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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-06-2020 Park Commission Minutes MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,January 6,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. ROLL CALL The Orono Park Commission met on the above-mentioned date with the following members present: Chair Brian Roath,Commissioners Jan Berg,Rick Carter,Casey Conrad Hudson,Bryce Johnson, Jennifer Klaahsen,and Julie Ruegemer.Representing Staff was Adam Edwards.Mayor Dennis Walsh was present. Chair Roath called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.,followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. NOVEMBER 4,2019 PARK COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Carter moved,Johnson seconded,to approve the minutes of the November 4,2019 Park Commission meeting as submitted.VOTE: Ayes 7,Nays 0. PUBLIC COMMENT None STAFF REPORTS CHAIRMAN'S REPORT—Brian Roath 2. 2019 PARK COMMISSION GOALS AND SUB-COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS- REVIEW 3. 2020 PARK COMMISSION GOALS AND SUB-COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS- DEVELOP Chair stated Items 2 and 3 were to set up 2020 goals.The Commission went through the same process last year,setting up sub-committees and assigned focuses for the year and assigned people to the sub- committees. Commissioners are also assigned parks. Chair said he and Edwards discussed using the February meeting for long-range strategic planning for the Park Commission both from a focus and budget perspective. There is a lot going on in 2020 as far as execution on plans that have been made over the past 1-2 years such as Bederwood and Big Island.There is identified work to do in the next year or two,but 2020 will be focused on redefining the Commission's direction and identifying specific focuses for the next several years.He suggested updating the document to get a good starting point and revisiting it at the February workshop. Johnson noted Meyers' and his position would be filled so there will be two new Commissioners. Commission members discussed that terms expire March 1.The City Council looks at applicants in February and makes appointments the last meeting in February/first meeting in March.Although Johnson's term goes through the February meeting,he will be out of the country. Jennifer Klaahsen and Beth Davis are alternates.Davis has had school conflicts the last six months and should be contacted to see if she is interested in continuing. So far one person has asked for an application.Ruegemer will put Page 1of11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,January 6,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. something together so the Clerk can put it out to the different venues. If the Planning Commission has openings,they can adapt the verbiage for their purposes. Edwards stated Item 2 is the previous year's version of the Park Commission's Goals and Sub-Committee Assignments. He highlighted in green the items the Commission wanted to do and he thought were done. The non-highlighted items were things he thought were not done. Item 3,the 2020 version, is in the same format. He did not add any focus areas. He removed items he thought were done.There may be items the Commission no longer feels are focus areas;the Commission may also want to add some focus areas. He included the City's mission statement,vision statement, and goals,and also Code information which is applicable to the Park Commission. Chair said he appreciates the opportunity to be the Chair of the Park Commission. He shared his philosophy regarding how the Park Commission should operate:He sees the Commissioners as less of a company and more of a consulting partnership/consulting firm,where there are a lot of partners that have their areas of interests, areas of expertise, and they are all pursuing those. The office managing partner, similar to his role, is the person who tries to string a common thread between everyone and keep them organized and helps support all the partners in their areas of interest. He is here to support the Commissioners and their interests as well as interests that come from the City Council. The Commissioners reviewed the 2019 Park Commission Focus Area/Committees and Goals document as far as progress. Construction is almost done at Bederwood. It will be seeded in the spring,the wear course of the asphalt poured in the parking lot,and then some touch-ups. The grand opening ceremony will probably be in the September time frame if the event includes kids playing on the field. It was proposed to remove the"grand-opening" item since it could be lumped in with Community Events. Chair said East Long Lake Trail and Summit Beach is probably the Commission's biggest focus for the year with respect to the Long Lake Rowing Club. He suggested creating a sub-committee regardless of whether the rowing club plan moves forward to figure out what should be done with the project. Edwards stated it is at 60%design on the trail portion of the project.Nothing else has been done with the park portion, so there still should be a committee to move forward with the project.He will send out an invite fairly soon for members to look at the 80%plan for the trail. Chair asked if it made sense to split it into two groups. Ruegemer did not think the Commission should add any group for the rowing club because it is a proposal that has not been voted on. Chair clarified that the two groups would be Summit Beach and the Trail. Several Commissioners indicated they should be kept together because it is one project. Ruegemer said she would like to remain on the project. Walsh said the project would last a while and when it reaches 80%and even during construction the committee could walk it and make sure it is getting done similar to the Commission's vision. He felt it made the most sense to be one project. Berg said she would also like to remain on the committee since Summit Beach is her beach. Page 2 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,January 6,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. Johnson asked if the shoreline restoration was part of the project. Edwards and Walsh indicated it was. Chair said he was also willing to be on the sub-committee. Chair asked Carter,Klaahsen,and Hudson if they had any passion for the area. Klaahsen indicated her passion would be the playground because she is interested in the family/kid- oriented items in the park. She is interested in a more natural-style playground. Ruegemer and Berg said that is the goal and they would bring that forward so everyone can agree on it. Chair said Winter Activities was discussed last year as far as what the City's direction should be with respect to ice rinks and broader winter activities. He stated,according to Edwards, all the tasks were completed. He asked if there were any questions that needed to be answered. Berg asked whether the sledding was considered a winter activity. Edwards said that's underway and happening. The Commissioners and Edwards discussed sledding at the golf course and the idea of having more lighting at the golf course; for example,at the tree-lighting event. Edwards said they could look at adding more lighting.He did not think there needed to be a Winter Activities Committee to do that; it could be under the Golf Course Committee. Chair asked Walsh if the City Council had what they needed as far as direction and position from the Park Commission in terms of winter activities such as ice-skating and sledding. Edward said the big question last year was the extent to which the City would get in the ice rink business. Walsh stated it was decided to focus on what the City has and suggested keeping things under the Golf Course umbrella. Chair said the Winter Activities category will be removed. Chair proposed to keep Lurton Park an area of focus because there's a lot of activity that seems to pop up and there should be a couple of people to help take care of things. Edwards commented that next to the golf course it is the City's most used park. Walsh stated there will always be new ideas and projects and parks are always forming and re-forming, and it is always good to have somebody overlooking them from the Commission.The parks were in disrepair because the City cancelled the Park Commission years ago, but they need to be maintained. Ruegemer offered to be on the Lurton Park Committee and is happy to keep doing the dog park event. Page 3 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,January 6,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. Johnson noted it is not only a park, it is Orono's face to other communities in many ways. He added Meyers did an outstanding job. He is hopeful that regular users will self-organize a little bit. Walsh said it is not just a dog park anymore. It has also become a community-gathering place. Johnson shared a story about some people who said they have multiple social groups at the park depending on the time of day--people taking their children to school and then taking the dog for a walk; the retirees;the after-work people--and they were actually meeting socially. Walsh said there may need to be more tables if more people are meeting there and it becomes a true community-gathering place. Chair asked Johnson if he had any vision for Lurton Park. Johnson stated he did not but regretted that he did not get the set of maintenance standards because he thought that would have eliminated a lot of the strife over the last year. He said the park was evolving with new trails, projects,tables,trees,and signs. Now it will be about maintaining things and looking where to mow. He understands from Meyers there was an endless stream of suggestions coming from the regulars. He feels it was very successful. Klaahsen said she will continue to manage the Facebook page and also occasionally puts out notices of when Park Commission meetings are. The Commissioners,Edwards, and Walsh discussed Community Events which include tree-lighting,the Bederwood grand opening,the dog park(Lurton), and an Oktoberfest/Fall Festival/Brewfest at the golf course. They also discussed a grand opening on Big Island in 2020 or 2021 and suggested different ideas of what that may involve. Chair and the Commissioners discussed Berg being the coordinator of the calendar of events but each event having a point person which Berg agreed to do. Roath suggested, as an example, Berg could be the overall person, but he could be the point person for Big Island. Commission members discussed holding the Big Island and dog park events in June.They also talked about using"Brewfest"instead of"Oktoberfest"so the date could be changed and the appeal each name may hold to the citizens of Orono. Since the event is held at the golf course,depending on when it is held, they need to be considerate of season passholders and regular users if the event includes golf.They decided they would first need to figure out what the event is and the purpose of it. Councilmember Seals will be contacted to make plans. Hudson offered to work on the Oktoberfest/Brewfest event. Chair noted there's a working calendar for the events,Berg will be overseeing the events, and there are individuals/people for each event. Berg said a date for the holiday tree-lighting was picked but Santa has a standing contract for the second Saturday of December,which is what it was changed to, so it may have to go back to the first Saturday. Walsh said he did not feel it would matter whether it was the first Saturday or the second Saturday. It's more about having it and getting the right people there. Page 4 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,January 6,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. Berg said she heard a lot of feedback that people really liked Santa. Ruegemer stated it would be nice to have a consistent date even if Santa becomes unavailable. Walsh said it is important to have consistency because Santa is the attraction. Berg said she has him contracted for five years and the people that have him on the second Saturday have had him for 12 years and are going to have him for 12 more years. She wants to go back to the first. Ruegemer stated there should be a consistent date for the dog park event,too. Berg commented that the City calendar will show that. Walsh said the City calendar is already out but it could be added to the City calendar on the website. Chair noted a couple years ago there were no community events and a lot has been added. Carter asked if anyone wanted to lead the Bederwood opening. Roath offered to lead the Bederwood opening. The Commissioners and Walsh discussed the woman who works in the clubhouse at the golf course and that she does a good job. It was noted the golf course also hosts sledding birthday parties. Walsh stated it's going to be an event center, a place to go to. Chair noted a lot of people have said they've been going there for years but that they've never been in the clubhouse and it's really cool. Ruegemer asked what the amount was for renting it for a birthday party. Edwards said there's not a cost and it's not a rental but just people letting the clubhouse manager know there are however many kids coming. The clubhouse manager does not do anything special when people go there for parties. In the future there could be times after communal hours that events could be planned. Chair brought up the item Trails. Carter said he generally agrees with Edwards'assessment with regard to establishing a five-year plan for trails. The correlation between the priorities and the capital expense budget he felt the Commission could be more proactive on rather than dealing with stuff as it is rolling in.The committee needs to get together to look at the capital budget,the comprehensive plan, and make sure that things are in the right order proactively and then continue to react when something new comes up. Community outreach also needs to be talked about and how the public will be engaged. Hudson asked if he was referring to neighbors. Page 5 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,January 6,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. Carter confirmed he was referring to community and neighbors,close-by neighbors,the people mostly affected. Carter said if Davis were to become a Commissioner it would be a no-brainer,but if she's staying as an alternate, maybe somebody else would take her place with Ruegemer and himself. Ruegemer said she will continue on Trails and pointed out North Arm Trail was missing on the list. Commission members and Edwards discussed it may be called something else, including Lakeview Legacy, but agreed to call it the North Arm Trail. Chair asked about the level of activity around the trails both now and in the coming years. Carter said he felt pretty good about it. They met and have a giant map of the potential trails that were being talked about and discussed whether there were some things that were a potential that weren't being considered. A list was created of eight priorities, and there is a set of six notes that talk about things that they would do or not do. He thought they did a comprehensive job,although they didn't necessarily say exactly how it related to the next five years'capital budget and what's going to happen next year. Chair asked if the City Council had what they need as far as Trails go.He personally thinks it is a big trail development and should be an area of focus for communities. Walsh said Edwards is trying to get all the trails connected,there are a lot of things in the works, and everyone is on the same page. Between himself, Councilmember Seals, and Edwards,they are on track. Chair said he had asked Carter how he felt about the level of activity around the trails, whether more or less needs to be done. He wanted to make sure the City Council felt the Park Commission was going at the appropriate speed. Walsh thanked Johnson for helping restart the Park Commission and his hard work and dedication. He expressed appreciation for the work Johnson has done for the Park Commission as well as for the City. Johnson said it's a great group to work with and appreciates the continuous support by everyone. Chair brought up the item Big Island. Carter said because Edwards obtained a$200,000 grant from the DNR and the City was willing to pledge $80,000 of that and Johnson wrote five out of the seven panels, his job has been to keep track of things. The 80%drawings have been reviewed. The challenge is to get the last 60,000.He thinks there is about 60 committed through Big Island Legacy and he feels confident they will get the other 60, which means they will be able to spend$350K-360K on hard costs of the project: the trails,the panels, a bathroom and potentially an overlook. They will have to work around eagle-nesting season because the eagles nested in the middle of the project. Johnson said Big Island has been a fantastic learning opportunity because it has such a rich history. He stated he learned a lot from the draft of a book written by Paul Marbellous and wondered if there was a way it could be introduced and combined with the activities at Big Island. Page 6 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,January 6,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. Carter stated they have had volunteers willing to review the City's simple 300-word panel but it would be nice to make Marbellous' book a part of what is going on at Big Island. He said the"Complete Interpretive sign design and install"as"to-dos"is correct. He added he would like to plan an event. Carter indicated he would like to talk someday about Pleasant View Park.He said there was a discussion about potentially providing access through the Right-of-Way to one of the homeowners that is set back and the Council decided to find an alternative way of resolving that. He noted he is the listed person for Pleasant View Park. He mentioned he went skiing in the area lately. Hudson asked if there were snowmobiles in the area. Carter said there have been no snowmobiles in the area. He stated Staff put a snow fence on the major areas.He is worried about the back side,but no one has gone there yet.There's less snowmobile traffic. As far as he can tell, it does not look like there has been a motorized vehicle on the island. Chair asked what will happen at Big Island beyond the next year or two. Carter said there may be a couple minor things. The trail essentially brings you from the dock up to the bottom of the ramp that goes to the building,which is where the bathroom will be placed,and then it goes up the hill to the high point,where the plan is to do a shelter and potentially another bathroom. Both of those might be outside the budget and are being priced as alternates. There is a trail that goes up towards the top of the hill,then goes around the hill and back down to the beach. If the Commission wanted to do something like a rock with a plaque as a Veterans Memorial at the hilltop,getting to it would take another small trail project.There is also an opportunity for an overlook on the north side. Johnson asked if there were any thoughts of putting something by the ruins. Carter said almost all the foundations from the amusement park and most of the foundations from the camp are still there and they are documented.He stated it would make an amazing story by putting interpretive panels around or having something on your phone and you could carry it around. He is not envisioning more buildings or substantially more trails. Chair brought up the item Golf Course.He would like to work with Edwards,Jason(the Golf Superintendent), and the City Council to get a couple-year view of what they would like to see the golf course do and some of the operations and usage they would like to achieve and set some goals for the golf course as a business. Edwards said they have to consider what they want it to be. Currently, it's a small,municipal nine-hole golf course suited for residents.They have to analyze what other things they want to do with it as a park outside of the golf course.There was a mini master plan done a couple of years ago and a business plan which can be looked at again. The golf course has not broken even financially since the 1990s. He does not have a lot of confidence that it will ever be a money-maker for the City like it was in the past. But it is a park;it is there for the people. Chair asked if there were other areas of focus Commissioners wanted to consider for 2020. Carter asked if there was a discussion about doing something in the Winter Activities; for example,cross- country trails at the golf course. Page 7 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,January 6,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. Edwards said they have and it is still available. The City has been working with the school cross-country ski team. Last year they were interested in grooming it and using it;this year they are not. The school offered to let the City use their grooming machine but the City would need to find their own snowmobile. They debated whether they should find a snowmobile to pull the grooming machine. They have not had the demand to justify buying another piece of equipment. Ruegemer suggested it could be talked about again next year. Chair stated in February they would talk more about the items. He encouraged everyone to throw out ideas for what to do with the parks long-term. He noted other cities in the area are doing stuff with bike trails,off-road bike trails. Klaahsen added there are also Ninja obstacle playgrounds and natural playgrounds. Edwards stated once the Hackberry property reverts to the City, it's an ideal time to look at the park holistically.There are drainage issues and little league fields that are too close to roads,and it will be a great opportunity to wipe the slate clean and redesign it. Commission members and Edwards talked about the post office in Crystal Bay and the fact that Orono does not have its own zip code. The Crystal Bay Post Office serves the area and people love having the post office in that location.At one point there was discussion about turning the area into a trailhead/park activities center but there was pushback from the local people. The Commissioners discussed a plan previously presented by Rick Meyers regarding the Crystal Bay area,which could use some updating. They will contact Meyers and it can be discussed in February. Chair noted Seven Nations Park was brought up last year because there are a lot of invasives there and it needs some cleaning up and TLC. Edwards stated this winter they will solicit for contract mowing for the parks,which gets done once every three years, and Seven Nations will be added into the solicitation. In the past the City mowed it once or twice a year with a rough mower. The Commissioners decided to hold off on Park Assignments until the Commission gets new members. Walsh suggested adding the Paul Pesak Park and said someone should oversee the community gardens. Chair noted there was discussion and a motion at the last meeting to name it the Paul Pesak Park and there was a little bit of pushback from his widow. He suggested bringing a motion the next formal meeting in March for an alternative name. Commissioners discussed that Minnesota law states certain things cannot be named after living people such as roads and state parks. Carter stated the idea of having a Lead Commissioner for trails is interesting. He had not thought about it before but there are a lot more trails. Page 8 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,January 6,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. Edwards said he added trails because they are like parks. What he looks for from Commissioners in charge of parks is feedback and another set of eyes to say the maintenance crew needs to be sent out here, for example,because somebody dumped a bunch of trash. Carter asked if there was a comprehensive list of every trail somewhere. Edwards stated he tried to list City-maintained trails,which are multimodal trails, as opposed park trails. Ruegemer stated she felt it made sense for Carter to be a lead on all of them. Chair brought up Functional/Activity Assignments and asked if anyone was needed for park signage. Edwards said not necessarily,that it just needed to be set up and standards developed. Commission members discussed park adoptions are with the outreach community engagement. Berg stated she wanted to talk about the holiday tree-lighting at the February meeting. The Commissioners and Edwards discussed the meeting calendar and changing the schedule so workshop meetings would be doubled and there would be fewer formal meetings since they don't come up with a lot of proposals and they could use more informal working time. They decided to keep the afternoon work sessions where they are and turn one of the evening sessions into a work session. Chair and Edwards will send out a proposal to the group.The new schedule needs to be approved by the City Council. Chair said he was contacted by the Long Lake Rowing Club President and is meeting with him. The rowing club also has a meeting Wednesday night with the neighborhood. He asked if Park Commission members had anything they wanted him to ask the President. Commission members discussed the neighborhood meeting that is set up and encouraged Chair to go. Carter said if the community in general came back to the Park Commission and said it is a win-win for everyone,he can see the Commission taking the request seriously,but he cannot imagine that happening. Ruegemer agreed and said it would basically destroy that area as a swimming beach. If the rowing club approached Excelsior Beach or Wayzata Beach,they would say absolutely not. We cannot have these two things together; it is not safe. The Park Commission needs to be careful to not get distracted by the large, shiny building shown to them. Berg stated the Commission also needs to consider the impact traffic from the rowing club would have on people using the beach and future concerns that may come up if the boathouse was allowed. She said this is not a commercial area, it is in a neighborhood. She went to a couple of the rowing club meetings and is also concerned about their hours of operations and future plans for their facility. Chair said he would be open-minded and can't speak on behalf of Orono or the Commission. He is focusing on the process, as far as what does a successful process look like to come to a decision. Johnson asked Berg about the other meetings she attended. Page 9 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,January 6,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. Berg said she was at an informal meeting with Edwards and Meyers when they first approached the City. Edwards clarified it was the Summit Beach sub-committee at the time. Berg agreed and said the rowing club has always been looking at a large building and saying things that make it look like it will benefit the park. Ruegemer asked if a bathroom is needed;there is an outhouse that is more environmentally friendly. The lake is already poorly rated. There would be huge docks because of the amount of boats they have. Berg said she is open-minded but her concerns as someone responsible for that beach is to look at the highest and best use and ask if the rowing club is the best use of the beach. Ruegemer said the rowing club currently has a house that works very well but they want a storage facility. Now they are placed at Birches. They have a huge parking lot and there is no swimming beach in the vicinity so it is safe,no one is put in danger and no huge parking lots needs to be built. She understands they want to keep their boats safe but asked if it is the Park Commission's job to put swimmers at risk and have a huge environmental impact on the park. Chair said everyone will have an opportunity to voice concerns both as Commissioners and Orono residents. He invited members to attend the Wednesday meeting or attend with him and the President. Hudson suggested if there is any more interaction with the rowing club, it should be a working session and not a formal meeting. Chair asked if the Commissioners were okay with the rowing club President reaching out to members individually. Several Commissioners said that was fine. Carter asked if they were coming to the work session. Edwards said they are not scheduled. Berg said the Commission wanted the rowing club to meet with neighbors and then come back. Edwards added they need to come back at a formal meeting,which is March,because the Park Commission has to come up with a recommendation to the City Council. Man suggested they should come to a working session first. Ruegemer indicated if the rowing club wants to pursue this,they need to reach out to the Commission. Chair asked if he should mention anything at his meeting since there is one working session before March. Hudson commented that it has to be discussed before the Commission makes a decision. Page 10 of 11 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,January 6,2020 6:00 o'clock p.m. Carter agreed and said he would not be comfortable having the rowing club walk into a formal meeting and putting something on the table for the Commissioners to make a decision on. Chair said if the meeting schedule is being changed, he needs to make the President aware of that if he is relying on coming back in June. Edwards said there would still be a working session in February and March is a formal session even with the new proposed schedule. Johnson said he would like the rowing club to answer some of the community questions rather than just pitching the plan again. Berg said she would like to hear how the meeting went with the neighbors. Hudson added he would like them to talk about how many kids are using it in the school systems,not just how many members they have. Several Commissioners indicated that information was previously given. Commission members had no further input. Berg stated Johnson has been a great asset to the Commission and she will personally miss him and his insights. Several Commission members agreed with Berg. Johnson stated the Commission has evolved and there continue to be new members and he feels everyone is ready to keep the momentum going. SPECIAL COMMITTEE REPORTS 4. COMMISSIONER'S REPORT None ADJOURNMENT Berg moved,Johnson seconded,to adjourn the Orono Park Commission meeting at 7:31 p.m. VOTE: Ayes7,Nays 0. ATTEST: °f76 ri Roath, Chair Page 11 of 11