Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-22-1993 PTRC Meeting Minutes PARRS & RECREATION BOARD MEETING MINUTES May 25, 1993 1. Meeting called to order at 7:30 p.m. 2 . Minutes of 4/27/93 were approved. 3 . Lorrie Young and Jerry Haffeman from Shoreview Parks & Recreation were present. Ms. Young inquired about the opportunities for joint recreation activities between the communities and what barriers do we see. We discussed information sharing, program reciprocity and shared TCAAP development. Shoreview would like to have a joint meeting on a second Thursday of some month at their regular monthly meeting. 4 . Dennis Probst gave a council report. -- Ball field space is still a possibility on TCAAP property. 5. Motion made by Mark Labine to stripe and sign or take other reasonable steps consistent with traffic engineering standards at Hamline where the two segments of our trails are joined. Motion seconded. Motion passed. 6 . The Mounds View High School tennis courts were discussed. Motion made to reaffirm our support to City Council or the expenditure of $26, 625 for Mounds View High School tennis complex consistent with 5/25/93 letter from John Ostlund. Motion seconded. Motion carried. 7 . Cindy Severtson asked the group to look over our Park Fund Capital Development Plan for our next meeting. The floating walkway problems were discussed. 8 . Program Update -- T-ball and youth softball going strong. 9 . TCAAP was discussed in great detail. Board members are requested to identify possible needs and get back to Cindy. 10 . Flower planting went well. 11. Banners were discussed. We would like to improve upon them. We need to find funding before additional Fall banners are ordered. 12 . Posted trail mileage was discussed. Possible 1994 Expenditures Approximate Cost 1. Trail sign $500 - $1, 000 2 . Reroute trail from Valentine Hills to Perry via lift station and up to play structure. X. Regrade Perry 3 & 4 $25, 000-$30, 000 4 . Upgrade Flower Gardens $ 3 ,000 �j 5. Back stops - players fences $ 1, 500-$2 , 000 each 04. Valentine Warming House $15, 500 • 7 . Trail Paving $8-$10 per foot 8 foot wide trail $50, 000 for 1 mile s` • 1L_4 ar o es RaSt. sev `� A newsletter of the Friends of St. Paul and Ramsey County Parks Ramsey County`r 1621 Beechwood Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55116 698-4543 1621 Beechwood Ave. Volume 7, Number 2 May, 1993 St. Paul, MN 55116 698-4543 1993 Annual Meeting Wednesday, June 16, 1993, 6:00 PM Harriet Alexander Nature Center-Central Park, Roseville Box Lunch $7.50 You are invited to join your Friends for the sixth annual meeting. Bring a friend or meet new friends while enjoying a picnic supper at the Harriet Alexander Nature Center in Roseville's Central Park. Following a short meeting, presentation of the Park Citizen of the Year Award and the Park Public Service Award,we will hike(stroll,amble)the 0 trails of Central Park. Pack your own picnic basket or send$7.50 to the Friends at 1621 Beechwood Avenue,St.Paul 55116 by June 10 and we will provide a box lunch. Please specify if vegetarian. Central park includes a secluded wet land. Wear long sleeves or bring bug=ellent! Nominate park's best Nominations are now open for the Park Citizen of the year. The Friends will friend convey the honor upon the volunteer who has made special contributions to parks within Ramsey County during the last five years. Nominees are open to park volunteer and those who have been active in efforts to protect,acquire and/ or develop parks,open space and trails and supporting programs. To nominate a candidate, send their name and address and a summary of accomplishments. You are welcome to include information beyond that speci- fied in the criteria. Include the name and address of the person or organization making the nomination. You may list the names and phone numbers of additional references. All nominations must be received at 1621 Beechwood Avenue,St.Paul,55116 by 4:30 pm Wednesday,June 2. If you would like to nominate someone but need help pulling it all together,call Peggy at 698-4543. Ride the Gateway ZYail Saturday June 5 is National Trails Day.Just the day to take your first jaunt down the Gateway.Susan Carlson,wife of Governor Ame Carlson will lead the parade of bikers leaving the Phalen Picnic Pavilion at about 10:00 AM. If you are a late riser or just can't find your youngest child's helmet,come any time and ride as far as you like. The Friends will operate a water oasis at the parking lot near I- 694. a # 2 • Universitree plants first "Thiscould be themostprofound initiative at reclaiming urban green space ever attempted;'said Universitree chair,Judy Quick.in describing the planned re- tree. Be there! greening of University Avenue in St.Paul. Just like trees,Universitree will start small and grow. They plan to install their first planting at a public ceremony on Wednesday,May 26 at 12:15 at University and Hamlin(near Target). This year they plan to plant three blocks of trees and have applied for funds for six or seven additional blocks. Plans for the Avenue are nothing if not optimistic. Concrete medians will be removed and replaced with trees and grass. Those living and working along University are far more accustomed to endless lines of semi-trailers then to birds and flowers,but the re-greening could change all that. "We need more people to help,"said Quick. Universitree meets the second Tuesday of every month. Call 290-9853 for meeting location. It's deja vu all over A park with lots of open space. Just the place to put: again a. luxury apartments b. police station c. fire station d. parking ramp e. high school Funny? Park lovers tend to think,just the place to put: 1. walking trail • 2. nature center 3. picnic area 4. bird observations blinds. In recent years developers hunting for just the right spot have eyed park lands. A parking ramp,a police and a fire station are now located on park land. A proposal to build luxury apartments in Crosby Farm was not only rejected,it inspired the formation of the Friends of the Parks. The most recent threat, building the new North St.Paul High School in Goodrich Golf course and turning Battle Creek park into a Golf Course,was also rejected. But the battle pointed out the need for formal protections for parklands. County considers charter Ramsey County park lands had a heavy layer of bureaucratic protection until change recently. All that changed when Ramsey County was granted a Home Rule Charter by the Legislature. A Charter Commission,appointed by the Legisla- ture, spent months developing a new charter. Glaringly, the new document contained little protection for park lands. The Friends were unsuccessful in efforts to persuade the Commission to write in additional protection. Following voter approval of the 1990 Charter,the only barrier between potential developers and Ramsey County's parks was a public notification/hearing/resolution pro- cess and the good will of the County Commissioners. The zeal of the North St.Paul School District pointed out the vulnerability of the parks. Just as the Crosby Park apartment debacle ultimately led to increased protection in St.Paul,the school episode could lead to Charter protection for County parks. After unanimously rejecting the School proposal, the County Commissioners established ano-net loss policy for parklands,a policy which the Friends are now asking be added to the Charter. Park Notes is published quarterly by the Friends of St. Paul and Ramsey County Parks. Editors are Peggy Lynch and Jeanne Weigum. For additional information call(612)698-4543. 3 The Friends have asked the current Charter Commission to approve an amend- ment which provides that when park lands are sold,the land must be replaced in an equivalent amount,in a comparable location,and of similar quality and provide similar replacement recreational facilities. If the amendment is ap- proved by the Commission,it will be on the 1994 ballot. Tree sale successful By anyone's count,the second annual Friends'tree sale was a success with 1400 trees and shrubs sold. 127 were donated to St.Paul parks,63 to Ramsey County parks and 84 were donated or purchased by suburban municipalities for parks or public lands. A total of 294 trees and shrubs will be planted in parks or public right of ways in the County. The tree sale is our major fund raiser. Trees purchased at the sale give beauty to the community, clean the air and help keep us afloat. If you have ideas for improving the sale orwould like to suggest tree varieties fornextyear,give Peggy a call. We want the sale to be bigger and better,for all of us. Special thanks to the St.Paul,Ramsey County and Roseville Parks departments for their support for the tree sale. Change the Freeway to The Freeway to Greenway motto spurred organizer extraordinaire, Bonnie Lawrence,and 150volunteers as they planted 1700 trees,shrubs and vines along a Greenway I-94 between Snelling and Lexington.Lawrence worked with the volunteers,the St.Paul Park staff and the Minnesota Department of Transportation in designing, preparing the area and planting. Some would say turning the concrete and wire mesh fenced freeway into a thing of beauty is like turning a sows ear,..well you know. But Bonnie and crew may just have done it.Watch it grow. Maybe it will even inspire others to do the same with other freeway segments. Thanks and congratulations to the department personnel, volunteers, and especially Bonnie. Contributions from the following helped make it possible: American National Bank, Kowalskis, Midway Rental, Target, Eagle Environ- mental,Liberty Bank,Paul Klocko&Friends,Tracy 1 Stop,Hardees,The Malt Shop Super America,Twin Cities Tree Trust. Job well done! Eagles vs trophy fish Tracking eagles at Pig's Eye provides hours of entertainment for Bob and Kathe Zins of South St.Paul.It has also provided valuable insight into the fragile nature of these raptors in an urban environment. The eagles began their residency at Pig's Eye in 1989. This year they arrived later _ than usual and sightings were few and far between with the eagles rarely visiting the nest(they use the same nest year after year).Although deep winter is usually the time for nest maintenance and refurbishing,none was done. Gradually the problem became evident. Four or five portable fish houses were stationed in the lagoonnear thenest site and the fishermen often wandered about the area on foot. At times as many as six cars and trucks were parked on the ice,joined by a buzzing three wheeler on some occasions. The eagles seemed uneasy about the intrusion and appeared to be avoiding their nest.Although they spent more time at the nest during early March, they hastily left whenever their territory was invaded. 4 Fragile scarcely seems the term to describe these huge and magnificent birds of prey,yet when it comes to nesting,it is the correct term. Strictly OFF LIMITS for humans is necessary for eagles to successfully nest,even for our citified pair, Evilyn and her mate. With ice out,the eagles have a chance to settle in,yet continued disruption could permanently drive off the pair or drastically interfere with nesting success. It is unlikely that the fisherman had a clue they were part of a problem.It is likely that a combination of education and restrictions will be necessary to preserve this unique habitat. If you have suggestions on how to achieve this end,call Kathe Zins at 455-1835. r For more information about the Pig's Eye eagles, see your February '93 Park Notes. Eagle Watch set for The River Environmental Action Project(REAP)of South St.Paul will hold the June 5 6th annual Eagle Watch starting at 10:00 at the Dakota County Historical Society at 130 3rd Ave. North, South St. Paul. Following an educational program, participants will go to Grandview Park to observe the eagles,and the heron and egret rookery through the Department of Natural Resources and volunteers' viewing scopes. There will also be an eagle naming contest with the winner receiving a hand-painted(by the Zins)sweatshirt. Contest forms are available • at the South St.Paul library.For more information call REAP at 451-1038 or Kathe or Bob Zins at 455-1835. Round-Up for the Tired of subtracting odd cents from your checkbook?St.Paul and Roseville have Environment. found the perfect solution,at least as far as your water bill is concerned. Write out the check for the next highest full dollar amount and the spare change goes to a special environmental fund. The brainchild of LeRoy Johnson,a Roseville resident and USDA forester,the program is intended to give residents a chance to make a little extra contribution to forestry, gardening and beautification projects. The City of Roseville has received a$7,000 USDA Forest Service grant to make Round-Up a model which other communities can follow. They are preparing a booklet explaining the program and detailing how to get it up and running. Bonnie Lawrence, of Freeway to Greenway fame, heard about the Roseville program and did not wait around for their finished brochure. She presented the plan to St.Paul City officials and won Council authorization in February. It is now in the implementation phase. If the details are worked out for the last quarterly billing of 1993,the first monies will be available in the spring of 1994. "Round-up is not intended to replace City dollars,but to take care of projects that were going begging," said Lawrence. No one knows how much money will be generated, but it is anticipated that many cities will follow the lead if it is successful. . Gateway link For Willard Munger, certifiably the States most well known and best loved environmentalist,the journey from Duluth to the State Capitol is probably by car. Someday soon that trip can be completed by biking the Willard Munger State 5 Trail. The trail is partially complete, including the Gateway Trail, a 19 mile segment from Camelian Junction in rural Washington County to the intersection of Arlington Avenue and I 35E. Linking the Gateway to the capitol is the next step. Trail design and placement obviously becomes more difficult end costly in urbanized, densely populated areas. Barriers in the form of freeways, safety hazards,and dense auto traffic can stall and complicate development. The link from Arlington to the capitol has been divided into four segments with the first two miles proceeding south to the intersection of Cayuga Street and I-35#.This short segment will provide access to neighborhoods and area businesses includ- ing K-Mart.The most formidable obstacle is a route over or through Trout Brook Valley. While Trout Brook Valley sounds charming,this former riverbed is now the site of Burlington Northern and Soo Line railroad tracks. A new bridge will likely be a part of the estimated$1,100,000 cost for this two mile segment. Fabulous idea. Too bad Spanning Trout Brook Valley,former river bed,now a railroad bed,is a major it didn't work! barrier to completion of a key trail link(see Gateway Link),That deed was nearly accomplished while preserving a charming historic St.Paul bridge. Sadly, the clock ran out before the wrecking ball arrived. Actually it wasn't a wrecking ball but a giant metal snipping machine,but you get the point. The whole scheme hatched in the fertile mind of Dan Collins, DNR official responsible for completing the Gateway Trail. Whether it was something he ate or something he dreamed,Collins suddenly visualized the old Selby Avenue bridge gracefully arching over Trout Brook Valley. The thought of saving a historically and architecturally significant bridge while solving his problem of getting bikers from one side of the tracks to the other was just too delicious. Collins brought together Mat Hollinshead,St.Paul Bicycle Advisory Board,Bob Piram,St.Paul Superintendent of Parks,Tom Eggum,Director of Public Works, Paula Maccabee,City Council member,Art Werthauser,City Bridge Engineer, and a few other dreamers and those who thought they had just wandered into someone else's nightmare. The bridge was already scheduled for demolition but the contractor said he was willing to skip that,for$60,000. His plan was to pluck the truss off the supports and set it 200 yards away on Soo Line property. He also wanted a contingency plan in case no method was found to reinstall it at the Gateway. That was one problem down. All it was going to take was money. Then came another problem. The bridge had years of paint and re-paint on it. It was highly likely the paint included lead and chromium. More money. $200,000 to sand blast the bridge. More money to get rid of the hazardous waste. Moving the bridge to the new site. Technically possible. Costs money. A grant application to the Minnesota Department of Transportation for federal transportation money was submitted,but in the end,the bridge came tumbling down. The dreamers dreamed dreams but could not conjure up enough money fast enough. Fair well old bridge. Thanks to Collins and all the others who fought the good fight.The Friends only wish you had succeeded. Extraordinary photos "A unique historical essay on the changing landscape of one of America's greatest rivers." "Premier photographic documents of the nineteenth century Midwestern land- scape." "Truly extraordinary" All this...and open to the public for viewing at the Ramsey County Historical Society,north lobby,Landmark Center. What these quotes describe is a simply wonderful exhibition of photographs taken between 1883 to 1891 by Henry P. Bosse,a Draftsman for the U.S.Corps of Engineers.The blue cyanotypes include images of a pre-industrialized St.Paul and Minneapolis. The exhibit captures the efforts to transform the Upper Mississippi River from a natural river into a controlled navigational channel. From the initial steps of cutting brush and quarrying rock to completed wing dams, the photographs illustrate the process of molding and shaping the Mississippi as we now know it. The photos depict steamboats,log rafts,wagon bridges,dredges and other • working boats along with the frontier character of the towns perched along the banks. The exhibit is free and open to the public. Call the Ramsey County Historical Society for more details at 222-0701. Membership renewal Spring is more than a time for tulips,cleaning up the yard and getting out the bike. It is time to renew your membership in the Friends of the Parks and Trails of St.Paul and Ramsey County. We are working together for a more beautiful and accessible city. Please send in your renewal today. The Friends of Parks and Trails Non-Profit Org. in St. Paul and Ramsey County U.S. Postage 1621 Beechwood Avenue P A I D SL Paul, MN 55116 St.Paul, MN Permit No.3413 ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED David Sands Park Commission 1989 Jerrold Ave • Arden Hills, MN 55112 • CITY OF AMEN M-I MEMCRANDUK TO: Parks & Recreation Comnission Members FROK: Cindy Severtsson DATE: JLme 15, 1993 SUBJECT: Park Tour This is a reminder to meet at the City Hall on June 22nd at 6:30 p.m. for the park tour. Any questions, please give me a call. cS/jk 615.2