Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016/04/20 - ADMIN - Minutes - Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission - RegularOFFICIAL MINUTES Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission April 20, 2016, 6:30 p.m. Meeting Westwood Hills Nature Center 1. Call to Order Ms. Foulkes, Chair, called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Commission members present: Sarah Foulkes, George Foulkes, George Hagemann, Tiffany Hoffmann and Peter May Commission members absent: Elizabeth Griffin, Edward Halvorson and Kirk Hawkinson Staff present: Kala Fisher, Solid Waste Program Coordinator, Nicole Mardell, Planner, Mark Oestreich, Westwood Hills Nature Center Manager, Jim Vaughan, Natural Resources Coordinator, Cindy Walsh, Director of Operations and Recreation, Jason West, Recreation Superintendent and Carrie Mandler, Recording Secretary. 2. Approval of Minutes a. March 16, 2016 Commission member May requested a revision to page six, sixth paragraph, first sentence in paragraph. The minutes should state, “The nine Wolfe Park neighbors that attended the meeting voted for a Little Tikes structure in primary colors.” It was moved by Commission member May, seconded by Commission member Hagemann to approve the March 16, 2016 meeting minutes as amended. The motion passed 5 – 0. 3. New Business a. “Parkway 25” Redevelopment (Nicole Mardell) Nicole Mardell, Associate Planner, reviewed the “Parkway 25” Redevelopment proposal. The site is the former Vescio’s and ValuStay Inn location, 4001 and 4025 Highway 7. The two parcels total 1.58 acres. She discussed the City of St. Louis Park Subdivision Ordinance background, the proposed “Parkway 25” Redevelopment, and city staff proposal to the Sela Group developers to provide cash-in-lieu of land payment per the ordinance. A short discussion followed. In response to questions from Commission members, Ms. Walsh advised the nearest parks are Bass Lake and Fern Hill. The proposed units are rental units. Ms. Walsh advised the funds would be paid in a lump sum and added to the Capital Improvement Program fund. 2 Based on the proposed 105 units the estimated fees are as follows: Park Dedication: $157,500 Trail Dedication: $23,625 It was moved by Commission member Hagemann, to approve accepting cash-in-lieu of land for the “Parkway 25” Redevelopment proposal; seconded unanimously. Motion passed 5 – 0. b. Zero Waste Ordinance (Kala Fisher) Kala Fisher, solid Waste Program Coordinator, discussed the Zero Waste Ordinance adopted by council in December of 2015. The goal of the ordinance is to reduce the amount of waste created from food and beverage sales. Licensed food establishments will be required to use packaging that is either reusable, returnable, recyclable, or compostable when serving food that is ready-to-eat. It will also require food establishments to provide on–site recycling and organics recycling receptacles for food and beverage packaging that is discarded by customers who dine on-site. The Ordinance will be effective January 1, 2017. Any food service establishment that prepares food on-site including restaurants convenience stores, movie theaters, hospital and clinic areas, city facilities and food trucks will have to comply. Number six plastics are no longer allowed under the new ordinance. Pre-packaged food that is shipped in is exempt from the ordinance. The city has hired a new staff, Emily Barker, who will be the main contact for ordinance compliance. She will assist with contacting and educating businesses, as well as coordinating vendors. In order to help businesses prepare for the new requirements, the city is holding a Packaging Fair on Tuesday, May 17 from 9 a.m. – noon at Beth El Synagogue. Exhibitors will include vendors who sell packaging products that comply with the ordinance along with other professionals in the recycling/composting industry. Ms. Barker will be available to discuss the ordinance and assist businesses through the transition. Ms. Walsh commented the city is hopeful a majority of businesses will attend the fair to have their questions answered and find suppliers for the products they need. A discussion followed. In response to a question from Mr. Hagemann, Ms. Fisher defined a recyclable product, in terms of the ordinance, as one that contains recyclable material for which there is a robust market. In response to a question from Ms. Walsh, Ms. Fisher advised fast food wrappers will be given a one year exemption. Ms. Walsh advised the city anticipates many requests for exemptions. Mr. Foulkes inquired as to who will enforce the ordinance. Ms. Fisher advised it will be carried out by the solid waste staff. The Hennepin County Department of Health will also be involved. Ms. Hoffmann asked how receptive to the changes establishments have been to date. Ms. Fisher stated some have already started compliance and some still have questions. Mr. Foulkes asked how the national food chains are affected. Ms. Fisher advised some will 3 take a little more time to incorporate the changes, however, there are similar ordinances in other large cities across the country. Ms. Fisher advised paper cups may be more stringent due to an issue with paper cup linings recently brought to light. Paper cups will need to be certified compostable cups. Mr. West advised the Rec Center began using compostable materials last year. In response to a question from Mr. Vaughan regarding the amount of energy used in making the new products, Ms. Fisher advised the ordinance emphasis is on waste reduction rather than on the life cycle of products. Mr. Oestreich inquired if the compostable waste is taken to Hennepin County. Ms. Fisher advised the compost is taken to the Empire Site in Rosemount. In response to a question from Ms. Walsh regarding an increased cost to businesses, Ms. Fisher advised when weighing out higher zero waste costs, all facts should be considered including potential reduced garbage removal costs. In addition, there are grants available through Hennepin County. The grants will be discussed at the fair on May 17. Mr. Hagemann inquired if caterers will need to comply. Ms. Fisher advised they will be given a one year exemption. In response to a question from Mr. Foulkes, Ms. Fisher advised caterers do not need to register for events in St. Louis Park. Larger venues will be asked to notify vendors of the ordinance. Ms. Walsh summarized the process will take some time. The initial focus will be on education. There will be extensive public contact. c. West End Festival Site (Jason West) Mr. West presented a map of the new location for the West End Festival Site on Gamble Drive. In order to streamline the special use process for event organizers, Mr. West and Nate Rosa, Recreation Supervisor, compiled packets containing all of the permits required for rental of the site. There is a half day or whole day rental option. In response to a question from Ms. Hoffman, Mr. West advised the fees are $800 for half day and $1,600 for full day. The first event of the season is the City Pages Beer Festival scheduled for May 21 from 5 – 9 p.m. Multiple departments including police, zoning and inspections are involved. Mr. West and Mr. Rosa will attend as city staff. There is also a wine festival that is potentially scheduling an event in August. The city prefers to limit festival activity on the West End Festival Site to one event per month. 4. Old Business a. Minnehaha Creek Clean Up (May 7) Logistics (Jim Vaughan) Mr. Vaughan reviewed the Minnehaha Creek Clean Up scheduled for May 7. Check-in will be at the southeast corner of the Bremer Bank building (across from Target). Ms. Foulkes advised the boys lacrosse team is invited. Ms. Walsh added that Commission member Hawkinson confirmed he is attending along with a Girl Scout troop. Commission 4 members and staff were asked to e-mail Mr. Vaughan with work preferences. In response to a recommendation from Ms. Walsh to create a contact procedure in the event of rain, Mr. Vaughan passed around the map and each Commission member wrote contact information on the back of the map. The event is posted on the City of St. Louis Park website. Mr. Hagemann mentioned the event has been posted on the “Meet Up” website in the past. Mr. Vaughan noted there has been favorable participation in the past. In response to a question from Mr. Foulkes, Mr. Vaughan advised the creek clean-up area will be surveyed in advance. There will be maintenance staff present for the event. There are 100 trees to plant at the Arbor Day event to be held on May 14 at Bass Lake from 9 – noon. There will be music, Woodsy the owl and the Westwood Hills Nature Center staff will attend with a live raptor. The Organic Living Workshop was April 16 with approximately 30 exhibitors, including Kala Fisher, Solid Waste Coordinator, and Mark Zembryki, Naturalist, Westwood Hills Nature Center with a volunteer and the hawk and owl. Turnout was low perhaps due to beautiful weather and the Highway 100 closure. Next year the new outside complex might be available for the event. The tree sale is still in progress. A total of 275 out of 350 trees are already ordered. Tree pick-up dates are May 7 and 9. The limit is three per resident. This is the ninth year for the tree sale. Emerald ash borer has not been found in St. Louis Park at this time, however, Mr. Vaughan advised it will be here soon. There are some injections available to protect the trees. (Sarah Foulkes dismissed herself at 7:40 p.m.) b. Westwood Hills Nature Center Master Plan Update (Mark Oestreich / Jason West) Mr. Oestreich advised staff met with the architect on April 20 to edit a draft of the Westwood Hills Nature Center Master Plan. They will create a final draft and present it to the City Council on May 23. In response to a question by Mr. Hagemann, Mr. Oestreich advised there are no significant changes from the previous plan. The plan still supports an interpretive center building closer to the parking lot. There are a few minor changes and clarifications. 6. Staff Communication Mr. Oestreich updated the Commission members on the current boardwalk project. During routine maintenance it was discovered the boardwalk anchoring system had rotted from wind and ice damage. The League of Minnesota Cities, who insure the City of St. Louis Park, advised closure of the boardwalk. Further information will be taken into consideration before the League will make a recommendation. 5 The 2016 Capital Improvement Program includes funding for a new trail bridge at Westwood Hills Nature Center. Mr. Oestreich is gathering estimates for the bridge. Mr. Foulkes requested the boardwalk be completed first. Earth Day is Friday, April 22. A volunteer group from General Mills is coming to Westwood and partnering with Great River Greening to work on a land restoration project. There is an Earth Day public clean up event at Westwood Hills Nature Center on Saturday, April 23 from 1 – 3:30 p.m. An Eagle Scout and his troop built an osprey tower at Westwood Hills Nature Center this winter. An osprey was recently seen at a nearby location. The lower park building locks will be changed to a fob key system this spring. There was a rare wildlife sighting this winter at Westwood Hills Nature Center. A fisher was spotted in the park, photographed and officially identified by the DNR. It was still in the park as of early March when staff spotted it carrying a muskrat. Great horned owls nested at Westwood this winter and last Saturday the baby fledged the nest. In response to a question from Mr. Foulkes, Mr. Oestreich estimated two or three coyotes are living in the park area. Last spring a neighbor observed four pups in her yard. Mr. Vaughan advised deer numbers are low this year. Mr. Oestreich mentioned the water garden was turned on yesterday. This is the fourth season. Mr. May inquired if there will be a water feature going down to the proposed new building area. Mr. Oestreich advised possibly yes, but it will be separate from the current water garden. Mr. West advised the Rec Center rinks are converting to single ammonia cooling systems. The project has started and will take approximately three months per rink beginning with the West rink. Mr. West advised the new outdoor recreation complex ground breaking has started. Staff is investigating new sites for the skate park. 7. Member Communication No member communications. 8. Other / Future Agenda Items The next regular meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 18. 6 9. Adjournment It was moved by Commission member May and seconded by Commission member G. Foulkes to adjourn at 7:50 p.m. The motion passed 4 - 0. Respectfully submitted, Carrie Mandler Carrie Mandler Recording Secretary