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MINUTES OF THE <br />ORONO PARK COMMISSION <br /> Monday, February 1, 2021 <br />6:00 o’clock p.m. <br />_____________________________________________________________________________________ <br /> <br />Page 12 of 13 <br /> <br />Roath agreed. <br />PUBLIC WORKS UPDATE <br />Edwards updated the Parks Commission and noted it is a quiet time of the year. Right now, some of the <br />highlights include: they picked up regional trail maintenance so they are maintaining Three Rivers’ trails <br />in Orono and got a new piece of equipment to do it so they are doing the Dakota as well as the other parts <br />of the Independence trail. He noted they have always done the trail in front of the school as it is like a <br />sidewalk but had not done the others. The Golf Course has still been busy; they did the holiday <br />decorations, putting them up and taking them down, they have done a couple rounds of dead tree <br />removals and trimming out there and worked with Sentence To Serve which is a Hennepin County <br />Corrections Department initiative for labor to do some of that and it has worked out well. Edwards said <br />February is when they start recruiting seasonal employees for the next golf season so Jason Goehring has <br />already started that. In the meantime all of the golf course equipment that maintains the fairways and <br />greens is rotated through annual maintenance. One trouble point this winter is the establishment of the ice <br />rink at Casco Point Rink – they have yet to get it to a skateable surface as the cycles of warm weather <br />have been hugely detrimental and they have some upset residents out there. It is sometimes hard to <br />explain to people why the lake is frozen solid but they cannot get an ice rink on the ground to freeze and it <br />has to do with how deep the frost is in to the ground. If the ground is not frozen solid for a good foot or <br />so underneath, the water just dissipates and they end up with holes all over. Edwards said Goehring <br />wants to look at doing some improvements out there this summer, perhaps bringing in some clay and <br />trying to compact it and see if they can get a better sub-swale in there to make it work better. In the <br />engineering world, Edwards said Big Island is still happening with lots of work there. The initial trail <br />work was completed before the freeze so mid-to-late November that work was done. They did get <br />bonding bill money and he has been working on the grant application with the State and as Carter <br />mentioned the sign concept plan is underway and was approved by the City Council. Hopefully they will <br />be set for construction this summer as soon as they can get the contractor back out to the island. As <br />previously mentioned the second toilet, the shelter, and the sign program have all been approved and back <br />into the plan. Things that are still pending are additional trail work that they could use the bonding <br />money for, and the actual signs once they have the concept put together. Edwards is also working with <br />Three Rivers on the Dakota Trail connection; they completed 90% design review before the holidays and <br />they are looking to get that out for bid in February and March. That is a connection from Navarre Park up <br />to the Dakota Trail on the west side of CR 19; it is a pretty pricey segment of trail because of the terrain <br />and they are in a 3-way agreement between the City of Orono, Three Rivers Park District, and Hennepin <br />County on cost-sharing that equally between the three and getting it done. Three Rivers has been leading <br />the design effort and hopefully they will have some good news. He noted they have been trying to get it <br />built for about five years and luckily there is some grant money that Three Rivers has that the timeline is <br />running out on and they are anxious to get it done this year. Edwards said they have been soliciting <br />quotes for the dock and swim platforms for the beaches. <br />Roath asked the timing on the construction of the Dakota Trail connection. <br />Edwards said this summer. It will be a challenge for those who live in Navarre as it will probably result in <br />a several week closure of at least one lane of County Road 19. Hennepin County is also about to close <br />down Tanager Bridge for that reconstruction. <br />Roath noted they do not have a discussion on Summit Beach playground discussion.