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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-18-25 PTRC Chair: Dan Dietz (2027) Committee Members: Lacy Loosbrock (2025) Kerri Seemann (2025) Kate Olson (2025) Emelia Rogers (2025) Nancy Jacobson (2025) Elizabeth Johnson (2026) Youth Committee Member: Eva Acosta (2025) Council Liaison: Emily Rousseau Arden Hills Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee February 18, 2025 6:30 pm 1245 W. Highway 96 Arden Hills, MN 55112 651-792-7800 www.cityofardenhills.org City Vision Arden Hills is a strong community that values its unique environmental setting, strong residential neighborhoods, vital business community, well-maintained infrastructure, fiscal soundness, and our long-standing tradition as a desirable City in which to live, work, and play. Agenda CALL TO ORDER 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. January 21st 3. REPORT A. Council Liaison Update 4. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Trail and Parks Projects Update B. Work Group Updates 5. NEW BUSINESS A. Parks Summer Passport 6. NEXT MEETING A. Tuesday, March 18th 7. ADJOURNMENT CITY OF ARDEN HILLS PARKS, TRAILS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025, 6:30 PM ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL CALL MEETING TO ORDER Committee Member Dan Dietz called the January 21, 2025 meeting of the Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee to order at 6:30 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Dan Dietz, Kerri Seemann, Eva Acosta, Lacy Loosbrock, Emelia Rogers, Liz Johnson and Council Liaison Emily Rousseau. OTHERS PRESENT: Recreation Supervisor Matt Johnson ABSENT: Nancy Jacobson, Kate Olson 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Committee Member Dietz moved, and Committee Member Rogers seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as amended. The motion carried unanimously among members present. The Committee agreed to move the New Business item discussion regarding the Ice Swim Event before the Unfinished Business discussions. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. December 17, 2024 PTRC Minutes MOTION: Committee Member Seemann moved and Committee Member Loosbrock seconded a motion to approve the meeting minutes as written. The motion carried unanimously among members present. 3. NEW BUSINESS A. Ice Swim Event – Lake Johanna Nick Tamble introduced himself. He is a former Arden Hills resident and City Council Member. Five years ago, when he lived in town, he started an ice dipping hole at Lake Johanna. It is right in front of the beach. It has grown into a huge activity. He estimates that at least 200 people use it every Sunday. It is used every day of the week. This is likely the busiest ice hole in the country. People love it. There are saunas there right now. His company has a relationship with Ramsey County Water Patrol on the lake and Ramsey County Parks on the land portion, as that park is Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – January 21, 2025 Page 2 under Ramsey County jurisdiction. He manages the sauna relationship. When he received approval for that, he brought up the idea of having an Ice Swim. Ramsey County Parks was open to the idea. He was formally approved to host the 25-meter Ice Swim at Lake Johanna on February 22, 2025. This is just the second event of its kind to be hosted in North or South America. There are only seven similar events in the entire world. This is a global event. There is a 12-year running event in Vermont. The first three years they had 40 participants. They have 185 participants scheduled for this year’s event, which is scheduled for the same date as the Lake Johanna event. The Vermont swim had 10 countries and 44 states represented. Nick Tamble already has 45 people committed to participate in this event. Those commitments came from him personally asking. He hopes to have 120 swim slots taken. It’s hard to gauge how many people can go through the pool at one time. There is a tremendous amount of work involved in hosting an event like this. People are baffled that he received permission. The event includes a 14 x 85 foot hole in the ice. It will look like a lap pool with a center line and line judges. He has a 10-person Steering Committee and over 80 volunteers. An event of this kind usually takes a year to plan. This event is pulling together in four months. There have been twelve Steering Committee meetings. PTRC Committee Member Johnson recently joined that committee. This will be a really cool event. They are in the process of populating the website with all of the final details. There will be information forthcoming, all the way up to the day of the event. Tamble is familiar with the swim scene and races like this. An informative Zoom call will be held the Sunday before this event. This helps make everyone aware of how things will go and what to expect. There will be a lot of questions, the website should answer a lot of them. There is an intuitive bot installed on the website so people can ask it questions and get detailed information about the swim. Updates will be shared on Facebook at MN Ice Swim event page. There is an email list that participants can opt into, through the website, to receive information. The website is live. It is a basic landing page right now. Nick Tamble said tickets will be available for purchase on January 22, by midnight. That is exactly one month before the swim. Typically, people sign up for these events 6-12 months before the event. We aren’t expecting a huge event. If we get at least 40 participants, we will surpass what Vermont did in the first three years of their event. Minnesota has a much bigger target market for this type of event. It should be a huge draw. Nick Tamble originally wanted to schedule the event on the second weekend of the Winter Carnival. This is the type of event that could be adopted into the Winter Carnival. However, this can be a stand-alone, global event of its own, taking place between the Winter Carnival and the Loppet. Nick Tamble said this event will exist in perpetuity. He plans to run this event for another five years. He shared how the idea of this event came about and some history about his counterpart, Seth Baetzold. Tamble is the event director and when he passes it on, Baetzold will most likely take over. Nick Tamble said this is a big event. There hasn’t been anything in Arden Hills in a while. He said Arden Hills has been stagnant when it comes to hosting events. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – January 21, 2025 Page 3 Discussion ensued regarding the last time there was a large event in Arden Hills. Council Liaison Rousseau is excited about this event. She asked if spectators wear swimsuits and do a cold plunge with the sauna. Nick Tamble said the cold plunge with the sauna happens every Sunday from November 3-April 30. Wednesday has been added. People come all day on Sunday. This is catching on. He estimates he sees at least seven new plungers every Sunday. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if this is a non-profit organization. Nick Tamble said the structure is confusing. No one owns the water. He shared the history of how ice dip holes started in the Twin Cities. Council Liaison Rousseau asked how many spectators they are expecting. Nick Tamble said he is speculating it could be between 300-500 people. He has reached out to local news stations. This will get picked up, possibly even by national news. Three Hundred spectators can turn into 3,000 overnight. He has a good relationship with police. He was on the Ramsey County Dive Rescue Team. He knows these guys. It isn’t mandated that EMS services there but there will be an EMT and two firefighters. There will probably be an off-duty paramedic there, as well. Council Liaison Rousseau said the Twin Cities Gateway Visitors Bureau grants money for events like this that draw people in, who might not visit Arden Hills regularly. Those funds have already been allocated for this year. She said he should keep that in mind. She believes the grant application opens in April. Nick Tamble thinks this event will continue for at least five years. He isn’t aware of any other Ramsey County parks that are equipped for this. He thinks this park makes the most sense. If an event were to exceed 10,000 people, his group has control of the entire park on this event. There are 400 parking spaces at the parks. He would connect with Flaherty’s and the apartment complex. Agreements with those entities would be an additional 500 parking spaces. This would include shuttling, similar to how the State Fair does. Volunteers will be requested to park off-site. There is no charge for parking this year, but that is an option if the event grew and needed to implement shuttling. Committee Member Loosbrock asked if the participants are paying to join the swim. Nick Tamble replied that the cost is $60 to swim a 25-meter competitive or amateur or $90 to do a 50-meter, swimmers get a swim cap. Everything else will be al a carte such as hats or sweatshirts and any thing else can be added in the next 30-days. Committee Member Loosbrock asked if a spectator wants to dip in the ice hole would it be free. Nick Tramble confirmed. He hopes people will have a donation mindset, but it will be free. When he started the ice hole, he decided it would always be free. Committee Member Dietz asked how it works; participants dive in and swim 25-meters? Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – January 21, 2025 Page 4 Nick Tamble said there is no diving. It will be in 5-feet of water. There are bulk heads at the end of the pool so participants have a wood wall to push off of. This will be a ratified swim. When people swim this in Poland, they can compare their time. Eventually there will be Ice Swim Worlds. It could potentially come here. They change up the location up. Committee Member Dietz asked how the open hole is marked when the event is over. Nick Tamble said it will be barricaded. He is thinking of having a person in a fish house, who would sleep on the ice, adjacent to the hole until it refreezes to a certain thickness. He still may do that. There will be someone there during set up because vandals are an issue. Committee Member Loosbrock asked if the lap lane will be close to the existing ice hole and close to the beach. Nick Tamble confirmed. He will have artificial turf on the ice so there is very little risk for slips and falls. He said from the pavilion, people will go out on the ice 70 feet. They will go left for the ice dip hole and right for the ice swim hole. The park pavilion will be enclosed with temporary structure and there will be a 20 x 30 tent on the beach. The pavilion will be volunteer central, and the tent will be used by swimmers only. Spectators will dress for the weather. Ideally the temps will be in the mid-twenties. The event would only be cancelled if there were a really bad blizzard, 30 or 40 mile per hour winds. They will rely on patrol to say it needs to be cancelled. Council Liaison Rousseau asked how much a spectator would pay. Nick Tamble said spectators don’t have to pay anything. He understands that not charging this year will make it difficult to charge next year. He will figure that out, if they decide to charge next year. If this becomes the event that it has potential to become, he will be able to charge what ever they want. There could be corporate sponsorship, in the future, with naming rights. This year Sauna Ice is the main sponsor. That is his company. Committee Member Johnson asked if he knows of anyone who might want to sponsor this. Nick Tamble said he would hit up local businesses for something small. He said if someone understands the long-term potential for this event and is willing to come in early, they get the benefit. Once there is an amazing event, people will want to be a part of it, it may be too late. This will be its own corporation. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if he would talk to the Chamber of Commerce to let them know about the event. Nick Tamble said he didn’t have that in mind. He was approved to do the Winter Carnival Parade. That will be the main thing he will do for promoting, in addition to interviews with local news. Council Liaison Rousseau said they would be a good resource if he is looking for local sponsors. Nick Tamble said the next ten days things will slow down and there will be three weeks to tune in the event. He said there will be a lot of volunteers. It is likely that there will be more volunteers than swimmers. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – January 21, 2025 Page 5 Council Liaison Rousseau asked if there would be food. Nick Tamble he is hoping there will be one really good food truck. People aren’t coming for the food. He wouldn’t want to have three or four trucks but only one is busy. He wants people to have options. He said if this blows up, he would be able to have food trucks pay to set up at the event. Right now he’s having the opposite issue with trucks asking how many people to expect and it’s and unknown right now. Discussion ensued regarding how to find food trucks. Committee Member Loosbrock said you also don’t want to only have one vendor and a really long line. Nick Tamble said the owner of Limu Coffee out of New Brighton will be involved to offer coffee. She doesn’t have a trailer so he may look at a second coffee vendor. Coffee, hot chocolate and hot cider will be sold all day. Committee Member Johnson asked how the PTRC can be the most helpful. Nick Tamble said it would be nice to have a City presence at the event. This is a really cool event and it would be good if participants and spectators saw that the City of Arden Hills is represented. He shared that this Sunday there is a memorial dip for someone who died by suicide last year. All of the proceeds will go towards The Face It Foundation. That organization helps men with their mental health. This Sunday would be a great time to check out the ice dip hole. It could be up to 300 people. Committee Member Dietz asked if participants wear a suit. Nick Tamble said this is different than sitting in a hole. When you sit in an ice hole, your body creates a thermal layer, so you are not as cold. When swimming, there’s movement and when you put your hands and face in the water it’s a game changer. He anticipates having to pull a couple participants halfway, if needed. The circle of people at the top for the event understand this. They know to watch faces. He has someone coming from Duluth who has a breath works certification, to watch people get out of the water. This will make people hyperventilate. Participants will have to sign waivers. Committee Member Loosbrock asked if there are any barriers along the side to prevent swimmers from going under the ice. Nick Tamble said there will be volunteers with pole hooks, walking on both sides with the swimmers. Typically there are two lanes, it would be difficult to help the middle swimmer if they began to struggle. Safety is huge for them. There will be nurses to check vitals before and after the swim. Recreation Supervisor Johnson asked how long the event will last. Nick Tamble said the swim portion is from 11:00a.m. to 4:00p.m. which is about 24 swimmers per hour. There are competitive and amateur swimmers. People are participating to win. There Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – January 21, 2025 Page 6 will be prizes. Amateurs can do anything to get across. They can walk it. They can wear any kind of gear they want. Competitive swimmers can have a swim cap, goggles and a swimsuit. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if there was any promotional information that the City could share on the website and social media. Nick Tamble said there is a flyer. Council Liaison Rousseau said she would like something on the website. She hopes to encourage participation and invite spectators. She also thinks it would be good to make neighbors aware that traffic may look a little different that day. Nick Tamble said he will be in communication with patrol. Taylor Holm will be the point officer for the event. He will check in at the beginning of the event. There won’t be an officer sitting on site, but they will be in the area. Ticketing will be the indicator. If ticketing opens up and the event fills up in a week, then we’re promoting spectators. Then there needs to have more traffic control. There will be two volunteers in each of the parking lots, plus extras. Committee Member Johnson said that is a way the City could be supportive if anyone can volunteer. Nick Tamble agreed. He said there may be some gaps. There will probably be some jobs that people don’t want to do. No one wants to tear down. There should be 20 volunteers on Thursday to cut the hole. The perimeter fencing around the pavilion will be installed on the Monday before the event. There is a need for 6-10 people for that task. There will be fire rings. Someone needs to be adding wood. Discussion ensued about other cold-water events and people who like to participate. Nick Tamble said there is a novelty in coming to the lake. There is a social element that they enjoy. Nick Tamble said he is talking with Committee Member Johnson nearly every day now. A lot will be happening between now and the event. Council Liaison Rousseau said she sent the contact information for John Connelly of the Twin Cities North Chamber of Commerce. Nick Tamble said any promotion will help. He said there is a really short window for this event. They plan to capture the moment with drone videos and photos. He is already planning for next year. The event will be smaller this year but hopefully it will grow. Committee Member Dietz asked if he is looking for volunteers from the PTRC. Nick Tamble said he is building a website off a template from another race. He has half of the titles entered. When all the titles are in, people can sign up for volunteer slots. Recreation Supervisor Johnson said to send him the information when it is ready and he will distribute the link to PTRC Members. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – January 21, 2025 Page 7 4. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Trail and Parks Projects Update Recreation Supervisor Johnson said with the new year there are a lot of new projects moving forward. He said the list is primarily the same that what has been previously discussed. The Hazelnut parking lot is still on the list. He doesn’t have an update, but it was budgeted. The Highway 10 Trail is on the list. He is looking for those grants. The new items on the list are the new trails. He said these are planned but no money has been allocated yet. The trails include Hamline Avenue, County Road E trail connection, County Road D trail connection. Some of these are private parcels that need to be negotiated. They are doing an annual street maintenance project for 2025. They will look at all the trails and determine which ones need basic maintenance. They try to do one or more every year. Recreation Supervisor Johnson said Staff is working with consultants to improve the hard courts at Hazelnut Park. They were re-stripped recently but the courts themselves are not in ideal condition. Those have been identified as maintenance items but there is no guarantee on when or if they will be done. The Cummings Park roof is on the list. PTRC may be asked for input since they helped pick the one for Perry Park. B. Work Group Updates Committee Member Rogers updated her group connected with the Economic Development Committee (EDC) regarding the Park Passport program. They are talking with a couple of different businesses about prizes. Committee Member Dietz said that Great River Greening is sending out letters to neighborhoods. They will be installing signs at the parks. They are going to start hand cutting and stump treating in January and February. They will be using a kiln to burn the wood. If they were to just burn the pile it would generate a lot of smoke and the ground beneath the pile would be scorched. Committee Member Dietz said he is excited about the Ice Swim event. He would like to volunteer. He swam in a cold water event before and was surprised how it effects your breathing. He thinks it is an interesting event. Recreation Supervisor Johnson asked if anything needs to be brought to Council. Council Liaison Rousseau can bring it to the next Council Meeting which is February 10. She said Staff oversees communications. It will be important to communicate to residents that this is happening. The Senior Communications Coordinator left Arden Hills to take a different job. So, there is a staffing gap until that position is filled. However, current Staff are still sending out communications. Committee Member Johnson said she will forward the information she has. Recreation Supervisor Johnson said it would be good to have a write up that highlights the uniqueness of the event. The fact that it is one of only seven events of its kind and that this rare event is coming to Arden Hills is a huge selling point. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – January 21, 2025 Page 8 Discussion ensued about the other promotional items to include in the write up such as free entry for spectators, spectators can ice dip for free and there will be food vendors, as well. Council Liaison Rousseau said Arden Hills will have bragging rights to this event that Vermont is the only other US State that has held such an event. She will reach out to Staff to make them aware of the event. She will request a communication be sent from the City website and social media accounts. She asked if everyone was okay with that plan. MOTION: Committee Member Johnson moved and Committee Member Deitz seconded a motion to approve communicating the Ice Swim even through the City channels. The motion carried unanimously among members present. Discussion ensued regarding how this type of event can foster a sense of community and examples of surrounding community events. Committee Member Rogers asked Council Liaison Rousseau to share about the North Metro Chamber of Commerce. Council Liaison Rousseau said it is separate from the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce. We have requested to serve in the open committee spots but they have not responded. Arden Hills has a closer relationship with the North Metro Chamber of Commerce. That includes Shoreview, Arden Hills, Mounds View and some of Roseville. John Connelly is the president of that group. They meet once a month on a Wednesday morning. They would be a good resource to share this event with. C. Chair Discussion Recreation Supervisor Johnson said the previous chair’s term on PTRC ended and she chose not to seek reappointment on the committee. He asked if any member has interest in being the chair of the committee. Committee Member Dietz said he wouldn’t mind running the meetings. He doesn’t have a lot of extra time to coordinate tasks outside of the meeting. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if it would help if Recreation Supervisor Johnson makes the agenda. Recreation Supervisor Johnson said he already does that. He has to make an agenda. Committee Member Dietz said he would volunteer to run the meeting but he feels like the previous chair had more tasks than that, in the past. Council Liaison Rousseau said other than the meetings, the Chair would put together the work plan, and at the end of the year there is a presentation to Council. There doesn’t have to be a Council presentation. She thought Committee Member Rogers did a great job when she helped present to Council. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – January 21, 2025 Page 9 Committee Member Rogers said if Committee Member Dietz commits to Chair meetings, she will commit to help create the work plan presentation. Recreation Supervisor Johnson said there is also a Vice Chair who can help with those tasks. Committee Member Dietz said he is fine with running the meetings. Council Liaison Rousseau said Committee Member Dietz will run the PTRC Meetings. She said if there are volunteers to be interviewed, would he want that role? Committee Member Dietz said he is open to co-chair or vice chair taking that. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if any one was interested in doing that task. Committee Member Johnson asked what the time commitment is for that. Council Liaison Rousseau said an interview it typically an hour. She thought maybe there would be three or so interviews total, throughout the year. Committee Member Johnson said she can help with that. Recreation Supervisor Johnson stated, for the record, Committee Member Dietz will be Chair of PTRC. It will go to Council for approval at the next meeting. Recreation Supervisor Johnson stated, for the record, Committee Member Johnson will be Vice Chair of PTRC. There is no motion needed and no formal Council process for the vice chair role. Committee Member Johnson agreed. MOTION: Committee Member Johnson moved and Committee Member Rogers seconded a motion to approve Dan Dietz will serve as PTRC Chair for 2026. The motion carried unanimously among members present. 5. REPORT A. Council Liaison Update Council Liaison Rousseau said this year is the 75 Anniversary of Arden Hills becoming a city. Nothing was budgeted for any celebration but they will talk about it during the next meeting in February. PTRC may be asked to make some recommendations. The first question will be if there is a budget. Council Liaison Rousseau said Twin Cities Gateway Visitors Bureau has grants available. She thinks about $18,000 was granted to Arden Hills for marketing purposes. She thinks half of the money went to Bethel for the Back To School Homecoming. The other money was spent on gift cards for the hotels so when the Military families came to visit they would have discount for them to stay in town. She reached out to TC Gateway to ask what other communities are using Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – January 21, 2025 Page 10 these funds for. He sent the Fridley response. They had their 75th anniversary of the City and 50th anniversary of the 49ers Day Festival. Fridley held an anniversary event during the Fridley 49ers Day celebration. That could be a resource for funding, when the anniversary events are being discussed. Committee Member Johnson said it would be nice to talk to the planners of that event. Council Liaison Rousseau said there is a 49ers Day Committee, and we can reach out to the City of Fridley to have that discussion. Committee Member Johnson thought they may have some suggestions on how to organize the volunteers. Council Liaison Rousseau thought Mounds View has a celebration and could possibly offer some input. The 49ers will be a good place to start. She shared that Fridley also used some funds for a Winter Fest that was held at Springbook Nature Center. It is estimated that 250 attendees enjoyed Winter Fest activities like fat tire biking, campfires, photo ops, arts and crafts, frozen bubbles, snow games, bird feeder making, scavenger hunts and a medallion hunt. They also had an Environmental Fun Fair where they used the money. That was also at Springbrook Nature Center. There were about 500 attendees. There were a variety of exhibitors from the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota to share about activities for all ages. The Gateway funds were also used for summer concerts. She said the Gateway Visitors Bureau also has a place for marketing. That can be a resource for advertising any events. Committee Member Johnson asked if there is a formal application process through Arden Hills. Council Liaison Rousseau said no. She thinks it is just an email and they will update their website to promote local events. Council Liaison Rousseau updated that Council approved the senior development at North Heights. Council agreed that they were disappointed with the developer. There was no dedicated affordable housing with that project. The Comprehensive Plan guides that affordable housing is one of the goals. City Code doesn’t specifically address affordable housing. There is no legal standing to deny a project based on that criteria. It was approved. She hopes the City Code will be updated to reflect that Comp Plan criteria, as the Zoning regulations are revised. The City is currently working with a consultant to review and update the City Code. Council Liaison Rousseau said we anticipate receiving $1 million in fees for park dedication from the North Heights project. That can help fund the upcoming trails projects. The developer will build a connector trail. The connector will be built with that park dedication money. The final park dedication amount received will be less, but that extra trail space will be installed with the project. She added that a small playground is required. It is a 55+ community, but the playground will be installed for grandchildren and other visitors. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – January 21, 2025 Page 11 Council Liaison Rousseau said she reached out to Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingin regarding the Park Master Plan. He is hoping to have a consultant at the February 10th City Council meeting. Council will weigh in on whether PTRC will be providing feedback on that plan. Council Liaison Rousseau said there is a statute that is new since the last Comprehensive Plan. It states that there must be an inventory of natural resources included as part of the Comp Plan. When discussions begin regarding the 2050 Comprehensive Plan, PTRC may be enlisted to help with that inventory. Council Liaison Rousseau said for the Parks Master Plan, there will probably be a sub-group created to provide feedback to help develop the plan. She said only two Councilmembers can meet without having a quorum. The sub-group will include two Councilmembers and some PTRC members. She hopes some foundational policies can be put in place to use as a framework to decide what should be prioritized. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if there were any items to add to the agenda for the next meeting. Committee Member Rogers said a Ramsey County letter went out to residents regarding items in residents’ yards. It was a form letter. It listed the violations. In comparing letters, the letters all seemed to be the same, regardless of the specific property. She wondered if there is communication between Arden Hills and Ramsey County regarding those items. She wondered where the County gets that information. Council Liaison Rousseau said they probably inventoried properties that were encroaching on Ramsey County properties. She asked to see a copy of the letter. That might be a good way for Arden Hills to tackle the encroachment issue. Recreation Supervisor Johnson asked for clarification that the letter is the same, no matter who they sent it to. Committee Member Rogers confirmed. She asked if this was communication between the City and the County. She wondered if this was a joint effort. Council Liaison Rousseau hadn’t heard about it. It may just be a Ramsey County initiative to clean things up. Committee Member Rogers said it is a good discussion to have to determine what the relationship with the County is. She said the letter was a general letter, with a list of violations, and the recipient is being notified that they have one of the items happening on their property. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if there was mention of flower beds and other plantings or was it focused on physical structures like fire pits and sheds. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – January 21, 2025 Page 12 Committee Member Rogers doesn’t remember. She will get a copy of the letter and share it with Council Liaison Rousseau. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if Committee Members Seemann or Loosbrock have any updates. Committee Member Loosbrock said she is working on volunteer coordination. Recreation Supervisor Johnson said he received an Adopt-A-Park application from the Rotary. Committee Member Dietz said his group is working on the list to outline time frames and projects at Floral Park. 6. NEXT MEETING A. Tuesday, February 18th, 2025 ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Committee Member Acosta moved and Committee Member Loosbrock seconded a motion to adjourn at 7:45 pm. The motion carried unanimously among members present. UNFINISHED BUSINESS – 4A Page 1 of 3 MEMO MEMORANDUM DATE: February 18, 2025 TO: Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee FROM: Lucas J. Miller, Assistant Public Works Director SUBJECT: Trail and Parks Projects Update Previously Discussed Items: • Proposed Lake Johanna Blvd Trail o Lake Johanna Blvd Trail Preliminary Design Report was completed by Ramsey County on October 2022. o City Council adopted resolution 2023-023 which is the local match commitment of $2 million for the project (Total project cost estimated $9.5 million). o Ramsey County presented in November 2023 about the project corridor with City Council. o Ramsey County applied for the Met Council Regional Solicitation “Multiuse Trails and Bicycle Facilities” grant for $5,500,000 in 2023/2024. The project did not score well in its category but funding is still being pursued. o Within Ramsey County’s Transportation Improvement Plan they have scheduled the following timeline:  RFP for Planning/Design contract: October 2025  Planning/Design Phase: 2026-2027  Construction: 2028 • County Rd E Trail connection o City staff is coordinating with Ramsey County to construct a new trail segment along the south side of County Rd E from the Elmer Anderson Trail to Lake Johanna with anticipated construction in 2026. • MN-51 Trail Improvements o City staff is coordinating with MnDOT to construct a new trail segment along the west side MN-51 (Snelling Ave.) from Lydia Ave in Roseville to connect to the existing trail on Old Snelling Ave with anticipated construction in 2026. • Hamline Avenue Trail connection with Roseville – Lake Josephine o Arden Hills staff is coordinating trail improvements with the City of Roseville for a trail connection along the west side of Lake Josephine with anticipated construction in 2026.  An open house event is expected to be held March/April 2025, hosted by the City of Roseville. Page 2 of 2 • County Rd D Trail connection o The City of Roseville is coordinating with Ramsey County to construct a new trail segment along the south side of County Rd D from Cleveland Ave to Lake Johanna Blvd with anticipated construction in 2026. • Arden Manor Park Hardcourt Construction – City staff has applied for the DNR Outdoor Recreation Grant Program to pursue funding for this project. The project was not awarded any funding. Council direction is to continue to pursue grant funding which will likely result in 2025 construction. More about the grant application status will be known in early 2025. Staff is planning on applying for the CDBG grant if it is available in the spring. • Staff will be working with a consultant to implement Hardcourt Improvements within Hazelnut Park. • Hazelnut Parking Lot Status Update: Cost-share and maintenance responsibility negotiations continue with the Church representatives. The City has the parking lot resurfacing project budgeted for construction in 2025. Actual timing is dependent on Agreement renewal. • The pavilion roof at Cummings Park is due for replacement. That work will be taking place in the Spring/Summer of 2025. • Staff has been working on the annual Street Maintenance project for 2025. This work includes trail fog seal maintenance along the trail of Valentine Parking lot and repaving a segment of trail from Highway 96 to Arden View Drive. • Council has negotiated with a private developer as part of the PUD for the site for a trail to be added along the west side of Snelling Ave from Highway 96 all the way down to Royal Hills Park. This work could potentially take place in the next year and would be owned and maintained by the City once completed. • Proposed Old Highway 10 Trail, City staff is working with a consultant to pursue grants and state bonding funds. Estimated project cost is now projected to be $4.5 million. If the project becomes fully funded, construction is anticipated for 2026. o Met Council Regional Solicitation – SRTS: $1,000,000 (City was awarded this grant) o MnDOT – SRTS: $1,000,000 (City is reapplying for this grant currently, award date April 30, 2025) o State GO Bond funds: $1,650,000 (pursuing) o Ramsey County contribution: $700,000 o Remainder to be paid through Municipal State Aid and PIR Funds Staff will bring this item to a City Council Work Session discussion, likely at a May Work Session. New/Updated Items: • Bolton and Menk (BMI) presented the potential for the Park Master Plan proposal at the 2/10/25 Work Session. Council has instructed BMI to bring a proposal back to the March Work Session for consideration. o The presentation that BMI had for Council is attached for your reference as Attachment A. • The 2025 Parks Project (Arden Oaks Park & Freeway Park), Plans, Specs and Estimates were approved Council on 2/10/25 to bid for the site work scopes. The play Page 3 of 2 structures have been ordered and prices locked in from the vendors per Council direction in line with the survey results from resident users. Next steps are: o March 2025 - Award construction contract to the low bid contractor o Summer/Fall 2025 – Construction PARK SYSTEM PLAN PROCESS AND PROJECT SCOPING City Council February 10, 2025 Presented by Bryce Shearen, CPRE + Casey Byers, PLA AGENDA 1.PARK SYSTEM PLANS 2.PROJECT UNDERSTANDING + APPROACH 3.ENGAGEMENT 4.BUDGET 5.NEXT STEPS PARK SYSTEM PLANNING Park System Master Plan •Community-driven comprehensive document that outlines the vision for a community’s parks and recreation facilities •Includes goals, priorities, strategies, funding, management, and maintenance •Plan and prepare for CIP •Serve as guiding document for the Public Works Parks Division and PTRC. •Updated every 10 years WHO WE ARE? WHAT DO WE WANT? WHAT CAN WE DO? HOW CAN WE DO IT? PARK SYSTEM MASTER PLAN Phase 2 PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS AND PRIORITIES PUBLIC INPUT STAFF INPUT PTRC TRENDS NATIONAL METRICS CITY COUNCIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE DEMOGRAPHICS COMPLETED PLANS •Marshalltown, IA •Forest Lake, MN •Lake Elmo, MN •Robbinsdale, MN •Empire, MN •Windsor Heights, IA •Blue Earth, MN •Jasper County, SC •Cabarrus County, NC PROJECT UNDERSTANDING + APPROACH PROJECT UNDERSTANDING •Previous Park System Plan completed in 2002 •Plan and prepare for CIP •Serve as guiding document for the Public Works Parks Division and PTRC •Validate upcoming park and trail improvement projects •Utilized as tool in potential additional funding sources •Included in 2050 Comp Plan update PROCESS Phase 2 Phase 5 INFORMATION GATHERING FINDINGS AND VISIONING DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS FINAL PLAN Phase 2 Phase 5 FINDINGS AND VISIONING DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS FINAL PLAN Needs Assessment •All Assets •All Program Locations •Other Providers Inventory •All Park Assets •All Program Locations •Other Providers •Level of Service Comparison and Mapping Community Profile •Historical and Planning Context •Demographics Trends •Local and National •NRPA Metric and Trends Analysis Community and Public Engagement •City-wide Survey •Pop-Up Meetings •Open House INFORMATION GATHERING Phase 2 Phase 5 INFORMATION GATHERING FINDINGS AND VISIONING DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS FINAL PLAN Presentations/Feedback Sessions •Staff •Stakeholders •Steering Committee •PTRC •City Council What We Have Discovered Vision Opportunities Limitations Themes Analysis Phase 2 Phase 5 INFORMATION GATHERING FINDINGS AND VISIONING DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS FINAL PLAN Summary of Findings Strategies •Long-Term Vision •Short-Term Vision Implications •Financial •Operational •Maintenance Recommendations Action Plans Reviews and Revisions Phase 2 Phase 5 INFORMATION GATHERING FINDINGS AND VISIONING DRAFT RECOMMENDATIONS FINAL PLAN Review •Staff •Public •Steering Committee •PTRC •Council Approval •PTRC •Council Implementation •Guiding Document •Action Plan •Annual Review PROPOSED TIMELINE Phase 2 Phase 5 Project Initiation / Management Inventory + Analysis Public Involvement Community Needs Assessment Implementation Planning Plan Adoption MONTH 1 MONTH 2 MONTH 3 MONTH 4 MONTH 5 MONTH 6 MONTH 7 MONTH 8 MONTH 9-12 SPRING - SUMMER COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROJECT ADVISORY COMMITTEE •Facilitate PAC meetings •Two Council Members •Two PTRC Members •2-3 City Staff (Including maintenance personnel) •Dedicated meetings with the committee throughout the project •Hands-on collaborative work POP-UP MEETINGS •Effective way to reach the community •Creative Ideas •Produces meaningful discussions •Additional opportunity to engage PTRC and City Council •Encourages community buy-in •May – Touch-A-Truck Event •July – Penny Carnival •August – Community Picnic PTRC •Utilize and promote PTRC meetings as public engagement opportunities •Opportunity for PTRC to promote Park System Planning process within the community and stay engaged •PTRC invited to be involved at pop -up meetings COMMUNITY INPUT •Community-wide survey •Park uses and activities •Preferred amenities •Utilize visual preferencing •Customized to city ENHANCED COMMUNITY INPUT •Additional services for consideration •Interactive Community Map INPUTiD •Yard Signs •Trail Graphics COMMUNITY + PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT Context Setting Understand the physical, economic, and social environment of the project. Process Identify the people impacted by the project and the most effective engagement strategies. Engage &Design Determine community needs through an inclusive engagement process.Plan,design, and implement the project to advance these needs. Accountability & Tracking Establish project goals that serve all stakeholders and guide decision- making. The four pillars of community -centered design guide COMMUNITY-CENTERED DESIGN APPROACH Equitable and inclusive infrastructure design is community-focused and considers what features stakeholders in each community need to thrive . EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES •Design improvement options in line with vision and available funds •Identify phasing opportunities and priorities •Identify potential alternative funding options for the city •Partnership Opportunities BUDGET BUDGET Phase 2 Phase 5 PROJECT MANAGEMENT + INITIATION PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT INVENTORY + ANALYSIS IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING FINAL PLAN 10%15%15%15%20%20% Next Steps •Discussion and feedback from Council on desired outcomes •Prepare formal proposal for Council consideration •Kickoff planning process in 2025 QUESTIONS? Contact: Bryce Shearen, CPRE Bryce.Shearen@bolton-menk.com Casey Byers, PLA Casey.Byers@bolton-menk.com UNFINISHED BUSINESS – 4B Page 1 of 1 MEMORANDUM DATE: February 18, 2025 TO: Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee FROM: Matthew Johnson SUBJECT: Work Group Updates Background A verbal update of work groups will be given. Attachment N/A NEW BUSINESS – 5A MEMORANDUM DATE: 2/18/25 TO: Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee FROM: Kate Olson, Emelia Rogers, Eva Acosta SUBJECT: Discover Your Parks Summer Passport Background What: Discover Your Parks Summer Passport Why: Encourage Arden Hills residents as well those from outside the area to discover and explore Arden Hills parks. How: A checklist of the parks and addresses will be provided on a paper or online. At each park a letter (or symbol) will be displayed at each of the 16 parks. ● Collect all the letters ● Unscramble letters to form a phrase ● Turn in your sheet to City Hall or fill out online and stop in to City Hall to collect a prize ○ prize idea is currently a water bottle ● First 100 (or how ever many we get) ● All completed entries (even those beyond 100) will be entered for some door prizes ○ Ideas ■ gift cards from local businesses ■ car wash ■ free bowling party When: June 9th - August 15th Where: ● Physical Fliers ○ Available at city hall ○ Touch a truck ○ Parks program ○ Give to Soccer and Baseball coaches ● Online ○ promote on social media ■ City of Arden Hills ■ Arden Hillbillies ■ Neighborly Arden Hills ■ New Brighton Moms ○ in May or June newsletter Page 2 of 4 Fall and Winter Recreation Program Update Memo Attachment Attachment A – Discover Your Parks Summer Passport Page 3 of 4 Fall and Winter Recreation Program Update Memo Page 4 of 4 Fall and Winter Recreation Program Update Memo