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HomeMy WebLinkAboutApril 6, 2017-WPND0VEFj^ 1685 CROSSTOWN BOULEVARD N.W. • ANDOVER, MINNESOTA 55304 • (763) 755-5100 FAX (763) 755-8923 . WWW.ANDOVERMN.GOV Regular Park & Recreation Commission Meeting April 6, 2017 7:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order 2. Resident Forum 3. Approval of Minutes (2/2/17) and (3/16/17) 4. Agenda Approval 5. Consider ABA Request for Storage POD at Sunshine Park 6. Discuss Park Advertisement Policy and Agreement/Tracy Strombeck 7. Review Proposed Locations of Park Signs on City Streets and County Roads, Cont. 8. Update on Outdoor Pickle Ball Courts 9. Outstanding Items 10. 11. Chair's Report 12.Adjournment 7:15 P.M. Or Shortly Thereafter Workshop Session A. Update on the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)/Natural Resource Technician B. Review Updated 2016 Existing and Future Park Facilities Chart/Zones A -B C. Discuss 2018-2022 Park Capital Improvement Plan, Cont. D. Adjournment u N A110-Abolk PARKAND RECREATION COMMISSIONMEETING APRIL 6, 2017 MINUTES The Regular Bi -Monthly Meeting of the Andover Park and Recreation Commission was called to order by Chair Stenzel on April 6, 2017, 7:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Commissioners Present: Chair Shane Stenzel, Vice Chair -,Jim Lindahl Commissioners John Angell, Ted Butler, Angela Marinello, Mark Miskowiec, and Dawn Perra. Commissioners Absent: None Also Present: Assistant Public Works Director, Todd Haas Parks Maintenance Supervisor Jason Grode RESIDENT FORUM No one appeared to address the Commission. APPROVAL OFMINUTES Motion by Miskowiec, seconded by Marinello, to approve the February 2, 2017 Park Commission minutes as presented. Motion carried on a 5 -ayes, 0 -nays, 0 -absent 2 - present (Angell and Butler) vote. Motion by Lindahl, seconded by Butler, to approve the March 16, 2017 Park Commission minutes as presented. Motion carried on a 6 -ayes, 0 -nays, 0 -absent 1 - present (Stenzel) vote. AGENDA APPROVAL No motion was made. CONSIDER ABA REQUEST FOR STORAGE POD AT SUNSHINE PARK Mr. Haas reviewed the Andover Baseball Association (ABA) has requested to be on the agenda to discuss locating a storage POD at Sunshine Park that would be used for the. storage of equipment and supplies. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes —April 6, 2017 Page 2 © Ms. Patricia Mumane, Andover Baseball Association President. Ms. Mumane noted ABA currently has a storage POD which they would like to relocate from Andover High School near the varsity baseball field to Sunshine Park near the existing storage POD which is currently located near the south and west end of the park. A picture was provided showing the locations of the PODS. Ms. Mumane stated they would paint the POD if the Commission desires. Mr. Haas noted the existing POD at Sunshine is owned by the City. Mr. Haas showed a picture of what is currently being stored in the city -owned POD. Currently property of the Andover Athletic Association is being stored there. Ms. Murnane asked the Commission to consider that ABA built the building at ASN and the building was donated to the City. She again suggested the POD be painted to blend into the trees. She stated there needs to be some flexibility on the part of the City to allow for storage for a non-profit organization within the City. Commissioner Miskowiec stated he is sympathetic that the associations are in need of more storage but due to the fact this is against the City Code he would not be comfortable making a recommendation. He feels this should go before the Planning Commission and the Council for a recommendation. Commissioner Butler stated he too is sympathetic to the need for storage. He is concerned about pushing a hard line for these temporary storage options within the parks. He suggested they be moved periodically and the option of painting them to blend into the surroundings. It is difficult for the associations to raise funds to build permanent buildings. Chair Stenzel stated he agreed and asked if there is a way to reach an agreement with all the associations for combined storage. Ms. Mumane stated ABA would have no issues with sharing storage. The equipment needs to be stored near the fields they are to maintain. Chair Stenzel stated he does not want every association to come in and request PODs. He suggested the associations work together to understand the need and for a 3 -5 -year commitment when funds could be pooled to construct a storage building. He would recommend that the associations get together to see if all storage can be combined into one POD unit. He would recommend a five-year transition plan to remove the PODS. Ms. Mumane asked if the POD near the soccer fields could be moved to the public works area. Chair Stenzel suggested a coat of paint would surely help. C Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes—April 6, 2017 Page 3 Commissioner Angell stated he would have some reservations about the City owning one and if it is opened to one group other groups may feel they should have a POD also. Chair Stenzel stated if the 40 -foot city -owned POD would be sufficient that would be a good solution. Ms. Murnane stated she will discuss with the other associations. The Parks and Recreation Commission needs to discuss if this is something they want in the parks. Currently, City Code does not allow PODS to be placed in a General Recreation Zoning District. To allow the POD to be permanently in the park would require a Zoning Code change. The City Administration Department indicated that there is most likely not enough interest to allow them at all and that the existing PODS that have been placed at various parks around the City in the past would most likely need to be phased out. Mr. Haas noted PODS are not allowed in residential areas according to City Code. If the Park and Recreation Commission is not interested in a Code amendment to allow the PODS in the park, the Commission should recommend a phasing plan to the City Council so the associations can make arrangements to rent space or to consider constructing a permanent building that meets the City requirement. If the Commission is not interested in allowing them at any of the parks, staff would suggest that the phasing © plan be considered to remove the PODS within the 1-3 years from the time the associations are notified. Motion by Butler, seconded by Marinello, to have the associations meet and see if the 40 - foot POD would suffice to meet all needs and table consideration by the Commission. Motion carried on a 7 -ayes, 0 -nays, 0 -absent vote. DISCUSS PARKADVERTISEMENT POLICYAND AGREEMENT Mr. Haas noted Tracy Strombeck has requested to be on the agenda to discuss the Park Advertisement Policy and Agreement currently in place. The request from Tracy Strombeck regarding advertisements at Eveland Fields was provided for Commission review. Ms. April Groettum was also present. Ms. Groettum stated she handled the sales of advertising banners for the Booster Club. She added with the new ordinance all of the profits would be going to the City in fees for hanging the signs. Ms. Strombeck requested the Ordinance be reconsidered. Baseball Booster Club currently hangs signs at the High School and Sunshine Park. The City of Andover has an agreement on the joint use of Eveland Fields with Anoka Hennepin School District. The School District is responsible for the maintenance of the fields from September 1 through May 31 (unless the fields are needed to complete the Girls High School Fast Pitch Season) and the City of Andover is responsible for maintenance of the fields from June 1 — August 31. To keep the advertisement policy Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes—April 6, 2017 Page 4 © consistent with the use of the fields at Eveland Fields, the Park and Recreation Commission may want to consider clarifying the Park Advertisement Policy that any advertisement to be placed on the fences at Eveland Fields between September 1 — May 31, advertisement review, approval and oversight would be the responsibility of the Anoka Hennepin School District or their representative. The City would not receive any funds from the advertisement that are approved through the School District. Any advertisement proposed from June 1 — August 31 would require application to be reviewed and approved by the City of Andover. Fees to cover the cost would be required to be submitted as per the City advertising agreement. Mr. Haas noted the Commission may want to consider any advertisements that have been approved by the School District and/or by the City be allowed to be placed on the fences from spring through fall. The Park Advertisement Policy should also be clarified that the School District would be responsible for removing all advertisement signs they are responsible for and the City would be responsible for removing all other advertisement signs at Eveland Fields that were approved through the City. The Park and Recreation Commission is recommended to provide direction if the Park Advertisement Agreement should be amended to clarify advertising responsibility between the Anoka Hennepin School District and the City of Andover. © Chair Stenzel stated the concern with signs, how they are hung, where they are hung require the City to hang the signs. There has been damage to fences when signs were not held correctly. The extra charge is to help cover the cost of maintenance and repair on the fence. The Eveland agreement is different because it is a contract with Anoka Hennepin School District. Chair Stenzel stated he would consider a joint agreement with Anoka Hennepin. Ms. Strombeck asked the Commission to reconsider the Ordinance to make it so the profit does not go to the City. She asked if the amounts can be lowered. Commissioner Butler stated the previous charge of $15 did not cover the cost of a city employee hanging the banners. The City needs to recover the costs spent to help a group to raise funds. Chair Stenzel stated the costs to be recovered are more than $15 and staff researched and cost of hanging the signs. Mr. Terry Snyder, Andover High School Fast Pitch Booster Club representative, stated they have already taken responsibility for storing, hanging and moving the signs. They charge $150 per sign and their signs are smaller. Most of the signs have holes to allow wind to go through. H Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes—April 6, 2017 Page 5 Mr. Haas stated he and Parks Maintenance Supervisor Grode were at the High School and noticed the signs were hanging and Anoka Hennepin was contacted stating they were in violation. Those signs were not hung by City Staff. Chair Stenzel asked if the fence blows down who is responsible for repairing it. Mr. Haas stated that needs to be outlined in the policy. Mr. Haas stated June — Aug the City is responsible and Sept — May the School District is responsible. Commissioner Butler stated if the High School wants to take responsibility for the signs they could do it. On City fields, some residents have expressed concern about any advertising in City parks. He would feel comfortable having Eveland Fields signs managed completely by the High School. Commissioner Miskowiec asked what the maintenance agreement included. Mr. Haas stated the City is only responsible for Eveland Field for three months per year. All fences are the City's responsibility year round including replacement. Commissioner Lindahl asked if Staff could put together some guidelines for sign installation to provide to the High School to help reduce some liability. He asked if the insurance would deny coverage if damage occurred due to the signs. Motion by Butler, seconded by Lindahl, to recommend to City Council that the current policy on advertising in parks to allow Eveland Fields signage to be managed by Andover High School/Anoka Hennepin School District and amend policy by removing Eveland/Andover High School Fields in #1. Motion carried on a 7 -ayes, 0 -nays, 0 -absent vote. Ms. Strombeck stated she does not understand why advertising in other parks would not be allowed. REVIEW PROPOSED LOCATIONS OF PARK SIGNS ON CITY STREETS AND COUNTYROADS Mr. Haas reviewed this item is an update for the Commission regarding additional signage along a couple County Roads. The list of park signs that have been approved by the Anoka County Highway Department was provided. As far as Hawkridge Park signage, it has been determined that the best location for those signs would be on 16151 Avenue NW east and west of Verdin Street NW. Staff has already notified the ACHD regarding the placement of these signs on 1615` Avenue. The higher priority are Hawkridge Park, Pine Hills North and Pine Hills South Park, Andover Station North Ball Field Facility and Eveland Fields. The lower priority are Rose Park, Prairie Knoll Park and Terrace Park. H Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes—April 6, 2017 Page 6 © Commissioner Butler noted the signs for Hawkridge are 2 miles away from the actual park and could the distance from the sign to the park be written on the sign. Chair Stenzel asked if there couldn't be a sign on 181x`. Mr. Haas noted there would need to be one showing from the north and one showing from the south. UPDATE ON OUTDOOR PICKLE BALL COURTS Mr. Haas reviewed the Commission is requested to continue discussing the options of where pickle ball could be played outdoors. At the February 2, 2017 meeting, a resident approached the Park and Recreation Commission to see if there was an opportunity to bring pickle ball outdoors to one of the parks since this is a growing sport. There was some discussion about the possibility of converting one of the tennis courts at Northwoods West Park, which is owned by the City. Most of the other tennis courts that are located around the City are located on School District property. If the Commission is interested in converting one of the courts at Northwoods West Park to allow a pickle ball court, they should provide direction to Staff. Staff is aware that some of the pickle ball players are using some of the basketball courts 10 around the City to play pickle ball and bringing portable nets so they can play. An aerial view of the tennis courts at Northwoods West Park was provided and Mr. Haas noted the tennis courts are lighted. Information about pickle ball court construction was provided for commission review. Commissioner Angell asked if has ever been discussed to paint pickle ball lines on tennis courts and moving the net height. If there was a lot of use maybe then look at a more permanent solution. Mr. Haas noted the pickle ball courts are full at the Community Center. Commissioner Miskowiec asked how much the tennis courts are being used and Mr. Haas stated they are used. Commissioner Butler stated there should be dedicated pickle ball courts within the City. Commissioner Marinello stated it should be done correctly with dedicated pickle ball courts. Commissioner Butler suggested converting a basketball court rather than a tennis court. He suggested portable nets be available to be checked out from the City and the City paint a couple of basketball courts. Chair Stenzel recommended painting pickle ball lines on a handful of basketball courts throughout the City. S Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes—April 6, 2017 Page 7 Mr. Haas will bring back a list of potential basketball court locations for pickle ball along with estimated costs of nets. He will speak with Tim Peterman about the possibility of getting volunteers to assist with lining the courts. REVIEW OUTSTANDING ITEMS Mr. Haas reviewed outstanding items including Completed Projects, On -Going Projects, On -Hold Projects, and Other Items of Interest. Mr. Grode reviewed the Weekly Parks Maintenance Update. Commissioner Butler reported the next meeting of the Community Center Task Force is Monday, April 10. He will bring up the pickle ball discussion. CHAIR'S REPORT There were no reports. ZJ7�I�rTlalif11 aar-axidsin.LouTiNw/fn © Motion by Commissioner Lindahl, seconded by Commissioner Miskowiec to adjourn the regular meeting at 8:08 p.m. Motion carried on a 7 -ayes, 0 -nays, 0 -absent vote. The Workshop Meeting of the Andover Park and Recreation Commission was called to order by Chair Stenzel on April 6, 2017, at 8:09 p.m. at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Commissioners Present: Chair Shane Stenzel, Vice Chair Jim Lindahl Commissioners John Angell, Ted Butler, Angela Marinello, Mark Miskowiec, and Dawn Perra. Commissioners Absent: Kameron Kytonen, Natural Resources Technician Todd Haas, Assistant Public Works Director Jason Grode, Parks Maintenance Supervisor UPDATE ON THE EMERALD ASH BORER (EAB) Natural Resources Technician Kameron Kytonen reviewed the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is an invasive pest that kills all of our native ask trees. It was found in the City of Andover in August 2016. Thus, it now threatens to spread into other parts of the City. The parks system has a lot of ash trees that are at risk. To help prepare and better assist with an informed decision, staff performed an inventory of select parks near the EAB find. H Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes—April 6, 2017 Page 8 The results of the inventory were shared with the Commission. The inventory will guide and help with a management plan for ash trees in the park system. A city contractor was hired to perform direct trunk injections on eligible trees on public and private properties. This service will be beneficial on quality, specimen ash trees in the parks that provide multiple benefits. The associated costs will be covered in the Parks budget and established EAB budget. Staff is requesting direction on how to proceed with management of ash trees in the park system. Staff recommends treating of 10-15 trees per the data collected. Mr. Kytonen reviewed the City contractor information. The estimated cost for 2017 is $1K. Commissioner Miskowiec asked if trees of different species will be planted in place of removed trees. Mr. Kytonen stated that will be considered. No clear cutting will be done. All species of ash are susceptible to EAB. Commissioner Angell asked how many trees are planted each year and Mr. Kytonen stated at least 50-100 are planted per growing season. REVIEW UPDATED 2016 EXISTING AND FUTURE PARK FACILITIES CHART — ZONES A & B O Mr. Grode provided the updated version of the 2016 Existing and Future Park Facilities Chart for Zones A and B that staff has been working on over the past couple months. The Parks Maintenance Department updated the left column of the spreadsheet so the Commission has an idea of what currently exists in each park. The updated middle column of the spreadsheet (Future Facilities) are items that will be used to determine Park Dedication Fee. The updated right column of the spreadsheet is replacement items that are being recommended to be replaced over the next 5 years by the Parks Maintenance Department which are items that would need to be funded from another source (for example the City's general fund). The changes indicated in red were recent changes. Staff will be working on updating Zones C and D over the next couple months and will bring those Zones back to the Commission for review before all the Zones are forwarded to the City Council for review. The Park and Recreation Commission is requested to review the updated 2016 Existing and Future Park Facilities Chart for Zone A and B. Commissioner Miskowiec asked about the land purchase at Hawkridge Park and how the $6500 per acre was determined. Mr. Haas stated he will research and report back to the Commission. The consensus of the Commission was they were still interested in pursuing that purchase. Chair Stenzel asked that the Commission review the entire package before it goes to Qworkshop with City Council. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes—April 6, 2017 Page 9 H DISCUSS 2018 — 2022 PARK CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN Mr. Haas requested the Park and Recreation Commission continue discussing the 2018 — 2022 Park Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The target date for draft CIP is June 2"d. The projected fund balance sheet that was prepared by the Finance Department was provided for Commission review. The Commission should pay attention to the status of 2017 end of the year balance. The Commission will need to make sure that the ending balance for each year has a positive balance of $50,000 or more. 2018 Small irrigation project - $20,000 Annual Misc. projects - $15,000 2019 Small irrigation project - $20,000 Annual Misc. projects - $15,000 2020 Pine Hills North/Parking lot with curb - $120,000 (the Commission will need to determine if this project will be done in 2020 or beyond or if the project should be removed from the 5 -year plan). Wild Iris Park — Small irrigation project $42,500 has been identified for this improvement Annual Misc. Projects - $15,000 2021 No projects identified as of yet Annual Misc. Projects - $15,000 2022 No projects identified as of yet Annual Misc. Projects - $15,000 Mr. Haas reviewed there are a number of parks that do not have security lights. The Public Works Parks Department has expressed concern in the past that some of the parks need to be updated with a paved surface parking lot throughout the parks system. A list of recommended park replacement improvements was provided. Mr. Haas suggested the Commission look at this later when the survey results are reviewed. H Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes—April 6, 2017 Page 10 ADJOURNMENT OF WORKSHOP MEETING Motion by Butler, seconded by Lindahl, to adjourn the workshop meeting at 8:35 p.m. Motion carried on a 7 -ayes, 0 -nays, 0 -absent vote. Respectfully Submitted, Debbie Wolfe, Recording Secretary TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. u