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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 1, 2020kc I T Y O F p ND OVE 1685 CROSSTOWN BOULEVARD N.W.. ANDOVER, MINNESOTA 55304 • (763) 755-5100 FAX (763) 755-8923 . WWW.ANDOVERMN.GOV Regular Park & Recreation Commission Meeting October 1, 2020 7:00 P.M. Meet at Andover City Hall 1. Call to Order 2. Resident Forum 3. Approval of Minutes (09/17/20 Regular and Work Session) 4. Agenda Approval 5. Hold Public Information Meeting with Neighborhood Regarding Bike Park/Sunshine Park 6. Reconsider 2021-2025 Park Capital Improvement Plan 7. Consider Sunshine Park Playground Equipment Improvements/21-11 8. Outstanding Items 9. © 10. Chair's Report 11.Adjournment 7:15 P.M. Or Shortly Thereafter Workshop Session A. Discuss Advertisement Policy and Agreement. B. Adjournment Note: Some or all members of the Andover Park and Recreation Commission may participate in the October 1, 2020 Park and Recreation Commission meeting by telephone or video conference rather than by being personally present at the Park and Recreation Commission regular meeting place at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, MN 55304. Members of the public can physically attend, although there is very limited seating in the City Council Chambers as appropriate social distancing will be done by the Commission and visitors. AD �J u PARKAND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING — OCTOBER I, 2020 MINUTES The Regular Bi-Monthly Meeting of the Andover Park and Recreation Commission was called to order by Chair Lindahl on October 1, 2020, 7:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1885 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Commissioners Present: Chair Jim Lindahl, Commissioners Mark Miskowiec, Jake Widmyer, Kathy McElhose, Tracy Strombeck, and Sophia Newton Commissioners Absent: Also Present: Assistant Public Works Director, Todd Haas RESIDENT FORUM No one appeared to address the Commission. APPROVAL OF MINUTES September 17, 2020 Regular Meeting and Workshop Meeting Motion by Strombeck, seconded by McElhose, to approve the September 17, 2020 Regular Meeting and Workshop minutes as presented. Motion carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA Motion by McElhose, seconded by Newton, to approve the Agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously. PUBLIC INFORMATIONMEETING REGARDING BIKE PARK AT SUNSHINE PARK Assistant Public Works Director Todd Haas identified the area for the Bike Park at Sunshine Park. Mr. Haas state the City notified the neighborhood about the park improvement and the City received several email responses. © Chair Lindahl stated that it is more of a refinement of an existing bike trail than a bike park. He explained it is an enhancement of the bike trail intended to continue the current use and have something for the younger kids to enjoy. L Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes — October 1, 2020 Page 2 Mary Mead, 14769 Linnet Street, came forward and asked the Commission what they meant about a Bike Park. She said the area has been a play area and asked what the vision was of the Park Commission: was it a dirt trail, were they going to clear out trees? Chair Lindahl responded that some trees would be taken out, but they were not quality trees. He said some will be removed for the width of trail and the trail will remain a dirt track. He said there will not be large jumps, but a loop for kids to enjoy nature and exercise. Henry (no last name provided), a Boy Scout who lives at 1028-159th Lane NW, came forward and said he would like to know how the Park Commission is protecting their neighborhood from COVID and how young kids can help. Chair Lindahl stated that Henry's issue was more of a City policy than an issue for the bike park. Todd Tweedy, 1771 — 148th Avenue NW, came forward and said he thought the area was going to be cut down and paved. He said kids play paint ball and build forts in that area. Chair Lindahl replied that the Park Commission wants it identified as a bike path and the path will not be paved. He stated they want to make it a safe and formal environment. Commissioner McElhose stated the youth in the community approached the Commission and wanted something in the area due to COVID. She said the Commission wants to make it safe and tidy it up. Commissioner McElhose stated the Commission is going to rename © it so it does not give the impression that it is a concrete bike park. She said they are going to keep it pretty much as it has been for the past 20 years. Mary Mead, 14769 Linnet Street, came forward and stated she likes the vision of the Park Commission to keep it dirt trails and make it safer. Ms. Mead asked if the City would be going in and checking on it regularly to ensure safety. Chair Lindahl stated there are a few things the Commission needs to address such as the direction of the loop, so kids are not coming at each other. He said maintenance staff will look at it in the spring, fall, and after storm events. He said it is enhancement with a low cost. Mr. Haas stated maintenance staff has gone through the site and has remove things out because it was not allowed. He said if the Park Commission makes a recommendation to the Council to move forward with this bike trail, the Council will need to approve it. He said the Public Works staff has some concerns such as a hidden location, safety concerns, tree removal, an increase of activity resulting in more neighborhood calls, and vandalism. Chair Lindahl said if the City can get more positive use in the area, it may deter the bad behavior. He said there may be more younger kids with parental supervision if the Park Commission approves it and enhances it. Mr. Haas said if it is approved, the City will need help from the bike community keeping it clean and reporting any vandalism. Commissioner Strombeck said the issue came up because the City incurred tree damage with the use by the bike community. She said the Commission received letters from children in the community wanting to keep it as a bike area. She said if there are a lot of Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes — October 1, 2020 Page 3 © complaints, the kids can call the City and it can come to the Park Commission to resolve it. Commissioner Miskowiec commented that the Park Commission is legitimizing a current use and is envisioning a lot of younger kids using the area. He does not see it like a destination park used by the greater area. Commissioner Newton said there are complaints about parking and the Commission does not see it as a problem because it should be local kids riding their bikes to the park. Commissioner McElhose commented that she likes that the park is used by kids to play in the woods. She stated her goals were to make it safer and not have it shut down. Chair Lindahl said he would like to call it the Sunshine Bike/Youth Trail. Motion by Strombeck, seconded by McElhose, to change the name to the Bike/Youth Trail and to recommend to Council moving forward with the Bike Trail Plan with funds coming out of the Park Miscellaneous Fund. Motion carried unanimously. RECONSIDER 2021-2025 PARK CIP Chair Lindahl stated he attended the Council Workshop where the City Council discussed the Parks CIP. He stated the Council has been getting calls about outdoor pickleball courts. He said the Council wanted to push forward pickleball courts and plan for a study in the amount of $10,000 in 2021 using Park Dedication Fees. He said the study is to determine the location, parking, and number of Courts. Chair Lindahl said the three locations identified are City Hall Complex, Prairie Knoll, and Rose Park. Assistant Public Works Director Haas stated Prairie Knoll will have to be removed from the list due to the parking situation. Commissioner Widmyer asked if the pickleball group can contribute to the cost of the study. Chair Lindahl replied the Commission could ask them. Commissioner Widmyer asked if the Park Commission is being asked to adjust the CIP or approve the study. Mr. Haas replied the Council is asking the Commission to reconsider the CIP and include a pickleball study and construction in 2024. Mr. Haas stated the Commission is asked to be detailed in the study to determine exactly what they want constructed. Commissioner Strombeck stated she prefers placing it pickleball courts in 2025 to allow the Park Dedication Fund to grow. She stated that if there are adequate funds prior to 2025, it can be move up. She said the construction of the pickleball area can be expensive if you include land acquisition, parking, and other amenities. © Motion by Strombeck, seconded by McElhose, to recommend to the City Council placing pickleball court construction in the CIP in 2025 and bumping it sooner if there are funds. C Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes — October 1, 2020 Page 4 Further discussion: Commissioner Miskowiec asked what the timetable was for the engineering time. Mr. Haas replied the $10,000 was designated as a feasibility report to determine location and cost in 2021. He said in late 2024 and early 2025 the final constructions plans would be prepared which will allow the City to get a better idea of the estimated costs based on construction costs in 2024 and/or 2025. He said that the engineering estimated costs and the design of the plan may be able to be done in-house by staff. Chair Lindahl stated there are enough pickleball courts out there that the City can model, reducing engineering costs. Chair Lindahl said one of the items brought up at the City Council Workshop was the Pine Hills North parking lot and the Mayor questioned if the parking lot was really needed. Chair Lindahl said it would make the park look nice, but he is not a fan of paving. He said the parking lot project may go away and the funds can be used for new pickleball courts. Commissioner McElhose said she felt it would be a waste of money to do the study if the City does not have funds to construct the courts. Commissioner Widmyer stated he is questioning whether outdoor courts are needed. He © said the City has 12 indoor courts. He said this project would take away from other projects the Commission wants to implement. Chair Lindahl said it was brought up by the Council that indoor courts are popular during the winter, but they want a place to play outdoors during the summer, especially with COVID. Commissioner McElhose stated Andover complements other cities that have outdoor courts and Andover has beautiful and new indoor courts. She said it comes down to money. Commissioner Newton stated she likes the idea of looking into pickleball courts. Chair Lindahl stated it would be identified in the CIP as a goal of the Commission he said it can be moved around like many of the projects. Commissioner Widmyer said the Commission did not originally identify it in the CIP. Commissioner Strombeck stated it was not in the CIP, but it is now listed on the future facilities chart. Chair Lindahl reiterated that yes, the Commission has it listed in future facilities chart and the Council has requested it be moved up in the CIP. He said Council originally wanted construction in 2021 and he was able to push it back to 2024. He said he feels 2025 is reasonable. Motion carried 5 ayes, 1 nay (Widmyer) Mr. Haas stated the Commission needed to decide on the $10,000 feasibility study. Chair Lindahl asked the Commission where they wanted to place the feasibility study and recommended 2023 being the latest it could be in the budget. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes — October 1, 2020 Page 5 © Mr. Haas stated placing it in the CIP gives the pickleball group time to go out and seek donations. Commissioner McElhose recommended the pickleball group contribute half of the funds for the study to be in line with how the Commission has treated other Associations. Chair Lindahl replied they are not in the position to have charitable gambling funds and it may be tough for tough for them to come up with half. Commissioner Strombeck said the pickleball group can petition for a grant. Commissioner Strombeck said there are resources within the community to get money from charitable gaming groups like Andover Football. She said 50% is probably too much but thinks 25% is reasonable. Chair Lindahl stated he thinks it is fair for them to contribute and would move things along. Commissioner McElhose stated the main issue the Park Commission is facing is funding. She said if the pickleball group contributes, it solves their one and only problem. Chair Lindahl said the Commission can leave it in 2021 if the pickleball group can contribute $2,500 or it gets moved out to later. Motion by Lindahl, seconded by Miskowiec, to recommend to the City Council to approach the pickleball group to contribute 25% of the study cost and place the study in 2021. If the study is not matched by the pickleball group, it gets place in 2022 or 2023. Motion carried unanimously. © CONSIDER SUNSHINE PARK PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT IMPROVEMENTS121-11 Assistant Public Works Director Haas stated the City would like to get moving on the Sunshine Park playground improvements. He said the Commission does not have to decide tonight, but he wanted to present some ideas to them. Mr. Haas indicated the location of Sunshine Park near the gazebo and volleyball court where the existing playground equipment is right now. He said the equipment is outdated and needs replacement. Mr. Haas presented examples of equipment the Commission can choose from. Commissioner Miskowiec asked if the spring rides need to be replaced and Mr. Haas said they do need replacement. Mr. Haas asked the Commission to think about it and will present it at a future meeting with costs. Commissioner McElhose stated she likes Options 1 and 2 best. Chair Lindahl stated he would like the playground to be ages 2-5 with swings. OUTSTANDING ITEMS 1. Andover Community Center Advisory Committee Update: Commissioner QStrombeck reported the Grand Opening of the Andover Community Center is Saturday, October 3 at noon. She said there will be food trucks and fun things to do. She said she will receive an update after their next meeting on October 12. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes — October 1, 2020 Page 6 © Commissioner Widmyer reported the information is on the Community Center Facebook page, admission is free, there are self -guided tours, and also a craft show. 2. Completed Projects: Nothing to report 3. On -going Projects: Mr. Haas reviewed the remaining on -going items. He stated he will give the Commission an updated on the Park Improvement Fund budget at the next meeting. He said the Prairie Knoll Park parking lot went before Council and they discussed lighting. Council directed Mr. Haas to talk to the neighbors adjacent to the park to see what their thoughts are lighting the north parking lot. Mr. Haas will be asking the neighbors to get together and talk about the plan. Chair Lindahl indicated to the Commission on the Council's discussion regarding the lighting and their preference for shoebox lighting fixture. 4. Parks Maintenance Update: Mr. Haas provided a brief update on parks maintenance performed over the last couple weeks and referred the Commission to the staff report. CHAIR'S REPORT Commissioner Widmyer reported the Community Center Grand Opening ribbon cutting is © at noon, a craft sale from 9 a.m. — 4 p.m., 2 food trucks, and free open skating from 12:15- 3:15 p.m. Chair Lindahl asked Mr. Haas to contact the associations that use Pine Hills North to get their support for paving the parking lot. He stated the Commission needs their support in order to keep it on the CIP or it will go away. Commissioner McElhose asked if the Commission should send flyers to the neighborhood about the parking lot. Chair Lindahl stated it would not hurt to reach out to them to let them know it is going to stay how it is or get paved. Mr. Haas stated a Master Plan was created for the park and it included a paved lot. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Widmyer, seconded by Miskowiec, to adjourn the meeting at 8:03 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully Submitted, Shari Kunza, Recording Secretary Timesaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. H7 Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes — October 1, 2020 Page 7 © PARKAND RECREA TION COMMISSION MEETING —OCTOBER 1, 2020 WORK SESSIONMINUTES The Work Session Meeting of the Andover Park and Recreation Commission was called to order by Chair Lindahl on October 1, 2020 at 8:05 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Commissioners Present: Chair Jim Lindahl, Commissioners Kathy McElhose, Jake Widmyer, Mark Miskowiec, Sophia Newton, and Tracy Strombeck. Commissioners Absent: None Also Present: Assistant Public Works Director, Todd Haas; Pickleball players DISCUSS ADVERTISEMENT POLICYAND AGREEMENT Commissioner Strombeck had made the request to be on a this workshop to see if the was any interested in considering changes to the agreement specifically the fee that is currently in place which is $240 for each 2 year agreement to cover the costs to © administer the agreements and also for installing and removing the advertisement signs each season It was mentioned that since this agreement has been approved, none of the organizations/associations have approached or made application to the City about advertising at any of the City facilities/parks. There was some discussion on why the fee was changed to a higher rate. Commissioner Miskowiec mentioned that was also some discussion about not allowing advertisement at all and explained why. Commissioner Newton mentioned with the cell phones, if an individual is looking for a place to grab something to eat locally or if they need a service of some sort, most likely they will use their phone to find a location. After some additional discussion, the Park and Recreation Commission requested Commissioner Strombeck to go back and put together proposed amendments to the agreement and bring it back for the rest of the Park and Recreation Commission to consider for the next available meeting. ADJOURNMENT OF WORK SESSION MEETING Chairman Lindahl adjourned the meeting at 8.30 pm. Respectfully Submitted, © Todd J. Haas, Recording Secretary City of Andover