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PR 04/07/2008 - 29886CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING — APRIL 7, 2008 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Kondrick called the April 7, 2008 Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Dave Kondrick Mike Heintz Marcy Sibell Tim Solberg Michele Barrett Others Present: Jack Kirk, Director of Parks and Recreation Dave Lindquist, Parks Supervisor Siah St. Clair, Springbrook Nature Center Director Malcolm Mitchell, Springbrook Nature Center Foundation Donna Bahls, Springbrook Nature Center Foundation APPROVAL OF MARCH 3, 2008 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION by Mr. Heintz, seconded by Ms. Sibelll, to approve the minutes of the March 3, 2008 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR APRIL 7, 2008 MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to approve the agenda for the April 7, 2008 with the addition of new business item 2h, Riverview Heights Park Building. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. 1. STAFF REPORT a. Program Update Mr. Kirk stated that this Program Update was a report of the activities of the Parks and Recreation Department in the past month. He wanted to call attention to an incident that happened on a senior bus trip to Turtle Lake Casino last month. On the way back to Fridley, the bus caught on fire and needed to be evacuated. It could have been a catastrophe, but we were fortunate and no one was hurt. There was a truck driver who stopped and helped get seniors off of the burning bus. Mr. Kirk passed around some photos of the fire and the burned out bus. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — April 7, 2008 Paqe 2 b. Park Maintenance Report Mr. Lindquist stated that they finished with the ice maintenance at the end of February and have put away the winter maintenance equipment. They have brought out and prepared the maintenance equipment they will use this spring and summer. They have been doing some building maintenance, including painting of the park buildings. The workers also made some carnival games for the summer recreation program activities. Mr. Lindquist stated that they have started to prepare the athletic fields for the spring softball, baseball and soccer activities. They have also been working on the renovation project at Community Park. c. Springbrook Nature Center Report Mr. Kirk stated that the Spring Fling at Springbrook Nature Center had 841 people attending and that was a great turnout considering the weather that weekend was not very good. Also, the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation held their silent auction on March 29. They raised around $9,000 to support the nature center. The SPRING project was part of the State Bonding bill that was passed by the legislature and forwarded to the Governor. Unfortunately, the Governor line item vetoed the $2.5 million for the SNC project out of the bill. It is unknown at this time if there will be any further effort to get some of the vetoed projects re-looked at this year. d. Commission Member Reappointment — Michele Barrett Mr. Kirk stated that the City Council has 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. e. Council/ Commission Survey and Meeting with City Council Mr. Kirk thanked the Commission members in advance for completing this important planning tool for the City. The City Manager would like all of the completed surveys returned to his office by April 18t". The City Council would like to meet with the Parks and Recreation Commission in a special meeting at 6:OOp.m. on May 19t" to discuss the results of the survey. f. MRPA Board and Commission Symposium Mr. Kirk stated that the Minnesota Recreation and Park Association will be presenting a special program for Parks and Recreation Commission members on Tuesday, April 22 in Roseville. He encouraged Commission members to look at the program information and let him know if they would like to attend this symposium. It is an educational program specifically designed to cover topics of interest for board and commission members. 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Election of Officers Mr. Kondrick stated that the Parks and Recreation Commission elects a Chairperson and Vice- Chairperson at the April meeting each year. The Chairperson presides over all Commission meetings and serves on the City's Planning Commission. The Vice-Chairperson serves as Chairperson when the Chairperson is absent. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — April 7, 2008 Paqe 3 Mr. Kondrick asked if there were any nominations for officers of the Parks and Recreation Commission. MOTION by Mr. Heintz, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to elect Dave Kondrick as Chairperson of the Parks and Recreation Commission. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. MOTION by Ms. Sibell, seconded by Ms. Barrett, to elect Tim Solberg as Vice-Chairperson of the Parks and Recreation Commission. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. Mr. Kirk thanked Mr. Kondrick and Mr. Solberg for being willing to take on the leadership roles for this Commission. b. Springbrook Nature Center SPRING Project Status Mr. Kirk stated that this item was placed on the agenda to give a status report on the Springbrook Nature Center SPRING project. A fair amount of action has taken place on this project in the past couple of months and some significant action has just happened today. We have Malcolm Mitchell and Donna Bahls at today's meeting. They are representing the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation. We also have with us Siah St. Clair, the Director at Springbrook Nature Center. They will be giving us the update on the project and afterward, there may be some discussion on the next steps for the City of Fridley related to this initiative. Mr. Mitchell thanked the Commission for allowing him to give a status report on the SPRING project. He said it has been at least a couple of years since the Foundation has presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission. There have been a lot of changes since that time. Foundation representatives get together from time to time with Dave Kondrick, Chair of the Commission, Jack Kirk, Parks and Recreation Director, and Siah St. Clair, SNC Director to discuss various aspects of this project. He finds those joint committee meetings very helpful. Mr. Mitchell stated that they would like to give an overview of what they have been doing over the past year or so. Then they would like to talk a little in an introductory way about the SPRING project and some of the concepts behind it. Then he would like to give a little status report on the legislative process this year. Finally, we could talk about the fundraising plan. Ms. Bahls stated that the Foundation has not only been looking at fundraising for the SPRING project, but they have looked for immediate improvements that could be made to help the nature center. Some of the things that happened this past year include the Fridley Lions Club making a$10,000 donation and volunteer labor to put in a bridge over the creek. There was some money left over from that donation and it was used to put directional signs throughout the park. They repainted the entrance sign and the entrance kiosk at the center. We received a grant from REI and, partnering with the City recycling program, we replaced a large section of boardwalk. Also, a big project that was completed was the appearance of the building and Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — April 7, 2008 Paqe 4 entrance area. The building was painted, a boy scout replaced the lattice work on the entrance wall and landscaping of the entrance area walk was completed. Mr. Kondrick stated that the work in the entrance area and building upgrades really looked sharp. Mr. St. Clair stated that last year the nature center increased the number of people attending programs by over 15%. He has used twenty thousand as the number of people served each year for a long time now. Last year, there were well over twenty three thousand people that attended programs. Programs are growing and more people are attending. Volunteer hours serving the nature center are growing as well. Last year, there were over 17,000 volunteer hours of service provided at Springbrook, the most ever. Mr. Mitchell stated that we have been getting a nice donation each year from Micro Control company in Fridley. Mr. St. Clair stated that we are using that donation to buy a camera system which will allow visitors to the nature center to see activity in remote areas of the park on a large screen television in the exhibit area. An example would be a camera that is fixed on a hawk's nest and will allow for watching activity without disturbing the birds. In the long run, they would like to have this displayed on the web site. Mr. Kondrick asked what the size of the donation from Micro Control was. Mr. St. Clair stated that they have been giving $5,000 per year for the past seven years. The nature center also received a$5,000 donation from the Blaine Jaycees which is going to support this project. Mr. Mitchell stated that the increased use at Springbrook shows that the nature center is potentially being loved to death. In order to prevent negative impact of this increasing use, the SPRING project was conceived to develop the seven acre entrance area to support the larger numbers of users. SPRING stands for Sanctuary Protection and Renewal into the Next Generation. Mr. Mitchell handed out the latest annual report of the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation which has just been completed. Mr. Mitchell stated that you will see that the nature center has a tremendous number of donors. Ms. Bahls showed the Commission a concept design for the SPRING project. Mr. Mitchell stated that the estimate to build this concept at Springbrook was around $5 million. With encouragement from Senator Chaudary, the City applied for State of Minnesota funding in the bonding bill to cover half of these costs. This is our third year in consideration for bonding bill money and we hoped the third year would be the charm. It may still be, but as of today, the Springbrook Nature Center allocation of $2.5 million was line item vetoed by Governor Pawlenty just before he signed the bonding bill. Mr. Mitchell stated that the Foundation is still hopeful of some State funding at some point and they want to get ready to move on this project. The Foundation has been doing more thinking Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — April 7, 2008 Paqe 5 about developing this major project in a phased approach. That would be to complete portions of the project as funds become available. Ms. Bahls stated the first phase that would need to be completed is the design work. The drawings that have been used to promote this project were done as part of a preliminary concept design and have worked well. To proceed with this we would need to work with the City to hire an architect to do the design work. Estimated cost on the design work is $500,000. Ms. Bahls stated that a second phase would be the berm along 85t" avenue and also the paving of the pedestrian and bicycle trail along 85t". They have estimated costs on this to run about $115,000. The third phase would be putting in the parking lot and the infrastructure for the geo thermal heating and cooling. It may also include putting in the utilities in that same location. This phase would cost around $340,000. Ms. Bahls further stated that the fourth phase would be constructing, furnishing and equipping the building. This phase would cost about $3.6 million. The final phase would then be to finish off the landscaping and outdoor areas. This final phase would cost about another $1 million. The total for all projects comes up to about $5.6 million. Ms Bahls stated that the phasing is how the Foundation sees we could start getting some things done with the SPRING project, as we continue to raise the money. She didn't think that not having State money is totally a barrier to being able to start on this project. Mr. Mitchell stated that the SNC Foundation has said they were going to carry the heavy load of the fundraising. They are not coming to the City asking the City to fund this project. There are places in the possible construction phasing scenario where they may want to come to the City and ask for support. If, for an example, they got a commitment from a donor for $500,000 over a 5 year time frame, they may come to the City for assistance to get started. Any City funds forwarded up front would be paid back as the donations came in. Mr. Mitchell stated that one of things they have made commitments for at this point in time is that we would be able to do some parts of the project in a phased way in three to four months after State money would be available to us. The State wants to fund bonding projects this year that can translate into jobs as soon as possible to help stimulate the economy. They asked us several times if we would be ready to go with the project this year. We made this commitment when we were testifying before the House and Senate bonding bill committees about the SPRING project. Ms. Bahls gave the Commission a handout that is being used to promote the fundraising efforts of the Foundation. They believe it is important to give prospective donors a choice on where the money should go. Mr. Mitchell stated that their approach to fundraising is to build relationships with the business community in the north Metro area. They will also be working with local foundations and service clubs in this area. They have also been developing some relationships with some major potential individual donors. Mr. Mitchell stated that the Foundation is going to continue to move forward with the expectation that what we need at Springbrook is a place that is very attractive and a very Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — April 7, 2008 Paqe 6 destination oriented place for the whole north metro region. They want Springbrook to be something special that the City of Fridley can be very proud of. Mr. St. Clair stated that it is amazing how many dedicated volunteers are helping the Foundation and the nature center realize its goals. Mr. Kirk stated that at some point in the future, it is likely that the City Council will be faced with a decision on how to move ahead with the SNC SPRING project. Do they move ahead with the phases of the project as funding becomes available or do they wait until all of the money for the project is in place before giving the go ahead to proceed? They will be looking for a recommendation from the Parks and Recreation Commission, so it is important that you consider how you stand on that issue. Do you support going ahead with this project in phases? Mr. Kirk further stated that he wanted to say to Mr. Mitchell that we owe you a lot of thanks for all of the time you have spent and all of the work you have done down at the State Capitol on behalf of the SPRING project. Most people have no idea how much of an effort you have made to support this initiative. Mr. Kondrick stated that Springbrook, this Commission and the City owes Mr. Mitchell a really huge thank you. All of the information and knowledge you have shared with us this evening does not come in 5 minutes, it takes a lot of dedicated time and we thank you for that. Mr. Kondrick asked the Commission members if there were any questions or comments on the information presented by the SNC Foundation. Mr. Heintz stated that he would support the phase system of development for the SPRING project if we have funding in place or at least a guarantee of funding for the part of the project being constructed. As long as the funding is there for a phase to be completed, he would support moving ahead. He did not want to see a portion of the project started and then stopped because of no funds remaining. He did not want to see part of the project half started and then left alone uncompleted. Mr. Kondrick questioned that while the Foundation wanted to hold off on the major fundraising effort until the State bonding money was approved, what disadvantage would there be to fundraising now. If the State money does not happen this year, we could wait another year to see if the State comes through or we could proceed with fundraising now. Considering the phasing of the project that we are talking about, we could possibly get started on parts of the project as funds come in. What about fundraising now so we could get going on this project? Mr. Mitchell stated that he believes they will still have a difficult time raising $2.5 million without the State money being committed. He believes that will be difficult in this community at this particular time. He stated that they really need legislative help to raise money for this entire project. Mr. Kondrick stated that he is hearing the Foundation say that they would rather wait to do the serious fundraising on this project until State money is committed. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — April 7, 2008 Paqe 7 Mr. Mitchell stated that they are trying to say that with some good lead gifts for this project, that has the opportunity to attract other bandwagon contributions. Mr. Kondrick questioned that if a large donation was committed, would that not help in the same manner that the State bonding money could help. Mr. Mitchell stated that yes, that could help. Mr. St. Clair stated that as the fundraising committee has approached potential large donors, the question they repeatedly hear is whether the State is going to support this project with bonding dollars. Mr. Kondrick stated that if the Parks and Recreation Commission is supportive of a"phased" approach to the new development at Springbrook Nature Center, they should let the City Council know how they stand on this by passing a motion to this effect. MOTION by Mr. Heintz, seconded by Mr. Solberg that the Parks and Recreation Commission appreciates the situation with the fundraising for the Springbrook Nature Center project and supports the phased approach to construction to allow for portions of the project to be completed as funding is available. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. c. Showmobile Rental Request Mr. Kirk stated that the Parks and Recreation Department has received two showmobile rental requests from the City of Vadnais Heights. The first request is for their Taste of Vadnais Heights event on June 5, 2008 and the second is for their Heritage Days celebration on August 16 and 17, 2008. Mr. Kirk stated that the dates work out with the showmobile schedule and staff would recommend approval of the rental at the regular rental rates. MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to approve the showmobile rental requests by the City of Vadnais Heights as recommended by staff. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. d. Showmobile Rental Request Mr. Kirk stated the we have received a showmobile rental request from the City of St. Anthony for a two day rental on August 1 and 2, 2008. Staff would recommend approval at the regular rental rates. MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to approve the showmobile rental requests by the City of St. Anthony as recommended by staff. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — April 7, 2008 Paqe 8 e. Showmobile Rental Request Mr. Kirk stated that the City has received another showmobile rental request from the City of Mound for a two day rental on July 18 and 19, 2008. Staff would also recommend approval on this request at the regular rental rates. MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to approve the showmobile rental requests by the City of Mound as recommended by staff. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. f. Fall Athletic Fees Mr. Kirk stated that staff did not raise the fall athletic fees last year, but are recommending an increase for 2008. The Co-Rec softball league fee would be raised $10 to $380, the Men's Softball fee would be raised $10 to $355, and the 4-person football league fees would go up $5 to $65. MOTION by Mr. Heintz, seconded by Ms. Barrett, to approve the fall athletic league fees as recommended by City staff. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. g. Parks 5-Year Capital Improvement Program Mr. Kirk stated that he has a staff recommended 5-Year Parks Capital Improvement Program to present to the Commission this evening. The Commission may make recommended additions or changes as they see needed to this plan and it will then be sent to the City Council for their consideration. Mr. Kirk stated that they have tried to keep the total expenditures in the neighborhood of $200,000 per year. The most important year for the Commission to review is the 2009 schedule, as that is the next year for projects. The following is the 5-Year Parks Capital Improvement program as recommended by staff: 2009 • Park Furnishings ............................................... 10,000 • Moore Lake Sand VB Upgrade ......................... 12,000 • Portable Bleachers ............................................40,000 • Court Surfacing / Overlays .............................. 50,000 • Fencing Replacements ..................................... 25,000 • Briardale Park Shelter Replacement ................. 35,000 • Community Park Lighting Upgrades ................. 25,000 $197, 000 Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — April 7, 2008 Paqe 9 2010 2011 i'��Z f'a i'��Z K3 • Commons Pk Warming House Replace........ $130,000 • Park Furnishings ................................................. 5,000 • Court Surfacing / Overlays ................................ 50,000 • Commons Park Parking Lot Upgrade .............. 40,000 • Fencing Replacements ..................................... 12,000 $237, 000 • Court Surfacing / Overlays .............................. $40,000 • Park Furnishings ................................................. 5,000 • Moore Lake Picnic Shelter Replace .................. 45,000 • Moore Lake South Area Landscape ................. 30,000 • Riverview Heights Picnic Shelter ...................... 35,000 • FCC Carpet/Flooring Replacement .................. 45,000 $200, 000 • Court Surfacing / Overlays .............................. $32,000 • Park Furnishings ................................................. 6,000 • Showmobile Replacement .............................. 120,000 • Madsen Park Picnic Shelter .............................. 35,000 $193, 000 • Court Surfacing / Overlays .............................. $35,000 • Park Furnishings ............................................... 10,000 • Community Park Plaza Area and Shelter.......... 90,000 • Locke Park Picnic Shelter and Storage ............. 35,000 $185, 000 Mr. Kirk further stated that there are a number of projects listed in the "other years" category that would enhance our park system, but are not scheduled for any particular year as of yet. It is beyond our resources to schedule and fund all of these projects at this time. Mr. Heintz asked why we were looking at portable bleachers. Mr. Kirk stated that we currently move bleachers from one ballfield to another or to Commons Park for the 49er Days activities. The bleachers we move are not made to be portable and they are very heavy. Portable bleachers in the plan would be the type that would fold up on to its own trailer and be easily towed from location to location. Mr. Lindquist stated that portable bleachers may also be a compliment to the showmobile in a rental package to other communities. We could realize some revenue by renting them along with the showmobile for performances and events. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — April 7, 2008 Paqe 10 Mr. Kondrick asked about the $45,000 scheduled in 2011 for the carpet and flooring replacements at the FCC. What is that to be used for? Mr. Kirk stated that our 30-year agreement with the Fridley School District for the Fridley Community Center requires us to provide for the non-routine maintenance, including the replacement of needed floor covering. We originally scheduled the carpet and flooring replacements at the FCC for 2009, but feel we can shift this project to 2011. It will include the Community Room, the east entrance, the audiovisual room, the senior office, the ZONE and the hallways. Mr. Kondrick stated that in the other projects list is $749,000 for additional property acquisitions at Moore Lake Park. He did not know how we would come up with the money to make those purchases and then find additional money to develop a larger park. It would be very nice, but we have so many other priorities for our parks. Maybe the Commission should think more about this and possibly remove this from the future projects list. Mr. Heintz asked about the possibility of selling the properties that the City now owns north of Moore Lake Park and using the money to enhance the park system. Mr. Kondrick stated those two parcels could possibly be sold and the proceeds could then be used to put up a better warming house building at Commons Park. Mr. Kirk suggested that the topic of future expansion of Moore Lake Park and selling of some of the parcels already owned by the City could be a possible discussion topic when the Commission meets with the City Council on May 19. Mr. Kondrick asked if everyone understood all of the items in the 5-Year Plan and if there were any further questions or suggestions. MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to approve the 5-Year Parks Capital Improvement program as presented by staff. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. h. Riverview Heights Park Building Mr. Kondrick stated the existing park building at Riverview Heights Park is an eyesore and should be removed. It is not being used and does nothing to improve the appearance and use of the park. Mr. Kirk stated that the Parks and Recreation Commission recommended removing the building about ten years ago, but the City Council did not want to move ahead with that recommendation at the time. The building has had metal bars put on the door and windows to prevent the constant graffiti and vandalism. It is not used for any purpose in the park. Mr. Kondrick stated that it would really improve the appearance of the park to remove the building. It will be nice to put up an open air picnic shelter in the future to replace the building. Parks and Recreation Commission Meetinq — April 7, 2008 Paqe 11 MOTION by Mr. Heintz, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to recommend to the City Council the removal of the existing park building at Riverview Heights Park. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. Solberg, seconded by Mr. Heintz, to adjourn the April 7, 2008 meeting at 9:03 p.m. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE APRIL 7, 2008 MEETING ADJOURNED.