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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-07-27 PRC MINREVISED 216 4th Street N, Stillwater, MN 55082 651-430-8800 www.ci.stillwater.mn.us PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES July 27, 2020 REGULAR MEETING 6:30 P.M. Chairman Brandt called the meeting to order via Zoom at 7:00 p.m. Present: Chairman David Brandt, Commissioners Linda Amrein, Scott Christensen, Pam Johnson, Sam Nelson, Sandy Snellman, Stephanie Souter, Council Representative Mike Polehna Absent: None Staff: Public Works Superintendent Tim Moore, City Planner Abbi Wittman, Public Works Director Shawn Sanders OPEN FORUM There were no public comments. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Chairman Brandt pointed out the misspelling of Commissioner Christensen’s last name on page 2. Motion by Commissioner Snellman, seconded by Commissioner Nelson, to approve the June 22, 2020 meeting minutes with the correction of the typo. All in favor. NEW BUSINESS Bike Friendly Community Roger Tomten, 718 South Fifth Street, Chair of Sustainable Stillwater, introduced Rick Heidick. Mr. Heidick, 3557 White Pine Way, of Sustainable Stillwater, explained plans for enhancing bicycle use in Stillwater and the surrounding area. The Bicycle Friendly Community Sub-team within Sustainable Stillwater would organize and lead the effort. The group is seeking endorsement from the Parks Commission of the key elements of the plan, including engineering, education, encouragement, enforcement and safety, evaluation and equity, diversity and inclusion. He reviewed short term goals and long term goals. Councilmember Polehna noted the need for bike etiquette education especially on multi-use trails. Mr. Heidick that bike etiquette education is part of the education component. Chairman Brandt mentioned that while he was on a bike trip in California, a bike shop hosted a winery tour where tour participants could buy bottles of wine and the bike shop would offer to ship them. He wondered if downtown businesses are interested in finding ways to make it easier for bicyclists to purchase goods. Mr. Heidick said another facet of the plan involves reaching out to businesses to be bicycle friendly. Public Works Superintendent Moore remarked the plan should involve the Planning and Engineering Departments too because they are working on these types of uses in regard to Chestnut Plaza. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting July 27, 2020 Page 2 of 4 Commissioner Amrein agreed that education is needed because bicyclists sometimes zip past walkers on trails. She referred to a ride for Multiple Sclerosis that did a good job of conveying rules of the road to the riders. City Planner Wittman noted that the Planning Department would love to coordinate with the Parks Commission and Engineering Department as well as the Downtown Parking Commission and Heritage Preservation Commission to get input on physical improvements, signage and racks. Commissioner Souter asked if there is any cost to apply for bike-friendly certification. Mr. Heidick replied there is no cost to the City for the certification. Lynn Collins, resident, said she has heard about benefits to businesses and people visiting Stillwater, but where in the planning do the needs of the people who live in Stillwater come into play? Mr. Heidick explained the community aspects of the plan and things the City has already done to enhance the off-road trails around the community and improve crossing areas for bikes. The end result for the community is to create an environment where bicycling can be a first choice for going to the store and for commuting. Studies on health benefits of bicycling for exercise as well as commuting, for instance reduction of carbon emissions, factor into Stillwater’s attractiveness, resale value, and healthy lifestyles for the community. Ms. Wittman added that staff routinely considers connectivity components as developments are proposed, as well as improvements and upgrades to roadways. Gary Kriesel, Washington County Commissioner, thanked Councilmember Polehna for leadership and hard work regarding the Manning Avenue connection which will be a “safe route to school.” Motion by Chairman Brandt, seconded by Commissioner Snellman, to recommend that the City pursue Bike-Friendly certification in partnership with Sustainable Stillwater. All in favor. Park Amenities Mr. Moore described the City’s current standard designs for picnic tables, trash containers and benches. In light of the bridge opening and more traffic downtown, bike racks will also be considered. He reported that Councilmember Junker received a donation to buy four bike racks for temporary use downtown until a plan is in place for permanent locations. Mr. Moore showed the Wabash Valley and Pilot Rock style picnic tables which the City has been purchasing and are found to be durable. He showed a Green Valley style that is about $120 more that meets sustainability standards. Consensus of the Commission was to continue purchasing Wabash Valley picnic tables for locations like Lowell Park, and the Pilot Rock tables for sheltered locations. Mr. Moore reviewed options for recycling and trash containers. Commissioner Amrein commented that it seems trash and recycling containers are needed in some locations such as going up Third Street. Mr. Moore explained the containers are placed within the Central Business District on City property. There isn’t really any City property going up Third Street. Commissioner Souter noted that Washington County has standardized trash and recycling containers. She will send Mr. Moore the contact information to find out about possible County funding. Public Works Director Sanders said he and Mr. Moore discussed standards for downtown trash and recycling containers but he is interested in knowing if the Commission is looking for a different design for the other parks that are not in the downtown area. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting July 27, 2020 Page 3 of 4 Mr. Moore said he will talk with the County about their standards. He acknowledged that the Commission consensus on downtown is to stick with wrought iron black trash receptacles and standard colors for recycling (blue) and organics (green), and to revisit the area outside of downtown and get more information before discussing standards for that area. Regarding benches, Mr. Moore said the current benches are made by a small local manufacturer and are very durable. The Commission’s consensus was to stick with the same bench design. Chairman Brandt asked if the bench manufacturer can make bike racks. Mr. Moore replied they can construct bike racks. In the next few months he will research bike rack styles and bring back more info. along with possible locations. Councilmember Polehna noted there will be some portable bike racks placed on the pedestrian plaza to fill the need temporarily. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Name the Park Mr. Moore noted that in May, the Commission decided on Millbrook Field West for the park site at Hwy 96 and Co. Rd. 15. In regard to the Aiple property, at the last meeting, the Commission talked with historian Brent Peterson about the property area in regard to potential names for that park. Mr. Moore led discussion of potential names which included Tamarack and Mill Park for the Aiple land. Motion by Commissioner Nelson, seconded by Commissioner Amrein, to recommend the name Old Mill Park for the Aiple property. All in favor. Aiple Property Update City Planner Wittman reported there have been challenges with finalization of the park plan and programming elements surrounding use of the building. She asked for comments from the Commission regarding potential use of the building, rehabilitation, trails and accessibility. Chairman Brandt said he struggles to figure out how the existing house could be reconfigured for public use. In general, he views City-owned buildings as more of a liability than an asset unless there is a well defined use for them. Commissioner Snellman said she feels that the building should remain only if it could be remodeled extensively to make it much more open. As it is, it is not amenable to a lot of public uses. Commissioner Amrein said she wondered if businesses or organizations would want to use it for instance, to have an employee seminar. Commissioner Souter agreed with Commissioner Snellman that opening up the rooms would be necessary if the building remains. Due to limitations in the amount of impervious surface, the pool side of the building could possibly be removed in order to gain the ability to add some trail surface or more turnaround space, and still retain the potential for storage in the garage for kayaks or canoes. The driveway is narrow and more paved area may be needed to allow vehicles to turn around. Ms. Wittman added that staff are in discussions with Washington County and the legal team about what the City can add at the site and still stay in conformance with the conservation easement. Commissioner Souter said more brush and trees would need to be cleared, and signage added for cars and busses so everyone knows what may be coming across the trail. Ms. Wittman summarized that the Commission seems opposed to bus access but in favor of looking at some limited access in and out depending on what programming elements are decided on. Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting July 27, 2020 Commissioner Christensen said he has been against keeping the building since the City first acquired the property because it's in a terrible location with having to drive across the whole park to get to the building. There is currently 31,000 sf of asphalt taking up park land. He doesn't see anything significant or historic about the building and feels it may be a money pit. Ms. Wittman reported that the City Council has directed staff to determine how to retain the building and figure out a use for it,primarily because if it is removed, it is unlikely that anything else would be allowed to be built there. She is hearing from the Commission that a majority do not feel it is essential to preserve,but that there may be support for its use for storage, a couple classrooms and restrooms and if there is some sort of partner in that, there is more support for it. Louise Watson, Sustainable Stillwater, said she toured the house with the Commission. She asked if the building could be used the way it is now,until there is a better plan. She would like to gain more public input about how to use the building. There are some fairly cheap fix-up things that could make it a lot more attractive and give the public a chance to use it until the plan is finalized. Ms. Wittman responded that staff has developed a draft vegetation management plan to clean up the property and reestablish more native vegetation.Because the building was built for residential uses, allowing public use would necessitate structural changes including accessibility. COMMISSION ITEMS/TOPICS Councilmember Polehna reported he will have a meeting with Washington County next week to discuss how the City can facilitate handicapped accessibility of the Aiple property. Ms. Wittman updated the Commission on the trail along the river. The plan is undergoing jurisdictional review which will take 30-60 days. Councilmember Polehna stated a drinking fountain will be installed at Brown's Creek Park. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Snellman, seconded by Chairman Brandt, to adjourn. All in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 9:02 p.m. David Brandt, Chair ATTES _e7/, T Tim Moore, Public Works Superintendent Page 4 of 4