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PR 06/13/1979 - 31246s n � P.ARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING JUNE 13, 1979 CALL TO ORDER• Chairperson Barbara Hughes called the meeting to order at 7:33 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Barbara Hughes, Jan Seeger (arr. 7:55), Betty Mech, Dave Kondrick, Dick Young Members Absent: None Others Present: Charles Boudreau, Parks & Recreation Director Jerrold Boardman, City Planner APPROVAL OF MAY 16, 1979, PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES: � MOTION by Dick Young, seconded by Dave Kondrick, to approve the May 16, 19/9, Parks & Recreation Commission minutes as written. Upon a voice vote, all voting aye, Chairperson Hughes declared the motion carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Ms. Hughes stated that a"Request from Grace Evangelical Free Church" should be added to the agenda under "New Business" as Item E. i , ''��', Ms. Hughes stated she would like to revise the agenda to have Mr. Boardman's report on the "Comprehensive Development Plan" as the first item on the agenda. I. COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN: Mr. Boardman stated that, if the Commission was not aware of it, Ray Leek was no longer working for the City, and Mr. Leek had been the sole person working on the Comprehensive Development Plan. That was 3-4 weeks ago, and since that time, Mr. Boardman stated he had not been able to work on the Plan. Mr. Michael Franzen in the Planning Department was now working with him on the Plan, and they were starting to lay it out again and make modificatipns. Mr. Boardman stated a new person would be starting next week as Associate Planner, and this person would be in charge of comprehensive planning and various other projects, as well as being the staff person to the Environmental Quality Commission. His involvement with the Plan would probably be limited at this stage, and he would primarily be used as a review person. n PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING, JUNE 13, 1979 - PAGE 2 Mr. Boardman stated he hoped to get back to the Commission early in July with the revised Comprehensive Development Plan so they could get'on to the Planning Commission by the end of July. Ms. Hughes reported to the Commission that the Planning Commission had been having some discussions on the Plan, but were really concerned ��bout trying to follow its format. ,�ft�r an hour af discussion at one of their neetings, the Planning Commission decided to refer the Plan back to the Planning Depart- ment for the Planning Aepartment to come back with something that was more readable. Ms. Hughes stated she would like the Commission to call a special meeting the first part of July to review the Plan and m�ke recammendations before it went on to Planning Commission. II. DIRECTOR'S REPORT: A. Status of Grants: Metropolitan Council/LCMR Mr. Boudreau stated he wanted to bring the Cammission up to date on the status of grants they have working now. Metropolitan Council had allocated $365,000 for a visitors center plus improved parking lot, landscaping, and trail improvement at Springbrook Nature Center. City Council had approved with a 4- 1 vote the agreement with Metropolitan Council on how this is going to be implemented. They have the City Council's approval on retaining the services of an architectural firm, Design Consortium, Inc. A meeting is scheduled with the architects on June 14 with Jerrold Boardman, Siah St. Clair, City Naturalist, and himself to give the architects some thoughts and concerns from a naturalist's point of view, programming-wise, and so they can came up with some basic design for the facilities of what the C�ty would like to see. City Staff was looking at the following objectives: 1. 2. K� 4. Location on the land Usable inside space within a building that meets some of the minimum requirements of the naturalist program as they see it. Building design that will be very functional, yet as vandal- proof as possible. Some type of earth-sheltered building to try to conserve energy where possible and still fit into the environment. Mr. Boudreau stated that when the architects came up with a preliminary design or concept, they would either come back through the Commission/City Council process, or have another joint meeting with the Springbrook Nature Foundation, Parks & Recreation Co�ission, and the City Council to "tear apart" the concept, make constructive suggestions, and then go back to the arehitects for reworking. The time frame was such that they hoped to break ground yet this year with the hope of completion early next year. Ms. Hughes asked why� the Parks & Recreation Commission was not being involved in the concept of the design at this stage? And what kind of input did the Springbrook Nature Foundation have? 9 ^ 1 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING JUNE 13 1979 - PAGE 3 ^ Mr. Boudreau stated that when they were talking about a functional facilityl to operate a naturalist program, they hoped their naturalist, Mr. St. Clair� who will probably be the biggest user of that facility, could give that inp�t. As liaison person with the Springbrook Nature Foundation, Mr. St. Clair had''. gotten input from the Foundation on what they would like to see in this fac�lity. Mr. Kondrick stated that it was his feeling that the Commission could not '' provide any input at this point until they got some professional ideas and ', could then look for some flaws in the preliminary design. He did not feel '' he was equipped to contribute anything at this point. ' Mr. Young stated he agreed with Mr. Kondrick. I Mr. Young stated that in regard to the grant from the Metropolitan Council,', he would like to know what stipulations were made as to the use of that ne� facility at Springbrook Nature Center. At the meeting in May when the Commlission met with Design Consortium, Inc., Springbrook Nature Foundation, and the , City Council, Councilman Bob Barnette made it very clear in his opposition,, even five years after the referendum in the City of,Fridley, that he would', still like the nature center to become a municipal golf course. Mr. Young', stated that was his concern and was there any stipulation by Metropolitan Council that the building, once it was built, must be used for nature inte�- pretive services? � � Mr. Boudreau stated that it was Metropolitan Council's stipulation that th� building must be used for the manner in which it was intended for '-20 years; Mr. Boudreau stated that the other grant was a LAWCON grant for local park$. This grant they put in for the purchase of the property referred to as the'' Sears Property, but which is now referred to as the Bob Schroer Property. They were looking at a joint venture with Anoka County in acquiring the so�th 40-42 acres (from the power lines, across the middle of the property south' : to the south property line). ', Mr. Boudreau stated their main purpose in this LAWCON grant is to develop ', a high use, athletic area. Also in the planning, they put in a proposed a�ea for a recreation center building. LAWCON has acted and it.has gone througi� LCMR. The latest he has heard is that Fridley will soon be granted $200,a,00 to purchase the City's portion of that property which is 17-20 acres. Th�' purchase of that property should be completed in the near future with Mr.ISchroer. Shortly thereafter, Anoka County should have the remainder of the monies �rom Metropolitan Council to purchase the rest of the acreage. The thought is',to have a total development with the County and their bikeway/walkway trail ', systems route from Lino Lakes down along Rice Creek, through Ramsey, thro�gh the Locke Park property, through the Bob Schroer Property, down and conneqting to East River Road. The City's plan is to develop a complex of six softb�ll diamonds with the intent of removing the high use in the residential area',of Commons Park, making that area more of a central neighborhood park. ' � Mr. Boudreau stated they would be putting in another LAWCON grant next ye . for another $200,000 for the development of an outdoor facility. PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING JUNE 13 1979 - PAGE 4 (Ms. Seeger arrived at 7:55 p.m.) Ms. Seeger stated that she attended a meeting on Monday night which involved a proposal that the Northtown Corridor crossing swing down and cross on 85th. To her knowledge, the City of Fridley had chosen not to be included in this study because (from what information she had gathered) they thought the crossing was going to be further north. Now, a group of consultants that were hired have come up with four alternatives, one of which is crossing way down and very close to Fridley. This does concern Fridley residents in that one of Fridley's parks is very close. Ms. Seeger stated that at the meeting on Monday night, one of the things the consultants said was they were told first and foremost that parks were of th e utmost importance and, if at all possible, they were to shy away from crossing through parks. This was one of the reasons for the realignment� of the crossing--because of the Hennepin County parks. Now, they were coming closer to Fridley's parks, and she was a little unhappy that the City chose not to be included in the study. Ms. Seeger stated that as a Parks & Recreation Co�issioner, she was alarmed that Fridley was less important than the Hennepin County Park Reserve, She stated that one suggestion brought up at the meeting was to cross under the river. Considering the cost of the parks and property and the homes this crossing would be taking, this suggestion was not so ridiculous. � Ms. Seeger stated she felt the Commission could make some official statement ^ to go into the consultants' record that Fridley did have a large investment in North Park and should reiterate that Fridley's parks are very important and that the impact is for a much longer distance th �. what the consultants are saying--300 feet! Ms. Hughes stated she thought the Commission certainly should recognize the problem and officially ask for more information. Ms. Seeger stated that several cities, Hennepin County, Anoka County, and MnDOT, and Metropolitan Council hired this consultant and now this consultant has come in with their input. She felt the Commission should ask for one of those reports. She would also like the Commission to make a statement to the consultants that the Commission does not think the south corridor is environmentally safe. She would also recommend th at the City get involved in that study. MOTION by Betty Mech that the Parks & Recreation Commission send a letter directly to the consultants stating that the Commission is concerned with the Northtown bridge crossing and its impact on Fridley's parks. Seconded by Jan Seeger. Mr. Boudreau stated he felt just making City Council aware of this and that the Commission has some very strong eoncerns as a park advisory ccmmission in that the City should make all attempts to get involved directly, wherever possible at the earliest possible time, could be a recommendation that could ^ come from this Commission. He could try to get it on the_July 18th City , Council agenda. � PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING, JUNE 13, 1979 ___ - PAGE 5, Mr. Kondrick agreed with Mr. Boudreau. Ms. Hughes stated it sounded like the concensus of the Commission was that ' they recommend to Planning Commission and City Council that they investigat� and be very concerned about the choices of the Northtown Corridor routing , because of the possible impact on Fridley's parks and nature resource areas',. Ms. Mech withdrew her motion and Ms. Seeger withdrew her second. ' MOTION BY DAVE KONDRICK SECONDED BY DICK YOUNG TO RECOMMEND TO FLANNING COMMISSION AND CITY COUNCIL THAT THEY INVESTIGATE IMNNIEDIATELY AND BE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE CHOICES OF THE NORTHTOWN BRIDGE CROSSING AND ITS IMPACT nrT muF r.TR'v nF FRTDLEY'S NATURAL RESOURCES. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING -- AYE, CHAIRPERSON HUGHES DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UN N B. General Program Report Ms. Boudreau handed out to the Co�issioners a"1978 Evaluation" of its ', programs. He stated that, in brief, the Economic Equivalence Index is a � system theg have used to try and tie a dollar amount to the recreational , activities they have offered. On the second page, Mr. Kirk has explained ' well what the terms mean and how they were arrived at. Contained within tt�e booklet is a list of all�the activities they have offered, the number of ' � participants, and the total number of hours of participation, and a compar�.son between 1977 and 1978. ', Mr. Boudreau stated this was for informational purposes so that the Commis$ion could see what they were doing in-house to evaluate programs for the citiz�ns' benefit and welfare, and also to be used as a guide for program changing, , upgrading, etc. ; Mr. Boudreau stated that with this yearly report, he wanted to inf orm the ', Commission that the Park, Recreation and Natural Resources Department has ', €iled for a gold medal award with the Sports Foundation, Inc. They were sponsored by Dave�s Sport Shop. This is an award for excellence in the fi�ld of parks and recreation management. By July 17th, they will know whether or not they are one of the five finalists in their population category. I,If so, they will have to submit additional materials to be judged by a commit�tee. In October, if they are chosen, they will be presented with a large plaque',. He stated he hoped to get some attention nationally and hoped that some of'' their programs will be recognized for what they are. , III. NEW BUSINESS: A. Hockey/General Skating Areas 1979-1980 Mr. Boudreau stated that the Commissioners had a copy of the "Suggested I< Areas/Hockey Rink Locations" for 1979-80. He had met with Wayne Brandt, ^ President of the Hockey Association,to discuss their needs as far as the rinks were concerned for the youth hockey program. He had persuaded them to attempt a new system of scheduling games this year. As the Commission ie __� X;� _ � PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING, �tTNE 13, 1979 - PAGE 6 was aware, one of the major concerns about park planning was to eliminate organized games in the neighborhood..park areas so they could truly become neighborhood parks. This year they were going to rry scheduling all house league hockey games at the two Commons rinks. All girls broomball games will be played at Locke Park. So, primarily, they will be using only four rinks for organized hockey, as opposed to eight rinks last year. This should also open up more rinks for community use. They would also use two other rinks for practice for traveling teams only; however, he did not know to what extent the traveling teams would use the rinks. Mr. Boudreau stated he was suggesting 20 general ice areas as outlined on the attached map, trying to put a general rink into each section of the City, is possible. This year they were eliminating the use of Moore Lake and instead were trying to develop a piece of ice at Hackman Park. He .. stated that many of the general ice areas were divided with snow berms with general skating on one side and hockey on the other. Mr. Boudreau stated they also have a major change in the location of the hockey rinks. They are suggesting that they cut the rink out of Sylvan and Logan Park and combine these two rinks intc one and relocate at Stevenson School. The principal at Stevenson School is happy to have such a facility for use during the day for the school children and in the evening for the hockey players. He stated he was suggesting 10 hockey rinks for this season. MOTION by Dave Kondrick, seconded by Jan Seeger, to concur with Mr. Boudreau's ^ recommendations on the number and locations of the ice areas and hockey rinks ' for the 1979-80 season. Upon a voice vote, all voting aye, Chairperson Hughes declared the motion carried unanimouslv. B. Request - Jeff Gustafson Ms. Hughes stated that the letter from Mr. Gustafson was attached to the agenda. Mr. Gustafson wants to purchase a piece of land from the City in order to add an attached garage with a porch. The amount of land needed is a 20-25 foot wide strip along Mr. Gustafson's property line. Ms. Seeger stated she did not think the Commission wanted to get into this kind of situation and they would be setting a precedent for more requests of this nature. M4TION by Betty Mech, seconded by Dick Young, to deny the request by Jeff Gustafson. Upon a voice vote, all voting aye, Chairperson Hughes declared the motion carried unanimously. C. Proposed Park Tour Dates The Commission set Thursday, July 26, 1979, 6:00-9:00 p.m. for the annual tour of the parks. The Commissioners agreed that they would like to invite City Council members, Planning Commission members, Environmental Quality Camanission members, and Human Resource Couunission members, and City Staff � to join them on this tour. `�-' , .�.� ,. �. ,� . . - — �,.�..,.. PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING, JUNE 13, 1979 - PAGE 7 D. Budget for 1980 Mr. Boudreau reviewed the 1980 Capital Outlay budget with the Commission. He stated that the dollar amount for City Garage under "Parks" should be changed to $11,743, bringing the total budget to $135,403. He stated he would be meeting with City Council on June 25 to discuss this budget. MOTION by Jan Seeger, seconded by Dave Kondrick to recommend the 1980 Capital Outlay Budget to the City Council for apgroval. Upon a voice vote, all voting aye, Chairperson Hughes declared the motion carried:unanimously. E. Request - Grace Evangelical Free Church Ms. Hughes stated that the Commission had a letter from Roland Peterson, Church Chairman, asking that the City share in the installation of a cyclone fence between Madsen Park and the church property because of problems created by the park users. MOTION by Jan Seeger, seconded by Betty Mech, to receive the letter from Mr. Roland Peterson, Church Chairman, Grace Evangelical Free Church. Upon a voice vote, all voting aye, Chairperson Hughes declared the motion carried unanimously. ^ Mr. Boudreau stated he had informed the pastor of the church that it was the City's policy that if there was infringement on the neighbor adjacent to a park, the City will share the cost of a four-foot high cyclone fence which is placed o n the property owner�s property and the property owner is charged with maintenace of that fence. MOTION by Jan Seeger, seconded by Bet� Mech, to recommend to City Council, through Planning Commission, that the City adhere to its policy and share in the cost of a four-foot high cyclone fence between Madsen Park and Grace Evangelical Free Church. Upon a voice vote, all voting aye, Chairperson Hughes declared the motion carried unanimouslv. ADJOURNMENT: MOTION by Jan Seeger, seconded by Betty Mech, to adjourn the meeting. U pon a voice vote, all voting aye, Chairperson Hughes declared the June 13, 1979, Parks & Recreation Commission meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, C''�}�'�7�,'f;-�., �1��.CL-GC.� Lynzle Saba Recording Secretary ^