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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-16-21-PTRC MInutes CITY OF ARDEN HILLS PARKS, TRAILS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2021, 6:30 PM ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL CALL MEETING TO ORDER Chair John Van Valkenburg called the November 16, 2021 meeting of the Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee to order at 6:30 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair John Van Valkenburg, Committee Members Paul Beggin, Terry Finlay, Kristine Poelzer and Council Liaison David Grant PRESENT VIA ZOOM: Committee Members Dan Dietz, Marie Hinton, Suzanne McGaugh, and Rich Straumann OTHERS PRESENT: Staff Liaison Joe Vaughan, and Public Works Director/City Engineer David Swearingen ABSENT: Committee Members Harold Peterson, Micah Kiernan, Jill Anderson, and Tim Nelson 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Council Liaison Grant requested there be a discussion about committee assignments added to New Business. The agenda as amended was unanimously approved by the Committee. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. October 19, 2021 PTRC Minutes After discussion for clarification, two grammatical changes were requested and the Committee approved the minutes as amended. 3. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Trail Projects Update Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen reported that the Old Snelling (south of County Road E to Highway 51) open house and virtual meeting were held. City Council and residents were in favor of Option 3, which is curb on both sides and a 10-foot bituminous asphalt trail on the west side. It is anticipated to have the project out for bid in February, contractor awarded in March and construction as soon as possible. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes November 16, 2021 Page 2 Council Liaison Grant noted that the Council hasn’t had an official vote on the project but it will be on an upcoming agenda. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen added that the project was actually for improvements along Old Snelling but they had the opportunity to add the trail to the roadway project. Council Liaison Grant said the other discussion item was if the trail should be on the east or west side. Council decided the west side because it works out more seamlessly with the existing trails, but it will cross more driveways on the west. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said it was close to a 50/50 split on which side residents wanted, but most just wanted a trail no matter what side it was on. Committee Member Poelzer motioned to have Committee members vote east or west side. There was no second to the motion so no vote was taken. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen reported that he talked with the Park Shore Senior Living construction manager, they are anticipating they will begin construction of the trail with exercise stations in the spring of 2022. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said Public Works is starting to plan for 2022 trail maintenance and repairs such as replacement, patching, fog sealing and crack sealing. So far there are not any significant trail sections that will need replacement. The best way to report issues is through the Request Tracker on the City website. Council Liaison Grant stated the trail that goes from County Road E2 to Mounds View High School has 95% completed plans so Council and staff will look for funding opportunities. 4. NEW BUSINESS Committee Assignments (added by Council Liaison Grant) Council Liaison Grant explained that in City Code there are several items that relate to Committees and Commissions, one of them being the number of terms that someone can serve consecutively. Someone can serve three three-year terms consecutively, which means they would have to take a year off if they wanted to come back. Generally, it hasn’t been an issue, but there are several committees that have members at the end of their limit. The PTRC has three members that have served more than nine years. That doesn’t mean they can’t come to meetings as a spectator but they need to take a break from the committee. Harold Peterson and Rich Straumann are over nine years, and John Van Valkenburg is coming up to the end of his ninth year. Per City Code, those three members terms will be done at the end of 2021. Committee Member Finlay stated that this would also be his last meeting, and thanked everyone for the great experience he has had on the committee. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes November 16, 2021 Page 3 A. Hazelnut Sledding Hill Chair Van Valkenburg said there was an idea to add a sliding hill at Hazelnut Park. Committee Member Poelzer and Staff Liaison Vaughan went to the park to see if it was a possibility. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen explained that unfortunately the equipment they would utilize to do any kind of clearing is winterized and stored for the year so it’s not an option this year. The area they were looking at has a low spot/wetland at the end of the hill, so the soil may not be acceptable to create the sledding hill. Committee Member Poelzer described the areas they had looked at within the park. She hoped they could get on the Public Works workplan next year. B. Ice Rinks Staff Liaison Vaughan stated there are 4 rink locations in Arden Hills: Cummings Park, Freeway Park, Hazelnut Park, and Perry Park. Freeway, Hazelnut and Perry will be open all week, Cummings will be open Friday – Sunday with a push light Monday – Thursday. They are still recruiting ice rink attendants. The rinks will be open December 6 – February 21 (weather dependent). They will have picnic tables at the rinks for skaters to put their skates on and off outside, and warming houses will be open. Committee Member Beggin wondered why the numbers had gone up so much at Hazelnut Park. Staff Liaison Vaughan said it was probably from broomball being played there. He also noted there will be an ice skating clinic and lessons at Cummings Park. C. Maintenance and Eagle Scout Projects in Parks Chair Van Valkenburg stated there have been many items done at the parks by Eagle Scouts in the past, and wondered if there were any projects in the last year. Staff Liaison Vaughan said he met with an Eagle Scout in late 2019 for a 2020 project redoing nature signs at Cummings park, he wasn’t sure if it had been done. Council Liaison Grant noted there is an equivalent program in Girls Scouts called Gold Star and there have been Gold Star projects done. D. Swings and Chairs in the Parks Committee Member Poelzer suggested that more swinging chairs like at Hazelnut Park be placed in the city, and that east or west placement would be nice for sunrise/sunset. She did not know what the cost would be for a swinging bench. Chair Van Valkenburg made a motion to recommend more swinging chairs in the parks. Committee Member Poelzer seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes November 16, 2021 Page 4 Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen noted they are planning to replace the bench at Crepeau Nature Preserve so they will include swinging benches in their research. E. Yoga in the Park Chair Van Valkenburg said Committee Member Hinton looked into yoga in the park, she thought there would be people interested in participating. Staff Liaison Vaughan felt there would be a demand in the summer and he could talk with the current yoga instructor regarding classes and locations. Committee Member Hinton said she had checked with yoga instructors she knows and they felt it might be a one-time workshop type event. She suggested asking the current instructor how she felt about holding workshops in the parks on Saturdays. Committee Member Poelzer wondered if kids yoga or a parent/child class would be possible. She also suggested the triangle park between New Brighton Road and Lake Johanna Boulevard as a possible site to draw senior citizens from Johanna Shores. F. Program Activities and City Events Chair Van Valkenburg said they’ve been talking about music in the park, food trucks, art in the park and others. If they would like activities like that let staff know in January/February before he has to get Parks and Rec brochure out for the summer, then work with staff to make them concrete. Committee Member Poelzer stated that someone had mentioned a magician at a previous meeting. She felt Cummings Park was a good location. G. Waite Park Follow Up Committee Member Poelzer said she doesn’t have any new information about Waite Park. She is hoping to find out how long it took to construct, what was the process, how much did it cost, who paid for what. She will continue to pursue. Chair Van Valkenburg mentioned that Perry Park’s third baseball field could potentially be used for something else. 5. REPORTS Council Liaison Grant reported that a work plan still needed to be developed for 2021, the City Council would like to see a plan. It’s also helpful for staff to know what the focus of the committee is at different times of the year. He felt staff did a great job on the pumpkin hunt, there were a lot of positive comments. 6. NEXT MEETING The next PTRC Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 18, 2022. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes November 16, 2021 Page 5 ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 7:41 p.m.