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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016/12/07 - ADMIN - Minutes - Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission - RegularOFFICIAL MINUTES Parks & Recreation Advisory Commission December 7, 2016, 6 p.m. Pot Luck 6:30 p.m. Meeting Rec Center Programming Office 1. Call to Order Ms. Foulkes, Chair, called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. Commission members present: Rich Bluma, George Foulkes, Sarah Foulkes, Elizabeth Griffin, George Hagemann, Edward Halvorson, Tiffany Hoffmann and Peter May Commission members absent: None. Staff present: Rick Beane, Park Superintendent, Jason Eisold, Rec Center Manager, Stacy Voelker, Recording Secretary and Cindy Walsh, Director of Operations and Recreation 2. Presentations None. 3. Approval of Minutes a. October 19, 2016 Commissioner May requested an addition on page 2, second bullet point under 2016 CIP Overview, last sentence, add “…the building is…” prior to “…directly on bike path.” It was moved by Commission member G., Foulkes seconded by Commission member May to approve the October 19, 2016 meeting minutes as amended. The motion passed 8 – 0. 4. New Business a. Carpenter Park Storm Water Project Update (Phillip Elkin) Mr. Elkin, Senior Project Manager, advised that the Engineering Department is working on a storm water project in Carpenter Park. Three departments are involved in various projects in the area: Community Development initiated a study with the Southwest LRT coming through the city, the Engineering Department is working on Bass Lake Preserve water quality improvement options and the Operations and Recreation Department inquired on the area for the skate park. Mr. Elkin provided a handout on an overview of the project. The idea is to create a pond-like structure to trap the water so it is treated before it goes into the lake. A vault would be created underground so could still use park area and to raise park area to provide better drainage. A hole would be dug to install the vaults. The storm water would be directed to the vaults then pumped through a filter system before the water goes into Bass Lake Preserve. The benefit of the project is to Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting 2 December 7, 2016 create a storm water storage and filter system to alleviate flooding in the park and filtering the storm sewer runoff prior to draining into Bass lake Preserve. There will be no need for a storm water area on the EDA site, located on the southeast side of Belt Line Boulevard and Highway 25. This project will come together nicely with the skate park proposal. On top of the vaults, concrete will be installed which will create a good base for the skate park. The Commission reviewed a map of the area and a proposed layout of the skate park. Soil samples were obtained and determined all fill dug out will be removed from the property as the area was a prior dump site. Both projects will trigger a need for a Conditional Use Permit. Mr. Elkin and commissioners reviewed the proposed timeline of the CUP, public meeting and construction. Everyone within a 300 foot radius of the park will be invited to the public meeting to be held January 11, 2017. Construction can being in spring of 2017 with the goal of completion by June 21 at which time the skate park can then be added. Mr. Hagemann inquired on the cleaning cycle. Mr. Elkin responded when the storm water enters the vault, all sediment is collected in the first vault prior to the water entering the second vault. Mr. Beane advised at some locations the water in the storage tank is used for irrigation. That option was reviewed but it wasn’t a viable cost to do at this location. b. Skate Park Update (Rick Beane) Ms. Griffin inquired if any open field area will be lost. Mr. Beane advised this will not impact the flat field nor the ballpark field use. The open area was very wet and the new design will assist in drainage issues. Mr. Elkin commented discussions about increasing the parking have occurred. Mr. Beane advised Mr. West has applied for a Hennepin Youth Sports Grant. If awarded, the funding could go toward additional skate park equipment or possibly extending the parking area toward Raleigh Avenue. Parking could also be added in the future if needed. c. Elect Officials for 2017 Commissioner G. Foulkes motioned to appoint Commissioner May as Chair; Commissioner S. Foulkes seconded. Motion passed 8 – 0. Commissioner May nominated Commissioner Hoffman as Vice Chair; Commissioner S. Foulkes seconded. The motion passed 8 – 0. 5. Old Business a. Aquatic Park Season Recap (Jason Eisold) Mr. Eisold provided a recap of the 2016 Aquatic Park season and advised there was an increase in 2016 attendance from the past two years. The old strap lounge chairs were phased out and replaced with fabric lounge chairs. The whale was replaced and switched Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting 3 December 7, 2016 so the slide now goes into the pool versus on the pool deck! New vacuums to clean the pool and new chemical pumps were purchased. The city obtained Sysco, a new concession vendor. They provide a savings in price and increase product quality. Compostable initiatives were also implemented. Overall, the Aquatic Park was well attended and revenues were up from previous years. b. Fastpitch Softball Task Force Update Ms. Griffin advised the Task Force had its first meeting recently. The meeting consisted of introductions, setting ground rules and to clarify what is being requested. Mr. Beane indicated Andy Ewald, High School, was present to discuss participation numbers as was Tom Bravo, Director of the school facilities. Ms. Hoffman advised fastpitch softball partnered with little league last year to share some practice fields and the partnership worked well. Ms. Walsh advised the city allocated $20,000 to hire a landscape architect to collect information from all invested parties and discuss feasibility of request. 6. Staff Communication Mr. Eisold advised the Rec Center refrigeration project is approximately 95% compete. The project consisted of replacement of the refrigeration system, replacement of both rink floors, replacement of the dasher boards, adding a low emissivity ceiling, replacing the lighted with LED, and switched to a RO water treatment system to improve the ice quality on the rinks (the ice will be clearer, harder and improve ice quality). The rink currently uses a state of the art system, one compressor, to run the three rinks. The settings on the system can be changed via a cell phone and can send text alarms. A Might Ducks Grant and rebates from Xcel and CenterPoint Energy have been received for the project. This system will be good to go for 25 – 30 years from a large capital perspective. The systems went online November 1. The city anticipates approximately 15% savings on utility costs having one system versus two due to the efficiencies included. The city has received a great deal of compliments on the outcome of the projects. Ms. Walsh indicated staff should be able to review the energy bills in the year to see the efficiencies. Ms. Walsh indicated we have a state of the art facility and anticipate other organizations will want to tour. Mr. Eisold concurred that other cities have been contacting him as the old R22 system must be phased out by 2020. Plus, the Rec Center has a magazine article explaining the progress. Ms. Walsh commended Mr. Eisold on the fantastic job he has done managing the project. He put a great deal of time and hours into this unbelievable project. Mr. Hagemann inquired if the rinks are refrigerated even in cold temperatures. Mr. Eisold advised the pump is still running as it helps cool the indoor rinks also. There are 30 miles of pipe throughout the building. Ms. Hoffman inquired how the snow will be removed from the ROC. Mr. Eisold indicated staff from the Rec Center and Park Maintenance are working on snow removal, trying variations to determine the best method. Rink flooding began yesterday, Mr. Beane advised. If the cold weather continues, the rinks will be ready for the December16 opening as they will begin flooding at night also. There will be five warming house buildings open plus will provide recycling/organic/trash bins at the rinks. Mr. Beane mentioned that Torah Academy is excited to have a rink at Fern Hill Park. Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting 4 December 7, 2016 Mr. Eisold advised the ROC is hosting a New Year’s Eve events from 3 – 6 p.m. Skating is free and there will be giveaways during the event. Ms. Walsh indicated most water meters in the city have been replaced. All residential meters replaced; working on the businesses. Mr. Hagemann inquired on the number of owners that opted out of the replacement. Ms. Walsh advised nine opted out. The city also found abandoned, foreclosures and homeowners that needed help in the process. The city has six antennas throughout the city that are reading water meters, Ms. Walsh advised. The city began with three and has expanded to six. The last tower will be placed at the Westwood Hills Nature Center brick house. The new water meters can detect leaks so it is important to have a current phone number on file to contact you if a leak is detected. Ms. Walsh advised John Luse, the Police Chief, and Kirk DiLorenzo, Deputy Chief, are both retiring at the end of the year. 7. Member Communication Mr. Hagemann advised members if they are interested in bikeways, sidewalks, and connecting the community, visit the “Bike and Walk the Park” Facebook page. Upcoming meetings are posted, links to plan documents are provided and staff contacts are listed on the site. Comments posted on the site are brought to the meetings. Mr. Hagemann inquired on the First Responder system. Ms. Walsh explained individuals sign up as first responder. The volunteers are then contacted via phone calls and are the first to respond to incidents while waiting for the emergency vehicle to arrive. 8. Other / Future Agenda Items The next regular meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 18, 2017. 9. Adjournment It was moved by Commission member Hagemann and seconded by Commission member Griffin to adjourn at 7:44 p.m. The motion passed 8 - 0. Respectfully submitted, Stacy Voelker Stacy Voelker Recording Secretary