12-17-25 - PTRC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – December 17, 2025 Page 4 Staff will add that to the January agenda to discuss. Committee Member Julius said there are three members not returning in January. She wondered if the committee needs to be recruiting for new members. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said that if the PTRC has space for twelve members it doesn’t mean that we have to have twelve. There is no pressure. We can still get good work done with fewer members. She echoed Council Liaison Rousseau’s opinion that twelve is a large amount of members for a committee like this. Discussion ensued regarding how many members other bigger cities have on a committee like this. We have way more. If we are good with the number being twelve members, that’s okay, too. 5. NEW BUSINESS A. Park System Plan Update Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the consultant presented at the last meeting to outline the progress that has been made on the Parks System Plan, so far. She provided a graphic from the consultant regarding the progress made since that presentation. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky outlined the definition of a Park System Plan. She shared the process schedule which shows we are about halfway through the process. The steering committee will be meeting about the work to still be done to complete the final plan. The consultants will be attending the February PTRC Meeting to give an update. Council Liaison Rousseau said the March PTRC meeting is set for March 17. She noted the Mounds View School District doesn’t have school that week. She stated it might be a good idea to move that meeting, to avoid family vacations. Staff will explore possible alternative dates. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the consultant did an update on the public engagement, so far, to include the survey, the web site and the open house. She outlined the feedback received at each event. The attendees at the Touch a Truck event overwhelmingly chose water features as what they wanted most. There were 874 responses to the survey with 2,721 responses to open-ended questions. The three key takeaways were a strong demand for trail connectivity, a desire for modern amenities/inclusive features and maintaining the natural character while also improving the maintenance. There was a booth at the Lions Community Picnic. Feedback from that event was playgrounds for more ages, parks being physically/visually accessible and additional programs/events for all ages. The conversations at the open house held at City Hall in November clarified those resident’s preferences. She shared the consultant’s preliminary recommendations. She said the final plan will include several maps. Committee Member Julius is hearing the feedback from residents seems that trail connectivity is very important. She doesn’t see that reflected in the consultant’s recommendations.