11-05-2020 Park Commission Packet

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Wednesday, September 10, 2020 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 15 of 27 Roath said he thought they had discussed that the Dakota Trail might be like the Three Rivers Trail, and maintaining it in the winter. Edwards noted Three Rivers does not provide winter maintenance for any of their trails, they very graciously allow municipalities to maintain their trails in the winter if they so choose. He said recently they have tried to provide more enticements, for example, Three Rivers will provide the municipalities $500 per mile of winter trail maintenance, which isn’t nearly enough to maintain a mile of trail throughout the winter, and that has been one of their strategies for their funding shortfall. Edwards noted he is prejudiced as a public works guy, he personally believes that every government entity ought to take care of their own stuff, and that the City tax base is there for them to take care of City amenities, the County tax base is there for County amenities, State, Federal, and so on. However, there is currently some political will for the City to take that over, and there is a bit of precedent in that historically; Orono has always maintained the Independence Trail in the winter, primarily because it connects to the City’s trails and functions as a sidewalk for the school. The current guidance from the City Council is to look into taking care of the Dakota Trail from boundary to boundary and perhaps even offering to Minnetonka Beach and Spring Park that Orono might maintain their sections as well. Roath remembered conversations in the past regarding whether they even want them, and there is an argument that the City shouldn’t be clearing the snow off the trails. Nevertheless, all that aside, if they don’t use the Tool Cat for plowing the Dakota Trail, the City would still use the Tool Cat. Edwards replied they would still use the Tool Cat for their existing sidewalk and trail network, which they’ve been trying to do with skid steers, a small tractor and some light pick-up trucks, but they are sub- optimal for the task. Edwards continued on in the document and noted the final part of the CIP is Lurton Park, which has its own fund which was set up when the park came to the City and is now being refreshed with the annual dog permit fees collected. He said the $4,000 listed for Prairie Maintenance Contract is just for some visibility, it’s an operational maintenance thing that comes out of that fund, and is just to maintain the existing prairie at the park. He noted a couple years ago they did some trail improvement with gravel trails and it is proposed in 2021 to do another round of that to the tune of about $20,000 which would double the amount of improved trail. Carter asked what the current balance is and how much it goes up per year. Edwards said Park Passes come in at about $15,000 per year and the projected balance is about $7,000 at the end of next year (2021), noting they would spend $24,000 and bring in $15,000 and he can’t remember quite what the current balance is right now. Carter said it sounds like a good idea. Edwards noted on Exhibit B, the Park Fund is almost exclusively funded from Park Dedication Fees, which he explained is when a development occurs in the City, an ordinance requires that the developer either provides a recreational space as part of the development or provides a certain dollar amount (based on a formula regarding how many lots they’re creating) and that is what has traditionally funded the Park Fund. He said they’ve had many big projects lately so that fund has gone from the $500,000 range down to almost $0 now. He stated the City Council has recognized that and wants to dedicate $50,000/year in levy to that fund. He thinks the Council has aspirations of growing the Park Fund if they can put more of