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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-01-2019 Park Commission Minutes MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 1,2019 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 Jan Berg, Rick Carter, Casey Conrad Hudson, Jennifer Klaahsen, and Julie Ruegemer. Representing Staff were City Administrator Dustin Rief. Mayor Walsh were present. Commissioner Bryce Johnson arrived at 6:38 p.m. Council Member Victoria Seals arrived at 6:53 p.m. Chair Meyers called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. MAY 6,2019,PARK COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Carter moved,Berg seconded,to approve the minutes of the May 6,2019, Park Commission meeting as submitted.VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0. PUBLIC COMMENT Corey Farniok, Orono Police Chief, stated for the Lurton Park dog appreciation day, the police department did not handle it as well as it could have been and that going forward, he would like to make sure that does not happen again. To assist with future events of the City, Exhibit B that was distributed to the Park Commission contains suggestions for community events so there are clear expectations in advance. The outline breaks out the duties of the different city departments. Meyers commented it might also be helpful to meet out on the site prior to the event. Farniok stated a lot of it comes down to preplanning and that the Police Department is more than willing to work with the Park Commission to help make their events go smoothly. Berg stated she is working with Council Member Seals on the holiday event and that they will be in touch with the Police Department, so they are aware of what is being planned. STAFF REPORTS 2. JUNE 6,2019,PARK COMMISSION WORK SESSION NOTES Meyers briefly reviewed the notes from the work session, noting that the Park Commission discussed the ice rinks,the Lurton Park event,the holiday tree lighting event, and Big Island. Meyers commented the Lurton Park event was a big success. The food truck worked great and the weather cooperated. The Park Commission also gained some good experience about how to run an event like that, which will help them improve the way things are done going into the future. A signup sheet for the Friends of the Park was started and 19 people have signed up. There were also a few pets adopted at the event. Page 1 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 1,2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. 3. MUNICIPAL ICE RINKS Meyers noted the City installed an ice-skating park at Crystal Bay Park this last winter but things did not go as well as expected due to the ground being uneven and the inclement weather. Meyers stated in order for the City to do a skating rink correctly, it should have a warming house, lights, a big rink, and equipment to maintain them properly. Meyers stated in his opinion the City does some things very well and some things should be left to people who do them better than Orono does. Holbrook Park in Long Lake is a very nice skating rink as well as Klapprich Park in Wayzata,both of which are close by. Since Orono does not have the necessary equipment to maintain the rinks, it should not be in the ice-skating rink business, and that more people have expressed a desire for using the golf course as a sliding venue,which would be unique to Orono. Meyers stated he would propose the Park Commission recommend a moratorium on skating rinks. Orono currently has three sites that are used for ice skating but there has not been a huge ground swell of people demanding skating rinks. If people come forward asking for them,the Park Commission can revisit the issue, but in his view the money would be better spent on other things in the City. Carter stated that was a good summary of the discussion at the work session and that the conclusion was not to have skating rinks. If the residents express a desire for having an ice-skating rink in the future,the City can look at that closer. Klaahsen indicated she is in agreement. Johnson stated he is mystified why the topic even came up since no one has ever approached the Park Commission asking for one. Johnson stated he would welcome any citizens to come forward, but there are a lot of other things the Park Commission could address. Hudson stated Long Lake and Wayzata do a great job and those rinks are close by. Even if Orono buys all the equipment for an ice-skating rink,they cannot control the weather, and that he would prefer to leave it to Long Lake. When Hackberry Park was closed,the City received one complaint, and if the ice-skating rink at Casco Point is closed and all of a sudden people say they don't have another option,the Park Commission could revisit this issue,but that no one is coming forward at this point requesting them. Ruegemer commented in her view the City should not be adding ice-skating rinks, but that Casco Point is strictly for ice skating and that she and her family use it along with other local residents. Ruegemer stated ice skaters like to go places where there is not hockey and that she would not be in favor of closing Casco Point and that it does not make any sense to just leave that space unused. Berg asked if the consensus at the work session was not to have any skating rinks. Ruegemer noted she was unable to attend the work session because she was out of town. Orono does not have a lot of activities to do in the winter and they should not be taking away an option that has been available in the past. Ruegemer commented not everybody has lakefront property where they can skate on the lake and that it does not make sense to take that away as a winter activity since it is being used. Page 2 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 1,2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. Johnson stated he understands the rationale for not creating one since no one is asking for one, but that he does not understand why the City should take one away since no one has requested that and if people are using it. Ruegemer stated Casco Point was created specifically for skating and that in her view Public Works does a good job at keeping it in good shape. Meyers stated the Crystal Bay rink was not working well and it took a lot of man hours to maintain it. The City spent approximately$6,000 on that rink and he would rather open the warming house at the golf course. If local residents are using the other ice rinks in the area,they are also welcome to use the sliding area at the golf course. Carter moved,Berg seconded,to continue to offer ice-skating at Casco Point but to not add any new ice-skating rinks. VOTE: Ayes 7,Nays 0. SPECIAL COMMITTEE REPORTS 4. BEDERWOOD SPORTS FIELD City Administrator Rief stated Staff is looking for some ways to cut some costs from the Bederwood project. The initial estimate came in at$683,000, which means the City will have to readjust the scope of the project. In addition to the new sports field, it will be necessary to drill a new well. At the current time it is still in the preliminary design phase and Staff hopes by next week to have some additional feedback on that. Meyers stated there are some items, like the picnic pavilions, that could be added later,but in his view the two must-have items are the new field and an improved parking lot. Rief stated the parking lot may also need to be delayed due to costs and that Staff is working on reconfiguring the package to see what else could possibly be included in the project besides the field. Staff is attempting to keep the project costs under$400,000. 5. EAST LONG LAKE TRAIL Rief reported the City received its grant for the East Long Lake trail and that the project is in the preliminary design phase. 6. WINTER ACTIVITIES Meyers stated the only winter activity they have lined up currently is the tree lighting ceremony. Berg reported she and Council Member Seals have been working on the event and that they have lined up Santa for the event and that they are working on the tree. Berg indicated she will be going to the golf course to see what is being stored there that could be used for the event and that it is too early at this point to solicit donations. Berg noted the Octoberfest event they had previously discussed will not be taking place this year. Page 3 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 1,2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. Meyers stated the only thing that did not work well was the traffic flow and that they will need to look at improving that. Berg stated they will have the smaller fire truck rather than the bigger one and that they will be looking at the traffic flow. Meyers commented a bigger fire pit would be good since that was a popular place for people to hang out and that he will be speaking with the Rotary Club about that. Meyers stated they can have a meeting out there when the weather is good to try and figure out the traffic flow. Berg stated they are contemplating going out there on Wednesday, July 3. Meyers stated he also has a lot of decorations left over that could be used. 7. LURTON PARK Johnson reported he has a list of 19 people who signed up for Friends of the Park and that the Park Commission will need to decide how to proceed with that. The goal is for it to become a self-sustaining group and that they are looking to get input from them on maintenance and improvements for the park. Meyers stated he is looking for a volunteer to chair this group. Johnson stated they could be invited to join the Park Commission at a work session or a regular meeting and see if there is a volunteer interested in running it. Meyers stated in his view someone from the Park Commission should be heading up the group to help plan events and help steer the discussion. Ruegemer commented the chair should be someone who is passionate about the dog park, and that while the people they spoke to at the dog appreciation day expressed a desire to help,no one seemed willing to lead it. A Facebook group could perhaps be started,which can be used as a communication tool. Klaahsen indicated she would be willing to start a Facebook group and that she can post whenever the Park Commission is meeting. Meyers stated he is looking for a point person in the group to keep the Park Commission apprised of what is happening with the group. Klaahsen stated she could do that. Rief suggested the volunteers be invited to the next work session, but that it may be difficult for many to attend since it is at 1:00 in the afternoon. The next regular meeting of the Park Commission is September. Johnson suggested something official from the City go out to the people who signed up acknowledging the group and that he will provide the list to the City Administrator. Rief stated he will speak with Adam when he comes back next week and perhaps send out an email inviting them to the next work session. Page 4 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 1,2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. Carter noted the 501(3)(c)group was invited to the August workshop. Rief stated the work session could also be extended and they could have the Friends of the Park come at 2:00. Ruegemer stated her feeling from talking to people is that they want to provide feedback and suggestions on what needs to be done but that she is not sure how much they will be involved. Ruegemer stated in her view it would be powerful to start an online group, but the initial feedback they received was that people wanted a way to obtain permits online and that it is difficult to get over to city hall because they work during the day. Meyers stated the email could ask for their comments or feedback and that those could be read and discussed at the work session. Rief stated most of the City's permits are online and he will see what can be done in that regard. Ruegemer stated an automatic reminder email would also be nice. Rief stated Staff did send out a reminder email this year to the permit holders the City had email addresses for. Johnson reported he called Joe Lemmerman, who has been working on the paver project, and he indicated that he is having a difficult time obtaining the pavers because of the change in distributors. Johnson stated he believes the City has people sending checks to Orono to purchase one of these pavers and that the person who will do the engraving of the clay bricks is ready to go with those and that they can go ahead and have some made for the dog park. Rief stated whenever those checks come in,they have to be brought before the City Council because they would be considered a donation. Johnson stated once some of the pavers are installed, in his view it will generate more interest and that they will need to have them ready to go. Meyers commented the pavers could also be done at Big Island as a fundraising item. Johnson stated if the City has received any checks,they should probably acknowledge it in some way. Ruegemer asked whether people could also purchase the pavers online. Rief indicated he will need to check on that. Meyers suggested they post a picture of the paver as well. 8. COMMUNITY EVENTS Meyers noted they also discussed at the work session the community garden and that Janie Delaney was not able to make it to the work session but expressed a desire to talk with the Park Commission. The Park Page 5 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 1,2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. Commission talked about a trail connection from Holbrook to the garden area. The Fire Department also uses that area as a kind of rally point for events. Rief stated he did speak with Janie Delaney this morning and that she indicated they meet every Wednesday morning and also go to the garden on Sunday mornings to maintain it. Rief noted Adam has her email address and that he will speak with Adam about it. Meyers commented the garden has good support,which is growing, and that perhaps they could think about starting a garden club in Orono. Meyers stated he is not sure whether there has been any interest expressed in a garden club here in Orono, but that they could perhaps do plantings at the parks if one should get established. Johnson stated a couple of years ago some plantings were done at Livingston Park. Johnson asked whether those gardens have been maintained. Meyers stated they have been maintained and they look very nice. Ruegemer stated they did a lot of weeding over at Navarre Park as well. Berg stated the neighbor by Lydiard Beach has moved and no one is weeding that or taking care of it. Berg stated they will need to figure out how that area can be maintained. 9. TRAILS Carter reported he sent an email suggesting the City add the Willow Trail as one of the City's priorities and that the email was basically supporting the City of Long Lake in their effort to get permission from Mn/DOT to run the trail along the south side. The trail will be added to the Orono Comp Plan. Hudson indicated he has talked with Chilstrom from the Long Lake Park Commission and he has already contacted Mn/DOT. Mn/DOT has indicated they would be willing to do that. Also discussed was sending a dual letter of support. Meyers suggested they can use Long Lake's letter as a template. Rief asked whether any cost estimates have been obtained yet. Hudson indicated they are talking about placing class five gravel down and that it is not a big area. Hudson stated it is his understanding that Long Lake might be picking up all the costs. Carter reported the committee has also come up with some milestones for the trail grid and those have been emailed to Adam. 10. BIG ISLAND Carter reported the grant from the DNR was approved,which was for$200,000,with a 50 percent match. In order to get $400,000,the City needs to contribute $200,000. It is hoped that approximately $80,000 can be allocated from the capital fund and that they are going to try to raise $120,000 from the public at Page 6 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 1,2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. large. The 501(3)(c)is the vehicle to do that. The committee is considering bringing in a fundraising consultant and that sometimes they will work on a commission. Carter noted the Public Works Department is holding off on spending any money out there until after September 23 so it can be allocated toward Orono's matching share. The grant money will need to be spent by the spring of 2021. The committee is basically taking the concept plan that was approved a few months ago and making it a reality. The first step will be for Bolton &Menk to draw up some plans so prices can be obtained and perform some surveying work. Rief stated a request to move forward with the surveying work will be brought to the City Council on Monday. Mayor Walsh asked if there are any other grants the City is still waiting to hear back on. Rief stated this was the first one of the grants the City applied for and that there were five or six other grants applied for. Carter stated if the City receives another grant,that can likely be applied towards the DNR grant. Rief stated the City needs to contribute a minimum of 20 percent of the grant. 11. GOLF COURSE Meyers commented it has been a difficult year for golf courses given the weather, but that the Public Works Department is doing a great job at maintaining the golf course. Meyers stated he is taking a long view on the golf course and that hopefully it will continue to do well and the City will keep improving it. The golf course is a great asset to the community. Meyers stated there is going to be an event at the golf course on August 5 called the Orono Classic. The person coordinating it will be bringing old golf clubs and that they are encouraging everyone to dress in nostalgic golf shirts and pants. The person is hoping this will become a yearly event. The cost for a round of golf and a chicken dinner is $55. People who do not want to golf can pay$10 for dinner in advance and$15 the day of the event. Meyers stated he is hoping they can get some people out there to support the golf course. Meyers stated it would also be nice if the golf course could obtain a wine license, which is something the City Council could look at. Ruegemer noted the Park Commission keeps talking about having it open for sledding and that she is wondering what the process is that needs to happen. Ruegemer stated the Park Commission could perhaps look at having it open on Saturdays for a period of time. Meyers stated the stumbling block is having someone there to man the place. Meyers asked whether there a budget for that expenditure. Rief indicated he will discuss that with Adam. Ruegemer commented they could sell beer,wine,hot chocolate and coffee. Page 7 of 8 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,July 1,2019 6:30 o'clock p.m. Rief stated if the person is part-time, they would be limited on the number of hours they could work. Ruegemer suggested they do a trial period to see whether there is any interest in it. Council Member Seals stated at the next Council meeting they will add it to the agenda and then have the tree lightening ceremony as the starting point. Klaahsen commented night sledding is also fun. Rief noted sledding at night would require lighting and that Staff will need to look at that. COMMISSIONERS' REPORTS 12. COMMISSIONER'S UPDATES Klaahsen reported a resident has started trimming trees and putting wood chips down at Sandy Beach. Meyers stated he could be part of the Adopt-a-Park program and the City could erect a sign with his name on it. Hudson asked if the Boy Scout has met with Staff yet on an Eagle Scout project for Crystal Bay. Rief indicated he did meet with Adam but that he does not know what the status of it is. Hudson stated they were looking at upgrading the rain garden. ADJOURNMENT Carter moved,Berg seconded,to adjourn the Orono Park Commission meeting at 7:30 p.m. VOTE: Ayes 7,Nays 0. ATTEST: eye .C.hair A-1-1 ")? C(/4 'r' Page 8 of 8