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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2012-03-26 PRC MINCITY OF STILLWATER STILLWATER PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MARCH 26, 2012 Present: Linda Amrein, David Brandt, Scott Christensen, Rob McGarry, Solveg Peterson, Sandy Snellman, Don Stiff and Councilmember Mike Polehna Staff present: Asstistant Public Works Superintendent Tim Moore Chair Amrein called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. Approval of minutes: Ms. Snellman noted a correction to the seconder of the minutes -- should be Ms. Peterson. Ms. Amrein noted a correction on page 2, 3`d paragraph, successfully should be successful. Ms. Peterson noted a correction on page 2, 1 st paragraph, they're should be there are. Ms. Snellman, seconded by Ms. Peterson, moved approval of the February 27, 2012, minutes as corrected; motion passed unanimously. OPEN FORUM No comments were received ACTION ITEMS Community Garden Ann DeLaVergne and Jack Roddy gave a presentation about the proposal for a community garden in the area of the former basketball court at Staples Field; the presentation highlighted outreach efforts, level of interest, planning process to date, proposed layout of the garden plots and other details. Mr. Roddy said the hope is to have people gardening in their plots by Memorial Day. On a question regarding soil testing, Ms. DeLaVergne said it was thought the best way to deal with those potential issues was to create the raised beds. Ms. Amrein asked about the process for assigning the plots and for addressing a potential issue of someone not being able to afford the cost of participation. Ms. DeLaVergne said no one will be turned away due to inability to pay; she said a committee is working on the budget details, with a preliminary estimate of $150 -$200 per plot, due to the raised beds, compost, etc. She said fundraising activities are being considered to offset costs. Ms. DeLaVergne said the focus on the first year would be constructing the beds and getting the soil in the beds; she said costs likely will go down in future years. Mr. Christensen offered the suggestion of getting Boy Scouts /Eagle Scouts involved in constructing the beds or other amenities. Mr. Moore addressed the possibility of having a fire pit, noting that City policy has been not allow bonfires in parks; Mr. Roddy said that would not be an issue. Mr. Moore suggested the desire to have the gardens up and running by Memorial Day is an aggressive schedule, noting that an agreement still would have to be finalized and Council approval obtained after any action by the Parks Commission. Ms. Amrein invited public comment. Mark Walker, 333 W. Aspen, expressed concern about the additional traffic this might generate, in addition to the existing traffic generated by the ballgames scheduled at the park. He said he had hoped the City would put something in for kids. He said he didn't want any more traffic or noise. Later, he talked about a possible issue with kids getting into the gardens and the potential for bee stings. Park and Recreation Board Minutes March 26, 2012 Page 2 of 4 The resident of 1001 Everett Street spoke in favor of the proposal. He said he started attending the garden group's meetings because he was concerned that the effort might not be organized and turn into a less than desirable outcome. Having attended the meetings, he said he is confident of the organizational and managerial skills of the people involved. He said there might be some additional cars but mentioned the availability of parking in driveways; he also suggested that gardeners are by nature generally quieter than other folks, and he said bees are good for the environment. Ms. DeLaVergne pointed out this is a community garden for the North Hill neighborhood and stated that the group is encouraging people not to drive to do the gardening, noting the whole point of having a garden is partly for food and partly for exercise. Mr. Roddy agreed there may be some car traffic while the garden beds are being constructed, but said once the beds are built, he didn't foresee the gardens generating a lot of additional traffic; he also noted the gardens, as proposed, would only be open from sunrise to sunset. The resident of 313 Elm Street spoke in favor of the gardens. She said she was excited about the opportunity to do some organic gardening. She talked about the educational opportunity presented by the gardens and the opportunity to get to know neighbors. No other public comments were received. There was discussion about a water source. Mr. Moore stated cost for the materials for extending the water service is estimated at about $500; he said he thought there was a possibility that staff time could be donated to the work, depending on the weather and workloads. Ms. Amrein moved to direct staff to work with members of the North Hill Community Garden to develop a reasonable agreement between the City and the Garden in order to expedite the development of the garden this spring and bring the proposal to the City Council in a reasonable amount of time for Council action. Mr. Stiff seconded the motion. Mr. McGarry asked whether that motion indicated approval of private use of a public park for private garden plots. Ms. Amrein said she had questioned whether there should be any charge for the gardens, considering this is public property; she said she understands that is due to the condition of the soil and the need to create the raised beds. Ms. DeLaVergne pointed out that many cities are putting in community gardens because cities understand that using the parks and having people be in the parks is a good thing; she stated this is a growing trend in cities. Mr. McGarry said he was opposed to privatizing these plots on public property, in addition to the history of this particular location. Mr. Brandt said he also struggled with the issue of privatizing of public property but said what sways him is the fact that this is being done successfully in other communities; he said he just wants to make sure there is a fair method of assigning the plots. Mr. Brandt pointed out the City has been unable to find a use of this location that folks can agree on and said he thought this seems to be the best opportunity to make use of that public land. Mr. Christensen said he had visited a community garden in Oregon and had contacted that parks department to find out how it was done and said the process was not much different than what is being proposed here. Mr. Stiff said he thought this was a good use of a space that is not being used, and said it seems that more people are for the proposal than are against it. Ms. Snellman said she likes the proposal; she suggested the possibility of having a new lottery for plot assignments each year to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to make use of the gardens. Ms. Peterson noted the property is not being used at all right now, and this proposal would be bringing people into the park. Ms. Snellman raised the issue of policing of the gardens, whether people are respectful of the plots; Mr. Roddy suggested the possibility of placing notices on a bulletin board to encourage folks to be respectful. Ms. Amrein expressed her support for the proposal. Motion passed 6 -1, with Mr. McGarry voting no. Park and Recreation Board Minutes March 26, 2012 Page 3 of 4 Paint on the Water Scott Zahren, 116 S. Main St. Stillwater, was present representing ArtReach of St. Croix's proposal for a new event, Paint on the Water. Mr. Moore stated the proposal is to utilize Pioneer Park for three days, a day for setup, the actual event from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, and cleanup the following day. Mr. Moore said the event will include exhibits and people painting, as well as music. Mr. McGarry asked if the request had been reviewed by staff; Mr. Moore responded in the affirmative. There was discussion of the location of the tents. Mr. Moore did raise a potential issue with parking, depending on attendance. Mr. McGarry said generally for new events, if an event becomes extremely popular and parking becomes an issue, the Commission will review the event the following year for possible changes. Mr. McGarry moved to approve the application; Ms. Peterson seconded the motion. Ms. Amrein asked if the artists would be members of ArtReach; Mr. Zahren said ArtReach is involved in the event, but most artists will be coming from Minneapolis /St. Paul. Mr. Zahren described an educational component to the program, focusing on young people. There was discussion about accommodations should it rain that date. On a question by Ms. Snellman, Mr. Zahren said music would be DJ, rather than live; he said electrical needs would be supplied by a quiet generator in the fire pit. Motion to approve passed unanimously. 4th of July vendor Mr. Moore stated the vendor in question has been selling glow necklaces at the 4th of July festivities for a number of years. He said the vendor has spoken with the City Administrator and received approval from him pending review by the Parks Commission. Ms. Snellman moved to approve vendor, David Rochlin, selling the glow necklaces/bracelets as requested. Mr. McGarry seconded the motion; motion passed unanimously. Mr. McGarry questioned whether the Commission needed to vote on this in future as this is something for staff review and approval. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS Dog Park Update Mr. Moore referred to his memo in the agenda packet regarding the dog park. He said Ms. McGinness had a follow -up meeting with a Stillwater Township Board member to talk about the 3 -acre site in the township; he said the dog park supporters are moving forward with their application to the Planning Commission for the Boutwell Cemetery site. MN DNR Outdoor Recreation grant application Mr. Moore stated the City has made a grant application to the DNR for some work at Millbrook Park. He said a public hearing was held at the last City Council meeting. He said he expected the City might know sometime in May whether the grant application was successful. He said the grant money would help with plans to increase the size of the playground. Teddy Bear Park and Washington Square activities Included in the packet was a list of activities planned for Teddy Bear Park and Washington Square. On a question by Mr. Christensen, Mr. Moore said there is not the opposition to the activities at Washington Square that there was initially. COMMISSION ITEMS/TOPICS Ms. Amrein talked about the area along Long Lake; she said someone had contacted her with a concern. Mr. Moore said Public Works Director Sanders has been working on this issue and has been successful in getting a number of property owners into compliance with what the City was requesting regarding removal of items off City property. He said it is an ongoing process. He said the City will continue removing brush along the trail, as well. Park and Recreation Board Minutes March 26, 2012 Page 4 of 4 Mr. Moore told the Commission the City has a chance to upgrade the pedestrian lights that will be installed as part of the pedestrian plaza project to LED lights. He said the lighting will be a bit whiter in tone versus the existing acorn lighting along the levee wall. He asked for Commission feedback. The Commission expressed support for the LED lights due to the energy savings and longevity. Ms. Amrein noted that three members' terms are due to expire. She said she has been told that no one else has applied for membership, and the current members will be reappointed. A member of the audience asked when portable toilets will be available in Lowell Park; he said folks are currently breaking down orange fencing and using the contractor's portable facilities. Mr. Moore said the portable toilets are made available May 1 to October 1. The citizen suggested posting signage that public toilets are available at the parking ramp. Mr. Polehna provided an update on the Brown's Creek trail project. He said rails and tracks will be removed beginning in May. He said the Legislature is being requested to provide $1.1 million for the Manning Avenue crossing. He noted there will be a trail connection from the Millbrook development to the state trail. Mr. Christensen talked about the condition of the McKusick and Long lakes, suggesting that this promises to be one of the worst years as the algae has already bloomed out. Mr. Polehna said a consultant is going to be providing suggestions as to options for lake management; he spoke of the amount of money the City has spent on cleaning up the lakes through efforts such as rain gardens. Ms. Amrein, seconded by Ms. Snellman, moved to adjourn at 8:50 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Sharon Baker Recording Secretary