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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.10.21 Parks and Rec Minutes Farmington Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes from the March 10, 2021 Regular Meeting Members Present: Laurie Suchanek, Elizabeth Koss, Katharine Caron, Brian Tennant and Ashley Crabtree Members Absent: None Other’s Present: Makayla Tennant, Bobb y Cammack, Ria Cammack, Sistine Hall, Betsy Hall, Chad Cammack, Cathy Cammack, Steve Cammack, Erik Rux, Stef Rux, Van Rux, Brynn Rux, Parks and Facilities Supervisor Jeremy Pire, Recreation Supervisor Ryan Hayes, Recreation Supervisor Missie Kohlbeck and Parks and Recreation Director Randy Distad I. Call Meeting to Order Chair Ashley Crabtree called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Quorum was present. II. Approval of March 10, 2021 Meeting Agenda Moved by Tennant and seconded by Koss to approve the meeting agenda. All persons in favor (APIF). Motion carried. III. Approval of February 10, 2021 Regular Meeting Minutes The meeting minutes were approved with no revisions identified. IV. Presentations A. Public Comments There were no public comments shared during the meeting. B. Skate Park Bobby Cammack, a resident from Farmington presented his idea to have a skate park constructed in Farmington. He cited the benefits the skate park would bring to the community. He also showed a model of what the skate park could look like. Chair Crabtree allowed members of the audience to speak and the following comments were provided: Makayla Tennant spoke in support of building a skate park in the community. She felt it would be good to have because people could walk or ride bike to a skate park instead of having to ask a parent to take them to a neighboring community’s skate park. Erik Rux spoke in support of a skate park being built in the community. He has lived in the community for 11 years and would like to have one built so his children could use it. Ria Cammack shared she supports having a skate park constructed in the community. It would provide a good outlet for kids to be active. She informed commission members she takes her kids to skate parks in other communities and sees it as a good safe place to hang out. Stefanie Rux informed commission members that her kids would use the skate park and it would provide an outlet for them to participate in a positive activity. Commission members thanked Bobby for his presentation and stated they were impressed with it. Director Distad shared that the skate park idea is not new to the city. He informed the audience and commission members that skate parks are changing in Minnesota and more are being built using concrete, which makes them more permanent, have a longer life, but cost more to construct. He shared that Rosemount spent about $300,000 on their skate park facility, which is constructed with concrete. He informed audience members the commission has discussed a skate park possibly being a part of a future park and recreation referendum and that a preferred location for a skate park would be in Jim Bell Park and Preserve. It is a community park that is centrally located and would have supporting facilities such as a park shelter and restrooms. He said the next step will be to have a discussion with the city council about a skate park to get some feedback from them. He thanked everyone who attended and said he would be in contact with them in the future. V. Business Items A. Park and Facilities Tour Schedule Director Distad shared the revised schedule was reviewed by the Rambling River Center Advisory Board (RRCAB) and they approved adding the community garden site visit to the schedule. He informed commission members if there were no other revisions to the schedule, then the commission should approve it, so it can be shared with the city council and RRCAB members who will be participating in the tour. Motion by Suchanek and seconded by Caron to approve the parks and facilities tour schedule. APIF. Motion carried. B. City Council Work Session A discussion occurred about possible dates and times for the commission to meet in a work session with the city council. Because council work session’s meet on the first Monday of the month at 5:00 p.m. it was decided by consensus that the preferred date to meet with the city council was Monday, April 5 and the back up date to meet was May 3. Director Distad said he would share these dates with City Administrator David McKnight to see if either one of the dates would work for the city council to meet with the commission in a work session setting. VI. Discussion Items A. Pickle Ball Courts A discussion occurred about providing pickle ball courts in Farmington. Director Distad shared that Farmington School District did construct four pickleball courts at the District Service Center site, so there are currently courts to play on. He informed commission members there was two ways to provide courts. The first was to build new courts. The second was to retrofit pickle ball courts on an existing court surface such as a basketball court or tennis court. Chair Crabtree asked about installing courts on one of the outdoor hockey rinks. Director Distad shared that portable courts were used on the hockey rinks, but it didn’t work very well. He asked if the commission would be interested in retrofitting pickle ball courts on the city’s tennis courts in Rambling River Park. He said this would be a location where there aren’t any residents immediately adjacent to the courts and the court would be lit. Commission member Koss thought it would be good to retrofit four pickle ball courts on just one tennis court, so that one tennis court could remain and would allow one tennis court being lit. Director Distad shared that this would work. He said there are funds approved to make surface improvements and paint new lines on the existing tennis courts and so one of the tennis courts could be converted to pickle ball courts when the surface improvements are scheduled to be made in 2021. He said if the commission was okay with this, then there should be a discussion with the city council during the work session about converting one of the tennis courts to four pickle ball courts. He felt that if the council supported this, then a public open house meeting could occur to get input from neighbors who live the closest to the courts and from pickle ball players in the community. The commission was generally in support of taking these steps. B. Review 2021 Work Plan Chair Crabtree reviewed the 2021 work plan goals and objectives. She noted the objectives that were completed prior to and at the meeting. There was general agreement that the April meeting agenda should include a discussion on some of the goals and objectives that have not had any action take on them yet. VII. Commission Roundtable Crabtree: Didn’t have anything to share. Koss: Didn’t have anything to share. Caron: Didn’t have anything to share. Suchanek: Didn’t have anything to share. Tennant: Asked if Rosemount had any skate park equipment that they no longer use, if the city could acquire it. Director Distad said he would contact the city to see if they have any skate park equipment available. VIII. Staff Report Director Distad provided information on the following topics: A. Outdoor Rinks and Warming Houses Warming houses were kept open a week later than scheduled due to the weather cooperating. It was good timing because as soon as the warming house closed on February 21, the weather got warmner and the rinks had to be shut down due to unsafe skating conditions. Attendance during this past ice season was really good and he expects the 2021 outdoor rink attendance numbers will exceed the 2020 attendance numbers. The weather has been perfect for skating outdoors and there has been good crowds at night for people skating. B. Park and Recreation Director Position Commission members were informed about the second round of interviews occurring on March 23 and will include five final candidates. Chair Crabtree and commission member Suchanek will represent the commission on a panel that will be receiving a presentation from each candidate on a pre-selected topic that was provide to candidates this week. At the same time as presentations occur, there will be a second panel of people who will be doing interviews in a different room in city hall. After all interviews and presentations are finished, then the group will come together and discuss a preferred candidate. C. Schmitz-Maki Arena Information was provided about when the winter ice season will conclude in March and when the turf season will begin in April. A new condenser will be installed in April during the turf season. IX. April 14, 2021 Meeting Agenda Items The following items were tentatively identified by Commission members for its April 14 meeting agenda: 1. Review 2021 work plan 2. Park and recreation director position 3. Work session meeting with city council 4. Skate park 5. Pickle ball 6. Bike pedestrian plan 7. Photo of PRC members 8. Volunteerism X. Adjournment Moved by Koss and seconded by Tennant to adjourn the meeting. APIF. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 8:22 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Randy Distad Parks and Recreation Director and Recording Secretary