Loading...
12/06/2004 - 00028745CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING — DECEMBER 6, 2004 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Kondrick called the December 6, 2004 Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 7:08 p. m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Dave Kondrick, Edward McDonald, Tim Solberg Others Present: Jack Kirk, Director of Recreation & Natural Resources Dave Lindquist, Parks Supervisor Siah St. Clair, Naturalist Jon Haukaas, Director of Public Works Julie Jones, Planning Coordinator APPROVAL OF NOVEMBER 8, 2004 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Mr. McDonald, to approve the minutes of the November 8, 2004 meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR DECEMBER 6, 2004 MOTION by Mr. McDonald, seconded by Mr. Solberg, to approve the agenda for the December 6, 2004 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 Senior Program had another very successful Veteran's Day program at the Fridley Community Center on November 11t". The guest speaker was a lady who talked about the role of woman during the war. There were over 200 people in attendance. Mr. Kirk further stated that the second annual Springbrook Nature Center Foundation dinner and silent auction was held on Saturday, November 13t" at St. William's Church. The dinner was donated by Tasty Pizza and Panera Bread restaurants. The auction raised over $13,000 to help benefit the nature center. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — December 6, 2004 Paqe 2 b. Park Maintenance Report Mr. Lindquist stated that during the month of November, the Park Maintenance crew had cleaned buildings, picked up litter and emptied trash at all of the park sites. They had also done some tree trimming and were preparing the skating areas. They actually had started putting down water for the rinks, but the recent warm weather had set them back in rink preparation. They have also put out the "thin ice" signs around the aerator at Moore Lake. Mr. Lindquist further reported that he attended the National Playground Safety course in Moorhead this month. He participated in the training and passed the certification exam. c. 2004 Canada Goose Program Report Mr. Kirk stated that the City has been sent a copy of the 2004 Canada Goose Program Report from Dr. Jim Cooper. It contains a lot of information about the Goose program in the Twin Cities metro area. One of the significant points in the report is the fact that the summer goose population in the Twin Cities is currently 29% lower than ten years ago. It appears that some progress is being made to reduce the number of geese. Mr. Kondrick stated that in his opinion, there are still too many geese at Moore Lake Beach. He would, once again, like the Parks and Recreation Commission to support some type of measure to keep people from feeding the geese. They create a real mess in the picnic and beach area at the park. He would like the Commission to have this item on a future agenda for more in-depth discussion. 2. NEW BUSINESS a. 2005 Adult Softball League Fees Mr. Kirk stated that the staff recommendation is to keep the adult softball league fees for 2005 at the same level as this past year. Last year, with the budget concerns of the City, the fees were raised more than in most years. The average increase was about $35 per team for league play. We try to remain somewhat consistent with what neighboring communities charge for the same type of sports leagues and, at the same time, cover all of the direct costs for operating these programs. We know that the costs for this coming year, including umpires, softballs and awards, will remain the same. With the larger increase last year and the expected costs to remain constant, staff would recommend keeping the fees at the same level for 2005. The leagues and the recommended fees are as follows: • Sunday Men's $610 • Monday Men's $675 • Tuesday Men's $675 • Wednesday Men's $675 • Thursday Men's $675 • Thursday Women's Fun $370 • Friday Co-Rec $400 MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Mr. McDonald, to approve the staff recommended Softball League fees for 2005. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — December 6, 2004 Paqe 3 b. Springbrook Wetland Restoration Construction Mr. Kirk stated that there was a presentation at the November meeting explaining the need for this project and a conceptual plan for implementation. The Parks and Recreation Commission approved the project in concept and asked for a more detailed construction and restoration plan to be brought back to the December meeting. Siah St. Clair and Julie Jones are back at this meeting to present the more detailed information. The Springbrook Clean Water Partnership would like to proceed with this project starting in January. They are looking for an approval from the Parks and Recreation Commission as it relates to the City of Fridley's tree preservation ordinance, which requires approval of the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Planning Commission and the City Council before trees can be removed on public land. Ms. Jones stated that there has been a change in the design since the November Commission meeting and from the previously viewed drawings. After the Springbrook Partnership Advisory Committee met last week, the streambed design now includes more meandering as suggested by Siah and the water control structure has been moved. The original design included a waterfall feature; however, the new design will have water flowing over rocks as a rapids type area. The water will move over field stones with a fabric blanket underneath which will help prevent erosion. Mr. Kondrick asked if silt build up would be a problem with this type of design. Mr. Haukaas stated that they are not expecting a silt problem in any large quantities. Mr. Solberg asked about the four foot pipe that will handle the large flows of water and whether or not this was an exposed opening or had some type of protective cover. Mr. Haukaas stated that it would not be an exposed pipe, rather it would be covered by a metal grate to prevent access. Mr. St. Clair explained in detail the construction of streambed and pipe from the start of the project at the Springbrook apartments to where it flows into the pond on the western portion of the nature center park. He stated that trees would be cut in the streambed corridor swath that would be about fifty feet in width. Mr. Kondrick asked if there will always be water flowing in the creek as an every day occurrence. Mr. St. Clair stated that yes there will always be water flowing through the creek bed. There will always be a base flow through the stream. The large flows after a storm event will be handled by the large pipe. Mr. St. Clair showed the Commission pictures of the streambed area that will be affected by the construction and the trees that will removed during the project. He further stated that almost all of this area was affected by the tornado of 1986, so the trees are relatively young and small compared to others in the park. Mr. McDonald stated that he has been concerned about the number and the quality of the trees proposed to be removed with this project, but after seeing the pictures of the trees and noting the size of these trees, he is less concerned. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — December 6, 2004 Paqe 4 Mr. St. Clair stated that four bridges spanning the existing stream will need to be removed during the construction process and some arrangement will have to be made to replace or reinstall the bridges at the conclusion of the project. Mr. Kondrick stated that by what he is seeing on the pictures of the area to be affected by the project, there are not a lot of trees of any significant size that will need to come down. Mr. St. Clair stated that one item that was requested at the November meeting was a planting plan and one drawing included in the meeting packet shows where the replanting of trees will take place. He further stated that many of the trees planted after the tornado of 1986 did not survive and the primary reason was that they were eaten by the deer. Mr. Kondrick asked if there has been any progress made since then in the area of planting trees that would help alleviate a similar problem with replanting of trees this time around. Mr. St. Clair stated that outside of an exclusion fence to keep the deer away there is likely not something else that can be done. Mr. Solberg asked how much of the streambed will have a walking trail along side of it. Mr. St. Clair stated that there will be some opportunities to walk along the stream bank, especially in the area where the pictures showed the boardwalk. The purpose is to allow people to walk along the stream, because people are attracted to water and we want to provide some of that as part of this project. He further stated that he does not try to put a trail along the entire creek, because water is something the wildlife needs to get to in order to survive. You want to allow some areas along the creek where there will not be a trail. Mr. Solberg asked how the actual construction project will impact the wildlife. Mr. St. Clair stated that the deer and other wildlife are curious and within a short time after the equipment is gone for the day, the area will be covered with animal tracks. He further stated that he would expect minimal negative impact on the wildlife during the construction process. Mr. Kondrick stated that he wanted to know if all the funds were in place for this project to move forward. Ms. Jones stated that we have adequate grant funds from the MPCA and the participating cities to make this project happen according to the plan, if they receive favorable bids. Mr. Kondrick asked about the time schedule for this project and will everything happen in a timely fashion. Ms. Jones stated that the timeline will depend on the weather and it is possible that this project may not be able to be completed this winter if we do not get the favorable weather conditions. She further stated that it requires frozen ground to get the equipment into the area. The grant funds allow for an extension if the project cannot be completed this year. Mr. Kondrick asked if the Commission members were okay with the project as presented and if there were other questions. Commission members stated they were okay with the information presented. Mr. Kondrick stated that after seeing the pictures of the area tonight, it is apparent that there are going to be some trees knocked down to complete the work, but he believes the project is good idea. In the big picture, something needs to be done to protect the park from the negative effects of the stormwater flow and we have the money in place to complete the work. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — December 6, 2004 Paqe 5 He further stated that he would like to see the project proceed and have the Parks and Recreation Commission approve the plans as required in the tree preservation ordinance. MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Mr. McDonald to approve the plans for the construction and restoration of the Springbrook Streambed project to be in compliance with the City of Fridley's tree preservation ordinance. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. c. Fees at Springbrook Nature Center Mr. Kirk stated that at the November 2003 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, the Commission established an admission fee schedule for Springbrook Nature Center that was part of an overall revenue package for the Naturalist Division budget for 2004. The budget for 2004 was set at $265,000 with a target of $103,000 from program revenue, a pledge by the SNC Foundation to donate $56,400 and the balance to come from the City of Fridley budget. This budget plan was to get the nature center operation through 2004, at which time the voters would have an opportunity to determine the longer term funding for Springbrook at the polls in November 2004. At this point, the voters did have their say and they voted to approve the Springbrook levy referendum. Mr. Kirk further stated that in looking back at the charging of admission fees this past year, he would say the new fees yielded mixed results. The positive news is that we did not lose any money; in fact, the admission fees should net about $20,000 for the year. This was done with existing staff collecting fees at the interpretive building. We knew that it would cost us more to hire new people to take the admission fees at the entry gate to the park. Four years ago, staff did a study at City Council request and determined that we would need to bring in $40,000 in admission fees just to break even. This was assuming that additional staff was hired to take fees and some facility adjustments would have to be made to set up for taking fees. Mr. Kirk stated that had they brought in additional staff to collect the fees, the total for this year would likely have been higher. He did not think, however, that they would have reached that break- even point of $40,000. Mr. Kirk added that the negative side of charging admission fees this year was generally poor reception by the community of having to pay a fee to enter this park. Many individuals would come to the center just to spend a few minutes walking the trails and a good percentage of these people really objected to having to pay a fee to enter. Mr. Kirk further stated that back in June of this year, when the City was looking at the amount to put on the ballot for the Springbrook levy referendum, staff recommended an amount of $275,000 for the ballot question and also suggested revising the expected program revenue amount to $58,500 for next year. That program revenue amount was more in line with our revenue amount from 2003, a year in which we did not charge an admission fee and had less department staff emphasis on fundraising events. The levy amount recommended by staff and the expected program revenue would provide enough dollars to support the 2005 Naturalist Division budget and put aside some additional dollars for future nature center improvements. Mr. Kirk further stated that it would be his recommendation to discontinue the admission fees for 2005. Even if the fees are not required for admission next year, they can always be reinstated down the line in future years, if there is a need to do so. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — December 6, 2004 Paqe 6 Mr. Kirk stated that there has been some concern about the nature center serving people from neighboring cities and only Fridley residents paying for the operation. One way of addressing this issue would be to add a"non-resident" fee to the programs and events at Springbrook. Non-residents would then pay a registration fee that was a certain percentage over the rate paid by our Fridley residents. Mr. Kirk stated that it is his recommendation that this non- resident fee be set a rate of 20% above that of Fridley residents, with adjustments made to round off the fees to the nearest whole dollar. Mr. Kirk further stated that to ease the fee collection process for staff, he would recommend that for any program fees under $10, that the non-resident portion be a straight $1 addition to the program fee of a Fridley resident. Overall, by adding this non-resident fee component to our program fees, people not living in our community will be contributing to the program and staffing operation of the nature center. Mr. Kirk stated that he felt it would be hard for anyone to argue the fairness of the non- resident fee, since Fridley residents will now be paying some additional property taxes to support the operation of Springbrook. This non-resident fee can certainly be seen as non- Fridley participants contributing their fare share of operating costs. Mr. Kirk stated that he would like to add one last thing on the non-resident fee. If it is adopted by the Commission, he would suggest that when we look at actual implementation of the fee, we promote a set program registration fee and then a"discount" for Fridley residents. It would net us the same amount, but this approach will likely be a positive approach to our Fridley residents. Mr. Kirk further stated that he would also like to see the Parks and Recreation Commission endorse the concept of asking park visitors to contribute voluntary donations to support the nature center. Strategically placed containers and carefully worded signage could remind park visitors in a positive way that there are costs to keeping this park operating and we would appreciate financial assistance from those actually using the facility. Mr. Kondrick asked Mr. St. Clair if there were a lot of non-residents that are currently participating in our nature center programs. Mr. St. Clair responded that yes there were a significant number of non-Fridley participants in our programs. Mr. McDonald asked how we would let residents know of these proposed changes. Mr. Kirk stated that we would publish an article in the next City Newsletter which goes to all residents in February. In addition, all of the information on fees would be in the Recreation Department brochure spring edition. MOTION by Mr. McDonald, seconded by Mr. Solberg, to discontinue the admission fees to Springbrook Nature Center for 2005 and to implement a non-resident fee for programs as recommended by staff. Also the Commission endorses the concept of voluntary donations to support the operation of the nature center. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — December 6, 2004 Paqe 7 d. Showmobile Rental Request — Mound Fire Department Mr. Kirk stated that the City has received a request from the Mound Fire Department to rent our showmobile on June 4, 2005. Mr. Lindquist stated that we have rented the unit to this group for several years and they have been very good to work with. MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Mr. McDonald, to approve the rental request for the showmobile to the Mound Fire Department for next June at the established rental rates and required deposit. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. e. Proposed Monopole at Commons Park Mr. Haukaas stated that T-Mobile has come to the City with a proposal to put up a cell tower monopole at Commons Park. Commons is one of the pre-approved sites within the city for such a facility. The company needs accessibility to whatever location is decided upon for the monopole tower. They need to be able to drive up to the equipment. The monopole would be 100 feet tall with the triangular design and the array of antennae around the tower. The tower and ground equipment would require a lease site of 25 by 25 feet. One of the difficulties with the Commons Park site is the amount of underground equipment throughout the area. There are pipes for the water system, power conduits and irrigation systems do not provide for many good locations for a monopole tower. Mr. Haukaas further stated that a previous request for a monopole tower was before the Parks and Recreation Commission last spring and a decision was held off to determine whether or not the equipment could be attached to the existing water tower at the park. Through the vulnerability assessment it was determined that it is allowed. However, placing the equipment on the tower could create some problems for the City down the road. When the water tower needed to be cleaned or painted, the antennae would need to be removed to accommodate the work. He further stated that it would be better to construct something that you can put the equipment on and then just let it go. He has talked with T-Mobile and, if required, they can put up a tower that would replace an existing light pole on one of the lighted sports facilities at the park. Mr. Kondrick stated that when the Commission talked about this proposal before, using the existing water tower was the preferred location for the cell equipment. The second preferred location was on the north side of the park. The Commission was not in favor of placing the tower in the site being proposed, as it would be right in the middle of existing and possible future recreation activities. He was not in favor of the site being proposed by staff and T- Mobile. Mr. Kirk stated that staff and the Commission have talked about a possible future expansion of the parking in this area and the proposed monopole location would have an impact upon that. Mr. Kirk asked if the tower could be located anywhere in Commons Park or are there specific locations within the park that are needed. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — December 6, 2004 Paqe 8 Mr. Haukaas stated that the highest elevation areas of the park are the most preferred. Mr. Kondrick stated that Commons Park is the hub to a lot of activity in our community and we need to be careful as to how we progress with this request. The decision may very well have implications on any future development or redevelopment plans. It is his opinion that the tower should be out of the way of park activity. The water tower remains his first priority. The north end of the park remains a second choice and this location would follow after. Mr. Solberg stated that he agreed with Mr. Kondrick and his first choice would be the water tower location. The north side of the park would also be his second choice. He further suggested that a good location may be right across the street at the high school football field with fairly high existing light standards. Could the cell equipment be attached to one of those existing towers? Mr. McDonald stated that he favored an area on or near the water tower so as not to interfere with the other park uses. Mr. Haukaas stated that this item did not require a motion from the Parks and Recreation Commission, rather he wanted the Commission's opinion on this for the discussion with the City Council when looking at this request. He will let the City Council know the preferences of the Commission. f. 85t" Avenue Trail Mr. Haukaas stated that the 85t" Avenue trail in Fridley would run from the existing University Avenue trail by the Slumberland building west to the railroad tracks at the City of Coon Rapids border. With the expected completion of the segment in Coon Rapids from the railroad tracks to the East River Road trail, there will be a complete link in the regional trail system allowing bikers and walkers to get to Springbrook Nature Center. He further stated that several years ago, the City applied for a federal grant through the Transportation Enhancement act to provide for a bikeway/walkway along 85t" Avenue. The City of Coon Rapids portion of the trail has been in their City plans for a long time and they had planned to do the trail segment when 85t" Avenue is upgraded by Anoka County. He further stated that the City has talked to Slumberland and Wal-Mart and we are not having any trouble getting the necessary easements to make the trail construction happen. Mr. Haukaas stated that normally the trail would be placed in the right-of-way along side of the road, but there is uncertainty on what will happen to 85t" when the County re-constructs the road. The County would allow for the trail to be in the right-of-way, but if the trail had to be moved in the future during the 85t" Avenue project, all costs for rebuilding the trail would be the responsibility of the City. He further stated that, in essence, there was the real risk of having to pay for the same trail twice. Therefore, the plan is to put the trail just out of the right-of-way on City of Fridley property. Included in the grant for this project, the City will be doing some signage and providing some vistas into the park for users of the trail. The grant is an 80/20 grant meaning that the City would be required to provide for 20% of the funding. State Aid dollars will be used to provide the City's matching requirement. The total project will run around $1.2 million. There are several wetland areas that create some challenges for placing it directly along 85t" Avenue. To minimize the impact to wetlands, the project calls for elevated trail areas. The elevated trail is very expensive when compared to on-grade trail construction so we are looking at some areas to move the trail slightly into the nature center Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — December 6, 2004 Paqe 9 park itself. Mr. Haukaas further stated that to run a trail directly along 85t" and use a significant amount of elevated trail would cost an estimated $1.33 million, which is in excess of our existing project budget. In attempting to pare back the costs a little bit, we have looked at two other alternate routes with less elevated trail segments. Alternate number two would use some higher land for the trail within the nature center and would cost an estimated $830,000. Alternate number three is more of compromise between the two other options and would cost an estimated $1.13 million. Mr. Kondrick asked if the project would include any berms along 85t" Avenue with the trail. Mr. Haukaas stated that berms could be included; however, final plans for the project have not been drawn up at this point. They are currently looking at the preferred route with the three alternates being presented this evening. Mr. Haukaas stated that the trail would also include some split-rail fencing along the on-grade portion, so as to help prevent bikers from heading off road through the nature center. The elevated sections of the trail will have railings on them for safety purposes. Mr. Haukaas stated that in addition to bringing the Parks and Recreation Commission up-to- date on the planning process for the trail, this project will also need approval as it relates to the City's tree preservation ordinance. There will be some trees that need to come down to accommodate trail construction. Steps will be taken to minimize the impact of tree removal, but there will be trees taken out. Mr. Kondrick asked which alternate plan would have the most tree impact. Mr. Haukaas stated that alternate two would be on the most dry land and therefore would have more impact. The trail would require about a 15 foot swath for construction. Mr. Solberg asked if this was a walking path, or is it for biking and rollerblading as well. Mr. Haukaas stated that it is a bikeway-walkway or multi-use combination trail. Mr. Kondrick asked Mr. St. Clair if there was anything in the three alternate plans that would be a problem for Springbrook Nature Center that would affect us in a bad way. Mr. St. Clair stated that he did not see a problem; rather he saw this trail project as a positive for the nature center and the community. More people will have safe access walking and biking to the nature center. The only concerns he has are being addressed. He would like to keep the trail closer to the edge of the park wherever possible and would like to have a fence to keep off-road bikers on the trail. These concerns are being met in the trail plans. MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Mr. McDonald to approve alternate #2 as the preferred route for the 85t" Avenue trail project, to acknowledge that trees will be removed and to approve the plan as it relates to the City tree preservation ordinance. It is understood that the trail will be directed around existing trees as much as possible. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — December 6, 2004 Paqe 10 ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Mr. McDonald, to adjourn the December 6, 2004 meeting at 9:44 p. m. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE DECEMBER 6, 2004 MEETING ADJOURNED.