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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026/06/01 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study SessionOfficial minutes Special study session meeting St. Louis Park, Minnesota June 1, 2026 The meeting convened at 7:34 p.m. Council Members present: Daniel Bashore, Jim Engelking, Tim Brausen, Paul Baudhuin, Sue Budd, Yolanda Farris, Mayor Nadia Mohamed Council Members absent: none Staff present: city manager (Ms. Keller), deputy city manager (Ms. Walsh), recreation superintendent (Ms. Friederich) Guest: David Yakes, Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission chair Discussion Item 1. Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission annual meeting with council Ms. Walsh introduced David Yakes, Chair of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission (PRAC), and invited him to present the commission's work plan. Mr. Yakes outlined the following areas of PRAC's current and ongoing work: Environmental Sustainability Commission Coordination: PRAC coordinated with the Environmental Sustainability Commission (ESC) through reciprocal chair visits in spring 2026, replacing the prior year's joint meeting format. Youth Association President Summit: PRAC held its biannual summit the previous week. A youth commission member raised the topic of mental health among young athletes, which led to a 15-minute presentation by an outside organization on youth mental health for coaches and sports association presidents. Other recurring summit topics included facility access, inclusivity, fundraising challenges and engagement strategies for underrepresented populations. Council Member Brausen asked whether the summit addressed specific barriers to participation such as cost, language or access. Mr. Yakes confirmed cost was a recurring topic, noting that funding levels varied significantly by sport, with some associations well-resourced and others struggling. He indicated the fall summit typically explores these barriers more deeply. Council Member Brausen requested feedback from the youth sports presidents on participation and funding levels across sports, noting that information would be useful for future resource allocation decisions. Mr. Yakes agreed to compile that feedback. Council Member Budd asked whether the youth association presidents represented St. Louis Park specifically or broader regions. Mr. Yakes explained that most organizations were St. Louis Park-based, with soccer being a combined St. Louis Park and Golden Valley organization. He noted the distinction between school-sanctioned sports and club sports, with some clubs preferring to remain independent for funding reasons. Docusign Envelope ID: DDED1A59-A786-80B6-8023-7731526FDAB3 Special study session minutes - 2 - June 1, 2026 Council Member Baudhuin asked for clarification on whether the associations involved were traveling or recreational league organizations. Mr. Yakes confirmed both were represented at the summit. Supporting Vision 4.0: Mr. Yakes noted PRAC supported the Vision 4.0 process and listed it as an ongoing item on the work plan. Minnehaha Creek Cleanup: PRAC expanded the spring 2026 cleanup to two locations along Minnehaha Creek due to the success of prior efforts. The ESC participated as well. Locations included the area near Creekside Park behind the Municipal Services Center and a second site near Target at the Knollwood Mall. Student volunteers also participated to fulfill service hour requirements. Webster Park: Mr. Yakes noted ongoing discussion about opportunities related to the portion of Webster Park owned by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Park Staff Appreciation Breakfast: PRAC held its annual appreciation breakfast for park staff at the ROC in September 2025, noting a good turnout from staff arriving directly from their work sites. Community Group Connections: PRAC hosted presentations from various community organizations including Westopolis, Bassett Creek Watershed and the Three Rivers Park District. Mr. Yakes noted his personal role on the Metropolitan Council's Parks Open Space Commission and emphasized the importance of regional connectivity for trails and park boundaries. Commissioner Participation in City Programs: Mr. Yakes encouraged commissioners to participate in city recreation programs such as ROCtoberfest, ShamROC bowling, ice bowling and skating events at the ROC. Council Member Budd noted she attended the ice skating show at the ROC after hearing about it from the commission and shared that she found it impressive. Mr. Yakes said he had not yet attended but had heard strong reviews. Council Member Baudhuin expressed appreciation for PRAC's direct engagement with youth sports association presidents, noting those organizations operate independently and can have impacts on youth mental health. He expressed interest in attending a future summit. Council Member Budd noted that the mental health topic originated with a youth commission member. Mr. Yakes emphasizing the importance of diverse perspectives on commissions and the value of youth voices specifically. Council Member Bashore asked whether PRAC had discussed adding new items to its February 2025 work plan or sought additional direction from the council. Mr. Yakes acknowledged several topics were discussed but not formally added, including dog park criteria and park naming and donation guidelines. He indicated the work plan was still evolving and offered to report back on any additions. Council Member Bashore clarified his question was intended to Docusign Envelope ID: DDED1A59-A786-80B6-8023-7731526FDAB3 Special study session minutes - 3 - June 1, 2026 probe whether the commission was seeking more council direction rather than to criticize the existing plan. Council Member Bashore also raised awareness of a Ward 1 neighborhood group working with Parks and Recreation staff on developing recreational space near the Twin Lakes area and suggested a potential connection with PRAC. Ms. Friederich confirmed the group's contact was Larry Umphrey, parks superintendent. Council Member Farris raised concerns about 150 to 200 children in her community near Ainsworth Park who lacked connection to parks and recreation programming. She expressed frustration that despite living adjacent to a park, those families had no awareness of or access to city programs and emphasized that transportation and cost were real barriers. She stressed the importance of engaging parents directly rather than only reaching children at school. Ms. Friederich described the city's Park and Play mobile recreation van, which visits parks across St. Louis Park throughout June, July and August, including Ainsworth Park, at least three times per week. She also described the Access to Fun scholarship program, which covers registration fees for programs and pool passes. She noted two associations at the most recent summit reported increased participation after going directly into schools to recruit. Council Member Farris acknowledged these efforts but emphasized that pop-up visits were insufficient and that families needed direct outreach in their own communities and in their primary languages. She noted she had lived in St. Louis Park for 13 years without having ever heard of these programs and did not know about them until she joined the city council. Ms. Walsh acknowledged the concern directly, noting that PRAC, city staff and community members all shared the goal of expanding access. She suggested adding outreach to underrepresented communities as a formal item on PRAC's work plan. Mr. Yakes confirmed the commission would welcome that addition. Council Member Baudhuin described the high concentration of children living in apartments near Louisiana Court along 28th Street and expressed support for expanding facilities at Ainsworth Park to bring programming directly to that neighborhood, rather than relying on residents to travel to other sites. Mayor Mohamed echoed the discussion, noting the Access to Fun scholarship program and transportation barriers deserved closer attention. She shared a personal connection to the Louisiana Court neighborhood and recalled learning to swim at the recreation center. She encouraged staff and the commission to pursue creative solutions. Mr. Yakes added that PRAC had spent significant time at the last two Youth Association President Summits, discussing how to engage underrepresented audiences including the challenge of children not seeing peers or people who look like them in certain sports. He noted some associations had discussed visiting neighborhoods directly to reduce barriers and build familiarity. Docusign Envelope ID: DDED1A59-A786-80B6-8023-7731526FDAB3 Special study session minutes - 4 - June 1, 2026 Ms. Walsh confirmed she and Ms. Friederich would connect with Council Member Farris offline to ensure she received information and flyers on the Access to Fun program to distribute to families in her community. Council Member Brausen thanked Mr. Yakes and all who volunteer to serve on commissions, noting St. Louis Park benefits greatly from engaged community members. He expressed interest in reviewing participation data across the city's more than 1,300 recreation programs to inform future resource decisions. He encouraged PRAC to use the board and commission communication form to reach the council at any time. The meeting adjourned at 8:12 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Nadia Mohamed, mayor These minutes were created with the assistance of a generative AI transcript service, then edited and finalized by a city staff person. Docusign Envelope ID: DDED1A59-A786-80B6-8023-7731526FDAB3