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PRM 02/04/2019 CITY OF FRIDLEY PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING Î FEB. 4, 2019 CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Heintz called the Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting to order at 6:59 p.m. ROLL CALL: Chairperson Heintz asked the group to make introductions for those present. Members Present: Pete Borman, EB Graham, Mike Heintz, Dave Kondrick, and Shanna Larson. Others Present: Cleve McCoy Î Program Supervisor, Rachel Workin Î Environmental Planner and staff liaison to Environmental Quality and Energy Commission (EQEC); Heidi Ferris Î EQEC Member, a Science Teacher, and a Fridley Resident; Peyton Colburn Î Fridley/Heights Soccer Club; and Deborah Dahl, Director of Community Services and Employee Resources. APPROVAL OF JAN. 7, 201 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES MOTION made by Mr. Kondrick to approve the Jan. 7, 2019 meeting minutes of the Park and Recreation Commission, seconded by Ms. Larson. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON HEINTZ DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. APPROVAL OF PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR FEB. 4, 2019. Chairperson Heintz called for a motion to adopt the agenda for Feb. 4, 2019. Ms. Graham made a MOTION to move Agenda Item 4b up to 3a to accommodate the guest presentation by Heidi Ferris. In addition, Ms. Dahl requested to add four items to be 4c, 4d, 4e and 4f. Mr. Heintz asked Ms. Graham if she would be okay with amending her motion and she agreed. Ms. Larson SECONDED the MOTION was made to approve the amended agenda by Ms. Larson. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON HEINTZ DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED. 1. STAFF REPORT a. Presentation by Heidi Ferris Ms. Ferris started by thanking the committee for all they do for the City of Fridley. She said she has lived in Fridley for over a decade and it feels like a small city that is friendly and fun and thanked the group for all they do to make it welcoming. She provided her background and interests in working with natural playgrounds. She said she had made a presentation in front of the EQEC a few months ago and talked about studies conducted and the impact on children, mental health and outdoor play. She reported that the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation have been researching and incorporating natural playgrounds, which have become very popular. Some of the benefits are that they are affordable, provide creative opportunities, and was reported that families were spending three to five times longer in natural playgrounds as opposed to manufactured playgrounds. It has also been observed that the natural playgrounds promote wonder and inquiry and are creating intergenerational experiences as well. 1 Meeting Minutes Î Fridley Park and Recreation Commission (Feb. 4, 2019) Ms. Ferris offered some photos and examples from Maplewood, south Minneapolis, and other popular areas and challenged the City to look at creating some natural playgrounds within walking distance for every child, similar to MinneapolisÓ three-year goal. Ms. Ferris has worked with Stevenson Elementary and Springbrook Nature Center and emphasized the areas can be educational and learning opportunities as well. Commission members asked a number of questions, including who oversees and polices the parks or performs maintenance and Ms. Ferris said it is no different than current park procedures and would fall under current safety and maintenance practices. Ms. Dahl mentioned that as the staff look at the Parks Master Plan, it will be good to consider other options and perhaps be open to nature-based play areas. Commission members expressed an interest and like the ideas that were shared. Ms. Ferris recommended that the City contact Minneapolis Parks, particularly with some of the pop-up locations, which can be mobile or changing based on needs or availability of materials due to storm or interests. Mr. Kondrick asked what age group is attracted to facilities and Ms. Ferris said pre-schoolers through upper elementary/middle school. Mr. McCoy asked where there are resources and Ms. Ferris provided a couple of names of books, but encouraged commission members to go out to the internet and training the grounds crews to do some exploration. Mr. Borman said it seemed like there were simple solutions and could start small and grow. Ms. Larson offered an example of when they went on a vacation in Massachusetts where there was a natural forest and trails and her children enjoyed that experience more than a structured area. Ms. Ferris mentioned one of the project she worked on was at Woodcrest Elementary and the butterfly garden, which was more imaginative and exploration. Ms. Larson said she liked that it helps children get back to basics and the idea of keeping things simple, natural and local. Commission members seemed very interested in the concepts shared by Ms. Ferris and thanked her for coming in. Ms. Larson said she would like to see Jeff Jensen get this information. b. Program Highlights Ms. Dahl thanked volunteers who helped out at Winterfest and estimated 300-400. She thanked Target for their community engagement team as well as staff. Mr. Heintz believed people were having fun. Ms. Dahl mentioned that the new marketing team will be working to gear up with the tourism groups and hope to get some additional funding to promote the City. The Springbrook Report listed a number of items and Ms. Dahl mentioned the Springbrook SPREE and invited the commission members along with a recent donation for the snow shoes. Mr. McCoy presented some of his current activities and mentioned a new concept of a program he is working on with sports camps where a participant can enjoy the sport, but also have the option of having the total sports experience similar to a NFL broadcast (like the Superbowl). He said he will call it the Rocks Sports Network and heÓll have two groups (athletes and game-day activities) like journalism, video production, media, etc. He wants to 2 Meeting Minutes Î Fridley Park and Recreation Commission (Feb. 4, 2019) th have Friday game days and the events will be streamed. This would involve Kindergarten to 8 grade. Mr. McCoy said it will be at Commons Park cover 8 different sports and will provide additional information in the upcoming brochure. Ms. Dahl mentioned that the City is looking to getting an intern into the plan to assist. Mr. Borman suggested staff look at local celebrities or personalities at news stations or local sports. Commission members stated they loved the ideas and felt it would be a good success. Mr. McCoy also updated the Commission about the Rec on the Go and the Zone. He mentioned that staff put together several programs this last summer at Creekview Townhomes and Fridley Terrace where some kids donÓt have access to regular programming. He said participation was up and down, due mostly to the weather. He was excited because he built a program for a new group of kids and an audience that wasnÓt there before. He said that he also had built new relationships with Spring Lake Park and the CLUES program (similar to PALS). He will continue to build on this. Mr. Heintz asked about the new truck. Mr. McCoy said staff is working on it. Ms. Dahl said that the van would be a modified RV that could be used as a central base to operate from. She mentioned it is also possible to use for other options or areas within the City. Mr. McCoy showed pictures of Zone in the Park activities from the summer and said it was very successful and available at CommonÓs Park Shelter and at the warming house to have kids participate. Ms. Workin said she participated and offered Recycling services and information and thought the staff did a wonderful job for the kids of all ages. Mr. Heintz asked if there was tracking participation and Mr. McCoy said he is working on that with the new software system. He said they do take attendance and can send additional information. Ms. Dahl praised staff and said that without a lot of notice, it was a great experience without knowing the outcome. Mr. Heintz suggested the sports network would be another great opportunity. Ms. Dahl asked if Mr. Colburn had anything he would like to share and he said no, but he wanted to make sure that the Fridley Soccer Club was represented and expressed they are always in search of additional space. Commission members shared the interest and needs and continue to work on improving those opportunities. 4a. Parks Master Plan Ms. Dahl reported that staff has begun to work on the Parks Master Plan and will look forward to involving the Commission members in their feedback and insights. She showed some samples of other plans and a general outline for the CityÓs proposed plan. Rachel Workin will be writing the CityÓs plan and working to facilitate discussions and the public input. She shared the plan concepts and content, describing the various park types and amenities assessment, and needs. From there work plans, estimates for funding, timelines and priorities can be determined. Mr. Kondrick mentioned that neighborhoods and interests change and staff will need to keep that in mind while writing this plan. Ms. Work hopes this plan will help staff be proactive and her role will help synthesize concepts, vision as well as the data. 3 Meeting Minutes Î Fridley Park and Recreation Commission (Feb. 4, 2019) Ms. Dahl mentioned that the plan is hoped to be completed this year, but also make sure we have the right input and feedback from the public. Current events like National Night Out and Town Hall meeting can help us get additional input. Ms. Dahl said that Wally is very anxious and supportive of this project and that Ms. Workin will do a great job at pulling this together. She promised to have Rachel come back and provide reports and updates. 5. Updates and Unfinished Business 1. Ms. Dahl said she needed to have a further discussion with the City Manager and Community Development Director to get input on the question of listing a park and will report back at the next meeting. 2. Ms. Dahl said the Joint Powers Agreement with Anoka County on Locke Park for the playground and trail is not yet available. The revisions and suggestions went back to Anoka County and they will review it and return as soon as they can. Ms. Dahl said she would put it on a future meeting once the information is returned. 3. The question on the geothermal at Springbrook for the Pavilion still needs some further research. She mentioned the specifications are done and stamped plans are being ordered along with solicitation of potential donors. 4. Ms. Dahl mentioned the City Manager requested a deer survey and said that Mike Maher will be conducting it and the results will be provided to the Commission at a future date. 5. Jeff JensenÓs role will be changing slightly and will be taking on the facilities and grounds of the new civic campus in addition to his streets and parks operations. She said that it will help with events and activities, which are similar to his current duties. Another full-time public works person has been added to strengthen the technical and maintenance functions. 6. Ms. Dahl reported that Alyssa Kruzel started today as our new Community Engagement Specialist and she will be helping with events but also lead many of our engagement activities and centralize volunteer coordination. She will be splitting her position ½ time at the Nature Center and City Hall. She will be coming to a future Commission meeting. 7. The parade applications have started for the 49Óers parade and staff is assisting with those applications. Ms. Dahl mentioned if there are any ideas or suggestions to let staff know. 8. Mr. Borman asked what the meeting schedule was for the year. Ms. Dahl mentioned she will get the dates to Mr. Borman. ADJOURNMENT Ms. Larson made a MOTION to adjourn the meeting, SECONDED by Ms. Graham. UPON A VOICE VOTE, ALL MEMBERS VOTING AYE, CHAIRPERSON HEINTZ DECLARED THE MOTION CARRIED AND THE FEB. 4, 2019 AT 8:37 P.M. - MEETING ADJOURNED. Respectfully submitted, Deborah Dahl, Director Community Services and Employee Resources 4 Meeting Minutes Î Fridley Park and Recreation Commission (Feb. 4, 2019)