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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.14.24 Parks and Rec Minutes Farmington Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes from the August 14, 2024 Regular Meeting Members Present: Megan Merricks, Cody Fishman, Katie Putt, David McMillen, and Katharine Caron Members Absent: Other’s Present: Parks and Recreation Director Kellee Omlid I. Call Meeting to Order Chair Fishman called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Quorum was present. II. Approval of August 14, 2024 Meeting Agenda Moved by McMillen and seconded by Putt to approve the meeting agenda. All persons in favor (APIF). Motion carried. III. Approval of July 10, 2024 Regular Meeting Minutes Moved by Merricks and seconded by McMillen to approve the meeting minutes with no revisions. APIF. Motion carried. IV. Presentations A. Public Comments There were no public comments shared at the meeting. V. Business Items A. Rambling River Park Playground Equipment Ribbon Cutting Director Omlid reviewed the cancellation due to inclement weather of the Rambling River Park playground equipment ribbon cutting on July 31. Dairy Queen was going to be at the event selling ice cream treats. Commission discussed the ribbon cutting being included as part of the parks and facilities tour with the Rambling River Center Advisory Board and city council on Wednesday, August 28 at 6 pm. The tour schedule already included Rambling River Park. Motion by Caron and seconded by Merricks to approve the Rambling River Park playground equipment ribbon cutting to be held Wednesday, August 28 at 6:30 pm. APIF. Motion carried. VI. Discussion Items A. Review Parks and Facilities Tour with Empire Parks and Recreation Commission The consensus was the parks and facilities tour with Empire Parks and Recreation Commission was beneficial and should alternate every other year with a meeting. The commission was very impressed with Town Hall Park and all the new improvements including parking lot, trail, playground equipment, pickleball courts, and native plants. Having the tour in August was a good time of the year. A suggestion was to have reference sheets about the parks, improvements, etc. printed and handed out for the tour. There was discussion if it would be beneficial to meet and partner with other cities and commissions. This could be explored if the commission wants to. B. 2024 Work Plan Progress Director Omlid reviewed the progress of the goals and objectives of the 2024 work plan. Commissioner Caron arrived at 7:43 pm. VII. Commission Roundtable McMillen: Didn’t have anything to share. Putt: Mentioned there is advertising on the ball field fences at King Park in Lakeville and asked about the ball fields in Farmington. There is a sign ordinance in city code that prohibits signs on fence. There is advertising at the Schmitz-Maki Arena with the monies received deposited into the Arena budget. Caron: Didn’t have anything to share. Merricks: Didn’t have anything to share. Fishman: Didn't have anything to share. VIII. Staff Report/Updates Director Omlid provided information on the following: A. DNR Outdoor Recreation Grant Staff received feedback on the City’s DNR Outdoor Recreation Grant application, which included (1) budget, need to confirm all site amenities are fixed-in place, (2) rec site plan, anything labeled as “new” but is outside of grant should be clearly marked as future development in a legend, (3) need photos of all existing park facilities, and (4) rec site plan, make it clear throughout the park which are existing walkways and if any are new but outside scope of work that should also be clear. The City’s application score was 59 and the range of awarded projects was 62-73. Feedback also included there were a few applicants ahead of us, but we landed very close to the cutoff and it’s a good project and highly competitive. B. Rambling River Park and Veteran’s Pavilion The City requested $350,000 for FY 2025 Community Project Funding for the Rambling River Park Veteran’s Pavilion. Congresswoman Angie Craig submitted the project to the House Appropriations Committee for funding consideration and will be visiting Rambling River Park on Thursday, August 29 at 10:45 am. Senator Amy Klobucher and Senator Tina Smith submitted the project to the Senate Appropriations Committee for funding consideration as well. The Senate Appropriations Chair released the preliminary bill language for the Senate appropriations bill and, unfortunately, the project wasn’t included in the language. C. Rambling River Center Renovations Staff met with the architects and engineers yesterday. They are continuing to work on construction documents. The first construction cost estimate was issued on July 30. The estimated construction cost of $1,988,927 is coming in right under the budgeted construction cost of $1,992,000. D. Tanaka Murder Mystery on the Rambling River Express Tanaka, a non-profit whose mission is to combat social isolation, is partnering with the Rambling River Center to host a “Murder Mystery on the Rambling River Express”. This free family event is tomorrow night at the Rambling River Center. Registration starts at 6:30 pm and the event begins at 7 pm. The Rambling River Model Railroad Club will participate in the event by having the trains running. E. North Creek Greenway – Rambling River Park to Mystic Meadows The Transportation Advisory Board selected projects to receive federal Regional Solicitation funding and Active Transportation funding at its July 17 meeting. The selected projects will be on the August 28 Metropolitan Council agenda for concurrence. For the projects selected, an official award letter will be sent in September with information on the specific award, the program year of the funds, and the grants management contract. The Rambling River Park to Mystic Meadows trail received Active Transportation funding. F. Mystic Meadows Trail A resident built a new pool in their backyard and the pool contractor used the new trail to access the backyard. Heavy machinery and equipment were driven on the trail causing damage. Staff is receiving quotes from contractors to repair the trail and will then work with the city attorney for restitution. G. Dakota County Request for Proposals for Design Engineering for New Sections of Greenway Request for Proposals for design engineering for new sections of the greenway including the trails through Rambling River Park are due Friday. H. Wayfinding Plan Director Omlid showed the proposed signs and sign locations as part of the Wayfinding Plan. Commission’s feedback included (1) visually liked the different signs, (2) thought they were nice, clean, and easy to read, (3) really liked the distance feature on the signs, (4) asked if more park kiosks can be added in the future to parks and trails, (5) asked if there was going to be an accessibility feature (i.e., braille, large print), (6) didn’t like the signs in the middle of roundabouts. Thought they should be before or after, and (7) asked if there could be a QR code (make them more interactive), which could provide different routes and mileage to travel. Director Omlid will provide the feedback to Community Development. I. Pilot Knob Road Trail Draft Feasibility Report Bolton & Menk is updating the draft feasibility report for Pilot Knob Road Trail preliminary design. The trail layouts and feasibility report will be presented to city council at their September 3, 2024 meeting. IX. Meeting Agenda Topics The following items were tentatively identified by the commission for its September 11, 2024 meeting agenda: 1. Rambling River Park Fence X. Adjournment Moved by McMillen and seconded by Caron to adjourn the meeting. APIF. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 8:22 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Kellee Omlid Parks & Recreation Director and Recording Secretary