is cleaning off the sidewalks downtown and then plowing trails that lead to the schools. Mr Hayes requested that he would like to have two Commission members work with him on a subcommittee to develop a snow removal policy for trails and ice rinks that would rank them in order of importance for snow removal. Motion by Oswald, seconded by Higgins to appoint Ruth md Johnson to a subcommittee with Don Hayes to develop a draft policy on snow removal on trails and rinks. APIF B. Rambling River Center Missie Kohlbeck, Senior Coordinator, spoke about a remodeling plan that the Rambling River Center Advisory Board has been working on. Kohlbeck updated Commission members on the current conditions of the Center. Charlie Weber, Rambling River Center Advisory Board member reviewed the remodeling plans with Commission members. He indicated that the remodeling would be done in phases as money becomes available :0 complete the work. Weber explained that the first priority in phasing in the improvements would be to build Ilew office space for staff as future phases of remodeling depend on staff being located to new office space in :he Rambling River Center. After this has occurred, then the computer lab would be moved to the old staff )ffice space which would free up the old computer lab space for expansion for a fitness room. The Rambling River Center Advisory Board and staff felt that the senior population was changing from being a more sedentary population to a more active population. Currently there is not a fitness component and that by adding a fitness component to the Rambling River Center, it would increase memberships. Oswald asked what would happen to ! the gift shop. Kohlbeck commented that the person who has been in charge of the gift shop has a serious medical condition and it is doubtful that she will return to run the gift shop. The Center would still offer an , opportunity for members to sell crafts, but it would be under a different venue. Kohlbeck stated that she has seen other Centers that have a display case that is used to sell crafts from. In this venue, the crafts remain I visible for sale during the time that the Center is open. In the gift shop, there were a limited number of hours that it was open and thus limited when people could buy and sell crafts. Kohlbeck said that under the remodeling plan that the existing gift shop space would be used for playing card games. Oswald asked where the funds would come from to pay for the remodeling costs. Kohlbeck replied that the Rambling River Center has $4,200.00 that it has raised through various fundraising events that could be used to pay for the remodeling I costs. Weber indicated that he has also recruited volunteers to assist with the labor part of the remodeling I project. Motion by Oswald, seconded by Ruth to approve the remodeling plans and recommend to the City , Council that the remodeling plans be approved. V. Old Business A. Park Dedication Ordinance Director Distad updated Commission members on the status of the amended Ordinance. He informed the Commission members that the Planning Commission approved the amended Ordinance and forwarded it to the ! City Council for approval at its June 16th meeting. B. Swim Bus Discussion Oswald brought forward a question from Commission member Johnson about the location of the stops for the swim bus. Johnson asked why one of the swim bus stops couldn't be at Akin Road Elementary school. Since Kohlbeck was still in the meeting, she commented that when the swim bus stops were identified, the intent was to keep youth from having to cross either Akin Road or Pilot Knob Road due to the traffic. Since Akin Road Elementary is between these two roads, it was not considered. Kohlbeck stated that this is the first year of offering the swim bus and that she will be soliciting feedback on the bus route and bus stops. Once she has the feedback from the public, she will then take this information into consideration for determining next year's route and stops in 2004. C. Brochure Discussion Oswald brought forward a concern from Commission member Johnson about why there seemed to be more programs being held at North Trail Elementary School than at other elementary schools in Farmington. Kohlbeck responded that there are very few programs being held at North Trail Elementary School and that she thought that the programs were well spread out at other school district facilities VI. New Business A. Adopt-A-Park and Adopt-A-Trail Program Director Distad presented information about starting an Adopt-A-Park and Adopt-A-Trail program. He said that there are many communities who have initiated these programs. He further stated that the River Church from Farmington has expressed an interest in adopting the Prairie Waterway and have set a date in late June to pick up the trash that has accumulated in the waterway. His request of Commission members was to have them approve his request to initiate this program. Motion by Higgins, seconded by Ruth to approve the initiation of the Adopt-A-Park and Adopt-A-Trail programs by the Parks and Recreation Department. APIF B. Friends of Parks and Recreation Program Director Distad presented information about starting a Friends of Parks and Recreation program that would more formally solicit and recognize donors to the Parks and Recreation Department. Motion by Oswald, seconded by Higgins directing staff to implement the Friends of Parks and Recreation program. APIF C. Naming ofthe Park in Tamarack Ridge Development Director Distad informed Commission members that the park area in Tamarack Ridge has not been named. Amanda Wolkenhauer, 959 Catalina Way, who also works for the Farmington Family Townhome's Management Company was in attendance and was asked what she thought should be the name for the park area. She suggested that either Tamarack Park or Tamarack Ridge Park be considered by the Commission. She also brought the Commission up to date on the development of the park and the fact that it has been delayed for two years due to street construction issues that have taken two years to resolve. She indicated to Commission members that the residents of the townhomes would like to see the park developed this year. Director Distad stated that before the park is developed that he would like to meet with residents and get some feedback on what improvements that they would like to see constructed in the park and develop a park master plan that would be followed. Commission members by consensus agreed that the park should be named Tamarack Park. Motion by Oswald and seconded by Higgins to have staff meet with residents and develop a park master plan for Tamarack Park. APIF D. Hiring Consultant to Assist the Recreational Facility Task Force Director Distad presented information about a proposal received from Ingraham and Associates to work with the Recreational Facilities Task Force. Director Distad said that the fee is very reasonable compared with what other firms would have charged for this service. Director Distad stated that the funds would come from the Park Improvement Fund budget to pay for this cost. Motion by Oswald and seconded by Ruth to recommend to the City Council that Ingraham and Associates by hired to assist the Recreational Facility Task Force. APIF E. Discussion on Using Credit Cards for Payment for Program Registration Oswald brought forth a comment from Johnson that the City should utilize credit cards as a form of payment for program registration. Director Distad stated that this is something that the City is looking at doing but will take time and money to figure out how to incorporate this into workloads of staff. Commission members said that they would like to go on record to support the use of credit cards as a method of payment for program registrations. VII. Staff Report I Director Distad updated Commission members on the status of the vending contract. He informed Commission members that Dahlco Music and Vending who currently provides vending machines for the City is interested in submitting a proposal for a vending contract with the City, but staff members have not seen it yet. VIII. July Meeting Agenda Topics Following items were suggested for the July 2003 meeting agenda . Update on Park Dedication Ordinance . Discussion on draft policy for snow removal on trails and outdoor ice rinks . Update on Spruce Street Corridor Master Plan . Update on the hiring of a consultant to work with Recreational Facility Task Force . Update on Giles Addition IX. Adjourment Motion made by Ruth and seconded by Higgins to adjourn the meeting. APIF. Meeting was adjourned at 7:49 p.m. :rr~llY 1JJf ~tad, Parks and Recreation Director and Recording Secretary Farmington Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes from the Regular Meeting on July 9, 2003 Members Present: Randy Oswald, Paula Higgins Debby Ruth, Mike Buringa and Dawn Johnson Members Absent: None Other's Present: Charlie Weber, Rambling River Center Advisory Board member; Don Hayes, Parks I Maintenance Supervisor; Missie Kohlbeck, Senior Coordinator; and Randy Distad, Parks and Recreation Director. I. Call To Order Chair Oswald called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Quorum was present. II. Approval of Agenda. Motion by Higgins, seconded by Johnson to approve the meeting agenda as amended to include add under Old Business, a discussion about the moguls in Prairieview Park. APIF m. Approval of Minutes. Motion by Ruth, seconded by Higgins to approve the minutes from the June 11, 2003 meeting. Oswald, Ruth, Higgins and Buringa voted in favor. Johnson voted to abstain. IV. Old Business A. Park Dedication Ordinance Update Parks and Recreation Director Distad provided an update to Commission members. The Ordinance has been approved by the City Council, has been published and will become a City Ordinance 30 days from publication. B. Update on Spruce Street Corridor Master Plan Parks and Recreation Director Distad reviewed the current draft of the master plan with Commission members. Commission members had the following concerns: traffic, inadequate parking, getting land for a park along Denmark Avenue south of the fire station and having a safe crossing area for students from the high school over Denmark A venue to the development ~ C. Discussion on Moguls in Prairieview Park ! Commission members raised some concerns about whether or not the current moguls are being used in Prairieview Park. Suggestion made for staff to redesign the moguls to make them more attractive to bikers. V. New Business A. Draft Snow Removal Policy Parks Maintenance Supervisor Hayes presented information that came from the subcommittee that was formed. Hayes recommended that the language in the current Snow Removal Ordinance be changed to include the word "designated" next to the word trails. Hayes presented information about the draft policy that the subcommittee has been working on for trails, sidewalks and outdoor rinks. Discussion on snow removal on outdoor rinks occurred. Commission members felt that not having snow removal on weekends at the outdoor rinks was acceptable. They would like to get information out to users in advance of the outdoor ice season so that some of the users would take care of snow removal on the outdoor rinks on the weekends. A suggestion was made to have shovels available for users to clear snow on weekends if it is needed. Commission members would like to have Hayes draw up a map that shows the sidewalks and trails and identifies the priority order of snow removal on the trails and sidewalks and bring it back for review at the August meeting. B. Update on Recreational Facility Task Force Parks and Recreation Director Distad provided a brief update on the status of the task force. Distad informed Commission members that he has been securing some proposals from consultants to help the task force through the process. Higgins thought that the first meeting was a good meeting. She thought there was a lot of energy and ideas presented at the meeting. Oswald noted the goals and rules that were identified during the first meeting. Distad stated that the task force would like to publicize to the public as much as possible the information that comes out of the meetings. The City's web site, brochures and the media were identified as potential venues for getting this information out to the public. C. Funding for Rambling River Center's Remodeling Project Senior Coordinator Missie Kohlbeck presented information on a change to the remodeling project at the Rambling River Center. Staff felt that the office walls should be permanent insulated walls that are extended to the ceiling rather than temporary walls that only extend half way to the ceiling. It was felt that this change would maintain confidentiality that is needed for staff. Kohlbeck also requested that money identified in the Capital Outlay for a new piano be reallocated for the remodeling project. Some discussion ensued about how much use the piano received. Kohlbeck stated that it rarely gets used maybe three or four times a year. Johnson thought it might get used more for recitals if there were a better piano available. Kohlbeck stated that she rarely if at all gets requests to hold recitals at the Rambling River Center. Motion by Buringa and seconded by Higgins to recommend to the City Council to reallocate the money identified for a new piano to be used for the remodeling project at the Rambling River Center. APIF. Buringa moved and Higgins seconded to recommend to the City Council to approve the remodeling project with the change of building permanent walls for the staff offices rather than temporary walls. APIF. D. Park Signs Director Distad showed Commission members some samples of park signs that he has been working on to I purchase. The new signs come from a company called Cylex. The signs are made from a composite mixture of I aggregate and resins that give it a concrete appearance. It can be made with a smooth surface or rough surface. I Commission members seemed to favor the rough surface because it seemed to match the atmosphere associated : with parks. He stated that he working to get a proposal back from the sales person on cost and design work. He thought that he could have this information back to the Commission members for the August meeting. VI. Staff Report Director Distad updated Commission members on the status of the vending agreement with Coke. Staff received a better offer from Dahlco Music and Vending and the City Council approved the agreement with them rather than with Coke. It was for five years and they sell both Pepsi and Coke products. He stated that Dahlco I currently services the vending machines at the Arena, City Hall and Rambling River Center. Director Distad provided information on the National Institute for Recreation Inclusion Conference, which is a national therapeutic recreation conference that will be held in September in Bloomington, Minnesota. He stated that if any Commission members besides Johnson are interested in attending this conference, they should contact him. Director Distad reminded Commission members of the upcoming park master planning meeting that will be held at the Maintenance Facility. He invited Commission members to attend the meeting. VII. August Agenda Items The following items were identified for the August 2003 meeting agenda: map of snow removal from trails and sidewalks, park sign proposal, update on Spruce Street Corridor Master Plan and Update on the Meadowview Park Master Plan meeting VIll. Adjournment Motion by Higgins and seconded by Ruth to adjourn the Commission meeting. APIF. Meeting was adjourned at 7:08 p.m. 1{~}}1;J; Randy Distad Parks and Recreation Director and Recording Secretary Farmington Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes from the Regular Meeting on August 13, 2003 Members Present: Randy Oswald and Paula Higgins Members Absent: Debby Ruth, Mike Buringa and Dawn Johnson Other's Present: Don Hayes, Parks Maintenance Supervisor and Randy Distad, Parks and Recreation , Director. I. Call To Order Chair Oswald called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. There were not enough members present to I constitute a quorum. Due to a lack of a quorum, official business could not be conducted at the August meeting. Respectfully Submitted, M f1ikf) i Randy Distad : Parks and Recreation Director and Recording Secretary Farmington Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes from the Regular Meeting on September 10,2003 Members Present: Randy Oswald, Paula Higgins, Debby Ruth, Mike Buringa and Dawn Johnson (arrived at 6:15 p.m.) Members Absent: None Other's Present: Paul Paige, Consultant from Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc.; Don Hayes, Parks Maintenance Supervisor; Randy Distad, Parks and Recreation Director; Kelly Seitzinger; Sue Edmonson; Tim Edmonson; Troy Raddatz; Carol Olson; Michelle Schmidt; Michelle Meschke; Lynne Gallus; Tim Burke; Shawn Meschke; Ann Barnes; Scott Kamarainen; Christopher Oines; Greg Opsal; Hilary Mouhael; Cameron Krake and Jeff Ibinger. I. Call To Order Chair Oswald called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Quorum was present. II. Approval of Agenda. Motion by Ruth, seconded by Buringa to approve the meeting agenda as amended to move Letter B under New Business Discussion on New Arena Scoreboard and move the Meadowview Park Master Plan presentation back unti16:l5 p.m. in order to accommodate Johnson's late arrival. APIF (Johnson absent during vote). III. Approval of Minutes. Motion by Buringa, seconded by Ruth to approve the minutes from the July 9, 2003 meeting. APIF (Johnson absent during vote). VI.. New Business B. Discussion on New Arena Scoreboard Parks and Recreation Director Distad provided an update to Commission members about the new scoreboard that was purchased for the Arena. Distad stated that originally the idea was to secure an exclusive beverage vending agreement with Coke. However, the City's current beverage vending contractor negotiated a better deal than what Coke was able to offer. Dahlco Music and Vending offered a five-year agreement with better guaranteed money over the five years of the agreement than Coke offered and also committed to purchasing advertising annually at the Arena for the five years of the agreement. The City Council approved the Agreement and staff then moved forward with ordering a new scoreboard. Dwight Bjerke, Facility Maintenance Supervisor approached Premier Banks about their interest in purchasing exclusive advertising on the scoreboard in exchange for a certain number of years. Premier Banks made a counter offer that provided up to $10,000.00 towards the new scoreboard in exchange for exclusive advertising on the scoreboard for the life of the scoreboard and two years of free advertising on the resurfacer with the first option of purchasing advertisement on the resurfacer after the two years of free advertising expires. The City Council adopted a resolution approving the donation with the conditions identified by Premier Banks. IV. Presentations A. Meadowview Park Master Plan Paul Paige from Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc. presented information about a park design plan that was prepared with input from residents for Meadowview Park. Paige explained to the Commission that two public meetings were held. The first meeting was to gather initial input and then develop a draft plan based on the initial input and then hold a second meeting to get feedback and additional input from residents on the draft plan. Paige commented on things in the plan that were favored and not favored. Paige then went through the master plan and identified the amenities that residents seemed to favor. Paige stated that at the second public meeting that there appeared to be some opposition to the boardwalk that was shown to be constructed along the backs of properties and alon! the edge of the wetland that would provide a trail connection from the park amenities to the trail on 200 Street West. He stated that he took this input into consideration and so in the revised master plan he is showing tonight, the boardwalk and trails have been moved from directly behind the properties to going through the wetland about 250-300 feet further east of the properties and connecting to the peninsula where the boardwalk would connect to a proposed paved trail on the peninsula which would then connect back to the park amenities. Paige stated that he thought that the opposition to the boardwalk was more of an issue of adjacent property owners not wanting the boardwalk in their backyards. Paige then asked if the Commission members had any questions in regards to the park master plan. Chair Oswald asked what the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) policy is on boardwalks through wetlands. Paige stated that he felt that the DNR encourages boardwalks and does not prohibit them from being built in wetlands. Buringa asked Paige what he thought the main issue is with the park plan. Paige answered that he thought it was a case of the property owners being NIMBY s (Not in My Backyard). He stated that he thought that the adjacent property owners perceive the wetland as an extension of their backyard when in reality it is not and that it is really there for the entire community to experience and enjoy. Chair Oswald stated that since there were a number of residents in the audience who wanted to speak on the park master plan for Meadowview Park that he would allow it but only under certain conditions: identify who they are and where they live, hold comments to three minutes or less and in the interest of saving some time when possible have one person speak on behalf of the group. Michelle Meschke, 19984 Evensong A venue, provided the following comments: . park is a welcomed addition to the development . she agrees that additional trails are good but that the trail should not go through the wetland . they have a wetland buffer that extends into their yard that restricts what they can build in their yard . thinks that the trail is redundant and that a trail along the north side of the wetland connecting to the future trail along Pilot Knob Road would be a better trail connection than building a boardwalk in the wetland . she is concerned about wildlife going away and that they currently see a lot of wildlife . feels that the $80,000.00 identified for the boardwalk could be better spent on additional playground equipment . stated that she was told by City staffwhen they were looking at buying their lot that there would never be anything "built" behind their lot because of the wetland . said that she was surprised by the trail being shown behind her property as she didn't think that anything could be built there . doesn't think that it is necessary and thinks that if people were polled that they would support the money going towards more equipment . thinks that wildlife will go away and be replaced by garbage Buringa asked Meschke who and when the promise was made by City staff. Meschke stated that she said it was about 2 Y2 -3 years ago and that it was by an employee in the City Engineering Department and/or by the City Planner. Ruth asked how long ago the current paved trail was constructed in the park. Meschke said that it has been a couple of years. Meschke says that she uses the current paved trail in the park. Tim Edmonson, 19961 Langford Lane, provided the following comments: . likes the trail locations and the boardwalks that are shown in both the first and second park master plans . he doesn't like the idea of having his kids walk along Pilot Knob Road with traffic and pollution . thinks that the trail system should go through . stated that he has used the trails system in the past and is concerned about the existing trails not being connected Michelle Schmidt, 19969 Evensong A venue, offered the following comments: 2 . she has a safety concern about the boardwalk and the safety for kids if they use it and that it might result in a drowning. Cameron Krake, 200th Street West, provided the following thoughts: . concerned about not receiving notification of meetings . concerned about wildlife being driven away . spoke with the plat coordinator at City Hall and was told that it could not be "built" on . said he paid a premium for the lot that he bought because it provided security, wildlife and nature . raised the question about whether or not a wetland is protected Director Distad stated that while wetlands are protected and if they are filled, the parties who fill them are generally required by the DNR to create twice as many new wetlands as what was filled. He stated that in this case there is no proposal to fill any of the wetland only to build a boardwalk over the wetland. Kathy Seitzinger, 5778 200th Street West, gave the following comments: . she received notification of first meeting but didn't receive notification of the second public meeting and was appalled that the plan showed the trail crossing over 200th Street West and going south next to her property . believes that wetlands should not be disturbed . stated that she sees a lot of wildlife . she comes from a background that the ground is precious to her . stated that she has a 42 foot wetland buffer setback requirement in her backyard . thinks that cleaning up island (peninsula) is a good idea but doesn't see a need for a trail on it . has an issue with cars parked along 200th Street West in the driveways because it blocks the path when her daughter rides bike to school and her daughter has to ride around the back of these cars . concerned about pollution in the wetland and who is going to clean up the wetland of trash . concerned with pets and animal waste and feels that nobody picks up after their pets . feels that the economic impact of building the wetland should be looked at . questioned what kind of park this would be classified as Director Distad stated that based on size and including the wetland to the south and storm water ponds to the north, it would be classified as a community park. However if you only look at the area where the ballfield, playground equipment and shelter are located, it would be classified more as a neighborhood park. Distad stated that neighborhood parks are not just for only neighbors of the park to use but rather it is a park that is available to the community to use. He said that when the next Charleswood Addition is platted, that the City will be working with the developer to have more street frontage and will look to build a small parking lot so that people from other parts of the community could drive and park in order to gain access to the park. He noted that currently there are only two public accesses to the park and both are by narrow trail entrances. He said that additional street frontage is needed not only for visibility from the street but also for emergency vehicles to gain access to the park. Buringa asked if she was opposed to a future trail connection to the south. Seitzinger said that she was. Susan Edmonson, 19961 Langford Lane, provided the following comments about the park plan: . likes the access to the wetland for educational values . she doesn't think that the boardwalk will stop wildlife and that the wildlife will adapt to the boardwalk and will either go under, over or around the boardwalk . said that she is totally for the trail and thinks that it will be a good addition for the park . feels that people who oppose the boardwalk are clearly NIMBY s Cameron Krake, 5914 200th Street West, provided the following comments: . feels that there will be security issues with allowing people to come into the neighborhood . he is concerned about littering from users 3 . says that he already has a trail in front of his home and doesn't like the idea of having a trail on the side of his home too Tim Burke, 110 Elm Street, gave these thoughts: . his family will be moving to a townhome on the south side of 200th Street West and favors the trail for an access to people who live south of the park . he doesn't like the suggestion that just a trail from the park to Pilot Knob Road be the only acceptable connection due to his concern about the safety of kids who would use the trail . doesn't think that not building the boardwalk in order to preserve wildlife is fair because other people would not be allowed to have the same experience viewing wildlife that neighbors whose property abuts the wetland have . thinks that building a boardwalk over the wetland is okay and that building it is just a different way to build trails Carol Olson, 5691 200th Street West, provided her thoughts: . would like to see the Pilot Knob road access and thinks that it is the best option for a trail and would use it Jessie Yerama, 5900 200th Street West, offered her comments: . built their house a year ago and is a stay at home mom and they chose to build their home in this location because of the natural habitat . she is concerned about growth in Farmington and the loss of natural habitat . she doesn't think that the City has the right to go across the wetland . she is concerned about all the trash from construction . said that she didn't trust builder and so checked with City staff to see if anything was going to be built in the wetland and was told that nothing would be "built" in the wetland . stated that her neighbors are concerned with a boardwalk being built . she is upset with developer because he cleared out the lot next to their lot . said she received notification through Michelle and not through any other means Greg Opsal, 19791 Evensong Avenue, stated the following: . said that he lives next to the bike trail and it doesn't bother him . feels that people are overlooking the rest of the park plan . feels that in the future that park should be expanded Distad provided comments from emails received from other citizens. Tom and Brenda Sand, 5675 200th Street, Farmington, MN submitted the following points in his email: . Feels strongly that the wetland should be left undisturbed as much as possible . Area is a haven for wildlife of all types . Object most to putting trail on the island . Spring and Fall all of Charleswood addition get to enjoy watching migrating flocks of waterfowl even if they don't have viewing location of the wetland . Thinks developing the trail along the north side of the wetland is the best choice. George Custodio, 5699 200th St. West provided the following comments in his email: . The foremost goal of the park plan should be the safe and easy access of each homeowner to this park . Feels that the first plan drawn would be the best plan since it goes along the edge of the wetland and not through the wetland, which could be potentially dangerous in the spring with rising water level . Feels that this is a better route than along Pilot Knob Road and doesn't feel it is very safe to have a trail along Pilot Knob Road because of the speed of traffic 4 . His main concern is in regards to the potential for pollution and the destruction of natural habitat and thinks that the management of these potential hazards should be the responsibility of the City especially during the construction of the park . The City should clearly state its plan on how it would assure preserving this beautiful and pristine area John Matiska, 19992 Langford Lane submitted the following comments in his email: . Agrees that the trail drawn in both plans would lead to increased pollution and destruction to habitat . Concerned about the safety of trail users crossing the boardwalk when water is present and in isolated and unlit sections of the trail . Doesn't think lighting this trail would be appropriate . Thinks that the trail leading to Pilot Knob makes a lot of sense because it was already going to be built, the cost savings of not building the boardwalk and would be less intrusive to the wetland habitat Pati Cummings, 19987 McKendry Path, Farmington, MN provided the following comment in her email: . Strongly favors the trail not going through any wetlands Chair Oswald closed the meeting for public comments and asked for comments from Commission members. Buringa stated that he was frustrated with the public process because people spoke to long and it became more of a negative than a positive thing in his mind. He likes wildlife and said that there will be trash in the wetland whether there is a boardwalk built or not. Stated that safety is a concern but thought that it could be addressed in the design of the boardwalk through the use of railings. He said that his three main concerns with this plan are as follows: . previous promises that were made to residents and would like have some additional background information provided to him . concerned that there is currently no community access to this area . asked the question about if there would be opposition to creating an observation deck rather than a boardwalk Michelle Meschke was allowed to comment on Buringa's question. Meschke stated that she thought a observation deck was a good idea and thought that it should be built on the north side of the peninsula. Buringa stated that he also has some safety concerns with routing the trail only along Pilot Knob Road. Ruth stated that she appreciated the residents due diligence but that sometimes there is very little control over future developing areas and for what comes next. Johnson stated that she doesn't have a park in her neighborhood and that she realizes that the trail should have been put in prior to the homes being built. She thinks that all parks and trails should be accessible and feels that all parks are for all people in the community. Higgins stated that she would like to see if a compromise could be reached so that everyone can enjoy this park. Chair Oswald thanked everyone for their comments. He said that he lives in the Troy Hills development and often wonders when the property behind his house will be developed. He said that if the natural habitat is affected then he is concerned about that. Chair Oswald asked if the consultant had any final comments. Paige summarized his presentation by saying that he wanted to clear up the notion of public meetings. He said that in this situation that there was no legal requirement to notify the public about the park planning meetings. These meetings were not public hearings and so staff was under no legal requirement to notify anyone. However he likes the process that the City of Farmington used to invite residents in to participate in the process. He said that far too often either the City decides to do something without public input, which can get them into trouble with residents or that people are invited and no one shows up to help with the planning process. He said that while there is conflict with the 5 proposed park plan, and that sometimes the public process has its perils, it is still a public process. He stated that it shows that Farmington has residents who are willing to get involved in the public process. Chair Oswald asked for a motion. Buringa made motion to postpone the vote on the park master plan until the October 8th meeting. Motion was seconded by Higgins. APIF B. Snow Removal Priority Map presentation by Don Hayes, Parks Maintenance Supervisor Hayes discussed the process that was followed in order to establish a snow removal priority map and policy. Commission members Ruth and Johnson and himself met a couple of times to work out a system of the order that snow is removed from sidewalks, trails and outdoor rinks. A map was shown identifying the order of snow removal priorities. Hayes commented that the local snowmobiling club was brought in to review the map and they seemed to be okay with the way that trails will be plowed because it will have minimum impact on snowmobile trails. Commission members seemed to be in agreement with the map and the way that snow removal was prioritized. Ruth moved and Higgins seconded to recommend to the City Council to adopt the policy on the snow removal priorities for sidewalks, trails and outdoor rinks. APIF. V. Old Business (None) VI. New Business A. Park Sign Proposal Director Distad reviewed the park signs that are being proposed. There was an option on the color of the lettering on the signs for the large park entrance signs. Higgins moved to use green lettering for the park entrance signs. Motion seconded by Ruth. Voting in favor of the green lettering were Higgins, Ruth and Oswald. Buringa and Johnson voted against. Motion carries by a 3-2 vote. Director Distad reviewed smaller signs that would be installed with a single post at the trail entrances into the parks. He said that this will help better identify to the community access points to parks. He noted that there were two designs either a shorter and wider sign or a taller and narrower sign. Consensus was made by Commissioners to use the shorter and wider signs at the trail entrances to the parks. C. Commission Retreat Discussion/Goal Setting for 2004 Chair Oswald stated that he would like to see some kind of training provided to Commission members on what their role is as an advisory commission. He said that there has been a change in the style of how the current director operates with the Commission versus the past director. He said that under the new director that the Commission has been more involved in giving more input on decisions being made and that this has challenged him to figure out exactly what his role is on the Commission. He said that it is neither good nor bad but that it is a change from what he has been used to doing at Commission meetings. Director Distad said that he thinks it is important to have the Commission involved in giving input on parks and recreation decisions impacting the community. Commission members suggested the evening of November 19th from 6:00-9:00 p.m. as being their preferred date and time for a retreat. Director Distad said that he will contact the Executive Director of the Minnesota Recreation and Park Association to see ifhe would be interested and available to attend and provide some training to Commission members. D. Discussion on Length of Term for Commission Members Chair Oswald stated that he would like to see the length of terms be extended from two years to three years. He feels that two years is not long enough because it generally takes at least the first year to get caught up with what is occurring at Commission meetings and also a year to feel comfortable being on the Commission. He thought that the community would be better served if the term were for three years. Commission members seemed to agree. Motion by Oswald and seconded by Higgins to request from the City Council to amend the City's Park and Recreation Commission Ordinance so that the length of term for a Commission member would be extended to a three year period rather than the current two year period. APIF. 6 E. Update on the Rambling River Center Improvement Project Director Distad gave a brief update on the project and what has been completed to date. He provided the following list of items completed: . new staff offices built . computer lab moved to old staff office area . former craft sales area opened up to the new office area . new storage closets built . wall extended between new fitness room and meeting space area . wall was removed in the older computer lab area in order to make the new fitness room larger Director Distad invited Commissioners to visit the Rambling River Center to see the improvements. F. Draft Trail Master Plan Director Distad explained the process thus far about how the draft trail master plan was drawn. He noted that the Planning and Engineering Departments were involved in providing input on existing and future proposed trails. Planning Department also provided the mapping of the new proposed trail locations. Distad stated that Commission members should review the plan prior to the next meeting and then come prepared to discuss the trail plan and make any revisions that they see fit to make. Distad said that he hopes that it can be brought to the Planning Commission's November meeting for a public hearing as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan. From there it would go to the City Council for adoption and would become part of the Comprehensive Plan. He reminded Commission members of the new ordinance and that it contains language that requires the developer to pay for the construction of trails if they are shown on the trail master plan. Distad also stated that the next step after developing the trail plan is to begin identifying specific location for future parks on the City aerial map so that park land can be acquired in areas where there are natural features as well as connected by trails. VII. Addition to the Agenda. None VIII. Staff Report. None IX Agenda Items for November Meeting Following items were identified for the November meeting agenda: . Meadowview Park Master Plan Recommendation . Trail Master Plan Review and Discussion . Presentation about Dakota County Fairgrounds . Presentation about Summer Recreation Programs X. Adjournment Buringa moved and Ruth seconded to adjourn the meeting. APIF Meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m. ~lly su?;~e<1J7. <~-~ Ran~d Parks and Recreation Director and Recording Secretary 7 .. ~4 .. Farmington Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes from the Regular Meeting on October 8, 2003 Members Present: Randy Oswald, Paula Higgins, Debby Ruth, Mike Buringa and Dawn Johnson (arrived at 6:15 p.m.) Members Absent: None Other's Present: Patti Norman, Recreation Program Supervisor; Missie Kohlbeck, Senion Coordinator; Kellee Omlid, Recreation Specialist; Paul Burkel, Dakota County Fairgrounds Coordinator; Randy Distad, Parks and Recreation Director; Troy Raddatz; Michelle Schmidt; Michelle Meschke; Shawn Meschke and Scott Kamarainen. I. Call To Order Chair Oswald called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. Quorum was present. II. Approval of Agenda. Motion by Buringa, seconded by Ruth to approve the meeting agenda as amended to move the Meadowview Park Master Plan vote back until 6: 15 p.m. in order to accommodate Johnson's late arrival, add discussion on November 19th Commission retreat and update on the status of the change in the Ordinance pertaining to the Commission's length of term from two years to three years. Buringa, Ruth, Oswald and Higgins voted in favor. Johnson absent during vote. III. Approval of Minutes. Motion by Buringa, seconded by Ruth to approve the minutes from the September 10, 2003 meeting. APIF. VI. Old Business A. Update on Commission Retreat on November 19th. Parks and Recreation Director Distad provided an update to Commission members about the status of the retreat planned for November 19th. He informed them that it will be held at the City's Maintenance Facility and that Jon Gurban will be present to provide some training for Commission members about what their role is as an advisory commission. He also stated that there will be some 2004 goal setting for the Commission and also time to begin identifying more specific areas for future park and open space. B. Status of Ordinance Change Concerning Length of Terms for Commission Members Director Distad updated Commission members that the City Council approved their request to lengthen the term to three years from two years and that it passed unanimously. C. Meadowview Park Master Plan Commission removed the Meadowview Park Master Plan from the table for further discussion and vote. Chair Oswald provided a brief overview on the status of the plan and wanted to make sure that it is in the record that the Commission members did their homework by each of them going out and walking the area of where the boardwalk is proposed to be built. Ruth moved to approve the Meadowview Park Master plan but with a revision that included adding an observation deck on the south side of the peninsula that would be attached to the boardwalk. Motion was seconded by Buringa. The following discussion ensued about the master plan: Buringa reiterated what he saw were the issues including the following . City staff members told residents that there would not be any structures built in the wetland and that there was a different interpretation of what residents thought structures meant from what staff thought structures meant. . Limiting access to the wetland and he thought that he thinks there is a beautiful view of the wetland and that the view of the wetland is different from the south side of the peninsula than the north side. . Continuation of trail connections is important and that he supports Debbie's motion. . . . Higgins provided the following comments about the boardwalk: . When this item comes to the City Council she feels that they also should visit the site . She feels that by moving the boardwalk out into the wetland is a good compromise rather than having the trail run directly behind the properties. . She doesn't think that garbage will be an issue. Ruth had the following thoughts on the motion: Thinks that there was a great energy in the room at the last meeting and saw that as a good sign that people want to be involved. She thinks litter can be addressed by residents signing up for the adopt-a-park program and picking up trash as one of the activities to do when participating in the program. She encouraged residents to stay involved in the public process and seek appointment for other City boards and commISSIOns. Johnson provided the following comments about the park plan: She likes the plan. She said that there was an earlier plan that showed a trail being constructed along the backs of the properties on the west side of the wetland but doesn't know why it wasn't put in per the previous plan. Oswald addressed the motion by providing the following comments: . Said that he was in a similar position when he first moved to the City and that he was on the opposition side of moving forward on building recreational facilities. Said he understands where residents are coming from. . Stated that this issue has come up before when the Commission looked at putting a trail in around Lake Julia and was denied by the City Council. Now he has people who live there why the trail was never put m. . He thinks this will be a great addition to the park system. . He is concerned when wildlife is impacted but doesn't feel that in this case that the boardwalk will affect the wildlife like residents think it will. . He feels that future development would have bigger impact on wildlife than the boardwalk would. Roll was called. Ruth - yes Buringa - yes Johnson - yes Higgins - yes Oswald - yes Motion carried. V. Presentations. A. Summer Recreation Program Summary by Recreation staff members Patti Norman, Kellee Omlid and Missie Kohlbeck. Staff provided an overview and summary of the summer programs that the Department offered this past summer. Special highlights were as follows: . The swim bus was successful but the route and stops will need to be slightly revised next summer. . Scholarship program that was created was used and the system worked well. . Tennis program continues to grow. . Outdoor pool received a face lift resulting in funbrellas and lounge chairs being added along with the fence between the wading pool and the large pool being reduced in height. . Number of passes sold to the pool increased. . New sports camps were added and have been talking with Buringa about adding more camps next year. . First year of kickball went well. Program was cosponsored with Lakeville. Had 140 kids sign up. 2 . . Adult kickball league went well for the first year of offering it. Was a SORR program. Had six teams playing in the league. . DARTS bus trips for senior adults were well received especially the Fun Friday program. Other senior adult day trips have seen declining enrollment. B. Fairgrounds Presentation by Paul Burkel. Burkel provided the following information to Commission members as part of his presentation: . Fairgrounds has mowed trails through the wetland to the south the fairgrounds that is open to the public to use. Thinks there might be an opportunity in the future to tie this trail in with the City's trail system. . Presented the master plan for the fairgrounds. He identified that some buildings have been demolished due to age and condition. . He feels that with a lot of green space that there is also a lot of potential for recreational activities to occur on the fairgrounds. Thought that the lack of irrigation would be an issue if users wanted to have the green space sustained over a season. . Fair Board has discussed building a multi-purpose building in the space where the old 4H building was located. . He clarified that the fairgrounds property is not owned by Dakota County but rather by an Ag Society that is separate from the County. The County has provided a little funding in the past for the county fair. . None of the buildings on the fairgrounds are heated and the buildings are turned into cold storage over the winter. Chair Oswald presented an idea that he had about his interest in trying to get the City and the County Fair Board working together on constructing a multi-purpose building such as a two sheet ice arena that could be used by hockey during the winter and the fair during the warmer months. He thinks this would be a great opportunity that should be further investigated. . C. Review Trail Master Plan. Distad provided an updated trail plan map as well as an early draft of the Trail Master Plan document. Commission members provided feedback to Distad on their thoughts about the map and the trail document. Distad stated that it will be brought forward to the November Planning Commission meeting and that if there were anymore comments that the Commission members would like to provide that they should contact him. D. Update on Recreational Facilities Task Force. Higgins and Oswald update Commission members on the last task force meeting that occurred. They informed Commission members that there is a community open house planned for November 18th from 5 :00-8:00 p.m. at the Farmington Middle School East Cafetorium and encouraged Commission members to attend. E. Silver Springs Giles Addition Distad updated the Commission on the location and size of the park. He said that he thought it was less than a half acre in size and should be considered as a tot lot. He said that he needs direction on what the Commission would like to do. He also stated that the park will need to be named. By consensus, Commission members directed Distad to move forward with developing a park master plan for the park. VI. New Business. A. Tamarack Park Master Plan Review. Distad reviewed the draft park master plan and asked for comments from Commission members. Commission members thought that it looked good. Higgins moved to approve the park master plan for Tamarack Park and Johnson seconded the motion. APIF. Motion carried. . B. Discussion on Joint Meeting with Empire Township's PRAC. Distad commented that he had attended a Empire and Farmington Planning Advisory Commission meeting and that Empire Township representatives informed him that they have a PRAC and that they would like to 3 . encourage the two PRACs to meet each other. Commission members thought this was a good idea and thought that the meeting should occur early next year after appointments are made to the Commission. VII. Additions to the Agenda. There were no additions to the agenda. VIII. Staff Report. There was no staff report given. IX. November Meeting Agenda. Following topics were suggested for November agenda: . Presentation Request by Farmington Youth Hockey Association . Meeting new Natural Resource Specialist Jennifer Collova . Depot Way Arts Park Update . Skate Park Review . Naming Park in the Giles Addition . Update on the Recreational Facilities Task Force X. Adjournment. Buringa moved and Higgins seconded to adjourn the meeting. APIF Meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m. , ~tfilllY, S7~ . lndY~' Parks and Recreation Director and Recording Secretary . 4 . Farmington Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes from the Regular Meeting on November 12, 2003 Members Present: Randy Oswald, Dawn Johnson (arrived at 6:15 p.m.), Mike Buringa, Paula Higgins and Debby Ruth Other's Present: Parks and Recreation Director, Randy Distad; Farmington Youth Hockey Association President-Elect Tom Hockert; and Jennifer Collova, Natural Resource Specialist I. Call To Order Chair Oswald called the meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. at the Rambling River Center. Quorum was present. II. Approval of Agenda. Motion by Buringa and seconded by Higgins to approve the Agenda with it being amended to move under New Business item C. Planning Commission's Public Hearing to the bottom of the agenda right before adjournment in order to conduct all business before moving the meeting to attend the Trail Master Plan Public Hearing at the Planning Commission meeting. APIF (Johnson absent during vote) III. Approval of Minutes. Motion by Ruth and seconded by Higgins to approve the October 8, 2003 meeting minutes with an amendment being made under Meadowview Park Master Plan discussion for an additional comment that Randy Oswald made as follows: that future development would have bigger impact on wildlife than the boardwalk would. APIF (Johnson absent during vote) . IV. Presentations A. Introduction of Jennifer Collova Ms. CoIl ova introduced herself and provided some background information including that she has worked previously in the private sector. She stated that she will be responsible for storm water pond management and the City's Forestry programs. B. Request from Farmington Youth Hockey Association (FYHA) Tom Hockert, FYHA President-elect for 2004 presented information about a request for the City to pay back money to FYHA for the extension of sewer and water to the warming house at the outdoor ice rinks by the middle schools that FYHA had paid for. FYHA would like to propose that rather than the City paying offthis amount in a lump sum that the FYHA would like to be able to use the arena's concession stand for 15 years at no cost at which time the amount would be considered paid back. Director Distad suggested that the City and FYHA have representatives come together in a meeting and discuss details for an agreement that not only would include this request but also would address such things as storage of FHY A's equipment in the outdoor warming house by the middle schools, exclusive use of the outdoor rinks at certain times and snow removal on the outdoor rinks. By consensus, Commission members agreed that an agreement should be drafted between the City and FYHA and brought back to them at a later date for review. V. Old Business A. Update on Recreational Facility Task Force Higgins and Oswald gave Commission members an update on the upcoming community open house that will be occurring on Tuesday, November 18th from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at the Farmington Middle School East Cafetorium. They also commented that there would be a presentation at 6:00 p.m. and at 7:00 p.m. at the open house that would provide information on how the task force came up with its recommendations. They indicated that there were a number of flyers and other publicity tactics used to inform the community about this open house. . B. Update on Meadowview Park Master Plan Director Distad provided an update on the park master plan for Meadowview Park. He informed Commission members that the recommended master plan will be going before the City Council on Monday, November 17th . for its consideration and approval. Chair Oswald indicated that he will be attending the City Council meeting in the event that there are questions that are raised about the process that the Commission followed. VI. New Business A. Selection of MUSA Committee Member Chair Oswald asked if any Commission members would be interested in serving on this Committee. Johnson thought that someone whose seat was up for reappointment next year would be a good choice. Motion by Ruth and seconded by Johnson to nominate Oswald for the MUSA Review Committee. APIF. B. Naming the Park in the Giles Addition Development After some discussion, Silver Springs Park surfaced as a possible name for the park. Motion by Higgins and seconded by Ruth to recommend to the City Council to name the park area in the Giles Addition as Silver Springs Park. APIF. D. Review City Aerial Map to Determine Future Park and Open Space Locations Due to time constraints, very little discussion ensued about the future park and open space locations. Most of the discussion was centered on making sure that current undeveloped wooded areas be included with parks. It was decided that the discussion would resume at its November 19th retreat. VII. Additions to the Agenda There were no additions to the agenda. VIII. Staff Report There was no staff report given. ~ . IX. December Agenda Items The following items were suggested to be included on the December meeting agenda: . Update on Depot Way Arts Park . Skate Park review . Meadowview Park Master Plan update . Update on Recreational Facilities Community Open House . PRAC retreat review . Tamarack Park playground . Discussion on time line for development of parks C. Attend the Planning Commission's Public Hearing on the Trail Master Plan Commissioners meeting moved to the Council Chambers where they attended the Trail Master Plan Public Hearing. Both Buringa and Chair Oswald spoke in support of the trail plan saying that it was a good thing to have in place for the City's future. X. Adjournment Moved by Ruth and seconded by Johnson to adjourn the meeting. Meeting was officially adjourned at 8:23 p.m. ~es ectfully Submitted, ~/ ~~ Randy Di tad, CPRP Parks and Recreation Director and Recording Secretary . . Farmington Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes from the Regular Meeting on December 10, 2003 Member's Present: Randy Oswald, Dawn Johnson (arrived at 6:10 p.m.), Paula Higgins and Debra Ruth Member's Absent: Mike Buringa Other's Present: Parks and Recreation Director, Randy Distad I. Call To Order Chair Oswald called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. at the City Hall Council Chambers. Quorum was present. II. Approval of Agenda. Motion by Higgins and seconded by Ruth to approve the Agenda as written. APIF III. Approval of Minutes. Motion by Ruth and seconded by Higgins to approve the November 12, 2003 meeting minutes as written. APIF IV. Presentations (None) V. Old Business A. Update on Meadowview Park Master Plan Director Distad notified Commission members that the Meadowview Park Master Plan was presented at the November 17, 2003 City Council meeting and received a lot of discussion. It was tabled to the December 1, 2003 City Council meeting. It was then tabled at the December 1, 2003 City Council meeting to the December 15th City Council meeting due to not all City Council members not being at the meeting due to illness. . B. 2004 Goals The Commission members reviewed the goals and action plan for 2004 that were identified during the Commission's retreat in November. The four goals identified were: 1. IdentifY locations for future City park and open space. 2. Develop an orientation packet for new Park and Recreation Advisory Commission members. 3. Work on a recommendation to the City Council regarding the construction of new recreational facilities based on the Recreational Facilities Task Force's recommendations. 4. Continue to foster a good working relationship with the City Council. Higgins moved and Johnson seconded to approve the Commission's 2004 goals. Voting in favor: Higgins, Johnson and Oswald. Abstaining from the vote: Ruth. Motion passes. VI. New Business A. Depot Way Arts Park Distad provided information about current issues that are faced in the Depot Way Arts Park concerning vandalism. Distad also requested that the Commission provide him with some direction on how future new art sculptures should be added to the park. By Commission consensus it was agreed that Distad should continue to work with the Dakota Valley Arts Council in regards to the selection and adding of art pieces to the park and that any future pieces that are recommended to added, should be brought before the Commission for approval. . B. Skate Park Review Distad provided information to Commission members in regards to this past years skate park season. There were several issues identified including vandalism, supervision and cleanliness of the facility. Some suggestions for improvements included: new location, paid supervisor and enclosing the facility with fencing. The Commission determined that the skate park should continue to stay in its present location until after the recreational facility task force's final report is given to the City Council because the skate park will be addressed in the final report. . C. 2004 Playground Equipment Purchase for Tamarack Park and Silver Springs Park Commission members provided some direction about the type of playground equipment that should be specified for Tamarack and Silver Springs Parks. Commission members would like to see at a minimum the following pieces of playground equipment be included when a Request for Quotes is sent to vendors for Silver Springs Park: climbing apparatus and a tree house theme. Commission members did not seem to have a preference for any specific pieces of playground equipment in Tamarack Park. D. Discussion on the Timeline for Park Master Planning, Park Development and Park Re-Development Distad reviewed an early draft of a schedule that he has started putting together that concerns the planning and improving of City parks. He asked if Commission members felt that the schedule should be further identified. Commission members seemed to like the schedule and directed Distad to continue developing the schedule and to bring it back at a future meeting for further review. E. Dakota County Regional Park Discussion Distad informed Commission members of a potential Dakota County regional park being developed in Empire Township just east of the regional wastewater treatment plant and north of County Road 66. Distad stated that the County Board will be taking up this matter at their next Board meeting and will be voting on whether or not the County Parks Department should move forward with master planning the area and entering into negotiations for the purchase of the property. He also stated that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is interested in this property as a Wildlife Management Area and an Aquatic Management Area. Commission members were urged to contact County Commissioner Joe Harris and inform him of their support for the regional park in this location. VII. Additions to the Agenda (None) . VIII. Staff Report (None) IX. December Meeting Agenda Topics The following items were identified for the January 2004 meeting agenda: . Discussion of the election of the 2004 Commission Chair . Review draft park master planning and park development schedule . Update on Meadowview Park Master Plan . Update on Dakota County Regional Park . Update on Farmington Youth Hockey Agreement . Update on Trail Master Plan . Rambling River Park Discussion X. Joint Meeting with Recreational Facility Task Force The Commission met jointly with the Recreational Facilities Task Force and discussed the format for the final recreational facility report to the City Council. XI. Adjournment Motion by Ruth and seconded by Higgins to adjourn the meeting. APIF'. Meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m. &C~Y>>Zl ~lad, CPRP . Parks and Recreation Director and Recording Secretary