Loading...
PR 08/03/2009 - 29899CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING — AUGUST 3, 2009 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Sibell called the August 3, 2009 Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Marcy Sibell, Dave Kondrick, Michele Barrett, Mike Heintz, Tim Solberg Others Present: Jack Kirk, Director of Parks and Recreation Dave Lindquist, Parks Supervisor Bruce Pomerantz, 5687 West Bavarian Pass APPROVAL OF JUNE 1, 2009 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Heintz, to approve the minutes of the June 1, 2009 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SIBELL DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR AUGUST 3, 2009 MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Mr. Kondrick, to approve the agenda for the August 3, 2009 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SIBELL DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. 1. STAFF REPORT a. Program Update Mr. Kirk stated that he is handing out a CD copy of the completed Park Area Service Study to the Commission members this evening. This document is the result of a lot of work and discussion by the Commission members and staff. He would encourage the Commission members to keep this copy for future reference. Mr. Kirk further stated that a Program Update has been included with the agenda packet for the information of the Commission members. It tells of the activities and services over the past couple of months. Mr. Kirk stated that he wanted to tell the Commission about the many creative summer day camp opportunities that are available at Springbrook Nature Center. The camps are for Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — Auqust 3, 2009 Paqe 2 various age groups and are run throughout the summer months. Some of the camp titles are as follows: • Dino Diggers...the campers look for fossils and learn what Minnesota was like when the dinosaurs were here. • Come Slither...the campers learn about snakes and salamanders. • Splish Splash...the campers see what ducks, fish, turtles and frogs love about the water • Jungle Jammin'...the campers learn about plants and animals in thejungle. • Wildlife Watchers...the campers sneak up on the animals at the nature center and see what they do all day. • Green Team... the campers make recycled crafts, do cool experiments and learn to reduce, reuse and recycle. • Gramp Camp... each camper and a Grandparent see live animals, take hikes, make crafts, cook lunch and have fun discovering nature. • Nature Realty Show...the campers learn about nature while making their own nature movie. • Nature Boot Camp...the campers challenge themselves while doing an obstacle course, climbing trees and chasing through the woods. Mr. Kirk stated that he also wanted to tell the Commission about the many educational opportunities that are available for the ROCKS participants. The participants choose two classes each morning for the week they are at the program. Some of the opportunities include: • You're on Stage... acting techniques and character development • Magic Storytelling... enhancing favorite storytelling tales • Silly Science... using household items to do experiments and make crafts • Leapin' Lizards... learning about the world of lizards • Wilderness Survivor...learning survival skills and teamwork • Under the Sea... exploring the ocean's geography and creatures that live there • The Buzz on Bugs... investigating the tiny world of bugs. • Magic and More... learning card, coin, string and balloon tricks • Garden Accents... making items that make your garden look great • Creative Cooking... creating some fun and tasty foods • Photography and Scrapbooking... learning to take and keep pictures • Wearable Art... decorating clothing articles Mr. Kirk further stated that these are just examples of the many activities available during the summer months. There are actually 13-day nature camps and 57 different activity choices for the ROCKS participants. The participants have been having a great time. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — Auqust 3, 2009 Paqe 3 Mr. Kirk stated that he also wanted to tell the Commission that the Senior Program, Chores and More, has added 49 new clients this year — the program is really gaining in popularity and is a great service to our seniors. In addition, the spring tax assistance program helped out 364 seniors this year, representing a 35.8% increase over 2008 numbers. b. Park Maintenance Report Mr. Lindquist stated that the Park Maintenance staff has been very busy mowing all of the park areas, water department properties, liquor store lawn areas, City Hall grass areas, several road right of way areas, sewer department facilities lawn areas, and the fire station grass areas. They have also been cleaning the park buildings and picnic shelters each day. Mr. Lindquist further stated that they have been preparing softball, baseball and soccer fields on a daily basis. They have also been doing a lot of work on the Community Park project. They have been working on the turf and replacing fencing, along with installing three rain gardens along the main path going into the ball fields. Mr. Lindquist stated that they were very busy helping with the 49er Days events and the various Recreation Department sponsored special events such as the water carnival and safety camp. They have also been transporting the showmobile for local activities as well as rentals to other communities. Mr. Lindquist further stated that they have also been busy at Moore Lake Park and Beach. They have just completed replacing the sand in the two sand volleyball courts at the park. They have also replaced several picnic grills and taken care of the swimming beach. Mr. Lindquist stated that he has coordinated the repair work on many of the court surfaces and has been involved in the trail project at Innsbruck Park. c. Springbrook Nature Center Report Mr. Kirk stated that the 85t" Avenue Trail project is nearing completion and a Meditation Garden project has been completed in the past couple of months. He will be providing more information on these projects later on the agenda. Mr. Kirk further stated that summer work crews have repaired 350 feet of boardwalk on the east hiking trail and placed new woodchips on 75% of the nature center's hiking trails. An eagle scout has coordinated a project of repairing one of the gazebos and a church group has helped with buckthorn removal. d. 85t" Avenue Trail Dedication Mr. Kirk stated that the dedication for the 85t" Avenue Trail is being planned for the evening of Monday, August 17t". The plans for the dedication are not complete, but he expects that there will be some comments and a ribbon cutting around 6:00 p.m. He will contact all of the Commission members about the dedication when plans are finalized. e. Meditation Garden Project at Springbrook Nature Center Mr. Kirk stated that the nature center has a new meditation garden area thanks to the generous donation of the William H. Beery family in memory of Lawraine K. Beery. The work is complete and the garden will open to the public later this summer. A dedication of this Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — Auqust 3, 2009 Paqe 4 garden will be planned for later this summer. Commission members will be sent information on the dedication. 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Winter Athletic League Fees Mr. Kirk stated that he has received a memo from Mark Daly proposing the Winter Athletic League fees. The basketball league fees would go up $15 due to increase officials' costs. The Co-Rec Volleyball fee has not been raised for two years and would go up $5. The Co- Rec Broomball fee would also go up $5 and the Boot Hockey league fee would go up $19 due to increased officials' costs. We try to keep our fees competitive with some of the surrounding communities. MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Ms. Barrett, to approve the staff recommended 2009- 2010 Winter Athletic League Fees. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SIBELL DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. b. Tree Removal on Public Property Mr. Kirk stated that the City of Fridley City Code requires approval of the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Planning Commission and the City Council for removal of trees on public property. This section of the code was enacted in the early 1970's when the issue of a golf course versus a nature center at what was known as North Park was being debated. He has included in the agenda packet a memo from Community Development Director Scott Hickok regarding the proposed removal of four trees to make room for a new City-owned electronic message sign. The existing trees would make it difficult to see the messages in the location where the sign would go up. The plan is to replace the trees in the landscaped area very near the sign location. MOTION by Mr. Heintz, seconded by Ms. Barrett, to approve the removal of four trees on public property to accommodate the new message sign, with the understanding that four replacement trees will be planted. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SIBELL DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. c. Class Discounts Mr. Kirk stated that the staff of the Recreation Department have been talking about the difficult economy and a concern with participation in the elementary after-school activities and the middle school ZONE program. It seems that if the programs draw good attendance early in the school year, the participation levels remain good for the balance of the year. In an attempt to increase participation early in the school year, staff is proposing some "back to school" specials on the fees. For the elementary after-school program, the special would be a half price registration fee on a second activity, if the participant signed up for the first activity at regular price. For the ZONE, the special would be half price on the admission fee and the multi-visit passes. These specials would be good for the first three months of the school year, September, October and November. Mr. Kondrick stated he liked the idea and would like to see us give it a try. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — Auqust 3, 2009 Paqe 5 Mr. Heintz stated it looks like we would be doing something for the families that are being hit hard by the recession. MOTION by Ms. Barrett, seconded by Mr. Solberg to support the staff recommended special back to school fees for the after school and ZONE activities. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SIBELL DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. d. Regional Trail at Columbia Arena Mr. Kirk stated that the Regional bikeway/walkway trail in our city has a portion of the trail that runs through Locke Park. The trail also has a small portion that is the property of the former Columbia lce Arena. The arena property is now privately owned and is being looked at for redevelopment. The developer is willing to relocate the trail back to public land as part of the project. Mr. Kirk further stated that he has been in discussions with the Anoka County Parks Director and they agree that the trail could be moved without any negative impact. The trail would be moved to the City of Fridley operated portion of Locke Park and would run adjacent to the existing horseshoe courts at the park. Mr. Kirk stated that the City of Fridley and Anoka County entered into a Joint Powers Agreement back in 1980 regarding the Regional Trail and uses of Locke Park. All of Locke Park is owned by the City of Fridley, but a large portion of the park is operated and maintained by Anoka County. The Regional Trail was put in by the County and they have responsibility for upkeep and maintenance. All of this is addressed in the existing Joint Powers Agreement. The moving of the trail will not require a new document or easement, since the trail is covered in the agreement that we have with the County. The developer of the Arena property will be moving the trail and Anoka County will be responsible for the on-going trail maintenance. Staff is recommending that we proceed with this change to the Regional Trail and allow placement of an approximately 500 foot section on the City operated part of Locke Park. He would like to have the Parks and Recreation Commission support this trail adjustment. Mr. Solberg asked if they were going to completely tear down the arena for this new project and, if so, would they be salvaging any of the materials from the arena. He is thinking in particular about the large laminated beams that are part of arena number 1. They would likely be able to be used for some other project. Mr. Kirk stated that he did not know the answer, but would ask staff in the Community Development Department. MOTION by Mr. Heintz, seconded by Mr. Kondrick, to support the moving of the Regional Trail in Locke Park as recommended by City staff. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SIBELL DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. e. Buckthorn Removal at Innsbruck Park — Bruce Pomerantz Mr. Kirk stated that he had received a call from Mr. Pomerantz last week related to the removal of buckthorn at Innsbruck Park. Mr. Pomerantz requested to be placed on the next Parks and Recreation Commission agenda. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — Auqust 3, 2009 Paqe 6 Mr. Pomerantz stated that his interest is volunteering and removing the buckthorn at Innsbruck Park. Several years ago, the Anoka County Soil Conservancy worked with neighbors in the area of Innsbruck Park to get a buckthorn removal project going. The individual in charge of the project wanted the volunteers to self organize and keep removing the buckthorn at the park. Mr. Pomerantz stated that he continued removing the buckthorn on his own, thinking he was doing something good for the park. He contacted Dave Lindquist about continuing the buckthorn removal and was told that the City did not have the manpower to pick up the branches and he should not continue clearing buckthorn on his own. He stated that the response did not make sense to him. Here you have a volunteer willing to work on a problem area in the park and the City staff person tells him that he cannot help out. Mr. Pomerantz further stated that he understands there is always an issue of liability on public land and he would be willing to sign something that state he would not hold the City liable if something were to happen to him while working in the park. He would just like to continue to help remove the buckthorn. Mr. Kondrick asked Mr. Pomerantz what methods he used for removing the buckthorn at the park. Mr. Pomerantz stated that he did not attempt to remove the large buckthorn plants, but he would either pull the small plants by hand or chop them off at the roots with a small hatchet. Ms. Sibell asked what he did with the plants that he pulled up or cut down in the park. Mr. Pomerantz stated that he would pile them in the park. Mr. Lindquist stated that buckthorn is an invasive plant species. The concern with buckthorn is that unless you have a concerted effort with a large group of people, it is very difficult to keep the spread of buckthorn in check. It is the type of plant that will come back more plentiful if you don't take steps to stay with the removal plan. There are some areas in Innsbruck Park where some nearby property owners took it upon themselves to do some clear cutting of vegetation. This took place about three years ago. Now the buckthorn is even thicker than it was before the clear cutting took place. The seeds of the buckthorn remain viable for three years, so after trees or shrubs are removed in an area, the buckthorn plants can quickly take over. Mr. Lindquist further stated that he has some guidelines for buckthorn removal that are used by Siah St. Clair at Springbrook Nature Center. They often have volunteer groups that come to Springbrook to help with buckthorn removal. It is very difficult for one individual to make much of an impact in a large park area with lots of buckthorn. Mr. Kondrick stated that we have a situation where somebody means well and wants to help, but may be creating some additional problems by going on their own to cut and pull the buckthorn. Mr. Lindquist stated that the branches that are cut or pulled should be removed from the park, at least along the trail. As an alternative, they can be piled further back from the trail to be used for wildlife habitat. The terrain in Innsbruck Park is very steep and rugged in certain areas, which makes it more difficult to haul the cut branches out of the park or go off trail to pile the branches. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — Auqust 3, 2009 Paqe 7 Mr. Lindquist stated that other cities have done some buckthorn eradication efforts and then gone back to those sites several years later to see the buckthorn growth is thicker than it was before they did the initial removal. Then they have to go in with a bigger group to try and combat the problem. It gets to the point where it can be overwhelming, especially with the limited resources for budgets that cities and counties are facing. Mr. Kirk stated that it may be helpful to understand that the reason that we are able to do on- going buckthorn removal at Springbrook Nature Center is that there are many groups that volunteer on a regular basis. There are many church groups, businesses and youth groups that come to Springbrook for group projects. The branches are stacked at least 40 to 50 feet from the trail in some open areas. Siah burns these brush piles in the winter. It is a little different situation at Innsbruck Park. There are not a lot of open areas that we can stack the branches and then come back to burn in the winter. At Innsbruck, it would almost require that you haul the cut branches out of the park and it is not an easy trail system to haul items through. Mr. Kirk further stated if an individual or even a group were to cut buckthorn at Innsbruck Park, haul the branches out of the park and then transport the branches off site, that would be a different story. If the park maintenance workers were expected to haul the branches and then cart them away, it would be another project for a limited work force. Mr. Kirk stated that if a large neighborhood effort, possibly combined with help from some community service groups or school groups, could be coordinated in to some specific days, it may be something that the park employees could work with. Also, as stated before, the buckthorn removal would have to be more of an on-going or yearly project, not just a one time effort. Mr. Kirk further stated that staff should develop a plan for buckthorn removal at the park and encourage some groups to take part in the effort. Mr. Heintz stated that maybe Mr. Pomerantz could talk with other neighbors around the park to see if he could get a group of people to help with the buckthorn removal. Mr. Pomerantz stated that he is a volunteer who is willing to help organize an effort. The Commission members encouraged staff to develop guidelines for buckthorn removal at Innsbruck Park and work with the neighborhood on a removal project. The Commission members thanked Mr. Pomerantz for his concern and for his willingness to help with this issue. 4. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Ms. Kondrick, to adjourn the August 3, 2009 meeting at 9:14 p.m. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SIBELL DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE AUGUST 3, 2009 MEETING ADJOURNED.