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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJuly 18, 2024 PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING – JULY 18, 2024 MINUTES The Regular Bi-Monthly Meeting of the Andover Park and Recreation Commission was called to order by Chair Strombeck on July 18, 2024, 6:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1885 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Commissioners Present: Chair Tracy Strombeck, Commissioners Bruckner Johnson, Kristin Lackie, Jim Lindahl, Chuck Naughton, Liza Shafto and Shane Stenzel. Commissioners Absent: None Also Present: Parks & Streets Operations Manager Jason Baumunk and Associate Planner Jake Griffiths. RESIDENT FORUM No one appeared to address the Commission. APPROVAL OF MINUTES June 6, 2024 Regular Meeting Motion by Commissioner Stenzel, seconded by Commissioner Shafto, to approve the June 6, 2024, Park Commission Regular Meeting minutes as presented. Motion carried on a 6- ayes, 0-nays, 1-present (Lackie) and 0-absent vote. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion by Commissioner Stenzel, seconded by Commissioner Lindahl to approve the July 18, 2024 Park Commission Regular Meeting Agenda as presented. Motion carried on a 7- ayes, 0-nays, and 0-absent vote. DISCUSS SW WOLD SKETCH PLAN Associate Planner Jake Griffiths reviewed SW Wold Construction, Inc. has submitted a Sketch Plan application for a proposed residential development located at the unaddressed th property at PID 11-32-24-41-0003. The site is generally located north of 167 Avenue NW, th east of the BNSF railroad tracks, south of 170 Lane North, and west of Ward Lake Drive Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – July 18, 2024 Page 2 NW and is approximately 33.7 acres in size. Through a Planned Unit Development (PUD) the applicant is proposing 21 single-family rural lots. The proposed Sketch Plan was displayed for the Commission. No park is being proposed as part of the Sketch Plan. The Park Dedication Study does not identify any parkland dedication in this area of the City and would recommend cash-in-lieu of land for park dedication requirements. The Park and Recreation Commission is requested to review the proposed development and provide informal feedback to the applicant on park dedication requirements. Commissioner Naughton asked if Maple View Park Preserve is the closest park to the area. Mr. Baumunk stated there are not many parks in the immediate area and there are no trail connections to this area. Mr. Baumunk showed a map of where the proposed development is located. Chair Strombeck asked if a park were to be put it would need to be a larger 3 acre park and Mr. Baumunk stated that is true. Staff does not recommend putting in a mini-park. Commissioner Lackie stated she would not recommend putting in a park at this time. With the larger lots, residents tend to put in their own play structures. She recommends cash in lieu of land. The consensus of the Park and Recreation Commission was to accept cash-in-lieu of land for the park dedication requirements. DISCUSS the 2025-2029 CIP – PARK CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Parks & Streets Operations Manager Jason Baumunk reviewed the Park and Recreation Commission is requested to review the revised 2025-2029 Park Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). This was discussed with the City Council at the 6/25/24 Joint Workshop Meeting. The outcome of that meeting with City Council suggestions for removal is: 2025  Annual Misc. Projects - $25,000  Parks at Fields at Winslow Cove - $170,000. This is a new park that is identified in the development plans. (Staff would like to establish irrigation and turf in 2024).  Contribution to ACC - $159,107. Final payment for the ACC expansion contribution.  Sunshine Basketball Court Improvements – Sport Court surfacing, fencing and improved backboards. Possible lighting as well (Lighting to be evaluated with parking lot lighting projects) - $65,000.  The Pickle Ball Complex was removed entirely from the CIP, may be revisited in the future. Mr. Baumunk stated in 2025, the City is participating in putting a fence around the dog park in Coon Rapids. The City’s portion of that cost is $25,000 which will come out of park dedication funds in 2025. There is discussion of adding water to the dog park for Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – July 18, 2024 Page 3 which a well would need to be drilled. Andover’s portion of that would be $30,000. At this time the County is not seeking water. 2026  Annual Misc. Projects - $25,000.  Kelsey Round Lake Park Master Plan Additions. Building w/Bathrooms, Wayfinding, and Interpretive Signs - $230,000 (includes design fees previously identified for 2025).  Skate Park Expansion - $125,000 – Design and survey in 2025.  Sunshine Parking Lot Lights, West and South Lots - $30,000 (Actual costs TBD in 2025).  Oakview Park Irrigation - $20,000.  Pave Hawkridge Park Parking Lot - $150,000. 2027  Annual Misc. Projects - $25,000  Zone A Projects TBD - $150,000  Pine Hills North Master Plan Additions – TBD $100,000.  Pave Timber Trails Parking Lot - $52,000. 2028  Annual Misc. Projects - $25,000  Pleasant Oaks Sidewalk – ADA Access trail from the street to the playground $4,000.  Zone D - $100,000. 2029  Annual Misc. Projects - $25,000  Parking Lot Paving TBD - $100,000  Zone C Improvements TBD - $150,000 Funds for these improvements come from the Park Improvement Fund. A projected fund balance sheet that was prepared by the Finance Department was attached for Commission review. This projected fund balance sheet does not include the remaining contributions of the $1,000,000 that was used for the construction of the Community Center Expansion. Commissioner Stenzel asked if the dog park is on County or City land. Mr. Baumunk stated he believes it is on Coon Rapids land. Chair Strombeck stated it is headed by Anoka County but expenses are split three ways between County, Andover and Coon Rapids. Commissioner Stenzel asked if there is a charge for using the dog park and Mr. Baumunk stated there is no charge. This is one of the only dog parks in the area that does not have a water source. Commissioner Stenzel asked if there has ever been discussion about charging for the dog park to cover expenses. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – July 18, 2024 Page 4 Commissioner Shafto asked if the pickle ball complex will be put somewhere else. Mr. Baumunk stated the direction he received was to remove it from the 5 year CIP. Commissioner Shafto stated it was brought up at Fun Fest numerous times. Commissioner Stenzel stated with the removal of pickle ball, a large fund balance remains. Where is that money going? Mr. Baumunk asked if there are items not included on the list that should be added. The Prairie Knoll building is an expense where the monies could be used. At the end of this 5-year plan there is still $2.2M remaining. Commissioner Stenzel stated $500,000 is $600,000 next year and $750,000 in 2 years. Mr. Baumunk stated he was asked to evaluate why irrigation goes into some parks and not others. Commissioner Stenzel stated ten years ago, the Commission had that discussion and he believes the priority at that time was athletic fields. The second priority was play areas. The third priority was obscure areas where if monies were available, irrigation would be put in. Commissioner Lindahl stated for small neighborhood parks, when they were acquired the Park budget was low. Irrigation was not promoted due to cost. Resident complaints triggered the addition of irrigation. Commissioner Lackie asked if a reservable shelter should be looked at if pickle ball is not being done. Mr. Baumunk stated that could be discussed and possibly added for the next CIP. The gazebo at Sunshine is available. Commissioner Naughton asked if we have looked at other options for converting courts within the City to pickle ball. Mr. Baumunk stated the one conversion is being used highly. We could look at upgrading some basketball courts to basketball/pickle ball courts. DISCUSS ANDOVER FOOTBALL MULTIPURPOSE BUILDING Mr. Jason Strasser and Mr. Mark Ketchum were present at the meeting representing Andover Football Association. Parks and Streets Operations Manager Jason Baumunk reviewed the Commission is requested to discuss the proposal from the Andover Football Association (AFA) representatives for a multipurpose building located at Prairie Knoll Park. At the April 18, 2024 Commission meeting, members from AFA presented a concept plan for a multipurpose building located on the small north field at Prairie Knoll Park. At that meeting, the majority of the Commission was in favor of AFA pursuing the concept further including details such as project cost, city funding involvement, operations, maintenance and logistics of operating the building. This facility would not only be used as a football complex, but as a multi-use building available to other users. Although this building is being funded and pursued by AFA, being located in a City park, it must be city-owned and available to other users. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – July 18, 2024 Page 5 If the City is receptive to the proposal and for this project to move forward, staff has a list of initial concerns that must be discussed and addressed.  Ownership arrangement on how the building must be owned by the City but possibly run by AFA through a lease agreement. The City Council and Park and Recreation Commission need to provide guidance on this arrangement.  The building would need to meet all State and Local building codes. With it being located in a R-1 Single Family Rural zoning district, this could provide challenges and increase the estimated cost of the project to meet code requirements.  Occupancy must be determined to then determine parking lot, fire suppression, and ADA requirements including possibly needing to expand the parking lot to accommodate occupancy.  The building must meet all State Fire Code requirements that would also require fire suppression. It must be determined if this can be supported by a well or if it must be connected to the City water main that is scheduled to be installed along Prairie Rd.  Funding for the project. Will there be a request for the City to partially fund the completion of this project if project costs rise out of the anticipated budget set by AFA?  Operation and Maintenance costs. What are the anticipated operation and maintenance costs and who is responsible for long-term replacement costs of items such as structural and mechanical. Mr. Baumunk requested the Park and Recreation Commission discuss the proposed multipurpose building with the AFA Representatives and give them and staff direction on how to proceed. Mr. Jason Strasser, President of AFA, reviewed a Power Point. The Mission and Purpose Statements were reviewed. Areas of Focus include Player Development during the off season. They want retention and noted their rates are inexpensive and affordable. They receive great comments about Andover facilities. AFA is looking to partner with the City of Andover to construct an indoor Training facility to be used by all. They need the support from Andover. They want to donate the building to the City of Andover. This is NOT a football training facility. It is for all sports. Variances to Code may have to be requested. They have received 4 different bids. Rhino (Steel) - $407,600 building plus insulation; Legacy (Fabric) - $896,007; Olympia (Steel) $297,000 building, $34,000 insulation and General Steel (Steel) $296,631 building. They want to use standard materials. AFA likes the fabric option from Legacy. Although it is higher, they believe it may be the best option. Mr. Strasser reviewed the inclusions. There are some fabric case studies at Martin Luther College and Bethany College. The other options are steel structures (pole-barn type). This is not something a City crew could put up. By 3/31/25 AFA would plan to secure $800K - $1M and would make the donation to the City of Andover. The balance would come from City CIP fund, Naming Branding of the Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – July 18, 2024 Page 6 facility, Other Associations and Fundraising campaign. Other associations are spending monies at other facilities for training. The City would be responsible for electricity, security and general maintenance. He believes the cost would be similar to Prairie Knoll building, Sunshine building, and ASN. Consider implied User Fees to City of Andover. Other quotes for construction were sent to Mr. Baumunk. Mr. Strasser stated there are many residents that could volunteer to do some of the work. There are many options. Commissioner Stenzel stated a lot is missing from the costs. We do not know if the soils are conducive in that location. He would like to see a proforma on how it will be operated. It is cheap to build and the O&M will be more. There needs to be estimates of the use. Mr. Baumunk stated the building would need to fit in the neighborhood. The current plan would not meet code and would require a variance. He questioned if this could even be done. Commissioner Stenzel asked if Council has seen this. Mr. Baumunk stated they have been contacted individually. Mr. Baumunk stated the fabric or steel building would not meet the Code standards. Commissioner Lackie stated she would not be comfortable with the City taking on another facility at this time. She would be happy with a privately owned facility. Commissioner Naughton asked if they have looked at the Community Center for use. Mr. Strasser stated 8 weeks of turf is not during the time they would need it. Commissioner Naughton asked about use of the proposed facility. Mr. Strasser stated he could do some research on association’s use of other facilities currently. Chair Strombeck asked how many members AFA has. Mr. Strasser stated AFA has never seen a decline. Currently there are 400 kids for tackle and 100 kids for flag football. These numbers have increased over the years. They were the largest football association in the North Metro. There are 3-4 teams for every grade level. Commissioner Stenzel stated numbers could decrease when Andover becomes built-out. If the numbers keep declining what happens to the facility. What is sustainable for the long haul? What is the longevity of this building? Commissioner Lackie asked how it is decided on who gets the facility use at a particular time. Commissioner Shafto stated it sounds like football would be using the facility a lot of the time. Mr. Strasser stated football is August – Oct for a 10 week period. New programs would be introduced. 7v7 is a huge growing movement along with training. Commissioner Shafto asked about facility fee use and would football also pay the fees and Mr. Strasser stated AFA would pay fees along with all users. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – July 18, 2024 Page 7 Commissioner Lindahl stated replacement costs need to be considered for HVAC and turf. Mr. Baumunk stated more information is needed on user fees, use by which associations, 20 year proforma, etc. If this goes forward what is the next steps for planning. Staff is unable to do a detailed analysis without this information. Commissioner Stenzel asked if the facility would need to be on parkland. Mr. Griffiths stated this could be done on non-parkland property. DISCUSS 2024 MOVIE IN THE PARK The Park and Recreation Commission is requested to discuss the 2024 Movie in the Park nd date and select the movie to be shown. At the June 6, 2024 meeting, Friday August 2 or th 9 were discussed for the date along with possible partnering with the Andover Lions Club. With the timeframe left before the 2024 event, staff suggests to begin conversations with the Andover Lions Club about possibly partnering with this event for the 2025 Movie in the Park. City Council has identified $10,000 in funding for programming opportunities in the Parks each year. This event is estimated at $1,500 depending on the movie selection. Commissioner Naughton suggested the original Karate Kid movie. Commissioner Lackie suggested the Migration Movie or Garfield. Commissioner Shafto suggested Elemental. Commissioner Stenzel stated the movie needs to be geared for kids that would be up that late. Mr. Baumunk stated the last few years have been animated movies. Adult movies are shown as well. Commissioner Stenzel suggested this be put on the agenda in January to discuss the 2025 event. He suggested a band perform followed by a movie. The consensus of the Commission was to hold 2024 Movie in the Park on August 9, 2024 and show the original Karate Kid. The consensus of the Commission was August 9, 2024 and Karate Kid will be shown. Second choice would be Elemental. OUTSTANDING ITEMS Parks and Streets Operations Manager Jason Baumunk reviewed the Outstanding Items Report: 1. On-going Projects: The contractor finished the resurfacing of the tennis/pickleball courts at Northwoods West Park. The project turned out great and is open to the public. We will likely need to replace the courts next time instead of resurfacing. They were able to build up the low spots as far as possible, but it still holds a little water. 2. Updates on 2024 Park CIP Projects: Pine Hills Multipurpose Building – The contract for the building has been signed and the building ordered. We are still expecting work to start this fall. Staff will give an update on the timeframe as soon as we get any new updates. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – July 18, 2024 Page 8 New Trail Segment Along Crosstown – The new trail segment project along the south side of Crosstown Boulevard from Bluebird St. to Xeon St. has been awarded to North Valley Inc. The pre-construction meeting was held this week and work is tentatively scheduled to start early July and be completed mid-August. th New Trail Segment Along 7 Ave – This trail is being constructed with the 2024 Street Reconstruction project. The trail is paved but will not open until the street reconstruction project is completed. Irrigation Improvements – Irrigation improvements in Sophie’s South and Hickory Meadows Parks were planned for spring of 2024. Work was completed by the irrigation contractor on the addition at Sophie’s South Park. Staff will make the final connections and adjust the system shortly. Hickory Meadows installation will be done in-house by Parks Staff and that design plan is currently being put together. Hills of Bunker Lake West Parking Lot Paving – The project is being done in conjunction with the Full depth Reclamation roadway project planned for the surrounding neighborhood. Bids came in much lower than anticipated for the parking lot. Work has started and is expected to be completed by the end of July. The baseball field there will remain closed during construction. GameTime Playground Grant – The grant was awarded and the three playground replacements are completed. The grant will be applied for again as soon as we are eligible to apply. 3. Other Items of Interest New Trail Segment Along Coon Creek – The easement has been secured and a DNR Local Trail Connection Grant was approved in the amount of $250,000. The grant funds must be used by June of 2026. Staff will begin design work after Council approval. 4. Parks Maintenance Update: Mr. Baumunk reviewed the Weekly Parks Maintenance for 6/7/2024 through 7/5/2024. 5. Fun Fest: City employees works many hours getting ready for and during Fun Fest. CHAIR’S REPORT There were no reports but Commissioner’s expressed thanks for Fun Fest workers. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Stenzel, seconded by Commissioner Lindahl, to adjourn the meeting at 7:20 p.m. Motion carried on a 7-ayes, 0-nays. Respectfully Submitted, Debbie Wolfe, Recording Secretary TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – July 18, 2024 Page 9 PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION WORK SESSION MEETING JULY 18, 2024 MINUTES The Work Session Meeting of the Andover Park and Recreation Commission was called to order by Chair Tracy Strombeck on July 18, 2024, at 7:20 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1885 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Commissioners Present: Chair Tracy Strombeck, Commissioners Bruckner Johnson, Kristin Lackie, Jim Lindahl, Chuck Naughton, Liza Shafto, and Shane Stenzel. Commissioners Absent: None Also Present: Parks & Streets Operations Manager Jason Baumunk AALA Representative Jamie McGowan AALA FIELD MAINTENANCE DISCUSSION Parks & Streets Operations Manager Jason Baumunk reviewed Andover Area Lacrosse Association (AALA) has requested to discuss the possibility of the Parks Maintenance Staff providing increased field maintenance, specifically painting of the lacrosse field lines. Staff was approached by AALA inquiring about the possibility of the association paying the City to do the field layouts and paint the lines on the six lacrosse fields. Based on estimates on how much time an average layout takes, number of fields, and weekly maintenance to repaint lines, it was estimated that it would add roughly 200 hours of staff time annually to paint and maintain the 6 lacrosse fields. Staff would need to purchase field painting equipment and maintain that equipment. The average cost of ownership of this type of equipment is $1,500/yr based on a ten-year replacement cycle. Using estimates from Beacon Athletics, it would require an estimated 400 gallons of field marking paint per season for six fields over a 22-week season. Estimated cost for paint is $2,640 per season. The concern staff has is this would require one of the full-time staff members to perform this task. The lacrosse season is outside the timeframe of our seasonal staff and is considered outside the realm of what tasks we allow our seasonal staff to perform. To accomplish this would require the addition of an additional full-time staff member due to the current responsibilities the full-time Park Maintenance Staff is already committed to. The added staff member would need to be approved by the City Council and budgeted for Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes – July 18, 2024 Page 10 the remaining 1880 hours per year outside of the 200 hours of AALA paid field maintenance time. Currently City Staff only mows, maintains irrigation, fertilizes, controls weeds and maintains the ag-lime infields of the baseball/softball fields. Painting of the fields and chalking of the base lines are taken care of by the association. Staff feels they could only accomplish these additional tasks with an additional full-time Park Maintenance Staff. Some of the hours could be covered by fees charged to AALA for the requested maintenance. The remaining annual hours and benefits would need to be budgeted for by the City Council. The Commission is requested to discuss the field maintenance request with the AALA representatives. Ms. Jamie McGowan – Board Member AALA – They are growing in numbers and they are trying to finalize the Board of Directors. She is trying to come up with a plan for the painting of the fields. It makes sense to have the City do it because they are familiar with the process. She did reach out to Jason Strasser AFA and their bid was $7200 to do the work. She also contacted Boreal and they helped this year with their paint machine. She looked at a drone service and the initial setup would be $2700 with no weekly maintenance. Commissioner Stenzel asked if they would be charging the parents for field maintenance? Ms. McGowan stated they are looking at that. Commissioner Stenzel stated Baseball charges and then they hire a landscaping company to maintain the fields. He does not know if a landscaping company would do painting. It is not out of line to charge participants a fee for field maintenance. Commissioner Stenzel suggested AALA invest in a painting machine. Mr. Baumunk will check with Champlin to see the cost for their “Roomba” type painting machine. Ms. McGowan asked if it would be possible for the City to do the painting. Chair Strombeck stated in the past parents volunteered. The City does not charge rental fees for field use. It was suggested Ms. McGowan contact a landscape company. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Commissioner Stenzel, seconded by Commissioner Lindahl, to adjourn the workshop meeting at 7:40 p.m. Motion carried on a 7-ayes, 0-nays. Respectfully Submitted, Debbie Wolfe, Recording Secretary TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.