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PRM 12/03/2012 CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING – DECEMBER 3, 2012 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Solberg called the December 3, 2012 Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Tim Solberg, Greg Ackerman, Michele Barrett, Mike Heintz, Dave Kondrick Others Present: Jack Kirk, Director of Parks and Recreation Adrian Fredrickson, 1041 Hackmann Circle NE Joe Fredrickson, 1041 Hackmann Circle NE APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 1, 2012 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Ackerman, to approve the minutes of the October 1, 2012 meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR DECEMBER 3, 2012 MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Mr. Heintz, to approve the agenda for the December 3, 2012 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 has been included in the meeting packet to provide Commission members with information on some of the programs and events over the past two months. He wanted to tell the Commission about a very nice Veteran’s Day program at the th Senior Center on Friday, November 9. There were 225 seniors who participated in the event and the guest speaker was the Director of Veteran’s Services for Anoka County. A luncheon was provided by the American Legion Auxiliary and served to the seniors by the Women of Today. Mr. Kirk further stated that another popular event at the senior center is the Dinner Theater program. Connie partners with the High School to make this program work. The High School cooks come in after hours to prepare a meal for the seniors and after dinner, the seniors walk down the hall to the auditorium where they watch the current high school play. This year’s performance was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The students did a great Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – December 3, 2012 Page2 job with the play and the 200 plus seniors in attendance really enjoyed the dinner and show. Mr. Kirk also noted that Commission member Michele Barrett’s daughter was in the play. Mr. Kirk stated that the date for the Senior Mardi Gras is noted in the Update and it is Tuesday, February 12. Commission members are invited to help with the event by dealing Blackjack or Texas Hold’em. b. Park Maintenance Report Mr. Kirk stated that Park Supervisor Dave Lindquist is not able to attend the meeting this evening, but has provided a report of park maintenance activities during the past month. Much of what the maintenance staff has been doing is getting ready for the winter activities. They recently started putting water down on the ice rink areas to create an appropriate base. c. Springbrook Nature Center Report Mr. Kirk stated that he was very happy to report on a very nice project at Springbrook Nature Center that was completed this fall in cooperation with the Minnesota Tree Trust organization. The Tree Trust administrator contacted him in late summer inquiring about any interest in a tree planting project in one of our parks. They had forty trees available to be planted by volunteers in October, but they needed a place to plant them and a commitment by the recipient to keep them watered. He offered to them the recently completed berm on the north boundary of the nature center and they liked the idea. th Mr. Kirk further stated that on Saturday, October 13, twenty Tree Trust volunteers planted 40 deciduous trees on the berm. The project was perfect in timing as we were ready to add trees as part of the berm project. When the trees grow, they should be a great addition to the berm. This amounted to several thousand dollars worth of trees being planted at no cost to the City of Fridley. The Tree Trust organization really liked having all of these trees being planted in one general location and appreciated the visibility they received for this project. Mr. Kirk also wanted to let the Commission know that the nature center has a new part-time custodian. For the past 7 ½ years, Ken Ranzinger has performed those duties. Ken retired th on October 26 and has been replaced by Rick Dubord. Rick recently retired from his full time job as a custodian with the St. Paul public schools. Mr. Kirk stated that there are several other items in the written report that has been included in the agenda packet. d. WinterFest th Mr. Kirk stated that the annual WinterFest event is going to be held on Saturday, January 26 at Commons Park and the Fridley Community Center. This is a family oriented event that includes horse drawn hay rides, dog sled rides, sledding, skating, a medallion hunt, a kids dance, family bingo, carnival games and food. We have had some very good attendance over the past couple of years and would like to build on that for this year. The Fridley Lions Club has made donations to help with this event each year and last year we had help from the American Legion and Fridley Patch.com. The Commission members are invited to attend this fun wintertime activity. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – December 3, 2012 Page3 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Summer Program Format and Fees Recommendations for 2013 Mr. Kirk stated that each winter, staff comes to the Parks and Recreation Commission with a recommendation on the summer program format and fees for the next year. In the agenda packet is a recommendation from our staff regarding program format and fees for the summer of 2013. We made a number of changes and had fee increases last year, but we are not looking at many changes for this next year. Mr. Kirk stated that the summer ROCKS program has been a very nice activity in the summer. We have been hearing from participants that they would like to have the option of signing up on a per day basis, rather than by the week. While this does create some more challenges for proper staffing and for needed supplies, it is something we are recommending to try for next summer. We would recommend a daily $30 fee as an option to the $125 weekly fee. This th approach was tried for one week last summer, during the July 4 week and worked out okay. Mr. Kirk stated that another change or addition recommended for 2013 would be the new Junior Leader Volunteer program. For youth that have completed the Leaders in Training program, there will some opportunities to volunteer with our ROCKS, Playground and Pre- School programs. There will not be a fee for this program, however, the volunteers will not be paid as a staff member. It will allow these youth to gain some valuable work related experience. The rest of the recommended summer program format and fees would be the same as in 2012. MOTION by Mr. Ackerman, seconded by Ms. Barrett, to approve the summer program format and fees as recommended by staff in document submitted by Margo Prasek and Mark Daly. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. b. Pond Hockey Tournament at Flanery Park – FHS Student Project Mr. Kirk stated that the Parks and Recreation Department has received a request from Adrian Fredrickson, a sophomore at Fridley High School, to hold a pond hockey tournament at Flanery Park. Mr. Fredrickson actually approached the Fridley City Council a few weeks ago with the idea of a tournament and was referred to the Parks and Recreation Department. We have had some preliminary discussions with him about a one day tournament on a Sunday in January. Mr. Fredrickson is here at the meeting tonight and will share more information regarding his tournament request. Mr. Adrian Fredrickson stated that he would like to have a full-day, four on four, pond hockey tournament at Flanery Park. This would be a small fundraiser and proceeds would go to the Defend the Blue Line Foundation, an organization that helps children of active military personnel pay for their hockey program fees. Mr. Adrian Fredrickson further stated that tenth graders at Fridley High School are required to do a personal project as part of the school curriculum. He is looking at this tournament as his personal project related to community service. Mr. Solberg asked how many teams he was expecting or hoping for in this tournament. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – December 3, 2012 Page4 Mr. Adrian Fredrickson stated that he would hope for around twenty teams, but the minimum number to run the tournament would be eight teams. Mr. Solberg asked if there would be age brackets for the teams and if this would be a co-rec tournament. Mr. Adrian Fredrickson stated the tournament is open to both boys and girls and age minimum would be ten or eleven years old and up. Depending on the number of teams, he would divide teams into categories based on ability level. Mr. Solberg asked if pond hockey allowed checking. Mr. Adrian Fredrickson stated that there is set of rules for pond hockey that they will follow. Checking and body play is held to a minimum. There are not officials on the ice, but he and his Dad would monitor the games. There would be two games on the ice at one time, one on each end of the regular size hockey rink at Flanery Park. Mr. Adrian Fredrickson stated that all players that signed up for the tournament would need to sign a release form that would release the School District, the City and himself from any damages or injuries that could occur during the day. Mr. Heintz suggested that he included the Defend the Blue Line organization on the release form. Mr. Adrian Fredrickson stated that he has talked with Fridley High School IB program coordinator and with the High School Principal regarding the wording on the release form. They had agreed to help him with this. Mr. Kirk stated that there will be a concern regarding liability insurance for this activity and it would work best if the school would acknowledge this as a school event and allow it to be covered under the school district insurance. If this is considered a school event, City staff could work with him on the appropriate wording of a liability release form for the participants. Mr. Kondrick asked if there would be any all girls teams in the tournament. Mr. Adrian Fredrickson stated he did not know at this time, it depended on what teams wanted to sign up and participate. Mr. Adrian Fredrickson further stated that he is looking at a registration fee of $5 to $10 per player. This amounts to between $20 and $40 per team. This is the money that would be donated to the Defend the Blue Line Foundation. Mr. Kirk asked what kind of equipment is required to be worn by participants in a pond hockey tournament. Do they need to wear helmets, shoulder pads, and shin guards? Mr. Adrian Fredrickson stated that the only thing that would be required would be a helmet. Recommended equipment would be a helmet visor or face mask, shin guards and elbow pads. Mr. Kirk asked if he had access to his own pond hockey goals, since they were a special design and the City did not have any. Mr. Adrian Fredrickson stated that he has built his own pond hockey goals and would use them for the tournament. Mr. Kirk asked if there is a maximum time frame for the games. Are games limited to a half hour or an hour for example? Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – December 3, 2012 Page5 Mr. Adrian Fredrickson stated that games are limited to 10 or 15 minutes and there also is a set number of goals such as seven to win a game. The games move quickly and the entire tournament keeps moving along at a good pace. Mr. Adrian Fredrickson stated that he would like to hold the tournament on Sunday, January 20, 2013. He would like to have it on a Sunday because other high school activities cannot take place on that day and he would be able to get more participants involved. Hockey Day Minnesota is actually the day before this and that may also generate some more interest in his tournament. He would see the tournament starting around 10:00 a.m. and concluding in mid- afternoon. Mr. Solberg asked if the Flanery warming house building would be open for the tournament. Mr. Kirk stated that the building could be made available, but there would need to be a paid attendant as supervisor. Mr. Adrian Fredrickson stated that he would like to request that Flanery Park ice rink be swept off and flooded prior to the pond hockey tournament. Mr. Kirk stated that our park maintenance workers sweep and flood the Commons Park rink on Sunday mornings because we have league boot hockey and broom ball games there. He has talked with Parks Supervisor Dave Lindquist and we could have the workers go over to Flanery Park on the day of the pond hockey tournament to get the rink ready. If there was some snow during the day, Mr. Fredrickson and the participants may need to use shovels or brooms to clear the ice. Mr. Adrian Fredrickson stated the last thing he would like to ask about is the possibility of making this an annual event if everything goes well. Mr. Kirk stated that is something the Parks and Recreation Commission can address at a later time after this year’s tournament. The Commission would review what took place and whether there were any issues or concerns. If an event goes well, it is very likely that future events would be approved. Mr. Solberg stated that he thinks the tournament is a really good idea for a student project and would support finding a way to make it happen. Mr. Kondrick stated that this was an ambitious student project and a very thoughtful one with the proceeds going to a worthy cause. Mr. Kirk stated that he sees two ways to proceed with this request. First, the City already has fees in place for the use of the park buildings and for the rental or reservation of rinks and athletic fields. These facilities can be reserved by community members for some exclusive use. The normal charges for a small event like this could amount to a higher amount than what Mr. Fredrickson would realize from the tournament fees. A second approach would be that this tournament is recognized as a Fridley school event because it is a student project. The City has a long history of working closely with the schools and it would be possible to waive of minimize the use fees for school related events. It would be his recommendation that we would not charge for use of the building or rink for a school event. There would be a cost for the warming house attendant and a small utility charge for the building use, but those costs would not be too high. The time frame that has been suggested for the tournament should not require the rink lights, so there should not be an additional charge needed there. The costs can be kept way down if the school district is involved in the event. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – December 3, 2012 Page6 MOTION by Mr. Heintz, seconded by Mr. Ackerman, to approve the request by Fridley High School student Adrian Fredrickson to hold a pond hockey tournament at Flanery Park on Sunday, January 20, 2013 working with the School District to have this recognized as a school function covered by School District insurance, all participants required to sign an appropriate release form, and with the recommended fees and charges as outlined by Director Kirk. Mr. Kirk asked to clarify the approval that the preferred approach is that this event be recognized by the School District and covered by School District insurance. If the School District did not recognize this event, it would still be possible for Mr. Fredrickson to hold the tournament, but he would need to provide some other liability insurance naming the City as an additional insured. In addition, the normal rental rates for use of the building and rink facilities would then apply if it was not considered a School District event. Mr. Adrian Fredrickson stated that he had talked with the High School Principal earlier that day and asked if the event could be covered by the School insurance. She made it sound like that shouldn’t be a problem. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. Heintz, seconded by Mr. Ackerman, to adjourn the December 3, 2012 meeting at 7:56 p.m. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON SOLBERG DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE DECEMBER 3, 2012 MEETING ADJOURNED.