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09/15/2003 - 00028666CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING —SEPTEMBER 15, 2003 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Kondrick called the September 15, 2003 Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 7:02 p. m. ROLL CALL: Members Present Others Present Dave Kondrick, Marcy Sibell, Tim Solberg, Dolores Varichak, Dick Young Jack Kirk, Director of Recreation & Natural Resources Dave Lindquist, Parks Supervisor Chairperson Kondrick extended a welcome to new Commission member polores Varichak. He stated that the Commission members looked forward to her input on issues and discussions about our parks and recreation programs. APPROVAL OF AUGUST 4, 2003 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION by Ms. Sibell, seconded by Mr. Solberg, to approve the minutes of the August 4, 2003 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR SEPTEMBER 15, 2003 MOTION by Mr. Young, seconded by Mr. Solberg, to approve the agenda for the September 15, 2003 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 been completed during the last month and many of the fall activities have now started. The summer programs went very well and we had very few weather related problems. There were very few athletic contests rained out this past year with the very dry season. Mr. Kirk also stated that a program update was included in the agenda packet for the information of the Commission members. The update identifies some of the activities completed since the last Commission meeting. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — September 15, 2003 Paqe 2 b. Park Maintenance Report Mr. Lindquist stated that the Park Maintenance workers have been doing general park upkeep projects for the past couple of months. In addition to mowing on a regular basis, they have been pruning the landscaped areas and cleaning the park facilities. They have also been doing a lot of painting of the park facilities. Mr. Young stated that he had noticed some wear on the deck areas of the playground equipment at Commons Park. The deck is made of an expanded metal that is coated with a rubberized material. The material has worn away completely in places and the metal decking appears to be rusting. Mr. Lindquist stated that some of this may be due to some of the older youth going on the equipment with soccer shoes with cleats. Ms. Sibell asked about the County bike trail by Edgewater Gardens Park that is closed. Mr. Lindquist stated that there was a washout and trail damage that required the trail to be closed. He was unaware of the timetable to reopen by Anoka County. c. Springbrook Nature Center Funding Status Mr. Kirk stated that Springbrook Nature Center has been in the local news and has been the center of much discussion during the past several months. The City Council had a special meeting with the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation in July to discuss options for keeping the programs and staffing at the nature center. At the September 8t" City Council meeting, the City Council considered having a referendum in November to ask the voters for additional property tax dollars to support the Nature Center. The Council needed at least four votes from the five council members in order to proceed with putting the question on the ballot. There were not enough votes in favor of putting it on this year's ballot. The City Council does appear to want to put this question on the 2004 election ballot. Mr. Kirk further stated that this action does force the question of what happens to Springbrook Nature Center for next year. There appears to be an agreement that the City, at some level, should fund the Springbrook operation for 2004, to carry forward the nature center programs and services until the question is voted on next fall. A sub-committee will be formed to look at an appropriate budget level for Springbrook to present to the City Council for consideration. The Committee will be made up of representatives of the City Council, the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation, the Parks and Recreation Commission and City staff. The City Council has there next budget planning meeting set for October 20t" and would like to have this SNC budget information available at that meeting. The City may opt to fund the Springbrook operation from the City's reserves or they may want to make additional cuts in the City programs to accommodate dollars for the nature center. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — September 15, 2003 Paqe 3 Mr. Kondrick stated that there was a petition circulated to support putting the question on this fall's ballot. There were over three thousand signatures supporting this direction. There was some question by the City Council as to the information being presented to people when asking them to sign the petition. The City Council also was considering putting several other questions on the ballot to support increases in funding for the water, storm water and sewer rates. Those questions will also be waiting until the 2004 election. Mr. Kondrick further stated the City Council is very concerned, and rightfully so, about using the reserve money and placing the City in a poor financial position. The City will also be looking at ways to bring in more revenue from the Springbrook programs and services and also to have the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation contribute dollars to directly support the nature center operation. There is still a lot of ground to be covered regarding the funding and operation of Springbrook Nature Center for next year and in to the future. Mr. Kirk stated that the City will likely be calling upon one or more members of the Parks and Recreation Commission to help with the work on a budget for Springbrook in 2004. d. Fridley Youth Sports Association Mr. Kirk stated that he is pleased to report that the Fridley Youth Sports Association did not disband at its meeting in August. Volunteers stepped forward to take on the leadership positions for the Association and they are going to continue to run the sports programs for the young people in our community. The City will continue to support the Association with scheduling assistance and providing the ball field facilities to operate the programs. The school district is being very supportive with facilities as well. The cooperative effort should provide for a good program for years to come. 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Winter Athletic Fees Mr. Kirk stated that staff has provided the Commission with a recommended fee schedule for the adult athletic leagues this winter. There is an increase in most of the fees. We try to cover all direct costs of the activity and bring in some additional fees to help with the administrative costs. Since other neighboring communities offer similar athletic programs, we need to be competitive in our pricing and not charge fees that are much higher than other comparable programs. Mr. Kirk further stated that the recommended fees for the leagues are as follows: • Wednesday Men's Basketball $430 • Thursday Men's Basketball $430 • Co-Rec Volleyball $ 95 • Co-Rec Broomball $220 • Men's Broomball $220 • Boot Hockey $240 Mr. Kirk stated that he would recommend approval of the fees. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — September 15, 2003 Paqe 4 MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Ms. Varichak to approve the staff recommended 2003- 04 Adult Winter Athletic League Fees. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. b. Soccer Tournament Request — Fridley Heights Soccer Club Mr. Kirk stated that Fridley Heights Soccer Club has requested use of the Commons and Locke Park soccer fields for a fund raiser tournament next May. This group has run several successful tournaments in the past and staff would recommend approval of the request with fees applicable to various services supplied by the City. The following fee structure would be recommended: •$60 fee for each existing soccer field used for the tournament •$200 for each new field that requires layout and lining •$50 for the use of the Commons Park shelter as tournament headquarters • payment for an additional garbage dumpster to handle the tournament waste (approx. $175) • payment for any additional portable toilet facilities • payment for any additional servicing of the toilet facilities MOTION by Mr. Young, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to approve the request by the Fridley Heights Soccer Club to use the Commons and Locke Park soccer facilities for a tournament on May 21-23, 2004. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. c. Skating Rink Locations Mr. Kirk stated that he has talked with Mr. Lindquist about the skating rink locations and the number of rinks that the park maintenance staffing level would allow the City to provide this coming winter. Staff is recommending the same rink locations as last year, however, it should be pointed out that the reduced City budget has cut all of the warming house attendants. The rinks would be open for skating, but there will not be a warming house available. Mr. Lindquist stated that they should be able to handle the recommended rinks. In the case of a snowfall that requires plowing, the sweeping and flooding of rinks will take longer as the street plowing is the priority. Mr. Kirk stated that he would like to see at least one warming house available for use in the community this year, preferably Commons Park. At Commons, we have two hockey rinks, the skating oval and the sliding hill. It is a good central location in our city. He would like to seek donations to provide a warming house attendant at Commons. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — September 15, 2003 Paqe 5 Ms. Sibell asked what it would cost to put a warming house attendant at Commons. Mr. Kirk stated that it would cost around $3,000 for the days and hours that we have covered in the past. We could reduce the hours and thus reduce the costs for an attendant. Mr. Young stated he would like to see us eliminate all hockey rinks that would be at a site that did not have a warming house. This would eliminate all hockey rinks except at Commons Park. With the significant budget cuts, we should be cutting back to save on the costs of maintaining these skating facilities. Mr. Lindquist noted that without a warming house attendant at many of the sites, there will not be lighting available. The attendants turned on and off the lights each night. The hours for skating during the week will be greatly reduced at the locations without lights on. Some of the skating locations have lights on a timer, so they will still be okay for nighttime use. There will be some savings to the City by not having the lights on. Mr. Kirk stated that the City will not be renting portable trailers at Stevenson and Madsen to serve as warming houses. There will be some cost savings as a result. Mr. Young suggested that when it comes time to replace the boards for some of these hockey rinks, that we eliminate that skating location instead of spending the money for a replacement faci I ity. Mr. Kondrick stated that looking at reducing the number of rinks in the future may be necessary depending on future budget situations. The Commission will likely have to address this issue in future years. MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Ms. Varichak, to approve the staff recommended skating and hockey rink locations for the winter of 2003-2004. UPON A VOICE VOTE, COMMISSION MEMBERS KONDRICK, SIBELL, SOLBERG AND VARICHAK VOTING AYE AND COMMISSION MEMBER YOUNG VOTING NAY, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. d. Scorekeeper Building at Commons Ball Field Mr. Kirk stated that Dave Lindquist has asked that this item be placed on the meeting agenda. The scorekeepers building at Commons#2 is in very poor condition and is rarely used by City programs anymore. Should the City continue to pour money into fixing a building we don't use or should it be torn down. Mr. Lindquist stated that the building has stored bases and a pitching machine, but we could place a secure construction box on the site to store equipment. Ms. Varichak stated that the youth girl's softball program uses the field and keeps some equipment at the building. She thought they would like to continue to use the scoreboard as well. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — September 15, 2003 Paqe 6 Mr. Lindquist stated that the scoreboard could still be used and they would likely move a set of bleachers directly behind the backstop to provide for better spectator viewing. MOTION by Mr. Young, seconded by Mr. Solberg, to remove the old scorekeeper building from Commons #2 ball field as long as a proper storage box/ facility was available for the softball equipment. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Ms. Sibell, seconded by Mr. Young, to adjourn the September 15, 2003 meeting at 8:41 p.m. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE SEPTEMBER 15, 2003 MEETING ADJOURNED.