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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP January 30, 2001 ~ 0/.)) ~ ;¡/aDio I CITY of ANDOVER ANDOVER SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING - JANUARY 30, 1001 MINUTES A Special Meeting of the Andover City Council was called to order by Mayor Mike Gamache on January 30, 2001, 6:30, at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Councilmembers present: Don Jacobson, Mike Knight, Ken Orttel, Julie Trude Councilmembers absent: None Also present: Assistant City Engineer, Todd Haas Others INTERVIEW APPLICANTS FOR PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION The Council interviewed the following applicants for the Park and Recreation Commission, alternately asking questions on the applicants' backgrounds, reasons for applying, their opinions on the most important issues facing parks in the City, recreational activities such as a community center or ice arena, what they would like to see in the City; what they feel are the positive and negative aspects of the park system; why they should be chosen for the position and their ability to attend scheduled meetings: Tom Anderson Jeff Kieffer Tom Olson Cameron Anderson Chris English Chris DeLaForest April Sedgwick Dave Blackstad Launa Erickson-Streed Fred Larsen (was scheduled but did not appear for the interview) (NOTE: John Swoyer and AI Grabowski were interviewed for the Commission on January 17, 200 I) Tom Anderson - has lived in Andover for 14 years and has served on the Park Commission for 13 years; feels the continued development of trails is the most important issue facing parks in the next five years; thinks the lack of capital for the upkeep and improvement of the parks is what is lacking most; would like to see park facilities that will serve the most residents and thinks connecting the trails would be one means of doing so; has attended approximately 80 percent of the Park Board Special Andover City Council Meeting Minutes - January 30, 200i Page 2 (interview ApplicantsforPark and Recreation Commission, Continued) meetings and always lets Staff know when he is not able to attend; would like to see more money put into the upkeep of the parks and sports fields; doesn't think the City is ready for a park coordinator yet; pointed out the City has a good partnership with the community school at this time which serves a broad spectrum of population; noted there is more demand than fields for athletic leagues; thinks Kelsey Park has tremendous potential plus is available for year-round use; explained the Commission takes an active role with the hockey leagues in scheduling rinks but practices are not scheduled; noted the goal of the Commission has been to keep time available on the rinks for the public; does not hold any position with the athletic associations, though his children do participate in them; has no biases. Jeff KieJJer - has lived in Andover for 20 years and served on the Park and Recreation Commission for 12 or 13 years; feels the single most important issue in parks is maintaining the existing parks and bringing them up to ADA standards; feels another issue will be the challenges regarding the ball fields and the new high school; would like to remain on the Commission because of the upcoming challenges with regard to the high school and the development of the WDE site; has made a commitment to attending Commission meetings but puts his family and children's education first; often comes late to meetings when there are conflicts in his schedule; feels he adds value to the Commission because of his contacts with residents and finding out what their needs and issues are, then bringing that back to the Board; feels the biggest asset in parks is the development off ewer, larger parks in convenient locations; feels balancing park dedication fees between a set fee versus a percentage is a negative item in parks overall, as well as the issues of maintenance and destruction in the parks; didn't see a big push for hockey because the existing rinks are not used much; would like to see drinking fountains and restrooms in more parks; obtains resident input by talking with people as he walks the trails or uses the parks, plus the Board did a formal survey several years ago; stated a park coordinator is a tough issue, thinking the City was looking for a college intern before making a decision. Tom Olson - moved to Andover two years ago and grew up in Edina; feels the most important issue related to parks is they are not large enough for the neighborhood, as their park in Chesterton Commons is crowded most of the time; could attend all Park and Recreation Commission meetings; would like to see greater opportunities for after-school programs, noting one of the complaints is that those in place are too early; sees himself as being open minded and objective; has no preconceived biases; enjoys the fact that Andover's parks are new and clean; has not used the trail system but has heard the complaint that they are disconnected; thinks cost would be the main factor to consider before adding other recreational facilities; felt indoor hockey and skateboarding facilities are good ideas if there is a need, thinking they provide new sports and give people options; doesn't see the benefit of sidewalks or trails within neighborhoods going across front yards as the neighborhoods are safe, plus it means giving up a chunk of the front yards which are not that big. Cameron Anderson - has lived in Andover almost two years and is looking to start a family here; would like to own his own business somewhere in Andover; thinks the tone of the park system needs to be set now to reflect the values of the City; would like to see more wild life parks, especially along Special Andover City Council Meeting Minutes - January 30, 200i Page 3 (interview Applicants forPark and Recreation Commission, Continued) the Rum River; would have no problem attending Park Board meetings; would like to see a frisbee golf course which has been done in other cities, which does not disturb the natural areas and which is relatively inexpensive to develop; has been involved with hockey for 14 years and would be interested in the creation of a hockey league in Andover; feels the paths along the creek are the biggest assets to the park system, noting many people from other cities come out to use them; felt he has a vast amount of experience and creativity to bring to the Board; doesn't know how many more sports fields are needed given the large number that already exist, but felt an ice arena should be at the top; has not run across indoor swimming pools that are not attached to high schools. Chris English - moved to Andover ITom California three years ago; has a degree in Engineering and worked at Yosemite National Park for about eight years; feels dollars for continuing maintenance is the utmost important issue relating to parks over the next five years; managing limited financial resources and yet providing quality services to the residents of the community is a major issue; would look at the snowmobile issue and try to provide trails in areas so people don't have to drive through yards; has no problem attending Park Board meetings; has been involved with volunteer activities with his children and would bring to the Commission experience in terms of management of parks, moderation and resource for making sound decisions; feels the largest resource is the number of facilities within easy access for residents; tends to lean toward a multi-use facility rather than individual sports buildings to serve the greatest amount of needs throughout the year under a single facility, though data is needed on how many people request certain services; stated a list of the recreational uses and locations is lacking; knows where the state wants to put its resources and where the federal govemment wants to put its resources, stating that knowledge would transfer to the City in terms of writing grants; thinks providing trails that can be used for bikes in the summer and snowmobiles in the winter is a great idea. Chris DeLaForest - grew up in Ramsey County, was in the military, attended law school at the University of Minnesota and has lived in Andover over a year; sees the need for a coherent plan regarding open spaces and park facilities as Andover expands; feels there could be an issue regarding a community center; has served on the advisory board for the community center in Shoreview, relating his experiences and the community involvement that went into making it successful; has no problem attending Park Board meetings; brings his experience in Shoreview to the Commission as well as his coaching experiences, having coached hockey, soccer and baseball; enjoys Andover and the trail system, noting his parents are considering a move here because of the trails; would personally favor an ice arena, possibly in partnership, as well as a community center and football fields, though all issues need serious discussions and research; noted the community center in Shoreview works because of the body of citizens involved, the City govemment working and listening to the residents, its evolving activities and changes so it continues to be popular; feels the City is doing a great job with the park system and hopes the proper funds are being dedicated to expand the parks as the City develops; felt most recreational facilities cost a lot of money, but the key is to build something that is quality that the people want. Special Andover City Council Meeting Minutes - January 30, 2001 Page 4 (Interview ApplicantsforPark and Recreation Commission, Continued) April Sedgwick - has lived in Andover with her husband and children for four years; works for Anoka County as a trainer for the different public assistance programs; loves the outdoors and spends time in the parks and on the trails; sees the planning of having enough parks to meet the needs of the citizens as the most important issue relating to parks over the next five years; would have no problem attending meetings of the Commission; would hope to add a perspective of a young mother to the Board; is articulate, gets along well with others and brings good decision making skills; enjoys going to the park off Bunker Lake Boulevard and other parks within walking distance of their home, though she worries about them being so close to a busy road; likes larger, active parks as opposed to passive ones; doesn't know where all the parks in Andover are; feels information about the parks for the residents is lacking. Dave Blackstad - feels the single most important issue relating to parks in the next five years is the means to upgrade them plus the development of the new ones; thinks the additional fields at the high school will take the pressure off the City to construct new ones but feels the continued growth means the demand for a youth football league; didn't know the rationale for not allowing football to be played on the soccer fields; is committed to attending the Commission meetings; would bring to the Board experience as a Commissioner, in working with the baseball, softball and soccer associations, participation in sports and assistant community school director coordinating summer programs; estimates the enrollment in Andover youth associations to be 700 to 800 in baseball, I,SOO in softball, 1,200 in soccer plus hockey; feels the greatest plus for the parks system is the large number of people working hard within the program; would like to see a soccer field lighted to be able to get more use out of the field; would like to see facilities built for youth football in the City and foresees the construction of a hockey arena if the money and volunteers can be coordinated; would like to see the skateboard facility at Sunshine Park; stated there are no baseball fields in the City plus they need to do a better job ofletting the residents know what park facilities are available; thinks for the most part there is a quality park system but wants to see the trail system connect to certain neighborhoods and parks. Launa Erickson-Streed - has lived in Andover with her husband and four children for three years; worked last year with City Staff through the petition process to upgrade the Pine Hills Park; is now familiar with the process and is interested in participating; sees people complaining to the Park Board about the upkeep of the parks and feels a program similar to the Trail Blazers in Anoka may be beneficial; will have no problem attending meetings; has great listening skills and will be very open minded; is pleased with the way the Staff walked her through the process when she called about improving the park in their neighborhood but also saw the Park Board telling others they didn't have the people to do the upkeep in their parks; has not had an issue with the parks in Andover and appreciates the fact that the parks are easily accessible ITom the neighborhoods; thinks the trails are beautiful; noted the equipment in their park was vandalized five days after it was installed, but the installation of a light helped; doesn't have an opinion on a hockey arena and would be open about it. Special Andover City Council Meeting Minutes - January 30, 2001 Page 5 SELECTION OF THREE PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSIONERS The Council reviewed the strengths of the applicants and made their selection of two candidates to fill the vacancies on the Park and Recreation Commission. After two rounds of voting, the following Motions were made: Motion by Orttel, Seconded by Knight, to appoint AI Grabowski and Chris English and Dave BIackstad to three-year terms on the Park and Recreation Commission and Chris DeLaForest as an alternate. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Jacobson, Seconded by Knight, to appoint Valery Holthus as Chair of the Park and Recreation Commission for 2001. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Knight, Seconded by Trude, to appoint Dave O'Toole be Vice-Chair for 2001. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Jacobson, Seconded by Orttel, to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:48 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ìÎ~~~ Marc lIa A. Peach Recording Secretary