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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarch 23, 2016 minutes Park & Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting Keyes Room, John P. Murzyn Hall March 23, 2016 David Payne called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Roll Call Members present: Anne Carder, Sean Clerkin, Tom Greenhalgh, Kevin McDonald, David Payne, Marsha Stroik Staff present: Kevin Hansen, Public Works Director; Gary Peterson, Mayor; Keith Windschitl, Recreation Director Also present: Amanda Prosser, PLA, ASLA from ISG Consulting Firm Approval Consent Agenda Motion by Stroik, second by Clerkin, to approve the consent agenda. Upon vote: All ayes. Motion Carried. Letters and Requests A. Letter of request for an open bar at a wedding reception on July 1, 2017. Windschitl indicated the client will use a staff recommended bartender. This is a professional couple and staff feels that it will be a responsible event. Motion by Clerkin, second by McDonald, to approve the request for an open bar using a staff approved bartender for the reception on July 1, 2017. Upon vote: All ayes. Motion Carried. Old Business A.Huset Park splash pad grand opening June 1, 2016 Hansen recognized resident Connie Buesgens has been assisting with the planning for the splash pad grand opening. The police have also agreed to move up their community picnic that is usually held in July to the June 1 date. The timeline will be to have the splash pad open at 4:30 p.m., a dedication and grand opening at 5:15 p.m. with a few speakers and a ribbon cutting. All departments will be represented at the picnic along with other community programs such as the Mississippi Watershed, some Anoka County groups, and others. Staff feels this could be a very large event. Stroik asked if the spring fest event is still happening. Hansen replied that will be wrapped in with splash pad grand opening and picnic. Windschitl indicated the concept that Buesgens had of food trucks with a street th dinner has changed a little bit. The street will be closed from the driveway to 5 street with an ice cream truck, the CH Athletic Boosters will have free hotdogs at their wagon, a Mariachi band will be playing music, and there could be one or two additional food trucks. The parks department will have additional picnic tables along with the neighborhood event wagon and any community groups that want to attend and have a display are welcome to attend. Hansen indicated at past police picnics there have been 15 to 20 tables set up for city departments and other groups. Buesgens has invited other community or environmental groups to attend. Hansen stated a current focus in the city is composting and organics so a table will be setup for that. The Fire Department, Community Development, Library, Public Works, and the Recreation Department will all have tables. Windschitl commented that the picnic at Keyes Park last City of Columbia Heights March 23, 2016 Park & Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting Page 2 year was setup really well and had a good turnout of participants, and residents received a lot of useful information. This annual picnic has been incorporated with the splash pad grand opening so it could be a bigger turnout but still a nice event. Again this event will be on Wednesday, June 1 at the Huset Park splash pad. Windschitl stated that this could be a largely attended event. B.Keyes Park Master Plan – concept plans Hansen introduced Amanda Prosser from ISG Consulting firm. Prosser is conducting the master park planning for Keyes Park and some design assistance for the Circle Terrace Park. Staff from Recreation, Police, and Public Works has met to discuss needs and opinions for Keyes Park. Along with the opinion from Prosser and staff discussions, three options have been prepared for examples of a Keyes Park Master Plan. Prosser would like to marrow down the concepts to two choices and bring to the general public to gather any opinions. Prosser discussed current conditions at Keyes Park. The existing soil conditions are not great; mostly clay, imported fill, pieces of concrete, and other materials. Any proposed plans would need to be built up and not dug in the area. Hansen reported a former staff member recalls bulldozers of mixed material being dropped off of the hill from Reservoir Boulevard to fill the area of what is now the athletic field at Keyes Park. Soil borings have not been conducted. He indicated that any changes would be better suited to import soil and build up in the area and not moving a lot of material in the ground. Utilities that are in the area have been there for a long time so there isn’t a historical memory of what might be in the ground. Clerkin asked if concept 2 would the less intrusive. Hansen replied to let Prosser finish her presentation. Prosser indicated the utilities within the park offer several main lines so that is good to have all of the services nearby. The warming house does not meet current accessibility codes. Structurally it seems to be in good shape. The hockey rink is in poor condition. Based upon usage reports she would suggest removing the skating area. The current parking lots allow for 20-30 stalls. The concept plans indicate that same amount of parking. For baseball and softball usage one issue is the northeast field backstop is a safety concern for the sledding hill. A temporary 90 x 150 foot soccer field would be a good space for a younger age group. Synthetic turf was brought up but is not an ideal item at this park. Soil improvements would include better drainage, new seeding, and irrigation. The playground is in need of complete replacement. A typical neighborhood park has a playground between 5000 to 7000 square feet. It is also recommended to have two separate playground areas for two different age groups. Currently there are no walking trails. All proposed concepts show some variety of trail loops. Greenhalgh indicated when T-Ball is at the park the parking lot is full and cars are parked all along the street. Clerkin asked if the fields would be primarily used for youth programs. Windschitl replied the one field is used for youth T-Ball and the other field is used for other ages up to junior varsity softball teams. He does not run any adult softball league there. The current layout of the field serves the programs well. Prosser indicated portable restrooms are shown on all concepts. Concept 3 shows a smaller community building based on police comments for potential use. Stroik asked if a full size soccer field could be at the park. Prosser replied yes, but that would remove one ball field. Prosser discussed the differences between the three concept plans. Discussion was held during the presentation of each plan by the Commission. Hansen reminded the Commission that some of the parking issues might be resolved by having trail loops guiding people to the specific areas of the park. He cautioned the idea of overlapping field use between two different sports. It can create poor conditions from overuse of the field, and that it also can affect the timing and season when each sport can be played. Windschitl replied that an additional adult size field would be nice in the city. Typically adult leagues are not played on fields that do not have permanent fencing or lights. It even becomes difficult to play youth games without field lights. This park offers a good location where field lighting would not have a large effect on the neighborhood. Greenhalgh asked if football would be able to be played there. City of Columbia Heights March 23, 2016 Park & Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting Page 3 Stroik said it would be nice to have lights. Hansen replied there is no way to install lights without impacting the sledding hill. Commission members do not want to have a walking trail going down the sledding hill. Stroik would like to see a designated area with equipment for adult exercise or recreation use. Hansen recapped some of the items the Commission agreed upon are leaving out a central walking path down the hill, removing the field layout from concept 2, having a smaller soccer field that works, install parking that serves the ballfields. He stated that having an open green space is a good thing and not every area within the park needs to be designated for a specific purpose. Windschitl commented that the current building does not get used but maybe once or twice a year. The park rentals with the open shelters are very popular and he feels that a shelter would serve the public better than a building. Stroik asked if the bathrooms could be left and open for year round use. Hansen suggested leaving the option for the public to comment on a building and the possibility of community and public use. Stroik replied to keep the bathrooms and have an open air shelter. Prosser indicated there are two examples on the concepts one with a larger community use building and the other with bathrooms and an open air shelter. Hansen restated the current building is not ADA compliant. He asked if Keyes Park is used for Recreation summer programming. Windschitl replied no. The Commission agreed there is not a need for a community center building at Keyes Park at this time. Hansen suggested indicating a space on the concept listed as future use. Carder suggested a water feature with just a single item similar to the water shooting up out of the ground like at the State Fair. Clerkin pointed out the field layout in concept 3 wouldn’t have much overlap. Stroik prefers the overall feel of concept 1 and having features spread out. Clerkin prefers the centralized aspect of concept 3 with the field layout moving in a few aspects from the other two concepts. Greenhalgh likes the walking trail around the entire area such as concept 2. Payne thanked Prosser for the presentation and discussion. C.Circle Terrace Lots Hansen reported the LaBelle Park Master Plan was updated two years ago to include the Circle Terrace play area. There is 2016 funding for the community building, the play area, and a sport court. This project will take place in two phases. One is to start immediately on the design, grade the area for the st sport court and play features. Once funding becomes available, possibly after July 1, the construction will begin on the building. The building will occupy a full lot size of the area. Peterson was pleased that the building will have an over look view of the city. Hansen indicated a rough timeline with the grading of the area, installation of the play areas, and receiving bids for the building will take time and be close to wrapping up around July. Peterson voiced a concern with the completion of the play areas and then doing construction on the building. Hansen replied that fences would be put in place for the safety of people within the park and protection of the new play areas. New Business None at this time. Reports A.Recreation Director Windschitl indicated the humidifier has been replaced inside John P. Murzyn Hall. The boiler computer system still needs to be replace and is working with Harris Controls for completion. B.Public Works Director/City Engineer Hansen reported the Public Works Department is seeking 15 – 18 seasonal employees. Staff is happy to welcome back 13 returning seasonal workers from last year. Recruitment is difficult right now and applications are low. Windschitl indicated the position is open for a supervisor at the Hylander Center gym right now as well. City of Columbia Heights March 23, 2016 Park & Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting Page 4 C.Commission Members Payne thanked Peterson for the music night and chili feed. He said that it was a good event. Payne adjourned the meeting at 6:45 p.m. _________________________________ Deanna Saefke, Recreation Clerk Typist II