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PRM 10/08/2001 CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING – OCTOBER 8, 2001 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Kondrick called the October 8, 2001 Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 7:07 p.m. ROLL CALL: Members Present: Dave Kondrick, Marcy Sibell, Dick Young Others Present: Jack Kirk, Director of Recreation & Natural Resources Paul Lawrence, Superintendent of Public Works APPROVAL OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2001 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION by Mr. Kondrick, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to approve the minutes of the September 10, 2001 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR OCTOBER 8, 2001 MOTION by Mr. Young, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to approve the agenda for the October 8,2001 meeting. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. 1. STAFF REPORT a. Program Update Mr. Kirk stated that the Recreation and Natural Resource Department had been busy in the past month with the start of the fall programs. The 4-person Football League started on th September 9 with 17 teams participating. The Springbrook staff was working closely with Hayes and Stevenson Elementary schools on the environmental education curriculum. The current unit is predator-prey concepts with the third grade classes. The fall youth gymnastics program is underway with pre-school and beginner gymnastics activities at Fridley High School. The after school program at Hayes and Stevenson Elementary Schools has started, as well as the ZONE program for middle school students at the Fridley Community Center. The Senior Program activities were also underway for the fall starting with a kick-off event on th September 11. The event was designed to introduce seniors to the various program opportunities at the center. With the national news of the day, many of the seniors spent time talking and watching the television news together. One of the many senior activities underway for the fall is the Senior Surf, a beginning computer class for seniors. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – October 8, 2001 Page 2 b. Park Maintenance Report Mr. Lawrence stated that he would like to compliment the full-time and the part-time workers in the Park Maintenance division for their fine work this past summer. The parks in Fridley have never looked better. Mr. Lindquist has provided a written report of the park maintenance activities over the past month. The staff has been busy working at the Little League fields, installing a retaining wall near the central concession building. Also, they have coordinated the work for construction of the maintenance/ storage garage at Springbrook Nature Center. Work is nearly complete and it should be put in use in very soon. Mr. Lawrence further stated that the work on the Logan tennis court is now complete and the facilities look good. It was a nice improvement to that park. Mr. Young asked if the City saved any money on the Springbrook maintenance garage with Paul Lawrence and Dave Lindquist serving as the general contractors on the project. Mr. Lawrence stated, yes the City was able to construct this building at a considerable savings. c. Park Signs Mr. Kirk stated that the first batch of park signs has been installed and the feedback has been very positive. Mr. Kondrick stated that he has seen the park signs and they look very good. They compliment the City entrance signs and add to a positive appearance in the parks. Mr. Kirk stated that there will some additional signs installed in late October and the balance of the park system will be installed next spring. d. Lights On After School Rally Mr. Kirk stated that the Recreation Department and the staff of the School District are joining th together to sponsor an event this Thursday, October 11 to celebrate after school program opportunities. He wanted the Commission members to know that they were invited to this program. The celebration is one of many across the country recognizing the many after school programs and agencies that sponsor these activities. The event will take place from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., with a short program/ rally at 5:15. Mr. Kirk further stated that the youth in Fridley have several program options, including the activities offered by the Recreation Department, School District Community Education, and several of the area churches. e. NRPA Conference Mr. Kirk stated that he recently attended the National Recreation and Park Association Congress in Denver. There is still a lot of interest across the nation in providing skateboard facilities in the park systems. There seemed to be more cities that were opting for skateboard facilities that were supervised, rather than just providing the structures and letting the young Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – October 8, 2001 Page 3 people use it on their own. It was interesting to note that when skateboard facilities is listed on a citizen’s survey for possible recreation facilities, it often gets low scores or results from the adults completing the surveys. However, the skateboard facilities do get used. Mr. Kirk further stated that the NRPA Conference provides a wide variety of education sessions and seminars in addition to a huge exhibit area featuring park, playground and maintenance equipment. 2. NEW BUSINESS a. Showmobile Rental Request – City of Coon Rapids Mr. Kirk stated that the City of Coon Rapids has requested the use of the showmobile on st Sunday, October 21 for a performance by the Rockin Hollywoods. They have rented the unit before and there have been no problems. Staff would recommend approval of this request. MOTION by Mr. Young, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to approve the Showmobile rental request by the City of Coon Rapids with the appropriated rental fees. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DELARED THE MOTION CARRIED. b. Park Shelter Rental Policy Mr. Kirk stated that the rental fees for the picnic shelters were raised before this season. There were some concerns voiced by renters about the new costs, but most seemed to understand the costs for clean up and garbage removal were significant for the park areas. Staff would recommend keeping the rental fees the same for another year. Mr. Kondrick stated that he thought the fees at Springbrook Nature Center could be raised, because it is a larger group shelter and the park offers a lot of other amenities. Mr. Kondrick stated that we have had some concerns with non-resident groups at Moore Lake Park and perhaps the non-resident rate should be adjusted for the shelters at that park as well. MOTION by Mr. Young, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to change the rental fees for park shelters to the following: Moore Lake and Springbrook Nature Center Picnic Shelter @ $25 per day for residents and $50 per day for non-residents. Flanery Park and Commons Park buildings @ $45 per day for residents and $75 per day for non-residents. All renters would be required to provide a security/ conduct deposit prior to facility use, with a $25 deposit at Moore Lake and Springbrook and a $100 deposit at Commons and Flanery. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. Mr. Young suggested that the NO ALCOHOL policy should be in bold print on the rental agreement form. Also, all renters should be required to provide a copy of their drivers license to confirm identification and residency requirement. Mr. Kondrick asked if we could require a minimum age of 21 for all rental agreements. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting – October 8, 2001 Page 4 Mr. Kirk stated he would get an answer to the question. Mr. Kirk stated that during the past year, there have been numerous requests to waive the facility rental fee for non-profit groups, youth groups, and school related groups. He further stated that if an event is part of the regular school operation such as a class field trip or an official athletic event, they do not charge the fee. They have been charging the other groups according to the fee rental schedule. The Commission agreed to continue along the same lines. c. Showmobile Rental Policy Mr. Kirk stated that the Commission discussed the Showmobile rental policy one year ago and raised the rental fee to $700 per day. There was some discussion about changing the maximum distance allowed to move the Showmobile. The current guideline is that travel distance cannot exceed a 25-mile radius from the City of Fridley maintenance garage. Mr. Kondrick stated that he would like to continue renting the Showmobile to provide some income on this special vehicle that we have. We have been renting this five to six times each year and have generated a good share of the original purchase price. Reducing the mileage limit would likely reduce the number of rentals each year and he would not want to see us do this. Mr. Lawrence stated that the Showmobile is getting older, it takes authorized drivers to move the vehicle (who often are not available), and there is concern about proper opening/ closing of the showmobile by the people we rent it to. These are some reasons that we may not want to rent the vehicle or limit the rentals to close by communities. Mr. Kondrick stated that while he can appreciate the concerns, he believes we have an asset that can make us some money and we should find a way to do that. Each time we rent it, there is $700 coming in to the City. Eventually, we will have to buy a new showmobile and it will help to know that we have paid for all or a good share of the current vehicle through the rental program. MOTION by Mr. Young, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to limit the showmobile rental distance to 25 road miles, charge a rental fee of $750 per day and require a $750 deposit for use of the vehicle. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Mr. Young, seconded by Ms. Sibell, to adjourn the October 8, 2001 meeting at 8:28 p.m. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON KONDRICK DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE OCTOBER 8, 2001 MEETING ADJOURNED.