Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-03-1998 Park Commission Minutes ORONO PARKS, OPEN SPACE AND TRAILS COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES FOR AUGUST 3, 1998 (#1) ATTENDANCE The Park Commission met on the above mentioned date with the following members present: Chair Andrew McDermott, Commissioners Sherokee Ilse, Jim White, and Van Douglas Erickson. Commissioner Irene Silber arrived at 7:23 p.m., and Commissioners Peter Welles and Susan Wilson were absent. Representing Staff were Public Services Director Greg Gappa and Recorder Jackie Young. Chair McDermott called the meeting to order at 7:22 p.m. (#2) APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF JULY 6, 1998 Corrections were made on Pages 1, 3, 4 and 5 Ilse moved, Erickson seconded, to approve the Minutes of the Parks, Open Space and Trails Commission meeting of July 6, 1998, as amended. VOTE: Ayes 5, Nays 0. MEETING REPORTS (#3) JULY CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS Wilson attended the July 13, 1998 City Council meeting, but was absent from tonight's Park Commission meeting. Ilse attended the July 27, 1998 City Council meeting and had nothing to report. (#4) ORONO AREA ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Erickson had nothing to report. (#5) PUBLIC COMMENTS There were no public comments. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS (#6) SAGA HILL Page 1 ORONO PARKS, OPEN SPACE AND TRAILS COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES FOR AUGUST 3, 1998 (Saga Hill, Continued) A. Property Realignment/Meeting with Church. Silber reported she was unable to attend the City Council meeting when Saga Hill was discussed and has not been informed of any new developments. Diann Goetten, City Council Representative, stated negotiations regarding access have been commenced with Fairview Covenant Church. Silber stated it was her understanding the concept of gaining access through church property had to be presented to the whole congregation. Silber noted the fundraising group has been meeting regularly. B. Hennessey Property. Silber had nothing new to report. (#7) WATERTOWN/DICKEY PARK A. Design Update - Site Meeting with Shardlow. McDermott stated the scheduled meeting for last week was cancelled. A meeting for Friday, August 7, at 8:00 a.m., will be arranged between Erickson, Ilse, McDermott, Gappa, and Shardlow to tour the area. McDermott stated a copy of the concept plan prepared by Butterfield has been given to Shardlow. B. Status Report - Site Cleanup. Gappa stated the root cellar has been filled in and no longer exists. Gappa will check on the status of the cement slab, telephone poles, and retaining wall. Ilse reported she is still working on a name. (#8) ICE RINK STUDY. Gappa reported he has met with Woodhill Country Club and reviewed their hockey rink. The rink has an unsupervised warming house and lights, with high-quality ice. Gappa stated eight man hours of labor are spent on rink maintenance on a daily basis, which at this time is not feasible for the City of Orono due to lack of funds. Gappa stated the two ice rinks in Wayzata were also reviewed, noting the main rink in Klapprich Park has lights and a supervised warming house, with high-quatity ice. Gappa estimated eight to ten man hours of labor are spent every day taking care of this ice rink, noting that the City of Wayzata employs eighteen people in the Public Works Department with separate departments for Parks. The City of Orono currently Page 2 ORONO PARKS, OPEN SPACE AND TRAILS COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES FOR AUGUST 3, 1998 (Ice Rink Study, Continued) has eight Public Works employees. The Public Works Department for Tonka Bay was also contacted regarding ice maintenance for their hockey rink, which has a supervised warming house and average ice quality. An estimated two to three man hours per day is spent taking care of the rink, which is more reasonable for Orono's staffing levels and available financial resources. Gappa reported a truck with a 1,000 gallon tank is used to flood the rink in Tonka Bay to help maintain the ice quality, which could readily be accomplished here in Orono. Gappa stated rinks without a warming house and lights typically have a lower volume of usage than rinks with those facilities. Currently the City maintains two outdoor skating rinks at Casco Point Road and at Hackberry Park. Both rinks are unsupervised with no warming house or lights. Previously the City maintained a rink at Antoine Park and another rink at Bederwood Park, but were discontinued due to ice quality problems and safety concerns regarding snowmobiles. Erickson recommended the City of Orono continue with the ice rink at Hackberry and consider installing an ice rink at Crystal Bay. McDermott suggested the City continue with its present two ice rinks and work on establishing a maintenance schedule which will enable the City to improve overall on the two ice rinks with the addition of a third ice rink in the near future. Silber suggested the City promote the ice rinks through the newsletter or newspaper to make the general public aware that the rinks exist. Gappa suggested the City spend two to three man hours per rink each day, build a scrapper to plow the rinks and utilize a tanker truck to flood the ice each day, with the goal being to improve maintenance and ice quality each year. Gappa suggested the City consider adding lights and a warming house in the future. Ilse suggested the Parks Commission also consider requesting more community time at the ice arena. Ilse volunteered to contact Long Lake to see if they would be willing to share in the costs of the ice arena. McDermott suggested Gappa include that recommendation in his report to the City Council, noting interest in ice skating has risen 25 percent in the last five years. (#9) TREE PRESERVATION/VEGETATIVE BUFFERS Gappa reported the City of Orono has received $100,000 in disaster aid from the State of Minnesota to help in the storm cleanup, noting he is currently not aware of any available money for reforestation. Page 3 ORONO PARKS, OPEN SPACE AND TRAILS COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES FOR AUGUST 3, 1998 (#10) SPRING HILL TRAILS Gappa had nothing to report. STATUS REPORTS (#11) BEDERWOOD - RECYCLING CONTAINERS Gappa had nothing to report. (#12) BIKE/MARCH FOR PARKS A. Landscaping Update for August/September Planting. Ilse inquired whether the Parks Commission needs to hire someone to prepare the soils for planting or whether City Staff will do the work. McDermott stated the City was going to hire someone to do the work. Gappa suggested working with Chuck Sutherland on this project. Silber stated Steve can spray paint the areas where the landscaping is to be done. McDermott noted perennials, a few shrubs, and low maintenance plants will be utilized, with planting to be done this fall. B. Crystal Bay - Short Court Basketball Update. Erickson stated the basketball court needs to be marked, noting the court will be located between the post office and the tree line. Erickson suggested viewing the site on Friday. Ilse recommended the court go north/south to avoid the sun. Gappa stated the site needs to be prepared before September to enable the paving contractor to commence work on the project. McDermott stated the City Council has agreed to pay for a portion of the costs. Diann Goetten, City Council Representative, suggested Gappa submit a memorandum to update the City Council on the project. (#13) BEACH REGULATION SIGNS - STATUS OF NEW SIGNS Gappa reported the signs have been installed. Page 4 ORONO PARKS, OPEN SPACE AND TRAILS COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES FOR AUGUST 3, 1998 (#14) HACKBERRY - BACKSTOP REPAIR/EXTENSIONS Gappa stated he has reviewed the backstops, noting the costs to repair the extensions are high, and recommended the Parks Commission consider installing a five foot fence in front of benches to protect the bystanders. Erickson suggested the site also be viewed on Friday. (#15) ANTOINE - INSTALL NEW/REPLACE MISSING PICNIC TABLE Gappa remarked a new picnic table will need to be ordered. White suggested that possibly the Eagle Scouts would be willing to build additional tables as part of their community service project. Gappa reported Beal Tree has been watered several times. (#16) OLD BEACH ROAD BIKE TRAIL - REMOVAL OF THE GUARDRAIL Gappa expressed concerns over motorists driving in there if the guardrail is removed. McDermott stated the guardrail should be removed due to children climbing over the guardrail and hurting themselves, noting only a narrow section will be removed which will not be wide enough to allow motorists to use the trail. Gappa noted the area has been closed for two to three years now. (#17) CRYSTAL BAY PARK - WATERING OF LAWN AND TREES McDermott reported the grass and trees are doing better after the recent rainfall. McDermott noted the grass in the Crystal Bay Park is drying up. Gappa commented the site may need to be reseeded. (#18) AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS Gappa reported the aerial photographs have been ordered but not received yet. NEW BUSINESS SAGA HILL McDermott reported no final decision has been reached regarding Saga Hill, noting the Parks Commission is waiting to hear from the City Council on which direction to proceed. McDermott suggested that a facilitator may need to be hired to handle a public hearing, noting access is the big issue at this point. Page 5 ORONO PARKS, OPEN SPACE AND TRAILS COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES FOR AUGUST 3, 1998 (New Business - Saga Hill, Continued) Diann Goetten, City Council Representative, stated the City Council is waiting to hear whether access through Fairview Covenant Church will be granted before more money is delegated towards this project. Silber stated the people in the community are more interested in funding a park rather than just open space, noting a master plan would be beneficial in raising funds for this project and to show the residents that this is a true community project. McDermott stated the public needs to be involved when a park is being developed. Community Play Field/Central Park McDermott stated City Council has recommended the Eisinger Property, which consists of 27 acres, as a community park. McDermott commented he was unsure how much of that property is usable land. Gappa remarked a lot of fill was hauled in on the property. White suggested the soils be evaluated. McDermott inquired whether the land should be leased, which would mean the owner of the property would remain responsible for the prior fill. Diann Goetten stated the resolution passed on that property required clean fill. Gappa stated this site was formerly a landfill, but could be utilized for ballfields. Erickson stated testing of the soils should be the next step. McDermott suggested appointing someone from City Staff to approach Eisinger. White inquired when this site was utilized as a landfill. Gappa stated it has been at least ten to fifteen years ago. Erickson recommended utilizing this property for organized sports and keeping the neighborhood parks for unorganized sports. McDermott recommended investigating further the impact of the landfill on the property. White stated monies might be available for cleanup if the City purchased the property. McDermott requested this item be put on the agenda for the next Parks Commission meeting. Page 6 ORONO PARKS, OPEN SPACE AND TRAILS COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES FOR AUGUST 3, 1998 OTHERISSUES McDermott reported nothing was published in the newspaper regarding Antoine, and inquired whether the City employed someone who handled publicity for the City. Gappa stated an article couid be submitted, but currently the City does not employ a public relations person. Ilse suggested the City hire a public relations person on a consultant basis. McDermott reported a memorandum has been distributed regarding Fortuna Farms, noting the City of Orono will be contacted if future residential development is proposed. White stated he has been approached by some residents in the Casco Circle area who have expressed concerns over the high rate of speed by some motorists. White inquired whether slow signs could be installed to help deter the speeders. White reported Casco Circle still has not been cleaned up, noting there are pallets, downed trees, and downed telephone poles in the park. McDermott stated Van Zomeren was going to speak to Lyle about the condition of the park, and requested Gappa to contact Lyle to inform him about the condition of the park. August City Council Meeting McDermott stated he will be unable to attend the August 24 meeting. White stated he possibly could attend the meeting and will let McDermott know in the morning. Erickson inquired whether the bike trail along Old Crystal Bay Road will be completed soon. Gappa stated the project has been delayed by Hennepin County due to lack of funds. White remarked he heard the project has been delayed until fall. Silber stated in the work session a suggestion was made by Charles Kelley to inquire about the status of the land on the north side of County Road 51 and whether people can walk on the property. White stated the property is restricted to very limited use. Hennepin County is in the process of restoring the old barn located on the property. Ilse commented the City of Orono should consider utilizing the blue warehouse behind Drop Ship as a possible site for skateboarders. Ilse stated she contacted the Mound City Council, who is in the process of looking for a suitable site, and suggested the building as a possible option. Page 7 ORONO PARKS, OPEN SPACE AND TRAILS COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES FOR AUGUST 3, 1998 {August City Council Meeting, Continued) Ilse inquired whether the City is contacted regarding scheduling of parks and how that is arranged. Ilse stated if there is not a formal arrangement regarding scheduling of parks, perhaps the Parks Commission should compile some guidelines on how that process should be handled. McDermott stated the City should be notified about scheduled events at the parks. Erickson noted this item was discussed at one of the prior meetings about scheduled events and interested parties should contact City Hall to inform the Public Works Department. Ilse commented there should be formal guidelines established, with the possibility of some type of fee arrangement being implemented. ADJOURNMENT Ilse moved, White seconded, to a rn the meeting at 9:02 p.m. VOTE: Ayes 5, Nays 0. � ,.> `�' / i L,l�ndre McDermott, Chair Page 8