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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-07-2016 Park Commission Minutes MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING Monday,November 7,2016 6:30 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 Sarah Lindahl, Brenda Johnson,Bryce Johnson,C.Paul Pesek, and Julie Ruegemer. Representing Staff were City Administrator Jessica Loftus,Public Works Director/City Engineer Adam Edwards and Recorder Jackie Young. Council Member Lizz Levang was present. Chair Meyers called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. SEPTEMBER 6,2016,PARK COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Meyers requested the partial sentence on Page 6 be deleted from the minutes. Pesek moved,Bryce Johnson seconded,to approve the minutes of the September 6,2016,Park Commission meeting as amended. VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0. PUBLIC COMMENT None CHAIRMAN'S REPORT 2. 2017 PARKS PRIORITIES AND PLAN Edwards noted included in the Park Commissioners' packets is a sheet providing a summary of the discussion that occurred at their work session regarding the priority parks. Edwards stated the general consensus at that time was to continue with the same initiatives as in 2016,which are to look at trails, look at the history and culture of Seven Nations Park, conduct community outreach, and also explore some options for obtaining outside funding. Meyers stated in his view it captures the discussion at the meeting. Pesek stated he is fine with the summary. Bryce Johnson noted under Bederwood Park there are no other committee members listed besides him. Edwards stated he left that blank because no one else volunteered at the work session. Meyers and Lindahl indicated they would be willing to be on the committee. Meyers stated the Park Commission should finish up their work from 2016 before beginning work on the 2017 initiatives. Meyers asked if anything has occurred with the Saga Hills trail clearing and whether any bids have been received. Edwards stated it was classified as a 2017 task to look at and that over the winter they can look at obtaining some quotes. Page 1 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING Monday,November 7,2016 6:30 o'clock p.m. Meyers suggested including Highwood Park in there as well. Edwards noted under Item No. 3 Bederwood, Saga Hills, and Highwood are listed as the priority parks for 2017. Ruegemer indicated she had nothing to add to the list. Lindahl asked if there is anything in particular at Bederwood that would be done. Bryce Johnson stated nothing major is currently planned for Bederwood but that it is one of Orono's more pleasant parks. Johnson stated the park may benefit from a nicer approach to the trails, such as a more interesting entrance, as well as a trail leading to the playground, some plantings, and improvements to the parking lot. Meyers noted the DNR owns a portion of the parking lot and that the Park Commission also discussed cutting down some trees. Bryce Johnson stated there is already a large boulder there with a nice brass plate describing the history of the park, and that the Park Commission should look at whether a sign is desired at this park. Johnson stated some small improvements to spruce up the park would be nice. Levang noted there are two entrances to the trail and that there is an entrance from Stubbs Bay as well as from the western side. Levang stated most people choose to go either east or west. Meyers stated they are talking about the entry off the parking lot. Levang stated when people park their cars,they either go east or west into the park. Levang stated if an improvement is going to be done, she would suggest improving the west entrance. Meyers asked if she is talking about the connection to the Luce Line Trail. Levang indicated she is. Levang stated both sides feed into Bederwood from the Luce Line, and as long as the DNR will be involved,they should have a conversation about both. Levang stated there is currently a cow fence on the east side that closes off that trail during the winter, which results in people having to walk around the fence to gain access to the trail. Levang stated the fence is primarily there to prevent snowmobilers from the easterly side and that not many people walk the western trail since the snowmobilers will use that trail instead. Levang stated it is important to think about the historical use of the park when planning any improvements. Meyers stated there is also a small dock there and that they should probably include access to that as well. Meyers suggested the committee look at the whole park. Levang stated the dock is stored at the entrance to the west in the winter. Edwards stated the action item for tonight was to confirm officially the Commission's focus parks for 2017 and then over the winter create a list of possible improvements. Page 2 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING Monday,November 7,2016 6:30 o'clock p.m. Brenda Johnson moved,Pesek seconded,to approve the Park Commission's 2017 Priorities and the remainder of the 2016 initiatives. VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0. STAFF REPORTS 3. PARK CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN Edwards noted this document should read budget and capital improvement plan. Edwards stated the purpose of this item is to provide the Park Commission with an update of the 2017 budget and to provide an opportunity to comment on the Capital Improvement Plan and budget. The plan is revised annually and submitted for approval to the City Council. Edwards noted there are some minor changes with regard to labor rates,but the other items remain the same. Edwards stated the line that appears to show the budget increasing by 400 percent under building maintenance and supplies is an error and that it should be $7,600 this year and$7,600 in 2017. The total budget for 2016 was $108,120 and the proposed 2017 budget is $116,729.20, which is an increase of$8,609.20 or 4.56 percent. Edwards noted the Parks Capital Improvement Plan goes out until 2029. Edwards stated the focus time period is really the next five years, and that the further out in time the CIP goes,the more likely there will be errors in the costs. The recurring items include replacement of park equipment and replacement of docks at lake access points. Other items added last year include major rebuilds or reconstruction/rehabilitation of trails. The first trail improvement was done in 2016, with three more trails added to the CIP. Those include Ferndale Road,Willow Drive, and the County Road 6 trail. At the present time there are no named parks for trail construction but those can be added to the Capital Improvement Plan once they are identified. Meyers asked what the Antoine Park playground border is. Edwards indicated that was added this year and what is being proposed is to replace the playground surface and border. Meyers commented he does not like the little stones at any of the parks and that he would prefer they be replaced with wood chips. Meyers stated the stones tend to get in the grass and children will throw them at each other. Edwards noted wood chips are cheaper and softer. Meyers suggested removing the stones and replacing them with wood chips. Bryce Johnson asked which items are considered to fall under the Park Dedication Fund. Johnson stated it appears some are on the edge of being included under park maintenance. Edwards stated the trail rehabilitations have to be differentiated between routine maintenance and reconstruction. Pesek asked what maintenance would consist of. Page 3 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING Monday,November 7,2016 6:30 o'clock p.m. Edwards stated it goes area by area, and in areas where total replacement of pavement is done,that would be considered a capital improvement, andseal coating would be considered a maintenance item. Bryce Johnson asked where the Willow Drive rehabilitation would come from. Edwards stated currently that would be the Park Fund but that the Council will have to decide where the funding comes from. Brenda Johnson asked if the City has any guidelines on how to differentiate between the two. Edwards indicated that is Exhibit C. Edwards stated the City has to be able to justify the expenditure classification to the auditors or anyone who would question it. Edwards indicated complete replacement of play equipment would be a capital improvement, which comes out of the Park Dedication Fund,but that routine maintenance, such as replacing some bolts,would come out of the Park budget. Levang stated there has to be legal justification between the use of park dedication funds and the operating budget of the Park Commission. Bryce Johnson asked if it is somewhere else in the budget if it is judged not to be a park dedication fee or whether it probably will not be done. Edwards indicated it will probably not get done unless it is stated somewhere. Edwards noted each of the trails included in the CIP are less than one mile long and that the majority of the costs consist of pavement replacement. Levang asked where the Ferndale trail is located. Edwards indicated it is on Orono's eastern boundary. Meyers asked if the trails have ever been seal coated. Edwards indicated they have been and that that project came out of the Park Fund. Brenda Johnson asked how often they need to be resealed. Edwards indicated every five to seven years. Brenda Johnson asked if seal coating is cheaper than replacing them after a period of time. Edwards stated it would be cheaper to seal coat it every so often since it helps to prolong the life of the pavement. Brenda Johnson asked if there is some way to include that item in the maintenance budget rather than spending money out of the capital improvement fund. Meyers stated the Park Commission is attempting to establish a maintenance schedule for the trails. Page 4 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING Monday,November 7,2016 6:30 o'clock p.m. City Administrator Loftus stated the City's operating budget or General Fund is meant for day-to-day maintenance,which should handle all of the normal maintenance. For the past five years,the City Council has been looking at different options for funding the seal coating of the roads. Loftus stated the right way to do it would be to seal coat the trails at the same time the roads in the area are being done and that it should be included in the yearly maintenance fund. Loftus stated capital improvement expenditures are typically defined as anything over$5,000. Loftus stated the reason the City looks at capital expenditures in that way is because it opens up different funding options for the City. Park dedication funds are only paid at the time of new developments and the Park Fund is a continual tax on the residents. Loftus indicated the Park Dedication Fund is restricted in how it can be used by the State Legislature. Loftus stated over the years there have been a number of challenges from developers on the Park Dedication Fee. Currently the City asks for between$3,250 to $5,550 per dwelling unit. That rate has not been increased since 2002. Loftus stated what has to happen is a study that identifies what the City would like to purchase or other capital improvements the City would like to do as well as the costs associated with those. The City would then arrive at an estimate of the number of dwelling units that potentially could be developed. Those numbers would be divided to arrive at the fee. Loftus stated currently the City has identified$22 million in improvements. If a developer or the City decides that a neighborhood park is not required,the developer would make a cash contribution into the community fund,which is known as the Park Dedication Fund. Those fees are typically used for large capital expenses, such as creation of a park or trail. Loftus stated routine maintenance should be handled through regular ongoing tax dollars,which would be included in the Park Fund. Meyers asked if the City's need of$22 million is included in that calculation. Loftus indicated it is. Loftus stated the City conducted a study ten years ago regarding that so it could justify its fee per unit. Loftus noted the City is currently close to being fully developed and that she looks at the City's Park Dedication Fund as not increasing substantially in the future. Brenda Johnson asked if there has been any discussion about increasing the General Fund to cover park maintenance. Loftus stated there has been a discussion about that and for the past two years the City Council was willing to increase the levy. The Council designated that increase toward road maintenance and that she considers trails to be part of road maintenance. For the previous five years the Council decided to not increase the levy due to the poor economic conditions. Loftus stated the City is currently short$1 million a year for road improvements. Loftus stated road improvements are on the Council's radar and a top priority but that the City has $1.5 million in need each year. Loftus noted City has had$400,000 available in road improvement funding now for the last two years. Edwards stated all the trail numbers in the Parks CIP come from the Pavement Management Plan. Levang commented the City is doing what they can to address roads and trails. Levang noted the City did get one trail done this year and that the other trails are on the plan but financing is an issue. Levang stated Page 5 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING Monday,November 7,2016 6:30 o'clock p.m. regular maintenance of trails is a key to prolong their life but that the City has to get there financially in order to do that. Meyers stated the Park Commission has been playing catch-up for the past couple of years since nothing was done for a number of years. Levang commented there has been a tremendous change in the parks and that it is her hope the City can continue in that direction. Loftus stated the City Council would like to have a joint work session with the Park Commission on either January 23 or February 27. Loftus state the Council is aware of the need and the desire for more maintenance funds. Meyers stated if they meet in February,they can approve the Parks CEP and discuss it at the joint work session. 4. CSAH 112 TRAIL EXTENSION OPTION Edwards illustrated the location of CSAH 112 on the overhead. Edwards stated the City is currently in the process of working with Hennepin County on the turnback of 112 and that the County is in the process of final design. The turnback project is broken into three phases. Phase 2 of the project consists of the stretch of CSAH 112 from Wolf Pointe Trail to the Highway 12 ramps. The County is currently in the final design portion of Phase 2. As part of the preliminary design, a trail was planned from the west boundary of the Orono School campus to Old Long Lake Road. During that design process,the City and County is considering an extension of the trail along the north side of CSAH 112 from Long Lake Road to the Luce Line Trail. The estimated cost of the trail extension would be $220,000, with half of those costs to be shared with Hennepin County. Brenda Johnson asked what the nature of the trail will be in relation to the road. Edwards stated the trail would be separate from the road and would be eight feet wide to allow for pedestrian/bike traffic going both directions. Levang asked if there is an entrance to the Luce Line currently. Edwards indicated the two existing connections are the green lines depicted on the map. Edwards stated the intent of the trail extension is to tie the eastern end of the 112 trail directly into the Luce Line Trail. Edwards stated the Commission should decide whether a third connection is needed given the existence of the two other connections. Meyers asked how much housing is in that area. Edwards indicated there are two-acre lots in that area. Levang stated there are probably eight houses. Page 6 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING Monday,November 7,2016 6:30 o'clock p.m. Edwards noted the proposed trail extension is the blue line depicted on the map. Loftus stated the green line is an informal road that bicyclists can use. Bryce Johnson asked how long the blue line is. Edwards stated to his understanding it is approximately a half mile long. Bryce Johnson asked if any of the residents have requested the blue trail. Edwards stated the turnback committee has discussed that and suggested the City take a look at that. Since that time the County gave a presentation to the Council on the trail extension. Loftus noted there was an open house recently on the trail with approximately 40 people in attendance. At that time there were 24 residents in favor of the trail and one was opposed. Johnson asked if it would be considered part of the Parks trails. Levang indicated it would be. Bryce Johnson stated he is attempting to determine if there is truly a need there for that third connection. Edwards stated that is the question before the Park Commission and that now is the time to do it if it is going to be done. Loftus noted throughout the entire Highway 112 corridor there will be a trail along the north side of the road. If there is no trail extension, it will abruptly stop at Old Long Lake Road,with no visual guidance on where to go or what to do at that point. Loftus stated the obvious trail connection that invites people into downtown Long Lake would be the trail extension and that the appeal to do it now is the cost savings. Loftus commented people like the most direct and visually obvious route and that the roadside trail is something that Hennepin County is strongly encouraging. Loftus noted Hennepin County will not be contributing anything towards maintenance of the trail or anything else outside of the curb going into the future. Bryce Johnson stated it seems like a relatively easy fix to tell people to go onto Old Long Lake Road. Johnson stated if the intent is to go east on the Luce Line trail, in his view the green trail is as easy of a way as it would be by taking the green and the blue trail. Lotus noted the green already exists and is a road. Ruegemer commented she is not going to go on the road with her children and that adding the connection seems to be a safer route. Ruegemer stated currently it is very dangerous with little kids. Levang noted Old Long Lake Road has very little traffic. Loftus stated now is the time to consider it and decide one way or another. Loftus stated if a trail is added at some point in the future,the costs would be much higher since Hennepin County will not be contributing anything towards it. Page 7 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING Monday,November 7,2016 6:30 o'clock p.m. Bryce Johnson noted the money would come from the Park Dedication Fund and that a number of cities say that the money from a development has to be spent within a certain distance of the development. Loftus stated Orono does not do that. Ruegemer commented the Park Commission feels that is the spirit of the law. Levang stated there is not a geographic nexus currently for allocation of Park Dedication Fees. Meyers stated there is the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, and the spirit of the law is that there should be some connection with the development from where the funds are collected. Bryce Johnson stated the Park Commission has talked about this previously and that it is not a new concept since a number of other cities currently do it. Johnson stated the general philosophy of the Park Commission is that some of that money should be used in the area of the development. Meyers stated the fact that they are putting a new housing development in near the dog park helped the Park Commission make a decision on the dog park and that the Park Commission attempts to anticipate where there will be new housing. Meyers noted since the Council decides how to spend the money,they can be the letter of the law and the Park Commission can be the spirit of the law. Meyers stated the Park Commission felt it was worth spending$135,000 to develop the dog park since it will connect to those developments. Meyers stated the Park Commission looks 20 to 30 years down the road and not just at what exists currently. Levang stated the City Council cannot factor that into their decisions and that there is a difference between the spirit and legislative intent of the law. Levang stated the City Council has to be conscious of what the law says and then use the Park Dedication Fess in a particular way. Levang stated the Park Commission may think about how to creation recreation areas for people but that they have to be mindful of the City across the whole board. Levang commented it would be wonderful if the City could designate a certain amount of money to a particular area but that there has never been a geographic component to it previously. Bryce Johnson stated the City believes that all of Orono is the nexus and that he is saying there are a lot of municipalities that have looked at it and have said there is a relationship between where the money comes from and the area where it is used. Johnson stated he understands and accepts that Orono does not do that. Meyers stated in his view part of the Park Commission's purpose is to bring a nexus to it. Levang noted Long Lake is in the middle of this and that the trail will be going through their city if they decide to pay for it. Edwards stated Long Lake will pay the majority of the costs associated with Phase I and that Phase II consists of some Long Lake and some Orono. Meyers asked if the Park Commission is interested in the trail extension. Page 8 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING Monday,November 7,2016 6:30 o'clock p.m. Levang commented it is also important to consider the ongoing maintenance of the trail and what it will cost the City. Brenda Johnson asked what stage the project is at. Edwards stated the County is currently in the final stages of design and that they are looking for a decision from the City on the trail extension. Edwards stated the recommendation of the Park Commission will go before the City Council at their next meeting and that construction of the trail will not start until 2018. Brenda Johnson stated since the City cannot expect to continue to develop and receive more park dedication funds, they may want to look at other possible trails, especially to the west. Johnson stated in her view the decisions about trails or other parks should take into consideration the number of residents in the area. Levang stated there are a number of opportunities on the western edge of the City and that the master trail plan contains some possible future trails. Levang noted there are already two existing connections to the Luce Line, which needs to be considered. Levang stated overall the City needs $22 million to do everything but will fall short of that. Levang stated in her view the City needs to determine its priorities. Meyers moved,Lindahl seconded,to recommend that the City Council enter into an agreement with Hennepin County for the CSAH 112 trail extension. Lindahl stated it sounds like there is a master plan for trails and that the Park Commission has discussed future trail connections. Lindahl noted Long Lake has invested a lot of money into their portion of the trail. Bryce Johnson stated he is struggling with it a little bit. Johnson asked if the Luce Line is paved. Levang indicated it is an aggregate trail. Bryce Johnson stated the trail would turn from pavement to aggregate, which begs the question of whether it could be an aggregate trail rather than asphalt to lessen the long-term maintenance costs. Levang stated that could be a friendly amendment to the motion. Meyers moved to amend the motion,Bryce Johnson seconded,to also recommend that the City Council consider the option of having the trail be aggregate rather than asphalt. Edwards noted Hennepin County requires certain standards to be met if they are doing any cost sharing and that he is not sure whether an aggregate trail would be allowed. Bryce Johnson stated his suggestion related more to the long-term maintenance. Meyers stated he does not want the impression to be left that the Park Commission is not in favor of the trail if it is asphalt. Page 9 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING Monday,November 7,2016 6:30 o'clock p.m. Brenda Johnson noted a year or two there was an intergenerational forum and that the younger generation wanted trails. Johnson stated in that context, she likes the idea of the trail but that the Park Commission is thinking of trails not as transportation when it should be and that those dollars should come from that portion of the City budget. Johnson stated trails help take stress off of the streets and are good for the planet. Johnson stated she likes the idea of the trail extension but that she does not like the fact that it is not part of the City's Comprehensive Plan. Johnson stated bikeways and pathways should be considered transportation,with the maintenance costs coming out of the road maintenance budget. Loftus noted Item No. 4 in Staff's memo lists some options for funding and that it is within the Park Commission's power to recommend a particular funding source. Brenda Johnson stated she would recommend the majority of the money not come from the Park Fund. Loftus stated the City has to pay for part of the construction,which amounts to approximately$300,000, which does not include the trail. Loftus stated that money is scheduled to come out of the Community Investment Fund,which has approximately$700,000 in it. Edwards noted the City's state aid funds are already designated for 2017 and cannot be used for this project. Meyers indicated he is in favor of making a trail connection when it becomes available and that it would benefit both Orono and Long Lake. Meyers stated he likes the option of half of the funds coming from the Community Investment Fund and half from the Park Fund. Bryce Johnson stated his friendly amendment was to lessen the cost, and if that is not the case,they do not need the amendment. Meyers stated it might be best to take it out and let the County decide whether the trail should be asphalt or gravel. Meyers moved,Brenda Johnson seconded,to rescind the previous motion and friendly amendment. VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0. Meyers moved,Pesek seconded,to recommend to the City Council to move forward with the construction of the trail extension,with the recommendation that half of the funds for the project be allocated from the Community Investment Fund and half of the funds be allocated from the Park Park. VOTE: Ayes 5,Nays 1,Bryce Johnson opposed. 5. NORTH ARM TRAIL ENGINEERING PROPOSAL Edwards noted a copy of the letter from Bolton& Menk has been included in the Commissioners' packets. Bolton&Menk has provided an estimate of$3,000 to conduct the study and a cost of$115,000 to $230,000 to construct the trail depending on the configuration chosen for the trail. Edwards stated the initial proposal looks at putting a trail connection from West Branch Road to the Lakeville Legacy Park along the south side of North Arm Drive. Edwards noted there are some terrain Page 10 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING Monday,November 7,2016 6:30 o'clock p.m. issues that the study will look at. There is sufficient right-of-way to construct a trail but how extravagant the trail is would dictate the amount of dirt work that would be necessary. Pesek stated a trail is for walking and biking and that he is not sure why they need the trail in this area. Ruegemer stated the trail would help keep people safe and off the road,particularly since traffic goes fast in that area. Edwards stated the $3,000 for the study could be paid out of the Park Commission's remaining 2016 operating budget. Pesek stated in his view the City should do the study. Bryce Johnson noted the Park Commission previously voted 5-0 to recommend to move forward with the study and that he is not sure why it is being discussed again. Loftus stated one of the things the Park Commission is being asked to look at is the new information that has been provided and whether they want to allocate$3,000 out of the operating budget or the Park Fund. Loftus noted the Park Commission now has an idea of the range of costs for the trail, and given that new information,the question before the Park Commission is whether they still want to move forward with the study. Loftus noted this item will be on the November 14 City Council agenda. Edwards noted the $3,000 would eliminate the remainder of the Park Commission's budget for 2016. Meyers asked whether that would interfere with any other projects the Park Commission had planned for the remainder of the year. Edwards indicated it would not. Meyers moved,Ruegemer seconded,to recommend to the City Council that they authorize the North Arm trail feasibility study,with the study being funded from the Park Commission's 2016 operating budget. Lindahl stated she is looking at the estimated costs of the trail. Lindahl asked whether that high for a trail of this type. Edwards stated the costs are terrain dependent and that this trail is somewhat higher than the other standard trails in the City. Loftus noted the CSAH 112 trail was approximately half a mile at a cost of$220,000 and that this project is consistent with other challenging topography. Bryce Johnson stated at the last meeting it was noted that this was a trail that was looked at from a safety and walking standpoint. Johnson stated in his view there is no point to encouraging biking on the trail and that it can simply be a walking path similar to the way the Indians used the land. Johnson stated anyway to minimize the cost of the trail is fine with him. Pesek stated he is for the study but against the trail. Page 11 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING Monday,November 7,2016 6:30 o'clock p.m. Brenda Johnson stated she also was wondering why the Park Commission is having this discussion since they have already agreed to the study. Johnson stated North Arm Drive is a very dangerous road and that there are a lot of people that live within a mile of the Lakeville Legacy Park. Johnson stated in her view the trail will be heavily used and will get people off the road. Johnson stated spending the$3,000 is well worth it. Johnson asked if they could perhaps look at putting the trail on the other side of the road. Meyers noted the trail would go on the south side of the road Ruegemer stated the money would be well spent. Ruegemer stated the trail provides the perfect segue to get people to the park and would benefit a lot of people. Levang asked how long the feasibility study would be good for in the event the City chooses not to construct the trail in the immediate future. Edwards indicated this particular study would be good until conditions change and that the prices could be adjusted in the future if necessary. Levang suggested the options include asphalt or gravel. Edwards stated once the Park Commission and City Council are fine with the study,he would provide Bolton&Menk with some guidelines, such as looking at a footpath as one option. Levang noted the study would not make a recommendation on whether the trail should be built but simply whether a trail is possible in this area. VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0. 6. PUBLIC WORKS UPDATE Edwards reported on the following work performed by the Public Works Department: • Grass was planted at Antoine Park • Graffiti removal was performed at Bederwood Park • Tree trimming was completed at Casco Point Ice Rink • Equipment inspection was performed as well as removal of the old sidewalk and buckthorn at Crystal Bay playground • Mowing and coordinating with MCES for plantings at French Creek Preserve • Minor repairs were completed at Hackberry • Sign repair was performed at Highwood • Tree watering and ruts repaired at Livingston • The old fence was removed and new fencing was installed at Lurton along with shade procurement • The swim buoys were removed at Lydiard Beach and Summit Beach • The Navarre playground was mulched and weeded and the sign was installed Page 12 of 13 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION MEETING Monday,November 7,2016 6:30 o'clock p.m. Edwards reported Staff is also working on finalizing the park pass for the Lurton dog park and that the City hopes to start selling passes in December of 2016 that will be good in 2017. Edwards stated the Metropolitan Council also got back to him on French Creek and that they indicated they are willing to explore screening of the sewage plant as well as some possible cost sharing. SPECIAL COMMITTEE REPORTS 7. COMMISSIONERS' REPORTS Meyers reported the contractor resodded the whole area on the western edge of Bederwood that was damaged during the construction of the new house. Meyers recommended the Park Commission discuss a plan for Bederwood as well as partnering with the Metropolitan Council at French Creek at their January meeting and joint work session. Edwards noted there is no December work session scheduled. Levang recommended the signage at Lurton be discussed at the next meeting. Bryce Johnson indicated he will start researching it and that he could come up with some tentative language for the sign to be discussed in January. ADJOURNMENT Pesek moved,Ruegemer seconded,to adjourn the Orono Parks Commission meeting at 8:17 p.m. VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0. ATTEST: ' ck e ers, C .ir Page 13 of 13