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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008-01-28 PRC MINCity of Stillwater Parks and Recreation Commission Jan. 28, 2008 Present: Linda Amrein, chair David Brandt, Scott Christensen, Adam Nyberg, Solveg Peterson, and Sandy Snellman Staff present: Planner Mike Pogge Absent: Rob McGarry Ms. Amrein called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. and welcomed new member, Ms. Peterson. Approval of minutes: During the discussion of the Brown's Creek ski trails at the December 2007 meeting, Mr. Christensen clarified that he thinks the south side of the railroad tracks should be for walking and skiing and the north side for skiing only. Ms. Amrein pointed out a typo in the ski trail discussion; "of" should be "if" in a comment made by Mr. Nyberg. In the discussion regarding the well/pump house request, Ms. Amrein noted that the Water Board's two requests are for a test well and pump house. And, Mr. Amrein suggested that the reference to SHPO in the last paragraph should have been spelled out, State Historical Preservation Office. Mr. Nyberg, seconded by Mr. Brandt, moved approval of the minutes of Dec. 17, 2007, as corrected. Motion passed unanimously. ACTION ITEMS 2008 CIP list — Mr. Pogge reviewed the recommended CIP projects for 2008: fence cap windscreen and bleachers for the Public Works field, $3,266; replacing fencing at Lily Lake around the fields, basketball and tennis courts, $20,000; replace playground equipment at Sunrise Park, $257099; replace playground equipment at Triangle Park' Z5, bt)o trash cans and pedestrian benches at Brown's Creek Park, $4,000; and two picnic tables at Pioneer Park, $2,000. $93,570 has been budgeted for 2008 park improvements, with the proposed projects totaling an estimated $84,266. Mr. Pogge said it is staff's recommendation that any remaining funds be kept until fall in the event unexpected maintenance items come up. If there are still unexpended funds in the fall, it is recommended that the money be used for installation of irrigation systems, with the suggested priority list for irrigation being Northland Park, Brown's Creek, Public Works field and Millbrook Park. $25,000 is available for trail improvements, with staff recommending bituminous surfacing of the old trolley tracks along Meadowlark Drive east of Kallie Court and bituminous surfacing of the trail,Setween Benson Boulevard and Pine Tree Trail. It was noted that there is $248,644 in the park dedication fee fund and $520,000 in the Lowell Park reserve fund. Mr. Pogge pointed out that park dedication fund money can only be spent on park acquisition and capital cost for the initial development of a park. (61 Mr. Brandt and Mr. Nyberg suggested using park dedication money to acqbkie land at the south end of Long Lake for passive park use and asked that Mr. Pogge look into that possibility. Mr. Christensen asked whether park dedication money could be used at Kolliner Park; Mr. Pogge stated that would not be possible, as Kolliner Park is not a new park. Ms. Amrein suggested that public meetings be held with neighbors for the Sunrise Park and Recreation Board Minutes January 28, 2008 Page 2 of 4 and Triangle Park projects. Mr. Pogge said a neighborhood meeting definitely will be held with the Triangle Park residents. However, he said there is a possibility, the Sunrise Park equipment won't be totally replaced — it will be more of a maintenance project than a replacement project. Mr. Brandt agreed with the need to let residents know what is going on in the parks; Mr. Pogge said he would send out notices. Mr. Christensen asked if this year's budget is typical. Mr. Pogge said this year's funding is actually up a bit due to some carryover projects/money. Mr. Pogge asked members whether they had suggestions/comments about any other parks in need of improvements. Mr. Nyberg said he had found Sunrise Park to be in bad condition. There was some discussion about Staples Field; it was suggested that nothing likely will get done there unless the City acquires several key properties adjacent to the park. There was also a comment about the condition of Meadowlark Park. In the discussion regarding the proposed trail improvements, Ms. Amrein asked about the possibility of using permeable surfaces, like the City used in the new Mukelwicz Park, rather than bituminous.Mr. Pogge pointed out that the permeable surface costs four to five times as much as regular asphalt surfacing, and he pointed out that it will be three or four years before the City will be able to determine how well the new permeable surface withstands weathering. Mr. Nyberg stated it is economically rot feasible to use permeable surfaces on the entire trail system. Ms. Amrein suggesti4 doing something else until the money is available for other than impervious surface. Mr. Nyberg asked whether the trail funding must be spent; Mr. Pogge said the Commission could ask the Council to reallocate the money to another project. Mr. Brandt spoke in favor of proceeding with the trail connection from Benson Boulevard to Pine Tree Trail. Mr. Nyberg suggested that perhaps it might be better to hold off on the McKusick Lake trail segment until there is more information about the durability of the permeable surfacing, since McKusick Lake is a topic of much discussion at this time. Mr. Christensen spoke in favor of maintaining the trails the City has, before adding more to the system. It was agreed to have staff come back with a recommendation regarding other potential trail segments. Mr. Nyberg stated he liked the idea of beginning to install irrigation systems with any reserve money that might be available. Mr. Pogge pointed out that Northland was listed as a priority in that area as piping is already in place, but he suggested that the Commission could make the Public Works fields a priority as a means of assisting the Baseball Association. Mr. Nyberg said he would like to see irrigation at the Public Works field before Northland, saying he appreciated the fact that the Baseball Association is involved and willing to assist in improvements. Mr. Brandt moved to approve the 2008 park improvement projects as proposed. Ms. Amrein seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. Ms. Snellman moved to approve the Benson Boulevard to Pine Tree Trail connection, with staff to come back with recommendations for other possible trail projects. Mr. Nyberg seconded the motion; vote was 5-1, with Ms. Amrein voting no. Lily Lake parking lot project — Mr. Pogge reviewed the Lily Lake parking lot reconstruction project. The project includes some regrading and installation of an infiltration basin, as well as the correction of an erosion problem on the bank above Lily Lake. It was noted the parking lot will be available for a hockey camp from June 9 until Aug. 22, and the project will not begin unless the contractor can ensure the project will Park and Recreation Board Minutes January 28, 2008 Page 3 of 4 be completed by June 9. Ms. Amrein asked whether the Water Management Organization (WMO) thoroughly reviews such projects. Mr. Pogge responded in the affirmative and stated this project meets the WMO's requirements. Mr. Nyberg, seconded by Mr. Brandt, moved to approve the Lily Lake parking lot reconstruction project as proposed; motion passed unanimously. St. Croix Events special event permit — Mr. Pogge briefly reviewed the request to use Lowell Park for a marathon on May 24, 2009. He pointed out this is a new event and there are still questions to be worked out with the organizers, St. Croix Events. If the Commission thinks this is a concept it would support, staff will work with the organizers and come back with a special event permit request, he said. Dave Eckberg, St. Croix Events, was present. He briefly described the proposed race route, starting at Franconia Sculpture Garden and ending in Lowell Park North. He said parking will be provided for participants in several locations, such as the junior high/high school, and participants will be bused to the race start. He said no road closures are anticipated. He said he had met with the Washington County Sheriff's Department and Stillwater Police Chief Gannaway and will be meeting with Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) in the very near future. He noted that the plans are in the formative stage at this time, and at this point, he has no idea of the number of participants or any vendor information. He sated he is committed to making this a solid event and would like a liaison from the Parks Commission to work with organizers, if someone is interested in doing so. Ms. Amrein expressed a concern about the impact on the Park, considering the spring art fair is the weekend prior to the proposed date. Mr. Eckberg pointed out the art fair takes place almost entirely in the south portion of Lowell Park, with just a small quadrant of the north portion utilized. Mr. Eckberg said he would work diligently with the Park Commission and City to not overly impact the Park, noting that people can be directed to certain sections of the park if necessary. Mr. Christensen also noted that marathoners are a very respectful bunch, not likely to cause undue damage. Mr. Nyberg asked about the potential for the Corps of Engineers' flood wall project conflicting with the race; Mr. Pogge agreed that is a possibility. Mr. Christensen suggested that construction in the park is something that can be dealt with. Ms. Amrein questioned the selection of the date, which coincides with the Memorial Day weekend, suggesting that local folks might feel their town is being taken away from them for another weekend, as many people feel about Lumberjack Days. Mr. Eckberg pointed out that the date was selected based on the marathon race schedule, so as to complement existing races rather than compete with those races. Mr. Brandt said he liked the date as it will allow people to potentially stay the weekend. Mr. Christensen also pointed out that weather is a consideration in Minnesota races, and May still has the potential for cooler racing conditions. There was discussion about the possible economic impact on local businesses. Several Commission members related their experiences with other marathons and noted that marathons are destination events, and there is a potential down the road for a big economic impact locally. After discussion, Mr. Nyberg asked for an official indication of support that he would relay to the City Council. Ms. Amrein moved to support the concept plan for the Park and Recreation Board Minutes January 28, 2008 Page 4 of 4 marathon and associated races based on the current information available. Ms. Snellman seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. March of Dimes Walkathon — Mr. Pogge stated the March of Dimes has applied for a special event to use the River View Parking Lot and Triangle Park in conjunction with the organization's annual walkathon on April 27, 2008. He said there are no changes planned and there have been no problems with the event in the past. Ms. Snellman, seconded by Ms. Amrein, moved to approve the March of Dimes special event permit and requested uses; motion passed unanimously. INFORMATIONAL ITEM;� • Ms. Amrein hrief(rnembers on a meeting she, Mr. McGarry, and staff members Pogge and Turnblad had with Stillwater Township representatives, including Board Member Dave Johnson, regarding the Boom Site. She said it was consensus that the Township and City want to remain involved and would not like the property under federal control, but economically, it doesn't seem like it would be possible for the City and/or Township to own/maintain the property without state assistance. Mr. Pogge gave a brief history of the site,, ids closing by MnDOT and reopening by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Mr. Pogge agreed with Ms. Amrein's assessment of the joint meeting, stating Mr. Johnson couldn't envision the City, Township or jointly owning/maintaining the property alone. Mr. Pogge stated in the short-term the DNR is committed to maintaining and keeping the Boom Site open. In the long-term, he said the agency will need assistance, including special legislation, to expend state funds to keep the site open and operating. And, he suggested perhaps the City could be of assistance in that area. There was a brief discussion about an upcoming public meeting the DNR is hosting regarding the Boom Site; Mr. Brandt said he would be interested in attending. • Mr. Pogge noted the Water Board had sent letters to residents in the area of Legends Park notifying them of the work on the drilling of the test well. • Mr. Pogge stated the ski group will be going to the City Council in March regarding the trails in Brown's Creek; he noted that it is too late to make changes for this season. Mr. Brandt asked whether Kolliner Park was being surveyed. The surveying work is being done, and the City received a very good price on the work, he was told. Mr. Nyberg, seconded by Ms. Snellman, moved to adjourn at 9:05 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Sharon Baker Recording Secretary