Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-17-25 - PTRC Minutes CITY OF ARDEN HILLS PARKS, TRAILS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2025, 6:30 PM ARDEN HILLS CITY HALL CALL MEETING TO ORDER Committee Chair Dan Dietz called the December 17, 2025, meeting of the Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee to order at 6:30 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Dan Dietz, Nancy Jacobson, Lacy Loosbrock, Ted Chresand, SJ Julius, Derek Hilding and Liz Johnson, OTHERS PRESENT: Parks and Recreation Manager Jess Skalicky and Council Liaison Emily Rousseau ABSENT:. Committee Members and Nikhath Nazir Ahmed, Kerri Seemann, Emelia Rogers and Kate Olson 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Committee Member Jacobson moved and Chair Dietz seconded a motion to approve the agenda, as written. The motion carried unanimously among members present. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. November 18, 2025 PTRC Minutes MOTION: Committee Member Jacobson moved and Committee Member Chresand seconded a motion to approve the meeting minutes, as written. The motion carried unanimously among members present. 3. REPORT A. Council Liaison Update Council Liaison Rousseau shared an update regarding the spine road. Staff had recommended to provide feedback to the Joint Development Authority (JDA) about the spine road. She said to send the emails directly to the JDA members. She said they are anticipating 90% of the plan to be completed in January of this year. It has been proposed that at a minimum it will have a 10- foot asphalt trail on both sides. Committee Member Jacobson thought it might be split between walkers and bikers. She said the graphic makes it look like there are two trails on each side. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – December 17, 2025 Page 2 Council Liaison Rousseau updated that bidding for the Old Highway 10 project will be in the summer of 2026. Outreach will take place around the same time. The City has requested that the County review for stop signs and the County responded that the review is not warranted. Council Liaison Rousseau said the levy was set at 12.5%. She knows some people are disappointed that it wasn’t set higher to increase opportunities for us to build in more amenities. Council recognizes that there are a lot of residents who are concerned about SNAP benefits and medical insurance premiums, on top of additional property taxes. She thinks they landed on a good medium ground even though we didn’t get the extra for the Parks and Recreation aspects. They did set aside $10,000 this year and hope to build on that in years to come. We have some Great River Greening funds, we’re adding the Tree Trust, as well as, the Rec on the Go program. We also added the Parks and Recreation Manager and a Park Lead position last year. Council Liaison Rousseau shared how the Gateway funding can be utilized. A lot of the City’s allotment for those funds will go toward the 75th Anniversary. Council Liaison Rousseau said two members of the 75th Anniversary Committee will be attending the upcoming Economic Development Commission (EDC) meeting. They will be talking about how to involve the businesses more. It may mean booths at the event, sponsorships and decals. Council Liaison Rousseau said Council changed the Economic Development Authority (EDA) structure. The EDA has the authority to buy and sell property. The change includes adding two EDC members. She believes this will be the first time that non-Councilmembers are a part of this authority. She is looking forward to seeing what kind of ideas can come from this change. There will be two openings on the EDC. She encouraged PTRC members to spread the word to those who may wish to volunteer. Councilmember Liaison Rousseau thanked Committee Members Amelia Rogers, Kerri Seemann and Nancy Jacobson for their service. They have all decided not to renew their positions on the PTRC. She said that the PTRC Chair for 2026 will be Committee Member Julius and the current chair, Chair Dietz will serve as vice-chair, if needed. Discussion ensued regarding the location of the Old Highway 10 project discussed earlier and the current traffic control. B. Parks and Recreation Report Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky updated that warming houses are being prepared and rinks are being flooded. December 19 is the tentative date to open the rinks. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the 75th Anniversary Committee is meeting regularly, more than once a month. The planning is coming together nicely. She hopes the bands will be selected at the next meeting. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said she has been looking at previous years Work Plans. She is learning that even though this is an annual work plan, it doesn’t start in January. It will be on the agenda in January and February. The plan should be finalized by March. She will Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – December 17, 2025 Page 3 pass it to Assistant Public Works Director Miller and he will incorporate it into the Public Works Plan. Any work that we want to complete in the parks needs to be a part of the Parks Plan. The Work Plan will be presented to council. That step was missed this year. In November an update to Council will be provided, outlining the goals that were accomplished. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the draft Adopt-a-Spot/Adopt-a-Park Program policy will go to Council in April. She will bring the draft to the next meeting to get the PTRC Committee Members’ feedback. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said she is working on some end of year housekeeping items and strategic organizing. Discussion ensued regarding the increase in social media posts and notices from the City. Staff noted the communications position had been vacant for a while and other Staff had been filling in and providing necessary information. Senior Communications Coordinator Michlig was recently hired and her focus includes all things communications. C. Trails and Parks Projects Update Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky outlined that the items in bold are new items since the last meeting. The contractor added some drain tile in the low spots at Freeway Park to remedy the drainage issues. They will be assessed in 2026 when the snow melts. The restoration work will be finalized and approved in spring of 2026, as well. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the PTRC discussed the upcoming improvements at Ingerson, Perry and Sampson Parks. There are two cul-de-sacs that they are going to try to connect with a trail if budget allows. She encouraged Committee members to continue to share feedback with her regarding the improvements of those three parks. Discussion ensued regarding if there will be an open house to inform residents. Staff confirmed an open house will be planned and details will be shared when they are available. 4. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Chair Deitz said there was no unfinished business on the agenda but the Work Plan needs to be completed. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said she is digging into the work plans from the past several years and is creating a calendar outline. She will bring that to the next meeting. She said the final draft should be ready by March. Council Liaison Rousseau asked if that would be on an agenda for City Council in April. Staff confirmed. Council Liaison Rousseau said it has been twelve years since the committee charter has been reviewed. She wondered if reviewing that should be a part of the work plan. It might be important as we implement Adopt-A-Spot. It also notes the committee is twelve members. That is a large number of members for a committee. It’s good to look at these charters every couple of years. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – December 17, 2025 Page 4 Staff will add that to the January agenda to discuss. Committee Member Julius said there are three members not returning in January. She wondered if the committee needs to be recruiting for new members. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said that if the PTRC has space for twelve members it doesn’t mean that we have to have twelve. There is no pressure. We can still get good work done with fewer members. She echoed Council Liaison Rousseau’s opinion that twelve is a large amount of members for a committee like this. Discussion ensued regarding how many members other bigger cities have on a committee like this. We have way more. If we are good with the number being twelve members, that’s okay, too. 5. NEW BUSINESS A. Park System Plan Update Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the consultant presented at the last meeting to outline the progress that has been made on the Parks System Plan, so far. She provided a graphic from the consultant regarding the progress made since that presentation. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky outlined the definition of a Park System Plan. She shared the process schedule which shows we are about halfway through the process. The steering committee will be meeting about the work to still be done to complete the final plan. The consultants will be attending the February PTRC Meeting to give an update. Council Liaison Rousseau said the March PTRC meeting is set for March 17. She noted the Mounds View School District doesn’t have school that week. She stated it might be a good idea to move that meeting, to avoid family vacations. Staff will explore possible alternative dates. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the consultant did an update on the public engagement, so far, to include the survey, the web site and the open house. She outlined the feedback received at each event. The attendees at the Touch a Truck event overwhelmingly chose water features as what they wanted most. There were 874 responses to the survey with 2,721 responses to open-ended questions. The three key takeaways were a strong demand for trail connectivity, a desire for modern amenities/inclusive features and maintaining the natural character while also improving the maintenance. There was a booth at the Lions Community Picnic. Feedback from that event was playgrounds for more ages, parks being physically/visually accessible and additional programs/events for all ages. The conversations at the open house held at City Hall in November clarified those resident’s preferences. She shared the consultant’s preliminary recommendations. She said the final plan will include several maps. Committee Member Julius is hearing the feedback from residents seems that trail connectivity is very important. She doesn’t see that reflected in the consultant’s recommendations. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – December 17, 2025 Page 5 Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said that was something they heard a lot and she believes those recommendations will be in the final plan. Committee Member Loosbrock asked how much they are considering TCAAP in their inventory recommendations. That’s a blank slate. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said that will be a small part of this plan. It is hard to give recommendations on TCAAP because it’s so up in the air. There will be a section on TCAAP but it won’t be all inclusive. Council Liaison Rousseau said it is her understanding that this plan covers the older part of Arden Hills only. There will be parks in TCAAP, but there isn’t currently a developer. The previous developer was putting money aside for those parks. It’s difficult to plan when that is still up in the air. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said one of the comments received during the engagement was to make sure there is a large community park in TCAAP. She believes that will be included in the plan even if the individual neighborhood parks won’t. Discussion ensued regarding the possible trails and amenities that could be installed in TCAAP. Committee Member Hilding thought it was interesting that 98% of respondents said that parks and trails were most important. He sees themes in the engagement responses. It seems the public wants new shiny amenities but the consultant is focusing on maintaining what we have. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said the plan will include a table for each park that lists the assets at each one, when it needs to be replaced and how much the replacement will cost. That will help inform the CIP planning. Council Liaison Rousseau asked about including the natural resources for each park. Will that be separate? Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said natural resources can be mentioned in a parks system plan, however, it really should have its own Natural Resources Master Plan and that is not a part of this process. Council Liaison Rousseau thinks some of it is related. Talking about shade sources, that can be planting tall trees. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said one of the recommendations from the consultant will be that we should create a Natural Resources Master Plan. There is no existing natural resources plan that covers the entire City of Arden Hills. Great River Greening is working on a management plan for certain parts of Arden Hills but it won’t cover the entire City. Committee Member Chresand has been working on a government project with other students at his school. They are making a draft of a plan for a ski trail behind the school. Students are showing a lot of interest during their public engagement. He pointed, on the map, the location they are talking about. He just wanted to point out that there is real interest in that type of trail. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – December 17, 2025 Page 6 Discussion ensued regarding the turning radius and grooming required for a ski trail. 6. REPORTS FROM COMMITTEES A. Rain Gardens Work Group Updates Committee Member Johnson feels like the rain garden work group has finished their work and this work group can be removed from future agendas. B. Natural Habitat Restoration Work Group Update Discussion ensued that this is a work group that Committee Member Seemann leads. She will not be returning to the PTRC in January. Chair Dietz said we can address all of these work groups during the Work Plan discussion in January. Committee Member Jacobson said having someone focused on the natural habitat needs to remain a focus. We would be remiss to not stay focused on this after all the great work Great River Greening is doing. It is important that work continues after they are gone. C. Special Event Enrichment Work Group Update None. D. Volunteer Coordinating Work Group Update Committee Member Loosbrock has nothing to update with the volunteer coordination, however, she is happy to continue serving on the work group in 2026. E. Trails Work Group Update Committee Member Johnson said their group has met a couple of times to discuss the trails. There are quite a few trail projects scheduled over the next several years. This group is excited to help the City accomplish its goals. Committee Member Loosbrock wanted to clarify something on the Work Plan. She thinks in the past it was kind of a wish list that has to be approved by the City Council. She asked if the Work Plan is all the things we want to do, or is it just the things we get permission to do? She asked how Committee Members should be thinking about the work plan for the next meeting’s discussion. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said it needs to be feasible. We should not be reaching for big wish list items that we know the City cannot complete. Committee Member Loosbrock asked if all tasks will need to be approved by Council. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said yes but it is important to remember this PTRC Work Plan will be ingrained in the Parks Master Plan. That’s why the items need to be feasible. If there is anything we want to do, it needs to be feasible and it needs to merge into the Park Master Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – December 17, 2025 Page 7 Plan. The PTRC is an advisory committee, not decision makers. So ultimately everything will need to be approved by Council. Committee Member Johnson said she appreciates Staff for creating these processes. She would love to understand how the PTRC, the City and Ramsey County can work together. They have a work plan that fits into the City plan and that trickles down to PTRC. She focuses on trails. She would love to better understand the County and City plans for trails and how it fits in with what the PTRC are doing. She just wants to understand how each separate entities’ plan gets communicated to each other. Council Liaison Rousseau said the Comprehensive Plan is completed every decade. That work will begin this year for the 2050 Plan. There will be a section that is focused on the parks. There is a sustainability section in there. She thought there may be a section for transportation and trails, as well. The plan is that Staff will be able to pull from this Master Park Plan and insert the information right into the Comp Plan. Committee Member Johnson said at the County level there may be grants. She would love to fit all of the desires together. If we know what Ramsey County will be doing in upcoming years, we can try to fit our items into that schedule. She doesn’t know details, but she knows there are grants available and she would love to see how Arden Hills fits in with all of that. Council Liaison Rousseau said we can ask the County if they have a list of available grants and we can look for what matches what we want to do. She said City Council starts budget conversations in the summer. The preliminary levy is set in September, with the final levy being in December. If there are items we want money budgeted for, we have to get that before Council early enough to include those items with those conversations. The discussion on trails will need to include bonding just because of the cost to build them. She asked Staff once the Park Master Plan is complete, how we make sure the PTRC Work Plan is included in those discussions or how will it be used to help, based on what she’s seen at other cities Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky said in the other city she worked for, anything on the Work Plan needed to be approved by the City Council in advance. The Park Master Plan helps the Public Works Staff more than it helps the PTRC. The Park Master Plan is the guidebook for what will be done for the CIP. It will outline the inventory at each park. She described how her previous City used their Park Master Plan to identify priorities. Committee Member Hilding asked if it will be part of PTRC’s role to filter through the recommendations and help with prioritizing the projects. Parks and Recreation Manager Skalicky isn’t sure. Council Liaison Rousseau said these are questions we can look at as the PTRC goes over the charter. We have some say in who we want to be as a committee. Chair Deitz said in the past the City Council has sought PTRC recommendations for playground color or something like that. He sees the PTRC role as advisory to the City Council. Parks, Trails & Recreation Committee – December 17, 2025 Page 8 Councilmember Hilding said the winter maintenance has been impressive. He knows it was a quick shift from fall to winter. The trails are plowed and the rinks are flooded. He sees people out and about, using the amenities we have. Committee Member Jacobson wanted to bring up a comment from her neighbor who walks the City a lot. She noted there are no trash receptacles at Lindy’s Park. She wondered what happened to them or if there were ever any there to begin with. Staff will look into it. Council Liaison Rousseau said we have many residents who use the parks and are really great about notifying Staff, Council or a PTRC Member if there are maintenance issues. Discussion ensued that that reporting will only improve as we expand the Adopt-A-Park program. 6. NEXT MEETING A. Tuesday, January 20, 2026 ADJOURNMENT Chair Dietz adjourned at 7:38 pm.