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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-22-24 - PTRC Minutes CITY OF ARDEN HILLS PARKS, TRAILS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2024, 6:30 PM ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL CALL MEETING TO ORDER Chair Jill Anderson called the October 22, 2024 meeting of the Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee to order at 7:14 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Chair Jill Anderson, Lacy Loosbrock, Nancy Jacobson, Dan Dietz, Emelia Rogers, Council Liaison Emily Rousseau OTHERS PRESENT: Recreation Supervisor Matt Johnson ABSENT: Vice Chair Kate Olson, Committee Members Kerri Seemann, Liz Johnson, Tim Nelson 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Committee Member Rogers moved and Committee Member Jacobson seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as amended. The motion carried (6-0). Reports item 3A-Council Liaison Update, Unfinished Business items 4A-Trail and Parks Update and 4B-Work Group Updates will be discussed at the next meeting. The meeting will center on the 2025 Work Plan Discussion. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. September 19, 2024 PTRC Minutes MOTION: Committee Member Rogers moved and Committee Member Dietz seconded a motion to approve the meeting minutes as amended. The motion carried (6-0). Page 5 Committee Member Loosbrock noted that she was quoted as starting a conversation about Chatham and it should read Committee Member Seemann. Except page 6 about volunteers. Page 4 and 5 Chatham is mis-spelled. 3. REPORTS A. Council Liaison Update This item was not discussed. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – October 22, 2024 Page 2 4. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Trail and Parks Projects Update This item was not discussed. B. Work Group Updates This item was not discussed. 5. NEW BUSINESS A. 20205 Work Plan Discussion Committee Member Rogers summarized the previous discussion. The last time the Committee looked at the list, there were two different categories. There were items that the Committee will continue to work on and there are items that the Committee wants the City to prioritize. The lists have been separated into the two categories and there is a third category that are goals for both the PTRC Committee and the City to work on. Council Liaison Rousseau noted that Council has approved a full time Park and Recreation Manager position to help alleviate some of the mapping. She wondered if it would be more beneficial to wait for the PTRC Handbook item until the second person in the department is hired in March. Recreation Supervisor Johnson said he thinks it would. Council Liaison Rousseau thinks summer is a busy time for other items. So maybe the PTRC Handbook would be a good item for the new person. Committee Member Rogers said the handbook was presented at a recent meeting. The discussion was regarding what can be distributed to current and future PTRC Members. She thought it would be helpful for Staff to look over the handbook but it is intended to be more of an orientation guide for the PTRC Members. Committee Member Rogers also said she was happy to hear about the additional Park and Recreation position. She noted there were some trail maps that popped up recently. It’s hard to figure out who is in charge of what, so hopefully that position will have a vision for the City that the committee can plug into, instead of trying to create the vision. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – October 22, 2024 Page 3 Committee Member Dietz likes the way the categories are broken out. He thinks some things may be missing. He cited items 8, 9 and 10. He thought ten was the PRP initiatives for Adopt-a- Park, eight was the Hazelnut parking lot and nine was partnership with Karth Lake. Committee Member Rogers remembered there was a legal reason why the Hazelnut Parking Lot one was put on hold because there was no movement the PTRC Committee could make. The Karth Lake item was not something for the committee to work on. Chair Anderson remembered the Karth Lake was another group of citizens that had interest in improving the Karth Lake area. It was mostly a partnership opportunity for the two groups to work together. Council Liaison Rousseau she said the partnership could be a simple as Committee members attending a board meeting. It could be an educational event regarding maintaining the landscape in the lake area or installing rain gardens. Chair Anderson clarified it was more a partnership to get involved with shared goals. Council Liaison Rousseau said there would be no problem with PTRC building the connection to the Karth Lake group. She said it just depends on how involved members want to get. Chair Anderson said it had been on the list because it was an opportunity to partner with them on some projects. Committee Member Dietz said the Adopt-A-Park is the remaining item that’s missing. Committee Member Rogers said she and Committee Member Olson had discussed the Adopt- A-Park. They decided not to get too far ahead of themselves. They thought there are some smaller things that can be the focus for this year and then the following year bring a more formal Adopt-A-Park program. She thought the subcommittee members will lean on Staff for the larger vision for the program and then work with the City to implement it. The subcommittee isn’t saying it shouldn’t happen this year, the members of the subcommittee just don’t have the time to implement it properly this year. Council Liaison Rousseau has a meeting with Kevin from the Rotary Club and Councilmember Holden and Committee Member Dietz will try to attend, as well. She has the paperwork that Shoreview uses as examples for how to implement such a program in Arden Hills. She is going to speak to Public Works Director Swearingen to discuss if the Rotary can pilot the program this year and then expand the program. Touch a Truck might be a good time to talk to people about the opportunity to adopt a park next year. Committee Member Rogers said it is difficult to know what role, if any, PTRC should take in that project. She discussed it with Committee Member Seemann months ago. The opportunity through Rotary came up. She is unsure how much the City and Council want PTRC to be involved. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – October 22, 2024 Page 4 Council Liaison Rousseau said it is fluid right now. Connections were made with Rotary and Lions Club. She will talk to Public Works Director Swearingen to see how he thinks PTRC fits into the picture. Committee Member Rogers said if this is something that the PTRC took on for next year, her assumption was that the program foundation would be laid. There would be conversations with Staff about the best way to implement it. She is just seeking direction. Committee Member Dietz said it would be nice to have a basic definition of what the program will be. Council Liaison Rousseau will plan to update the PTRC at the next meeting after she talks with Staff. She will request the Shoreview process and application materials. Shoreview’s Adopt-A- Park is typically a two-year commitment running from May to October. Committee Member Jacobson thinks it could be helpful if there was a list of what is needed at each park. Then the groups wishing to adopt a park could choose based on that. It sounds like it’s mostly clean up activities. It could take a little more thought to decide what is needed. Council Liaison Rousseau said Shoreview’s program asks volunteers to visit the park once a month to pick up trash. They may do some other miscellaneous tasks. It isn’t project specific. She will ask Staff if they have recommendations for what might be needed at each. She can discuss how final approval will be done, as well. She will report back to PTRC. Recreation Supervisor Johnson said a program like this will need some kind of software that can handle the processing. Shoreview used their recreation software. City will also request the volunteers sign a waiver. He likes the idea. Council Liaison Rousseau said the EDC is reaching out to businesses to connect with businesses. Maybe in a couple years there will be an opportunity to let those businesses know about the Adopt-a-Park program. Chair Anderson asked if there were any other comments regarding next year’s goals. Committee Member Jacobson asked if the list should be prioritized by the committee. Committee Member Rogers confirmed. That is the request. The City Council would like the PTRC to identify the projects that are important and prioritize them. She asked if anyone had strong opinions about prioritizing the list. Committee Member Jacobson thinks Freeway Park is one of the most visible parks. Lindey’s Park and roundabout are also important to her. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – October 22, 2024 Page 5 Chair Anderson said the roundabout looks rough. She said some people will want specific and orderly landscaping and then some will be fine with it being more natural. It may be difficult to make everyone happy. Maybe the message to Staff is that some kind of communication should go out regarding it. Committee Member Rogers agreed and said it might help to outline what was planted, why that was selected and what the City can do there. Outline if there are barriers on the City side or is it the County. Chair Anderson agrees that Freeway Park needs to be top priority. Committee Member Jacobson agrees. That is a big job and PTRC is going to need to work with Staff to let them know it’s a priority and for guidance on what to focus on. Committee Member Rogers asked if the vision for Freeway Park was intended to put it on Council’s radar or are we saying this is a top priority that PTRC wants to work on now. Should PTRC be creating a list of what work we want to do there? Chair Anderson said she understands it to be the City wanting the PTRC to prioritize the projects so they can put a budget behind it and create a plan to implement. Committee Member Jacobson said there is no budget for any of the projects, right now. There are funds for a fence or some type of screening but that’s not enough. Chair Anderson asked what is being requested of the PTRC. Is Council looking for a prioritized list or do they want PTRC to say what exactly is being requested. Council Liaison Rousseau said it goes back to the Charter to find grants and highlight some of the issues. She thinks there are opportunities to establish the direction of the PTRC. There has been some good feedback and great work in getting volunteers. The rain garden project is making progress. There was some interest in investing in natural resources. But that conversation hasn’t happened. There is no cohesive vision at the Council level. Committee Member Rogers said there would be value in ranking the list and input some information in the PTRC initiative project talking about grants. If opportunities arise, then take a look at the priorities list and see if any grant opportunity fits the scope of those items. We have the pieces related to the projects. It’s just a matter of looking for grants and funding sources. Council Liaison Rousseau said Council has discussed that they would like to have PTRC establish a guideline for plants that are encroaching on City property. Committee Member Jacobson said that sounds vague. She wonders what exactly is being asked. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – October 22, 2024 Page 6 Council Liaison Rousseau said there is a New Brighton trail space in the southern part of the city. An individual planted some trees to create a natural barrier but planted too far over. This discussion is around what do you do if you want to improve your space but it’s in a right of way area. What if it’s buckthorn? What guidelines would the PTRC recommend for residents to do in those situations. Committee Member Jacobson said if people are improving land that is outside their property lines, they do that at their own risk. She wondered if a neighborhood has residents that have a varying opinion on where property ends. It can become emotional to try to mitigate one violation but all of the others have a more acceptable encroachment onto City land, such as a fence. This needs to be addressed on a larger scale. Council Liaison Rousseau said that has been her concern. You can’t build policy for just one resident. You need to apply them to the entire city. Council either needs to crack down on every resident who has an encroachment or start to build in an exception list. Committee Member Rogers said there a lot of volunteers who have been volunteering for a long time and they have planted a whole lot of plantings with little to no regulation on City property. But then you have residents who are planting as an improvement to their own yards. She isn’t sure if PTRC has the authority to allow varying rules at varying places. Council Liaison Rousseau used the example that if the property butts up against Sampson Park, that’s a space that the City doesn’t maintain. Then invasive species from the park creep onto the private property. The resident will want to clean up the source or it will just come back. Committee Member Rogers said the City won’t clean up the invasive species but if volunteers choose to remove them, they need to plant certain things in their place. If a resident cleans up and plants something, the City can come in and say they don’t like the planting they chose. She doesn’t know if residents would think to ask the City. There doesn’t seem to be any rules. She thinks those rules need to come from the Council level, not the PTRC. Recreation Supervisor Johnson said easements are hard to regulate because the City can hold residents liable. Committee Member Jacobson said Arden Hills is very hands-off on any planting in the right of way. Council Liaison Rousseau said we are a complaint-based city. So unless someone complains about it, nothing will be done. Committee Member Jacobson said Arden Hills is all over the map on how they manage City property. She thinks the City is erratic about they manage City land. Committee Member Dietz said there are no repercussions. He said he has been personally involved with an encroachment issue and the City says they don’t want to get involved. He said Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – October 22, 2024 Page 7 the City doesn’t have rules but they also don’t want any involvement in those private property issues. Committee Member Rogers said if the City doesn’t have an alternative plan of what should be planted, how can they say what was planted that weren’t allowed. Chair Anderson thinks if the City is telling residents they don’t want to get involved, why can’t the City tell whoever complained that? Council Liaison Rousseau said the complainant is probably someone who is friends with a Councilmember. Committee Member Rogers asked what would happen if the PTRC created a list and those trees were on the list; how would that be enforced? Each project is going to vary based on the soil, the sun/shade and all kinds of other variables. She doesn’t understand how there can be one list for the entire city. Chair Anderson wondered if the complaint, in the example, is because the planting is not attractive. Council Liaison Rousseau said the complaint is that the trees are further than they were supposed to be and that by creating the natural barrier they are doing a land grab. However, other residents have fences right up against the trail further up the trail. She thought Committee Members Jacobson, Dietz and Seemann are knowledgeable about these types of things. She would like everyone’s input. Committee Member Rogers feels like the PTRC can create a generic list but there are some items where the PTRC can recommend that certain requests are impossible for the PTRC to take on. Committee Member Loosbrock thought PTRC could recommend the DNR list of native plants. Committee Member Jacobson said if the City wanted to do something about the encroaching plantings, she thinks the fences also need to be moved. Discussion ensued and Committee Members agreed this is a question of city code enforcement, not necessarily something in the scope of the PTRC. Committee Member Dietz said this feels like an issue that residents should have to get approval for, before they plant anything. Committee Member Rogers agreed. It could be like variances that are requested for homes. That would mean the residents are exploring the possibility of their project rather than the PTRC saying what they can or can’t do. Then Council can approve or deny. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – October 22, 2024 Page 8 Council Liaison Rousseau said in the example she is using, that resident said they did get permission from a previous Public Works Director, but that person is no longer with the City. Chair Anderson said the PTRC could recommend an approved planting list but then what do you do about the properties that already have something that isn’t approved? Council Liaison Rousseau said that is where the City Council would have to decide if something can be grandfathered in. That wouldn’t be a PTRC decision. Committee Member Rogers said that sounds like a big task for the Council to take on. Discussion ensued regarding all the situations where it would be difficult to enforce moving a fence or selling a house or removing plants that were approved before but now aren’t on the approved planting list. Chair Anderson wants to take the discussion topics and will draft a 2025 work plan to bring back to the PTRC’s next meeting. Committee Member Dietz summarized that Freeway Park is number one. He thinks invasive species should be second and could include Cummings Park to eliminate one of the items. Chair Anderson asked where the Pickle Ball item is. Recreation Supervisor Johnson said the nets are in the budget for the next year. Discussion ensued regarding the popularity of Pickle Ball and the possibility of getting back stops that are dedicated to Pickle Ball. 6. NEXT MEETING A. Tuesday, November 19, 2024 ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.