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PR 01/07/2008 - 29883CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING — JANUARY 7, 2008 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Kondrick called the January 7, 2008 Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Dave Kondrick Mike Heintz Michele Barrett Tim Solberg Others Present: 7ack Kirk, Director of Parks and Recreation Dave Lindquist, Parks Supervisor Jim Kosluchar, Director of Public Works Layne Otteson, Assistant Public Works Director Scott Stenger, ProSource Technologies Dale Anderson, Centerpoint Energy APPROVAL OF DECEMBER 3, 2007 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION by Mr. Heintz, seconded by Mr. Solberg to approve the minutes of the December 3, 2007 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR JANUARY 7, 2008 MOTION by Mr. Heintz, seconded by Mr. Solberg, to approve the agenda for the January 7, 2008 meeting as submitted by staff. 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 is provided to give the Commission members some information on programs and Department activities over the past month. The Senior Holiday Dinner sponsored by the Lions Club was a huge success again this year, as was the Holiday Lights tour. Our skating rinks and the warming house at Commons Park had the earliest opening date in at least fifteen years. The reports coming from the warming house attendants indicate a good number of people skating, playing hockey and using the sliding hill. Mr. Kirk stated that we have good participation in the winter athletic leagues and the elementary after school program is going very well. He would be happy to provide more detail on any of the activities if the Commission members had any questions. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetin� - Januarv 7, 2008 Pa�e 2 b. Park Maintenance Report Mr. Lindquist stated that December was a real good month for taking care of the skating rinks. They had very good conditions to get the rinks started and create some good ice. They have been maintaining the ice for the various athletic leagues and he has a couple of his employees coming in on the weekend to service the leagues. Mr. Kondrick asked if the Commission members had any questions for Mr. Lindquist. c. Springbrook Nature Center Report Mr. Kirk stated that there were two items that he wanted to report on. First, they received a donation from REI to replace some worn out boardwalk in the park and have accomplished that. Second, another donation by Bill Beery (former President of Fridley State Bank) and the Blaine Jaycees will provide for a large screen TV in the nature center exhibit area and some remote cameras in the park to observe some unique sites such as a hawk's nest. Visitors will not disturb the animals, but they will be able to observe some interesting nature in the park. d. Winterfest Mr. Kirk stated that the annual Winterfest is scheduled for Saturday, January 26t'` and he wanted to invite the Commission members to attend and participate. We have snow at this point and, if the weather cooperates, we will have snow for the festival so the dog sled rides can happen. We have some very nice activities planned for families at the event. 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Easements for Natural Gas Pipeline across Park Land — Centerpoint Energy Mr. Kirk stated that this agenda item is a request by Centerpoint Energy for some easements through park land for a gas pipeline project. This is not a new item for this Commission, as some requests for easements for this project were approved in several park areas last year. These are some additional easements that will be required to complete the project. There are easements that affect Springbrook Nature Center, Fridley Community Park and Edgewater Gardens Park in this latest request. Mr. Kirk further stated that the agenda packet includes a letter from Scott Stenger of ProSource Technologies, the Consultant working with Centerpoint Energy on the pipeline project, with the specifics of the requested easements in our parks. There are also aerial photographs of the sites involved and a proposed agreement for the easements. Scott Stenger of ProSource Technologies and Dale Anderson of Centerpoint Energy are present at tonight's meeting to explain the project and answer any questions. Mr. Stenger stated that he would like to talk a little about each of the area being requested of the City. At the Springbrook Nature Center site, they found that some adjustments to their original plans were needed due to some planned changes in the construction technique. They will need some additional work space up by 85t'` Avenue so that the space can accommodate a directional drill process. They made that change because of water table issues in this area. Mr. Stenger further stated that further south in the Nature Center property there is a lot of water in the area that will also require a directional drill to go completely under the wetlands. They would start the drilling about the halfway point of the Nature Center property and e�t the drilling at the very south end of the property. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetin� - Januarv 7, 2008 Pa�e 3 Mr. Kondrick asked how deep the drilling for the pipeline would be. Mr. Stenger stated that he would guess that it would be twenty-five to thirty feet deep under the wetland area. Mr. Stenger stated that those were the two changes at Springbrook Nature Center and what they were asking for was just some temporary additional work space. Mr. Kondrick asked if the area was restored when the pipeline project was complete. Mr. Anderson stated that as part of the project they will do complete restoration of the disturbed areas. Mr. Stenger stated that the ne�t property to look at is the Community Park The change that they made on this area was a modification on the alignment of the pipeline. These reason being is that there is a Met Council sewer line that runs through the area, as well as the electrical transmission lines and towers. There is also an e�sting Centerpoint gas line in this area. To accommodate all of these uses in a rather tight space and address some long term safety issues, they have modified the path of the pipeline on the north end of the Community Park property. Mr. Kondrick asked how far the gas pipeline would be from the sewer line. Mr. Stenger stated that there is at least a fifteen foot separation between the gas pipeline and the sewer line in that area. They have met with Met Council representatives several times to agree upon the acceptable distances and preferred pipeline route. Mr. Heintz stated that the Parks and Recreation had approved a T-Mobile cell tower installation in that area, so how will that be worked out. Mr. Kirk stated that the communications tower would be in close pro�mity to the new pipeline route, but would actually be located where the temporary easement for construction would be. He did not feel that it would create a conflict for the uses. Mr. Stenger stated that he thought he could address some of the issue. When they talked to the property owner just to the north of Community Park, he told them that he had just signed an agreement with T- Mobile to erect a telecommunications tower on his property. There should not be a problem with the tower and the requested easement. Mr. Kirk asked about the timing for the construction work this year at Community Park. Mr. Stenger stated they have it planned to begin the work at the park in late July or early August, after the softball season is over. Mr. Kondrick stated that the City appreciates their starting the project so as not to conflict with the heavy ballfield use at the Community Park. Mr. Kondrick asked how long it takes to complete the pipeline installation in the park areas. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetin� - Januarv 7, 2008 Pa�e 4 Mr. Anderson stated that you can figure about 400 to 500 feet per week can be installed. They have a lot of equipment out there and they like to keep it moving. They are supposed to have the entire pipe in the ground by the first of September. Mr. Stenger stated he would now like the Commission to look at the proposed easement for Edgewater Gardens Park. Mr. Stenger further stated that at Edgewater Gardens Park, they would be drilling under the railroad easement and coming into the park on the south end near Mississippi Street. They will be laying in the pipe between the drill location coming from the east and a second drill location in the park which will go under Mississippi Street. Mr. Heintz asked how the easement that the City has with Redeemer Lutheran Church for parking of cars will conflict with this easement for the pipeline. Mr. Kirk stated that Centerpoint needs to work with Redeemer Church about the pipeline installation. Some of the parking lot will be affected by the drilling and storage of materials. Mr. Stenger stated that they have met with the Church to work out details on the installation, with the most recent meeting being held last week The Church has been aware of the project and is working with them to resolve any concerns. What they are looking for from the Church is just some temporary workspace. Mr. Solberg asked what the size of the pipe was going to be. Mr. Stenger stated it would be a 20 inch steel pipe. Mr. Stenger stated that he would be happy to answer any questions about the pipeline and the easement requests in the City of Fridley parks. Mr. Kirk stated that has discussed the proposed easements and related documents with Public Works Director 7im Kosluchar and they are both concerned about Exhibit C. This document was not included in the easements obtained by Centerpoint Energy for the pipeline last year and it does appear to provide some significant limitations on the City for use of our own parkland. Mr. Kirk asked the Centerpoint representatives if Exhibit C is really necessary for the agreement with the City and the park land easements. Is there an alternate document that could be agreed upon for our use? Mr. Stenger stated that they are asking for the items listed in Exhibit C because there is a safety issue and there is also a Federal Government regulations issue. The government is working on stepping up the standards on utility easement right of way concerns. They are looking at the long term and the ability to maintain and secure the infrastructure of all utilities, not just the gas pipelines. Mr. Kondrick asked who does the maintenance such as cutting trees within the easement corridor? Mr. Stenger stated that Centerpoint Energy would take care of that at their expense. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetin� - Januarv 7, 2008 Pa�e 5 Mr. Lindquist stated that he had a question about exhibit C and running equipment over the Centerpoint easement. Both at Community Park and the Springbrook Nature Center, the area of the easements is the access area to the park areas on the west side. The limitations outlined in Exhibit C may prevent us from having access to attend to maintenance concerns. Mr. Stenger stated that Exhibit C is a general template that obviously doesn't always work well with every easement. What Centerpoint is asking for is that people who are doing planning, are going to be doing projects or digging in the easement area contact Centerpoint first as a safety issue. Mr. Kondrick asked what the weight limit was for vehicles driving over the easement of the pipeline. Mr. Lindquist stated that we have heavy equipment we need to get into the back of the park at times. Mr. Anderson stated that it would help if the City could notify Centerpoint Energy what size vehicles are going to be going over the easement. They can then run some calculations based on the weight of the equipment and the depth of the pipe to determine any limitations. Mr. Otteson stated that the City would expect that our access to our park areas would not be infringed upon with the stipulations. We currently have access to our parks through these areas and we need that to be continued. Mr. Kondrick stated that we need to work this out so the City can do our business and Centerpoint can do your business. Mr. Stenger stated that we will find some language that City staff will find acceptable. One thing that has been done elsewhere in this project is to adjust the depth at which the pipe is buried and/or the thickness of the pipe wall to accommodate these types of concerns. Mr. Kirk asked if the Commission would be willing to recommend approval of the easements with the condition that we work out all of the details on the staff level. This process of approvals is on a rather tight timeline with the request for approval of the City Council on January 28t'`. This would be before the ne�t scheduled Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. Mr. Heintz asked if Exhibit C would apply to the previous easements in the parks that were approved last year. Mr. Stenger stated that it would only apply to these current requests, but most of this deals with common sense safety issues. Anything that might be in here could be included in any discussion with all of the park easements. MOTION by Mr. Heintz, seconded by Ms. Barrett, to approve the request for easements in the park system by Centerpoint Energy, contingent upon working out all details of Exhibit C to the satisfaction of City staff. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetin� - Januarv 7, 2008 Pa�e 6 b. Rain Gardens at Community Park Mr. Kirk stated that the Commission members have before them a proposal to put in some rain gardens at the Fridley Community Park. Layne Otteson, the Assistant Public Works Director is present at the meeting to give you more information on the project. We are in the third year of a three year project to improve the drainage issues at the Community Park ballfields. The ballfield reconstruction and drainage improvements are tied to the street projects. The rain garden proposal that we have is really crucial to making the street project happen this year. Mr. Otteson stated that they needed the rain gardens to satisfy the Rice Creek Watershed District requirements for the street project. The Community Park project needs the dirt from the street project to raise the fields and complete the construction at the ballfields. Mr. Otteson stated that the reason that they have looked at Community Park for the rain gardens is because of the high visibility of the park There are many people that visit the park each summer as a participant or a spectator. The main entrance path into the park is a nice gateway and would work well for placing the rain gardens near by. The rain gardens at Community Park would not really be helping with any stormwater treatment, they would serve an educational component. The Rice Creek Watershed District is placing a lot of value on having rain gardens in a highly visible location. Mr. Otteson further stated that the idea of having the rain gardens at the entrance to Community Park would be to have some very nice looking rain gardens that would be a little smaller than you would normally see in a front yard or other neighborhood location. It would serve as an example for people and would have an informational sign ne�t to it for educational purposes. It would explain what a rain garden does and what kind of rain garden this was. Mr. Heintz asked how far off of the path the rain gardens would be. Mr. Otteson stated they are proposing that the rain gardens be about three feet off the path. When they start installing the gardens, they would look more closely at this. It may make sense to move them closer or farther away from the path. Mr. Heintz stated that he would think farther away from the path would be better. A lot of people walk through that area and during tournaments, it can crowded walking through there. Mr. Kirk stated that many of the ballplayers walk on the grass turf along side of the asphalt path rather than the hard surface, so as to not wear down their athletic shoe cleats. Mr. Otteson stated that they will take that into consideration when installing the gardens. Mr. Heintz stated he liked the rain garden concept, but was concerned that people would walk through them and they wouldn't look too good after a while. Keeping a reasonable buffer between the path and the rain gardens should help alleviate problems. Mr. Kondrick stated that the photographs of the rain gardens are really nice. They would look very nice at Community Park If Mr. Otteson is considering installing rain gardens that will end up looking like the plantings in Jay Park, he doesn't even want to talk about it anymore. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetin� - Januarv 7, 2008 Pa�e 7 Mr. Otteson stated that it is really not a rain garden at Jay Park and these rain gardens will look much better than what is at Jay Park. Mr. Kondrick asked if a landscape plan for these rain gardens could come before the Parks and Recreation Commission for review before the gardens were installed. Mr.Otteson stated that he would expect that a plan would come to the Commission prior to installation. He would like to invite the Commission members to actively sit down and help them with the design. Mr. Otteson stated they are expecting to install four different types of rain gardens at the park to show several options. He would expect all of them to look very nice. Mr. Kirk stated that in the memo from Mr. Otteson, it reads that the City may remove the rain gardens if for some reason they don't work out at Community Park It would be his interpretation of the statement that if they don't look good or can't be maintained properly, they can then be taken out and replaced with grass. Mr. Otteson stated that is correct, they could be taken out if they don't work as planned at Community Park They would need to work with the Water Shed District on some alternate locations in the City. Mr. Kondrick asked Mr. Lindquist if these rain gardens would create a significant amount of additional maintenance work. Mr. Lindquist stated they will require some more work, but it is not that big of a deal for them. These rain gardens are not that large and the placement near some berms should not be an issue. Mr. Kondrick asked that in addition to providing an educational component and adding to the beauty of the park, could these rain gardens be made more functional. Could they help with some of the water problems that we have had at Community Park? Mr. Otteson stated that they will look at a number of options when they are doing the installation of the gardens. If they need to address some water drainage issues with the rain gardens, they will do so at time of installation. MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Mr. Heintz to approve the plan for rain gardens at Community Park as proposed by Mr. Otteson. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. 3. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Mr. Heintz to adjourn the January 7, 2008 meeting at 8:52 p.m. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE JAN UARY 7, 2008 MEETING ADJOURNED.