04-16-24 - PTRC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – April 16, 2024 Page 5 Chair Anderson asked if the group needed support in any way, noting they were slated to attend a Council worksession in a month. Committee Member Seeman agreed that she just found out about being slated for an upcoming worksession and said she would love for the City to provide the verbiage that was put into communications at the point these were installed, versus sewer drainage systems. She wanted to understand the reasoning. Recreation Supervisor Johnson stated he believed the City was supposed to get reimbursed for putting those in or something like that and that it was mostly the property owner volunteering that they would maintain them. Chair Anderson said it seemed like the manpower that would need to go into maintaining those even from a logistical standpoint of organizing volunteers and may not be the most effective or efficient way. Committee Member Jacobson stated the group provided critiques of the rain gardens located in her own neighborhood to Public Works Director Swearingen and asked which rain gardens are functioning. She hoped to receive feedback about a process prior to the worksession before putting too much time in working on this issue. Chair Anderson asked what was needed to approach the Council. Council Liaison Rousseau said her hope was to provide a two-page executive summary which summarizes why this is important and here is what is known, and then also to include a roadmap. Committee Member Jacobson suggested the technical information come from Public Works. Council Liaison Rousseau noted that Public Works Director Swearingen attends most worksessions and reaching out to give him a heads up would be good. Committee Member Jacobson stated she would wait to hear from Public Works versus trying to find information herself by searching the City’s website. Council Liaison Rousseau asked that she cc her on the email to Public Works Director Swearingen. Discussion continued about rain gardens and presenting the information to the City Council. Committee Member Seemann indicated that she met with Great River Greening last April to discuss a potential partnership with Great River Greening to help with habitat restoration at the parks which entailed getting rid of buckthorn and replacing it with native plants. She noted the PTRC recommendation the partnership which the City Council approved and funding was applied for last spring. She reported that not as much money was approved by the State. Committee Member Seeman said a grant proposal was written and would be online in July. She stated originally it was proposed to work on Floral Park and Hazelnut Park but that has been changed.