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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-09-02 P & R Minutes Approved Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes 09-02-09 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES Wednesday, September 2, 2009 - 6:30 p.m. Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the Parks & Recreation Committee of the City of Centerville held the regularly scheduled meeting Wednesday, September 2, 2009 at City Hall, 1880 Main Street. Present: Chairperson Suzanne Seeley Vice-Chairperson Kevin Selander Committee Member Kevin Amundsen Committee Member Patrick Branch Committee Member Mark Haiden Committee Member Brian Peterson Council: City Council Liaison Tom LeeAbsent - Council Work Session Staff: Staff Liaison Kim Stephan _____________________________________________________________________________________ I. CALL TO ORDER Roll Call Chairperson Seeley called the September 2, 2009 Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting to order at 6:37 p.m. II. SET AGENDA Committee Member Branch requested adding a discussion under Committee Business #5 on the possibility of doing a teleconference for a Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting if a member is out of town. Chairperson Seeley requested adding Mr. Matthew Neutkens under Appearances to discuss a potential Eagle Scout Project. Under Committee Business #6 Chairperson Seeley requested adding – Proposals for Naming the Trailside Park, as Committee Business #7 – Flea Market/Fall Cleanup at Laurie LaMotte Memorial Park, Committee Business #8 – Discussion of Ball Field Drainage at Laurie LaMotte Memorial Park. Motion was made by Committee Member Amundsen, seconded by Vice-Chairperson Selander, to set the agenda with above additions. All in favor. Motion carried unanimously. III. APPEARANCES Matthew Neutkens, Eagle Scout Project Mr. Matthew Neutkens from Scout Troup 151 made an appearance to discuss a potential Eagle Scout Project with the committee. Mr. Neutkens would like to plan and organize a project to install bluebird houses in the parks in Centerville. The committee discussed with Mr. Neutkens the details of the potential project; building of the bluebird houses, type, how many, funding, etc. and were satisfied it would be a good project for the community and parks in general. The bird houses need to be cleaned yearly. Mr. Neutkens said he would take responsibility for the first year and Chairperson Seeley said the committee could make it part of its yearly Earth Day Cleanup in future years. 1 of 7 Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes 09-02-09 Mr. Neutkens felt depending on the park(s) he could have 20-30 built and installed. The committee would like to support this project and asked Mr. Neutkens to keep the committee updated as to the progress. The committee is not financially funding this project; Mr. Neutkens has raised or will raise the funds he needs. Motion was made by Committee Member Haiden, seconded by Vice-Chairperson Selander to support Mr. Matthew Neutkens in his Eagle Scout Project to organize, fund, build, install and maintain for one year 20-30 blue bird houses in Centerville Parks. All in favor. Motion carried unanimously. IV. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES August 5, 2009 Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes Motion was made by Committee Member Haiden, seconded by Committee Member Branch, to approve the August 5, 2009 Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes as is. All in favor. Motion carried unanimously. V. COMMITTEE BUSINESS Review of Fete des Lacs 8K Run/Walk The committee had left over supplies (hot dogs, buns, etc. from the Music in the Parks Picnic with the th intention to give them away at the last band performance on Sunday, August 9 at Laurie LaMotte Memorial Park. The Centerville Lion’s concession trailer was at the park selling similar items and the committee did not want to interfere with sales so the supplies were donated to the Lions. Committee Member Branch felt there should have been more funds deposited for the 8K registration. Ms. Kris Sweeney did an accounting; see the attached Revenue & Expenditure sheet. There is a discrepancy between what Midwest Events reported on their web site and what they actually sent to the City. Committee Member Branch will contact Midwest Events. Committee Member Branch provided the committee with the following report: Post Race Report - Festival of the Lakes 8K, August 8, 2009 st Overall Assessment: In spite of several challenges, the 1 Annual Fete des Lacs 8K was a successful event. We accomplished our goal of adding a well conducted road race to the Fete des Lacs annual celebration that would introduce participants to Centerville’s parks and trails. Race day Weather : We had it all. The morning was cool and raining with strong thunderstorms in our immediate area. We postponed the race until after the parade. We ran the race at 1:00 p.m. under a hot sun with high humidity. The temperature was about 80 degrees. The humidity was near 100 percent. Participation: Approximately 40 volunteers returned at 12:30 p.m. to support the 1:00 p.m. start. 122 people registered for the race. 69 people completed the race. 36 people who registered did not show up at all, presumably due to the early morning weather. 17 who checked in at 8:00 a.m. did not return to run the race at 1:00 p.m. 16 people registered on race day in spite of the heavy rain. Almost half of the registrants and finishers were from the City of Centerville. 2 of 7 Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes 09-02-09 Sponsors: FairviewMedical Service was our largest sponsor. They provided the T-shirts for the race participants and the volunteers. Creative Kids Academy assisted with registration and provided the goodie bags. Pre-race day pick up at Creative Kids did not work. They also ordered twice as many bags as necessary. Both are my errors. Creative Kids was a wonderful sponsor, eager to help and very responsive. I have asked them to be a sponsor again next year and we will use the remainder of the goodie bags. OSI Physical Therapy signed on late as a sponsor. They want to be involved. They were setting up at the finish line when we made the call to delay until 1:00 p.m. They never got that change. I have talked to them. They want to be a sponsor next year. Blue Heron Grill provided gift cards which we used as the awards program. This worked out very well. Thank-you Blue Heron Grill. The Liquor BarrelFestival Foods and provided the water. Northeast Eye Care of Hugo provided a gift packet which we presented to the overall male and female winners. Paul Steffel, Farmers InsuranceMike Giovinazzo, AmericanFamily Insurance and , each donated $100 which we used to purchase water bottles. We purchased 200 bottles and gave a bottle to each of our volunteers and race participants. There are about 66 bottles remaining. Financial : See separate sheet. When the final payment comes in from Midwest and assuming the return of $1500 advance to the Parks & Recreation account, the race proceeds net $1184.32. 2010 Course Changes: A noka County Parks is in the process of building a new trail between the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Regional Park gate house and the Centerville beach. We will be expected to use that trail instead of closing the road. The trail will change the length of the course; the start or finish line will need to be adjusted to retain the full 8K distance. We will also need to have the course re-certified. When the trail is complete, I will make a recommendation for making the necessary adjustments. LESSONS LEARNED What we did well? 1.Our volunteers were wonderful. What a team! 2.We had a good plan and for the most part it held together even in the rain and thunderstorm. 3.Deb Barnes of The Citizen was a real asset. The Citizen articles obviously helped bring out all the local runners and walkers. She also provided us with 130 photos which we will pass on to the runners and use in promoting the 2010 run. 4.The Vacation Sports and our volunteers did a good job with timing and posting results. As a result we succeeded with the basic requirements for a road race. 3 of 7 Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes 09-02-09 5.Coordination with Centennial Lakes Police Department. CLPD played a large and very positive role in running this event. We added a water stop as CLPD recommended. We had a written contingency plan and followed it. CLPD provided contact with the national weather services on a police only service. CLPD had the flexibility to provide traffic control for our event five hours later than originally plan. The Chief of Police controlled the traffic at Main Street & Centerville Road. Contingency Plan: We had a contingency plan. We used the plan. In general the plan was useful and led to good decisions. ? Propose the following change to our contingency plan. In the event that the race must be cancelled or postponed due to severe weather – we should postpone until the following Saturday and run the race at the planned time. This could avoid the hot weather we experience on a typical August afternoon. ? We should implement our hot weather plan and leave it as a contingency. We will add a third water stop at mile 4 and add a cooling station at the end of the run. Where we need to improve: 1.Mile Marker signage failed. I tried balloons as mile markers, the balloons failed. I put them out there myself less than half hour before the race started, but they soon were popped or laying on the ground. Next year we will use hard signs. 2.Registration needs improvement. Weather was a major factor. Our volunteers did a great job of moving from the parking lot to the community center without loss of organization. 3.We need better signage. Signs for parking, signs for pre-register a-l and m-z and signs for race day registration 4.We had a lot of duplicate registration where the volunteer did not find the persons name. I am not sure how to solve this one 5.We need trash cans at registration and at the start line. Post Race Actions: 1.Thank you notes have been sent to everyone that provided assistance. ? Volunteers – where I had an e-mail address ? Sponsors ? The Citizen ? Anoka County Parks ? Centennial Lakes Police Department 2.We are registered for August 7, 2010 with Minnesota Distance Running Association listing of races. 3.Vacation Sports, White Bear Lake, has agreed to return as the 2010 Fete des Lacs 8K timer. 4.An action is yet to be accomplished – I will send an e-mail note with an attached photo and feed back form to all those we can identify in Deb Barnes photos. Feedback from Michelle Lakso: 1.Bottled water being handed out by the 4-wheeler along the way (presumably between water stops) was much appreciated. 2.At the end, have a tent for more available shade and cool down area where we can better monitor the runners. We could certainly have CERT be in charge of this area if you would like. 4 of 7 Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes 09-02-09 3.Have the parking lot of Kelly's blocked off. I was at Main and Progress and the parking lot entrances were busier than my street and they were not paying attention to our runners. By the time I got a hold of the Chief for assistance, the last walkers were coming by. 4.This leads to communication, everyone possible should have a radio. I was a little frustrated because I couldn't get the attention of those right down the block from me, and only when I saw the Chief did I think to call him on his cell phone to help monitor Kelly's parking lot. 5.It was reported that blocking off those coming out of the campground had people getting flustered about being stopped for so long. What would have worked better is if someone at the park entrance would communicate with the campground post to let them know if they could at any point let the traffic out to avoid delays. 6.Maybe a sprinkler at the end (people were telling me what they have seen before), or other way of cooling down, even though I understand the morning would have been cooler than the afternoon. Added feedback from the committee: Having radios worked well, but Committee Member Branch suggested using both frequencies and not leaving one clear for an emergency, he felt that was not necessary. Committee Member Haiden said radio reception at the park was not very good, sporadic at best. Neon colored t-shirts were wonderful for volunteer visibility. The 4-wheelers were a great asset, as was being able to move into St. Genevieve’s Parish Center when the weather turned bad. It was felt a hand held speaker for announcements would have made it easier to hear. Finally, a list of where the final times will be posted should be included on the flier and registration information as that was not clear. Donation from American Family Insurance of $1,500 Ms. Stephan reported to the committee that American Family donated $1,500 to the Parks & Recreation Committee for the use of the Public Works parking lot following the May 2008 storm. Request of Charitable Gambling Funds from Dead Broke Saddle Club Ms. Stephan suggested requesting funding for a project from Dead Broke Saddle Club. They have been generous in the past with projects that benefit the community such as the play structures at both Laurie LaMotte Memorial Park and Tracie McBride Memorial Park. Committee Member Haiden said he would like to see something like a sand volley ball court at Laurie LaMotte Memorial Park. The committee will give this some thought and further discuss it at the next committee meeting. Budget Discussion The committee reviewed the budget from 2009 and updated. See attached. Potential of Conference Calls for Meetings if Members are of Town Committee Member Branch asked the committee to discuss the potential of a conference call during a committee meeting if one of the members is out of town. Ms. Stephan reported the research had previously been done when the issue came up at an Economic Development Committee meeting and while we have the capability of doing conference calls, the member who is not present even though on the phone, does not count towards a quorum and cannot vote. Also the City would not incur the cost of a multiple hour long distance phone call so the out of town member would have to call into the City and incur the cost from that end. Committee Member Branch requested the item be tabled for now and he would give it some thought. 5 of 7 Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes 09-02-09 Proposals for Naming the Trailside Park Committee Member Branch suggested St. Genevieve Park simply because of the location and how the City and St. Genevieve Church have been connected for so many years. Committee Member Haiden was concerned that the public would think the park belonged to the church and would there be conflict with naming a City park after a church? Chairperson Seeley agreed however with Committee Member Branch that she would like to see the park named with something that reflected the history of the area. Other suggestions were; Fountain Park, Peace Park, Sunset Park and Trailside Park. This item will remain on the agenda for continued discussion. Flea Market/Fall Cleanup at Laurie LaMotte Memorial Park Chairperson Seeley requested a discussion of potentially sponsoring a Flea Market / Craft Fair / Cleanup Days event, perhaps in coordination with Garage Sale Days. Ms. Stephan reported the spring Garage Sale Days used to be a very big event having over 100 participants, but has diminished over the years. The City sponsored a fall Garage Sale Days twice and there was very little participation so the City opted not to continue. Chairperson Seeley stated the event could be held at Laurie LaMotte Memorial Park using the hockey rink perhaps renting tables for a nominal fee. Committee Member Branch asked what exactly would be the purpose, as a fund raiser for the committee because it appeared to be a lot of work for very little potential return. Chairperson Seeley stated the concept of having a catch all ~ food, crafts, garage sale, information booth, weekend of cleanup days has been discussed with residents and the Mayor and she would like to see this event as something Parks & Recreation sponsored for the community. Item was tabled for further discussion at the next committee meeting. Ball Field Drainage at Laurie LaMotte Memorial Park. Mayor Capra had discussed the ball field drainage problem with Chairperson Seeley after receiving several complaints about the conditions of the fields following the ball tournaments held during Fete des Lacs. City Hall also regularly receives complaints from residents and Centennial Little League regarding the drainage at the fields and how they are always wet. This has been a problem for years. Mayor Capra asked Chairperson Seeley to add this to the agenda and have the committee discuss the storm water improvements in downtown and the sprinkling of the park grounds as it pertains to the concern with grooming and standing water in the ball fields. Mayor Capra said there are plans for drain tiling of the area around the mounds when the sprinklers are installed, the question is will that be enough to properly drain the mounds or does the Parks & Recreation Committee feel we need to make additional improvements when the sprinkling system is installed. The committee would like more information from Mr. Paul Palzer, Public Works Director as to what can potentially be done to resolve this problem. What would need to be done and what would the potential cost be for re-grading and re-landscaping the ball fields? The committee would like this information by the next committee meeting. Ms. Stephan will forward request to Mr. Palzer. The following request was passed on to the committee by Mayor Capra from Mr. Bob Irbeck, Centerville resident, for consideration: Pat Mahr, President of Centennial Lakes Little League, was asked by Paul Palzer, Public Works Director, if the Little League could drag LaMotte and Centerville fields next year. Apparently, this message was passed onto Paul by Dallas Larson in the midst of looking at ways for the city to cut some underlying costs. As a resident of Centerville, as well as a voting board member of Centennial Lakes Little League, I'm against the 6 of 7 Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting Minutes 09-02-09 City bypassing this service especially since the League paid for a new drag last year for the City to use. Centennial Lakes Little League has provided baseball and softball opportunities for boys and girls in our community as well as contributed to improvements to the fields and this is accomplished through the help of their volunteers. I don't see where the big costs savings would be figuring 1 hour per day, 4 days a week for the months of May and June. Lastly, the League doesn't have the equipment available in Centerville to maintain the fields or personnel available to take care of. I would greatly appreciate it if you would keep my opinion in mind when discussing at your upcoming budget meeting. As this is a City Council decision, the committee can only recommend the ball fields be maintained by Public Works Staff in the manner they have in the past allowing the Centennial Little League to continue using the fields. VI. UPDATES City Council approved final payment to Bonestroo for work on Hidden Spring Park as recommended by the Parks & Recreation Committee. The Council gave preliminary approval to the trailside park that will be constructed along Main Street downtown. This is a component of the trail grant project. Irrigation at Hidden Spring Park City Council declined to approve an irrigation system for Hidden Spring Park, due to severe budget concerns. Bids to Treat Ash Trees at Hidden Spring and City Hall for Emerald Ash Borer City Council declined to approve chemical treatment of Ash trees to prevent Emerald Ash Borer. Staff will see if there are any available recommendations from the Department of Agriculture or Anoka County Parks on chemical treatment of Ash trees. Pedestrian & Bicycle Ramps/Curb Cut Outs on CSAH 14 at Lakeland Circle & Peltier Lake Drive A request was sent to Anoka County Highway Department to look at this issue per the Parks & Recreations Committee’s request. No answer has been received at this time. VII. ADJOURNMENT Motion was made by Committee Member Amundsen, seconded by Committee Member Branch to adjourn the September 2, 2009 Parks & Recreation Committee Meeting at 8:50 p.m. All in favor. Motion passed unanimously. Transcribed by Kim Stephan 7 of 7