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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-04-26 PRC MIN City of Stillwater Parks and Recreation Commission April 26, 2010 Present: Linda Amrein, chair David Brandt, Scott Christensen, Rob McGarry, Solveg Peterson, Mike Polehna and Sandy Snellman Staff present: Assist. Public Works Superintendent Tim Moore and Planner Mike Pogge Ms. Amrein called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Approval of minutes: Mr. Brandt, seconded by Ms. Peterson, moved approval of the minutes of March 22, 2010, as presented. Motion passed unanimously. ACTION ITEMS Special Event Applications Lost Dogs Concert – Mr. Moore stated three different options were presented with this request for a free concert in Lowell Park. He said staff has reviewed the options and, with input from the Fire Department, is recommending option 1 as it maintains fire access to Boom Road and is close to power sources. Pastor Jon Neitzell of River Valley Christian Church briefly explained the request. He said the band plays American roots type music, a cross between rock and roll and country; he said the band is fairly well known in Christian circles, but is not a “mega band.” Pastor Neitzell said he has been involved in the ecumenical service in the park in conjunction with Lumberjack Days for a number of years so he has a lot of experience with the staging area in Lowell Park. He said the concert will be free and there will be no food or drink vendors, but there will be a merchandise table for the sale of CDs and t-shirts. He said the music will begin at 6:30 pm with a warm up band, with the featured band beginning at 7:30 p.m. and the concert concluding no later than 9:30 p.m. In the event of rain, the concert likely will be moved in doors to the church. Ms. Snellman moved to approve the special event request for the Lost Dogs Concert on July 16 in Lowell Park. Ms. Peterson seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. Fire Muster – Richard Wente was present and provided some background pertaining to the request. He said the event, a Fire Muster, is being sponsored by the Minnesota Fire Engine Club. which is the local chapter of the Society for the Preservation of Appreciation of Antique Motorized Fire Apparatus. He said the group was involved in the Bayport Memorial Day Parade and Lumberjack Days Parade last year. This year, he said the group decided to do something a bit smaller, rather than being involved in Lumberjack Days. He said he believes about 8-10 trucks will be involved. He explained the proposed route the trucks will take to Lowell Park. He th said the event is nominally being sponsored by the Coop, which is celebrating its 10 anniversary, and he said the Chamber is interested in doing some advertising. He said there will be no sale of merchandise associated with the event. There was some discussion about possible damage to the grass; Mr. Moore stated if the ground is too wet, they can move the event to the south end of the Park. Mr. Christensen moved to approve the special event application for the Fire Muster event to be held Sunday, June 27, in Lowell Park, noon to 5 p.m. Ms. Snellman seconded the motion. Mr. McGarry suggested adding a condition, subject to staff approval. Mr. Christensen and Ms. Snellman accepted that as an amendment to the motion; motion passed unanimously. Community Days – May Day on Main Street – Mr. Moore stated the Main Street Independent Business Association has planned a cleanup event May 1 in the downtown area and south Lowell Park. There is a wedding scheduled for that day at the gazebo and he said the group is aware of that and will be doing most of the work in south Lowell Park so as to not impact the Park and Recreation Board Minutes April 26, 2010 Page 2 of 4 wedding party. He said the City will be supplying some garbage bags and will pick up the bags the following day. Mr. Brandt moved to approve the May Day event. Ms. Snellman seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. Teddy Bear Park and Washington Square activities – The schedule of activities was included in the agenda packet. It was noted the Stillwater Park Foundations pays for all of the events. On a question by Mr. McGarry, Mr. Moore stated there are several more events scheduled for Teddy Bear Park as compared with last year, with the number of events in Washington Square about the same as last year. Ms. Snellman noted that some of the neighbors around Washington Square expressed concern about the noise in the past; Mr. Moore said he did not receive any complaints last year. Ms. Amrein moved to accept the Teddy Bear Park and Washington Square performance schedules as submitted. Mr. Brandt seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. Art in the Park – Mr. Moore noted that in the past this event has been held in Pioneer Park, but due to scheduling conflicts the group is requesting to use Lowell Park. It was noted the group did not specify what area of Lowell Park it would like to use; Mr. Moore stated he would suggest that the event take place in the south portion of Lowell Park. Mr. Brandt moved to approve the request for ArtReach Alliance’s Art in the Park on Aug. 14, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., specifying that the event take place in the south end of Lowell Park. Mr. Christensen seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. Ragnar Running Relay – Mr. Moore said historically this event has used Lowell Park south of the bridge; this year, the sponsors are requesting to use the north part of the park. He stated the group provides its own satellite toilets. Mr. Moore said one issue is the request to bring in some portable fire pits; staff reviewed that request and does not believe approving that request would be a good precedent to set. In discussion, it was noted this relay has utilized Stillwater as an exchange station for the last 8 or 9 years and it has never been a problem. There was a question as to why the Commission has never reviewed an application in the past; Mr. Moore explained that in the past, the runners just utilized the parking lot near the Park, now they want to utilize more of the Park area. Mr. Christensen moved to approve the application for the Ragnar Running Relay, Aug. 21, as written; Ms. Amrein seconded the motion, noting that the application states no fire pits/rings. Motion passed unanimously. Vintage Car Shows – The request is to hold the car shows every Wednesday in June, July and August, with the exception of July 21. Mr. Moore stated the event utilizes the gravel lot and paved lot from Myrtle Street to the north; he said there are several vendors on hand every week, with music some weeks. He said he did not hear any negative feedback last year. On a question by Mr. Brandt, Mr. Moore said he did not think this use would impact any work that might be started in Lowell Park this summer. Mr. Brandt, seconded by Ms. Snellman, moved to approve the application for the vintage car shows, Cruising on the Croix hotrod and vintage car show. Motion passed unanimously. Summer Tuesdays - The application is to hold Summer Tuesday events July 6-Aug. 17. Mr. Moore stated there has been no negative feedback regarding Summer Tuesdays. Several members spoke favorably of the event. Mr. Brandt moved to approve the application for Summer Tuesdays. Ms. Peterson seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. Other items Mr. Moore stated an area landscape architect, Jim Hagstrom, would like to plant some trees in Brown’s Creek Park Reserve to provide windbreaks to help with grooming of the ski trails. It was consensus to have Mr. Hagstrom work with staff. Ms. Amrein updated the Commission on the current vacancy on the Commission now that Mr. Polehna is a non-voting member. She stated she and Mr. Polehna interviewed the one applicant for the position. She stated the applicant is a resident of Ward 2, as are three current members of the Commission. She said in subsequent discussions it was felt there should be an attempt to Park and Recreation Board Minutes April 26, 2010 Page 3 of 4 have equal ward representation on the Commission and it was decided to re-advertise the vacancy. Ms. Peterson described a small dog park in Minneapolis that she visited. She described the “turf” that is utilized, and she said the people she talked with said the small park works well and there is no problem between big and large animals. Lowell Park Improvements Mr. Pogge provided a history of the park with photos of how the park looked in the past, as well as a history of the plans for the park and highlights/features of some of the plans. Mr. Pogge noted the most recent Comprehensive Plan update emphasizes view corridors connecting with the River, making Main Street more pedestrian friendly, making a visually attractive connection on Commercial Street from the parking ramp to the River, developing an amphitheater, and trail connections. He noted there are property ownership issues involved that could impact the Commercial corridor as well as the amphitheater. He also reviewed options for parking and loss of parking spaces due to the improvements. Mr. Moore noted there is $400,000 in available park funds dedicated to Lowell Park improvements and $350,000 for the trail corridor. He stated the Corps of Engineers has found hazardous materials along the entire downtown area in Lowell Park and estimates any excavation for cleanup will cost $1 million. He said the estimated cost for the final phase of the proposed levee wall project is $7.5 million, and the City currently has available funding of $2.5 million with $400,000 for the park improvements. He said the City has hired a consultant to review the information regarding the contamination. He also said the City is looking into the possibility of constructing the flood wall from Chestnut to Nelson Street only; estimated cost for that is about $3.3 million, he said. Hazardous materials cleanup for the portion from Chestnut to Nelson is estimated at $300,000, he said. Mr. Polehna suggested using state Legacy fund monies to construct the trails and use those funds to build the levee wall into the trail. Mr. Pogge stated he has looked at some Legacy grants and said typically the winning applications have been for trails of 20+ miles in length, with a local match of 80%. Mr. McGarry asked whether the possible contamination would prohibit any work being done and what improvements the City could proceed with without the levee project being started. Mr. McGarry also asked about the impact of the levee project not being completed, as it now appears might happen. Mr. Moore stated the City has looked at a number of different options for flood protection and said they are discovering that the measures the City used this spring are probably the most economical and efficient way to fight a flood. Mr. Polehna asked for staff’s recommendation as to how to proceed with any park improvements. Mr. Moore said staff has discussed re-grading of Lowell Park as needed to fit the future design of the park; designing and installing a sprinkler system on the north end and an upgraded sprinkler system for the south end; and replacing the drinking fountains. Mr. Moore stated he did not think the entire park needs to be re-graded; he thought improving the grading around catch basins, the upper wall, and the parking lot areas would be sufficient. Mr. Moore stated he thought an irrigation system could be designed that would fit with the concept plans for sidewalks, etc. Mr. Pogge suggested that the Commission may have to look at going beyond the City’s resources and seeking other community resources to assist with the improvements. Mr. Polehna noted the Commission had also suggested getting the Barge Terminal property cleaned up. Mr. Brandt said he thought the Commission was ready to say it doesn’t believe the levee wall is coming any time soon and the City has waited long enough. Mr. McGarry agreed the levee wall has been stalling the park improvement plans for many years, referring to the past park plans. Ms. Snellman asked whether the irrigation system could be installed in-house; Mr. Moore stated his only concern would be time constraints. Mr. Moore stated he is getting the designs done now. Regarding the Barge Terminal property, Mr. Moore stated there are some issues with some failing walls that Park and Recreation Board Minutes April 26, 2010 Page 4 of 4 need to be stabilized; once that is done, he said staff will look at ways of making the area more pedestrian friendly. Mr. Polehna suggested that staff come back with some recommendations and costs for proceeding with some improvements. Mr. Polehna noted there are many requests for performances of some type in Lowell Park and suggested that there should be an amphitheater of some sort in the park; there was discussion of the orientation of the proposed new performance area and whether the western orientation ought to be changed. Mr. Pogge noted that the Parking Commission has funds to do some parking lot improvements in the area but has not done anything due to the questions regarding the levee; he asked the Commission whether it would be comfortable with improvements to the parking lot by the bike trail. Ms. Amrein spoke against the parking area, as did Ms. Peterson. Mr. Christensen spoke of what Duluth did to improve its waterfront – took out the parking. Mr. Polehna told the Commission staff has been asked to look at possibilities for getting a public boat launch on the River. He noted the DNR has funds available for a public access. Mr. Pogge stated he has had discussions with the DNR regarding the issue. Mr. Brandt, seconded by Ms. Snellman, moved to adjourn at 9:15 p.m. Ms. Amrein noted that the next meeting will be May 24. Respectfully submitted, Sharon Baker Recording Secretary