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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP - January 14, 2014❑i \: J PLANNING & ZONING COMMISSION PARK & REC. COMMISSION OPEN SPACE COMMISSION INTERVIEWS Tuesday, January 14, 2014 6:00 pm Dean Daninger Planning & Zoning Commission interview 6:15 pm Tim Cleven Planning & Zoning Commission interview 6:30 pm Angela Marinello Park & Recreation Commission interview 6:45 pm Val Holthus Planning & Zoning Commission interview 7:00 pm Sarah Elstrom Park & Recreation Commission interview 7:15 pm Randy Sando Planning & Zoning Commission interview 7:30 pm Jim Lindahl Park & Recreation Commission interview 7:45 pm Ross Kramer Open Space & Planning & Zoning interview 8:00 pm Sharon Cramer Open Space & Planning & Zoning interview 8:15 pm Suzanne VanHecke Open Space Commission interview 8:30 pm Gretchen Sabel Open Space Commission interview Conference call (Out of town) #763 - 486 -2509 8:45pm James Myers Open Space Commission interview ANDOVER COMMISSION INTER VIE WS JANUARY 14, 2014 MINUTES The Andover Commission Interviews was called to order by Mayor Mike Gamache, January 14, 2014, 6:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Councilmembers present: Sheri Bukkila, Tony Howard, Mike Knight, and Julie Trude Councilmember absent: None Councilmember Trude thought Gretchen Sabel's leadership is valuable and did not think they needed to interview her again via phone conference. The majority of the Council agreed. Motion by Councilmember Trude to appoint Gretchen Sabel to the Open Space Commission. Councilmember Bukkila thought they should interview others before making a decision. Councilmember Trude withdrew her motion. INTERVIEWS Dean Daninger — Planning & Zoning Commission Mr. Daninger stated he has enjoyed his time on the board and values the networking. He stated he has seen a lot of great things happen over the twelve years he has been on the board. He indicated he does not have a hidden agenda and would like to remain on the Commission. Councilmember Knight wondered what City Mr. Daninger compares Andover to. Mr. Daninger stated Andover is a family community and wants to have things like Maple Grove but they do not have the transportation. He thought they are more like a west metro city. Councilmember Howard asked with his longevity and as Chair, what would he like to see the Council accomplish. Mr. Daninger thought there was more open mindedness on the Council and they also allow the Commission to make more decisions. The Commission is black and white and has a lot of rules that need to be followed. He felt they are the front line to the Council, he 10 did not like a 7 -0 vote or a compassionate vote, and he did like the split vote so the Council © Andover City Council Interviews for Commission Openings Minutes —January 14, 2014 Page 2 knows what will come before them. He would like to see more discussion on the Commission and he would like the Council to remain open minded. Councilmember Bukkila stated previously they were looking at the personalities on the Commission and wanted to shake it up a bit. Mr. Daninger thought the personalities on the board are broader now but they needed more experience to handle the crowd for more complex developments. Councilmember Trude thought the experience was needed for the upcoming possible developments and she wondered how they can make sure they maintain what they love about Andover. Mr. Daninger thought with the current rules, the guidance is there and they are doing good things. He thought communication with the staff is good. Mr. Daninger stated one of the things he likes to do is make sure the applicant knows what the rules are. Councilmember Trude thanked Mr. Daninger for his knowledge and leadership on the Commission. Councilmember Knight thought Mr. Daninger was the filter of the Commission and they needed that in order to get a fair decision. Councilmember Trude stated in regard to the City Code the Council is thinking about reverting residential back to verbiage rather than tables and she wondered what Mr. Daninger thought about that. Mr. Daninger stated he is not a red inker and the Commission spent a lot of time on the revisions. He stated he looked at when the code was last changed and thought it was time to review it again and change things that needed updating but he would not want to do that review every year. Mr. Daninger noted his daughter plays basketball and he will not miss her games. He indicated he would only miss a couple meetings throughout the year and he understood if the Council had an issue with that. The Council felt his time was well spent and did not think the Commission should interfere with family life. Tim Cleven — Planning & Zoning Commission Mayor Gamache asked Mr. Cleven why he would like to be reappointed to the Planning and Zoning Commission. Mr. Cleven thought the Commission and discussions were very interesting and he has learned a lot and would like to continue on. Councilmember Bukkila asked if there was anything he went through that he thought was the © most difficult. Mr. Cleven thought the hardest part was trying to get the residents to realize the © Andover City Council Interviews for Commission Openings Minutes — January 14, 2014 Page 3 role the Commission plays. He also thought everyone had an opinion but should not let their personal feelings sway the decision. Mr. Cleven stated one issue was the case with the dock on the river and the Commission had to try to make the residents realize that they did not need a large dock to maintain stability. He stated another issue was the proposed development where the developer wanted to change from multi - family to single family homes. Mr. Cleven stated he also questions when a development wants to build in a wetland area. Councilmember Howard stated they are going to see a lot more developments and he wondered what type of Commissioner he is, did he tow the line or would he be open to different things. Mr. Cleven stated he would make sure they are meeting all of the rules and regulations and he would watch what the applicant does and how they are presenting the development. He also indicated he has asked staff about some of the engineering practices. Councilmember Trude complimented Mr. Cleven on joining the Commission in a busy year. She thought he had asked a lot of questions and she thought this was important. © Angela Marinello — Parks & Recreation Commission Ms. Marinello thought she wanted to be on the Commission to get more involved in the community. She noted she had a couple of boys that like to go to the park. Councilmember Trude asked what park they like to go to. Ms. Marinello stated her kids like to go to Sophie's park and play. She thought the equipment was good for the kids. Councilmember Knight asked what her background is. Ms. Marinello stated she works at Gov Delivery and has been there for 5 % years. In her free time, she likes to be outside, biking, roller blading, skiing, sledding and other activities. She stated they also use the YMCA a lot. Councilmember Knight asked what she would like to see happen in the parks. Ms. Marinello stated she would like to know what parks are not being used as much in the city and she would like to see them cleaned up and look nicer, possibly with some flowers and signs directing people where a park is located at. Val Holthus — Planning & Zoning Commission Ms. Holthus stated she wanted to be reappointed because she enjoyed the discussions. She stated © she liked the discussion on the Country Oaks area and the Met Council. She stated she liked to be involved in Andover and thinks it is a fantastic community. © Andover City Council Interviews for Commission Openings Minutes — January 14, 2014 Page 4 Councilmember Trude asked Ms. Holthus how she liked being in charge of meetings. Ms. Holthus stated it was fine, she had to make sure everyone has their say and that the residents got a chance to talk. She needed to make sure all the questions were answered and that the motion was correct. Councilmember Bukkila asked how Ms. Holthus felt about the current Commission, what are the weak spots that need to be filled. Ms. Holthus stated they are a productive group and always are productive. She felt the recent appointments were well chosen. She thought there is a nice variety of inexperience and experience on the Commission but right now, it is a little heavy on mexpenence. Councilmember Knight asked what City Ms. Holthus would compare Andover to. Ms. Holthus thought it would be Plymouth because they have nice boulevards and good trails and parks. Councilmember Howard stated Plymouth is a really beautiful City and he would like to see Andover look more like Plymouth as far as the boulevards. Councilmember Trude stated maybe they should look at ways to improve the aesthetics of the City. © Councilmember Knight asked what Ms. Holthus would like to see the Council do. Ms. Holthus stated she would like to see more trails and less playground equipment. Ms. Holthus stated she is a work coordinator for Andover High School, looking for jobs in the area for high school kids. Sarah Elstrom —Park & Recreation Commission Mayor Gamache asked why she wanted to be on the Park and Recreation Commission. Ms. Elstrom stated she saw the ad in the newsletter and because she is very active and being new in the community, she thought this would be something that she could give her opinion on and help with the parks system. Councilmember Knight asked about her background. Ms. Elstrom stated she worked in the medical device company with Boston Scientific and now Covidien. She stated she labels all of the products in the company. Ms. Elstrom stated she grew up in Princeton and was excited to move back to the cities. X Andover City Council Interviews for Commission Openings Minutes —January 14, 2014 Page 5 Councilmember Trude wondered if the City should put in more playground equipment in the parks or more trails. Ms. Elstrom stated she was a little disappointed in the lack of trails in Andover and would love to have more in the City. Councilmember Howard asked about her involvement in the adopt a parks. Ms. Elstrom stated when she was younger, her family did a lot of community work and she thought giving back to the community is huge, especially a community that needs it. Randy Sando — Planning& Zoning Commission Councilmember Knight asked what Mr. Sando would like to see change in the City. Mr. Sando stated he could not answer that until he had some time in on the Commission. Councilmember Bukkila asked what made Mr. Sando decide to move to Andover. Mr. Sando stated his family likes the area. So far, they have enjoyed their time in Andover and plan on staying in the City for a long time. © Councilmember Knight asked what he saw the role of the Commission as. Mr. Sando stated he thought a commission should be the ones to do the footwork and make recommendations before the applicant goes further in the process. Mayor Gamache asked what Mr. Sando liked to do in his free time. Mr. Sando stated he does like to fly and dabbles in photography and reads. He also works on computers. Jim Lindahl —Park & Recreation Commission Mayor Gamache asked why he wanted to be appointed again. Mr. Lindahl stated he enjoys being on the commission and would be the only other person on the board to chair the meeting at this point. He noted that he follows what is going on in the City and knows the policies. Councilmember Howard stated there has been a lot of talk tonight of lack of trails. Mr. Lindahl stated they have been focusing on fields to accommodate all of the associations but he thought there should be more trails in the City. Ross Kramer — Open Space Commission✓Planning & Zoning Commission Was not in attendance for the interview. LIM] ® Andover City Council Interviews for Commission Openings Minutes — January 14, 2014 Page 6 Sharon Cramer — Open Space Commission /Planning & Zoning Commission Mayor Gamache asked why Ms. Cramer wanted to be on the Commissions. Ms. Cramer stated she would rather apply for the Planning & Zoning Commission. She stated she would like to increase her community involvement. She also has an interest in learning how the City operates. She thought both commissions offer an opportunity to do great work and will benefit the cities well- being. Councilmember Knight asked about her background. Ms. Cramer stated she has been in the community for twenty five years and works for Ameriprise Financial in a management position and has done that for the last six or seven years. She manages a bunch of developers. She stated she enjoys reading, spending time at her cabin hiking, swimming and boating. Councilmember Bukkila asked what kind of background she had in the Planning realm. Ms. Cramer stated she did not have any experience but is a quick learner and can make educated decisions. Councilmember Bukkila asked if there was any personal experience she had that she could bring © to the table. Ms. Cramer stated they built their home and dealt with the City on zoning and building codes. Councilmember Knight asked what she saw as the role of the Planning & Commission. Ms. Cramer stated her understanding is the Commission is taking input and making decisions. Councilmember Trude reviewed what the Planning Commissions role is with Ms. Cramer. Councilmember Trude asked if Ms. Cramer would be interested in the EDA appointments coming up in March. The Council explained what the EDA is involved in. Ms. Cramer stated she would be interested in the EDA as well. Ms. Cramer asked what the role is of the Planning Commission in regard to the City Council. Councilmember Knight explained the role of the Planning Commission. Suzanne VanHecke — Open Space Commission Mayor Gamache asked why she wanted to be reappointed to the Commission. Ms. VanHecke stated she really enjoys the position. Ms. VanHecke stated the Commission is trying to decide if they should send out another mailer © reminding the residents of the Open Space referendum and if so, how broad of an area a mailing should be sent. © Andover City Council Interviews for Commission Openings Minutes —January 14, 2014 Page 7 The Council discussed with Ms. VanHecke some possible open space lots in the City. Ms. VanHecke thought it would be nice to have more direction from the Council and a possible workshop. The Council agreed with that. James Myers — Open Space Commission Mayor Gamache asked why he wanted to be on the Open Space Commission. Mr. Myers stated the position sounded interesting. He has lived in the City for a long time. Mr. Myers reviewed his work history with the Council. Mayor Gamache asked with his experience he has, how he feels the role of the Open Space Commission should be. Mr. Myers stated he has not encountered a lot of material from the City regarding it. He has been to some of the open space land and he thought the Commission would need to go in and weigh the different factors of each parcel to determine what parcel would be good to remain open. He thought it was a matter of working together with the owner of the property. Mr. Myers stated he looks at open space differently because he thinks there needs to be diverse areas for people to wander through and not just an area of pine trees. He thought even if a parcel was purchased without anything on it within twenty years, if things are added, there will be something for people to have and use. Gretchen Sabel — Open Space Commission (Conference Call) The City Council called Gretchen Sabel to inform her that she will be reappointed to the Open Space Commission. The Council reviewed their notes and appointed the following people to the Commissions: Park & Recreation Commission Jim Lindahl - Full Angela Marinello - Full Sarah Elstrom — One Year Term © Alternates: None © Andover City Council Interviews for Commission Openings Minutes —January 14, 2014 Page 8 Planning & Zoning Commission Dean Daninger Valerie Holthus Tim Cleven Alternates: Sharon Cramer Second Alternate: Randy Sando Open Space Commission Gretchen Sabel Suzanne VanHecke Alternates: James Myers Motion by Trude, Seconded by Bukkila, to appoint the above people to the Commissions. Motion carried unanimously. © ADJOURNMENT Motion by Councilmember Bukkila, Seconded by Councilmember Howard, to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:16 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan Osbeck, Recording Secretary TimeSaver OffSite Secretarial, Inc. X