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PR 09/11/2000 - 00008360CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING —SEPTEMBER 11, 2000 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Kondrick called the September 11, 2000 Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 7:09 p. m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Dave Kondrick, Marcy Sibell, Tim Solberg, Dick Young Others Present: Jack Kirk, Director of Recreation & Natural Resources Paul Lawrence, Superintendent of Public Works Debbie Kidder Eric Bjorklund H. Bjorklund APPROVAL OF AUGUST 7, 2000 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION by Mr. Young, seconded by Mr. Solberg, to approve the minutes of the August 7, 2000 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR SEPTEMBER 11, 2000 MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Mr. Young, to approve the agenda for the September 11, 2000 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. 1. STAFF REPORT a. Program Update Mr. Kirk stated that the summer activities have ended and by all accounts, the programs went very well. The beach at Moore Lake closed on Sunday, August 13t". The fall softball leagues began the week of August 14t" with 58 teams registered. Fall registration for many of the after school and evening programs is underway. The seasonal department activities brochure was delivered to homes within the past two weeks. Mr. Kirk also stated that a new part-time naturalist, Kathy Hagen, has been hired to assist with environmental education program at Springbrook Nature Center. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — September 11, 2000 Paqe 2 b. Park Maintenance Report Mr. Lawrence stated that the seasonal workers are now gone for the year and it is a challenge for the remaining full time workers to keep up with all of the mowing. A lot was accomplished this past year with the new playground installations and all of the support given the on-going recreation programs. Mr. Lindquist has provided a written maintenance report that is included in the agenda packet. c. William Nee Memorial at Springbrook Nature Center Mr. Kirk stated the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation has scheduled a Community Celebration honoring former Mayor William J. Nee on Sunday, September 24t" at 4:30 p.m. at Springbrook Nature Center. The Parks and Recreation Commission members are invited to join other special guests at a reception starting at 3:30 p.m. d. Spring Lake Restoration Efforts Mr. Kirk stated that there was a recent meeting of a group that was organized to promote some improvements to Spring Lake. The water level at Spring Lake is extremely low at the present time, at least four feet below the normal level. The appearance of this lake is poor and the recreational uses are very limited with this current water level. The southern portion of the lake is actually in the City of Fridley and we are being asked to be supportive in the efforts to restore this lake. The "Save Spring Lake" group was very interested in having the St. Paul Regional Water System divert some water into the lake to increase the water level and there may be an opportunity to do this. It will likely take the support of a number of governmental units and agencies to make this happen. Mr. Kirk will report back to the commission with any updates on this project. e. Grant Funds for Soccer Fields Mr. Kirk reported that the Fridley School District and the City of Fridley have submitted a joint application to the State of Minnesota for grant funds to develop some new soccer fields in the community. Interest and participation in soccer continues to grow and providing enough game and practice facilities has been a challenge in the past couple of years. A recent meeting was held with City, School and FYSA soccer representatives to discuss the facility needs of the sport. It was decided that the best place to develop additional soccer fields is the area to the northwest of Fridley Middle School. The City Council and the District 14 School Board in support of this project have passed a resolution and the application for grant funds has been submitted. We expect to hear on the status of the grant application later this fall. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — September 11, 2000 Paqe 3 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Neighborhood Park Concerns — Debbie Kidder Mr. Kirk stated that Debbie Kidder, a resident of the Creekridge Park area had recently contacted him regarding some problems occurring at the park, Ms. Kidder had requested the opportunity to be placed on the agenda of the September meeting and address the members of the Parks and Recreation Commission with the concerns of the neighborhood. Ms. Kidder stated that she would first like to thank the Commission for all the work that has been done at Creekrigde Park. The new play equipment and tennis court surfacing look great. Unfortunately they are experiencing some problems with youth that have been gathering at the park. It is alarming to see the inappropriate behavior being exhibited by these young people, estimated in age ranging from 5 to 12. These kids use offensive language, are constantly mocking other park users, and have been spitting on the play equipment so others can't use it. There is also a considerable amount of underage alcohol, tobacco and drug use occurring at the park. Mr. Bjorklund stated that these kids are also urinating at the park and have been causing vandalism to the park equipment. He also stated that the park needs more garbage cans, as garbage is often lying all over. Ms. Kidder stated that the park is very dark at night and asked about the possibility of a security light in the area of the park shelter and the play equipment. Also, the tennis court lights have not been working for some time now. Mr. Young stated that the neighbors need to call 911 to report the problems when they are occurring so the police can respond and deal with the problem. He further stated that the individual making the call can state that they want to remain anonymous. The police dispatcher should make note of this and the police do not have to come to your house to get information. Mr. Kirk stated that there was a similar problem with inappropriate behavior of some park users at Springbrook Park a couple of years ago. Mr. Kirk said that he suggested to the parents of the young children that they take turns supervising the park area each night. The parents did that and it helped alleviate the problems that some of the older, unsupervised kids were causing. Mr. Young suggested that the neighborhood work with their neighborhood police officer on this problem. Perhaps a flyer could be handed out to all the neighbors to alert them of the problems and list the city ordinances that pertain to park use. Ms. Kidder stated that she also has some serious concerns about the park at Moore Lake. On a recent bike ride through the park she saw many people drinking alcohol in the picnic shelters and harassing other park users. She stated that there may be a need for a supervisor at that park because of the heavy use in the summer months. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — September 11, 2000 Paqe 4 Mr. Young stated that maybe the City needs to strengthen the picnic shelter rental application and state that the person receiving the permit will be held responsible for the behavior of all members of the group using the shelter. We may want to specifically point out to them the ordinance that prohibits use of alcohol in the park. The Commission members asked that the information shared by the Creekridge Park area neighbors be shared with the police. They thanked Debbie Kidder and the Bjorklunds for attending the meeting. b. Skating Locations — 2000 —'01 Season Mr. Kirk stated that he is recommending several adjustments to the skating and warming house locations for the upcoming season. Most of the skating rinks have seen very limited use the past couple of winters. The weather has been very mild and this could be a significant factor. The changes are as follows: 1. The hockey rink at Moore Lake would be eliminated and there would be no warming house at this location. 2. The track at the Fridley Middle School would be flooded as a general skating oval to complement the two hockey rinks at Commons Park. 3. We would provide six warming houses this winter compared to the seven of last year (with the closing of Moore Lake). The warming house locations would be Commons Park, Flanery Park, Hayes Elementary School, Madsen Park, Ruth Circle Park, and Stevenson Elementary School. MOTION by Mr. Young, seconded by Mr. Solberg, to approve the skating locations as recommended by staff. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. c. Skateboard Parks Mr. Kirk stated that the Parks and Recreation Commission has had some previous discussions regarding the development of skateboard and in-line skating facilities in our park system. These types of facilities are being provided in several metro communities and are being met with a positive response and significant numbers of users. Mr. Kirk provided the Commission members with several written articles on skateboard / in- line skating facilities that have been opened recently. Hopkins, Chanhassen, and Shoreview have each opened these special use facilities. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — September 11, 2000 Paqe 5 Ms. Sibell stated that she thought the City should be looking at providing a facility as the Commission has discussed in the past. There are many local youth that would make regular use of such a facility. Mr. Kondrick stated that staff should research more definite dollar estimates for constructing the skateboard and in-line parks. What will it cost to maintain the facility as well. Mr. Young stated that we may want to conduct another survey at area schools to determine the number of youth that would make use of these types of parks. Staff was asked to do some more research and bring this item back on a future agenda. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to adjourn the September 11, 2000 meeting at 8:25 p.m. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE SEPTEMBER 11, 2000 MEETING ADJOURNED.