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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-02-24 PRC MIN CITY OF STILLWATER PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING February 24, 2020 Present: Chairwoman Linda Amrein, Commissioners Scott Christensen, Pam Johnson, Sam Nelson, Sandy Snellman, Stephanie Souter, Council Representative Mike Polehna Absent: Commissioner David Brandt Staff: Public Works Superintendent Tim Moore, Public Works Director Shawn Sanders APPROVAL OF THE JANUARY 27, 2020 MINUTES Chairwoman Amrein referred to two places on Page 2 and asked if the word “club” should be used as she was not aware that the Stillwater Pickleball group is actually a club. Councilmember Polehna stated it is actually a club that has about 200 members, with the official name of Stillwater Pickleball Group. Motion by Commissioner Souter, seconded by Commissioner Snellman, to approve the January 27, 2020 meeting minutes. Motion passed, 6–0. OPEN FORUM There were no public comments. ACTION ITEMS New Heights School Playground Proposal Tom Kearney, principal and superintendent of New Heights School, 614 West Mulberry Street, explained a proposed partnership with the City to renovate the playground located on the east side of the school property. He reminded the Commission that in 2002, a group of parents, school officials and community members worked with the City to erect a new playground apparatus on the playground at a cost of about $60,000. One stipulation of that partnership was that if for any reason New Heights closed or moved to a different location, the City would retain the playground apparatus and could move it to a new location. In 2016, the Stillwater District decided to sell the property to New Heights. In the fall of 2019, New Heights teamed with the Madison Claire Foundation, which built Madison Place in Woodbury, for the purpose of possibly renovating the entire backyard area of the school. A committee has formed and created a conceptual design for an Inclusive Playground, meaning that it is perfectly suited for able-bodied and disabled children to play together in the same spaces. He stated there isn’t any such Inclusive Playground nearby in the City of Stillwater or surrounding area. Support is being requested from the City of Stillwater. He showed a computer flyover video depicting the concept proposal. Chairwoman Amrein said she had no idea New Heights has been there more than 25 years. She asked if it is K-8. Mr. Kearney replied the school is K-12. It was the first kindergarten through twelfth grade charter school in the nation. He noted the Stillwater School District has about 15% students with disabilities and New Heights has about 40%. Stillwater has 15% students who live in poverty or free/reduced lunch status, and New Heights has typically over 50%. The school is not proposing that the City would take over the project, just that the Commission would consider ways to work with the school to see it happen. The next step might be that a Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting February 24, 2020 Page 2 of 10 representative or several of the Commissioners would come take a look at the property to gather more information. Commissioner Nelson asked if Mr. Kearney sees the school’s use of that area increasing when there is more equipment. Mr. Kearney replied, in addition to school uses, they expect that in the evenings and summers, area families would come use the playground. The school will really benefit from it but it is significantly more than just the school. Commissioner Nelson said he used to live in that neighborhood and brought up many times the fact that there are no parks nearby and the kids in the neighborhood are underserved. He feels this is a great opportunity. Commissioner Snellman said she has taken her grandkids to Madison Place in Woodbury and it is awesome for everybody. Mr. Kearney said the school is more than open to anyone wanting to meet the committee to learn more. Councilmember Polehna noted this would be a destination, not just a neighborhood playground. He asked how much parking the school has now. Mr. Kearney replied the district doubled the space 3-4 years ago so there are 20+ spaces on site, plus another 20+ on-street spaces. Commissioner Souter asked about the timeframe of the proposal. Mr. Kearney replied it depends on the partnerships they are able to form. They will be on a strong regimen of fundraising. The project does not have to be done all at once. There is no timeframe but the sooner the better. He introduced Dave and Dana Millington of the Madison Claire Foundation. Christie Hogan, K-1 teacher at New Heights, said she has students on the autism spectrum who would benefit from this playground. Dave Millington, Madison Claire Foundation, said the playground like that proposed is truly a destination space. He explained how Madison’s Place in Woodbury was built in partnership with the City of Woodbury. It was granted to the City and they added the splashpad later. It is a no brainer to partner with New Heights especially considering their demographics. The Madison Claire Foundation would design the playground, guide and direct the fundraising. It would act as the liaison and lead to get these things done. The equipment has every kind of sensory thing imaginable. The Madison Claire Foundation has done this before. It is their blessing to do this. This is just the initial phase. The timeframe would be governed by fundraising. The design shown can be adjusted or phased. Commissioner Johnson asked, when was Madison Place erected? Mr. Millington stated it was completed in 2016. It was a seven-year project. He explained that he and his wife lost a daughter, Madison Claire, to spinal muscular atrophy. She never had a chance to play on a playground in a wheelchair. This playground would give the opportunity for parents to play with their children on a rubberized ADA-compliant surface. Commissioner Johnson asked, what was the total price of Madison Place? Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting February 24, 2020 Page 3 of 10 Mr. Millington replied there were many in-kind gifts. The total cost was $835,000 for just the playground. There also is an aggregate base, grading, and excavating. They usually approach contractors to do in-kind donations. Mr. Moore asked if they have a preliminary estimate on the proposed playground at New Heights. Dana Millington replied $1.05 million total cost for all three areas including the baseball field artificial turf and the playground. Commissioner Nelson asked if they have thought about what level of financing they would ask from the City. Mr. Kearney said they had not thought about putting a percentage on it. The first step is gaining interest. Then they will be on an aggressive fundraising campaign. There also is room in the conversation for creativity, for instance less emphasis on dollars and more on support. They want to have the conversation and see where the hearts and budget are. Public Works Director Sanders suggested the group go to the City Council. He stated that the Parks Commission makes recommendations to the City Council. The 2020 Parks budget is already set. The City will start working on the 2021 budget in May-June. The Parks Commission can discuss it and make a recommendation to the City Council. Commissioner Christensen noted he has been on Commission since 2007 and this is the first he has heard that the City has a partnership with New Heights. He asked if New Heights is on the park inventory. Mr. Moore replied no, it is school property. The City just made a contribution toward the purchase of the playground equipment. Mr. Kearney said he believes the cost was about $60,000. The City did not give that much but they gave the lion’s share. It was more than likely gifted to the program so the school and community had something more significant than what was there, which was nothing. That was 20 years ago. The City and the school partnered to get the playground erected but he would not say the partnership has been ongoing. Commissioner Christensen asked, did the school district contribute at all to the playground in 2002? Mr. Kearney answered no. There were contributions from Friends of Parks, the City, and New Heights. The City was the most generous contributor. Much the work was done in kind. Councilmember Polehna asked about maintenance. Mr. Kearney responded maintenance has to be part of the ongoing conversation. There are liabilities and other issues he is aware of that will need to be explored. Commissioner Christensen remarked whenever the Parks Commission hears a new proposal, he always wants to know, is it going to jump in front of what the Commission is already working on? He is fine with whatever is decided, he just wants to know what he’s voting on. Is the Commission reprioritizing projects? Or would this be in addition to what the Commission is already doing? Councilmember Snellman commented she understands Commissioner Christensen’s concern. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting February 24, 2020 Page 4 of 10 Councilmember Polehna remarked this would take up the Parks budget for years. Mr. Moore handed out the 5-year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) for Parks. There is $90,000 budgeted for replacing play structures each year. Commissioner Johnson suggested exploring ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) funding. Councilmember Polehna commented they may qualify for other funding but there is nothing like that available to the City. There is no pot of money for ADA projects. Commissioner Christensen agreed with Commissioner Nelson, the City is short on neighborhood parks in this location. It comes down to whether the Commission is willing to say right now that they could take the total budget amount of $90,000 for one year and not fix anything else, but instead contribute to this project. Commissioner Nelson pointed out that in 2023, the Parks total budget is $100,000. Mr. Moore clarified that the CIP is updated every year and some things are added. Commissioner Nelson remarked his sense is that this makes it look like it’s all planned out and the Commission has no flexibility. Mr. Sanders clarified there is no flexibility in the current year budget. Councilmember Polehna added that there is flexibility in future years. The CIP is a guide for the future. It can be adjusted. Commissioner Christensen pointed out that the new parks are not in the CIP. Mr. Sanders responded since they are in development, they are reflected in the Community Development capital outlay budget at this time, not Parks. Councilmember Polehna added that the $3 million the City is putting into the new trail on the waterfront is not on the list either. Commissioner Nelson said his impression is that the Commission really doesn’t have much say in how money gets allotted. Right now, for 2023 there’s $777,000 for the Park budget and for 2020 there’s only $297,000. He understands that the CIP is a guide but he has questions about funding priorities are set. Commissioner Johnson said she would be interested in knowing about this foundation (Madison Claire Foundation), what are their assets, balance sheet, how much are they considering contributing and fundraising? Councilmember Polehna said the Commission can make a recommendation to the City Council if it believes there is a need to work with a group like this again. Commissioner Johnson commented that playgrounds are a great project to fundraise for. She thinks the group probably has a lot of experience and ideas on how to raise the money. This is a Cadillac version of an ADA playground. She feels the City should contribute something but doesn’t know how much yet. Speaking to the specific dollar issue, Commissioner Nelson said he senses that the Commission doesn’t get a lot of information on the dollars. His sense is for the most part, the Commission asked, “if the money is there, do you think it’s a good idea?” Commissioner Christensen said he likes what they did in Woodbury but that was built on City property. This is school property so they would own it, unlike Woodbury. That is why Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting February 24, 2020 Page 5 of 10 he is asking, is it a contribution or a partnership, and if it is a partnership, what is the legality? Councilmember Polehna responded, it’s a neighborhood park. The City would never spend up to $1 million on a neighborhood park. Commissioner Johnson reiterated she thinks the school can fundraise for it. Mr. Moore pointed out that the area of the City between New Heights School and Washington Square is not served by any of the parks. The 2040 Comprehensive Plan talks about looking at that area and recommends adding a park there when possible to cover that service area. Commissioner Christensen recalled that at one time the Parks Commission discussed rebuilding and enlarging Staples but the residents wanted it left the way it was. Commissioner Snellman recalled that when Washington Square was improved there were also neighbors against it originally. Commissioner Souter said it is worth further consideration in 2021 or 2022 to fill the hole in the service areas that Mr. Moore pointed out on the map. Motion by Commissioner Nelson, seconded by Chairwoman Amrein, to make a recommendation to the City Council that the City pursue support of development of the proposed park as it fits into the City’s plan, level of service map, and City budget. Commissioner Souter asked if it needs to clarify “for a future year” since 2020 is not an option. Commissioner Nelson and Chairwoman Amrein agreed to amend the motion to add “as it fits into future budgeting.” Motion passed, 6-0. Commissioner Christensen asked, does a project this size have to go to Planning? Mr. Sanders replied it might have to go to the watershed district or other agencies if they are disturbing soil. Northland Park Courts Mr. Moore stated that at the January 27, 2020 meeting, the Commission discussed gathering information from the public on the topic of court use at Northland Park. Polco was used for the survey. Approximately 76% of respondents were in favor of exclusive use of the Northland courts for pickleball. The Commission should discuss turning the Northland Park courts into exclusive pickleball courts and make a recommendation to staff. There is enough room on the existing pavement to stripe eight pickleball courts. Currently there are six courts, counting the multi-use courts. There is $100,000 budgeted for this year. The pickleball group has also approached the City about new wind screens. The existing fencing is not heavy duty enough to handle wind screens so it would have to be upgraded. Based on an estimate done in January, it looked like there is enough money to do resurfacing, wind screens, fencing and re-striping. Since January, the contracting climate may have changed and he is not sure the 2020 budget would cover it all right now. Councilmember Polehna asked, how much is the Pickleball Club contributing? Sandy Hudson, Pickleball Club board member, said the club is open to contributing. They collect only $5/person every year which pays for balls and equipment used to clean the Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting February 24, 2020 Page 6 of 10 court. They could up their dues if the City is asking them to contribute more. They currently have about $2,000. That’s not a lot considering the fencing costs. They could contribute so much every year for so many years if that is the desire of the City. Councilmember Polehna noted that baseball contributed money toward the baseball fields. Soccer has contributed almost $1 million to the dome and the turf. The horseshoe players contributed money for benches. He was thinking maybe the City could buy the wind screens and the pickleball people could contribute so much per year for five or ten years. Ms. Hudson replied they are happy to contribute. Wind screens may not be needed but a lot of the people in the group think wind screens are needed. If the City took down the current fencing and put up new fencing that was not as high, they would not need the wind screens. It is totally up to the City. She looks at it as providing pickleball courts for the community, not just for the group. They invite everybody to come and play. If they come more than 2-3 times, they are asked to contribute $5. There are 200 people in the group and on any given weekday there can be 50-70 people playing. Another Pickleball Club member commented that maybe a company that does pickleball courts could make a recommendation on wind screens. Also maybe the Club could buy benches with shades to give some respite from the heat of day. Ms. Hudson acknowledged it is a City park so she understands the Pickleball Club shouldn’t leave equipment at the courts unless approved by the City. They should not expect the City to provide these things, but if there is a place to put some shade into the design that may be worth considering. Commissioner Christensen asked how the players sign up for times. Ms. Hudson replied they reserve the courts through the City and say what hours they’ll be playing. If a tennis player comes during that time, they just see that the tennis court isn’t available and come back after the pickleball players are done, or if there is one net available for tennis, they are welcome to use it. Commissioner Christensen stated the Commission has helped this sport grow in Stillwater and he has no issue with that. But now the club is asking for exclusivity on one of the park properties. He understands that a tennis player would not want to play tennis when all the pickleball players are there, but if it is striped for exclusive pickleball courts, they would not play there even when there are no pickleball games. Ms. Hudson pointed out tennis courts may also be reserved through the City. Councilmember Polehna commented the Commission must decide if it wants to give up the tennis courts here because there is tennis within a mile. Ms. Hudson pointed out there are tennis courts at Rutherford, Lily Lake, Staples, and the High School where people can play when there is no school. Commissioner Nelson agreed, it’s not like there are not enough courts to play tennis. Commissioner Christensen replied that’s not his argument. He is trying to keep things in context with what has been done historically. The City has worked with Ms. Hudson for 10- 15 years. But the next group could come in and say, “we want this changed to that because the City did it for pickleball.” Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting February 24, 2020 Page 7 of 10 Ms. Hudson suggested if there is backlash from the tennis players, then re-stripe Lily Lake. It’s not that big of a cost to take out the pickleball lines there and just have two tennis courts. There is not a shortage of tennis courts in Stillwater. Mr. Moore remarked if there is one dedicated tennis court then there would be enough room for four dedicated pickleball courts. That would cut down on the number of permanent pickleball courts in the City from eight to four. Commissioner Souter asked, how much does re-striping cost? Mr. Moore stated to line all the courts it would cost $5,000-7,000. Mill and overlay will be $45,000-60,000 and another $30,000 or so for fencing if redone. Commissioner Christensen said he feels the Commission is entering new territory by going to exclusivity without a partnership. The City has required help from the groups in the past. Commissioner Johnson pointed out, if a kid wanted to play tennis at Northland, they could use the bike trail safely to go to the tennis court at Rutherford. Commissioner Nelson acknowledged part of what is being said is that it is unique to change the use to one specific use without a group saying they are going to contribute. He would think the people who play pickleball would be excited about having dedicated courts. It seems like something they could fundraise for. Ms. Hudson reiterated the club is open to contributing a reasonable amount. They are open to helping because it would be such a boost to the City to have exclusive pickleball courts. Motion by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Commissioner Christensen, that the new court surfaces at Northland Park be striped exclusively for pickleball. Councilmember Polehna said this is really not starting anything new. Tennis courts have been exclusively as tennis courts for 40-50 years. Commissioner Nelson noted it’s a good point that whenever a specific group comes and requests a change, they should be expected to contribute also. Councilmember Polehna agreed every group that wants something needs to contribute toward it. Chairwoman Amrein noted it’s hard for her to know how to vote. She has no clue about what pickleball is but she understands it’s getting very popular. Motion passed, 4-0-2 with Snellman and Amrein abstaining. Mr. Sanders informed the Commission that during the last couple years, the City re-striped the courts at Lily and Staples Field and in both places they striped one permanent pickleball court and the other two were combined tennis and pickleball courts. He asked, would the Commission support converting those combined courts back to all tennis in the next couple years, or leave those the same? Commissioner Nelson said it’s worth looking at. His opinion is to leave it for now. Commissioner Souter agreed she would leave it but keep that as an option depending on timing and what happens with these courts. Councilmember Polehna pointed out that the Commission needs to work directly with the Pickleball Club regarding what they want to do regarding the fences. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting February 24, 2020 Page 8 of 10 Commissioner Nelson said if wind screens aren’t necessary, it seems like a great cost saving to just leave the fencing as is. Ms. Hudson commented that last year one of the players, Mr. Armstrong, wanted the wind screens and he offered to use the Teddy Bear Foundation to see if they could help with funding. So if it is decided to have wind screens, there is that possible funding. 2020 Playground Projects Mr. Moore stated that the City has budgeted $90,000 for playground equipment in 2020. There are four locations with playground equipment needing to be replaced. Associated costs for purchase and installation, on State bid, would allow the City to do three of the four locations with the money that is budgeted. Staff recommends prioritizing Northland which is probably the highest use park in terms of play equipment. Then it would be up to the Parks Commission to decide whether Meadowlark or Anez Park would be next. Maybe there should be a neighborhood meeting to determine how much use Anez Park gets. Commissioner Souter asked what the discounted cost means, and why the highest discount is for Anez, considering it may be an under-utilized park. Mr. Moore replied that Anez has bigger footprint so staff is looking to at least have the same amount of play equipment and fill up the space that is there. That is why that one is higher. There is room to cut back. The discount is the State bid. Commissioner Johnson asked if the staff runs the plans by the neighbors. Mr. Moore said a postcard is sent out and there is a neighborhood meeting but usually there is not a lot of response. Mr. Sanders explained when the City develops or replaces parks, staff looks at where play structures are, for example the one at Anez is tucked back in the corner and not very accessible. Many of the play structures in the City’s parks are not ADA accessible. The new ones all must be ADA accessible. At Northland, it may make sense to put both structures in one place (lower Northland) to make them more accessible. Commissioner Nelson said he understand it adds expense and complications but he thinks being away from streets is actually a benefit. However it may make sense to hold off on the Northland upper area for now. Commissioner Johnson suggested giving staff the leeway to combine the structures at Northland, whatever they think is the most efficient. Mr. Moore replied combining upper and lower Northland would be the most efficient this year. Motion by Commissioner Johnson, seconded by Commissioner Snellman, that staff use their discretion on how best to improve these four parks for 2020. Commissioner Christensen said he would like to know what the Commission thinks about combining the upper and lower areas at Northland, by putting play structures only in the lower area. Commissioner Souter commented if the upper Northland equipment is ever updated, it would have to be ADA accessible and have a paved trail from the lower park. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting February 24, 2020 Page 9 of 10 Mr. Moore stated there is not a lot of room along the side of the ballfield due to drainage around the outside. So a footprint on the upper one with equipment for ages 2-5, and ages 5-12 would probably mean more work with drainage. Commissioner Nelson stated there is sharp rough concrete exposed on the lower area. He asked if the City could just do basic maintenance on the upper area and not have to make a decision about getting rid of it. Mr. Moore said that is possible, but then coming back and combining them at some point may mean that some things on the lower area may have to be rearranged because that is just for young kids. Motion passed, 5-1 with Commissioner Nelson voting nay. Planning Commission - The Lakes of Stillwater Phase III Parks and Trail Dedication Mr. Moore said that in 2017 the City approved a four-phase Planned Unit Development for the Goodman Group (referred to as the Lakes at Stillwater). At the Commission’s May 2017 meeting, the Commission recommended approval of fee in lieu of land dedication, with costs credited for the construction of the HWY 12/72nd Street trail connection. Phase I has been completed and Phase II is underway. At this point the developer is proposing to develop Phase III. Phase III Park and Trail Dedication fees will be paid prior to the release of a building permit. No Commission action is requested at this time. Name the Park Update Mr. Moore informed the Commission that the Name the Park survey has been on Polco since December 18, 2019 and posted on the City’s website and was in the January newsletter and will be again in March. As of February 19, 2020 the City has received 23 suggestions for the Aiple Property and 16 suggestions for the Palmer Property. The survey will run for another month and staff will compile a list for Commission review in April. Councilmember Polehna said he thinks the City needs to dump Polco due to the low response rate. Commissioner Christensen said he also heard that some of the responses for the Aiple Property were not sending when they hit send. Commissioner Johnson said maybe the City should switch to Survey Monkey. INFORMATION ITEMS Commission list Chairwoman Amrein asked the Commissioners to please make sure their contact information is correct on the list. COMMISSION ITEMS/TOPICS Councilmember Polehna updated the Commission on the Lift and Loop Celebration May 15 & 16: dinner on the bridge and street dance afterwards on May 15; pancake breakfast and ribbon cutting on May 16 followed by hands across the river. Councilmember Polehna informed the Commission it was determined that the Aiple house needs more work than was anticipated to make it useable. It will have to be sprinklered and if the bathrooms are to be used, the sewer has to be reconnected. The Minnesota Rowing Club asked about the possibility of bringing in a storage container and portapotty, and seeing how rowing works for this summer, operating independently of the house. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting February 24, 2020 Commissioners Snellman and Souter said they felt this is a good idea. Commissioner Christensen pointed out the biggest issue is how to work out parking. Commissioner Christensen informed the Commission that for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day April 22, there will be an electric car show downtown in the parking lots next to the Water Street Inn. Test drives will be available. Also, Bird City got approved by the City Council and there will be an international Bird symposium May 23 at Washington Park. There will also be bird watching educational activities at Browns Creek. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Snellman, seconded by Commissioner Souter, to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed, 6-0. The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m. LLKka '9- A►'nNoz Linda Amrein, Chair ATTE�L.J/ Tim Moore, Public Works Superintendent Page 10 of 10