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PR 05/23/2011 - 29917CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING — MAY 23, 2011 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Solberg called the May 23, 2011 Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 7:13 p. m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Tim Solberg, Michele Barrett, Mike Heintz, and Dave Kondrick Others Present: Jack Kirk, Director of Parks and Recreation Dave Lindquist, Parks Supervisor Siah St. Clair, Director of Springbrook Nature Center Donna Bahls, Springbrook Nature Center Foundation Derek Larsen, Tobacco Free Youth Recreation APPROVAL OF APRIL 11, 2011 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Heintz, to approve the minutes of the April 11, 2011 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR MAY 23, 2011 MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Heintz, to approve the agenda for the May 23, 2011 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. 1. STAFF REPORT a. Program Update Mr. Kirk stated that the Program Update for the month was included in the agenda packet for the Commissioner's information. Because of the large agenda for tonight's meeting, he will not report on any individual programs and activities. If the Commission members have any questions, he would be happy to answer them. b. Park Maintenance Report Mr. Lindquist stated that during the past month and a half, the park maintenance division has worked hard on getting the athletic fields ready for the softball, baseball and soccer programs. They have also been mowing all the parks, along with their new project of mowing the University Avenue corridor. They also have been doing turf sweeping and clean up of debris in all the parks after the long winter. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq - Mav 23, 2011 Paqe 2 Mr. Lindquist further stated that they have also been making repairs to building and restrooms; setting the irrigation systems; preparing the garden plots; getting shelters ready for the picnics; and attending to the playground equipment. Sweeping courts and trails has also been on their work schedule. Mr. Lindquist stated that he and Mr. Kirk have been compiling cost estimates on the damage to the park system caused by yesterday's tornado. We had damage at Commons, Summit Square, Little League Fields and Flanery parks amounting to approximately $57,000. We are already getting some of the repairs taken care of so the organized programs will not be impacted for very long. Mr. Solberg thanked staff for the quick response and good work on tornado damage in the park system. Mr. Heintz stated that he had heard from someone involved with the youth baseball program that was very impressed that the City had addressed the damage to Commons baseball field #1 so fast. c. Springbrook Nature Center Report Mr. Kirk stated that a gazebo was burned to the ground last month. The Fire Department believes it was arson. It will cost approximately $27,000 to replace and staff is looking at how to make the replacement structure more vandal proof and fire resistant. Mr. Kirk further stated that the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation recently held their annual auction fundraiser the Spring Spree. It was held at the Coon Rapids Civic Center and was well attended. d. Commission Member Reappointment — Michele Barrett Mr. Kirk stated that at their meeting on March 28, the City Council reappointed Michele Barrett to a new three-year term on the Parks and Recreation Commission. Staff and the Commission members congratulated Ms. Barrett on her reappointment and thanked her for her service to the community. e. Goose Management at Harris Pond Mr. Kirk stated that he was recently contacted by a resident of the Harris Pond area regarding problems with Canadian Geese in their yards. She had contacted the Canada Goose management company that we work with to remove geese from Moore Lake Beach. The company told her they would extend the management program to Harris Pond if the neighborhood worked in conjunction with the City on this program. Mr. Kirk told this lady that the City only has money budgeted to cover the Moore Lake goose management and any extension of the program would have to be paid for by the residents of the Harris Pond area. Mr. Kirk further stated that at the request of this resident, he sent out a letter to 20 residents around Harris Pond to gauge the interest in paying for a goose management program. He has attached a copy of the letter. Twelve residents responded to his letter with six saying they did not want to pay for the goose removal, three saying they would pay for it and three saying they would pay only if all homeowners participated or the cost was kept low. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq - Mav 23, 2011 Paqe 3 Mr. Kirk stated that based on the response, he was sending another letter to the residents stating that the City would not be asking the Canada Goose Management company to expand their service to Harris Pond this year. He has also attached a copy of this letter for the Commission member's information. This is not something the City initiated, but he wanted the Commission to know what has happened here. f. 2011 49er Days Mr. Kirk stated that a schedule of the 2011 Fridley 49er Days festival has been included in the agenda packet. This is for the information of the Commission members. He would like to invite the Commission members to participate in the activities. g. Park Tour before June Meeting Mr. Kirk stated that the Parks and Recreation Commission usually takes a tour of some park facilities prior to the June meeting each year. If the Commission members would like to do that again this year, he would coordinate a tour. The Commission could start the tour at 6pm and then have a picnic and regular Commission meeting when we get back from the tour. The Commission agreed to have a park tour just prior to the June meeting. h. Parks Capital Improvement Project — Community Park Parking Lot Mr. Kirk stated that the 2012 Parks Capital Improvement program includes replacing the parking lots at Community Park. The north parking lot is in extremely bad condition and staff is looking at the possibility of moving up this replacement to this year. Staff is getting prices on this. As a trade-off for doing the parking this year, some of the court resurfacing and color coating of the tennis courts may be delayed from this year until 2012. Mr. Kondrick asked if there might be any reason to make the parking lot bigger while doing the project. Mr. Lindquist stated that we do not have any room to expand the size of the lot. Mr. Kirk stated that for our league play and the tournaments that have been scheduled at the park, the existing size of the lot is adequate. 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Geocaching Guidelines for Springbrook Nature Center Mr. Kirk stated that Springbrook Nature Center Foundations members have worked with nature center staff to come up with guidelines to be used for geocaching at Springbrook Nature Center. Geocaching is an outdoor treasure hunting type of activity that uses gps- enabled devices to help locate the caches that have been hidden in the park. Many park systems now allow this type of activity, but most have developed some guidelines related to geocaching. Ms. Bahls stated that they have basically taken the Three Rivers Park District and Anoka County Parks rules for geocaching and made some minor changes. They do not want someone digging or climbing trees to find the caches. The guidelines will state that the caches must not be buried and must be accessible when standing with both feet on the ground. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq - Mav 23, 2011 Paqe 4 Mr. St. Clair stated that geocaching is now a fun activity for families and he would really like to see the guidelines adopted so there is a little control over this activity in the nature center. Ms. Bahls stated that the recommended geocaching guidelines for Springbrook Nature Center are as follows: Springbrook Geocaching Guidelines Springbrook supports geocaching in its park boundaries. Please follow the geocaching guidelines when placing or retrieving caches: 1. Geocaching is allowed within the boundaries of Springbrook Nature Center. 2. Caches must not be buried and must be accessible from a standing position. 3. Caches must be public, no member only or subscription caches. 4. Caches must be placed so that existing trails can be used to get close to the cache. All caches must be placed within 1/10 mile of existing asphalt and/or mowed trails. 5. Placement of geocaches within maintained landscape plantings is prohibited. 6. Geocaches must be registered with Springbrook Nature Center using the online registration form. 7. Geocaches are not to contain items that are offensive, dangerous, or illegal. 8. Access to geocaches will be subject to the Park ordinance including hours of operation, designated trail uses, maintenance standards and natural resources management activities. 9. Springbrook Nature Center retains the right to remove a cache if determined to be in an inappropriate location, or if it is not registered with the Park District. 10. Each person may have a maximum of 3 caches within Springbrook Nature Center. No more than 20 caches will be allowed with Springbrook at one time. 11. Geocaches are to be relocated or removed within a 12 month timeline. This is to ensure new caches and locations are available for new geocacher challenges and adventures. Mr. Kondrick asked Mr. St. Clair if he concurred with all of the guidelines being presented for this activity at Springbrook. Mr. St. Clair stated that he did approve of the guidelines. Mr. Kirk stated that these guidelines could be used at other parks in Fridley if needed to regulate and control geocaching. For now, this would apply to the nature center only. MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Heintz, to approve the staff and Sprinbrook Nature Center Foundation recommended guidelines for geocaching at Springbrook Nature Center. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq - Mav 23, 2011 Paqe 5 b. Recommended Changes to Tree Preservation Ordinance Mr. Kirk stated that the current Tree Preservation Ordinance was enacted in the 1970's during the discussion or fight over a golf course or nature center in what is now Springbrook Nature Center. It was established to prevent golf course fairways from being cut into the property. Mr. Kirk stated that this is a very restrictive policy that can prevent City projects in our park system such as the SPRING project being proposed for the nature center. The golf course versus nature center issue is in the past, so it may be time to revise this ordinance. As the ordinance reads today, it would prohibit the SPRING project from happening at Springbrook. Mr. Kirk stated that the current policy allows for the removal of up to three trees per acre per year for the purposes of woodland management. The current ordinance would prevent the clearing of trees for creating a berm along 85t" Avenue. Mr. Kirk stated that he believes that with a few minor changes to the ordinance, there is still a way to protect and preserve the trees on public land. The change would allow for tree removal in cases of projects that were approved by the City. He further stated that the ordinance would still require plans to be approved by the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Planning Commission and the City Council before tree removal could occur. A restoration or reforestation plan could certainly be reviewed at the time of the approvals. Mr. Kirk stated that the recommended changes to the ordinance are as follows: • Under 510.01 - number 1, other tree diseases or pest infestation were added as exceptions to which tree removal would be allowed. • Under 510.01 — number 2, it would now read... "For purposes of woodland management or City approved projects, the removal of trees may be permitted, but only after a management plan justifying such removals has been approved by the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Fridley Planning Commission and the Fridley City Council. No tree removal shall be allowed under the provisions of this Paragraph which is not defined in the plan; ( the change is that City approved projects was added as a reason for tree removal and the limitation of up to three trees per acre per year was removed). Mr. Kirk stated that the rest of the ordinance was left unchanged. MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Ms. Barrett, to approve the staff recommended changes to the tree preservation ordinance. UPON A VOICE VOTE, WITH COMMISSION MEMBERS KONDRICK, BARRETT AND SOLBERG VOTING YES, AND COMMISSION MEMBER HEINTZ VOTING NO, CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED Mr. Heintz stated that he voted no because he did not like the fact that the ordinance was okay to prevent a golf course, but when it came to our needs for the nature center then it is okay to take down trees. He understands the reasons for the recommended changes, but he voted no. He further stated that he doesn't want a golf course there, he just doesn't agree with this change. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq - Mav 23, 2011 Paqe 6 2. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Smoke Free Park Areas Mr. Kirk stated that at the December 2010 Commission meeting, there was considerable discussion about tobacco free parks and the possibility of establishing a policy related to this for the City of Fridley Park system. The issue was placed as a question on the recently completed Council-Commission survey. There were 63% of the respondents in favor of a policy to ban tobacco in the parks and 37% against. The Parks and Recreation Commission appeared to be in favor of some type of policy being enacted for the parks in Fridley. Mr. Kirk stated that he has drawn up two potential resolutions addressing a tobacco free policy in our parks. One is a total ban on tobacco products and the other limits tobacco use within a certain distance from facilities and programs. A total ban would be similar to what the school districts have on all of their property. Mr. Kirk stated that he has copies of the tobacco free policies from Anoka County and the communities that are around Fridley. The City of Fridley is currently almost surrounded by cities that have some type of tobacco limitation in their parks. Mr. Derek Larsen, of Tobacco Free Youth Recreation stated that Brooklyn Park adopted a tobacco free policy last week. That leaves Fridley as the only City in the area that does not have such a policy. Mr. Kirk stated that the Fridley City Code allows the Parks and Recreation Commission to establish rules and regulations governing the use and enjoyment of the park system. Mr. Solberg asked if a motion to establish a policy on smoking would need to go to the City Council for approval. Mr. Kirk stated that the Parks and Recreation Commission is an advisory board and the City Council should approve all recommendations before they are officially put into place. Ms. Barrett stated that she was thinking that the Commission may want to support the second of the two staff prepared policies on tobacco use in the parks, which limits use to within a certain distance of facilities and programs. She felt this would be easier to implement, since it would not be a total ban on tobacco use. Mr. Kondrick stated that he did not think that way and he would support a total ban. He thought that would be easier to enforce than trying to determine distances from facilities or programs. Mr. Heintz stated that he is in favor of a total ban on tobacco use in the parks. A total ban will be easier to educate the public on and will be easier for other park users to help enforce. Mr. Kondrick asked if Mr. Larsen could tell us what type of policies other communities are implementing related to tobacco use in the parks. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq - Mav 23, 2011 Paqe 7 Mr. Larsen stated that communities in the area have different policies ranging from a complete ban to a distance requirement. Last year, the City of Blaine enacted a policy to ban smoking and tobacco products within 25 feet of park facilities and programs. They are having a difficult time educating park users on this because the signs provided by Tobacco Free Youth Recreation read that tobacco use is not allowed in the park. Blaine is not using those signs and is developing their own signs at their expense. Mr. Kondrick asked what the signs actually read. Mr. Larsen stated that they read as follows, "No Tobacco use on this park property". There is space available on the signs for the individual City to attach its City logo or name. Mr. Larsen further stated that the placement of the signs in the parks is up to the local community and they would work with staff on the number of signs needed and where they would be located. Mr. Heintz stated that he had a question for Mr. St. Clair. He asked him if he thought that a ban on tobacco use would deter people from coming to Springbrook Nature Center. Mr. St. Clair stated that he thinks we would lose some use of the parks because of a policy like this. However, he believes it would become a cleaner park with this in place. MOTION by Ms. Barrett, seconded by Mr. Heintz to adopt a policy prohibiting tobacco use in the Fridley Parks as outlined in Resolution A as submitted by staff. Resolution A reads as follows: A RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING A TOBACCO-FREE PARKS AND RECREATION POLICY WHEREAS, the City of Fridley Parks and Recreation Commission is committed to the quality of life for all residents, and WHEREAS, the City of Fridley parks and recreation system is provided as a place for people to engage in outdoor recreation in healthful settings offering clean air and clean water, and WHEREAS, the Parks and Recreation Commission has concluded that: • Tobacco product use in the pro�mity of children, youth, and adults engaging in recreational activities is unhealthy. • Recreational experiences of park users, particularly children, are negatively impacted by the presence of second-hand smoke or other tobacco by-products. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq - Mav 23, 2011 Paqe 8 • Tobacco products consumed in public spaces are often discarded on the ground, resulting in litter, increased maintenance costs, and a general nuisance to parks visitors. • Recreation leaders, staff, parents, and other adults in park settings are thought of as role models and should demonstrate positive lifestyle choices in the presence of children. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Parks and Recreation Commission of the City of Fridley that in an effort to reduce the presence of tobacco products in recreational areas, particularly those frequented by children, the City of Fridley Parks and Recreation Commission hereby adopts the following policy that no person shall use tobacco products on City-owned park land and park facilities. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the emphasis of the Tobacco-Free park policy is through voluntary compliance. This shall be encouraged through the following methods: • Signs shall be posted at all park and recreation facilities. • City staffwill make periodic observations of park and recreation facilities to monitor for compliance. • A community education program will be implemented to assist in enforcing this policy. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. b. Adopt — A— Park Guidelines Mr. Kirk stated that at a previous meeting, the Parks and Recreation Commission had approved some staff recommended guidelines for an Adopt-A-Park program. We have recently had a community group talk about volunteering to help move along the SPRING project at the nature center by taking out some trees where the new berm would go. The discussion of volunteers using power equipment came up again and it seemed appropriate to have the Commission discuss this once again. The Adopt-A-Park guidelines do not allow for the use of power equipment. It has been suggested by other City staff that there would not be consistency in our volunteer program if volunteers on a special project could use power equipment and volunteers in the Adopt-A-Park program were prohibited from doing the same. Mr. Heintz stated that he thought the Adopt-A-Park program is different than a group volunteering to do a specific project at the Nature Center or one of the other parks. Mr. Kirk stated that the City Council has supported the Parks Maintenance workers providing mowing and other maintenance on the University Avenue corridor. This takes away staff from completing the maintenance requirements in our City parks. The question has been raised of volunteers using a weed whacker to trim along fence lines, because the park workers are not available to do that task. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq - Mav 23, 2011 Paqe 9 Mr. Kirk stated that there is a memo in your agenda packet from the City Manager recommending that limited power equipment be used with the Adopt-A-Park program. He would suggest that the volunteer would need to sign a liability waiver and go through a required training on proper use of the equipment before working in the parks. Mr. Lindquist stated that the parks staff would find it difficult to find the time to provide the necessary training to the volunteers on the power equipment, especially with the heavier work load of the University corridor. He questioned where the supervision of these volunteers using power equipment would come from. Mr. Kirk stated that in previous discussion on the use of power equipment, there was concern for the safety of the person using the equipment and that of other park users that may be in the vicinity of the volunteer using the equipment. Mr. Lindquist stated there is also a concern over damage to trees by individuals not used to operating the power equipment. Mr. Kirk asked the Commission members if they thought that the Adopt-A-Park program should allow for the limited use of some power equipment such as weed whackers, and if so, under what conditions. Ms. Barrett stated that we need to look at what we really wanted the Adopt-A-Park program to be. She never envisioned this program involving any power tools when it was first talked about. She saw it has helping to keep the parks clean and looking nice. Mr. Kirk stated that when staff recommended looking at an Adopt-A-Park program, it was intended to supplement the work that was being done by our park maintenance workers. It was not being recommended to replace the work done by our parks crew. Mr. Heintz asked if we could require the organization or group that was interested in using power equipment such as weed whackers to do some of the trimming in the parks to pay for the training that would be necessary. Mr. Kirk stated that with a policy like that, he would see it as discouraging rather than encouraging a group or organization to be part of the program. He did not see groups being willing to pay for the training required. Mr. Kondrick stated that he just does not like the concept of the Adopt-A-Park participants using power equipment. He sees this as risky for the City. He would rather see the participants concentrate on picking up litter, plant a flower garden and beautifying the park as the program was originally intended to do. Mr. Heintz stated for the Adopt-A-Park program, he would recommend keeping the guidelines that we have agreed upon already. MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Heintz, to reaffirm that the Adopt-A-Park guidelines do not allow for the use of power equipment. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq - Mav 23, 2011 Paqe 10 UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Ms. Barrett to adjourn the meeting at 8:48 p.m. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MAY 23, 2011 MEETING ADJOURNED.