03-02-2020 Park Commission Packet

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday, January 6, 2020 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 8 of 11 Edwards said they have and it is still available. The City has been working with the school cross-country ski team. Last year they were interested in grooming it and using it; this year they are not. The school offered to let the City use their grooming machine but the City would need to find their own snowmobile. They debated whether they should find a snowmobile to pull the grooming machine. They have not had the demand to justify buying another piece of equipment. Ruegemer suggested it could be talked about again next year. Chair stated in February they would talk more about the items. He encouraged everyone to throw out ideas for what to do with the parks long-term. He noted other cities in the area are doing stuff with bike trails, off-road bike trails. Klaahsen added there are also Ninja obstacle playgrounds and natural playgrounds. Edwards stated once the Hackberry property reverts to the City, it's an ideal time to look at the park holistically. There are drainage issues and little league fields that are too close to roads, and it will be a great opportunity to wipe the slate clean and redesign it. Commission members and Edwards talked about the post office in Crystal Bay and the fact that Orono does not have its own zip code. The Crystal Bay Post Office serves the area and people love having the post office in that location. At one point there was discussion about turning the area into a trailhead/park activities center but there was pushback from the local people. The Commissioners discussed a plan previously presented by Rick Meyers regarding the Crystal Bay area, which could use some updating. They will contact Meyers and it can be discussed in February. Chair noted Seven Nations Park was brought up last year because there are a lot of invasives there and it needs some cleaning up and TLC. Edwards stated this winter they will solicit for contract mowing for the parks, which gets done once every three years, and Seven Nations will be added into the solicitation. In the past the City mowed it once or twice a year with a rough mower. The Commissioners decided to hold off on Park Assignments until the Commission gets new members. Walsh suggested adding the Paul Pesak Park and said someone should oversee the community gardens. Chair noted there was discussion and a motion at the last meeting to name it the Paul Pesak Park and there was a little bit of pushback from his widow. He suggested bringing a motion the next formal meeting in March for an alternative name. Commissioners discussed that Minnesota law states certain things cannot be named after living people such as roads and state parks. Carter stated the idea of having a Lead Commissioner for trails is interesting. He had not thought about it before but there are a lot more trails.