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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSP March 16, 1978 · '. ~ 01 ANDOVER SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL/PARK!RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING - MARCH 16, 1978 MINUTES A Special Meeting of the Andover City Council and Park/Recreation Commission was called to order by Mayor Jerry Windschitl on March 16, 1978, 7:34 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1~85 Crosstown Boulevard NW, for the purpose of discussing the Preliminary Draft of the City's Comprehensive Park Plan and to discuss a health hazard that exists on Northwood Drive. Councilpersons present: Lachinski, Orttel, Vanderlaan Councilperson absent: McClure Park Board members present: Wes Mand, Glen Rogers, Judy Strandmark, Gary Anderson Park Board member absent: Tom Pahl Also present: Midwest Planning representative, Tim Erkkila; and interested residents Discussion on Preliminary Draft of the Comprehensive Park Plan Mr. Erkkila reviewed the Park System Analysis at some length with the Council, with Council members asking questions and making comments in some sections. The report begins with a study of the characteristics of the people in the community; then how a person goes about planning parks noting general principles and goals that one might strive for; an analysis of existing parks and how they might be classified; through the inventory analysis of existing parks try to"relate the population trend to the recreational standards to get some correlations on how many parka, ball fields, etc., might be needed and at what time in the City's growth; then determine the distribution of these park needs throughout the City; and, finally, consider a development strategy for funding of the parka system. Demographic Community Profile - The population projections are based on existing governmental pnlicies and trends. Mr. Erkkila projected a strong population growth for the next 22 to 23 years within the City, meaning continuous pressure to improve park facilities. If population trends change, this plan is flexible enough that it can be changed to meet the needs of the population at the time. Councilperson Vanderlaan felt in the final copy of the Park Plan that the Population Projections graph on page 5 should be more accurate as compared to the figures given within the text. She also noted there is a significant number difference between the population figures the Metropolitan Council has generated for the City and the numbers given in this Park Plan, although these figures are comparable to what the City's Comprehensive Sewer Plan projects. Park Planning Principles - ~~. Erkkila explained the differences between the three levels of park facilities (neighborhood level, community level, and regional level) and between active recreational fields and passive parks. Parks are not always totally provided for by the City as an option is cooperating',with the County, School District, etc. Page 13 notes how to measure how much park acreage is needed and where they should be located. Because the City has so much open land and density is so low, Mr. Erkkila recommended using the acreage-type figures and combining that with the State recommendations regarding how many people justify what type of specific activities to determine acres needed for parka. The proposed park site classification system on page 14 waS then reviewed. Inventory & Analysis - Page 15 explains the existing facilities inventory within the City of Andover stating park name, total acreage, dry acreage, and Mr. Erkkila's critical commmts on the sites. Mayor Windschitl questioned the calculations on the dry-acreage figures, as he felt there were some significant errors, noting especially The Oaks and Lunds Round Lake Estates. Also, from an historical standpoint, Lunds Round Lake Estates is probably the most important park the City owns. Mr. Erkkila stated his calculations tended to come from the plat maps that were provided in which marshes were identified. They were relatively quick computations where there could be errors, and it is open to re-examinatim of them. Re noted in looking at a depression area, at the time it is measured there is liable to be a great disparity as to how much moisture one sees on the site. Re felt Special City Council/Park/Recreation Commission Meeting March 16, 1978 - Minutes Page 2 there was little concern with it unless the change in acreage makes the site large enough to fit into one of the park classifications. Mr. Erkkila also explained that as development increases, most depressions that may not be particularly wet at this time will not improve in the future because the water will run off into them. So he didn't see many of these sites naturally improving; if anything, they will get worse. He felt he could review the calculations to see if the dry acreages could be improved, Councilperson Vanderlaan felt that in further investigation of that, Mr. Erkkila may want to confer with the City Engineer or with the soils conservation maps to substantiate his base. Councilperson Lachinski also suggested that with the historical significance of Lunds Round Lake Estates that some sort of joint venture could be established with the school district. Charlie Vieman _ questioned if the City owned any property for parks behind the Crooked Lake School, (No) He felt that because of the school and parking and because of the density of the entire area on both sides of the lake, that that area would make an ideal eituation for a park, Mayor Windschitl noted that that should be given some consideration when that property comes in for development. In discussing the existing parks map and the classification of existing recreational sites on page 16, in an attempt to identify and document the historical sites w~in the City, the Council suggested they be included ón the map. or in the classification, particularly the Old School House on Andover Boulevard and the Staples Cemetery off of Seventh Avenue. Mr, Erkkila was asked to contact the City Clerk for all the things that the City owns; and Lyle Bradley of the Historical Committee can also give further documentation on the historical significance of the Round Lake area. Discussion was also on the parks that have been dedicated to the City through plats since this project was begun that are not included in this report, the concern being that the map shoriH be kept current. It was also mentioned that the City has recently purchased an acre of land just south of Red Oaks Manor to be used for storm sewer drainage. Mr. Erkkila stated that rather than picking out specific parks for specific uses in the end, he dealt with regions; as this is a conceptual thing, an outline of how to go about that. He felt the City has to keep track of the attitudes of the people and the granting programs, and he encouraged the City to keep the plan updated. In some of the parks where the City has pressure to develop an area, possibly some storm sewer system could be used to drain the water from the swamps to make the land .Hsable. Council discussion was also on the proportion of dry land versus wetland in the property dedicated for park purposes thus far. Mr. Erkkila agreed since it is the City's obligatim tn maintain these sitmand because it is not a good use of tax dollars, it is better to keep the wetlands in private hands, The City profile should be kept as low as possible as far as obligations and responsibilities are concerned so it is getting the most recreation- al play out of all dollars spent. Mayor Windschitl noted no areas are suggested to be left undeveloped to be used as simply walking trails, restricted against motorized vehicles, etc., which is something that is popular with many people. Mr. Erkkila felt that puts a lot of responsibility upon the City, especially for maintenance purposes; and possibly it can be created through creative use with the Ordinances to keep such areas out of public ownership, Also, it is very common that 50 percent or more of a Community Park is left undeveloped, which might be the kind of land that could be used for hiking trails, etc. Glen Rogers felt a certain per- centage of wetlands is natural; however, the City should be the one to pick the natural areas. In the larger cities, generally those end up being part of the County reserve park. Secondly, he has seen some park ponds become storm sewer ponds, which restrict Park use. Re felt that in a development, at some point the City should say they have enough wetlands, that they prefer money in lieu of parkland dedication. ... ... S~ecial City Council/Park/Recreation Commission Meeting March 16, 1978 - Minutes Pa~e 3 Mr. Erkkila then reviewed the Activity Types Inventory - 1977, the Short Term Recreational Demand (1980)according to average standards, the Mid-Term Recreational Demand (1990), and the Year 2000 Recreational Demand. In reviewing the Citizen Attitudes about Recreation and the Summary Analysis, he noted only 5 percent of the questionnaires were returned, which he felt was quite a poor response; however, it did provide some interesting information. He bad not broken down the category between the people now living in the urban area and those living on larger acreage lots within the City, which could have provided some different attitudes towards parks. Recess at 8:54; reconvene at 9:03 p.m. Conce~t - Mr. Erkkila then described the concepts, criteria and a means of measuring performance for neighborhood parks, community playfields, community parks, and mini-parks, and went on to suggest the distribution of recreational sites within the City brokan up by quadrants. He summarized park demand on a community-wide basis and the options available to the City for a development program over the next 20 years. He also noted th~ for a City to dispose of some of the low land dedicated, it is usually sold to someone who wants to put fill in these areas; or it could be used for storing miscellaneous items in that area of the City after it has been filled. In reviewing the summer and winter trails within the Community, Mr. Erkkila noted all trails that tie into the regional system would be eligible for funding from grant participation from the Metropolitan Council. Develo~ment Strate~ies - Mr. Erkkila explained it is basically an outline of how to go about purchasing land, preserving land, and alternatives available for funding. Council discussion was on page 43, Comparison of Park Development Programs with other communities within the metropolitan area of dollars spent on park improvements. The validity of com~aring Andover with Eden Prairie was particularly questioned. Mr. Mend noted that very little was spent on park improvements in Andover in 1977 because they didn't know what direction to take until the completion of the Comprehensive Park Plan. Mr. Erkkila ex~lained he is suggesting that local money can be multiplied two and three times over by actively ~articipating in granting programs. In a developed community, 58 to 59 per capita of municipal money spent on parks is normal. Discussion was then on the comparison of dedication techniquew, page 44, between Andover and other metropolitan communities. Councilperson Orttel felt the park dedication policy should be modified to where land or money would be balanced to be an equal dedication to the City. Also, the possibility of assessing 10 percent of the fair market value was suggested. In reviewing financial planning of the parks system for the community, the Council questioned the validity of the suggested acquisition cost of 56,000 per acre for parkland, as some members felt that 53,000 per acre would probably be more realistt~~ It waS noted that land purchased in large parcels would probably not cost that much; however, land in the sewered district would obviously cost more. Mr. Erkkila stated that the $6,000 figure is not an uncommon land price in the communities where development is actively going on and land has to be purchased from the developer. He agreed if the City selected the site itself, land costs would be much cheaper. Mayor Windschitl questioned having this ffttgure in the report at all as the residents may look at it as being totally unrealistic, With the munici~al's share basèd on that figure, anvthing done from that point on has no validity. He also suggested that for 1979's budget, the City ought to be able to use this as the basis to try to set up a park budget; and to set a park budget based on these figures would not make economic senSe On a per-year basis. Mr. Erkkila noted he put this section in to validate what we are talking about dollar-wise and felt the section could be removed from the report as it is an appendix and isn't needed as part of the park system development. It is just an estimate and really isn't relevant to the thrust of the entire project. Special City Council/Park/Recreation Commission Meeting March 16, 1978 - Minutes Page 4 Councilperson Vanderlaan suggested Mr. Erkkila talk to the staff, particularly the City Assessor, to resolve this to see if the $6,000 figure is a reasonable one. She felt if it is reasonable, it should be left in. It doesn't mean the City will be paying that much for land, but she felt there needs to be more flexibility in the budget. However, if the entire statement is going to be a controversial item, it should be left out of the final published Comprehensive Park Plan. Mayor Windschitl also agreed at best the section should be an appendix to the Plan. Mr. Erkkila will get a final draft with corrections. The Park Board was directed to hold a Public Hearing on the proposed Comprehensive Park Plan, and the Council will make a recommendation after the Public Hearing. In closing, Mr. Erkkila noted that at pUblic hearings, residents generally tend to look only at the section on priorities, and they do have to be advised that there are things going on that will relieve their demand for re- creational sources. But there will be some disappointmen~.and there will also be some obligation on the part of the City to follow through with the plan. The share per year, according to his calculations, increases the most during the mid-term period, 1984-1990. However, a good portion of these costs are suggested to be land acquisition; and if most land is dedicated, the cost will be less. OVer the long term, by the year 2000 he estimated over 2.5 million dollars going into parks development. The City should try to keep the plan current and try to live up to it, which means approximately $30,000 a year going towards perk improvements in order to meet the standarÅ“ he has set up. Councilperson Lachinski requested a rework on the land acquisition costs and also the costs involved for maintenance of the parks, possibly noting what kind of public works equipment will be needed, how many people will be required, or possibly maintenance cost per developed acre for parks -_ a comparison of what is out there today versus what would be needed by 1983. Health Hazard on Northwood Drive Mayor Windschitl explained the drainage system on 13859 Northwood Drive was rebuilt and was allowed to be put in the City's right of way. When the Sewer project was done, the drain field was damaged and now raw sewage is draining into the street. The owners have not hooked up to sanitary sewer because, apparently, there is some very severe economic problems in the house. Ms. Lindquist has tried to find someone home at least 4 times to no avail. Mr. Clough has made the inspection. Mr. E. Babcock, Attorney (present for this Council discussion only) noted when there is a health hazard, the health officer can send a notice out, served by the Sheriff, to these people insisting that they correct the hazard any time up to 10 days. If they don't do it, then the City can do it. This particular section allows the City to assess only $100 back on the property taxrolls. He felt that for pumping, it could be done on several occasions, giving them a notice each time and charging up to $100 each time. Mayor Windschitl stated the Clerk is willing to meet with these people and go over the possible funding methods that are available to them. Council discussion noted the ground is frozen so deep, it would be cheaper to hook up to sanitary sewer after the thaw; and nothing could be found in the City's Ordinance which gives the City the right to simply go in to hook them up and assess the cost back to the owners as our Ordinance is en~able by court action. MOTION by Vanderlaan, Seconded by Orttel, that David Clough is hereby designated as Health Officer. In such capacity, he is directed pursuant to Minnesota Statutes to notify the owners and occupants of 13859 Northwood Drive that a health hazard exists upon the premises by reason of open drainage of raw sewage; and that the owners are directed to correct the hazardous condition on or before March 20, 1978. In the event the condition is not remedied, · Special City Council/Park/Recreation Commission Meeting March 16, 1978 - Minutes Page 5 then the health officer shall cause the drainage system to be pumped and the cost thereof Un to $100 for each occasion notice has been given shall be assessed back to the property as nrovided by Statute. Discussion: Mr. Babcock stated no reference need to be made to Ordinance 32 at this time~~ fue fact that a health hazard exists is all that is required for this pu~pose. Motion carried unanimously. MOTION by Orttel, Seconded by Lachinski, to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 10:44 p.m. Respectfully submitted, \\~ ~ ~~ .~~ ~ Mar a A. Peach ". Recording Secretary \-1<6 ~J7 rJ) -.