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05/02/2005 - 00028772CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING — MAY 2, 2005 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Kondrick called the May 2, 2005 Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Dave Kondrick, Edward McDonald, Tim Solberg, and Dolores Varichak Others Present: Jack Kirk, Director of Parks and Recreation Siah St. Clair, Director of Springbrook Nature Center Malcolm Mitchell, Springbrook Nature Center Foundation Donna Bahls, Springbrook Nature Center Foundation APPROVAL OF APRIL 4, 2005 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION by Mr. McDonald, seconded by Mr. Solberg to approve the minutes of the April 4, 2005 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR MAY 2, 2005 MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Mr. McDonald, to approve the agenda for the May 2, 2005 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 Program Update for the Recreation and Natural Resource Department was included in the agenda packet for review by the Commission members. This is a summary of some of the activities that have been held since the last meeting. He further stated that the spring recreation activities are underway and are going well. Summer registration has started and the preliminary numbers look good. Mr. Kirk stated that some of the activities in the past month include: the Spring Fling special event at Springbrook Nature Center, the senior's dinner theater event at Fridley High School, the starting of a Genealogy Club at the Senior Center, the renting of the Community Garden plots and the starting of the adult softball league season. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq - Mav 2, 2005 Paqe 2 b. Park Maintenance Report Mr. Lindquist has provided a written report of Park Maintenance activities during the past month. They have been very busy because of the early warm weather in April. Some of the maintenance activities in the past month include sweeping the athletic turf areas, picking up litter in the parks, providing safety inspections of the playground equipment and started the mowing of the turf areas. The youth and adult athletic leagues have started their practices and games, so field preparation has become a priority. The workers have also put out the picnic tables, tennis court nets and the volleyball nets at Moore Lake Beach. c. Fridley `49er Days Mr. Kirk stated that the annual city celebration, "Fridley `49er Days", is scheduled for June 15- 19 this year. There are many of the regular popular attractions such as the carnival, the Friday night street dance featuring the Fantastic Convertibles and the Saturday street dance featuring the White Sidewalls. The annual parade is set for Thursday night with a 6:30 p.m. starting time. The Stand For Children Day event will be on Saturday afternoon at the arena with activities from 3:00 - 5:30 p.m. The Teen Street Dance will be at the Columbia Arena site on Thursday night from 8:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Our Senior Program has planned a 500 tournament, a cribbage tournament, a dance and a patio party. Mr. Solberg asked if the possible closing of Columbia Arena would create a problem in finding another location for future 49er Days activities. Mr. Kirk stated that it may be difficult to find a site that works as well as the arena, with the indoor and outdoor facilities, as well as a fair amount of parking. A possible location would be in the Commons Park and Fridley Community Center area. The 49er Committee will have to be looking at alternative sites this summer. Mr. Kirk invited the Commission member to participate in the 49er Days activities this June. d. June Meeting Parks Tour and Survey Results Discussion With the City Council Mr. Kirk stated that the June 6, 2005 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting will be preceded by a short parks tour beginning at Commons Park starting at 6 pm. The tour will last about one hour and we will return to Commons Park for a picnic and a discussion with the Fridley City Council. The main agenda item for the meeting is a discussion with the Council on the results of the recent Council-Commission survey as it pertains to the parks and recreation system in our community. 2. NEW BUSINESS 1. Baseball Tournament Request for use of the Little League Fields June 3-5, 2005 by the Fridley Youth Sports Association Little League Mr. Kirk stated that the Fridley Youth Sports Association Little League Division is requesting use of the Little League fields for a fund-raising tournament on June 3rd through June 5t". The fields would be used in the evening on Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday. This Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq - Mav 2, 2005 Paqe 3 tournament would be run in conjunction with the Minnesota Youth Athletic Services as a Recreation League Tournament of Champions. Mr. Kirk further stated that it would be the staff recommendation to approve the request by the FYSA Little League to use the Little League fields for a tournament with the following conditions: • The FYSA pay $60 per field for the weekend tournament • They pay for the cost of a dumpster to handle the garbage • They pay for the cost of additional portable toilets that are needed • They submit a$200 clean-up deposit • They pay for the cost of a park maintenance worker to handle the field maintenance or they make arrangements with Mr. Lindquist to get proper training for the individuals handling the maintenance during the tournament MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Ms. Varichak to approve the FYSA Little League tournament request for June 3-5, 2005 with the conditions outlined by staff. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. b. Baseball Tournament Request for use of the Little League Fields August 5-7, 2005 by the Fridley Youth Sports Association Little League Mr. Kirk stated that this is another tournament request by the FYSA Little League organization for a tournament on August 5-7, 2005. It would be the staff recommendation to approve this request with the same conditions as the tournament approved for June 3-5, 2005. MOTION by Ms. Varichak, seconded by Mr. McDonald, to approve the FYSA Little League tournament request for August 5-7, 2005 with the conditions outlined by staff. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. c. Springbrook Nature Center Gateway Entrance Project Mr. Kirk stated that approximately three years ago, this Parks and Recreation Commission had a presentation on the plans for a new idea to improve the seven-acre entrance area at Springbrook Nature Center. The Commission was very receptive at that time and supported the conceptual plan for the Springbrook Nature Center Gateway Project. The Springbrook Foundation made subsequent presentations to the Planning Commission and the Fridley City Council on the preliminary plans for the Gateway Project. In the fall of 2002, the City Council gave approval to the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation to commence fundraising for this project. In the spring of 2003, the proposed City budget for the next year was announced and the operation of Springbrook Nature Center was one of the proposed cuts. For the better part of the last two years, the Gateway Project has been put on hold. Most of the efforts of the SNC Foundation have been in helping to determine the future of the Nature Center operation. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — Mav 2, 2005 Paqe 4 Mr. Kirk further stated that with the passage of the levy referendum in November and the future of Springbrook Nature Center more clearly in focus, the Foundation is reviving the plan and the fundraising efforts for the Gateway Project. A possible source of funds to support this project was discussed at the February Commission meeting with Senator Satveer Chaudary. He has proposed including the Springbrook Gateway Project as part of the 2006 State Bonding Bill. In order to complete the City of Fridley application to be included in the bonding bill, more detailed information and more finalized plans for this project are going to be needed in the next several months. Because it has been a while since the Commission heard the plans for the Gateway Project and because the Commission has some new members, he has asked Siah St. Clair to make a brief presentation on the project. Mr. Kirk further stated that after the presentation, he would like the Commission to consider what level of involvement they would like to have in the more detailed planning of this project. Mr. St. Clair stated that he would like to talk a little bit about how the Springbrook Nature Center staff and the Foundation got to the point of planning for the Gateway Project. The nature center is the largest park in Fridley at 127 acres. The property was purchased with LAWCON funds in 1970 and 1971. The land was designated a nature center in 1974 after a city-wide referendum. From that point on, the nature center was developed over a period of time with trails, the interpretive center, floating boardwalks, overlooks and other amenities. As the park received recognition as a good place to visit, the number of people coming to Springbrook each year continued to rise at a rapid pace. As more people continued to visit the center at all times of the year, there was concern on the part of the SNC staff that too many visitors may have a negative impact on certain areas of the park. Staff wondered what the future was going to bring and if we, as managers of this park, should be involved in controlling the impact of large numbers of people upon the nature center. Mr. St Clair stated that in January of 1999, staff and the SNC Foundation started to do some strategic planning for the future of the nature center. Some of the planning goals at that time were as follows: • Well directed high visitation will have less site impact than less directed lower visitation levels • Change management strategy from minimal visitor management to intensive visitor management • Focusing intensive uses into specific smaller areas to reduce heavy impact on larger more fragile ecosystems • Management strategies to preserve significant natural areas • Using "green" technology to minimize ongoing costs and model effective use of environmentally positive design, construction and operation Mr. St. Clair further stated that from 1999 through 2002, work continued on the project that would become known as the SNC Gateway Entrance Project. One of the tasks that was completed early on was developing a mission statement for the nature center. The mission statement is as follows: To use Springbrook's natural area to serve the community through Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — Mav 2, 2005 Paqe 5 enriching lives, restoring well being, and teaching the environmental lessons necessary to sustain the natural places and systems that nurture us. Mr. St. Clair continued that staff and the Foundation next came up with some vision concepts for the Gateway project. Those vision concepts were the following: • An inviting transition into and out of a compelling natural setting • A place to learn about nature and the environment • A place for celebrations of life • A place to restore and nurture the human spirit • A place to build and learn teamwork skills • A place that strengthens/ improves individuals, families, and community • A place that models and instills positive life values and goals • A place that builds economic value for the City and community Mr. St. Clair stated that these vision concepts led to seventeen different design principles for the Springbrook Gateway Project. Just to give the Commission members an idea of these design principles, he would share several of them including: encouraging use during all seasons; an entrance that accommodates diverse modes of transportation; spaces to accommodate moderate activity sizes; emphasizing and modeling "green" construction; rerouting heavier visitor use on the shorter "primary" trails; creating an effective noise barrier along 85t" avenue; and using moving water effectively to mask external road noise and provide more privacy between spaces. There were other design principles, but these are examples for the Commission. Mr. St. Clair stated that the Gateway Project involves the seven acres encompassing the entrance area or about 5% of the overall land mass of the nature center. What we are doing is saying that we would like to take 5% of the park through this project and intensively work on it, so we keep the heavy and intrusive uses in this area. This would reduce the heavy and intrusive uses in the other 95% of the park which is a more natural setting. Mr. St. Clair showed a concept design for the nature center that the architect came up with. He pointed out the various features to the concept design and how these features interrelated. He further stated that since the initial design was completed in 2002, we have realized and learned that we should make some changes to the plan. Some of the areas that are on the concept plan would likely be moved around and changed a bit in a revised plan. Mr. St. Clair stated that just last month (April 2005), Senator Chaudary introduced a bill in the Minnesota State Senate to provide funding for the Springbrook Nature Center Gateway Project in the 2006 State Bonding Bill. The bill has been sent to the Natural Resources Committee for review. In order to fulfill the requirements for the 2006 Bonding Bill, there is an application process that the City of Fridley must complete regarding the Gateway Project. The deadline for that application is this coming June 15. In late summer or early fall, the Senate Bonding Bill Committee will be doing site visits to see the areas being considered for projects. They will be coming out to Springbrook to see the park, get an explanation of what would be involved in the project and trying to evaluate its potential for bonding bill action. If this project would be approved by legislative action in next year's session, funds could be available for Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — Mav 2, 2005 Paqe 6 this project as early as July of 2006. State Bonding Bill funding does require a match of local dollars. Senator Chaudary had asked for a dollar figure on this entire Gateway Entrance Project and we have submitted him with a figure of $4,446,456. Mr. Kondrick asked how recent the estimate for the project had been obtained. Mr. St. Clair stated that the numbers were received from the architect about a month and a half ago, and represent estimated costs for 2006 construction. Senator Chaudary in writing his bonding bill has rounded this estimate off to an even $5 million for the project. This would require a local match of $2.5 million. Mr. St. Clair stated that if additional facilities were added to the Springbrook Interpretive building, there would be additional operating costs as well. Staff and the SNC Foundation are in the process of working on a business plan for the new facilities. The idea is that the increased revenue generated from uses of the new facilities will pay all of the increased operating costs. Mr. Kondrick thanked Mr. St. Clair for the presentation and stated that the Commission now has up to date information on this project. He further stated that he thinks it would be a good idea if the SNC Foundation had a member or two work with a couple members of the Parks and Recreation Commission to come up with a more detailed final plan for this project. A more detailed plan is going to need to be submitted as part of the application to be included in the state bonding bill. Mr. Mitchell stated that by the June 15t" deadline, the State requires a preliminary plan to include a summary of what you intend to do, a description of the plan, and an estimate on the dollars needed to complete the project. On September 30t", you are required to submit what you consider to be your final and a more detailed plan. Mr. Kondrick stated that we have some time, but not a lot of time to get things done on planning this project. He further stated that this is such an important idea, such an important opportunity that we really need to find the time do the planning process. Mr. Kondrick asked if there were any Commission members here who would like to join with him to be part of a Committee that would work on the more detailed plans for the Springbrook Gateway Project. Mr. Solberg stated that he would like to be involved and help on this project, but that his travel schedule for work is a little unpredictable and may not allow for his attendance at all the planning meetings. He would be interested in participating to the extent that his schedule al lows. Mr. Kondrick thanked Mr. Solberg for his interest and help on this project. Mr. Mitchell stated that he would really appreciate the opportunity to work closely and collaboratively with the Parks and Recreation Commission on the further planning of the Gateway Project. It really makes sense in the time frame we are looking at that we work jointly, rather than independently on this project. He would rather do this together, so that we can come up with a plan that we can all get behind and support. Part of that decision is going to be what the project ultimately looks like in size and scope, what improvements are needed and what building structures should be included. That is what needs to be finalized in the next two months, as much as we can. The plan we come up with would then be put into the hopper over at the State for their consideration of the project. If we decided over the summer months that we want to modify the plan or make additions, those changes can be included in the final plan that gets submitted in September. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — Mav 2, 2005 Paqe 7 Mr. Kondrick stated that the raising of $2.5 million to match money provided by the State is going to be a challenge, but one that members of the SNC Foundation believe can be achieved. Mr. Mitchell stated that the schedule of the State on this project would include knowing something definite by June of next year. That is what the Foundation is looking at a starting date for the fundraising campaign. We would know by that time what the fundraising target will be and whether or not the State of Minnesota will be a partner in the funding. Mr. Kondrick summarized that a Committee of Park and Recreation Commission members, Springbrook Nature Center Foundation members, and staff will meet to plan more details for the Gateway Project. We will need to work out our meeting times and places in the near future and we will communicate that information to all interested parties. He stated that this will be interesting and challenging for us. He is confident that we will put together a good product. Mr. Kirk stated that he thought a cooperative planning effort between the Parks and Recreation Commission, City staff, and the SNC Foundation was an appropriate route to take with this project. This is a City of Fridley Park and the final say on any improvements, changes or additions to this park will be made by the City Council. A thorough and effective planning process will go a long way toward achieving that approval. Mr. Kondrick thanked the Springbrook Foundation members for attending the meeting and stated he was looking forward to the cooperative planning process. d. Showmobile Rental Request — City of St. Anthony Mr. Kirk stated that the City of St. Anthony has requested use of our showmobile for their Village Fest celebration in August. They have rented from us in the past and there have been no problems. It would be the staff recommendation to approve this rental request with all the fees as listed in the rental agreement. MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Ms. Varichak, to approve the Showmobile rental request by the City of St. Anthony for August 6, 2005 with the rental fees as outlined in the rental agreement. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. e. 2005 — 2007 Community Park Ballfield Improvement Mr. Kirk stated that the Fridley City Council has agreed to a plan submitted by the Engineering Department to improve the drainage situation at the Community Park ballfields by building up the level of the fields and re-grading the playing areas so they drain properly. He further stated that starting in June of this year, fields 5& 6 would be built up approximately 3 feet at the backstops and gradually sloped to the outfield. The material used for this build up would be excess granular material from the street reconstruction projects. The granular material will allow rain to soak in, rather than sitting on the surface. New infield areas and new turf would need to be installed by City staff. A new irrigation system would also need to be installed. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — Mav 2, 2005 Paqe 8 Mr. Kirk further stated fields #1 through #4 would be completed in the next two phases of this project in 2006 and 2007. The granular build up material for those phases would come from the street reconstruction projects in those respective years. The ballfield improvements are expected to cost approximately $75,000 per year, which will be paid for out of the Parks Capital Improvement Fund. Mr. Kirk stated that no action is needed from the Parks and Recreation Commission on this item, but he wanted the Commission members to know what was going on at the Community Park ballfields. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Ms. Varichak, seconded by Mr. McDonald to adjourn the meeting at 9:05 p.m. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MAY 2, 2005 MEETING ADJOURNED.