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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-07-2014 Park Commission Minutes MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 7,2014 7:00 o'clock p.m. ROLL CALL The Orono Park Commission met on the above-mentioned date with the following members present: Chair Rick Meyers, Commissioners Jan Berg, and Sarah Lindahl. Representing Staff were Senior Planner Michael Gaffron,Community Development Director Andrew Mack, and Recorder Jackie Young. Council Member Lizz Levang and Mayor Lili Tod McMillan were present. Chair Meyers called the meeting to order at 7:05 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. MINUTES OF THE PARK COMMISSION FOR MAY 5,2014 Berg moved,Lindahl seconded,to approve the minutes of the Orono Park Commission meeting of May 5,2014, as submitted. VOTE: Ayes 3,Nays 0. OLD BUSINESS 1. RECAP—MAY 30 PARK TOUR Meyers noted the Park Commission recently toured half of the city parks and that another date will be scheduled in the near future to tour the remaining parks. 2. RECAP—NAVARRE PLAYGROUD PLANTINGS & ENGLUND MEMORIAL Meyers reported the planting at the Navarre Park went well and that a number of volunteers turned out to help. Meyers indicated he has received a number of compliments about how nice the park looks. 3. DISCUSSION ON PARK MAINTENANCE STANDARDS Meyers noted the City's Public Works Director has recently left the City to take a new job and that he would like to speak with the new director once the position is filled before the Park Commission proceeds further with the park maintenance standards. Meyers stated he would like to set reasonable goals that the Public Works Department will be able to meet. Meyers noted other cities' park maintenance standards were included in the packet. Gaffron stated very few cities in the area have a formal park maintenance program. Meyers stated to his knowledge Shorewood is working on a park maintenance program and that should be ready in the near future. 4. COMMISSIONER"ADOPT-A-PARK"ASSIGNMENTS Meyers stated he would like to make sure that each park commissioner is clear on their adopt-a-park assignments. Meyers asked Commissioner Lindahl which parks she is overseeing. Page 1 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 7,2014 7:00 o'clock p.m. Lindahl stated she does not have any parks assigned to her at this point. Meyers noted Commissioner Berg is overseeing all of the beaches and that Commissioner Warner is overseeing Casco Point Park, Tower Park, Bederwood Park, and Crystal Park. Commissioner Lundblad is sharing oversight of Crystal Park and has also been assigned French Creek Park and Seven Nations Park. Meyers stated he will be overseeing Marie Antoine,Highwood,Navarre Playground,and the future Fire Station Park. Meyers stated Commissioner Lindahl will be assigned Lurton Park, Chevy Chase Park, and Saga Hill Park. Meyers noted those three parks will be on the next park tour. 5. PARK DONATION POLICY DISCUSSION Meyers stated he would like Commissioner Lindahl to be in charge of the park donations. Meyers indicated he would like to leave the donation standards fairly open. 6. CRYSTAL BAY PARK Meyers stated he would like to focus on one park at a time. Meyers noted work for this year on the Navarre Park has been completed and that he would like to turn the Park Commission's attention to Crystal Bay Park. Meyers recommended at this time the major neighborhood playgrounds receive more attention than some of the more natural,passive parks. Meyers noted the City Council will be receiving the notes that were taken by Council Member Levang during the park tour on the items the Park Commission feel should be addressed. NEW BUSINESS 7. CITY DOCKS AT CITY BEACHES AND ACCESSES Meyers stated tonight's meeting is open for public comment on whether the residents would like to see docks at various city beaches and lake access points. Julie Gatehouse, 2443 Carman Street, stated they used to have a little city dock at the end of their street and that the neighbors really enjoyed it. Gatehouse stated last year the dock was taken out and not re-installed this year. Gatehouse indicated she inquired at City Hall on the reason why and was told that the Park Commission had recommended that a number of the docks be removed due to budget and safety concerns. Gatehouse noted this occurred prior to the rainfalls. Gatehouse stated she was also told there would be a meeting tonight and that they would be able to ask questions about why the docks in general have been removed as well as their specific dock. Gatehouse stated the neighbors are wondering whether there is any possibility that the dock could be put back. Gatehouse indicated her family has enjoyed the dock since moving into their house approximately six years ago and that it was one of the deciding factors that led to them purchasing their house. Gatehouse stated she would like to know how the Park Commission came to the decision to remove the dock. Page 2 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 7,2014 7:00 o'clock p.m. Mark Palmer,2450 Carman Street, stated they reside on the lagoon and have their own lake access but that they also enjoyed using the dock. Palmer stated in his view removal of the dock is unfortunate for the people who do not live on the lakeshore and that it has always functioned as a day dock only and that no one in the neighborhood has been breaking that rule. Palmer noted the previous homeowner directly to the west of the dock illegally rip-rapped his property and a portion of the city-owned beach,which eliminated the sand beach. Palmer stated he is not sure why that was never addressed or required to be moved. Palmer stated as a lakeshore owner, he is very much in favor of the dock. Greg Reep, 2440 Carman Street, stated given the high water levels this year, it is very difficult for elderly people to get in and out of their boats. Reep indicated he has heard a number of people making arrangements to pick up people at other people's residences with private docks and that the neighbors should not have to do that. Nate Boutang,2431 Carman Street, stated he would echo Julie Gatehouse's comments and that the dock was only used by the neighbors. Boutang stated it was nice to have access to the bay and that it was also a selling point when he purchased his house. Boutang stated he would like to see the dock installed again this year. Peter Bluth, 2413 Carman Street, stated he lives across from the lake and that he enjoyed using the dock. Bluth indicated the dock also helped bring the neighbors together and that it is unfortunate the dock is not there this year. Bluth noted the beach is not marked and is basically only used by the people on Carman Street. Mark Palmer stated that dock has been a part of the Carman Street neighborhood for decades and that he was very surprised that it went away. Palmer stated he would like his neighbors to have access to the lake since a number of them do not have their own lakeshore. Palmer indicated there is no parking allowed on the street and that it is not well known that there is a beach there. Meyers noted Commissioner Berg is in charge of the City-owned beaches and that he would like to hear her comments on the matter. Berg stated she was not aware there was a beach on Carman Street. Gaffron noted there is a memorandum from former Public Works Director Jesse Struve which states that he made a presentation to the City Council regarding the installation of docks. In 2013, Staff received a number of calls pertaining to the use of docks at beach areas. Per City Code, it is unlawful for any person to dive,jump or fish from docks in beach areas. Gaffron noted the City has never really considered the Carman Street dock area to be a beach. Gaffron indicated the memorandum also goes on to state that it is unlawful to dock any watercraft at the docks located at beaches. Following the installation of the docks in 2013, Staff received a number of calls pertaining to docks at beach areas and re-evaluated dock placement throughout the City. Gaffron stated based on City Code,the use of docks in swimming beach areas is to stand on only. Many of the docks in Orono were starting to require high annual maintenance. In an effort to reduce long-term Page 3 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 7,2014 7:00 o'clock p.m. costs of maintenance or replacement, and because the use of the docks in swimming beach areas has such a narrow use, Staff felt docks should not be installed in swimming beach areas. Gaffron noted former Public Works Director Struve made a recommendation to the City Council this past winter to only install docks at public boat landing areas because the docks serve a purpose and can be easily used by the general public. The City Council agreed with that recommendation. This spring the Public Works Department only installed docks in designated boat landing areas and did not install docks at any beach or fire road access area. Gaffron stated currently the City has four beaches,with three of them being located on Lake Minnetonka and one on Long Lake.At the present time there are three docks installed; one on Stubbs Bay, one at Loma Linda on North Arm, and then a dock located on the other side of North Arm. Gaffron indicated he has no idea why the dock at Carman Street was not installed other than the memorandum that says it is not a boat landing. Gaffron stated two of the city docks are not used for boat launching. Gaffron stated he is not aware of what the rationale was for not installing the dock on Carman other than what is contained in the memorandum. Meyers asked if the residents use this area as a beach. Palmer stated the area was rip-rapped and never removed,which makes it difficult to use as a beach,but that people do swim and wade near the lakeshore. Palmer stated a number of people use it to launch canoes and kayaks. Julie Gatehouse stated her 15-year-old son has a little Johnny boat and that he would launch it from there. Gatehouse stated since it became questionable after the rip-rap was placed there on whether they could use the access, he stopped doing that. In addition,the neighbor to the right has planted grass and maintains it so it looks like his yard, which has made people hesitant to use the access lane. Gatehouse indicated she has read different things that say they are allowed to walk across that piece of grass down to the dock but that she has told her son not to do it since that neighbor does not like people walking on that piece of property. Gatehouse stated now that the dock is gone, it makes it seem like the area is not available to the neighbors at all. Palmer stated it used to be a fire lane road and that the neighbor made it appear as though it is part of his property. Meyers commented there are a number of fire lanes within Orono that are owned by the City and that the Park Commission has discussed those at length in the past. Meyers noted the fire lanes are not always well marked. Meyers stated at this time the Park Commission is attempting to arrive at what defines a beach and what defines a boat landing. Meyers noted there are some people who are not in support of docks at the fire lanes. Meyers stated if it is a swimming area,there can be no boats. Gaffron stated the actual physical docks are only located at places that have physical access for a vehicle to drop a boat in from a trailer. Gaffron noted the Carman Street access is different and is not a real boat launch area. Page 4 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 7,2014 7:00 o'clock p.m. Neil Bluth stated he would call it an access point and not a boat launch area. Berg asked how wide the area is. Gaffron stated the area is 30 feet wide and that it is very clear the area is dedicated to the public. Gaffron stated to his knowledge the house next to this access point was rebuilt approximately ten years ago and that it was made very clear at that time that the owners of that house could not block that access. Gaffron stated in his view the City did not want to have a permanent gravel area there since that would attract members of the public that were not from the neighborhood and that it was intended to be a neighborhood access point only. Gaffron indicated he does not have information at this point on whether the City allowed that area to be turned into grass or rip-rapped. Gaffron stated the question is how the neighborhood would like it marked. Gaffron stated if it is marked as a public access point, it is likely members of the general public will use it,which would create other issues. Gaffron stated this general issue has been discussed at the city level for a number of years. Meyers commented it sounds like the residents would like the dock installed to launch small boats or kayaks. Meyers noted at this time the Park Commission is just starting to identify what use should be allowed at each beach or access point. Meyers noted if it is designated for boats, swimming would not be allowed. Julie Gatehouse stated they do not utilize it as a beach. Meyers asked if this was a floating dock. Palmer indicated it was not but that it was always higher than the other docks on the lagoon. Palmer stated it is a nice place for people who do not have lake access to bring their boat to. Meyers asked if the area is ever congested on the weekends. Palmer indicated it is not. Meyers asked if people leave their boats there overnight. Julie Gatehouse stated the boats are never left there overnight or longer than an hour or two. Gaffron stated per City Code, all docks owned or maintained by the City shall be subject to the following regulations: One, it is unlawful for any person to dive,jump or fish from or otherwise use a city dock or the adjacent area in a manner so as to disturb or endanger any other person. Two,it is unlawful to dock any watercraft except for the temporary purpose of boarding or discharging passengers, and then not in any dock within a swimming beach. Three, it is unlawful to use a city dock or the surrounding area for any purpose between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and sunrise the next morning. Four,it is unlawful to deposit or leave any paper, can,bottle, glass or other refuse on or near a city dock except in approved containers placed by the City for such purpose. Gaffron asked if there has ever been a garbage can down there. Page 5 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 7,2014 7:00 o'clock p.m. Julie Gatehouse indicated there has not been a garbage can located there. Gatehouse stated they would like to keep the dock nice and that she initially thought the City was making repairs on the dock when it was not installed this spring. Palmer stated the previous adjoining homeowner piled rip-rap two to three feet high and covered it with his harvested milfoil to prevent people from walking out on the dock. Palmer indicated approximately a dozen residents use it and that they keep the area very neat and clean. Julie Gatehouse indicated that neighbor maintains the grass meticulously and that he makes it very clear that he is not happy that anyone is walking down there. Palmer indicated that neighbor also got in trouble with the City by parking his boat lift in front of that spot so it could not be accessed by a snowmobile or ATV. Ultimately the police or City told him he had to move it or allow people to walk on his property to go around it. Meyers stated if someone is doing something like that,he would suggest taking some pictures of it and submitting those to the City so Staff can take appropriate action. Meyers stated the Park Commission needs to develop a uniform policy and definitions for the lake access points and that they will need to continue this discussion. Meyers stated it is likely the Carman Street residents will not get a dock this year, especially given the high water levels. Meyers noted he also is not aware of what the condition of the docks the City has in storage is either. Julie Gatehouse indicated the dock was not in bad shape but that it needed some upgrades. Gatehouse stated she did buy some caps to put on the dock posts but that the neighbor took them off Meyers stated the City also has some responsibility for keeping the docks in good condition. Meyers stated the City will need to determine if there should be a dock at this location; and if the City Council determines there should be a dock here, it would be nice to have a dock on barrels so there is never an issue with high or low water levels. Palmer stated it was a very small dock on wheels,which made it easy to install, and that a dock on barrels would be more time consuming to install. Neil Bluth commented that perhaps the residents could do some fundraising. Nate Boutang stated they would also be happy to maintain it and install it. Gaffron asked if the dock was stored on the land next to the water. Palmer indicated it was. Lindahl stated it sounds like that area needs to be defined, and that without a clear definition, the neighbors are starting to move in on the fire lane. Lindahl stated the residents need a clear understanding on how the property can be used. Meyers stated the Park Commission also discussed putting some monuments at various city-owned parks and beaches to identify the access points and that the Park Commission will be touring this area on their Page 6 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 7,2014 7:00 o'clock p.m. next park tour. Meyers stated the Park Commission will be making a recommendation to the City Council and that the City Council has the final say on what will be done. Meyers indicated Staff can put the information on the park tour on the City's website and that he would invite the neighbors to come down to the access point so they can point things out and discuss things with the Park Commission. Meyers stated the Park Commission will be discussing this issue further and will be making a recommendation to the City Council but that it is unlikely there will be a dock at this location this year. Meyers stated the minutes and other information will be available on the City's website. Meyers thanked the residents for their input. Berg stated she was not aware that city docks were something that the Park Commission should be looking at. Berg stated when she looked at this area, she thought the access lane was part of the neighbor's yard. Gaffron stated there are a number of different characteristics to each of the fire lanes and that some of them are used year-round and that others are not very accessible. Gaffron indicated the Comprehensive Plan does identify the fire lanes,their locations,and how they are to be used. Gaffron stated approximately ten years ago the Park Commission had a number of lengthy discussions about marking the various accesses and a number of issues were raised. Gaffron stated there are a number of these fire lanes where the general public does not know they exist and they are used primarily by the residents of the neighborhood, which may change if they are better marked. Berg stated she would not define this area as a beach/swimming area. Berg stated a one-size fits all definition is also not the way to go and that different categories will need to be determined. Gaffron stated to some extent those categories already exist in the Comprehensive Plan. Meyers stated general categories can mean different things to different people and that there needs to be a clear definition of what they are and what uses are allowed. Meyers indicated he would not be uncomfortable placing a dock at this area but that the neighbors need to know exactly what is and is not allowed. Mayor McMillan stated the City should also compile a list of the docks in the City. Gaffron indicated he will put together a list prior to the next park tour. Berg stated one issue is that the neighbors like to expand their properties into the fire lanes,which will need to be addressed at some point. Meyers asked if there is a new law that says if an access point is not being used as it is intended whether the City can lose that access point. Gaffron stated there are 41 access points in the City and that they have gone through various dedication processes to allow them to come into being. Gaffron indicated the majority of them were dedicated as part of a past plat process. Gaffron noted the City did lose one access off of North Shore Drive because the town board back in the early 1900s did not keep good enough records. Gaffron indicated there are a Page 7 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 7,2014 7:00 o'clock p.m. few others that are at risk of being lost but that the vast majority have been dedicated to the public via plat. Meyers asked if the City could get rid of any access points if they wanted to. Gaffron stated in 1934, a judge ruled that these lake access points for the general public should not be vacated. Based on that case, it has been the City's policy for the past 10 to 15 years when dealing with these types of public accesses that they are not vacated. Meyers asked if the City is not maintaining them as an access, whether the City abdicating their rights over them. Gaffron indicated he is not sure what the future holds and that the fire lanes vary considerably in character. Gaffron stated the City has an access lane that is in between two homes that are approximately 20 feet apart, which became a big issue a few years ago. The vast majority of the fire lanes are not at risk and that it would be difficult for the City to justify getting rid of them since the City does not know what the future holds. 8. HANDICAP PORTA-POTTIES Meyers stated there used to be a handicap porta-potty at the Navarre playground which is no longer there and that he is wondering why that is. Gaffron stated according to the Public Works Department,the handicap porta-potties are an extra $100 a month. Meyers stated the handicap porta-potties might be necessary at some of the more heavily used parks and that he was asked whether a handicap porta-potty could be located at the Navarre Park. Meyers noted people change diapers on the picnic tables and that he would rather see them do that in a porta-potty if there is enough room. Berg commented it is a tough one to go against since the emphasis nowadays is on having things for handicap people. Berg stated the City also needs to take into account the American Disability Act but that the City needs to take a look at the use and size of the parks. Lindahl stated she would like to see them placed only at the higher used parks and beaches. Meyers stated he would also like to see every porta-potty surrounded by a wood enclosure. Meyers moved to recommend the City Council consider putting handicap porta-potties at the more heavily used parks,including Hackberry,Navarre Park, Crystal Bay Park. Gaffron asked if he would also like to include Bederwood. Meyers amended his motion,Berg seconded,to recommend the City Council consider putting handicap porta-potties at the more heavily used parks,including Hackberry,Navarre Park, Crystal Bay Park and Bederwood. VOTE: Ayes 3,Nays 0. Page 8 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 7,2014 7:00 o'clock p.m. 9. MONTHLY MEETINGS Meyers stated the City has not had any success at recruiting additional members to the Park Commission and that he would propose setting the number at five with any new applicants being appointed as alternates. Berg moved,Meyers seconded,to set the number of positions on the Park Commission at five and that any new applicants would be alternates. VOTE: Ayes 3,Nays 0. Meyers stated in his view having meetings every other month is too long and that he would like to see it occur on a monthly basis until more of the loose ends are taken care of. Berg stated given the fact that there has not been a Park Commission for a few years as well as the number of items the Park Commission is currently looking at, it would be better to meet once a month. Berg stated it is easier to cancel a meeting and that it can always be changed once these items are dealt with. Lindahl asked if the meetings would be in addition to the tours and other events. Meyers stated he is only aware of the upcoming park tour and that he does not envision a lot of extra meetings. Meyers noted the boat landings will also need to be included in the park tour. Lindahl indicated she would be willing to try it. Lindahl stated she did accept the position on the Park Commission knowing that it would only be meeting every other month. Lindahl stated she has the sense that there is a lot of history that has been forgotten. Berg stated reviewing the Comprehensive Plan would be helpful in gaining a better understanding of the parks. Lindahl moved,Meyers seconded,to hold a Park Commission meeting every month starting in August. Gaffron noted a new public works director has not yet been hired and that the intent of the City Council was for Staff and the public works director to share work on the Park Commission. Gaffron stated it is also a busy time for the Planning Commission and that he may not have the time available to deal with another meeting every month. Gaffron noted it takes him approximately four to six hours to compile the packet for the Park Commission. Berg asked if the park commissioners could help compile the packets. Gaffron stated the items that Staff needs to do is gathering the information together from the various sources and proofreading the minutes. Gaffron stated he is not sure the City has the Staff time to devote to a monthly meeting. Page 9 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 7,2014 7:00 o'clock p.m. Mack stated he would concur with Mr. Gaffron's comments and that the Park Commission is not typically under the Planning Department but is usually under the auspices of Public Works,which would be the right place for Staff support. Mack stated he would look at the rip-rap on Carman that was discussed earlier, and if work was done that was not authorized by the City, Staff will look into that. Meyers stated he likes the idea of having someone from the Public Works Department be associated with the Park Commission and attend the meetings. Meyers stated he would like to vote on the motion and let the City Council decide. Lindahl stated she is hesitant to approve the motion since it involves more work for Staff. Meyers stated it might perhaps be better to have the input of the full Park Commission and that perhaps they should defer action on it until later. The above motion was withdrawn. Lindahl asked if it would be better to have a special meeting once in a while rather than a regular monthly meeting. Meyers stated the City Council could call a special meeting of the Park Commission if necessary. Meyers stated he would also encourage the Park Commission to review the Comprehensive Plan, which is available on the City's website as well as previous park minutes. McMillan stated the Park Commission could also set up a work session to work on things like the park maintenance standards. Berg asked why the meetings are at 7:00. McMillan stated the meetings could be scheduled earlier if the Park Commission chooses. Gaffron indicated he could be available as early as 5:00. Berg stated she would recommend moving the Park Commission meeting time up. McMillan suggested asking the rest of the Park Commission for their input prior to a decision being made. 10. OTHER Gaffron noted City Code says that the Park Commission is to be composed of seven members who serve staggered three year terms. The director of public services and one council member shall be members of the Commission ex officio and without vote and are in addition to the seven member Commission. Gaffron stated the Park Commission can make the recommendation to the City Council to reduce it to five members but that it technically would require a code change. Page 10 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 7,2014 7:00 o'clock p.m. Meyers stated it will be up to the City Council to provide direction. Mack stated based on his experience,holding public meetings or neighborhood meetings are very effective to gain people's thoughts on possible improvements. Meyers stated if the Park Commission is going to discuss one of the neighborhood parks, the City can notify the local residents. ADOURNMENT Berg moved,Meyers seconded,to adjourn the Orono Park Commission meeting at 8:24 p.m. VOTE: Ayes 3,Nays 0. • A 01 Rick Meyers, C air Page 11 of 11