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PRM 09/08/2014 CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING – SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 CALL TO ORDER: Vice-Chairperson Heintz called the September 8, 2014 Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 7:03 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Michele Barrett, Mike Heintz and Dave Kondrick Others Present: Jack Kirk, Director of Parks and Recreation Donna Bahls, Springbrook Nature Center Foundation APPROVAL OF August 4, 2014 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Ms. Barrett, to approve the minutes of the August 4, 2014 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, VICE-CHAIRPERSON HEINTZ DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Ms. Barrett, to approve the agenda for the September 8, 2014 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, VICE-CHAIRPERSON HEINTZ DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. 1. STAFF REPORT a. Program Update Mr. Kirk stated that there is a Program Update included in the Commission meeting packet with information on Department programming over the past month. One of our Department’s big summer special events is the Nickel Jamboree at Commons Park. It was held on August th 6 and there were over 300 children that participated. It was a perfect summer day for the kids to enjoy the music, food and carnival games. th Mr. Kirk stated that the summer ROCKS program ended on August 15 and was a big success throughout the summer. An average of 50 children per week participated in the program. th Mr. Kirk stated that Moore Lake Beach closed on Sunday, August 17. The summer weather was not as hot as 2013, so the number of swimmers using the beach was down. The water quality this year was excellent throughout the swimming season. Mr. Kirk stated that the Fall activities brochure was recently mailed to Fridley residents and the program information is on the City website. Flyers and other program information have been distributed at the local schools. Registration for the fall activities is underway and the programs will begin early this month. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – September 8, 2014 Page 2 b. Park Maintenance Report Mr. Kirk stated that a maintenance report is included in the Commission meeting agenda packet. The Park Maintenance staff has been working hard on completing many of the summer projects including upgrades around two of the City’s entry monument signs. They also did a restoration project at the lower level entrance to City Hal and are helping with the front entrance area to the Fire station. They completed a field restoration project at the Commons Park football field and have just started a similar restoration project on the Locke Park soccer field. The maintenance staff has also been working on several repair projects at Springbrook Nature Center. c. Springbrook Nature Center Report Mr. Kirk stated that he has included a report in the agenda packet from Nature Center Director Mike Maher. It includes information on nature center events and happenings over the past month. Mr. Kirk stated that the nature center had a very successful summer of day camps. The summer staff was excellent and the camp format was changed to better meet the needs of the participating families. Camp revenue increased from $24,000 in 2013 to $37,000 this year. Mr. Kirk stated that the Springbrook Foundation has hired Fox Advancement to complete a feasibility study related to the remaining fundraising needed for the SPRING project. They have been identifying potential donors and conducting exploratory interviews. Mr. Kirk stated that a new bridge was completed in August over the Beaver Pond. Tree Trust, a non-profit organization that helps young people gain job skills did the work on this project. Mr. Kirk further stated that over the course of this past summer, three Eagle Scout projects were completed at Springbrook. Two bridges were built to replace deteriorating bridges over Springbrook Creek and a third project consisted of construction of 80 feet of new boardwalk over an area of trail that often has standing water. 2. NEW BUSINESS a.SPRING Project Naming and Recognition Schedule Mr. Kirk stated that the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation is currently in the process of raising the additional funds needed to complete the SPRING project. One of the key components all along in the plan to raise the donated money was to have facilities or amenities in the project named after a donor. Names could be associated with the building, exhibits, amphitheater, plaza, and other features of the project. Mr. Kirk further stated that providing naming rights for a donation to a project is not without precedent in Fridley, as we took this approach when raising money to furnish the Fridley Community Center about 17 years ago. Mr. Kirk further stated that the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation was at a Parks and Recreation Commission meeting eight years ago to discuss the fundraising and naming rights as part of their plan. The Commission agreed with the proposed naming and recognition guidelines in principle at the time, but wanted to see a more defined dollar amount on the specific elements of the project. Mr. Kirk stated that the proposed naming and recognition guidelines are back on the agenda again this evening and it includes the dollar amounts for the various naming opportunities. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – September 8, 2014 Page 3 Mr. Kirk stated that there is some urgency to act on the proposal because the Foundation has been working with an individual who is interested in making a sizable donation within the next couple of weeks and would like to know what naming or recognition options might be available. Mr. Kirk stated that although the Commission is being presented with a naming and recognition schedule listing specific dollar amounts, he would like to request that the schedule be given some flexibility and the Foundation have some leeway as they get into discussions with potential donors for the project. After a period of time, some of the dollar amounts may need to be adjusted in order to complete the fundraising project. Mr. Kirk stated that he was at a City Council workshop to discuss the proposed naming and recognition guidelines. The City Manager suggested a flow chart diagram to show how a donation and naming rights process would play out once the guidelines were in place. The process would be as follows: 1. The City Council approves the donation policy/naming rights qualifications so prospective donors know what to expect from their donation. 2. The Springbrook Nature Center Foundation solicits donations based on the donation and naming rights policy. 3. Gifts are accepted by the SNC Foundation with the donor receiving a likely tax deduction 4. The SNC Foundation donates funds to the City of Fridley as directed by the donor 5. The donation is accepted by the City of Fridley and the large donations with naming rights associated would be officially approved by the City Council. Mr. Kirk stated that naming and recognition schedule being considered this evening has eight levels of contributions based on various dollar amounts of donations. The staff recommendation is that the top four levels would go to the Fridley City Council in the form of an agreement for the final naming approval. Donations for the other levels would be approved as long as the donor met and agreed to the guidelines in the naming and recognition policy. The top four levels of giving would essentially cover the facility, rooms and features of the project that would have naming rights associated with the donation. Mr. Kirk stated that the proposed guidelines spell out what would be acceptable for naming of a facility or project feature for an individual, group or business. It also lists what the donor would receive as recognition and what the City expectations would be. The guidelines also cover what would happen in the rare case that a name may need to be removed from a facility. The guidelines also address contributions that could be made to what we call sponsored funds, or donations made in the name of another individual or group. Mr. Kirk stated the final page of the proposal is the actual naming and recognition schedule with the various levels of contributions defined. It has been worked on by the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation and City staff. The schedule considers the cost of various amenities, what would be included in the building, and what the overall SPRING project still needs to realize. If donations were received for all of the items listed on the schedule, there would be enough dollars to complete the entire SPRING project as planned. Mr. Kirk stated the naming and recognition schedule offers naming rights options at various price levels to give perspective donors some choices. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – September 8, 2014 Page 4 Mr. Heintz asked if a donor would be able to give a donation in installments or payments, with a certain amount each year for several years. Mr. Kirk stated the Springbrook Foundation fundraising committee is open to that approach. Their preference is that the payments would be for a maximum time frame of three years. Ms. Bahls stated that on behalf of the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation, she really appreciates the Parks and Recreation Commission reviewing this naming and recognition proposal and providing input. The Foundation wants to do the fundraising in the right way and this will be an important part of that effort. Ms. Bahls stated that she wanted to point out that some of the donation prices listed in the naming rights schedule are likely not too negotiable at this time, because there are not additional funds available to make that part of the project happen. Examples would be the Outdoor Pavilion or the Amphitheater. A donor would need to cover all the costs of these amenities in order for the facility to be built. Mr. Heintz stated that he would like to see the donation opportunities be affordable for families in Fridley, so they can be part of the project. Mr. Kirk stated that the paver stone donations have four levels, with the lowest being $125. This level would allow for the donor to have a name inscribed on the paver brick. Mr. Heintz stated that he recognizes that the naming and recognition amounts need to remain flexible as the fundraising project progresses, so he sees this as a starting point and an outline to work with. MOTION by Ms. Barrett, seconded by Mr. Kondrick to support the staff recommended SPRING Project Naming and Recognition Guidelines as an outline for receiving donations from individuals, organizations and corporations. (By outline it means that the Springbrook Nature Center Foundation be allowed some flexibility when negotiating actual naming rights dollar amounts with prospective donors to the project.) UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, VICE-CHAIRPERSON HEINTZ DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. b. Memorial/Tribute Tree Guidelines for SPRING Project Mr. Kirk stated that back in 2010, the Parks and Recreation Commission approved guidelines for a memorial tree to be planted in the City parks. The proposal before the Commission this evening is for trees associated with the SPRING project at the nature center. It is basically the same guidelines already established for the entire park system, but places a higher donation amount on the memorial or tribute to help with the overall project fundraising. The set amount for a memorial tree with the SPRING project would be a $1,500 donation. Mr. Heintz asked if there would be a limit on the number of trees that could be donated for the project. Ms. Bahls stated that there would be a set number of tree donations that would be accepted. MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Ms. Barrett to support staff recommended Memorial/Tribute Tree Guidelines for the SPRING project. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, VICE-CHAIRPERSON HEINTZ DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – September 8, 2014 Page 5 c. Memorial/Tribute Bench Guidelines for SPRING Project Mr. Kirk stated that similar to the tree guidelines, the Commission approved guidelines in 2010 for a memorial bench to be dedicated in a City Park. The price was set at $1,000 to cover the bench, installation and a recognition marker. The Foundation would like to also use the memorial bench opportunity to raise some additional dollars for the SPRING project, so it is being recommended that the bench donation amount be $2,500. Mr. Kondrick stated that he is supportive of the benches being used to support the project, but he wondered if the price might be a little high. He was thinking more in the $2,000 per bench price range. However, if the Foundation feels that there will be opportunities to get donations at the price suggested, he would go along with it. MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Ms. Barrett to support staff recommended Memorial/Tribute Bench Guidelines for the SPRING project. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, VICE-CHAIRPERSON HEINTZ DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. d. Picnic Shelter and Park Facility Rental Policy Mr. Kirk stated that during the past couple of years, there have been some issues with some individuals and groups that have rented the Commons Park shelter. Without permission, the renters have put up large tents and inflatable amusements such as bounce houses on the park land. This is a concern for a couple of reasons. One is that they do not have the right to exclusive use of the park area for their event. The rental only entitles them to exclusive use of the park shelter. The rest of the park is to be open for public use. The second issue is that utility services and the new irrigation system in the park are not identified and can be damaged by the large stakes used to support these structures. Mr. Kirk further stated that one of the groups drove a large tent stake right through a new pipe in our recently installed irrigation system last month. He also provided the Commission a picture from a Sunday in June when numerous inflatable structures and tents were erected. Mr. Kirk stated that the groups often hire a company to bring out the large tents and inflatables and the company trucks regularly drive over the park land, which is also prohibited. These requirements and regulations are in the agreement that is signed, but is not being followed by some of these groups. Mr. Kirk stated that we do not have a policy in place that allows for renting additional space in the park. He would like to know how the Commission feels about this. Should we establish a rental policy and fee schedule that allows for additional use of the park and not just the picnic shelter? Mr. Heintz stated that he would like us to define boundaries that would be available for rent and require that the user stay within the defined area. He would charge the user for each inflatable or tent that is put up. Ms. Barrett stated that she was concerned about liability and would like to see that proper insurance coverage protecting the City is provided with a group bringing in these structures or inflatables. Mr. Heintz stated that if we allowed these structures to be set up in the park, he would suggest we require a City employee be on site to make sure that were put up in appropriate locations. The renter would be required to pay the cost of the City employee. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – September 8, 2014 Page 6 The Commission agreed that putting up inflatables or tents could be allowed, but at an extra rental fee beyond what is paid for the park picnic shelter. They also agreed that the deposit for using the facilities should be increased to cover potential damages. The Commission would like staff to bring back a recommendation on park use guidelines and fees for a future meeting. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Ms. Barrett, to adjourn the September 8, 2014 meeting at 8:10 p.m. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, VICE-CHAIRPERSON HEINTZ DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 MEETING ADJOURNED.