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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-15-14 PTRC Minutes CITY OF ARDEN HILLS PARKS, TRAILS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014 ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL CALL MEETING TO ORDER Co-Chair Van Valkenburg called the April 15, 2014, meeting of the Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee to order at 6:35 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Co-Chair John Van Valkenburg and Committee Members Steve Scott, Nancy Jennifer Stephens, Matt Trites, Don Messerly, Harold Petersen, and Rich Straumann (arrived at 6:45 p.m.). OTHERS PRESENT: Parks and Recreation Manager Michelle Olson, Public Works Director Terry Maurer, Council Guest Fran Holmes, Council Liaison Dave McClung, and Guest Chuck Katchel. ABSENT: Co-Chair Phil Kramlinger (excused) and Committee Members Cindy Garretson (excused) and Chuck Michaelson (excused). 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Committee Member motioned to approve the agenda seconded by Committee Member Petersen. The motion carried unanimously (7-0). 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES March 18, 2014 MOTION: Committee Member Scott motioned to approve the March 18, 2014, minutes as presented, seconded by Committee Member . The motion carried unanimously (7-0). 3. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. TCAAP Park Recommendation Parks and Recreation Manager Olson recapped that a TCAAP park analysis of the draft Master Plan was presented to the committee at the March meeting. At that meeting it was decided to form a subcommittee. The subcommittee met on April 1 and further reviewed the analysis and is making the following recommendations which are listed in the memo. Public Works Director Maurer pointed out that Ms. Olson put together the information from what was discussed at the subcommittee meeting as well as from other information that she received. He indicated that staff tried to encompass all the comments that they heard and if the Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes April 15, 2014 Page 2 . Mr. Maurer mentioned that these st recommendations will be introduced to Council at the April 21 work session and asked that the PTRC members attend the meeting to support the recommendations. pointed out that some of the parks indicate portable bathrooms and others do not indicate anything. Ms. Olson indicated she will remove that item as it was a typo. Bathrooms are intended to only be mentioned if they proposed to be indoor as the outdoor bathroom is a detail not needed at this point. Public Works Director Maurer indicated that staff is recommending that the fields be irrigated so there will be water there. Committee Member suggested the proposal list a full basketball court with lights at the athletic complex. Ms. Olson stated that at this point they should not be concerned with location but merely that a full basketball court is included in the proposal. Committee Member Scott indicated he was asked to present some additional information regarding aeronautics and provided the PTRC with an informational packet. He pointed out that some urban schools have to drive quite a long ways out to rural areas in order to engage in this activity. He, personally, would like to see two separate sites on the TCAAP property, each approximately 1 ¼ acre, that could be used for flying model airplanes. Discussion ensued regarding the two sites and whether this be included in the recommendation to Council. Council Liaison McClung indicated since the development area is not that large, the amenities that are put in there have to be multi-purpose and he cannot support this and feels it would be difficult finding support if the proposal is dedicating an acre or two for aviation alone. Public Works Director Maurer also stated he did not think this a good idea, but stated this might be brought back to Council when the park is built to see if this is an appropriate use for that space. He indicated he could change the bullet point under Other Items Discussed to say up to 2.5 acres or two 1.25 acre areas of multi-use open space for flying model airplanes so that Council is aware this was discussed. Ms. Holmes questioned whether there should be a play structure on the athletic field. Ms. Olson indicated a play structure should have been listed and will add it. Ms. Holmes also questioned why a splash pad was listed since at the last discussion it was determined to be too expensive. Ms. Olson indicated at the last subcommittee meeting there was more of a consensus to have a splash pad or some sort of water feature. She indicated she could make it more generic since the subcommittee was not sold on, specifically, a splash pad. Mr. Maurer indicated that he feels, since this is the town center, it needs something to draw people. He indicated staff could make a note that there was discussion of the initial cost and the cost of the ongoing maintenance. Council Liaison McClung indicated that staff point out the positives and the negatives that will need to be addressed should it be decided this is an amenity they would like to see within the park space. Ms. Holmes asked why the recommendation states that pocket parks should be private parks managed and maintained by the neighborhood associations. Mr. Maurer recapped that the Master Plan shows what they are calling tot lots/pocket parks in a couple locations and that staff is saying but the association will need to maintain them, but one the City is fine with that as well. Ms. Holmes expressed that she feels the tot Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes April 15, 2014 Page 3 lots/pocket parks are important. Mr. Maurer indicated staff is suggesting that these tot lots/pocket parks not be located at the farthest part and that they be more centrally located. Ms. Holmes asked whether the athletic complex was going to be somewhere in the blue flex. Mr. Maurer stated what staff is saying is that it needs to have access off of a County Road and it should not be located in an area that would require one to drive through a neighborhood. Committee Member Messerly asked if the adult softball fields were a must. Public Works Director Maurer indicated that the City is not obligated to have them but as Ms. Olson pointed out, most of softball leagues come out of businesses and the draft Master Plan has somewhere between 2 and 2.5 million square feet of offices, light industrial and commercial businesses. With that much square footage, staff anticipates there will be more softball teams that want to join leagues. Presently, with the current capacity, no teams can be added so it was felt that with this much square footage, there should be two more fields that could be programmed for adult softball. Mr. McClung also pointed out that this is a selling point to get corporate campuses and businesses to come to Arden Hills. Ms. Olson stated that those fields will be used for youth as well as adult softball and would follow the same policies as the current parks. Public Works Director Maurer reiterated that staff will put together a recommendation for Council at the April 21st work session. MOTION: Committee Member Stephens motioned to approve the TCAAP park recommendations as amended and to present to the City Council seconded by -0). B. Other Unfinished Business None. 4. NEW BUSINESS A. Arden Hills Foundation Ms. Holmes provided the PTRC with a presentation on behalf of the Foundation as well as a cover sheet and brochure on the Foundation. She mentioned the Foundation would be holding some seminars which the PTRC members are welcome to attend. The th Balance for Life seminar is scheduled for Tuesday, April 29, from 7:00-8:30 and then on May 13 there is a Basics of State Planning seminar at City Hall. Ms. Holmes stated the Foundation is trying to contribute to the community with these free seminars in order to get interest in the Foundation and get people interested in contributing. Ms. Holmes indicated the PTRC can help the Foundation by volunteering or joining the board which rd meets the 3 Wednesday of each month at the Perkins on Lexington. Ms. Holmes reported that she will have an article in the May newsletter regarding the Foundation and that the Foundation is a way that residents can make tax-deductible contributions for City parks and trails. Ms. Holmes indicated that one thing the committee is working on is getting funding for the trail from Mounds View High School going west to New Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes April 15, 2014 Page 4 Brighton, as many people have expressed concern about that segment of trail since it is very dangerous. Committee Member Messerly complimented the Foundation on the good job they are doing. Committee Member Stephens offered her assistance if the Foundation were in need of help in creating a website and indicated one can purchase a domain through a free service. Ms. Holmes indicated the Foundation uses LinkedIn and Facebook but have not yet done a website. They have also gone door-to-door to some of businesses if Arden Hills Foundation flyers can be placed on their counters. Ms. Stephens also indicated that many businesses have community boards where a flyer could be posted. It was questioned how the Foundation went about deciding how to spend the money they received. Ms. Holmes indicated donations are either designated or undesignated. If it is a designated donation the funds are used for what the designee asks it be used for. If it is discretion on what to use the funds for. She stated that so far the contributions all have been designated for specific projects. Ms. Holmes indicated that if the PTRC has any thoughts on projects or wants to get involved, the Foundation would welcome that. Committee Member Trites suggested that under Donation Support in the Foundation brochure, it be more specific on how funds are being used and maybe also to track the progress of the donations. Committee Member Stephens suggested that maybe residents host a seminar or a kids activity in their neighborhood park that would be sponsored by the Arden Hills Foundation. Committee Member stated she would volunteer to pass out brochures in her neighborhood and Committee Member Stephens indicated she could bring some brochures to Angie Hames to include in a mailing she is doing in May. B. Subcommittee Discussion Co-Chair Van Valkenburg recapped that at the March PTRC meeting the committee requested this topic be placed on the April agenda. He suggested that the committee goals could possibly be accomplished more efficiently if subcommittees were formed to work on more detailed analysis between regular meetings. Having a Chair would also provide more structure to the meetings and the Chair would also be responsible for making sure all members get notice of the meetings. Ms. Olson stated that she has added Item 5a to the agenda as a spot for subcommittees to give a report on their progress if the item is not discussed during the regular course of the meeting . She indicated staff is willing to set up the meetings but asked that the subcommittees give her some advance notice of when they planned on meeting so that she could put the meetings on the staff calendar. Olson indicated the subcommittees would be formed as the need arises but will be officially formed at the PTRC meetings. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes April 15, 2014 Page 5 C. Off-Site Meeting Discussion Ms. Olson recapped that each year the committee schedules one to two off-site meetings with at least one held at Cummings Park. Last year one off-site meeting was scheduled for Floral Park but due to the weather it was moved back to City Hall. Ms. Olson suggested the PTRC have an off-site meeting at Floral Park in May and then also have another off-site meeting sometime in September. After discussion it was the consensus of the committee to also have an off-site meeting at Floral and Perry Park and to do a trail walk in August. Committee Member Messerly suggested having a joint meeting with the New Brighton Parks and Recreation Committee as they had done in the past. Committee Member Straumann also recommended the PTRC contact Ramsey County Parks and Recreation for a joint meeting. Ms. Olson indicated she would contact Sandy Brewer from the City of New Brighton to see if they would be interested in having a joint meeting in September and will work with Mr. Straumann on contacting Ramsey County for a joint meeting as well. D. Other New Business Guest Katchel recapped that a prior meeting there was discussion about road safety, more specifically about Snelling Avenue and Hwy 96, and possibly moving curb cuts and/or reducing the speed limit. He informed he did some research and there are several signs in the townhome development off Hamline that have signs under 30 mph. He stated he is not sure what process had to be taken to reduce the speed limit and suggests this be done for Snelling Avenue North. Mr. McClung indicated that, by statute, all City streets are set at 30 mph unless there is specific legislation that is passed to set a different speed limit. He indicated in order to get the speed limit reduced the Commissioner of Transportation needs to be contacted and they then proceed with a traffic study. Ms. Olson informed that this was brought to Council in the past, and Council felt trying to get the speed limit reduced could potentially backfire if it is determined from the traffic study that the speed limit should be raised instead of lowered. She suggested that Mr. Katchel contact Public Works Director Maurer for information on the process involved in trying to get the speed limit reduced. 5. REPORTS A.Subcommittee Reports Committee Member Straumann reported that he facilitated the TCAAP subcommittee meeting by providing some maps. He added that the subcommittee looked at the trails inside TCAAP and his recommendation is that they get a draft map of what trails look like north of 96. He indicated the subcommittee recommends that the trails connect to the other communities all the way around and also recommends having some crossing over Hwy 96, at the sound end, as it is a safety issue. Ms. Olson pointed out that the Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes April 15, 2014 Page 6 PTRC had recommended an underpass when Hwy 96 was being redone and Council did not choose to do that. She indicated, however, if it is something the subcommittee is interested in they should mention it to the Council. Mr. Straumann indicated other items they recommend are to make sure there are trails and sidewalks on the central road, having an open green connecting trails, making sure that the trails connect the neighborhoods, parks and town center, and having the trail on the east side which is also in the Master Plan. Mr. Straumann indicated the subcommittee basically wanted to emphasize on the trails and the interconnectivity to the communities because that was not really brought out in the Master Plan. They would like to bring this forward to Council as well. MOTION: Committee Member Straumann motioned to include this as the trail recommendation for the Master Plan seconded by Committee Member Stephens. The motion carried unanimously (8-0). Co-Chair Van Valkenburg asked that, at the next meeting, the subcommittee give a presentation on interconnectivity within the County and the region. Ms. Olson suggested Committee Member Straumann send her the map so that she can enlar Ms. Olson also asked that Co-Chair Van Valkenburg give a brieft update on the Trail Safety Subcommittee. Co-Chair Van Valkenburg reported that the subcommittee plans on doing more research before presenting to the PTRC and to Council. They plan on contacting one of the local colleges to see if an upperclassman could get credit for doing research for the Safety Committee in the form of an externship. Committee Member Straumann reported that Ramsey County is doing something similar to that and will be hiring an intern to do research for a bike trail study. B.City Council Report Council Liaison McClung indicated that two to three meetings will be added each month focusing on TCAAP. Mr. McClung reported that there was a TCAAP work session last night and that at these meetings Community Development Director Hutmacher provides updates on TCAAP along with a list of upcoming meetings. Mr. McClung welcomed the PTRC members to come to any of the presentations if they find a topic of interest. He indicated that at the next TCAAP work session Council will be focusing on the proposals from the PTRC regarding the parks and trails and recommended they attend and participate in the discussion. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes April 15, 2014 Page 7 Council Liaision McClung informed that there is no Pavement Management Plan for 2014. Currently a feasibility report is being done for construction on Round Lake which will occur in 2015. B. Public Works/Parks & Recreation Report Parks and Recreation Manager Olson reported that Council approved new fencing at Perry Park #3. Ms. Olson informed that an SUV drove through Valentine Park causing damage to some of the landscaping. The individual was apprehended by the police and criminal charges will be pursued. Ms. Olson reported that the Hazelnut Off Leash Dog Area is scheduled to open on May st 1, weather permitting. Ms. Olson indicated that a home composting class will be offered at City Hall on Tuesday, April 22, from 5:30-7:00 pm. The cost for the class is $5.00 and registration is available online. Ms. Olson mentioned that the Ramsey County tree sale is about to expire on April 18, 2014. Mr. McClung informed that he purchased several trees for donation to the parks and encouraged the committee members to do the same. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Committee Member Petersen moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:35 p.m., seconded by Committee Member Van Valkenburg. The motion carried unanimously (6-0). NEXT MEETING The next meeting is scheduled at 8:45 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, at Tony Schmidt Park. Ms. Olson encouraged the committee members to attend. Also, there will be a City Council Work Session on Monday, April 21, 2014, to discuss the Master Plan recommendations for recreation programs, field needs, amenities, and land use for TCAAP. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. at Floral Park.