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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-01-2022 Park Commission Minutes MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,August 1,2022 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, Janice Berg, Gordy Stofer,Kjersti Duval, Cameron Porter, and Alternate Commissioner Sandra Rasmussen. Taylor Stephens, Rick Carter were absent. Representing Staff was City Administrator/Engineer Adam Edwards, Parks and Golf Course Superintendent Josh Lemons. Chair Roath called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. May 2,2022 Park Commission Minutes & June 6,2022 Park Commission Minutes Berg moved,Duval seconded, to approve the minutes of the May 2,2022 and June 6,2022 Park Commission meeting as submitted. VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0. PUBLIC COMMENT Jay Nygard, 1386 Rest Point Road,had a question and noted this meeting was improperly noticed as a work session than a meeting.He does not know if they violated the Open Meeting Law by doing so but wants to bring attention to Staff as they need to get these things correct. Second, he has done some research and he believes the illegal sale of a fire lane has happened to Mr. Erickson of the Orono Planning Commission. Unfortunately the City is in the middle of this and things are happening behind closed doors and for some reason the City lawyers cannot be bothered to explain to the Council how things work. In a simple 15 minutes of research Mr.Nygard found out that, according to the League of Minnesota Cities, statutory cities have the power to sell land or buildings they no longer need to anyone other than public officiants. Mr.Nygard noted Mr. Erickson is a public officiant and he knows they will say it was vacated and he donated money,but to use any other words than a sale is ridiculous.He noted that cities with Comprehensive Plans may not acquire or dispose of any property until the City's Planning Commission has reviewed the proposed acquisition and reported on whether it will comply with the City's Comprehensive Plan and the report must be in writing.Mr.Nygard would like to see the Planning Commission's report. Mr.Nygard spoke about real estate contracts with a City official and said again, according to the League of Minnesota Cities, a City is specifically prohibited from selling City land to one of its officials. He stated here they have a fire lane going to a public official for a supposed donation and Mr.Nygard does not buy the fluff and sees right through it. This is a sale that did not go through the proper process. The amazing thing to Mr.Nygard is that Councilmember Seals was not ever present at the Park Commission for a vote on something happening in her neighborhood.He does not understand it and asked what the hell is going on that Statute was not followed. If he was any one of the Commissioners he would be P.O.'d because this is the Park Commission's purview. 2. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT Chair Roath noted they had a great listening session at Casco Circle Park with approximately 40 people attending. The natural park was originally donated by the neighbors, it is a beautiful park, and the Commission wanted to reach out to see if they had input on the way the City is maintaining the park.He noted they now have a better understanding of how the park is used and some maintenance things that came out of it. He shared that Suzy Swanson brought some great historical artifacts and timelines of what Page 1 of 6 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,August 1,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. the property used to look like. Chair Roath spoke about the Summit sub-committee which is making good progress including a survey that went out and collected many good feedback and ideas about the park. They will do more outreach around the survey results and show the public 3-4 ideas and receive feedback on some small upgrades. 3. STAFF REPORT PARKS UPDATE Park and Golf Course Superintendent Lemons shared an update on the golf course noting the new clubhouse manager started and she is doing a great job.It is paying dividends to have someone of Kim's caliber;they have been busy and popular, and run out of carts every day. Rounds continue to increase and Lemons noted they have made up for poor weather in April.Mr. Lemons said summer is maintenance mode for the Parks Department and they are getting out to deal with vandalism,trash, lake access points, irrigation repairs,routine park maintenance, and pond restoration. He noted a new dock will be going in on Casco Swim Beach which has been on backorder for quite a while.Upcoming projects include the Crystal Bay playground which will happen later this year,preparation for Casco Point skating rink, and the Holiday Tree Lighting Event.He spoke about golf course pond dredging,picnic tables, security cameras, lake access point markings, and drainage improvements. PROJECTS UPDATE City Administrator Edwards spoke about an Open House scheduled on August 12 from 11:00 a.m.to 2:00 p.m. and August 26 from 2:00 p.m.to 5:00 p.m. Consultants and Staff will be present to share some ideas that came out of the resident survey.Following that the consultant will put some rough plans together which will come before the Park Commission. He shared about the draft Capital Improvement Plan(CIP) and noted he is looking for prioritization from the Commission. Most projects come from the Comprehensive Plan or from feedback during previous years. He spoke about potential projects and stated they are looking for input from the Commission before it goes to the City Council for approval in December. 2023 OPERATING BUDGET/CIP DISCUSSION. The Commissioners discussed budget,projects,numbers for larger projects,trails, and the upcoming process for the rest of the year. Chair Roath spoke about Crystal Bay Park improvements to the equipment and noted they have not heard interest from the community about a Phase 2 and proposed to move that out further than 2024. Regarding trail access to Lowry Woods there are so many unknowns he would like to take that off until the Commission has a better idea. Edwards kept it on the list because it is part of the Comprehensive Plan. Chair Roath spoke about Summit Beach and asked if the cost is reflective of the"high point" of the range of ideas that are currently floating out there. Edwards replied the costs are for construction in 2024 and he added a little inflation to what the Commission's original idea of playground improvements and paving the parking lot. He noted if they Page 2 of 6 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,August 1,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. come up with something in the Master Plan they do not have to keep it in that timeline but could put it in 2025 or 2026. Porter asked if a pickleball court was installed at the golf along with the parking lot is that a separate expense? Edwards replied those are two separate expenses but if they were going to do a bunch of paving, for efficiency-sake,they would look at doing them at the same time. Stofer spoke about the golf course noting he agrees with the timing and being mindful of the 100 year celebration in 2024 such as with the picnic shelters. He suggested taking off the tow rope for now until they expand the seasonality of the golf course areas and use. Duval spoke about Crystal Bay and thinks it would be really helpful to receive input from the public on priorities there. Lemons spoke about the operating budget draft noting the addition of another full-time maintenance worker as right now it is just himself and one other. In adding another maintenance worker it would decrease some contract services in fertilizing and chemical applications at the golf course and parks.He shared about the golf course logo redesign with flags, signs, apparel, and noted other small changes due to fuel and labor costs which are up right now. Chair Roath spoke to the Commissioners noting the question they must ask if the level of maintenance is where they want it to be at all of the parks or whether it is too much and they want to bring it down. Then they will share that with Mr. Edwards who will incorporate that into the budget. Berg spoke about the beaches and asked if they currently go out to routinely clean the beaches with seaweed because on her tour every beach had weeds on it. Lemons replied they currently contract for three water cleanings per season for weed raking. He noted he and the other full-time maintenance worker will get out as often as they can in between cleanings. Edwards clarified the three cleanings are in the water and raking things that wash up on shore happens as Staff make their rounds. Berg asked if there is a set budget for that. Edwards replied in the negative. Berg asked about buoys. Edwards noted the buoys disappear a lot. Berg has noticed and specifically at Lydiard Beach the roped off area really needs to be enlarged. She asked if the Commission needs to put anything in the budget regarding buoys. Edwards replied they come out of the supply lot. If they were looking at a big replacement of many buoys they would look at a Capital project. Page 3 of 6 1 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION • Monday,August 1,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. Berg would like to see buoys at Casco as well as the cleaning up of weeds. PICKLEBALL COURTS Rasmussen gave a presentation on pickleball courts noting at the end of 2021 a fair number of community members came to her to talk about promoting the development of pickleball facilities within Orono.Right now there is a single pickleball court in Navarre Park and it is not currently utilized because the footprint does not extend beyond the immediate boundaries of the pickleball courts and it is not safe. She noted they added it to the project list and a group has been looking at all Orono parks to see viable options. In looking outside the community, development is happening everywhere such as Long Lake and she noted many Orono residents will drive there because they are looking for that kind of play and facilities. She said they were looking at what makes the most sense for Orono which leads to a phased approach. Rasmussen spoke about criteria including accessibility, lights,parking,how many courts could be accommodated,trails, and multi-use options. While virtually all are viable sites, some are more immediate, and while one site was favored,feasibility has not yet been completed so it is not at the public comment stage.Another important component is the Orono Youth Hockey Association which has an interest in more sheets of ice throughout the community and an interested in public/private partnership with Orono. Rasmussen noted a number of communities are taking hockey rinks in the winter and putting pickleball courts inside of them in the summer for a dual use. Rasmussen spoke about Casco Point which is under-utilized in the summer,noting dual-use,of the hockey rink, limited parking, lights, it is close to the Dakota Trail,many trees which create a natural wind-barrier, nearby housing and noise abatement, and a wetland buffer limitation which is being looked at. She noted there is interest by the Hockey Association and part of the budget in the Capital Plan for leveling the area for ice skating.Rasmussen spoke about another site at the Orono Golf Course noting a maintenance shed may have to be moved, however the great things include a place for food and drinks,parking, lights,and the added draw of having ice skating in the winter with pickleball in the summer. The Hockey Association is also very interested in this location and Rasmussen noted this is a great option but the moving of the maintenance shed may not make it as viable in 2023. She noted they also looked at Hackberry Park which has potential but needs a Master Plan and is not viable for 2023 or 2024 and stated there is no parking, lights,and a house that needs to be dealt with. They also looked near the Long Lake Fire Department near the community garden and while it is a great space, it was not one of the more immediate relative to the others. Rasmussen spoke about the existing structure of the public works facility and noted with the talk of a new facility in the future, and if anyone has been to Lucky Shots or indoor-warehouse pickleball courts, it really is a nice building that could be repurposed for pickleball and other community facilities. However that would be more into 2025. She spoke about next steps noting they would need to know that Casco Point is feasible and what costs would be.In August the Commission would need to be sure they are thinking about how this fits into the budget noting the CIP is earmarking dollars and the planning can continue. She asked Lemons and Edwards in terms of the cost estimates,what is important to be refined or considered before the CIP goes to the City Council. Edwards replied they have some placeholder dollars and the most important thing for the CIP process is, if they are looking at breaking ground in 2023 they need to be doing preliminary design work right now before it gets cold. Rasmussen asked if the Orono Golf Course is even viable for 2023. Edwards replied it could be and is as viable as any other location. Page 4 of 6 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,August 1,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. Rasmussen stated if they find that Casco Point is not viable to put in 3-4 courts, she would recommend they immediately shift over to the Orono Golf Course for 2023. She asked the Commissioners for their feedback on one location over the other for 2023. Duval,Berg, and Stofer agreed that the golf course would be preferable Rasmussen asked to clarify whether extending the boundaries at Navarre is possible to make it a usable court. Chair Roath noted it is a multi-sport court which does get used,just not for pickleball. Edwards replied it is not in the plans. Stofer asked if four courts is the right number. Rasmussen replied eight is better but they wanted to be conservative in assuring that it went forth. She noted when one has 6-8 courts it will draw people from other communities and it will be a destination. Chair Roath clarified the process noting the sub-committee will get together and come up with the proposal to bring to the Park Commission. He spoke about fundraising and stated they will consult with the Orono Parks Legacy group to see what they think is viable for fundraising. Rasmussen will also be approaching organizations for a public/private partnership. Caroline Melberg, 1290 Lyman Avenue,thanked the Commissioners and thinks the golf course makes a lot of sense for all the reasons stated and there is a huge opportunity for fundraising there and to generate revenue from pickleball. Revenue opportunities include equipment,gear,tournaments, and things to fund ongoing maintenance. Jay Nygard, 1386 Rest Point Road, is not a golfer but cannot imagine golfers would want that going on around them because golf is a quiet game. Mike Miller, 1987 Fagerness Point Road, has been playing pickleball for two years and has made a great group of friends.The golf course opportunity is a great idea and may get some pickleballers who did not even know there was a golf course there,they buy refreshments, and he would also pursue the Casco Circle area as that is very underused. He asked the Commissioners to remember to include a shelter of some sort(like Long Lake has)with picnic tables for resting on very hot days. Edwards stated if the intent of the Commission is to start seriously looking at the golf course,he would recommend a motion to ask Staff to go to the City Council and ask for a feasibility study. This way they can do some community outreach, get some real numbers on cost, and drive potential fundraising and grants. Because it is August now if this isn't done now,there is no way it can be done in 2023. The Commissioners discussed the feasibility study,numbers, and whether to look at Casco Point,the golf course, or both for a feasibility study. Page 5of6 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,August 1,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. Vicky Gallagher, 6905 North Shore Drive, noted many semi-pro pickleball players who are experts in how it should be designed and how it should look. She asked if they could put together a committee of volunteers to sit down for the feasibility study and give suggestions on what works and what does not. Edwards would be going back to the pickleball committee for the sketch up and if more people wanted to come they are welcome. Porter moved,Berg seconded,to direct Staff look at the feasibility of building a pickleball court at the golf course in 2023.VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0. LURTON OFF-LEASH PARK Chair Roath said someone reached out to him regarding Lurton Park and they took a tour together. This person is not an Orono resident but goes to the park every day and the man said there is a group out there every day which is what the Commissioners had hoped for. Chair Roath spoke about a Facebook page called"Lurton's Lounge"which has dog jokes, stories, and pictures of people who go out to the park. The man noted the hand-pump has not been working for some time and suggested looking at the pumps at Three Rivers which are solar-powered. Since that meeting the pump has been fixed and is now working well. Chair Roath said the other suggestion was to look at the fencing as the well is back outside the fence which leads to filling containers and handing them over the fence. Edwards clarified the reason the well is outside the fenced area is to meet Department of Health concerns. Chair Roath noted everyone seems to be happy with the maintenance at the park. He is excited about the community built there and thinks soon they need to address the park. The City has not been enforcing the parking passes and parking spots are being taken up by those who do not have a pass rather than those who paid for the pass. The Commissioners discussed the parking at Lurton,permit fees, accessibility, safety, expansion of the parking lot, and enforcement. Chair Roath noted many good ideas and there will be an opportunity to talk about his when they discuss the fee schedule in the fall. COMMISSIONERS' REPORTS ADJOURNMENT Duval moved,Berg seconded,to adjourn the Orono Park Commission meeting at 8:10 p.m. VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0. ATTEST: ,[91 Brian Roath, Chair Page 6 of 6