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PRM 11/07/2016 CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING – NOVEMBER 27, 20152016 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Heintz called the November 27, 2015 2016 Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Greg Ackerman, Michele Barrett, Mike Heintz, Dave Kondrick, Shanna Larson Others Present: Jack Kirk, Director of Parks and Recreation Jeff Jensen, Operations Manager - Streets and Parks Julie Jones, Planning Manager Brandon Brodhag, Civil Engineer Bryan Harjes, Hoisington Koegler Group, Inc. Sarah Evenson, Hoesington Koegler Group, Inc APPROVAL OF September October 143, 2015 2016 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION by Mr. Ackerman, seconded by Mr. Kondrick, to approve the minutes of the September October 143, 2015 2016 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON HEINTZ DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR NOVEMBER 27, 20152016 MOTION by MrMs. KondrickBarrett, seconded by Mr. AckermanKondrick, to approve the agenda for the November 27, 2015 2016 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON HEINTZ DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. Formatted: Indent: Left: 0", First line: 0" 1. STAFF REPORT a. Program Update Mr. Kirk stated that the program Update is included in the Commission packet to provide information on programs and activities that have occurred during the past two monthsmonth of October. The Recreation staff ran Halloween parties at the two Fridley elementary schools with over 200 students participating at each location. The Teen Center program, known as the ZONE, also had a successful Halloween party event with over 120 in attendance. The Recreation staff also sponsored several field trips over the teacher convention days in mid- October. Mr. Kirk stated that the Senior Program had its September kickoff event to promote the fall programming and the event drew 130 seniors. A number of vendors that provide services for seniors attended the event to inform the seniors of what is available to them. Mr. Kirk stated a more detailed report was included in the agenda packet for tonight’s meeting.Pumpkin Night in the Park at Springbrook Nature Center was a huge success again this year with an estimated attendance of over 4,000 people. The new facilities at the park this year worked out just great. Numerous volunteers and City staff worked hard to make this event happen. Mr. Kirk further stated that the Recreation staff hosted Halloween events at Stevenson and Hayes Elementary schools and had over 380 students participate. The ZONE hosted a Halloween event for the teens and had 60 participants. The Recreation staff also had a number of school-out day trips for the children during MEA. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – November 27, 20152016 Page 2 Mr. Kirk further stated that the Senior Program also had a couple of interesting activities during the month including a seminar on “Planning the Perfect Move”. This seminar was put on by Keller Williams Realty and had 27 people participate. The Fridley Police Department conducted a safety series for seniors and had 18 participants. b. Park Maintenance Report Mr. Jensen Kirk stated that the Parks Maintenance workers had a busy summer and fallReport is provided to show the work being completed in our parks this past month. One of their goals has been to get out of just doing maintenance and get into completing some new projects. They were able to do that this year. They have done a lot of work at Springbrook Nature Center this past year, including a new 750 foot boardwalk on the east side of the park and the replacement of the 900 foot floating boardwalk. Other projects include the landscaping at the Formatted: All caps stth Commons Park sign at the corner of 61 and 7 Street, raingardens in several locations, and improving a number of the hockey rinks. Mr. Kondrick stated that he was pleased that Mr. Jensen came to the meeting, so the Commission had the opportunity to talk with him and tell him how much they appreciate the work that he and his workers do in the parks.The Parks workers completed installing the new play equipment at Commons Park and it is getting a lot of use. Mr. Kirk stated the Parks workers helped with a buckthorn removal project at Innsbruck Park on two successive Saturdays. The first day had 57 volunteers from the area helping and the second Saturday had 19 people. Formatted: Font: Times New Roman c. Springbrook Nature Center Report Mr. Kirk stated that the Pumpkin Night in the Park event was a huge success with an estimated attendance of 4,150. There were over 1000 carved pumpkins laminating the trail Formatted: Normal, Space After: 0 pt, Tab stops: Not at 0" system in the park. We received a lot of help from our Public Works staff, our Police Department and our Fire Department. We had a shuttle bus service to the event this year from Community Park and 1,400 people used this service.a $25,000 grant has been awarded to the Nature Center from 3M to fund a sustainability exhibit at Springbrook and provide for an educational partnership with the Alexandria School District. Mr. Kirk further stated that the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation is still working hard on fundraising for the SPRING project and they are doing a great job. bids were opened for the Amphitheater and Children’s Nature Play area projects. Work should start on these projects in late November and they will be completed next spring. Funding for the Amphitheater is being provided by the Fridley Lions Club and the play area made possible by a donation from Jerome and Patricia Hartlaub. Mr. Kirk stated that the groundbreaking for the new interpretive center was held on th Wednesday, October 7 and we had a very nice turnout of people. The Parks and Recreation Commission was well represented at the event with participation by Commission members Mike Heintz and Dave Kondrick. The construction of the facility has started and is going well. Mr. Kirk shared pictures of the building under construction. Mr. Kirk stated that staff continues to work with Split Rock Studios on finalizing the plans for getting the exhibits constructed. The plan is to have the exhibits ready to be installed when the building construction gets completed next spring. d. Fridley Hall of Fame Mr. Kirk stated that the Fridley Hall of Fame inductees for 2015 include two long time staff members of the Fridley Parks and Recreation Department. Siah St. Clair served as the Director of Springbrook Nature Center for 35 years until his retirement in 2013 is one of the inductees this year. Connie Thompson, our Senior Program Coordinator and a member of our th staff for the past 36 years will also get inducted. The event is on Saturday, November 7 at the Fridley Community Center. e. University of Minnesota Students Project Mr. Jensen stated that City staff members are working with students from the University of Minnesota on several projects that will benefit our park system. One of the student groups will be helping the City write a new proposed policy for dealing with the Emerald Ash Borer problem. They will also be working with City staff on coming up with a sustainable, 30 year management plan for our local urban forest. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – November 2, 2015 Page 3 Mr. Jensen stated that another student group is working on a project titled Fridley Parks are for Everyone. They are going to be doing a study of all of our parks, how the parks are used, changes that we are seeing related to demographics, and the trail system. The goal of their study and report is to have the Fridley parks used as much as possible. They will be making recommendations on what might need to be changed in our park system. They are also looking at costs of maintaining the parks. Ms. Jones stated she had the opportunity to meet with the student groups at the University of Minnesota last Thursday. This park project is particularly exciting, as it has a good group of graduate students working on the project. They are part of a problem solving class on environmental issues and they are looking at maintenance costs and how they can be Formatted: Indent: Left: 0" reduced. The students completed a survey of Fridley residents at Cub Foods, so they have some good information from the community as to what they want to see in the parks. Mr. Jensen stated that another area that the students will be looking at is the highway right of way areas in our community. The study will address the visual preferences, as well as the maintenance concerns of the right of ways. Ms. Jones stated that the students will be making their presentations to the City Council at the th Council meeting on December 14. e. Memorial Tree Donation – Zach Nelson Mr. Kirk stated that the City received a donation from Mr. Zach Nelson to plant a tree at Moore Lake Park in memory of his grandparents. A copy of the thank you letter to Mr. Nelson is included in the agenda packet. 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Madsen Park Proposed Soccer FieldMoore Lake Park Master Plan – Hoesington Koegler Group, Inc. Mr. Kirk stated that Bryan Harjes and Sarah Evenson of Hoisington Koegler Group are at this month’s meeting, once again, to continue discussion and master planning for Moore Lake Park. Over 300 individuals responded to the on-line survey and the survey information was included in the agenda packet. This survey provided valuable public input. Mr. Harjes and Ms. Evenson will be going over the survey results, providing a summary of the key findings, sharing notes from the meeting with City staff, and showing the Commission some preliminary concept designs for the park. Ms. Evenson stated that one thing they heard a lot in the survey results was a concern for safety of park users. This may be related to having a large parking lot. There were also many concerns about water quality, with the many geese and waterfowl at the beach. Comments also addressed the park needing updating of facilities and play equipment. There were other comments that said the beach and the restrooms needed improvement. Ms. Evenson stated that the survey addressed opportunities and asked people if they would use certain amenities if they might be in the park. A new upgraded picnic pavilion with restrooms was noted, as well as a splash pad. Kayak and canoe rentals were also an interest. Respondents also indicated an interest in programs at the park such as yoga or exercise. Ms. Evenson said that they would like to share the three preliminary concept plans with the Commission for discussion. In the first concept, one of the changes they are recommending to the park would be to reduce the size of the south parking lot to about 75%.Mr. Jensen had talked to him recently about an idea to convert the softball field area at Madsen Park into a soccer field or large open play area. Mr. Jensen is at the meeting tonight and he can give some background information on why he would promote making this change. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – November 7, 2016 Page 3 Mr. Jensen stated that there is a private Christian High School located immediately east of Madsen Park and they have a soccer team. He has talked with the school’s Activities Director and he indicated the soccer team traveled a long way to a practice facility. The school has soccer goals and nets that they sometimes take over to Madsen Park for team practice. Mr. Jensen stated that there are indications that the neighborhood may have more interest in playing soccer than in softball or other sports activities at the park. Neighborhood residents have moved the Christian school’s soccer nets to Madsen Park to play soccer on a number of occasions. Mrs. Jensen Evenson stated that his park workers maintain many softball fields throughout the community and they have a pretty good idea on how much the facilities are being used. They are not seeing much use of the ball field at Madsen Park. They believe a soccer field would get more use. He would like the City to consider removing the softball field and turning this area into a soccer field. the beach and Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – November 2, 2015 Page 4 the parking lot are probably too big for current park use. A reduced parking lot would allow for the watershed district water quality feature on the south end of the current parking lot area. With the reduced beach area, the sand volleyball courts could be relocated to near the water. Ms. Evenson stated that by moving the volleyball courts, a new picnic shelter could be built. They would recommend one that would accommodated more people. The softball field could be taken out with a new open play area to take its place. A new upgraded play area could go in to replace some of the outdated equipment currently located there. Adjacent to the play area could be a small picnic shelter or shade structure. The area could also have some trees to provide shade. Ms. Evenson stated they would recommend moving the basketball court further away from the children’s play area, but still in close proximity to the parking lot. They would also recommend a new tree lined path along the edges of the parking lot. This path would be part of the parkway through the park. Mr. Heintz asked if the trees along the path would obscure surveillance of police into the park or beach area. Formatted: Normal, Justified, Indent: Left: 0.5", Tab stops: Mr. Harjes stated the trees could be spaced appropriately and be of sufficient height to work with the safety concerns. Not at 0" Ms. Evenson stated that all of the concepts pay special attention to improving native plantings along the shoreline. This will help with keeping down the problems with waterfowl in the park. Mr. Harjes stated that the concept plans all look at the new wetland delineation area for the park. It is recommended that some of the wetland areas will not be mowed as turf areas any longer. Ms. Evenson stated the next concept plan expands on the first plan. This one increases the water activities that are intended to re-invigorate the park. It proposes upgrading the beach house, adding a picnic and play area around a splash pad. Mr. Harjes stated the parking lot would be left a little larger in this concept, to accommodate more expected visitors due to the splash pad. Mr. Kirk stated that we need to keep in mind that our picnic shelters at Moore Lake are relatively small right now. If we add a larger shelter at the park, we may need larger parking areas to accommodate the users. Mr. Ackerman asked what the upgrading of the beach house would involve. Ms. Evenson stated that is all open at this point. They were looking at primarily outdoor improvements such as shade structures and making for a picnicking area. Mr. Kondrick stated that it is probably safe to assume the people that work in the area, like at Medtronic, would be coming over to this area on a walk or for lunch. Mr. Heintz stated that he would like to see a grassy area somewhere near the beach where people could picnic. He has seen that at other parks with beaches and believes it works well. An area like this near the splash pad would also get use. Mr. Harjes encouraged the Commission members to see if they thought the park facilities and amenities were in the right location in the plan. The facility locations could be moved if needed. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – November 7, 2016 Page 4 Ms. Evenson stated that this concept plan has two different water access options off of the north parking lot. A possible paddleboard and kayak rental station could be near the parking lot to take advantage of the water access. A water access on the north end of the park would be convenient for ice fisherman using the park. Ms. Evenson further stated that the concept plan looks at moving a picnic shelter from the low lying area affected by standing water, to a higher piece of land on the northernmost part of the park. A new trail would then connect with that shelter. Ms. Evenson stated that the third concept plan is also similar and builds on the other two. This plan would completely replace the existing beach house with a new and better facility. The new facility could have rental space to accommodate group use right on the waterfront. Ms. Evenson stated this plan would keep the sand volleyball courts where they are today and would add a kayak rental station on the south end of the beach. Ms. Larson stated she liked the layout of the children’s activities best in this plan. She would be able to supervise children using the splash pad and playground equipment at the same time. She also liked the boat launch and storage being in close proximity to the parking lot. She also thought people coming to play volleyball or basketball could use the north parking lot. Mr. Kondrick asked if there was really enough parking for all the uses that are being proposed. Mr. Harjes stated that the plan does allow for an expansion of the north parking lot to accommodate more cars. Ms. Evenson stated that by working off the three concept plans, along with input from staff, HKGi has come up with a preferred plan. Mr. Harjes stated that the preferred plan is their reaction to the feedback they have been receiving during the planning process. Mr. Kondrick asked if the plans took into consideration the possibility of the City gaining additional property to the north of the park. Ms. Evenson stated the plans could be expanded if the City were to gain parkland. Mr. Harjes stated they did look at this property to the north and see it as a potential opportunity for development of additional housing and park land. Property acquisition costs could possibly be offset by the right type of development. Additional trails, water quality ponding, and more naturalized landscape along the waterfront could enhance the park area. Mr. Kondrick asked what kind of rules the DNR have related to impacting the shoreline, such as making areas deeper. Mr. Harjes stated that there are rules that would limit how the water area can be altered. Mr. Harjes stated that anything related to future land acquisition for the park would be viewed as a longer term plan for the City. Ms. Evenson stated the preferred plan would include shoreline restoration all the way to the south end of the park. The south end could be some plantings and landscaping to provide a real “welcome to Fridley” feel for the park. Much of the south end of the park is a designated wetland, so it would likely include some appropriate plantings. Because the south end is so far from the rest of the park, we would not recommend investing in active programming there. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – November 7, 2016 Page 5 Ms. Evenson stated the parking lot would be redesigned, as well as the entry to the lot off Central Avenue. It might make some sense to actually incorporate some storm water management in the middle of the parking lot. The parking lot would also include a “drop off zone” near the main activity area. Mr. Kondrick asked how many parking spaces there would be in this lot. Ms. Evenson stated there would still be 90 parking spaces, compared to the 109 that the lot today has. Ms. Evenson stated that there would be a tree lined walking path on the north and west sides of the parking lot to soften the transition from the parking to the activity area. Just off the drop off space in the parking lot would be on open plaza area. The plaza would have trees, but they would not obstruct views into the activity area. There would be an updated play equipment area with benches and picnic tables nearby. This plan also includes a splash pad adjacent to the play area and the beach. The upgraded beach house from the concept 2 plan would also be part of the preferred plan. Mr. Kondrick stated that a beach house building upgrade would likely be a significant cost for this project. It may not be as high of a priority as some of the other features. Mr. Harjes stated that he would see this master plan as a twenty year plan that would be implemented in steps. Some of the other amenities could come first, depending on the priorities set by the City. What is included in an upgraded building could be decided upon much further down the road. Ms. Evenson stated that some Park and Rec departments charge a fee for use of a splash pad area. Even charging a dollar or two per visit would help offset some of the construction and/or operating costs. Ms. Larson stated that as she views the preferred plan, there is a lot of activity going on in a relatively small area. She wondered if it was going to be too crowded. Ms. Evenson stated that in this plan, they are building toward a really active space. If the City would go forward with the plan, there may be days when the parking lot is totally full. Ms. Larson stated she really appreciated all the work that HKGi had put into this plan. She liked the results. Mr. Heintz asked if we thought that two volleyball courts are necessary. Mr. Kirk stated that while there are times that both are used, he thought one nice court in the park may be sufficient. Mr. Kondrick asked if the City park maintenance staff had pointed out any areas that have been problematic as far as the on-going maintenance in the park. Mr. Harjes stated that the deteriorating playground equipment was a constant maintenance concern and the mowing of the wet grounds area has been noted. Also, the on-going picking up of trash and litter was mentioned as a problem. Ms. Evenson stated the Watershed District definitely wants to see an iron enhanced sand filter in the outlet area. That project is shown in the preferred plan as well. Mr. Kondrick asked how much that type of water treatment area would cost. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – November 7, 2016 Page 6 Ms. Evenson stated that the Watershed has a breakdown of costs on a recent project of similar size and it was $170,000. In the previous project, they pulled in four different funding partners, so the City cost was only about $30,000. They would work closely with the City on this. Ms. Evenson stated that the preferred plan does call for a new picnic shelter that could accommodate 50 or so people. She would recommend that the shelter has electricity available. Ms. Evenson stated that the plan calls for the newer of the fishing piers be relocated to the place where the original fishing pier is. According to the maintenance workers, the original pier is in a better location for fishing because it was dredged before installation. Ms. Evenson stated that along with the preferred plan concept plan, they have distributed a preliminary budget for the plan. There are options in the budget to provide for some flexibility in the phasing of the development. Mr. Harjes asked the Commission members what they thought should be the highest priorities for improvements to this park. This information will help them articulate the phasing and the budgeting process. Mr. Heintz stated that he thought the parking lots and the picnic shelters should be done first. He also believes that upgrading the trails is important. Mr. Harjes stated the plan is designed so that amenities can be added over time. Ms. Evenson stated that after the City takes care of the basic improvements such as the parking and shelters, they could move to the play equipment or splash pad amenities. Ms. Larson stated she is still really concerned about the location of the future splash pad area, the play equipment and the waterfront. A person can’t be in all places at once, so when supervising several children, a person needs to be able to see multiple activities. Ms. Evenson stated it really comes down to how you do the final design and those concerns should be addressed. Mr. Harjes stated that the next step in this planning process is for them to take what they heard tonight and trying to articulate that in a singular preferred vision for this park. This would be paired with a refinement to the cost estimate, which would also take into consideration phasing of the development over time. They will get back to the Commission with additional information to be presented at the December meeting. The Commission members thanked Mr. Harjes and Ms. Evenson for the planning of this important amenity for our City. b. Summer 2016 Program Format and FeesWest Moore Lake Improvement Project Mr. Kirk stated that the City is looking at a project which will include a loop trail all around Moore Lake. This will be a 2.35 trail loop that will run along two of our City’s park properties, the West Moore Lake Sand Dunes and the Moore Lake Park where our swimming beach is located. This project really fits nicely with the previous agenda item, the master plan redesign for Moore Lake Park. Brandon Brodhag, of our City Engineering Division, is here at the meeting to talk about the project and explain the impact upon the West Moore Lake Park. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – November 7, 2016 Page 7 Mr. Brodhag stated that the improvement project on the west side of Highway 65 will run on West Moore Lake Drive from Medtronic Parkway on the south end, north past Fridley High School and the Sand Dunes park, past Fridley Middle School and continue east to Highway 65. th Mr. Brodhag stated that from Medtronic Parkway north to 59 Avenue, the trail will be off-road. The existing curb will be moved west to accommodate the new 10 foot wide trail, which will be on the east side of the road. The biggest impact to the residential area here is that parking on the east side of the road will be eliminated. Mr. Brodhag stated that there was a public meeting on this project last week to hear concerns of residents living in the area. The biggest issue for the residents was the speed of cars using these roads. thst Mr. Brodhag stated that from 59 Avenue north to 61 Avenue, the trail would be a typical off- road trail. This segment will be along the westernmost part of West Moore Lake Park. From st the corner of 61 and West Moore Lake Drive, the trail system will include an on-road bike lane all the way to Highway 65. There is currently a sidewalk on both sides of West Moore Lake Drive in this segment to accommodate walkers. The bike lane would be on the south side of the road and parking would be eliminated. They are still in the design phase at this point, so a final decision on how to delineate the bike lane from other traffic has not been made. There is going to be a bike lane on the north side as well, but parking will still be available. Mr. Heintz asked if the new storm water/rain gardens area by the Fridley Middle School would be impacted. Mr. Brodhag stated that it would not be affected by this project. Mr. Kondrick stated that the plan shows that most of the trail along the Sand Dunes Park would be between the curb and the existing right of way. A portion of this new trail would now be in the park a few feet and would necessitate moving the split rail fence slightly to the east. He asked if the City was looking for a motion from this Commission to support the trail system, with part of the trail actually being in West Moore Lake Park. Mr. Brodhag stated yes, support of the Parks and Recreation Commission on this project would be important. Mr. Heintz asked if there would be any way to include an overpass bridge like there is down th on 49 and Central in Columbia Heights. The bridge could connect the east and west segments of the trail at the intersection of Highway 65, Central Avenue and Medtronic Parkway. Mr. Kondrick stated that those type of bridges are super expansive, they would cost a lot of money for a project like this. Mr. Brodhag stated that the trail system would have minimal impact on the West Moore Lake Park. There are some power poles along the west side of the park and trail installation rules will require that the trail be four feet away from the power poles. Where there are power poles, the trail will need to swing into the park land slightly and will require the existing fence to be moved as well. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – November 7, 2016 Page 8 MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Ms. Larson, to approve the staff recommended plan for the West Moore Lake improvement projects and the use of the western boundary of West Moore Lake Sand Dunes Park for a new trail segment. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON HEINTZ DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. c. Commission Meeting Schedule 20162017 Mr. Kirk stated that he has presented the Commission with a schedule of proposed meeting dates for 2017. The schedule generally has the meetings on the first Monday of each month starting at 7:00 p.m. The meetings in January and September would be moved to the second Monday because of the New Years and Labor Day holidays. There is not a Commission meeting scheduled for the month of July. MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Ackerman to approve the 2017 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting scheduled as proposed by staff. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON HEINTZ DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. d. Mississippi Water Trail – Julie Jones Mr. Kirk stated that he was asked by Julie Jones, Planning Manager for the City of Fridley, if she could be on the agenda to present information on the Mississippi River Trail. Ms. Jones stated that she had the opportunity two weeks ago to canoe down the Mississippi River and ride bikes on the MRT national bike trail. This event was coordinated by the National Park Service. Ms. Jones stated that the Islands of Peace Park is key to the Master Plan redevelopment of this area as a desirable place to live. It is part of the Northstar Transit Oriented Development District that is being planned to provide for housing in fairly close proximity to transportation opportunities in the area. There are a number of components to the plan that would involve expansion and improvements at the Islands of Peace Park. Ms. Jones stated that once the plan gets put together, the City would like to go after grants related to park improvements and for enhancing the Mississippi River bike trail. Ms. Jones stated that the National Park Service has decided that they want to provide alternative transportation nodes. They have set up one in Fridley that is centered around the Northstar Train Station. This designation of an alternative transportation node may open the door for federal money to fund projects here. Mr. Heintz asked what an alternative transportation node was. Ms. Jones stated that the National Park Service wants to make sure that the national parks are accessible by transportation opportunities in addition to a car. That is why the train station was selected as the center of the transportation node. They would plan to have a bike rental station as part of the alternative transportation opportunities. Also, a canoe rental would be considered since the Mississippi River is part of the national water trail. That is why the National Park Service started doing these canoe/bike trips to promote these alternative transportation development projects. Ms. Jones went on the trip two weeks ago and was impressed with the opportunities for our area. The NPS has established nine alternative transportation nodes along the Mississippi in the metro area. One of those is in Fridley. Ms. Jones stated that it is interesting that this transportation node is centered around an area in Fridley where, for some reason, there are higher poverty rates, higher number of households that have no car or only one car, and higher number of households with someone living there that is handicapped. These facts should help us score high on transportation related grant applications. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – November 2, 2015 Page 6 Ms. Jones showed the Commission members pictures from her canoe and bike trip with the National Park Service group. She pointed out features of the parks, the river, and explained the Nice Ride bike system. She stated that the DNR is working toward finding camping opportunities along the river in the Twin Cities, possibly on the islands in the river. Ms. Jones stated that the NPS rated the Fridley site as their second favorite for a canoe rental location. One in Minneapolis was rated higher due to its proximity to restaurants and other establishments. Ms. Jones stated she wanted the Commission to know about this alternative transportation work, because the City is starting its next comprehensive plan update process. The City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan needs to be completed by the end of 2018. One of the chapters in the document is a parks chapter. The planning staff will look to the Parks and Recreation Commission for input on updating that parks chapter. The amenities of the parks should be identified and a determination of what the needs are for that park area. The plan should identify what the City would want to do in the next ten years. Mr. Kirk stated the Comprehensive Plan is really a blueprint for the City to follow as we look to future development and improvements. He expects that the Parks and Recreation Commission will have much discussion in the next couple years about future planning for our park system. Mr. Kondrick asked if any type of recommendation or action was needed on this tonight. Mr. Jones stated that she is just providing information at this point, but looks forward to working with the Commission on the parks issues in the future. She expects the next action item related to this would be working on the City’s Comprehensive Plan parks chapter. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. KondrickAck, erman seconded by Mr.s. Ackerman,Barrett, to adjourn the November 27, 2015 2016 meeting at 8:36 55 p.m. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON HEINTZ DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE NOVEMBER 27, 2015 2016 MEETING ADJOURNED.