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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-07-26 PRC MIN City of Stillwater Parks and Recreation Commission July 26, 2010 Present: Rob McGarry, vice chair David Brandt, Scott Christensen, Solveg Peterson Staff present: Asst. Public Works Superintendent Tim Moore and Planner Mike Pogge Absent: Linda Amrein, Sandy Snellman and Council liaison Mike Polehna Mr. McGarry called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. Approval of minutes: Ms. Peterson noted a misspelling of Bruce Werre’s name and moved approval of the June 28, 2010, minutes with that correction. Mr. Brandt seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. OPEN FORUM No comments were received. ACTION ITEMS Parking Options for Lowell Park Mr. Pogge explained that staff is looking at various parking options as part of a trail alignment that will go north of Myrtle Street to form a connection just south of the Zephyr depot. He said there are three options, all of which include a 10’ trail corridor, potential paving of the lot next to PD Pappy’s and expanding the River Market lot from a three-bay to a four-bay configuration. Option A, he said, is an option that maximizes the park and minimizes parking. It include the expansion of the River Market lot and paving of the PD Pappy’s lot and results in a net loss of 24 spaces; he noted that all parking counts do not include a potential pedestrian plaza that would go into the parking field south of the Valley Booksellers, where there is a potential loss of 24 spaces. Option B includes some parking that would be on the east side of the trail in what is now the gravel area on the north part of the current parking field between Myrtle and Mulberry, he said. This option results in the net loss of 2 parking spaces. He said this is staff’s preferred option. It provides an area of hard surfacing for potential flood issues in the future. He also noted that this option keeps the trail in a straight alignment. Option C, he said, maximizes parking and requires that the trail be realigned slightly. In this option, there is a net increase of 44 parking spaces. Mr. Pogge stated the options have been reviewed by the Parking Commission. That group felt it could support option B, he said, and that will be the Parking Commission’s recommendation to City Council. On a question by Mr. Christensen, Mr. Pogge and Mr. Moore explained issues related to drainage and the need to create a berm/positive grading for drainage to the storm sewer that will be installed as part of the levee project. Mr. Pogge described preliminary plans for the pedestrian plaza; he said those plans would be ready to present, in some form, within the next several months. Mr. McGarry said he thought option B was a good compromise between parking and park. Mr. Brandt agreed. Ms. Peterson noted that option also provides a straight alignment for the trail. While Ms. Peterson said she would prefer that this all be green space, she thought option B seemed like a good plan. Ms. Peterson said it would be nice to provide some designated bicycle parking; Mr. Pogge said that is one of the features being looked at in the pedestrian plaza plans. Page 1 of 3 Park and Recreation Board Minutes July 26, 2010 Page 2 of 3 Mr. McGarry moved to approve option B for the Lowell Park parking plan. Mr. Brandt seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. Lowell Park Improvements Mr. Moore said improving the restrooms in Lowell Park was a priority of the City Council at its retreat session. One issue, he said, is that the amount of fill around the existing facility, which promotes a damp environment inside the building. He said he had met with architect Mark Balay at the site to get some ideas of what might be done to the building. Mr. Moore said if the south end of Lowell Park is going to be a formal park, as has been discussed, it might be good to have a building with some architectural features, perhaps reminiscent of the old depot or old fire station. He said in meeting with Mr. Balay, they discussed raising the floor, to deal with the dampness issue, raising the roof and perhaps adding a clock tower feature. He noted that with the current economic conditions, prices are good and said he thought something like this could be done at a reasonable cost. He asked the Commission for direction and possible recommendation to the Council that to invest some money on preliminary drawings, for both the interior and exterior, to get more accurate construction estimates. Mr. McGarry suggested that everyone would agree the facility needs some work just to function and to get a facility that the City doesn’t have to lock up when an event is occurring; he said if that can be accomplished and make the facility attractive at the same time, it would seem reasonable to look at that option. Mr. Brandt asked if there would be any issues regarding height at that location. Mr. Moore said that is not an issue; the only issue, he said, would be expanding the footprint of the building. He noted the building cannot be any closer to the river or any farther north; however, he said the building could be expanded to the west. Mr. Moore pointed out the current bathrooms are very small, with little separation between the toilets and sinks; he said if the building could be expanded to provide that space, the facilities would be a lot more usable. Members were in consensus it would be a wise investment to recommend that the Council proceed with the preliminary drawings. Mr. Brandt moved to recommend that this issue be brought to the Council, with the recommendation to expend the funds for preliminary drawings for the Lowell Park bathrooms. Mr. McGarry seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. Legends Park Improvements Mr. Moore stated the Water Board has nearly completed its project at Legends Park, so work can begin on the previously discussed park improvements. To date, he said, about $28,000 has been spent of the $90,000 the Water Board has obligated to park improvements; improvements to date include the picnic shelter and improvements to the ball field. He said he has received quotes from vendors on playground equipment, installation of irrigation and realigning the bike path to the playground. He said he thought some of the work for realigning the path can be done in-house. He said he has also been talking with Xcel Energy regarding providing electrical service to the picnic shelter. It was noted the money is available and can’t be expended elsewhere. Mr. McGarry moved to complete the Legends Park improvement project as presented. Ms. Peterson seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Moore brought up the issue of possible improvements to Lily Lake and Northland Park. He noted the Commission visited Lily Lake as part of its annual tour and saw the conditions of the bathrooms. He stated the warning house at Northland Park is in need of a new roof, something that has to be done; in addition, he said the warning house is not real user-friendly due to its location. He said staff recently painted the blacktop surface and boards at the hockey rink in an effort to be able to maintain better ice at Northland. He asked the Commission whether to pursue relocating the warning house across the parking lot, along with reroofing and siding repair to see if the cost would fit within the capital improvement budget. It was consensus to Park and Recreation Board Minutes July 26, 2010 Page 3 of 3 investigate the possible cost for moving the warming house in order to make it usable for skaters, along with the building improvements. Mr. Moore noted there might not be a CIP in 2011 or 2012 and suggested that expending the money now will ensure the existing buildings remain usable for the next 10 years or so. Mr. Moore stated the thought there is enough funds to do the improvements to the Lily Lake bathrooms with a new roof and new exterior, with some interior upgrades. He said he was also going to get estimates on replacing the roof of the Lily Lake picnic shelter. Ms. Peterson asked if there were any updates on the dog park. Mr. Moore stated he had met with Ms. McGinness and discussed several locations in the City and several outside the City. He described the location of the sites discussed and said Ms. McGinness will be investigating those sites further. Mr. Brandt, seconded by Mr. Christensen, moved to adjourn at 7:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Sharon Baker Recording Secretary