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03-01-2021 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION Fridley Municipal Center 7071 University Ave NE, Fridley MN 55432 MEETING MINUTES of March 1, 2021 Vice Chairperson Larson called the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Members Present: EB Graham, Peter Borman, Dave Kondrick and Ryan Gerhard Members Absent: Mike Heintz Others Present: Mike Maher, Springbrook Nature Center Director/Assistant Director (CSER); Parks and Facilities; Deborah Dahl, Director of Community Services and Employee Resources (CSER) 1. APPROVE PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION AGENDA FOR March 1, 2021 MOTION by Commissioner Graham to approve the agenda for March 1, 2021. Seconded by Commissioner Borman. The MOTION PASSED unanimously. 2. APPROVE PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES FOR February 1, 2021 MOTION by Commissioner Graham to approve the February 1, 2021 meeting minutes. Seconded by Commissioner Borman. The MOTION PASSED unanimously. 3. NEW BUSINESS/ACTION ITEMS: a. Resignation from Commissioner David Kondrick Ms. Dahl announced that Commissioner Kondrick had resigned from the Commission, effective March 31, 2021. Ms. Dahl thanked Commissioner Kondrick for his service of more than four decades as an outstanding leader on both of the Parks and Recreation Commission as well as the Planning Commission in his service to the City of Fridley. She read two letters from Chairperson Heintz and former Park and Recreation Director Jack Kirk who offered their appreciation and notable accomplishments. b. Openings on Park and Recreation Commissions (Debbie Dahl) Ms. Dahl said beyond the vacancy created by Mr. Kondrick, Pete Borman’s term is up on March 31, 2021. Commissioner Borman expressed an interest in being reappointed to the Commission, which will be addressed at the next Council meeting. Ms. Dahl said that the City Manager would like to add one more member to the Park and Recreation Commission for a total of seven members to follow other commissions. She also mentioned that there will likely be a lot of additional work and decisions coming up with the implementation of the Parks Master Plan. No objections were raised from Commission members. Therefore, it was decided that the City will be recruiting for two openings on the Park and Recreation Commission. Interested parties should submit applications to Roberta Collins in the City Manager’s office and the application can be found on the Fridley website. c. Electronic Agenda Packet Demonstration (Debbie Dahl) Ms. Dahl said that the Park and Recreation Commission will be moving toward using an electronic agenda packet like the one used with the City Council meetings. This will take place starting with the April meeting. She provided a short demonstration of how the packet will look and operate. The electronic packets can be viewed on computer, laptop, or phone and will also be available to the public as well. d. Tournament Request Approval (Debbie Dahl) Ms. Dahl stated that the Spring Lake Park Girls Softball Association is requesting the use of Community Park for their Spring Lake Park Panther Classic on May 15/16. Once approved a permit will be issued and they will need to follow social distance, mask and COVID guidelines. Commissioner Borman asked if the concessions would be open. Ms. Dahl replied that they would not be entertaining concessions as it is hard to manage safety protocols that are in place. MOTION by Commissioner Borman to approve the tournament request from Spring Lake Park Girls Softball Association. Seconded by Commissioner Graham. The MOTION PASSED unanimously. e. Joint Meeting with City Council Update (Debbie Dahl) th Ms. Dahl stated that on February 9 the Parks and Recreation Commission held a joint meeting with the City Council to discuss the Parks Master Plan. Candace Amberg, lead consultant with WSB, reviewed the goals of the project and draft concepts. Dan Tienter, Finance Director, summarized funding options. Concept designs and surveys are out on the Story Map on the City’s website page. A marketing campaign and community engagement campaign will be implemented in the coming weeks to solicit more feedback from key groups, individuals and stakeholders. Ms. Dahl reported that the resident survey is being conducted now, which will also help us gauge the public’s interest on park improvements and needs. Public comments will close by the end of April. Comments and information will be reviewed by early May and staff will report back to the Commission about what was learned and decide the next steps. Surveys are available on the Story Map for Community Park, Commons Park, Moore Lake Park and neighborhood parks where there are changes being proposed. Commissioners were encouraged to continue to look over the park designs and provide feedback, complete the survey on the Story Map, and respond if they get a call from Morris-Leatherman for the Resident Survey. Members were asked to encourage Fridley residents, neighbors, and friends to get informed about the system plan and share their feedback. She emphasized that their input and voice are important in helping to shape the future of Fridley’s Park System. Ms. Dahl summarized how parks and recreation impacts the quality of life in the City of Fridley, stating strong parks equal a strong community. It helps with health, wellness and community identity, creates community and neighborhood connections and keeps our community safe and beautiful. In addition, parks contribute to property values, attract development and builds on improvements and are a good business strategy. Staff will be looking for volunteers to help with the parks system plan implementation and community engagement. If you would like to help present or make introductions, staff can provide talking points, materials and aids, and share the overall engagement/communication plan. If you know of a group, agency or association that would like more information contact Alyssa Kruzel at alyssa.kruzel@fridleymn.gov or call 763-572-3579 if you are interested in helping with the Parks Master Plan in Fridley. Commissioner Borman asked if they are making 400 calls or keep calling until they get 400 responses. Ms. Dahl replied that she believed they will keep calling until they reach 400 respondents, and this should be completed in 2-3 weeks. Ms. Dahl commented that information about the Parks Master Plan will be available on the website next week. Commissioner Borman asked if notification would be sent out when the link Is ready. Ms. Dahl replied yes, information will be sent out via social media to direct people to the website. f. ‘49er Days Festival Update (Debbie Dahl) Ms. Dahl stated that a meeting was held with the ‘49er Days Festival committee and it was reported that the Lions Organization determined to cancel the parade. She stated that the 49’ers Festival Committee then voted to cancel the 2021 festival due to the uncertainty around COVID and that it takes several months to plan. With not much information about future guidance, it didn’t look like the information would come together in time to plan for the event. She stated the committee is working hard to get additional volunteers and will be focusing on fundraising for next year. Commissioner Larson appreciated the City taking care of its residents and agreed it is better to wait than contribute to something that could cause harm. g. Summer Hiring (Debbie Dahl) Ms. Dahl said that staff are busy making summer plans and that many programs will be offered but at a reduced capacity or size due to on-going COVID restrictions. She stated the City is recruiting for a number of part-time and full-time staff to help with leading programs, performing maintenance, and leading camps. Information about the camps will be listed in the next City Newsletter and program brochure. 4. STAFF REPORTS: a. Springbrook Nature Center (Mike Maher) Mr. Maher said that the exhibit gallery in the Nature Center will reopen and staff is happy to share that space again. They are operating at a limited capacity of 20 people, but are able to accommodate visitors who want to come in. Masks and social distancing are enforced. A series of Lantern Light hikes have been popular and filled at capacity. More events have been added. Thank you to the Friends of Fridley Education Foundation for a grant to purchase waterproof digital cameras for the school and camp programs. A $25,000.00 donation was received from Joseph and Irene Maertens to be used toward the installation of the fireplace in the pavilion activity center. Ongoing land management efforts at Nature Center and recently completed the deer management program. Awaiting final report and will be shared with the commissioner when it’s received. To celebrate Earth Day, Earth Day EcoDash will be held via GooseChase App on April 24/25. Registration is open, get a team together to have fun and complete the challenges. Springbrook Nature Center foundation has a scholarship program for summer day camps for those impacted by the pandemic. Registration is now open for those programs. Commissioner Larson asked about the fee and hours of the camp. Mr. Maher replied that the summer day camp runs from 9-3 but an aftercare program is available for working families to pick up as late as 4:30 p.m. for an additional $20 per week. Aftercare can also be part of scholarship request. Commissioner Larson asked if families could sign up for more than one camp. Mr. Maher replied that most families register for multiple weeks. b. Community Engagement Activities and Upcoming Events (Debbie Dahl) Ms. Dahl said that the Adopt-a-Park program was successful last year and the 16 families and groups all agreed to rejoin again this year. Anyone interested in adopting a park to let us know. Signs will be placed at each park to recognize the Adopt-A-Park participants. Staff is working on gathering community organizations within the city to discuss ideas on how to engage within the city. Staff is also working on flooding mitigation with Craig Park and other improvements. Surveys were sent to 270 homes and information will be collected by March 7. Later in the spring a neighborhood meeting will be held in the park to get feedback on park amenities. A city-wide garage sale will be held the end of June. The City will help promote and create a map to help people find the sales and will be posted on the City’s website. Ms. Dahl read a highlight featuring seasonal staff employee, Donovan Lewis. She said that Donovan has been working for Fridley since the fall of 2018 and that he has been a strong leader who is currently teaching a variety of youth programs and monitors the open pickle ball program. He is also training seasonal staff and teaching staff about strategies and procedures. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: NONE 6. ADJOURNMENT MOTION by Commissioner Kondrick to Adjourn. Seconded by Commissioner Graham. MOTION carried and meeting adjourned at 7:55 p.m. Next Meeting: Monday, April 5, 2021 – 7 p.m.