11-18-25 - PTRC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – November 18, 2025 Page 5 Ms. Tucker said she is looking for feedback. The they are trying to build off of the recommendations so they can move forward with facilitating the projects. Discussion ensued when this plan would be brought to Council. Staff clarified the difference between this effort and the Park Master Plan Update that will be heard at the Council meeting in December. The Great River Greening Natural Resources Management Plan will go to Council eventually. It is only a draft at this time and a Council presentation has not been scheduled yet. Ms. Tucker said the grant funding is for a 5 year time period. They started in 2024. Great River Greening will be working in the community through 2029. Having input on the structure of the plan is the important piece over the winter. That will allow them to edit and prepare the plan so it is a useful document for the City, moving forward. Committee Members will go over the plan, as outlined and provide comments and feedback to Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky. She will forward the information to Great River Greening. Ms. Tucker said she would like feedback on volunteer interest. Great River Greening facilitates community engagement through their management work. She would like to learn what the City’s residents want to see happening and what do community members want to be a part of. They are incorporating feedback from residents who are working on the current projects. That priority set and potential will help inform the feasible needs for the physical parks, as well as, the community members who use the parks. Committee Member Rogers said there are a lot of community members who would like to be educated on buckthorn. The City has equipment that can be used, but there are no instructions. They ended up having to hack out the buckthorn because they couldn’t get the equipment working. Residents know buckthorn is bad, but that’s all they know. There needs to be a broader understanding of how to mitigate the invasive species. She asked if the plan will be written so Public Works and community members will easily understand. Ms. Tucker said that is a guideline. Section four will contain instruction on the actions being proposed. Those instruction will be contractor-level and Public Works-level instructions. It will include lists with useful guidance. The last piece will be more technical soil and impact charts. The invasive species management protocol will be included. It will outline the actions to be taken and the timing of those actions. Committee Member Seemann asked about the woody debris disposal options at Chatham. She said there is so much the City hasn’t been able to haul it away. They have been chipping it on-site. She is concerned on how that will effect the establishment of vegetation. Ms. Tucker said they are working with a contractor on Hazelnut and Floral Parks. One of the sections were hand-cut, rather than using equipment. The material disposal will include using large kilns to burn the material at a higher temperature. This process produces less smoke than an open pile burning, it doesn’t leave any damage to the soil. There will be a demonstration at Floral of that technique. Chair Dietz asked if they will share the date of that burning and will the public be allowed to observe it?