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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-05-27 PRC MINCity of Stillwater Parks and Recreation Commission May 27, 2008 Present: Linda Amrein, chair David Brandt, Rob McGarry, Adam Nyberg and Solveg Peterson Staff present: Planner Mike Pogge Absent: Scott Christensen and Sandy Snellman Ms. Amrein called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Approval of minutes: Ms. Amrein pointed out a typo on page 1 of the minutes of April 28; "asked" should be "ask." She also noted that in the discussion of the Comprehensive Plan park improvement priorities, Bergmann Park was referred to as Bruggemann Park on several occasions. Mr. Nyberg, seconded by Mr. Brandt, moved to approve the minutes of April 28, 2008, as corrected. Motion passed unanimously. Action Items Washington Square landscaping — Mr. Pogge said that subsequent to the discussion with the Carrolls regarding their concerns about noise at Washington Square, he had met with City Forester Kathy Widin to discuss options for landscaping which might mitigate the noise levels. He said Ms. Widin suggested that five trees, evergreens or ornamentals, could be planted in the northern portion of the park to help screen views and perhaps reduce noise levels. Cost of the evergreens is estimated at about $500 per tree and cost of the flowering ornamentals at $360 per tree. Mr. Pogge said planting of the trees will make a difference in the noise levels, but that difference can't be quantified and he believes the difference will be at the lower end of the scale. Mr. Pogge did note that the City will be installing the requested "no overnight parking" signs. During discussion, members questioned the expenditure, given the City's difficult budget situation and the fact that plantings likely won't have a significant enough impact on noise levels to address the concerns. Mr. Brandt suggested, however, that planting ornamental trees would be of benefit to all park users. Ms. Amrein and Ms. Peterson both suggested that the Carrolls be notified that the Park Board did consider their concerns in a thoughtful manner but the Board decided that expenditure was not justified given the impact on noise levels. Ms. Amrein moved to recommend there be no additional plantings at Washington Square at this time as the Board believes the plantings will not make a significant difference in lowing noise levels and the plantings may not be the best use of City funds due to the current budget restraints. As part of Ms. Amrein's motion, she asked that a letter be sent to the Carrolls informing them of the Board's decision and letting them know that the City Forester was consulted before the Board's decision. Mr. McGarry seconded the motion. Motion passed 4-1, with Mr. Brandt voting no. Comprehensive Plan park and trail map — Mr. Pogge said there had been minor changes to the maps since the last meeting and the Board's comments. One of the changes, he noted, was the addition of an underpass to facilitate pedestrian crossing of Myrtle Street near Northland Park. Mr. Pogge said he did not foresee any major park purchases being included in the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Nyberg suggested that the City keep Staples Field and acquisition of additional properties to expand that park as a priority. Mr. Brandt Park and Recreation Board Minutes May 27, 2008 Page 2 of 2 spoke to the need for a trail to accommodate walkers/bikers along the Highway 36 frontage road; Mr. Pogge noted that is part of the new bridge project, with the trail primarily on the Oak Park Heights side of the highway. Ms. Amrein suggested including some type of verbiage that the City should have first right of refusal on the Old Athletic Field and Jaycee fields complex should the School District decide to sell those properties at some point in the future; Mr. McGarry noted there is some history involved in the City's sale of the Old Athletic Field to the School District. Mr. Pogge noted these are draft documents and will be brought back to the Commission as the Comprehensive Plan update process proceeds. Sunrise Park and Triangle Park equipment — Mr. Pogge reviewed the equipment options provided by two vendors — St. Croix Recreation and Earl F. Anderson, noting that the prices are about equal. Mr. Pogge stated that folks from the Triangle Park neighborhood who attended the informational meeting prior to the regular Park Board meeting expressed a preference for option B (Earl F. Anderson) by a vote of 10-1. He noted that comments received from the Triangle Park group centered on keeping the existing open space and ice rink. Members spoke in favor of option B due to the variety of activities included. Mr. McGarry spoke in favor of going with a local vendor, St. Croix Recreation. Mr. Pogge noted that St. Croix Recreation could be asked to provide the type of equipment offered in option B when the equipment goes out to bid. Regarding the Sunrise Park equipment, Mr. Pogge said the vote of neighbors was 4-0 in favor of option B. Comments received indicated the neighbors would like to see earth tone colors for the new equipment, he said. Mr. Brandt, seconded by Mr. Nyberg, moved to approve option B for the replacement playground equipment for both Sunrise and Triangle parks. Motion passed unanimously. Informational Items • Mr. Pogge updated the Commission on the parking ramp project. He noted that recent design changes, in particular shifting the ramp 12' to the north, impacts park options. However, he stated final decisions have not been made regarding the park options. • Ms. Amrein said Nancy Brown of Friends of Stillwater Parks had suggested there ought to be more communication between the Parks Commission and the Friends of Parks group. Mr. Nyberg suggested that perhaps the Friends group be put on the agenda to provide an update of activities during the summer months and maybe every other month during the winter season. It was agreed to invite Friends of Stillwater Parks to be on the agenda on a regular basis. Mr. Pogge said he will contact that group with the invitation. • The June 30 park tour meeting was discussed. It was agreed to visit Millbrook, Legends, Bergmann parks and Staples Field, with the social gathering following to be held at the McGarry residence. The regular meeting will begin at 6 p.m., with the tour following. The meeting was adjourned at 8:13 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sharon Baker Recording Secretary