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PR 01/14/1981 - 31265t� 0 ^ CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATIOtJ COMMISSION MEETING � JANUARY 14, 1981 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Hughes called the January 14, 1981, Parks & Recreation Commission meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Members Absent: Others Present: Barbara Hughes, Dave Kondrick, Dick Young, Dan Allen Jan Seeger Charles Boudreau, Parks & Reereation Director Bill Danahue, 1316 Hillcrest Dr. N.E. APPROVAL OF DECEMBER 10, 1980, PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MIRUTES: Chairperson Hughes declared the minutes approved as written. APPROVAL OF AGENDA: The folloaring items were added to the agenda: "Knights of Columbus Annual Snow Days" - Item D under "Director's Report" "League of Women Voters" - Item A under "Chairperson's Report" "Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting Site" - Item B under "New Business" Chairperson Hughes declared the agenda adopted as amended. 1. DIRECTOR'S REPORT: A. Nature Center Facili� Update Dr. Boudreau stated they should be moving in�o the facility within a week.� They are not moving in unti] some minor things are corrected to their satisfaction. He stated the different colored panel in the kell wall has been replaced, and the new folding curtain for the front window has been installed. This should help provide security on the windows in the front. B. Winter Proqrams Dr. Boudreau stated winter registration�began on Monday, Jan, 12. ^ Registration has been unbelievable, and for only the third day of regist�°ation, it is topping any expectations they had. It looks like most of the programs will have waiting lists within a week. With ihe waiting list, they try to accommodate these people by arranging other,,,, � PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING, JANU�IRY 14, 1981 PAGE 2 '^ meeting places, other elasses, or ott�er instructors. They have the policy that non-residents rnust wait one week in order to let Fridley residents have the first op�ortunity. C. Jaycee's Donation Dr. Boudreau stated he was notified on Monday by Kurt Schrupp, President of the Fridley Jaycees, th�t the Jaycees will be forth- cor�ing with a donation and pledge of $6,000 to the City of Fridley for the purcnase of scoreboards at the new community park complex, with the stipulation that there be a sign identifying that the score- boards were purchased and donated by the Fridley Jaycees. The Jaycees hope that th e City Council will receive this gift in a two- year period--$3,000 in 1981 and $3,000 in 1982. Dr. Boudreau stated that the Jaycees have also expressed the opinion that,�even though they do not have any money, they are willing to donate manpower for whatever is needed at the nature center facility. D. Knights of Columbus Annual Snow Days Dr: Boudreau stated this was for the Commission's information. Each year the Knights of Columbus have an annual Snow Days. They have snowmobiling for the nuns at the new community park compiex. They ^ have been given permission to do that with proper insurance and the po7ice have been r�otified. He stated he has talked to them about the lack of snow, and if there is not enough snow, that event will not be held. But, the skating, lunch, bingo, and other activities will all be held. He stated he wanted the Commission to know that this is another group th�t the City assists and works with. Dr. Boudreau stated they also made a presentation to the Knights of Columbus Board regarding the community park complex, and the Knights of Columbus Board was fairly positive in terms of a donation towards the development of the new complex. This has been taken under advise- tr�nt, and that decision should be forthcoming within a month whether or not the Knights of Columbus will decide to help the City with that project. 2. CHAIRPERSQN'S REPORT: A. League of Women Voters Ms. Hughes stated that the League of t�ldmen Voters will be having two meetings this month in order to seek information about the community park complex and the recreation building. Mr. Allen will be speaking to the League on Jan. 14 and possibly on Jan. 27. Mr. A1len stated he was given four points the League would like ^ addressEd: (1) why the citizens' advisory committee was formed; (2) the build�ng proposition; (3) the history of the property; and (4) the philosophy of the Commission towards recreation. - PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING, JANUARY 14, 1981 PAGE 3 � Mr. Allen stated that if the Commission members had any information regarding the Commission's philosophy, he would be glad to hear i.t. Ms. Nughes stated she thought it has been fairly traditional for the�Parks & Recreation Commission and the recreation staff to have the philosophy that recreation is meant to be a participatory thing, not necessarily competitive. They also don't necessarily compete to offer a program if it is being offered adequately somewhere else. Dr. Boudreau stated the Staff's phi7osophy is as Ms. Hughes has 'stated, in that they try to fill the needs they see in the community and the interests people have expressed to them that is not being offered elsewhere or being offered at too high a price. They also have a working agreement with Community Education on program offerings. Ms. Hughes stated they also do not try to make money and they are trying to offer programs to every age group or interest group ranging from�preschoo7ers to the elderly,and passive to active. Mr. A1len thanked Ms. Hughes and Dr. Boudreau for that input. He stated he would also mention to the League of Women Voters his concern of the emphasis on the neighborhood aspect. ,--� 3. OLD BUSINESS: A. Citizen's Advisory Committee - Dan Allen Mr. Allen stated they have been meeting regular)y. He has been very impressed with the involvement of the people. Everyone is working very hard. Jack Hansen has been doing an exceptional job in chairing the meetings. The input has been excellent, and everyone is contri- buting. He stated they have had a lot of groups talk to the committee. They have heard from Tom Myrha of Community Education, the Fridley School District, and Jim Gilbert, Executive Director of the YMCA. Several members of the committee were assigned to visit different areas and report. Mr. Allen stated they have set up a calendar and have gotten things pretty well organized as far as plans, and it looks like they are gaing to make the March 1 target date. He stated they will be going on a tour Saturday to visit the Northwest Racquet and Swim Club, the gymnasium facility at North Hennepin Community College, the Northwest YMCA, and possibly the YMCA at Arden Hil]s. . Mr. Allen stated they will be waiting for the results of the survey sent out in the City Newsletter. They are going to start looking at priorities.and see if the needs are being met by different agencies in the area. � PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETIrdG, JANUARY 14, 1981 PAGE 4 � Mr. Allen stated the committee has realized that in order to make an accurate decision, they are going to need a professional to advise them on what a facility would cost. Ne stated the committee has asked him to approach the Parks & Recreation Commission, who in �urn can approach the City Council, to obtain funds to hire or acquire someone in this capacity. MOTION BY MR. YOUNG, SECONDED BY MR. KONDRICK, TO REQUEST THAT THE CITY COUNCIL PROVIDE FINANCIAL ASSZSTANCE TO THE CITIZEN5' ADVI50RY GOMMITTEE TO DETERMINE A COST ESTIMATE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A BUILDING AT THE COMMUNITY PARK.SITE. Mr. Bill Donahue stated he was the Chairman of the Gardena Committee, although he was at the meeting only as a citizen. He stated the committee had not seen any reason for knocking down Gardena School or turning it into a condominium when they knew there were peop]e looki,ng for a schoo]. He stated he wondered why the Commission was not ]ooking at Gardena School as a facility for recreation. Mr. Donahue stated he lives right behind Cardena. That school was closed for two years, and r►ot one person or child was allowed to go in and make use of that facility. The schools are not used all day Saturday or all day Sunday. All those gymnasiums are just sitting there. The pool at the Jr. High is open for an hour at a time for �' recreation. Mr. Donahue stated the Commission members pay taxes to the School Board. They have every right to speak up and get use of the schools and facilities, and how much effort has been done to do that? They are talking about spending money for gymnasiums and a pool, and these facilities are already here. That poo] does not belong to the School Board, but belongs to the citizens of Fridley. Ms. Hughes stated the Commission was not saying they were going to build a building on the park property. The whole reason for the Citizens' Advisory Committee is to see if there are any needs for a recreation building; and if there are, to tell the Commission what those needs are and how much it will cost to build it. They were also charged to ]ook at what other facilities are in the area to serve these needs. They have talked to all the pool directors. The decision on whether or not to build will not be made by this committee or the Parks & Recreation Commission, although the Corr�nission will make a recommendation to the City Council. , Ms. Hughes stated they have not been up to see Gardena School, but members of the committee do live r,ear by. She has been interested in other schools that have been closed in terms of alternate uses, and they do get together on a community education group which coordinates activities between the schoo] and the City, although this was a � difficult process. She stated she was in complete sympathy with Mr. Donahue. � ^. PARKS & RECREA7ION COMMISSION MEETIPdG, JANUARY 14, 1981 : PAGE 5 Mr. Donahue stated the point he was trying to make was that he, personally, did not see a need for a recreationa7 facility. Each school property arould be a terrific place to build tennis courts, for example, rather than having tennis courts a17 in one place. Mr. Allen stated the elementary schools have been discussed by the committee. They have a11 four school districts represented on the committee. It was the feeling of most of the committ�e members that in the past, the emphasis on recreation has been on the childr�n, �.nd they feel it is time to put emphasis on the adults. One thing brought up about the elementary schools is that those facilities are designed for children and thesize does not conform to adu7ts. He stated he could assure Mr. Donahue that there are several people on the committee who share his feelings. Ms. Hughes stated Mr. Donahue's point was extremely well taken and is something that needs to be remembered. UPON A VOICE VC�TE, ALL VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON HUGHES DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Continued: Joint Powers Agreement - Anaka County Dr. Boudreau stated this is the third time this has been on the agenda for some action by the Commission. According to Dave Torkiidson, the County has been given the.funds. The money is in the County's name in the bank from Metropolitan-Council for the purchase of Durham Island, the right-of-way easement behind Georgetown Apartments, and for the State's share of the monies to purchase the FMC property. On the FMC property, they nee� to await federal approval before they can go in and get appraisals, but they will start with appraisals on Durham Island �n�+ the parcel behind Georgetown Apartmenis. According to the Master Plan, it has been a regional park along the P�lississippi River; and in the Master Plan, they do include Islands of Peace section the Hayes River Lots,Chase's Island, and Gil Hodges Island. Dr. Boudreau stated this joint powers agreement does not differ much from the one passed for Locke Park. This was first brought to the Commission in November of 1979 under "Old Business", "County Develop- ment of the FMC Property". 1"his was when the County brought in the Master Plan. At that time, it was mentioned the City wauld have an agreement with the County of some I;ind. H� stated it behooves tt�e Commission to give the City Council a negative, positive, or no direction on how to handle the joint poavers agreement. Dr. Boudreau stated he has talked with Irene Maertens about this ^ joint powers agreement. She is an immediate neighbor to the Islands of Peace Park on Rivers Edge Way. She has had an opportunity to loak at the Joint Powers Agreement and the Master Plan. Her concerns wcre: PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING, JANUARY 14, 1981 PAGE 6 That the map shows that all of Chase's Island is owned by the City--not true. The County should be very accurate with maps shoEm in publicity and planning. Where is the bike trail going to leave Chase's Island--at the northern end by the chain link fence or at the schoo] yard? How is the County going to handle the boundary problem at the northern end so there is a definite boundary between park and private? MS. Hughes stated that Dick Harris, Chairman of the Planning Commission, who also lives in that area, indicated he thought there ought to be a neighborhood meeting with the County people. He would like to have Dave Torkildson come out and explain this, and Mr. Harris is going to try to accomplish this. MOTION BY 1�. KONDRICK, SECONDED BY MR. ALLEN, TO RECOMMEND TO THE CITY COUNCIL THAT THE JOINT POWER5 AGREEMENT BE ACCEPTED. UPON A VOICE VOTE, KONDRICK, ALLEN, AND YOUNG VOTING AYE,HUGHES ABSTAINING, GN1dIRPERSON HUGHES DECI.ARED THE MOTION CARRIED. Ms. Hughes stated she did not like the County's involvement in the City's parks, and that is the reason she would not vote for it. 4. NEW BUSINESS: A. Community Education Coordination Committee Report Dr. Boudreau stated this was for the Commission's information. He stated they received this document about a week before the Community Education Caordination Committee's last meeting on Thurs., Jan. 8th. Staffwise, they were quite shocked with the whole document. Dr. Boudreau stated they went into a cooperative agreement with Community Education for its face value. Nowhere was it mentioned in this report that it was on a trial basis. As far as the City is concerned, it has been a very cooperative agreement. Community Education has put it in writing that said the cooperative agreement was very good. Because of financial strains on their budget, all of a sudden, if this committee report is ap.proved by the School Board, the City would no longer have a cooperative agreement which wou]d tend to lead to competitive programming, and the City would lose its priority usage for the faci7ity. Not only would they drop in priority, but they would be subject to a pro-rated fee schedule if it is determined they have enrollment fees that result in profit. Dr. Boudreau stated they do not make a profit on any of the programs. Dr. Boudreau stated Staff was concerned with the contradictory state- ment made in Item #2 on page 1: "If no agency exists for meeting a particu7ar community need, Community Education will seek to interest local residents in developing a system to service that need." � �-. � � 0 � PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING, JANUARY 14, 1981 PAGE 7 Dr. Boudreau stated they felt Staff is doing a good job in meeting a lot of the leisure time needs and could do much more program-wise, but they don't because they do have a cooperative agreement with Community Education. Dr. Boudreau stated the whole thing is being looked at and will be discussed. The City Council is aware of it and will be meeting with the Schoo] Board. Jack Kirk is going to meet with the Finance Gommittee for Community Education. He stated he would try to keep the Commission informed on this item. B. Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting Site Mr. Young stated he thought it would be nice if the Commission could have their February meeting at the new nature center facility. They could have a tour of the building and get a better understanding of what�.the building wi11 be needing. MOTION BY MR. YOU'NG, SECONDED BY MR. KONDRICK� THAT, IF POSSIBLE, THE FEBRUARY 11, 1981, PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING BE NELD AT THE SPRINGBROOK NATURE CENTER BUILDING AND THAT THE PROPER NOTICES BE GIVEN TO THE PUBLIC. � UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL VOTING A YE, CHAIRPER50N HUGHES DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. ADJOURNMENT: Chairperson Hughes declared the January 14, 1981, Parks & Recreation Commission meeting adjourned at 9:16 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ���-� Lynn' Saba Recording Secretary �