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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013-01-28 PRC MIN CITY OF STILLWATER PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION JANUARY 28, 2013 Present: Chairman Linda Amrein, Commissioners David Brandt, Scott Christensen Rob McGarry, Solveg Peterson, Don Stiff, Councilmember Mike Polehna Absent: Commissioner Sandy Snellman Staff present: Public Works Superintendent Tim Moore, Parks and Recreation Intern Patrick Kopesky Approval of Minutes: Motion by Brandt, seconded by Stiff, to approve the December 17, 2012 minutes. All in favor. OPEN FORUM - There were no public comments. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS Field Use Study Presentation Parks and Recreation Intern Patrick Kopesky reported on the Facilities Review Inventory which was completed over the last six months. Maintaining high quality youth athletics was the goal of the project. Mr. Kopesky evaluated all athletic facilities in School District 834. He presented a map and spreadsheets showing who uses and maintains each field, schedules, fees for use, and contact information. There are 50 fields including municipal and school district fields, and 17 organizations in the district that use the fields. Some needs that were identified during the study are: lighted 95-foot baseball fields and more practice space for lacrosse which is a fast growing sport. Councilmember Polehna added that part of the goal was to find any hidden gems, for instance a field at St. Mary’s Point that is not used because it has not been maintained, but could be a great resource. He suggested perhaps a sports commission could be formed to oversee all the youth athletic organizations and facilities. Mr. Kopesky noted that peak time for renting fields is 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm Monday through Thursday; perhaps a sports commission could develop a better method for scheduling fields. His recommendations are: possibly having a central organization overseeing youth athletics; better maintaining the Afton-Lakeland Elementary small baseball field; working with local municipalities on creating a sports complex like Woodbury which could be a draw for tournaments; and improving parking at some of the existing facilities. Councilmember Polehna noted that the study was presented to the shared services group and will be presented to the City Council and the School Board. He said he hopes to approach some of the other communities to consider the possibility of combining to form a recreation association to coordinate all the recreation activities. Park and Recreation Board Minutes January 28, 2013 Page 2 of 2 COMMISSION ITEMS/TOPICS There were no commission items or topics. Motion by Amrein, seconded by Brandt, to adjourn. After discussion about protocol, there was a motion by Amrein, seconded by Brandt, to strike the previous motion to adjourn, and to adjourn to a closed meeting to discuss pending litigation. All in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 7:29 p.m. to Executive Session for legal advice. Respectfully submitted, Julie Kink Recording Secretary