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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-26-12-WS lt -` 1ZEN DULLS Approved: January 14, 2013 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING NOVEMBER 26,2012 IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING —ARDEN HILLS COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Grant called to order the City Council Work Session meeting at 8:45 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, Nick Tamble, and Ed Werner Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers; Public Works Director Terry Maurer; and Park and Recreation Manager Michelle Olson 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The Council accepted the agenda as presented. 2. AGENDA ITEMS A. Celebrating Arden Hills City Festival Follow-Up Park and Recreation Manager Olson stated that at the October 15, 2012, work session, staff presented a recap of the 2012 Celebrating Arden Hills Event and also provided a budget summary. At that meeting, it was the consensus of the Council to have staff research other event options. Park and Recreation Manager Olson provided information and costs associated with offering outdoor movies in the park. She offered pricing information based on both rented and purchased equipment options. Park and Recreation Manager Olson also provided information and costs associated with hosting concerts in the park. She noted that the City is limited in which types of bands could perform in the park due to the fact that there is no stage or sound system provided. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—NOVEMBER 26, 2012 2 I Park and Recreation Manager Olson stated that there were some concerns and opinions expressed regarding the fireworks that were provided at the 2012 Celebrating Arden Hills Event. Specifically, there was a complaint by a resident regarding fireworks debris that landed on the resident's property. She explained that the debris comes from the paper casing wrapped around the fireworks, but it is not considered a fire hazard. She noted that when fireworks are launched, the embers produced come down within a 350 foot `safety zone' which is where the fire trucks are parked and available if needed. She explained that the debris that travels farther is from the larger caliber fireworks (five inch) as they are shot higher. One option would be to use smaller caliber fireworks. She stated that she is working with Northwestern College to receive approval to launch fireworks from their island; which would be further from the park but over the lake. She stated that debris could potentially land on the college property as well as some of the lake residents' properties. Another option to consider is purchasing barges that would allow for the fireworks to be launched from out on the lake. Park and Recreation Manager Olson noted that the movie and concert in the park options would require significantly less staff time than organizing the Celebrating Arden Hills Event. She stated that the movie and concert events would likely bring in more Arden Hills residents and families. It was noted that a good portion of the patrons of the Celebrating Arden Hills Event were not Arden Hills residents. Mayor Grant inquired if there was a breakdown in price for outdoor movies. Park and Recreation Manager Olson stated that licensing was between $400 to $600, depending on the movie. The renting of the movie equipment would be around $600 for an audience of 350 people or less. Mayor Grant inquired as to what types of movies other cities are showing. Park and Recreation Manager Olson stated that family-friendly movies are chosen, such as Disney movies or movies that are rated PG or G. She noted that outdoor movie licensing allows for the advertisement of the movie title, which helps attendance. Mayor Grant inquired about the fireworks safety zone and the logistics of lighting off fireworks from Northwestern College's island. Park and Recreation Manager Olson stated that the 350 foot safety zone begins at the point where the fireworks are launched and it does not matter if they are launched at an angle or not. One suggestion given by the fireworks company is to launch the fireworks before the bridge to eliminate trying to get a big engine out to the island. Park and Recreation Manager Olson noted that another consideration of launching fireworks from Northwestern College's island is that it would be better to do it in the fall. She stated that the summer timeframe is more problematic because Northwestern College hosts numerous wedding events. Mayor Grant commented that the City of Roseville used to host a concert series, but he is not sure if they still do. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—NOVEMBER 26, 2012 3 Councilmember Tamble stated that if the consideration is to not host a Celebrating Arden Hills Fall Festival, he would eliminate the fireworks altogether. He noted that there is a parallel draw to the fireworks as there is to the festival. He stated that he is open to the idea of hosting movies or concerts in the park; however, he is unsure how the City's demographic supports those types of events. He mentioned that it might be an option of offer different kinds of events to appease different age brackets. At this point, he would be inclined to pull back from all events. Councilmember Holmes asked for clarification from Councilmember Tamble because she thought it sounded as though he does not want the City to host any events. She wondered if he is proposing a new concept. Councilmember Tamble stated that he is not proposing any events at this time. He noted that with the Celebrating Arden Hills Fall Festival, the biggest expense is the fireworks expense. Councilmember Holmes agreed that fireworks are too expensive. She stated that if the City were to go with the movie idea, she thinks that there are a lot of"G" rated movies that would appeal more to families versus just offering movies for little kids. Park and Recreation Manager Olson stated that the movie choices could be changed up to cater to different audiences. She noted again that the advantage of outdoor movie licensing is the fact that movie titles can be used on any advertising that is done. This would allow for a schedule of movie events to be advertised in advance, which would make it easier for people to pick and choose the movies they want to see. She also stated that some cities provide a mixture of concerts and movies. Councilmember Tamble cautioned against using the City of Shoreview's attendance numbers because they have 25,000 residents. The City of Arden Hills could have fewer numbers simply because the population is smaller. Councilmember Holmes stated that advertisement could bring more people from outside the community and not just Arden Hills residents. Mayor Grant inquired if there was something else that the others would like to see done with the money typically spent on fireworks ($7500) if fireworks were eliminated from the fall festival. Councilmember Holden stated that Park and Recreation Manager Olson has done a wonderful job bringing the Council information and new ideas every year, however, she feels that the goal of reaching out to the community is just not being met. She stated that the idea behind the fall festival was to offer a time for the residents and the Council to talk and open the lines of communication, but that just is not happening with this event. She suggested that maybe the event only be held every five years. Councilmember Werner stated that he agrees with Councilmember Holden and that maybe Celebrating Arden Hills should only be held every five years. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—NOVEMBER 26, 2012 4 Councilmember Holden suggested taking turns hosting something in each neighborhood, which would allow time for residents and the Council to mingle and discuss neighborhood issues. She suggested having a small carnival to help increase resident participation. Park and Recreation Manager Olson stated that years ago, the event that was held was called Day in the Park, and it was a celebration of all the new play structures in the parks. It was held on a Saturday, the event had a small budget, and there were many groups of volunteers (i.e. soccer coaches from the Thunder) who helped with the event. She noted that this smaller-scale event seemed to bring the community together. She indicated that as of right now, there is no community involvement in the Celebrating Arden Hills event. She stated that a big advantage to having more volunteers is the fact that they bring more ideas to the table and it makes for a better event. City Administrator Klaers stated that the planning required for Celebrating Arden Hills is laborious and it needs to begin in January which is why staff is looking for direction in terms of the community event. The consensus among the Council is that there will not be a Celebrating Arden Hills event in 2013 and fireworks are also being eliminated. 3. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES None. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session meeting at 9:20 p.m. Patrick Klaers David Grant City Administrator Mayor