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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAug 22, 2018 Park & Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting August 22, 2018 David Payne called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. Roll Call Members present: Sean Clerkin, Tom Greenhalgh, Kevin McDonald, David Payne, Marsha Stroik Staff present: Kevin Hansen, Public Works Director; Keith Windschitl, Recreation Director; Deanna Saefke, Commission Secretary; CHPD Sergeant Justin Pletcher Approval Consent Agenda Motion by Stroik, second by Carder, to approve the consent agenda. Upon vote: All ayes. Motion Carried. Letters and Requests A. Letter of request for a private bar using staff approved bartenders for a wedding with 100-120 guests on September 7, 2018. B. Letter of request for a private bar using staff approved bartenders for a wedding with approximately 250 guests on October 20, 2018. Windschitl indicated that Saefke has worked with both renters on these two added requests and has discussed bar details with the renters. Motion by Clerkin, second by Greenhalgh, to approve both requests allowing a private bar with staff approved bartenders on September 7, 2018 and October 20, 2018. Upon vote: All ayes. Motion Carried. Old Business A. Park Facilities Use Policy update Windschitl gave the Commission an added memo regarding the City of Peace Neighborhood Center rental policy. He indicated the City Council voted and approved the current policy to rent out the building through the recreation department at a rate of $25 per hour with a $100 key deposit. Once the policy was reviewed by staff in the recreation department and there were a few concerns. One item is the use of the proxy card to open the locked door and disarms the alarm. This card allows access to the building at any time. Windschitl indicated Sergeant Pletcher is present to discuss the security of the building and has worked very closely with the community in that neighborhood. Sergeant Pletcher reported during a recent assessment of the 1200 foot block there are eighty to ninety children living there. The block does not have a sidewalk, is a two lane road, no shoulder, and a significant amount of street parking on both sides of the street. Staff is very concerned with the amount of children that play in the park and on the street and feel it is an accident waiting to happen. There are no designated parking spots for the neighborhood center. The children in the neighborhood use the park every day which is what staff wanted to happen. The second concern is security in regards to the building. Pletcher listed the building as a big screen TV, fifteen or so games donated by Target, a computer, a phone system, a refrigerator, and a white smart board. He has attended many meetings and neighborhood events at the building; regardless of what the event is the kids City of Columbia Heights August 22, 2018 Park & Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting Page 2 in the neighborhood walk into the building to see what is happening and ask for food when they see it. He feels with the cultural diversity in the neighborhood and that many of the events already held at the park have been offering free lunches or community building events, there is potential with a private rental for tension and misunderstandings to occur because it is not a public party. The residents, and especially the kids, that have attended these neighborhood events and will not know the difference with a private rental. The houses in the neighborhood are comprised of many rental properties and house multiple generations within the same family. The park itself is in a small area and another concern would be how to designate that the park or playground area is open for public use and the building is being rented for a private event. Stroik asked if sidewalks can be installed on both sides of the street. Hansen replied typically there is sixty feet of right-of-way, and on that block there is only fifty feet. On the north side of the street there is no room. On the south side of the street trees would need to be removed and there is only four feet or so to work with. He th indicated that is a future project to add a sidewalk from the park down to 40 Avenue. Stroik replied she thinks this will help. She has seen sidewalks in other cities that start at the edge of the gutter and go in towards the grass. Hansen replied even with this design trees will need to be removed. Carder stated the kids in her neighborhood have sidewalks in front of the house and along the park across the street and still play in the street. Pletcher replied the neighborhood center is much appreciated. The building holds a lot of promise and he feels it isn’t worth risking the neighborhood safety for things (or use) that it really wasn’t intended for. Clerkin asked if the original intent of day to day operations or use of the neighborhood center was supposed to be handled by the police department and not recreation. Pletcher replied the grant that was received made it a parks building. The responsibility is shared within the city. To receive the money from the grant it had to be a parks and recreation building. Windschitl shared one of the most frequent complaints from neighbors at other parks is when the residents get blocked in when users of the park are in front of their house or their driveway. Staff is trying to avoid some of these potential issues at this park. Windschitl reported staff had a meeting to discuss concerns regarding rentals and use of the neighborhood center and came up with three options listed on the memo. The first option would be to do nothing and enforce the current policy as written. The rental fee would be $25 per hour. Staff does not recommend this option due to potential damage to the building and concerns with security of the building. There is no guarantee that the alarm would be set properly or doors locked after a rental. Option two is to amend the policy to increase the rental fee, require a two hour minimum, and increase the damage deposit amount from $100 to $250 in cash or credit card. This is similar to the existing rental policy of the senior center inside Murzyn Hall. The third option is to amend the policy to only rent the facility to community or civic groups, or city sponsored organizations. Windschitl stated that any group meeting those types of requirements can always write a letter of request to the Park & Recreation Commission if they want to use the facility. Parking and congestion is a concern. He agrees the original intent of the building was not for weekend parties and showers, but rather to benefit the community as events. The cleanup and maintenance of the building is another concern. Hansen replied staff is committed to maintaining the exterior of the property. There is no janitor at that facility. Public Works will pick up trash as the building is used, but that is not a daily operation. There are four janitors outside of Murzyn Hall and those are limited hours so these are part time employees. Carder asked if the community could be involved as a neighborhood cleanup watch. Pletcher replied when there are youth programs at the park, staff will have them help clean but that is a monitored situation. With the amount of rental properties that area is a transient community and residents are moving in and out of the neighborhood frequently, so a watch group isn’t feasible. Clerkin stated with civic groups there is a greater chance that they will follow the rules and cleanup when they are done. Hansen replied the policy states to take all of the trash bagged and have the building put back the way that it was when they arrived. Clerkin asked if the proxy cards can be programmed to only open one door. Hansen replied that it can be programmed to any time, but the interior door can still be unlocked on the push City of Columbia Heights August 22, 2018 Park & Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting Page 3 bar. Clerkin stated the cards could only be operational during park hours. Windschitl replied that is how they currently work. Hansen replied currently when a group has reserved the building there is a twenty minute window prior to the scheduled time and after the block of time where the system will auto alarm. This can be changed to whatever time desired. Windschitl reported that many time with the rentals inside Murzyn Hall the ending time is 1:00 a.m. and often times the renter is incurring late fees if a deejay or person cleaning up is not out on time. Staff already begins to encourage renters to leave on time one hour earlier and people are still late. He believes the police department might get called to the neighborhood center frequently. Staff has already begun to discuss the instructions to give a renter of the facility but with multiple languages being spoken in the city there is still an opportunity for error and misunderstanding regarding the alarm and locking of the doors. Stroik suggested the requirement of a staff person on site during rentals. Clerkin replied the renter would need to pay more to cover that hourly cost. Windschitl replied there would not be available staff. It is difficult to cover all of the part time shifts at Murzyn Hall right now. Stroik asked if the lack of staff is budget related. Windschitl replied getting quality staff is more of the issue. Pletcher replied the neighborhood is unlikely to call the cops if there is an issue. Payne asked what a part time staff person would do during a problem besides call the cops. Windschitl reported the contracted security company for Murzyn Hall is having a hard time finding quality employees. Then if you think about the potential types of situations when there is a problem that employee has to deal with conflicts and that is a hard job to want to sign up for. Hansen pointed out two other issues are deciding on the rate for an additional staff or security person and how that is getting paid for. The other issue is scheduling or availability of an employee. There wouldn’t be continuous use of the facility. There could be weeks in between rentals or one week with ten rentals. In one day there could be two different blocks of times for rentals as well. Windschitl added someone looking for a job is going to be looking for consistent hours; that is why they are looking for a job. The current policy indicates the rentals can only be made within 30 days. Saefke reported the hourly rate for a security officer is thirty-five plus tax. Motion by Greenhalgh, second by Clerkin, to amend the policy to only rent the facility out to civic groups to be used for community events. Stroik is concerned with the definition of civic groups and wants it to be clearer on who falls into that definition. Windschitl replied if any group wants to use the facility they can send a letter of request to the Park & Recreation Commission. Pletcher stated the use of the building was not intended for birthday parties or even a church group that wants to use it every single week. Windschitl agrees that repetitive rentals should not be allowed so that no other group can use it. Saefke asked about the rental rate. Stroik replied there should be a substantial security deposit in cash or credit only, no matter who the group is. Saefke reported the rate at Murzyn Hall for a non-profit civic group from Columbia Heights is a sixty dollar entry fee and twenty-five dollar per hour of use with a $250 damage deposit. Clerkin suggested a sixty dollar entry and twenty-five dollar per hour of use with a minimum of three hours, and a $250 cash deposit. Windschitl stated this proposed change in the rental policy will go to the City Council. Greenhalgh retracted his original motion. Motion by Greenhalgh, to amend the policy to only rent the facility out to civic groups to be used for community events, the rental rate will be a sixty dollar entry fee, twenty-five dollars per hour of use with a three hour minimum, and a $250 damage deposit in cash or credit card. Stroik asked why there is a minimum use for the hours. Clerkin replied it guarantees the expenditures that are spent by the City will be covered by the rental fee. Windschitl indicated a three hour rental would cost $135.00. Stroik suggested charging more since it is a new facility. She suggested one hundred dollars per hour. Carder City of Columbia Heights August 22, 2018 Park & Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting Page 4 suggested fifty per hour at a minimum. Windschitl replied there is a considerable amount of administrative time; staff takes the reservation details and payment, give them the key and explain the rental procedures a day or two prior to the rental, speak to the maintenance supervisor to program the alarm and proxy key, Public Works staff will go to the facility afterwards and pick up the garbage, and then staff need to get the key back and process the refund. Carder asked if someone inspects the building prior to giving the refund. Windschitl replied that is one of his concerns. If a renter is at the office on Monday morning asking for their damage deposit, how is staff to know what the condition is of the facility? Stroik stated that needs to be in the policy that a damage deposit will be returned subject to inspection or at a certain time afterwards. Windschitl feels twenty-five per hour of use is too inexpensive for the facility. Clerkin suggested one hundred for the entry fee and fifty dollars per hour of use. Carder replied the rental fee needs to cover any funding needed from city departments to run the facility. Greenhalgh amended his motion. Motion by Greenhalgh, second by Clerkin, to amend the policy to only rent the facility out to civic groups to be used for community events, the rental rate will be one hundred dollars per hour of use with a three hour minimum, and a $250 damage deposit in cash or credit card. Upon vote: All ayes. Motion Carried. B. Park Facilities Use Policy update Windschitl asked if any of the members had questions in regards to the attached policy. He reported staff compared the park policies of other cities and really tried to update the current park facilities use policy. One major concern is in regards to a repetitious rental by one group or person. Payne stated the policy would read the rental of one park per month per group, organization, family, or individual. Clerkin stated if a renter wanted to use different parks within one month that would be allowed. Hansen asked how the rental rates compare with other cities. Windschitl replied the fees were increased slightly over the past few years but are currently on the low end compared to other cities. Hansen suggested a fifty dollar rate for residents and seventy-five dollar rate for non-residents. Clerkin suggested lowering the group size rate to be fifty or seventy-five people before a rate increase. Windschitl replied he feels 100 people or more is a good large group size rate, but he does agree with an increase in the rental rate. In 2017 there were approximately 129 park rentals. Payne asked if the park operating hours were staying at 6:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. Clerkin replied it was changing to a closure at dusk. Hansen replied that can only be done by amending the City Ordinance. The procedure is to rewrite the ordinance, have the attorney review the ordinance, after that it needs to be brought to the City Council for a first reading, and then a second reading. Hansen suggested reviewing the whole ordinance which will take time. Stroik asked if a no weapons rule can be added to the park facilities use policy. Hansen replied there can be control over public buildings but he is not sure about the parks. Stroik replied the ordinance should be reviewed in the future. C. City Wide Park Master Plan discussion Hansen indicated he will discuss the updates and current condition at the remaining parks that have not been reviewed this year and discuss the background involved in conducting a referendum. At Silver Lake Beach Park everything from the master plan has been done at that park. From staff’s perspective there is nothing additional beyond the master plan that needs updating. The Silver Lake boat landing needs to be reconstructed. In 2019 the pond near the boat landing will be reconstructed. Hilltop Park was one of the first locations discussed for a potential future dog park but due to the residential homes being adjacent to the park that was not a good fit. City of Columbia Heights August 22, 2018 Park & Recreation Commission Minutes of the Meeting Page 5 This is a small park with green space and a playground. The playground needs to be replaced. Stroik asked if this location could become a tree farm. Hansen replied that he would need to research the requirements for having th a tree farm. The renovations at Keyes Park turned out great. On September 15 sixty trees will be planted there. Greenhalgh asked when the second half of the playground will be installed. Hansen replied as soon as it is delivered. At Ramsdell Park there are two remaining items that have been discussed; having the trail at the back part of the park to create more of a walking path, and addressing the wading pool. Stroik asked what needs to be addressed. Hansen replied the Commission had previously discussed installing a smaller scale splash pad to replace the outdated wading pool. Clerkin suggested updating the wading pool to a similar park in north Minneapolis. Hansen replied the current wading pool does not have proper filtration and would need to dig up the entire pool for improvements regardless of what is installed. Clerkin asked what the cost difference between the two styles of water features. Hansen replied the operational cost is slightly more with a splash pad but with a wading pool there is more personnel time because the pool needs to be checked for chemical quality twice a day. Stroik asked if a referendum can be discussed. Hansen replied the Park and Recreation Commission needs to have approval from the City Manager and the City Council to begin the process of asking the tax payers for funding. He indicated the timeline is either two or four years for the process. Stroik indicated the need for the public to know what to make a choice on when it comes to voting. Clerkin stated when previous public surveys were done the public indicated a willingness to spend money on the improvements of the city parks. Hansen reported by having the Capital Improvement Plan updated and completed, will benefit the discussion and process of what parks need updates. He would get one or two more proposals for park updates. New Business None at this time. Reports A. Recreation Director Windschitl reported the summer park programs went really well this year. Many of the summer seasonal staff is not returning next year. He reported the city van is back in service after the accident. It was not totaled out; the estimate for repairs was approximately $5,800 in damage. He feels that all of the summer park programs accomplished what they are intended for. The staff did a really great job. Windschitl reported the controls at the Hylander Gym are finally being installed with the electrician this week. These controls are for moving the basketball hoops, the divider curtain, and the volleyball nets up and down. The original controls were failing and are no longer supported technically. Saefke added Ariane Kokes continued the fence post art project from the Jamboree with some of the summer park programs and then placed them at a temporary location at different parks. One idea is to remove them and have them displayed at either city hall or the library. Stroik and Carder commented that they have seen the fence posts at some of the parks. B. Public Works Director/City Engineer Hansen indicated all seasonal employees will be finished working as of Friday. There were fifteen total seasonal employees this summer. Stroik asked if seasonal employees are hired for the winter. Hansen replied no. C. Commission Members None at this time. Payne adjourned the meeting at 6:42 p.m. Deanna Saefke, Recreation Secretary