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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-10-25 PRC MINCity of Stillwater Parks and Recreation Commission Oct. 25, 2010 Present: Linda Amrein, chair, David Brandt, Scott Christensen, Rob McGarry, Solveg Peterson, Mike Polehna, and Sandy Snellman Staff present: Assistant Public Works Superintendent Tim Moore Ms. Amrein called the meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. Approval of minutes Ms. Peterson noted a typo in the 7th line of action items "is" should be "it," in the 15 line, missing "the" in negotiate with "the" owner, 1st line on page 2 should be Mr. Brandt "questioned" and last line in that paragraph, should be in favor "of'. Ms. Snellman moved to approve the minutes of Sept. 27 with the above noted corrections. Mr. McGarry seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. OPEN FORUM Mike Robinson, 801 W. Pine St., Stillwater, spoke about the condition of the playing surface of the center court at the Lily Lake tennis courts. He said there are some rips in the surface of that court and noted unless repairs are made, water might further damage the surface. He said it appears the marks may have been made by the warming house the Elks use for their annual Christmas tree sale and questioned whether there are any conditions attached to the Elk's use of the tennis courts that might be used to make the repairs. Mr. Moore said this was the first he had heard of the problem and said he would look into the situation. ACTION ITEMS Special Events Task Force recommendations — Community Development Director Turnblad highlighted the recommendations of the Special Events Task Force. He said the Council is specifically looking for the Parks Commission's input regarding the proposed $500 fee for large events and the proposed permit review process for the special events. He noted that about 85% of event applications would continue to be reviewed by staff and be free of charge to event organizers. He listed the criteria that would initiate the new process, including whether an event is held entirely within a park and the number of expected attendees. He noted that special events with a contract with the City will be required to hold a public meeting and provide a vehicle for post -event comment by the public. Mr. Turnblad reviewed the definitions and thresholds for events, special events and special event with contract. Ms. Amrein suggested a change in the wording of the threshold for street closure — eliminating the "at least" from the language. Mr. McGarry, who served on the Special Events Task Force, said the primary issue is with the $500 fee and whether the Commission agrees that staff should handle the non - special event and non - contracted event permits /review. Members were in consensus that the Commission did not need to review all of the smaller events, which are already reviewed /approved at the staff level. Ms. Amrein confirmed that there is no differentiation in the fee for profit or non - profit groups. Mr. McGarry said the task force discussed the possibility of having a different fee for contract events, but the fee is in the contract and part of the contract negotiations. Mr. McGarry also pointed out the proposed $500 fee for special events is to recover costs from the impact of the large events, not to generate revenue. Mr. Turnblad pointed out that the $500 fee might not be recommended the first year of an event, but as the event grows or if the impact is greater than anticipated, the fee would be imposed in subsequent years. Park and Recreation Board Minutes October 25, 2010 Page 2of3 Mr. McGarry moved to accept the recommendations of the task force to review only special event or contract events and to charge a $500 fee as recommended by staff. Mr. Brandt seconded the motion. There was discussion of the importance of adhering to the timelines in the recommendations. Members expressed appreciation to Mr. McGarry for his efforts at serving on the task force and to Mr. Turnblad for his work with the task force. Motion passed unanimously. Park fees — Mr. Moore said he has been looking at some ways of standardizing park usage fees that the City has not charged in the past. He said he had talked with a number of communities and said the possible fees have been narrowed down to events such as softball tournaments and larger weddings where there is the potential for damage to a park. On a question by Mr. McGarry, Mr. Moore stated this is not to consider a wedding a special event, but just consider these from a park usage standpoint as they create more work and require more staff time. He said by comparison, Stillwater's charges are not that far out of line with other communities. In discussion, it was noted that if a wedding involves more than 250 guests, it would now be considered a special event, with a $500 fee. Mr. Moore pointed out that someone could have a wedding at Pioneer Park or Lowell Park and not pay anything if that person doesn't reserve a picnic shelter or the gazebo. In discussion, it was suggested that someone planning a wedding that involves 50 or 100 guests is likely will apply to reserve a shelter or gazebo, at which time staff will be able to evaluate the application as to whether it qualifies as a special event. Mr. Polehna and Mr. McGarry suggested looking at all the park fees, existing fees and proposed 2011 fees. Ms. Amrein asked if there was any recourse should an applicant greatly underestimate attendance or impact; Mr. McGarry pointed out the 250 threshold is not included on the application. Mr. Moore said he would prepare the fee schedule for review by the Commission. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS Lowell Park/pedestrian plaza RFP — Planner Pogge stated that one of the City's funding sources for this project has a firm June 15, 2011, construction start date. If that comes together, he said the City will have a pretty aggressive schedule. He said he anticipates staff will rate the RFPs (request for proposals) and go directly to City Council for possible action on Nov. 15. Mr. Pogge gave a brief reaction to the open house on the pedestrian plaza proposal held prior to the Commission's meeting; he said there were many positive comments along with some concerns expressed that will have to be addressed in discussions with property owners. He said one of the primary concerns is with the proposal to have Commercial a one -way street. Ms. Amrein said she hoped the negative comments expressed by some business owners would be taken into consideration. Mr. Christensen pointed out the Commission is an advocate for parks and said he liked the concept presented; he said he thought staff and the Commission should carefully consider whether to make changes. Mr. Pogge said the City has to look at legitimate concerns, noting that plans are pretty conceptual at this point. Commission items Mr. Moore stated the Council approved the purchase of a utility tractor, and he said there will some sharing of budget and equipment with the Recreation Center, which he said will enable the outdoor rink at the Rec Center to be better maintained by Rec Center staff and provide the Parks Department with a new piece of equipment that can be used year- around. Mr. Polehna pointed out the arrangement resulted in a savings of about $20,000 from what was budgeted. Mr. Brandt asked about a sign that indicates Benson Park playground is closed after Oct. 15. Mr. Moore said the signs have been placed by the playgrounds as part of an audit of the playground equipment. Mr. Polehna suggested not installing the signs until the safety surface freezes. Mr. Polehna talked about the soccer nets at Benson that have never been firmly anchored and are a potential danger. Ms. Snellman talked about the condition of upper Northland Park. Park and Recreation Board Minutes October 25, 2010 Page 3 of 3 Ms. Amrein asked for an update about the property along Nightingale Boulevard. Mr. Moore said Sentence to Serve people would be used to remove buckthorn, with an access created for equipment on the walking path. He said the park entrances would be cleaned up, with signs installed. He said residents will be notified by letter of the work. Public Works Director Sanders spoke of the buildings that are encroaching on the public access property; he said Council directed staff to work with the individual property owners. Mr. Moore said he has been working with the Brown's Creek Watershed District regarding a possible prairie restoration project in the west Northland area. He said he would be bringing a proposal to the Commission regarding eliminating mowing of some areas and doing prairie restoration; he said that might require an open house for the neighborhood. On a question by Mr. Polehna, it was noted the Jackson Wildlife Management Area has been sold to a private individual. Meeting was adjourned at 8:52 on a motion by Mr. McGarry. Respectfully submitted, Sharon Baker Recording Secretary