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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-04-2019 Park Commission Minutes MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,March 4,2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. ROLL CALL The Orono Park Commission met on the above-mentioned date with the following members present: Acting Chair Brian Roath, Commissioners Jan Berg, Rick Carter, Casey Conrad Hudson, Bryce Johnson, Jennifer Klaahsen, and Julie Ruegemer. Representing Staff were Public Works Director/City Engineer Adam Edwards and Recorder Jackie Young. Mayor Dennis Walsh and Council Member Seals were present. Acting Chair Roath called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. JANUARY 7,2019,PARK COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Berg moved, Carter seconded,to approve the minutes of the January 7,2019,Park Commission meeting as submitted.VOTE: Ayes 7,Nays 0. PUBLIC COMMENT None CHAIRMAN'S REPORT 2. RECOGNITION OF DEPARTING COMMISSIONERS Roath thanked Commissioners Natalie Williams and Brenda Johnson for their time and effort spent on the Orono Park Commission. 3. WELCOME TO NEW COMMISSIONERS Roath welcomed Casey Hudson and Jennifer Klaahsen to the Orono Parks Commission. 4. 2019 PARK COMMISSION GOALS APPROVAL Roath noted the Park Commission identified a list of subcommittees at the last Park Commission meeting and at their work session last month they identified a number of goals with those subcommittees that they would like to accomplish this year. Additional goals for Lurton Park have been identified by Rick , Meyers and are before the Park Commission tonight for review. Johnson stated the goals consist of planting a few new trees, erecting some informative signs, installing weed block and rock/gravel over the entire pen, and establishing a weekly maintenance checklist for the park. Johnson noted they are putting extra effort into this park because it is the most visited park in Orono. Roath asked whether the pavers are included for the entry. Johnson indicated pavers are currently there and that they are looking at laser edged pavers for around the dog bone bench, which is to be completed by a local Girl Scout. Page 1 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,March 4,2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. Edwards indicated the Girl Scout is working to obtain approval from her troop but that to his understanding she is still planning on doing the project this spring. Ruegemer asked whether the City has received any feedback from the Rotary Club on possibly donating some trees. Roath indicated they sent back a proposal on which of the three parks they would like trees planted at. Edwards stated feedback was provided to the Rotary Club and that they are still going through final approvals for their funding. Once that is obtained, he will likely walk Lurton and Saga Parks with them and place stakes where the trees could go. French Creek Preserve is a third option for some trees. The Rotary Club would like to create some tree stands with some signage explaining what type of trees they are. Roath noted the Park Commission has a number of goals it would like to achieve this year and that they will be structuring the Park Commission's work around the goals. Later in the agenda the Park Commission will go through and get updates from the subcommittee heads. As the year goes on, the chairs should plan on providing updates at the Park Commission meetings. Roath noted the Park Commission does not have any goals set for the golf course but that he hopes to sit down with Jason with the Public Works Department in March to discuss the golf course further. Edwards suggested the new commissioners take a look at the list to see if they have any particular interest in serving on any of the subcommittees. Klaaahsen indicated she has an interest in serving on the activities and events subcommittees but that she would be willing to help wherever there is a need. Casey stated he also is interested in the winter activities. Roath stated they should plan on being a part of those two subcommittees then. Ruegemer asked whether any help is needed for Bederwood since Commissioner Williams is no longer a part of that. Casey stated he would be willing to help out on that subcommittee as well. Edwards noted there are also a couple of vacancies for park leads. Roath stated the purpose of the park lead is to visit the park on a weekly basis to determine whether there are any pressing items or long-term plans they might have for that particular park. Casco Point Rink and Hackberry Park both are in need of a lead. Casey indicated he would be interested in taking Hackberry and that he could help out on Navarre Park and Crystal Bay Park. Ruegemer suggested that Casey take Crystal Bay. Page 2 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday, March 4,2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. Klaahsen noted she lives close to Highwood, Antoine Park and Sandy Beach and that she would be happy to help out with those parks. Berg stated Jennifer could be assigned to Sandy Beach. STAFF REPORTS 5. BIG ISLAND GRANT REVIEW Edwards reported he took this grant request to the City Council last Monday and the resolution authorizing the Park Commission to apply for the grant was approved. The scope of the grant is to provide ADA accessible pathways, improvements at the overlook to include a pavilion type structure, interpretive signage, and an ADA restroom facility. The grant is requesting $202,000 and it is a 50/50 type grant. With this particular grant, the City itself does not have to match the 50 percent number but it can be offset by private donations. The grant will be sent to the DNR tomorrow morning for a preliminary review and final submission has to be made by March 29'x'. If the grant is approved, design plans would then be prepared and some work may commence in the fall. Carter and Johnson indicated they both read through the grant and that it was well written. Johnson asked if there is any expectation that the additional ongoing maintenance costs would come out of the Park Commission budget. Edwards stated the grant required a maintenance calculation, which is why it was included, and some of the maintenance items are already being completed by the City. The biggest contributor to the maintenance cost is that once a year a sewage pumping company will need to be hired to pump the tanks at the bathroom facility. Maintaining the ADA trails will be fairly low maintenance. The other facilities will be vandalism proof as much as possible. Ruegemer asked whether there has been any push to obtain private donations for these improvements. Carter stated they are close to finalizing the 501(3)(c) and that they should be able to start soliciting private donations in the near future. Carter indicated he would be the Park Commission liaison to that committee. Edwards noted the City Council has agreed to applying for the grant and that he will inform the Park Commission on whether that is obtained. 6. EAST LONG LAKE GRANT REVIEW Edwards stated the City is looking at a number of improvements for East Long Lake and that this grant is specific to trail related items. Other things were incorporated into the plan but were not included on the grant application. Part of the project includes removing the existing asphalt, lakeshore stabilization, construction of a 10-foot wide trail, fishing points, and installing interpretive signage. The maximum grant is $150,000. The remaining amount is $260,000, which can be offset with funding from other agencies. Page 3 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday, March 4,2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. Edwards indicated he is currently working with Hennepin County and Three Rivers, who has this as a potential add to their capital improvement plan for 2020. This grant follows a similar timeline as the grant for Big Island and is due by March 29. The grant recipients will be announced in July. Construction is not anticipated on the trails this summer since a number of other items will need to be completed first. The section of East Long Lake Road south of the park is one of the City's proposed road projects for this summer, and if that is completed, a small portion of the trail will be completed at that time. Edwards reported he sat down with the Long Lake Rowing Club last week and they have expressed an interest in a partnership with the City to provide access to the lake from Summit Beach. Staff will be attempting to set up a subcommittee meeting with them sometime in March. The Long Lake Rowing Club's ultimate goal might be to put a boathouse on Summit Beach. Ruegemer noted the City previously said no to the boathouse request. Ruegemer asked why they need to leave Birches. Edwards indicated it is primarily due to the steep terrain at Birches. The rowing club is also growing in size and another limiting factor is the space available to them. Mayor Walsh stated they are 8-person boats, which cost $60,000 apiece, and the steep terrain makes it unsafe. The club has also increased in size and so they require more space. The rowing club approached the City with the proposal and that this is a good time to talk about it since changes are being planned for Long Lake Road. Edwards stated he is not sure why the City previously did not approve the boathouse request for Summit. Berg noted they will be completing a grant application next year for Summit Beach. Edwards stated there are some playground grants that the City can pursue for Summit Beach, such as the Hennepin County Youth Sports Grant, if the City partners with the Long Lake Rowing Club. A Hennepin County environmental type grant may also be available to provide some money for the shoreline restoration. 7. TREE INVENTORY GRANT UPDATE Edwards noted the arborists at Hennepin County reached out to the City and asked whether they would be interested in applying for this grant. The grant is for inventorying the urban canopy and would be a matching grant. Staff time can be used towards that match. Edwards indicated he went ahead and applied for the grant. The City received a $5,000 grant to inventory trees on city-owned property. One of the conditions of the grant is to solicit quotes from certified arborists, which he hopes to do in March and then perform the inventory in April or May. Because the state has various tree diseases or pests that are damaging some of the trees, the inventory detailing the types and number of trees in the area would enable the City to hopefully mitigate the damage and possibly plan for replacing some of the more vulnerable trees. Page 4 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,March 4, 2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. 8. PUBLIC WORKS PARKS UPDATE Edwards reported on the following work performed by the Public Works Department: - The work performed by the Public Works Department over the past couple of months has centered mostly on snow removal, equipment maintenance, and ice rink maintenance. - Pending work over the next two months includes snow/ice removal, porta pot and garbage can placement, tear-down of the ice rinks, and dock installations. - The design and engineering for Bederwood has been started. Bolton & Menk has the guidelines prepared and they are just waiting for the snow to melt so they can perform the survey. - Work has been completed to address a mold problem found at the Orono Golf Course Clubhouse. - Staff has been coordinating with Three Rivers and Hennepin County. A cooperative agreement with the DNR and Three Rivers has been reached and approved by those two entities. If the City Council approves that, design work will begin on the extension of the Dakota Trail, with the work commencing next summer. - Three Rivers received a grant to look at trail crossing safety and they also have around a $150,000 grant to redesign the intersection at County Road 15. The goal is to make traffic more visible to bicyclists by reconfiguring some of the vegetation in the area and the hope is to make some of those changes this season. - Lurton Dog passes: 205 total passes have been sold consisting of 73 resident and 132 nonresident. The majority of the dog passes typically are sold in May. SPECIAL COMMITTEE REPORTS 9. BEDERWOOD SPORTS FIELD Roath reported he and Staff met with the engineers and rescoped what the project will look like. The goal is to have most of the construction done this year. with grass or sod planted by the end of the year in order for it to be ready for spring sports in 2021. 10. EAST LONG LAKE TRAIL Roath noted this item has already been covered. 11. WINTER ACTIVITIES Roath asked about the City survey. Edwards indicated he received a draft of it from the City Administrator and that he provided some input on it. Roath stated the idea is to put together a survey that addresses all the winter activities. Page 5 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday, March 4, 2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. Carter requested the survey be given to the Park Commissioners so they can look at it and provide feedback. 12. LURTON PARK Johnson stated the three signs are ready to go and should be installed this spring. 13. COMMUNITY EVENTS Berg stated they have created a form and a folder for every event that lists out whether there are sponsors or vendors, etc. Berg asked whether they are planning a special day at Lurton Park. Johnson stated Rick Meyers has more information about that. Berg stated the form would also list the volunteers. Roath asked how the Park Commissioners can assist with this. Berg stated she will need input from the Lurton Park Committee to provide information on what they would like to see happen for the special day. As it relates to the holiday lighting ceremony, Berg indicated she called all the nearby cities and most of the cities do not have a date lined up yet for their lighting ceremony. Berg stated she will be speaking with Council Member Seals about this event since she helped coordinate it this past year. The name of a gentleman who is interested in playing Santa has been obtained. The committee will need to get together at some point. Roath stated he would propose that one of the items for the work session be to make progress on those two events. Berg requested the Park Commissioners let the committee know if there are any additional events they would like to see happen. Berg noted the events have to be run by the City Council to make sure it is an event they would like to see happen. Roath recommended at the next work session they discuss the Lurton Park event, the Christmas events. Octoberfest, and the bike-a-thon. Ruegemer stated she has some articles ready for the City newsletter that will be submitted each time. Ruegemer indicated she also spoke with Commissioner.Johnson and Adam Edwards about the website and that she would like to make sure the Adopt-a-Park and donations programs are available and more visible on the website. 14. TRAILS Carter reported the trails subcommittee met last week and that he will be receiving something from the subcommittee regarding timelines and milestones for the rest of the year. The first work of the subcommittee was to provide feedback to the Comprehensive Plan Update. Major changes to the Page 6 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday, March 4, 2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. Comprehensive Plan relating to parks and recreation included the addition of East Long Lake, some descriptions for Legacy Park were clarified, the language was made more general for trail connections, and the Dakota Trail was added from the intersection and further south. Under notes,Notes I and 2 were listed as priorities and they seemed more like footnotes so they were moved down. Added Items 3, 4, and 5 that were felt rose to the level of a long-term Comprehensive Plan. Carter indicated they do not have to be a big hurry to approve the changes since they can be done in a couple of months and that they can discuss it further at the work session. 15. BIG ISLAND Edwards noted the historic survey is slated to begin sometime this spring. Carter stated the design for the improvements will begin if the grant is received. Painting of the building could happen in April. At this time the committee is attempting to get appropriate feedback from all interested parties and that they are hoping to bring something to the Park Commission in May or June for approval. Carter commented he feels confident that if the Park Commission and the City Council approves it that the signs will go up. Edwards stated if they wait to pay for the signs and installation,the City can legitimately use that as part of their cost share, but it can only be done after the grant is received in order to be counted. 16. GOLF COURSE This item was not discussed. COMMISSIONERS REPORT 17. COMMISSIONERS' UPDATES Berg reported someone attempted to break the gate at Lydiard Beach. Edwards indicated someone hooked something up to the gate and yanked it. It likely was someone who wanted to get their fish house out on the ice. Berg stated the gate has been fixed. Edwards reported at Lurton Park there was an issue with the gate posts moving due to the freeze and that the Public Works Department has been spending a lot of time on the ice rinks. Edwards stated he has not heard of any motorized vehicles on Saga Hill but that there have been some reports of snowmobiles on Big Island. Edwards indicated they can probably place something to prevent access to certain areas but that the problem is the area near the dock. Carter stated access could be severely limited with half a dozen big boulders. Page 7 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday, March 4,2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. ADJOURNMENT Carter moved,Berg seconded,to adjourn the Orono Park Commission meeting at 7:27 p.m. VOTE: Ayes 7,Nays 0. ATTEST: a(7k--- ki�e Mh,p,rrActing Chair Page 8 of 8