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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-19-25 PTRC-Cancelled -No Quorum Chair: Dan Dietz (2027) Committee Members: Lacy Loosbrock (2025) Kerri Seemann (2025) Kate Olson (2025) Emelia Rogers (2025) Nancy Jacobson (2025) Elizabeth Johnson (2026) Derek Hilding (2027) Nikhath Nazir Ahmed (2027) Sarah “SJ” Julius (2027) Youth Committee Member: Eva Acosta (2025) Council Liaison: Emily Rousseau Staff Liaison: Jess Skalicky Arden Hills Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee August 19, 2025 6:30 pm City Hall 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. July 15, 2025 3. REPORTS A. Council Liaison Update B. Parks and Recreation Report C. Park System Plan Update D. Trails and Parks Projects Update 4. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 5. NEW BUSINESS A. 2026 Tree Trust 6. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES A. Rain Gardens Work Group Update B. Natural Habitat Restoration Work Group Update C. Special Event Enrichment Work Group Update D. Volunteer Coordinating Work Group Update E. Trails Work Group Update 7. NEXT MEETING A. Tuesday, September 16, 2025 8. ADJOURNMENT CITY OF ARDEN HILLS PARKS, TRAILS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING TUESDAY, JULY 15, 2025, 6:30 PM ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL CALL MEETING TO ORDER Committee Chair Dan Dietz called the May 20, 2025 meeting of the Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee to order at 6:30 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Dan Dietz, Eva Acosta, Kerri Seemann, Derek Hilding, Kate Olson, Nancy Jacobson, Amelia Rogers, Liz Johnson and SJ Julius, Nikhath Nazir Ahmed OTHERS PRESENT: Park and Recreation Manager Jess Skalicky, Council Liaison Emily Rousseau ABSENT: Lacy Loosbrock 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Committee Member Olson moved, and Committee Member Hilding seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as amended. The motion carried unanimously among members present. Committee Member Seemann made a change for Cummings Park Guide 1 and 2, amend “for information only” to “requesting support from the PTRC.” 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. April 15, 2025 PTRC Minutes MOTION: Committee Member Seemann moved, and Committee Member Olson seconded a motion to approve the meeting minutes as amended. The motion carried unanimously among members present. On page 7 Ingerson Park is misspelled. 3. REPORT A. Park System Plan Update Casey Byers from Bolton & Menk began his presentation on the Park System Plan Update. He gave a brief description of his background. He asked each commissioner to introduce themselves and describe one thing they are most excited about with the completion of this plan. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – July 15, 2025 Page 2 Committee Member Rogers said she is excited about being able to see things fit together so it doesn’t feel so haphazard. We can see it all laid out and we will know what’s yet to come. Park and Recreation Manager Skalicky is excited that this can be the guiding document for PTRC, Parks, Public Works, City Council and members of the public. Everyone is on the same page. Council Liaison Rousseau is looking forward to a governance document for Staff to look at for the foundational pieces for our Park System Plan and they can use it over the next decade. Committee Member Johnson is excited about a system that encompasses everything. It will be nice to have a common vision. Committee Member Julius is excited to see some differentiation come to Arden Hills. What we want to be known for can be connected through this plan. Chair Dietz likes the documentation and he’s also interested in the public engagement piece. Committee Member Acosta is excited to see how there is more structure and a common goal for our parks. Committee Member Seemann is excited to have a shared vision and a path forward. Committee Member Hilding likes engagement with casual park users and getting them to think about it more. Committee Member Olson is excited about the public engagement part. She looks forward to seeing Arden Hills parks move into 2025 with some cool things. Committee Member Jacobson thinks it’s great we will have a comprehensive document with engagement. It’s been such a struggle for PTRC to determine what we should focus on. This will help fine tune the work of this committee. Committee Member Nazir Ahmed is excited to see what the documentation looks like and excited for her kids to be able to enjoy the parks. Casey Byers said that one thing that is fun about the planning process is getting kids involved. There are school age kids who will remember this process and then they can see the improvements take shape. It is exciting to see things come full circle. All of the comments shared by Committee Members align with the goals and anticipated outcomes of this planning process. The Plan will wrap up in the spring of 2026. The inventory and analysis pieces are complete. The parks have been documented, and the community engagement stage is rolling out. They are beginning to evaluate the information we already have like demographics, the National Rec and Park Association (NRPA) benchmark analysis. They are comparing our park system to other systems in the United States with similar populations. Once the survey is complete, they can begin to compile what the community is saying. They can analyze that against what the NRPA metrics say and start to formulate some general themes and recommendations that can inform the outcome of the plan. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – July 15, 2025 Page 3 Casey Byers said they were at the Touch-A-Truck event and are planning for a pop-up event at the community picnic. He shared a slide introducing his team. He stated the project goals to include maximizing opportunities for input, developing a plan that is visionary but also attainable, the plan will be community-driven, provides clear guidance for future decision making and prepare a quality document that is designed for use by constituents, staff and elected officials. It will be the go-to document to know what is coming up and it can easily be plugged into the City’s CIP. Casey Byers said the survey has 331 responses with 950 comments. That is a great response. The engagement tools are working. Committee Member Hilding noticed that some of the sidewalk decals have come unstuck or are missing. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky can check on them. She will reattach them if they’re still there. However, there are no more left to replace them, if they are gone. Casey Byers said if it seems like they are all getting loose, they can try to come up with a different strategy. These efforts are already working, based on the great response. Committee Member Olson asked how many total responses he would expect to receive, based on the Arden Hills population. Casey Byers said it is tough to say. Once we get to 5-7%, the data doesn’t tend to change that much. They are interested in looking at the age of the respondents. It can help determine if they need to find different ways to circulate the survey to reach all age groups. Committee Member Julius asked how visible the survey is on the City website. She tried to find it on her phone and it failed. That can be frustrating for users and deter participation. Also, residents who don’t regularly use City parks, may not know about it. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said there is a dedicated page for the Park System Plan on the website. There is a large button on that page that users can click to take the survey. It will be in the newsletter that is hitting mailboxes soon. We will use news flashes and social media to keep highlighting it. There will be postcards going out to most residents, as well. Casey Byers has heard of difficulties and they haven’t determined if it is certain phones, or carriers. Pointing people to the webpage for the link is a good option. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if there is a way to track how they got to the survey. Does it show that they scanned a QR on the trail, clicked through a Facebook post or found it on the website? Casey Byers is not sure. He will ask that question and provide the information. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if it tracks IP addresses so we don’t get 10 responses from the same person because they are really passionate about a certain element. Casey Byers believes it is limited to one survey per IP address. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – July 15, 2025 Page 4 Committee Member Julius noted that people can clear their cache and can respond again. Committee Member Nazir Ahmed said both her and her husband were able to respond. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the QR codes on the postcards are traceable. So if someone navigates to the survey through the QR code on the postcard, she will know. The reason is to determine if the postcards generate responses and if not, we may not use them in the future. Committee Member Olson asked if the newsletter article has a QR code. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said it is a QR code, but she isn’t sure if it tracks the number of survey respondents via that code. It is a different QR code than the one on the postcards. Casey Byers will ask his communications team. He believes they set them up so no one can “stack the deck” but understands there needs to be some flexibility. He shared some comments that they have received so far. People are thinking about dog parks and there have been comments on staffing and maintenance of the facilities. There were a quite a few comments regarding trail connections and park access. There will be another pop-up event in August. Committee Member Seemann wondered what the answers were that were covered by stickers. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the ones that were most covered were nature play areas and splash pad. Committee Member Julius said there may be biased answers because it’s July. There probably won’t be many comments regarding skating rinks. We have a short summer in Minnesota. The amount of time residents can use of a splash pad is limited. Casey Byers said they have received comments about permanent restrooms and drinking fountains. He is encouraged when people are looking for the basic needs which encourage longer uses. Residents may be willing to travel a little farther to visit a park if they know there is a restroom or a drinking fountain. He said the five most used parks in Arden Hills are Tony Schmidt Regional Park, Cummings Park, Floral Park, Hazelnut Park and Perry Park. The top five new park amenities, attractions or programs are paved trails, unpaved trails, nature plays, splash pads and trail lighting. Casey Byers said for next steps, they will continue to analyze the inventory and physical amenities of the park system. They will monitor the survey input. They will look for gaps in responses. A steering committee meeting will be scheduled in August and there will be a pop up event at the end of August. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the survey will close in mid to late August to ensure participation at the events in August. Casey Byers agreed. The plan is to shut down the survey by the end of August so they can prepare a summary of responses for the next pop-up event. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – July 15, 2025 Page 5 Committee Member Olson asked if there have been targeted engagement at Bethel, Johanna Shores or other areas where many people live. She asked if there are flyers being hung on community bulletin boards. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said she has not done that, but she can look into it. Committee Member Olson said they were brainstorming for the community picnic and they didn’t find many bulletin boards in Arden Hills. She thought larger housing communities may have a bulletin board. Casey Byers said we could move some of the signs to those areas. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said there are 25 yard signs and 25 trail stamps. She spread them throughout the City but they can still be relocated. Committee Member Hilding wondered if the document will be a revamped version of a similarly sized City’s plan or will the plan be built from scratch? Casey Byers said the process is similar in all Cities. The data-sources they pull from are current. The sequence of events is similar. But this will start from scratch. There are no preconceived notions going into this process. Some communities focus on playgrounds for the first ten years. Some communities have great playgrounds and will focus on bigger destination attractions like splash pads and ice rinks. Committee Member Hilding asked if there are generic recommendations that will apply no matter what the survey results are? Casey Byers said there are certainly best practices. We ground ourselves in reality where the final plan has an attainable implementation strategy. This plan will outline the next ten years of projects. The implementation will be based on park conditions, cost estimating and phasing that makes sense for Arden Hills. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky read the one-sentence-vision that is on the survey. It says “During this process we will inventory all park amenities such as trails, playgrounds, benches and sports fields, assess the condition of each and create a plan for maintaining and upgrading these amenities over the next twenty years.” She said it’s not starting from scratch. We are taking what we already have and using the plan to guide us on when replacements, improvements and new amenities should be anticipated and planned for. Committee Member Julius wants to understand what the final product will look like. She hoped Casey Byers could provide a sample. She asked if it will be a park by park recommendation, and total park system recommendation and prioritization. Casey Byers confirmed. There will be a step during this process where we will discuss setting priorities. They will take the information gathered regarding resident input and inventory and work with the Steering Committee to help prioritize those items. Some of them will be based on current life cycle and condition of the equipment. If the community identifies certain amenities are important, those will have higher priority. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – July 15, 2025 Page 6 Council Liaison Rousseau said Council has started the budget conversation. She doesn’t want to wait until 2027 to start planning for the implementation. She asked if we should be estimating something beginning this year. It will be challenging to set much aside. Casey Byers said the City is already spending money on the Park System now. We are updating two parks. We have to look at what the City is spending now on capital and operating costs and have a real conversation asking if it is enough. If we spend the same amount every year, are we going to catch up with where we want to be in 10-15 years? If it’s not enough, we need to calculate what is enough and what will it take to get there? Council Liaison Rousseau said by the time we are starting to get into the finer details, it will be early into 2026. She is just trying to determine when is the right time to have these conversations. Maybe we can put a little bit in the levy and let it build up over the next couple of years. Casey Byers said the conversation will be had again next year at the same time. At that time the plan will be complete so it will fit into the fiscal year for 2027. It is a difficult question to answer. Committee Member Rogers asked what percentage of the total budget Arden Hills spends on parks projects. Council Liaison Rousseau doesn’t have that information with her but they did have the accountant pull out how much we spend on parks and recreation. The amount is lower than other cities. Casey Byers said that is one of the benchmarks for comparison. They’ll look at what we are currently spending and how it compares to similar communities. It will give us a ballpark figure. That doesn’t all have to come from the General Fund. It could come from other sources. That’s where we would consider funding campaigns and grants. B. Council Liaison Update Council Liaison Rousseau said Mullins Garden was approved by Council. The details on if it will be identified by a plaque or a sign still need to be ironed out. Council Liaison Rousseau said Anne Hall provided funding estimates for the Tree Trust next year. She is hoping the Council will set $7,000 aside so we can have that event again. She asked if anyone was aware of any concerns around that event. If not, she will move forward with requesting this from Council. Council Liaison Rousseau said Rec-on-the-Go is requesting about $8,000 for next year. It was a successful program this year, although, there were some challenges with connecting to the residents at Arden Manor. She is going to reach out to City Administrator Jagoe or maybe work with Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky to discuss producing some flyers or permission slips in Hmong and Spanish to try to reach those demographics. Council Liaison Rousseau said she is hoping we can build something into the park plan for implementation. She thought $25,000 or $50,000. She said Staff is talking about an 11% levy this year. There aren’t a lot of inter-governmental funds coming in. We’ve known for the past four- Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – July 15, 2025 Page 7 five years that we were going to need to increase the levies to make sure there are enough funds in the Capital Improvement Project fund. Council Liaison Rousseau said there is a litigation over Rice Creek Commons. Due to the risk during active litigation, the City will not update the committee at this time. There is public information that can be found online at Minnesota Court Records. Council Liaison Rousseau said we still have openings for youth positions on committees and commissions. She encouraged everyone to ask neighbors and friends if they know a youth who may be a good fit. We can have up to two youth members in the PTRC and the EDC so if two friends wanted to serve together, there may be room for that. Committee Member Rogers asked about the EDC meeting. She said that one is during the day. Council Liaison Rousseau confirmed. It is at 7:30-9:00 in the morning. Last year the youth didn’t have any issues. Council Liaison Rousseau said there are 5 PTRC members who’s 3-year terms are expiring at the end of 2025. She asked if the commissioners would let her know if they are interested in being reappointed. Council Liaison Rousseau reminded that the Committee and Commission Appreciation Picnic will be on July 22. She hopes everyone can make it. Committee Member Olson said in regards to the Rec-N-Go program, she saw there was an ice cream social happening. She asked where the funds for that event came from. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said we are partnering with Mounds View and she assumes they are funding it. Chair Dietz said he would like to see Anne Hall’s tree plan on the agenda for the next meeting. C. Parks and Recreation Manager Update Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said Council approved the Sponsorship Policy in June. She is working with Senior Communications Coordinator Michlig on creating a sponsorship packet. It will include all the events that people can sponsor. It will also allow people to sponsor park and recreation things, not just events. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said she is streamlining and formalizing park and recreation processes. The process for renting a facility will be completely revamped to make it easier. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said she is creating a system for people wanting to hold special events with more than 100 people. Currently we give those requests a blanket “no.” We have space to allow events that large so we will create a system for that. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said she is beginning to create the framework for the Adopt-A-Spot/Adopt-A-Park Program. She hopes to bring something back to the PTRC before Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – July 15, 2025 Page 8 the end of the Year. She wants to create a program that allows for residents/businesses to participate for a long-term commitment, or on a short-term, single event basis. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the Penney Carnival will be Friday. The Ice Cream Social is coming up. The Community Picnic will be on August 14th. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the pickleball nets that were purchased for Floral Park will be returned because they were too heavy and were melting the courts in the hot weather. We had ordered a certain net and the vendor sent us something different. When we reached out to let them know we received the wrong ones, they said the other type were not available anymore. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the committee got an in depth update on the Parks System Plan earlier. She said we will be sending the postcards out. This isn’t a part of the contract with Bolten and Menk. This is an additional step the City is taking to try to get more responses to the survey. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if they will be included in the Night-2-Unite packets. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said she hadn’t planned on including them, but she can look into it. Committee Member Olson asked if we were only allowing Arden Hills residents to complete the survey. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said no. Anyone in our surrounding communities are welcome to complete the survey. The postcards will only be mailed to Arden Hills Residents, though. So, if Committee Members wanted to share with people outside of Arden Hills they can take some postcards with them tonight. 4. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Trail and Parks Projects Update Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky updated that the first seven bullets on the list are previously discussed items and there are no updates that haven’t already been shared. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky presented the new and updated items. The County Road E trail connection will run from the Elmer Anderson Trail to Lake Johanna. It is being postponed, but is still expected to happen. The County is proposing that connection be combined with the Lake Johanna trail in 2028. That is a Ramsey County decision. Committee Member Olson wanted confirmation that the Lake Johanna trail will happen, and this connection is just being added to the scope of work on that project. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said as of right now, Ramsey County is saying that will happen in 2028. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – July 15, 2025 Page 9 Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said Council has negotiated with a private developer to build the trail in 2026 from the west side of Snelling Avenue from Highway 96 running to Royal Hills Park. Council Liaison Rousseau said there is a Park Dedication Fee for that development. Council has been talking about using that money for Old Highway 10. It is likely that we will have to consider bonding for the Lake Johanna Trail. Bonding costs more but it will save about 75% with the help after Ramsey County and other entities pay their portions vs. if we did it alone. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky pointed out the location of the trails being discussed on a map. She said the Old Highway 10 trail will be bid this summer for 2026 construction. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said Freeway Park and Arden Oaks Park are being updated this summer. The tree work and playground has been completed at Freeway Park. Arden Oaks Park has been delayed because there is a part missing from one of the pieces of equipment. We are waiting on the vendor to send the part. The vendor said it will take a few weeks, Staff anticipates it may be longer than that. Committee Member Hilding asked there was a safety issue with the trees at Freeway Park. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky confirmed. There were old cottonwoods that needed to be removed to prevent them from falling on the park or on the on-ramp. They were out stump grinding today. B. Work Group Updates Chair Dietz updated that The Rotary Club is working at Floral Park. They are doing good work. They have decided not to work at the park on Tuesdays anymore. Saturday will continue to be the day they work at the park. Committee Member Olson said the Park Passport Program has been completed by 8 people. While the participation has been low, the residents who did complete it were excited. Committee Member Rogers said these are tangible door prizes. Committee Member Olson said we received some money from Arden Hills Foundation for the prizes. Recreation Supervisor Johnson said the Park and Rec interns will use that money to purchase prizes. The original thought was to purchase things from Arden Hills businesses. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if there will be any advertising for the program at the Penny Carnival. Committee Member Olson didn’t think so, but that would be a great opportunity to make residents aware of the program. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky will bring some passports to hand out at the Penny Carnival. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – July 15, 2025 Page 10 Discussion ensued regarding how residents can get a paper copy of the passport and Committee Members confirmed they were checking on the letters they were assigned and updated if they have had to replace any. Committee Member Olson said she met with the Lions Club and Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky to discuss the Community Picnic. The biggest thing was trying to get more participants either through word of mouth or extra advertising. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said there will be some health focused vendors at the event. Committee Member Johnson provided a trail update. She met with Rich Straumann on June 25. They came up with a vision. She wondered if anyone else would like to be a part of that. We want to figure out how to engage people to figure out how to connect all the trails and find grants that may help pay for them. Committee Member Olson noted that Rich Straumann used to be on the PTRC and now serves on a committee for the northwest suburban trails. He’s a wealth of knowledge on all trails. He’s an advocate for trails and connections. Committee Member Jacobson said the roundabout wasn’t mowed last year. We contacted Ramsey County. It’s been mowed three times this year. That wasn’t the intent. The tall prairie grasses were designed as a feature of the roundabout. Now it’s short green grass. She doesn’t know if there is anything else for us to do. This roundabout is owned by Ramsey County. If we want anything different, we would have to take responsibility for maintaining it. We looked at the requirements for traffic control on a Ramsey County road. Arden Hills doesn’t have the traffic control equipment the County requires, if we had a work group work on the roundabout. She asked the PTRC what their opinions are. Should we just leave it and let Ramsey County mow it. Council Liaison Rousseau remembered we were going to wait until it fully developed and see what it looked like. She asked if the issue is that it still isn’t looking like something the residents want. Committee Member Olson said the Black-eyed Susans were about to bloom and they mowed it all down. It was about to be something. We did do a little weeding. It started to come in and they mowed it down again. Council Liaison Rousseau asked how those flowers got there. Committee Member Olson said that was what was planted. They planted some really pretty things that were going to bloom at different times. It was part of their planting. Committee Member Jacobson said was proposed to the engineer was to do a coordinated plan where we would work with Ramsey County. She hasn’t gotten much feedback from them. Discussion ensued regarding who could be contacted regarding what could be done. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – July 15, 2025 Page 11 Committee Member Johnson pointed out that the person who is mowing, is not talking to whoever designed the roundabout. She wondered if we could just stick a sign in the roundabout that says “Please don’t mow”. Committee Member Olson said she thinks the key will be getting a hold of Jodi Lundquist. Committee Member Jacobson said if it keeps getting mowed so frequently, the plants may not have the energy to come back. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said it is Ramsey County. We have no say. Since we have already talked to Ramsey County about it and this roundabout is not part of Arden Hills, this is a closed door. Committee Member Olson said part of the job of the PTRC it to be advocates for these types of things. Committee Member Jacobson said she heard if we start to work on it, Ramsey County will walk away from it and won’t maintain it. Committee Member Nazir Ahmed asked if the issue is with the height of the growth. Committee Member Jacobson said they put in tall prairie grass and there should be a whole variety of grasses. Chair Dietz said we should be careful about weeding out there. It’s a safety issue. He said there is an abundance of plants at Floral Park. Maybe some of them could be used at the roundabout. Committee Member Jacobson said it goes back to Arden Hills doesn’t have the equipment. Committee Member Rogers asked if we could find an example of a roundabout we would like to duplicate, that is also maintained by Ramsey County, so we can just show them that we want ours to look like that? Council Liaison Rousseau said the challenge goes back to 2021 when they took out the irrigation system. Ther is no way to water anything out there. Committee Member Jacobson said the one near Walmart and Aldi is beautiful. They are Roseville’s roundabouts. C. Cummings Park Planting Committee Member Seemann said Arden Hills Greening was hoping to get some native plants on the west side of Cummings Park. One of the neighbors is worried about invasive species growing in. We received $100 from the foundation to go towards seed to be used at Cummings or Chatham, or be split between them. We have some shrubs and other wild flowers that are ready to be planted once we get permission to plant and the site is prepared. There were 20 volunteers from Boston Scientific who were at the park in June to dig up the burdock so it won’t go to seed and get worse. She would like the PTRC to support a recommendation that we be allowed to plant in that area. It would be a multi-year effort. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – July 15, 2025 Page 12 Committee Member Hilding supports these efforts. He asked if is PTRC’s job to give permission to do stuff in parks? Do we recommend to the city council, or do we get to say “yes or no” to these types of projects? Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said residents don’t need permission to remove invasive species from parks. Part of the Adopt-A-Park/Adopt-A-Spot program will be to formalize a system so people aren’t removing species that aren’t actually invasive. Arden Hills Greening know what invasive species are. Efforts to remove invasive species don’t have to be approved by PTRC, Public Works or Council. Planting in parks will need to be coordinated with Public Works Parks Maintenance to make sure that whatever planting we’re doing is part of the Parks Maintenance Plan. You will outline what you are planting and the plan to manage those plantings, moving forward. Staff can put that information into the Parks Maintenance Plan so we’re all on the same page. She outlined all the steps and considerations surrounding these requests. Committee Member Hilding asked if the PTRC could give a recommendation, but it is ultimately Public Works makes that the final decision? Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky confirmed. Public Works needs to decide if it will be included in the maintenance plan. Committee Member Olson asked if volunteers are in place and they have the resources, they can request Public Works include it in the plan. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky confirmed. She said the holdup is that there is already a planned schedule in place for what will happen. It is difficult to change the schedule as it is programmed ahead of time. Adopting additional tasks that were not a part of the original plan is difficult. We can’t change the plan at the last minute. Committee Member Rogers asked if a group plants these plants in the fall, the question becomes who will water them and weed the beds. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the plan for the current year is approved by City Council. The park maintenance items for each park have already been submitted, planned and approved. Adding something different won’t necessarily align with all of the other plans laid out. Committee Member Rogers asked if the work at Floral Park doesn’t need to be approved because the it is maintained by the City. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky believes the work being completed at Floral Park was a part of a Public Works Maintenance Plan at some point to make that happen there. Chair Dietz said it’s all existing plantings on the perimeter that doesn’t need any help from the City. The buckthorn is gone. Do we need to lay out a plan to change the routes to the trails? Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky asked if the City maintains the trails. Chair Dietz said his group maintains them at Floral Park. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – July 15, 2025 Page 13 Committee Member Seemann said the west side of Cummings Park is just weeds. It isn’t even being mowed. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky says the Maintenance Plan specifically says that area will be mowed once per year. Committee Member Hilding said he fully supports all these efforts. He just doesn’t want PTRC to vote on something and then have Public Works say no. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said having the Adopt-A-Spot/Adopt-A-Park program will remedy some of that. That will create a systematic procedure to make these things happen. People can adopt a certain area. Once it’s part of the park plan, the area can be adopted and the work needed in that area will already be laid out. It is not the role of the PTRC to approve planting in parks. Committee Member Hilding said PTRC can make recommendations that can become a part of the plan. Chair Dietz confirmed. The role of the PTRC it to make recommendations. Council Liaison Rousseau asked how many plants Committee Member Seemann has that are ready to be planted. Committee Member Seemann thinks it is about 2,500. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if there are any alternate locations where those plants could be planted. Committee Member Seemann said Chatham may be an option, assuming Public Works has sprayed twice this year, to kill the buckthorn. She thought they were planning to spray in July but she isn’t sure if they’ve done it twice. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said even if we have the volunteers and they are ready to do it, there isn’t a framework in place for extremely large projects of park plantings. There needs to be a documented, systematic process so that 10-years from now we can look back and see when these native plants were planted and where they came from. Committee Member Olson summarized when the framework is in place Arden Hills Greening can adopt a park or a spot in the park. Will that always be a year out? Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky confirmed. Depending on what it is, planning what will happen, what will be planted should be planned for the following year. Committee Member Rogers said the Rotary has approval to do the work at Floral Park. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky confirmed. Committee Member Jacobson asked if we could do the same thing with Boston Scientific at Cummings Park? Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – July 15, 2025 Page 14 Committee Member Seemann spoke to one of the leads for recruiting volunteers at Boston Scientific. They said they could commit to one or two projects at Cummings. They have so many different projects for their staff to choose from that they can’t commit to adopting a park. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said one of the pros of the Adopt-A-Park/Adopt-A- Spot program is making it a big or small of a volunteer effort as the adopter would like. There will be opportunities for volunteers to work a single day on a specific spot. Council Liaison Rousseau said it sounds like there is a lot of work before those plantings can go into Cummings. She wondered if Chatham could be a second option. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the Public Works Superintendent has told her that any planting in a park, needs to be a part of the Parks Maintenance Plan, for that year. Council Liaison Rousseau said this Park Maintenance Plan process seem relatively new. She wondered if there is room to request this second spraying. That seems like an item that may be able to be done. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the second spraying can definitely be done. Committee Member Jacobson sought clarification that the recommendation is that these plants will be used at Chatham. Council Liaison Rousseau said Committee Member Seemann is recommending Cummings. Committee Member Jacobson said there are problems with approval to work on that area. Committee Member Seemann said some of those plants are suitable for either Cummings or Chatham. She was planning to distribute the plants to both parks. Committee Member Olson said the PTRC was not aware that Cummings takedown was happening. If we had known that was planned, we could have made the proper recommendation. She doesn’t understand why we would take out everything, knowing that a bunch of weeds will immediately fill that space. Her other concern is we have residents and volunteers who are excited to do something for our City. To tell them no, diminishes that excitement. If we have the resources and have put a ton of work into planning and preparing to then be told no, is disappointing. The PTRC learned everything was removed from other people. We knew about the trees in Floral coming down for months. We were never told that Cummings was going to pretty much be wiped out. D. Buckthorn Update – Chatham Park This item was not discussed. 5. NEW BUSINESS N/A Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – July 15, 2025 Page 15 6. NEXT MEETING A. Tuesday, August 19th, 2025 ADJOURNMENT Chair Dietz adjourned at 8:00 pm. REPORT – 3C MEMORANDUM DATE: August 19, 2025 TO: Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee FROM: Jess Skalicky, Parks and Recreation Manager SUBJECT: Park System Plan Update Requested Action Informational presentation: no action required Background Staff will give an update on the City of Arden Hills Park System Plan. Attachment Attachment A: Park System Plan PTRC Meeting #2 - Slideshow "' ::z:► :a m � C :a c< iii-0 z n 0 :I :I C :I -· � en C.. '< C ,, a. Ill r SWOT Analysis STRENGTHS •what does the system do well? •highlights of the system? OPPORTUNITIES •underserved groups? •emerging needs? WEAKNESSES •what does the system lack? •what are its limitations? THREATS •outside influences •things out of the park + rec commission's control Guiding Principles . . . 0 ... If • • • ••.. : GUIDING PRINCIPLES ... . ... . . are the core ideas . . and values that inform the plan and how decisions are made REPORTS – 3D Page 1 of 3 MEMO.doc MEMORANDUM DATE: August 19, 2025 TO: Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee FROM: Lucas J. Miller, Assistant Public Works Director SUBJECT: Trail and Parks Projects Update Previously Discussed Items: • 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. • 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. • 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 took place on May 1, 2025, at Autumn Grove Park hosted by the City of Roseville. It was well attended and provided great feedback from the community. • 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. This project is postponed and no longer going to be completed in 2026 per Ramsey County. It is being proposed to be combined with the LJB Trail in 2028. • 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 is likely to take place in 2026 if everything falls into place. This trail will be owned and maintained by the City once completed. Currently, the Developer is going through the Permitting Phase, and after that is completed, the City will start the Design phase for the trail with a consulting firm. • 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. Page 2 of 3 o Met Council Regional Solicitation – SRTS: $1,000,000 (City was awarded this grant) o MnDOT – SRTS: $1,000,000 (City was awarded this grant) o State GO Bond funds: $1,650,000 (pursuing but stuck at the state level) o Ramsey County contribution: $1,227,500 o Remainder to be paid through Municipal State Aid and PIR Funds Council has directed Staff to have the Consultant finish the design documents over this summer and then bidding the project this winter for 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 to fund the project. Staff reached out to CDBG representatives requesting the status of the program for 2025 which they responded that the CDBG Solicitation is postponed until a federal budget is passed. •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. New/Updated 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: Ramsey County plans to present information to Council in late 2025 at a Council Meeting RFP for Planning/Design contract: late 2025/early 2026 Planning/Design Phase: 2026-2028 Construction: 2029 •The 2025 Parks Project (Arden Oaks Park & Freeway Park), had its preconstruction meeting on April 28th with the Contractor, Designer and PW staff and is underway. Next steps are: o Freeway Park structure and hard courts are open and site work is nearly complete. Page 3 of 3 o Arden Oaks Park structure and swings are open. Site work and hardcourts are underway. o August – finish sitework at both parks o Substantial Completion early Fall 2025 (weather permitting) o Final Completion-end of Fall 2025 NEW BUSINESS – 5A MEMORANDUM DATE: August 19, 2025 TO: Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee FROM: Jess Skalicky, Parks and Recreation Manager SUBJECT: Arden Hills 2026 Tree Trust Tree Sale Requested Action Informational presentation: no action required Background Staff will give an update on the Tree Trust presentation that was recently given to City Council. Attachment Attachment A: Arden Hills 2026 Tree Trust Tree Sale Proposal for 2026 Arden Hills Tree Sale in Partnership with Tree Trust Submitted to: Arden Hills City Council Submitted by: Anne Hall 4276 Norma Ave. (7/12/25) Overview In 2025, the Arden Hills partnered with Tree Trust, a St. Paul-based nonprofit focused on community forestry, to pilot a subsidized residential tree sale. The initiative was led by volunteer resident, Anne Hall, who saw a need for a tree sale to replenish our urban canopy, particularly after the loss of large quantities of Ash trees in Arden Hills. The sale was subsidized by a $5,000 one-time donation from Tree Trust, to encourage Arden Hills start a yearly sale for residents through allocation of a portion of city funds. The tree sale aimed to encourage shade tree planting on private property and replenish our urban forests by providing residents easy access to affordable, high-quality trees. Many cities in the metro area offer subsidized tree sales each spring, to encourage residential tree planting. Trees provide myriad benefits to both individual residents and the city as whole, including reducing energy use, urban heat island reduction, improved property values and environmental stewardship. Due to strong demand and positive feedback, we propose continuing the sale and Tree Trust partnership in 2026, with City support to ensure long-term sustainability and impact. Pilot Program Highlights (2025) ● Trees Offered: Fifty 10 gallon trees (typical retail $160-300 per tree). Three shade trees, one evergreen and one ornamental ● Cost to Residents: $45 per tree (subsidized by Tree Trust Funds; ~$5000) ● Eligibility: 1 tree per Arden Hills address; trees must be planted within city limits on private property ● Outreach/Advertising: Predominantly FB Posts on ‘Arden Hillbillies’, ‘Neighborly Arden Hills’ & the city’s website, and a short article in the city’s April/May newsletter ● Ordering Period: Late March – Late May, 2025 ● Ordering Mechanics: Tree Trust website to process all payments. First-come, first-served ● Pickup Event: June 7, 2025 1-3pm, at City Hall; Fully run by citizen volunteers and 2 Tree Trust staff ● Outcome: All trees sold; very strong resident interest and positive response as evidenced by resident survey. 85% of respondents said they want to purchase a tree next year; 12% said “maybe” (see full results in Appendix) The pilot demonstrated a clear appetite for programs that promote environmental sustainability while offering direct value to residents. Feedback obtained from the survey included comments such as the following: ● “We were so excited about this opportunity. Thank you!!” ● “We view this as a wonderful investment of city resources!” ● “It’s great that Arden Hills has a tree sale- I think it’s important to replace lost trees. I like ● the idea of pollinator and fruit trees too.” ● “Thanks--Excellent service and I loved this benefit!” Proposed 2026 Program Key Elements ● Continue partnership with Tree Trust ● Offer 50-75 trees to Arden Hills residents ● Maintain $45 resident purchase price (requires City to allocate budget) ● Pickup location remains City Hall parking lot ● Tree Trust handles online tree orders, logistics, communications, and volunteer coordination (as opposed to city staff handling) Comparable Programs in Other Cities Many other fiscally responsible Twin cities communities run similar programs with success: ● Roseville: Offers 50–100 trees annually at $40; fully managed online; typically sells out quickly. “Our annual tree sale is wildly popular. We are pleased that residents are helping to preserve and grow our tree canopy on private property here in Roseville,” said Roseville Parks Superintendent Jim Taylor. ● Hopkins: Offers 50-100 trees annually at $40. ● Edina: This year offered 18 species and 1,000 trees. Last year's sale of 200 trees was mostly sold out in the first hour. Trees offered at $50 and the sale is part of reaching the City’s Climate Action Plan goal to increase the tree canopy from 36% to 43% by 2040. ● Bloomington: Offers 300+ trees per year through Tree Trust. Now in its 18th year, the City's annual tree sale has added 2,800 trees to Bloomington’s urban forest. This program helps Bloomington maintain its ‘Tree City USA’ status.Residents may purchase a maximum of up to five trees per household. These cities report strong community engagement, low administrative overhead, and measurable environmental and economic benefits. Benefits to Arden Hills While modest in upfront cost, this program yields high-return, long-term value to the city in multiple areas: 1. Stormwater Management ● Trees absorb rainwater, reducing runoff and erosion. ● One mature tree intercepts up to 1,000 gallons of water per year. 2. Resident Energy Savings ● Strategically planted shade trees can reduce home cooling costs by up to 30%. ● Evergreen trees reduce wind exposure in winter, lowering heating bills. 3. Property Value Boost ● Homes with mature trees see 3–15% higher resale value. 4. Urban Heat Island Reduction ● Trees cool the environment naturally—reducing city-wide energy use. This is more urgent as our climate continues to warm. 5. Cost-Effective Program ● Tree Trust manages nearly all logistics; city involvement is limited to communication and providing a pickup site. 6. Environmental Stewardship ● Reinforces the city’s commitment to sustainable growth and long-term environmental health. Budget Request Item Quantity Cost/ Tree Total Tree Trust Tree Cost (est.) 75 ~$150 $11,250 Resident Contribution 75 $45 ($4,500) City Budget Needed $6,750 City Support Requested 1. Approve & Support continued participation in the Tree Trust Tree Sale for 2026. 2. Allocate up to $6,750 in the 2026 city budget to subsidize 75 trees. Importantly, 80% of survey respondents indicated they supported the city allocating $7000 of it’s budget towards this effort. Twelve percent of respondents said “maybe”. 3. Authorize city staff to coordinate with Tree Trust on logistics and promotion. 4. Support pickup event at City Hall on a selected date in spring/summer 2026. The proposal for 2026 includes 75 trees, as we had strong positive feedback and participation in 2025, and we believe the program can expand. Conclusion Arden Hills is defined by its rich urban forests and mature tree canopy—so much so that a tree features prominently in our city logo. However, the loss of countless ash trees has left significant gaps in our landscape, underscoring the important need for ongoing residential tree planting. The proposed 2026 Tree Sale, in partnership with Tree Trust, offers a cost-effective, low-effort solution to support reforestation across our community. This program promotes environmental sustainability, boosts property values, and empowers residents to take part in restoring our tree canopy—all without requiring extensive city resources or maintenance. Following strong community interest in the 2025 pilot and the success of similar programs in neighboring cities, we strongly recommend expanding this initiative in 2026 to ensure long-term impact and community benefit. Appendix 2025 Arden Hills Tree Sale Survey Results A google survey was created by Anne Hall and provided to residents on the day of the tree pickup. Residents could take the survey via paper copy and provide answers, or could use a QR code to answer the questions on their phone. 34 Responses were obtained. Some people picked up multiple trees (for themselves and their neighbors) so we did not obtain 50 responses. Survey Results: What tree species or types you would especially like to see offered in future sales? ● Oak ● Maple ● Fruitless crabapple or other types of evergreens ● Maple varieties (sugar, silver, etc), other 40-50 ft tall native options ● Evergreen ● Buckeye ● White pine ● Maple, Oak, willow, birch ● Norway Pine or other pine ● Japanese maple, oak, white pine ● Fruit trees, maples, trees that are disease resistant and climate-change resilient ● Elm ● River birch ● Pine trees Please provide any other feedback or suggestions about this type of service so we can advocate for a sale that fits your needs next year! ● Thank you! ● Thanks for doing this ● Tree trust is a fantastic way to benefit our city. This should happen yearly. ● Love the service ● It ’s great that Arden Hills has a tree sale- I think it ’s important to replace lost trees. I like the idea of pollinator and fruit trees too. ● Thanks--Excellent service and I loved this benefit! ● I think this is a wonderful program ● Thank you! ● Thank you for this program! ● We were so excited about this opportunity. Thank you!! ● We view this as a wonderful investment of city resources!