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01/05/2004 - 00028688CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING — JANUARY 5, 2004 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Kondrick called the January 5, 2004 Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present Others Present Dave Kondrick Tim Solberg Dick Young Marcy Sibell Dolores Varichak 7ack Kirk, Director of Recreation & Natural Resources Dave Lindquist, Parks Supervisor APPROVAL OF DECEMBER 1, 2003 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION by Mr. Young, seconded by Ms. Sibell to approve the minutes of the December 1, 2003 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR JANUARY 5, 2004 Mr. Young asked to have an item 2f under new business added to the agenda. The item is a Letter to City Council from Commission member Dick Young. MOTION by Ms. Varichak, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to approve the agenda for the January 5, 2004 meeting as submitted by staff and including the item 2f added by Mr. Young. 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 Commission meeting packet includes a program update of activities during the past month. A couple of very successful events for the seniors were held during December, including the Holiday Party on December 9t'` at the Fridley Community Center. There were over 300 seniors that attended the party and enjoyed the Swedish meatball dinner. Entertainment was provided by the Fridley High School Chamber Singers and many community businesses donated door prizes for the event. The feedback we received from the seniors on this event was very positive. Mr. Kirk further stated that the other senior event of note in December was the Holiday Lights Tour, which involves a bus tour for the participants of the best holiday light displays in the area. After the bus tour, the seniors return to the Fridley Community Center for refreshments. The tours were held on two nights, with 150 seniors participating each evening. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetin� - Januarv 5, 2004 Pa�e 2 Mr. Kirk also stated that the warming house at Commons Park opened for the season on December 18. The warming house is made possible this year because of generous donations of the Fridley Lions Club; Bob's Produce Ranch; Dave's Sport Shop; Joe DiMaggio's Sports Bar and Grill; and Newquist and Ekstrum Law Firm. The skating season normally runs through the middle of February each year. Mr. Kirk reminded the Commission members that the City will be sending out a survey to the City Council and the Commission members to gain input on City issues and potential projects. It is a very good planning tool for the City and provides some good discussion material for a joint meeting with the City Council and the Parks and Recreation Commission. Mr. Kirk thanked the Commission members in advance for completing the survey. Mr. Kirk stated that he had some very good news to share with the Commission this evening. The Minnesota Recreation and Park Association (the state park and recreation professionals association) has notified him that Dave Kondrick has been selected to receive the 2003 Parks and Recreation Board and Commission Award. The award will be presented at the MRPA annual awards dinner at the Eagan Community Center on January 15, 2004. This award is presented annually to an individual that has made outstanding contributions to their community as a member of a Parks and Recreation Board or Commission. Mr. Kirk congratulated Mr. Kondrick on this nice award. b. Park Maintenance Report Mr. Lindquist stated that during the month of December, the park maintenance workers have been doing snow removal, ice rink preparation and maintenance, tree pruning, litter pick-up, and maintenance of the sliding hill area. Workers have also installed a number of new signs at Springbrook Nature Center. Mr. Kondrick stated that, in his opinion, our parks look the way they ought to look They look great. He further stated that Mr. Lindquist does a"bang-up" job supervising the maintenance of our park system. He wanted to make sure he stated this at this public meeting. Mr. Lindquist stated that he has some very good workers in the Parks Maintenance division and it is his whole crew that does the work and makes the park system look so good. He hopes that future budget cuts don't affect our ability to keep our parks in such good condition. c. Winter Festival Mr. Kirk stated that he included information in the meeting agenda packet on the upcoming Winter Festival, to be held on Saturday, January 31gt. There will be events at Springbrook Nature Center, Commons Park, and the Fridley Community Center. He invited the Commission members to come and participate in the Festival activities. d. Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation Newsletter Mr. Kirk stated that he received a newsletter from the Tobacco-Free Youth Recreation group and included a copy in the agenda packet. There are a number of communities in Minnesota that have a tobacco-free policy for their park system. The City of Plymouth, for example, has a policy that prohibits tobacco use all of the time on all Plymouth park property, including areas such as beaches, parks, playgrounds, athletic fields, hiking trails, the Millenium Garden and the Plymouth Creek Center. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetin� — Januarv 5, 2004 Pa�e 3 Mr. Kirk further stated that the policy also covers city employees who work in any park area. According to the newsletter, it is the strongest tobacco-free policy in Minnesota parks. Mr. Kirk stated that he was providing this information to the Commission as part of the staff report. Did the Commission want to have this item on a future agenda for more discussion? Mr. Young stated that he would like to see this on a future agenda. He was wondering this fall, why we didn't have smoke-free parks. A park is a drug-free zone and this could very well include tobacco. He would be in favor of the parks being tobacco free. Mr. Kondrick stated that he thought we should look into this further and see what would need to be done in order to get the ball rolling on this. He asked if any of the Commission members thought this was a bad idea and something that should not be pursued. Ms. Sibell asked how something of this nature would be enforced. She further stated that she was unsure that we should institute a tobacco free policy in our park system. Some of our facilities support our adult population and this may keep people from enjoying our park system. She is not opposed to some restrictions on facilities that serve our youth. Mr. Solberg stated that he shared some of the same concerns as Ms. Sibell when it comes to this issue. He would worry about a blanket policy that would impact a lot of people or they would go somewhere else for their recreation. Mr. Solberg said he would support a tobacco free area for youth recreation, but he stated he did not know how we would draw the line for the different use areas in a park. Ms. Varichak suggested that we contact some of the cities that have a tobacco-free policy to see how the language is written and what parts of the park system the policy affects. We could then review what is in place in other communities and discuss what might be good for the Fridley park system. Mr. Kirk stated that staff would get some additional information and place this item on a future agenda for further discussion. 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Showmobile Rental Request — Mound Fire Department Mr. Kirk stated that the City has received a request from the Mound Fire Department to rent the showmobile on June 5, 2004 for a concert. They have rented the showmobile for several years now and it has worked out fine. The City must now charge sales tax for any rentals of equipment or facilities, so staff would recommend approval of the showmobile rental at the going rate of $700 plus the 6.5% sales tax. The showmobile would be moved by our Public Works employees on overtime hours, which would also be paid for by the renter. A$700 damage deposit should also be required prior to the rental. MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Ms. Varichak, to approve the showmobile rental request by the Mound Fire Department. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetin� - Januarv 5, 2004 Pa�e 4 b. Softball Tournament Request — Fridley Wrestling Boosters Mr. Kirk stated that the City has received a request from the Fridley Wrestling Boosters to host a Softball Tournament at Community Park on 7une 18 — 20, 2004. This tournament would be held during Fridley 49er Days. Staff would recommend approval of this tournament request provided they pay the $1,000 rental fee and the appropriate sales tax. A$200 clean-up deposit should be required prior to the tournament weekend. Mr. Young asked if the rental could be broken down into a$600 facility rental and $400 for employee maintenance services, so the renting group would only have to pay sales tax on the rental portion. Mr. Kirk stated that he would have to look into that question and get back to the Commission at the ne�t meeting. MOTION by Ms. Sibell, seconded by Ms. Varichak, to approve the request by the Fridley Wrestling Boosters to hold a tournament at Community Park on June 18 - 20, 2004 with the regular rental fee, the sales tax and the clean-up deposit. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. c. Showmobile Rental Request — City of Spring Lake Park Mr. Kirk stated that the City has received a request from the City of Spring Lake Park to rent our showmobile for their City celebration on 7une 13, 2004. We have rented to them before and everything has gone well. Staff would recommend approval of this request at the $700 rental fee, plus tax. MOTION by Ms. Varichak, seconded by Mr. Young, to approve the showmobile rental request by the City of Spring Lake Park for June 13, 2004. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. d. Baseball Tournament Request — Fridley Youth Baseball Mr. Kirk stated that the City has received a request from the Fridley Youth Baseball program to run two tournaments this summer. The first tournament would be on May 15 — 16 and use the Little League ballfields. The second tournament would be an AAU state tournament on one of two possible weekends in July. The final date will be scheduled this spring. The weekends are July 23 —25 or July 30 — August 1. These tournaments will be fundraisers to help support the Youth Baseball program operated by the FYSA. Staff would recommend approval of the requests with the following stipulations: There will be a $60 charge for each ballfield used for the tournament. Fridley Youth Baseball would also pay the cost for any additional toilet facilities needed for the tournament and for the cost of a garbage dumpster. Mr. Kirk further stated that Fridley Youth Baseball would need to pay for a maintenance person to handle the field preparation during the tournament or make arrangements with Mr. Lindquist for proper training of the individuals who would be handling that duty. A$200 clean-up deposit should also be required. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetin� — Januarv 5, 2004 Pa�e 5 Mr. Solberg asked if we provided some of the diamond dry material to be used in case of rain. We normally supply a certain number of bags of the material to groups using the Community Park. Mr. Lindquist stated that we provide six bags of the Terra Green material at the Little League site. Because the fields at that park drain so well, not as much drying material is needed. Generally only a small amount is needed around the bases. Mr. Young stated that he was concerned that there is only a limited amount of parking around the Little League fields. It could be a problem in the adjacent neighborhood if the participants park on the residential streets. Mr. Kirk stated that at previous tournaments at the Little League fields, the tournament sponsors notified the participants in advance of designated parking areas. Fridley High School and the Fridley Community Center are in fairly close pro�mity to the Little League fields and together they provide more than enough parking spaces. Mr. Solberg asked for a clarification on the field rental cost. Is it $60 per field per day or $60 for the weekend tournament? Mr. Kirk stated it was $60 for the tournament. MOTION by Ms. Sibell, seconded by Mr. Young, to approve the request by Fridley Youth Baseball to hold a baseball tournament at the Little League fields on May 15 — 16 and on the youth baseball fields on one of two weekends for a state AAU baseball tournament. The second tournament would be either 7uly 23 — 25 or July 30 — August 1. The fees and requirements outlined by staffwould apply. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. e. Softball Tournament Request — Fridley Lions Club Mr. Kirk stated that the City has received a request from the Fridley Lions Club to host a softball tournament at Community Park on August 13 —15, 2004. The tournament would be an MRPA State Women's Class D softball tournament. The Fridley Lions Club has run softball tournaments for many years and has always done a great job. They take care of the facilities and overall run a good show. Mr. Kirk further stated that in past years, the Commission has allowed the Fridley Lions Club to make a donation to the park system or recreation program in lieu of paying the rental fee for the use of the facility. Mr. Kirk asked that he would be able to talk with Lions Club about a possible combination of a donation and one half of the rental cost for the facility. With the current budget situation, meeting the revenue projections is very important for our programs and department. Mr. Young asked if the concession stand was still available for the groups using Community Park. Mr. Kirk stated that some of the equipment, such as the front counter has been removed; however, the facility is still available to be used. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetin� — Januarv 5, 2004 Pa�e 6 MOTION by Ms. Sibell, seconded by Mr. Young, to approve the Fridley Lions Club request to use the Community Park for a State softball tournament on August 13 — 15, 2004. Mr. Kirk shall work out the money details on a rental or donation after discussion with the Lions Club. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. f. Letter to City Council from Commission Member Dick Young Mr. Young stated that he has submitted a letter to the City Council, telling them that he will not seek reappointment to the Commission when his term ends on April 1, 2004. He further stated that he has thoroughly enjoyed serving on the Parks and Recreation Commission for the past 25 years. He is very proud of our park and recreation system and the wide variety of programs available in Fridley. He has enjoyed seeing the development of many fine facilities such as Springbrook Nature Center and the Community Park. Mr. Kondrick jokingly stated that he thought the other members of the Commission ought to be able to vote on whether Mr. Young should be able to leave the group. On a show of hands vote, the Commission members voted 4 to 0 against Mr. Young leaving the Commission. Mr. Kondrick stated that Mr. Young has been a very valuable member of the Parks and Recreation Commission and will be missed. It will be difficult to replace Mr. Young. Mr. Kondrick and the entire Commission expressed their appreciation to Mr. Young for his many years of service and his significant contributions to the parks and recreation system in our community. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Ms. Varichak to adjourn the January 5, 2004 meeting at 8:40 p.m. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE JAN UARY 5, 2004 MEETING ADJOURNED.