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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02.12.25 Parks and Rec Minutes Farmington Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes from the February 12, 2025 Regular Meeting Members Present: Katharine Caron, Doug Pewowaruk, David McMillen, and Katie Putt Members Absent: Megan Merricks Other’s Present: Parks and Recreation Director Kellee Omlid, Planning Manager Tony Wippler, Steve Troskey (Lennar), Tom Lybeck, and Emily Hanson I. Call Meeting to Order Vice-chair McMillen called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Quorum was present. II. Approval of February 12, 2025 Meeting Agenda Moved by Putt and seconded by Caron to approve the meeting agenda. All persons in favor (APIF). Motion carried. III. Approval of January 8, 2025 Regular Meeting Minutes Moved by Putt and seconded by Caron to approve the meeting minutes with no revisions. APIF. Motion carried. IV. Presentations A. Introduction of New Parks and Recreation Commission Member Doug Pewowaruk introduced himself to the commission. Commission members introduced themselves and welcomed Doug to the parks and recreation commission. Staff and guests also introduced themselves. B. Public Comments There were no public comments shared at the meeting. V. Business Items A. Chair and Vice-Chair Elections Vice-chair McMillen called for nominations for the chair position. McMillen nominated Putt for the chair position and seconded by Caron. APIF. Motion carried. Newly elected Chair Putt asked for nominations for the vice-chair position. Putt nominated McMillen for vice-chair and seconded by Caron. APIF. Motion carried. B. Mystic Meadows Park Location Director Omlid provided on overview on the Mystic Meadows Second Addition Park and master plan process from 2006. The second addition never came to fruition; Lennar submitted a concept plan for the Harris property in December 2024. In the packet, there were three concept plans for city staff to review and provide feedback on the park location. Staff’s recommendation is to approve the concept with the park in the northwest corner. Lennar’s preference is the concept with the park in the northeast corner. Troskey stated Lennar prefers the park in the northeast corner as there are two pipelines that run through this area and can’t build homes on this, so it is dead space, it is a challenging site and is about number of houses that can be built to make the project proceed, and the North Creek Greenway is planned to go through this area. Emily Hanson is concerned about the traffic on Deerebrooke Path, safety, and wildlife if the park goes there. There is no sidewalk on the west side of Deerebrooke Path. Tom Lybeck is also concerned about the increased traffic on Deerebrooke Path with the possibility of the development of the Harris property. Also mentioned the concern of the construction traffic on Deerebrooke Path. As part of the development, Lennar will be required to put in the road to Diamond Path. The commission, staff, and guests asked and answered questions. Moved by McMillen and seconded by Caron to put the park in the northwest corner as shown in Concept Plan B and B2 and for staff to work with Lennar on number of acres dedicated for park land and cash in lieu of land to meet the dedication requirements. APIF. Motion carried. VI. Discussion Items A. Open Meeting Law Review The commission reviewed the open meeting law information from the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC). Director Omlid stated the best course of action is to discuss city business at the meetings and call staff with questions and/or if you need more information. B. Parks and Recreation Commission Bylaws Review The commission reviewed the parks and recreation commission bylaws. C. Playground Equipment for Westview Acres Park Director Omlid provided an overview of options for replacing playground equipment (5-12-year-old structure) at Westview Acres Park. Consensus from the commission was they weren’t interested in installing a traditional structure. They prefer a ninja / fitness course. Commission was also interested in involving the students at Boeckman Middle School (BMS) in picking out the new equipment. Director Omlid will seek proposals from playground vendors and then will work with BMS administration and commissioners on having the students involved in picking the equipment. D. 2025 Work Plan Progress Chair Putt reviewed the progress of the goals and objectives for the 2025 Work Plan. VII. Commission Roundtable McMillen: Didn’t have anything to share. Putt: Riverview Elementary School Multi-Age classes are still talking about when Director Omlid and Jay Webber came to visit to show the Rambling River Park playground equipment plan. Rosemount offers an open skate for children under 6 years old in the morning during the week; the cost is $2. Caron: There might be an opportunity to offer a QR Code Scavenger Hunt for middle school students. They have phones and are on them. Lakeville had a similar concept with their Easter egg hunt. Merricks: N/A Pewowaruk: Saw an article in the Pioneer Press that Lake Elmo Park Reserve is getting new playground equipment and the old equipment is going to Ecuador to be installed. VIII. Staff Report/Updates Director Omlid provided information on the following: A. Rambling River Center Renovations Director Omlid showed pictures of the progress on the Rambling River Center renovation project. Substantial completion is now anticipated to be in April. B. Work Session on Wayfinding Plan with Economic Development Authority (EDA) The work session with the Economic Development Authority (EDA) on the Wayfinding Plan will be Tuesday, February 18 at 5:30 pm at City Hall. C. Dakota County 2050 Vision Plan Presentation with City Council Dakota County Parks will be presenting their draft 2050 Vision Plan for parks, greenways, and natural systems during a city council and parks and recreation commission work session on Monday, March 3 at 5:00 pm at City Hall. D. Well No. 1 and Well No. 2 Abandonment One (1) bid was received for the Well No. 1 and Well No. 2 abandonment project. This is the building adjacent to the Rambling River Center green space. The base bid was 24.5% over the engineer’s estimate. This could be due to several factors including highly specialized work and winter conditions. The project is put on hold and the work might be done in phases. Based on the timing of the abandonment of the wells and demolition of the building there might be an opportunity for the Street Arts Class at Farmington High School to paint a mural on the north side of the well building. IX. Meeting Agenda Topics The following items were tentatively identified by the commission for its March 12, 2025 meeting agenda: 1. X. Adjournment Moved by Caron and seconded by Pewowaruk to adjourn the meeting. APIF. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 9:03 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Kellee Omlid Parks & Recreation Director and Recording Secretary