Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-02-2022 Park Commission Minutes MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,May 2,2022 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 Taylor Stephens,Gordy Stofer,Jan Berg, Cameron Porter, and alternate Alisa Benson. Representing Staff were Adam Edwards and Joshua Lemons. Chair Roath called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chair Roath clarified the agenda packet went out with a page showing a boat house at Summit Beach Park and noted it was a clerical error and should not have been in there, it is off the table, and it was an accident. He wants to make it very clear from the beginning that there is not a proposal on the table right now for the rowing club. 1.FEBRUARY 7,2022 PARK COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES AND APRIL 4,2022 PARK COMMISSION WORK SESSION MINUTES Berg moved to approve the minutes of the February 7,2022 Park Commission meeting and the April 4,2022 Park Commission work session.VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0. PUBLIC COMMENT Chair Roath noted the City has moved to a 3-minute comment period,however tonight as he just found out about that,he will allow a 5-minute time. He asked the public to be concise and not repeat the same thing over and over again. Gabriel Jabbour, 985 Tonkawa Road, has been feeling extremely unhappy about the way things are going because the history that the City had is being lost. The City has been extremely fortunate in the past and practicing in a certain methodology which resulted in a huge amount of gifts in land and other resources to the City. When the issue came up about Summit Park it was a very volatile issue in the community. Mr. Dayton's vision and the restriction of the gift on the deed is very eloquent and the biggest issue is that Mr. Dayton gave it to the public at large to use. Mr.Jabbour stated when the City considered isolating part of that gift to a handful of people that is violating Mr. Dayton's wishes. Chair Roath replied there is nothing on the table right now where a small group is the only one who benefits from that park. Mr. Jabbour stated if we don't remember our history we have no future. Summit Park served as a very unique attribute to the less fortunate community who have very little access to the waterfront. The City was the gold standard and now they are becoming the tin standard.The question for the Park Commission and the City is whether they are going to honor the wishes of the Dayton Family and the reason they gave the land. Mr.Jabbour no longer trusts the government and just took over the beach next to the marina from the City,he land registered it, and gave it back to be a swimming beach only. The same thing was done with Big Island and the Great Woods. He believes the City government should sample the community about what they want and then make a strategic plan. Chair Roath noted that is a great intro and is exactly what the Park Commission is doing.As they will find out regarding item 8 on the agenda,the Summit Beach Master Plan,the subcommittee has talked about doing a deep dive into understanding what the public wants for that beach and park.First they must Page 1of10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,May 2,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. develop a master plan that will guide the current and future Park Commissioners on what the park really is. Hans Burg, from the Orono Park Legacy(the new name for the Big Island Legacy), stated they changed the name to be more inclusive to the needs of all parks. Orono Park Legacy facilitates fundraising for new projects in Orono parks and they are a non-profit organization. Currently they have three projects on the table: a Veteran's Marker on Big Island Park,funds for fireworks and goodies during the winter celebration at the Orono Golf Course, and the construction of pickleball courts within the City of Orono. Mr.Burg noted they are also looking for more Board members, especially someone in web design. Betsy Johnson, 460 Long Lake Road E, is exactly right across the street from Summit Beach Park. What they are all here tonight and have been here for is that they want to know that this project is permanently tabled for the park.This is the only swimming beach park in Orono and they would like to keep it that way,they want to honor it and keep the park the way the Daytons wanted it. When Ms.Johnson purchased her property she was told that nothing would be built over there and it was always going to be a park. She feels that the Park Commission is not being honest. She reiterated that she wants to know that this is permanently tabled,not"it is tabled right now." Berg asked if Ms.Johnson is talking about the Long Lake Rowing Club. Ms. Johnson replied that is correct. Her house is about 7,000 square feet and the rowing club wants to build something bigger than that on the property which would devalue her own property. She said it is a great park, nothing needs to be done to it, it is fabulous in the summertime,but that building would take up the entire section where everyone hangs out. Berg clarified they are not looking at that project anymore. Chair Roath clarified the Park Commission never sought anyone or any private organization to use the park. The rowing club came to the City,not to the Park Commission, and anyone can come to the City with any proposal they want. The City cannot tell them they can't come with a proposal as that is democracy. The rowing club came, and then they removed their proposal. Ms. Johnson asked whether they need new Board members. Barbara Schmidt, 50 Landmark Drive,read a statement and cannot answer any questions due to the mayor lawsuit that is pending. She stated this is what the Orono Park Commission will be known for: ignoring thousands of constituents. Sure,they are getting marching orders from City Council,but for an advisory board only to develop a plan with an outside consultant without an RFP or public hearing is unethical and dismissive of the very public they serve. They are end-running the vast majority of Orono citizens by contracting a park plan with an outside engineering firm. 95%of Orono residents do not want their parks changed. Where is the City of Orono's data that proves otherwise? She stated a study to find out what the people really want would be a great first step. Chair Roath agrees 100%. Ms. Schmidt said the citizens have asked them to stop developing land for niche special interest and they have continued to do so not only for Summit Beach but Lowry Woods and Bederwood, as well. They are spending funds on plans the public does not want. She said there are several community groups that are Page 2 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,May 2,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. standing up for rights as taxpaying citizens to stop expenditures they do not agree with and plans they do not want. They are friendsofsummitbeach.org, standupforpropertyrightsbigwoodswetlands.org, and the Turbine Guy on YouTube.Ms. Schmidt stated to please ask neighbors to help save Orono parks and natural resources. PRESENTATION CHAIRMAN'S REPORT 2. Updates Chair Roath noted most of his updates are in the Committee Reports so he will pass tonight. STAFF REPORT 3.Parks Update Lemons stated the golf course is finally open and the weather is starting to dry out. The new clubhouse manager Kim is doing a great job working on staff training,menu options, and getting many outside groups to come in. Parks are transitioning to spring activities and are close to getting ready for summer. After a long winter they are looking through parks for tree maintenance to make it as safe as possible. The soccer field is up and running, it was seeded in the fall and they are seeing nice recovery on it. City docks will be going out on some of the access points and they are doing playground inspections for the season. 4.Project Updates Edwards shared the golf course stretching is almost complete and they were able to restore the capacity of the irrigation pond. Big Island improvements include more concrete picnic tables and additional security cameras. The Crystal Bay playground improvement project was awarded by the City Council earlier in the year and they are looking at a May/June installation date. Chair Roath noted a resident at the podium earlier referred to her ongoing litigation in Bederwood and asked if there are any updates on that. Edwards replied they are still in litigation and are in the discovery portion. The timeline provided by the courts will have a trial date of February 2023. Chair Roath wants to be sure he understands and the public understands there is litigation happening relating to mountain biking in the wooded area of that park. He clarified there should not be any impact on teams using Bederwood or anyone, including mountain bikes,using the wooded area of the park. Edwards replied in the affirmative and stated there are no restrictions directly related to any litigation. SPECIAL COMMITTEE REPORT 5. Orono Public Golf Course Name Change. Lemons shared over the last several years a golf course subcommittee has been working on the direction of the golf course. One idea was to revert the name back to the original from Orono Public Golf Course to Orono Orchards Golf Course. Commissioner Stofer has been working on the project for quite some time. Page 3 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,May 2,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. Stofer shared about the name change and that it ties into the history of the club and they are looking forward to the 100 year anniversary. They want to present the course in a way that has more depth in marketing and is also an area that is more than just golf including amenities and year-round activities.He noted the course is doing as well as it ever has and it is really important to keep people there and offer a fun, casual, and affordable place for all ages. He would also like to keep some energy and marketing buzz around the course so it does not fall into the challenging financial times it has had in the past. Lemons stated because it is a City park they will need permission from the City Council to change the name. Tonight they would need a recommendation to bring it before the City Council. Benson moved,Porter seconded,to recommend that the City Council approve the name change of the golf course to Orono Orchards Golf Course.VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0. 6. Orono Public Golf Kitchen Updates. Lemons stated with the current food license at the golf course they can only offer pre-packaged foods. The golf course subcommittee has been looking at ways to improve the offerings and expand the menu. In order for the menu to change,the kitchen would also need to be changed with wipe-able surfaces on the walls floor-to-ceiling, additional sinks, and maybe a dishwasher to get to the next level of service which would still be limited to food such as pizzas,hot dogs,and brats. The subcommittee has been working with the Hennepin County Health Department and contractors and they would like to have an architectural drawing put together for the kitchen to start looking at the cost of the remodel. Stofer shared through the effort they would also receive as-built drawings of the building, utility locations, and even if they decided not to go forward on the kitchen improvement he still feels there is value in doing this work. Lemons noted this is not in the budget for this year and would be outside the scope of the budget. Chair Roath was shocked that the spend-per-round was less than $2.00 on food and beverages at the golf course. He thinks it is a financial opportunity that is worth exploring with this kitchen remodel. Lemons replied since it is not budgeted this would be coming out of the Park Fund and the Commission would be seeking City Council's approval to spend money on the drawing. Benson asked if is makes sense to hear from the individuals who use this course to get an indication of who is using the course and how they are using the course. She does not know if there is an appetite for hot dogs and pizza and she also thinks there are other ways to explore food options such as food trucks. Part of her hesitancy is that she does not see data related to the return on investment(ROI) and this is not a small amount of money being proposed. If the kitchen will cost around$70,000 how many years will it take to get the return on investment. She also questions the fact that they haven't had an open bid process for the work or architectural drawings that are being done. To be asked to approve or get behind something that does not have a lot of data is tricky for Benson right now. Edwards clarified this proposal is to get an RFP for an architect to do the preliminary drawings.As a City they have not gone out and formally engaged with anyone for this. One architectural firm has assisted pro-bono in a friend-of-a-friend situation. Page 4 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,May 2,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. Stofer noted they have looked at food trucks. He clarified they are hard because the food trucks expect minimums and is something that would require investment from the City to stay committed in order for people to know that there would always be a food truck available. Chair Roath asked Lemons if he hears requests for this. Lemons replied they have,even over the winter they received a phone call asking for a reservation to the kitchen,which they do not have.Food is always something golfers are looking for. Stofer noted even for winter activities such as birthday parties or the Santa event, to be able to sell hot chocolate or a bowl of chili is not something they are able to do right now. Chair Roath believes they do need to do the ROI and get the information they need to explore the idea. He stated if golfers are spending$2.00 and there are 13,000 rounds being played, if they get that spending up to $4.00 with 50%margin, a$50,000 project would be paid off in four years.More analysis needs to happen before committing to the project itself, but in his mind those numbers are enough to move forward with some architectural plans. Benson noted a park in Wayzata that has a QR code for people to give feedback in real time. The golf course kitchen remodel has been talked about for years and in all this time there has not been one survey. She feels it is a good idea to understand what the people want. She is all for what the people want and it seems like data is a good thing when going into a change such as this one. She wants to be clear that she is in support of change and giving the community better places to spend their time. Berg said as someone who has put on golf tournaments and gone to several golf courses for that reason, typically a lunch is included in the golf tournament. She said people were coming in from play buying popcorn,hot dogs, candy and soda over and above what they paid for the golf tournament. Because of this, Berg also thinks it is a good idea to explore and is why she is in favor of the proposal. Stephens noted in addition to providing kitchen options,the as-built would give the City more detail about the building's current state. He asked how much money that portion would cost. Stofer replied the as-built would probably be a couple thousand dollars. The as-built would be used in the future they wanted to re-do a part of the building such as bathrooms, kitchen or take out walls, noting it is a very old building with historical significance. Porter reaffirmed that he has not been to a golf course that does not have these amenities and if they want to be competitive in this marketplace,this is a good way to get there. Stofer thinks in hosting events such as parties or corporate events, being able to have something more to offer than pre-packaged microwaveable food is best. Porter moved,Stofer seconded,to request approval of architectural drawings for the golf course. VOTE: Ayes 5,Nays 1 (Benson). 7. Lake Access Markings. Page 5 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,May 2,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. Edwards stated over the years the City has identified a number of lake access points that have recreational value with people using them and there is a need to mark them. In the past the City marked a few ad-hoc as situations or issues have arisen. This project attempts to take a big stab at marking many of the access points. In 2015 the City established a standard for marking lake access points and Edwards showed a photo on screen of a 4x4 post with appropriate signage and symbols depending on restrictions or activities allowed, as well as marking the perimeter.A number of the locations on the list are marked in a variety of ways such as gates,bollards, signs, and this would bring a refresh those signs and clean them up. Edwards noted they identified and put$10,000 into the Capital Improvement Plan(CIP)to do this marking and improvements to some of the gates that need to be replaced. He noted some access points that are not used for recreational activities but are for utility or drainage may not be something the Park Commission needs to keep on the list. The Commissioners discussed the lake access points and the importance of clearly identifying those access points for those who do not live on the water. Porter moved,Benson seconded,to bring the proposal for lake access markings to the City Council. VOTE: Ayes 6,Nays 0. At 7:05 p.m.,Porter noted he had to leave the meeting. 8. Summit Beach Park Master Plan. Chair Roath shared great news for everyone in attendance,and expressed his regrets that Mr. Jabbour left as he brought some great ideas. Chair Roath stated to Ms. Schmidt that he agrees with her in that they need to reach out to the public, get an understanding of what people want at Summit Beach Park, and that is what they are doing.The concept of a master plan is something the City has not had in place for Summit Beach Park. A master plan is a guiding document in which the City takes input from residents to understand what the park should be,both now and in the future. He clarified when the rowing club approached the City a couple of years ago,this committee's recommendation was to go through the steps of creating a master plan for the park so there was something to use and follow when proposals come to the Park Commission. For example, guiding principles regarding the types of things citizens want or do not want at the park. Chair Roath stated the City has gone through the process with a number of parks regarding guiding documents but noted they need to do more.Big Island is an example of a great master plan and there are other parks that have less formal, but still guiding, documents. Commissioners Berg, Carter, and Roath have served on the subcommittee for Summit Beach Park and have reached out to Bolton and Menk who have expertise in collecting resident engagement. They would like to bring this forward to the City Council, and Chair Roath noted he does not know if they need to put out an RFP for this work,but the work would mostly be going out to put up QR codes around town for the community to give input on the park,hosting open houses to receive input, setting up events around Orono to share a some concepts for the park, and to hear back from the public. The last piece of that engagement would be to put forth this master plan and guiding document for the Park Commission to use. Edwards clarified the City already had a contract in place which they did send RFP's out for and Bolton and Menk is the City's engineering and planning firm. Whenever projects like this come up,the City issues a work order for a proposal/estimate on a batch of work. For small engineering and planning projects such as this one,the City does not necessarily go out for a full bid process.At certain times in the past the City Council has noted a project is big enough for a full RFP or bid proposal but at$20,000 this is not one of those. Page 6 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,May 2,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. Berg wants to make sure that the community has looked at what they have here on this draft,noting that is what the Park Commission is looking at for recommendations on. It is very important to her because there seems to be some misinformation that the Park Commission is just going in and redoing the entire thing. She clarified that is not what the idea was,rather it was to enhance the park and perhaps put in a trail or a small playground. There was nothing that the Commission saw in that they did not want to keep this park natural and usable for everyone. She hopes the public will look at the draft with the idea of feedback on what the residents would like to see.As Mr.Jabbour said,they want people to be able to use the park who live off-lake. Berg thinks of these types of places as for anyone,not just those who live on a lake. She wants to clarify this because she had the feeling that people thought the City was going in,bulldozing, cutting trees and everything,but no they are looking at some small enhancements to make it more enjoyable for the public. Benson noted they have not surveyed the public yet. She is a new Commissioner but she has read over five years of Park Commission notes and in 2019 and 2020 several Commissioners were saying they needed community engagement and to survey the public which she agrees with. She stated what is happening here is not a survey first,but a master plan and engagement with an engineering firm. She does not know that the firm specializes in public survey. Chair Roath clarified this is an engagement to do a public survey. Benson replied it is an engagement to do a master plan for Summit Beach. She would feel comfortable going ahead with a survey if it was not attached to a timeline for scope of work. What Benson is hearing from the public is that they receive data about what the public wants in regards to the parks and then take that data into consideration for the master plan. Engaging with a company to come up with a plan where community engagement is three months down the road can make people nervous. She noted in Orono they have not done a comprehensive survey regarding parks since 2008. Edwards clarified they did a survey as part of the Comprehensive Plan in 2018. Benson thinks if a survey was done 4 years ago it is not current and she has not seen it but would like to. She noted this park has been hotly contested for many reasons and it is clear that it is well-loved. The idea that the City would not take into consideration what has been a rallying cry and continual criticism is that the community engagement can happen before the engagement with a master plan. She is in support of budgeting for a survey but noted other things included in the bid proposal and that it was not just survey. She asked if it can be a possibility to survey about public interest for the park prior to coming up with the plan for it. Edwards noted that is what this proposal is to do: public outreach with the end result of a report with some kind of recommendation for the process. Benson said they are paying the firm$19,000 to come up with concept A,B, and C,with public comments on those concepts. She is asking for a blank white board where the public gets to draw on it. Can they spend the money to get public input first? Chair Roath clarified 100% of this is to get public engagement. Period. That is the reason the Park Commission is doing this. If Benson wants to help shape that engagement and give feedback to the firm as they go forward,that is fine. He noted they are getting into the"how"and right now they are just Page 7 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,May 2,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. talking about the"what"which is can they get the funds to go out and engage with a firm to do this type of work. Benson asked who did the survey in 2018? Edwards replied it was the City through an online survey. A woman in the chambers spoke out [inaudible]. Chair Roath noted this was not the public comment time. A man in the chambers spoke out [inaudible]. Chair Roath noted the person was out of order. A woman in the chambers shouted"What in the world do you think this is?You work for us, you are public servants." Chair Roath replied he does not work for anyone and he is a volunteer. He called a recess at 7:20 p.m. for 10 minutes. The meeting reopened at 7:33. Jay Nygard approached the podium and said the Park Commission was engaging other people on the same issue and when he got up Chair Roath gaveled him. Is Chair Roath telling him he will be treated differently than other people in the audience who were being engaged by the Park Commission? Chair Roath stated he would ignore him just as he ignored them. Mr.Nygard stated it is all on film, including the gaveling, and said to just give him his couple of minutes. Chair Roath stated the Park Commission needs to keep going. He asked Mr.Nygard to sit down,noting he will have plenty of opportunity to give his input. Mr.Nygard did not sit down and said he does not understand why the Park Commission is trying to spend $20,000 for what is their job. Their job and Staffs job is to put together surveys and do what they do. To pay that money out, saying there was an RFP about it is ridiculous, it is not what happened when he was on the City Council.Another thing that did not happen when he was on the City Council is people getting gaveled for giving their opinion. Chair Roath noted Mr.Nygard is about to get gaveled if he does not sit down. Mr.Nygard replied to go ahead and gavel him,call the cops, and do whatever they are going to do. The whole point is Ms. Benson is 100%right...the Park Commission has the cart so far in front of the horse right now it is ridiculous.He shouted that their job is to deal with the parks,not Bolton and Menk's,the same firm that decided to put a crappy road in front of his street with terrible water drainage.No, it is their job, City Staffs job to do this.Why would they pay anybody$20,000 to do their job? Page 8 of 10 MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,May 2,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. Chair Roath hit his gavel and asked Mr.Nygard to please sit down, sir. Mr.Nygard replied Turbine Guy just wants to say this is so disappointing. Chair Roath asked Mr.Nygard to please sit down again, sir. Mr.Nygard asked if Chair Roath would hit his gavel again, saying"come on,the video wants to see it." He stated by the way,the Park Commission said earlier that people can mountain bike in Bederwood Park and that is against City ordinance and he cannot believe that was said. Mr.Nygard left the podium. Chair Roath noted they were in the middle of the proposal for Summit Park and Ms.Benson had some good input which he agrees with,that the City needs some community engagement and that is the number one objective. He noted Bolton and Menk is the expert on community engagement, and he is not. Roath moved,Stofer seconded,to bring a proposal to engage with Bolton and Menk before the City Council around a community engagement project that focuses on Summit Beach Park and involves the creation of a guiding document for the park now and in the future.VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 1 (Benson). Members of the public in the chambers booed. COMMISSIONERS' REPORTS 9. Casco Circle Park Listening Session. Chair Roath stated Benson has been working on Casco Circle Park. Benson stated this is a timely issue, she knows this is not an easy job to do, she has heard other people echo that sentiment, and she appreciates each and every one of the Park Commissioners for bringing forth their ideas and taking time to serve the community. She also appreciates meeting new people and seeing perspectives, ideas, and learning about the history from the public that comes to these meetings. It is her desire to represent the public to the best of her ability. Benson shared one of her park assignments is Casco Circle Park and because she is new to the Commission she does not know the area that well. It was only a couple months ago that she visited the park for the first time and she knows she has a lot of learning to do. She has learned that when the park was born in 1971 the land was donated by a consortium of 10 neighbors,which is an amazing testament to peoples' trust in their City to keep it as a natural place, and the park is designated as a nature area. She clarified it is not allowed to be built on, have any pavement or structures built there,which is in the deed. Benson picked up a couple bags of garbage at the park and she wants to learn more about the park to bring better information to the Park Commission, and proposes the idea of a listening session later in the summer. This effort would be to engage the community and get ideas from them because she does not live in that area and does not know how it is used and loved by the people who do live there. She and Chair Roath have talked about the end of June, for example a weeknight after work to make herself accessible and listen. Chair Roath thanked Benson for taking this park and noted they spoke about a listening session in a broader sense, even around other parks in the system starting with Casco Circle Park which could be a model for other parks. They are trying to set up a model which they can then replicate, control invasives, and promote the health of that nature area. He and Benson want to introduce the concept and the Park Commission will bring this to their next workshop session. Page 9 of 10 ADJOURNMENT MINUTES OF THE ORONO PARK COMMISSION Monday,May 2,2022 6:00 o'clock p.m. Stephens moved,Roath seconded,to adjourn the Orono Park Commission meeting at 7:47 p.m. VOTE: Ayes 5,Nays 0. ATTEST: frBrian Roath, Chair Page 10 of 10