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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, February 08, 2010 Page 10 Councilmember Johnson thanked the RVA for another year of beautiful lights throughout the City Hall campus, opining that it added a nice touch to the holiday season and looked great. Councilmember Johnson further commended the RVA for their marketing of sports, noting that he and his family had arrived early for the speed skating event at the OVAL last weekend and had counted the number of different states represented in vehicles in the lot, with a total of 22 different states. Councilmember Johnson also noted the diverse cultures and languages repre- sented at OVAL events; and thanked the RVA for promoting and marketing the regional aspect of the OVAL. Mayor Klausing thanked Ms. Larson and Ms. Olstrander for their presentation and their work with the RVA. b. Parks and Recreation Master Plan Listening Session Mayor Klausing announced that there would be time fora "Listening Session" at tonight's meeting for the Park and Recreation Master Plan. Present were Parks and Recreation Director Lonnie Brokke; Michael Schroeder of the Master Plan consulting firm; and Jeff Evenson and Jill Anfang from the City`s Parks and Recreation Department. Mr. Brokke noted that it was appropriate to follow the RVA; and expressed the Department's appreciation of their efforts in promoting their events, and for the cooperative relationships. Mr. Brokke thanked his fellow presenters for the time they've given in the Master Plan process in engaging the community and working with the Citizen Advisory Team (CAT). Mr. Brokke noted that, at their last meeting, an update had been provided to the City Council on the Master Plan process and progress to-date; however, he advised that tonight's was for the express purpose of providing an opportunity for the Council to provide input in the planning process. Mr. Schroeder advised that, while he would serve as a facilitator to keep the dis- cussion focused, his intention was to make this listening session parallel to other meetings in the community, with the exception that as the City Council, they were the policy-making body for the City. In accordance with the Listening Session agenda, Mr. Schroeder led discussions as follows: Existing parks, facilities, programs (whether Neighborhood or Community parks): "What works well today?" and "What is needed?" Councilmember Johnson comments: ^ Green space is a big challenge in this community: preservation of and acquir- mg new