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PR 12/07/2009 - 29902CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING — DECEMBER 7, 2009 CALL TO ORDER: Vice-Chairperson Solberg called the December 7, 2009 Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 7:05 p. m. ROLL CALL: Members Present Others Present Tim Solberg, Michele Barrett, Mike Heintz, Dave Kondrick Jack Kirk, Director of Parks and Recreation APPROVAL OF NOVEMBER 2, 2009 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Ms. Barrett, to approve the minutes of the November 2, 2009 meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, VICE-CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR DECEMBER 7, 2009 MOTION by Ms. Barrett, seconded by Mr. Kondrick, to approve the agenda for the December 7, 2009 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, VICE-CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. 1. STAFF REPORT a. Program Update Mr. Kirk stated that the Program Update has been included in the meeting packet to provide Commission members with information on some of the programs and events over the past month. While the programs have been going well, staff has done some analysis of participation and revenue levels compared to 2008 and the numbers are down significantly. The revenue generated from the Recreation Division programs in 2006 was approximately $253,000, it was approximately $282,000 in 2007 and last year it was around $252,000. This year our revenue from programs is around $190,000. The participation numbers for the programs are also down this year. Mr. Kirk further stated that economy is bad and he would expect some lower numbers, but these levels were greater than what he thought they would be for 2009. He had checked with some of the neighboring communities like Columbia Heights, New Brighton, Spring Lake Park and Blaine. In general, they are seeing a participation and revenue numbers close to what they were last year. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — December 7, 2009 Paqe 2 Mr. Kirk further stated that he expects that the lower numbers has something to do with the marketing of the programs to the community and changes that were made with the mass mailing of the recreation brochure being discontinued. Staff has been looking at alternative marketing methods, but we have a lot of work to do to raise up the lower participation and revenue numbers to previous levels. Mr. Kirk stated that he had talked with the Recreation Director in Columbia Heights and he told Mr. Kirk that their participation numbers were about the same. They were down a little in revenue, but they have experienced an increase in requests for scholarships or fee assistance for programs. Mr. Kirk stated that we have been averaging about $10,000 in fee assistance in Fridley the last few years and this year we are currently at $6,600. Mr. Solberg asked how much the City saved by cutting out the seasonal activities brochure that used to be mailed to all citizens. Mr. Kirk stated that the net cost of cutting out the brochure was right around $18,000 for the year. Mr. Kirk stated that staff tried a number of additional promotional approaches this past year and is continuing to look for new methods to get our message out. The key is to get the program information in to the hands of the decision maker. For children's programs, the decision maker is the parents, so we need to get information to the parents. When you get to the teen programs, the teens have a lot to say about program participation. They often need the parent to pay for the program, but the teen most often makes the decision. Mr. Kirk stated that sending information home from school is something the Recreation Department relies upon with the children's programs. Mr. Kirk stated that the lower numbers this year for participation and revenue are disappointing. He wanted the Commission to know where these numbers were at and that staff of the Parks and Recreation Department is working to get those numbers back up again. Mr. Heintz asked if the Recreation Department had considered sending out program information with the water bills that the City sends out. Mr. Kirk stated that they had recently started doing that. Mr. Solberg asked if the City regularly puts information on the City website and if the Recreation Department has a Facebook site. Mr. Kirk stated that they are using the City website to promote program information and yes, they recently set up a Facebook account. Mr. Kirk stated, once again, that he wanted the Commission to know where the program numbers were at and the challenge they are facing, and he thanked the Commission for ideas on promoting the programs. b. Park Maintenance Report Mr. Kirk stated that Park Supervisor Dave Lindquist has provided this report of park maintenance activities during the past month. The maintenance workers have been busy cleaning leaves from the park areas and other city properties; they have been doing monthly parks and playgrounds safety inspections; they have been getting the sliding hill and skating rink locations ready; and they have started flooding the skating and hockey rinks. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — December 7, 2009 Paqe 3 c. Springbrook Nature Center Report Mr. Kirk stated that staff wants to provide an update on Springbrook Nature Center activities each month. During the past month, the architectural firm finalists for the SPRING project made presentations to the evaluation committee. The Hoisington Koegler Group has been recommended to the City Council for approval. If approved, they could start their work in mid- December. They would be breaking down the large scale SPRING project into phases and getting phase one in more detailed planning, so it would be ready to go if funding is in place this next year. Mr. Kirk further stated that the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation recently received a $10,000 grant from Excell Energy for new programming activities at the nature center in 2010. The Springbrook Foundation exists to support this City of Fridley Park and the related nature center programs and their fundraising helps to provide opportunities for the community. 2. NEW BUSINESS a. 2009 Adult Softball Fees Mr. Kirk stated that he has the staff proposed Adult softball league fees for 2010. Staff is recommending a slight increase in fees for this year due to an increase in some of the related costs. He further stated that they look at the fees that other area communities are charging for the same type of leagues. Mr. Kirk stated the Monday through Thursday Leagues would be raised from $742 to $759. The Sunday League would go from $669 to $689. The Friday night Co-Rec League would go from $455 to $465. They are also offering a Women's league again this year and the recommended fee would be $435. The difference in league fees is due to the number of games each league plays. Mr. Kirk stated that staff is excited about Community Park being fully operational this next year. This should help to get teams registered in the softball leagues. Mr. Heintz stated that the City has some problems with the softball program. He has talked to people involved and there are some participants not happy with the way things are run, and he stated that several of the teams have said they are not coming back to the league this year. Mr. Kirk asked what kind of problems they had with the league. Mr. Heintz stated that the teams in the Wednesday night Men's league had to wait two weeks before they could register to allow Fridley teams to sign up first. He knew of other teams that wanted to sign up for the Fridley league, but didn't, because if they didn't get in the Fridley league they would have lost out on other league options elsewhere. He said that there were only five teams in that league and the umpiring was terrible. He stated that we need to do something to drop the requirement that Fridley teams get to sign up first. He would suggest that we take all teams' money right away and have a stipulation that if we fill the league during the first two weeks of registration, then we give a refund to outside teams and tell them they are not in the league. Mr. Heintz further stated that the Blaine league at the airport fields allows teams to bring beer to the games and they are told as long as they pick up the area and police their own area, they will be allowed to bring it in. If there are any problems, one team can wreck it for all the teams. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — December 7, 2009 Paqe 4 Mr. Heintz stated that in the fall league, one of the Fridley Recreation employees came to the first game and pulled a team off the field in the first inning to tell them they needed to get a roster turned in before they could resume play. After the start of the season, the rosters were never checked again and some teams brought in B level and A level players to play on their teams. He stated that he felt that the employee did not have to stop the game in the middle of the first inning to pull a team off the field. Mr. Heintz stated the requirements we have for our leagues in Fridley are different from what is required in Brooklyn Center, at Be-Bops, and at Pov's, where there are softball leagues. Mr. Kondrick asked Mr. Heintz if he thought we should be lowering our requirements, raising them or what direction is he recommending? He wanted to know where is he going with these concerns? Mr. Heintz stated that he did not have a problem raising the fees, but we have to somehow get to these managers and communicate with them. The managers just did not like the way the Fridley leagues were run. Mr. Kirk stated that this is the first he has heard of the any widespread concerns with the adult softball leagues. At the end of the season, there are always a few concerns that surface, but he is unaware of large scale issues. We do have good contact throughout the season with the managers and this information was not relayed to us. Mr. Kirk stated he wanted to address the registration priority system that the City of Fridley Recreation Department uses. We have always felt an obligation to give Fridley teams the first priority to sign up for the leagues in our community. If the Commission wants to recommend doing away with the priority registration for Fridley teams, then changes could be made. Ms. Barrett stated what constitutes a team being a Fridley team. Mr. Kirk stated that Fridley teams are composed of players who either live or work in the community. A Fridley team can have no more than four outside players on the roster. Mr. Kirk further stated that it is his feeling that our first obligation for our leagues and programs should be to the Fridley people — those that live and work here. Mr. Heintz stated that not all of the leagues are filling up and until we are full, maybe we should do away with the priority for Fridley teams. Most other communities do not give preference to local teams for the league registration. Mr. Kondrick stated that Mr. Heintz point is well taken and maybe we need to look at the marketing of our softball program. We need to think about how we can attract more teams. Mr. Kirk stated that he could check on the priority for local teams policies being used by other communities and get that information back to the Commission at the next meeting. If the Commission wants to recommend a change in the registration policies, that could also be discussed at next month's meeting. Mr. Kondrick stated that we need to bring in revenue with the programs, but at the same time we have an obligation to Fridley residents. It is something we should continue talking about at a future meeting. Mr.Heintz said there is a website that can be used to promote softball leagues. It is mnsoftball.com. He would suggest we take a look at it. Mr. Kirk stated they would look at the website. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — December 7, 2009 Paqe 5 Mr. Heintz stated that overall the Recreation Department does a good job with leagues and programs, but he received this feedback on the softball leagues that he thought he should share. Mr. Solberg stated that Mr. Heintz commented on the umpiring not being satisfactory. How do you address something like that? Mr. Kirk stated that they document all complaints they receive against umpires in the league and if a pattern develops with complaints against one certain umpire, they will not use them anymore. Also, the Program Supervisor in charge of softball is expected to watch the umpires in game action and evaluate the type of job they do. Mr. Kondrick stated that back to the fee recommendations, the increases are nominal and staff feels they are competitive with other area cities. He would support the staff recommended softball fees for 2010. MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Heintz, to approve the staff recommended adult softball league fees for 2010. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, VICE-CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. b. Request to use Commons Park Rink and Warming House — Fridley Fire Explorers Mr. Kirk stated that the Fire Department Explorers group has requested use of some Commons Park facilities for a water ball tournament next July 24t". This is a City of Fridley group and staff would like to find a way to accommodate their requests for this event. A water ball tournament is a competition between fire teams using two water hoses and a barrel suspended on a rope. The objective is to move the barrel with your stream of water to your opponent's side of the court. The fire explorers use the tournament to gain experience using the fire hoses and to have fun. Mr. Kirk further stated that they would like to use the paved hockey rink at Commons Park for this event and he did not have a problem with this as long as it did not tear up the new asphalt in that rink area. He did not want heavy trucks or other heavy equipment on the rink surface. Mr. Kondrick asked if there are any conflicts with other scheduled uses of the park facilities Mr. Kirk stated that there are not any conflicts on the schedule as of this time. Mr. Kondrick stated that the written request from the Explorers asks for picnic tables and trash cans at the facility for the event. Can we accommodate this part of the request? Mr. Kirk stated that he would need to coordinate this with Dave Lindquist, but felt that the request could be accommodated. Mr. Kondrick asked if they would be expected to pay for any extra costs such as dumpsters or extra portable toilets required for the event. Mr. Kirk stated that he believes they should pay for any extra costs incurred by the City for the event such as dumpsters or portable toilets. He would not recommend charging them for use of the facility itself. Mr. Solberg asked about requiring them to provide liability insurance coverage for the event. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — December 7, 2009 Paqe 6 Mr. Kirk stated that each of the participating posts could be required to show proof of insurance coverage. The City sponsoring the explorer post should acknowledge that they are aware of the explorers participating and that they are covered by the City's insurance. MOTION by Mr. Heintz, seconded by Ms. Barrett, to approve the request by the Fridley Fire Explorers to use the Commons Park paved hockey rink and the adjacent warming house for a Water Ball Tournament on July 24t", 2010 with the understanding that they would pay for any incidental expenses related to the tournament such as dumpsters and portable toilets. Also, the question of liability insurance will be handled to the City's satisfaction. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, VICE-CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Ms. Barrett, to adjourn the December 7, 2009 meeting at 8:03 p.m. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, VICE-CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE DECEMBER 7, 2009 MEETING ADJOURNED.