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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMay 7, 2009 ~ .~ CITY OF .:;.,~. . 'l\Jl)IJ'i T[4~P~~~:' ..,.'" ~ ,."" VI.1:,_~ 0 ..Ji ,.".,....~=-~~~= - - PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING - MAY 7,2009 MINUTES The Regular Bi-Monthly Meeting of the Andover Park and Recreation Commission was called to order by Chair Butler on May 7, 2009, 7:35 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Commissioners Present: Chair Ted Butler, Bill Hupp, Vice Chair Jim Lindahl, Mark Miskowiec. Commissioners Absent: Tony Kowalewski, Mark Lindell, and Shan Ramnath. Also Present: Assistant Public Works Director, Todd Haas. RESIDENT FORUM 0 There were no comments at this time. Motion by Hupp, seconded by Miskowiec, to close the resident forum. Motion carried on a 4-ayes, O-nays, 3-absent (Kowalewski, Lindell, Ramnath) vote. AGENDA Motion by Lindahl, seconded by Miskowiec, to approve the May 7, 2009 agenda as amended, adding item 7 A, Consider an Application for Schedule Use of Recreational FaCilities/6A Traveling Basketball Team. Motion carried on a 4-ayes, O-nays, 3-absent (Kowalewski, Lindell, Ramnath) vote. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Lindahl, seconded by Miskowiec, to approve the April 16, 2009 Park Commission minutes as presented. Motion carried on a 4-ayes, O-nays, 3-absent (Kowalewski, Lindell, Ramnath) vote. CONSIDER APPLICATION FOR SCHEDULED USE OF RECREATIONAL FACILITIES / FOUNDATION HILL 0 Mr. Haas presented the scheduled use of recreational facilities from the Foundation Hill Montessori and Childcare for the Andover Station North Ball Field facility on Fridays Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - May 7, 2009 Page 2 0 starting June 12 through August 28,2009, from 9:00 a.m. to noon. He advised that staff recommends approval of the request. Chair Butler advised that his son attends the school for disclosure to avoid a conflict of interest if anyone opposed. Commissioner Lindahl confirmed that the fields were not being used by anyone else, including tournaments, during that time. Mr. Haas advised that the majority of students at that school are residents of Andover. Commissioner Hupp commented that because the majority of students were residents of Andover a charge would not be requested by the City. Motion by Hupp, seconded by Miskowiec, to approve the scheduled use of recreational facilities from the Foundation Hill Montessori and Childcare as presented. Motion carried on a 4-ayes, O-nays, 3-absent (Kowalewski, Lindell, Ramnath) vote. UPDATE OF HAWKRIDGE PARK/09-18 Mr. Haas explained that this item is in regard to the status of Hawkridge Park. He 0 advised that staff has asked to me with both associations to discuss what the associations could to do volunteer their time and help with activities at the rinks. Chair Butler commented that the City is facing tough budget times and that a significant amount of money is spent on the City parks, and associated with the rink. He hoped that the hockey associations could help with volunteers for activities at the rink. Commissioner Hupp thought it would be nice if the youth associations could provide volunteers to staffthe rinks, which would help to cut back on the $5,300, per rink attendant, that the City currently pays. He was concerned with removing the access to warming houses and the threat of frostbite to young children. Mr. Haas advised that after speaking with the youth associations they could bring the discussion to the City Council. Commissioner Lindahl questioned if the volunteers would only be opening and closing the warming houses, or if they would be acting as attendants. He was concerned with possible vandalism if an attendant was not present while the warming house was open. Informational; no action required. 0 Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - May 7, 2009 Page 3 0 UPDATE OF NEW LEGISLATION/CITY OF HAM LAKE Chair Butler explained that this item is in regard to the City Council's discussion at their . April 26, 2009, workshop. He advised that possible options for funding parks were discussed. He thought it was unlikely that this bill would go anywhere with the current legislation and thought that the City could make revisions and bring this item back to legislation next year. Informational; no action required. UPDATE OF HARTFIEL'S PARK LANDSCAPING Mr. Haas explained there had been interest from Commissioners to improve the appearance of Harttiel's Park. He stated that he had spoken with the Natural Resource Technician and provided the information, in the form of a packet, to the Commission prior to the meeting. Commissioner Lindahl questioned if funds were available for the project, so that it could begin, or if budgeting would need to be determined. Informal; no action required. 0 Note: The Commission requested staffto contact the owner of the outlot adjacent to the park to see what their interest is in improving the area and eliminating the unwanted weeds. CONSIDER APPLICATION FOR SCHEDULE USE OF RECREATIONAL FACILITIES/6A TRAVELING BASKETBALL TEAM Mr. Haas explained that the team requested to use the court on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to Noon. He advised that the group has used the court for quite some time over the past few years and stated that staff was looking for approval of this item. He continued that he had not received any other requests for court time, and usually does not receive more than one or two per year. He stated that this group has actually striped the court for the City in prior years. Motion by Commissioner Lindahl, seconded by Commissioner Hupp, to approve the schedule use of recreational facilities/6A traveling basketball team. Motion carried on a 4-ayes, O-nays, 3-absent (Kowalewski, Lindell, Ramnath) vote. OUTSTANDING ITEMS Mr. Haas reviewed outstanding items including the Andover Station North concession 0 stand and the City Hall outdoor hockey rink. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - May 7, 2009 Page 4 0 It was the consensus ofthe Commission to hold off on plans for Rose Park at this time. Mr. Haas advised that the remaining outstanding items are on the agenda for the worksession following this meeting. CHAIR'S REPORT Commissioner Lindahl questioned if anything was resolved in regard to the discussion between the school and association. Chair Butler advised that nothing had developed at this time. ADJOURNMENT OF REGULAR MEETING Motion by Commissioner Miskowiec, seconded by Commissioner Lindahl, to adjourn the regular meeting at 7:55 p.m. Motion carried on a 4-ayes, O-nays, 3-absent (Kowalewski, Lindell, Ramnath) vote. The Special Work Session Meeting of the Andover Park and Recreation Commission was called to order by Chair Butler on May 7, 2009, 7:55 p.m. 0 Commissioners Present: Chair Ted Butler, Bill Hupp, Vice Chair Jim Lindahl, and Mark Miskowiec. Commissioners Absent: Tony Kowalewski, Mark Lindell, and Shan Ramnath Also Present: Assistant Public Works Director, Todd Haas. DISCUSS IRRIGATION OF PARKS / 09-14 Chair Butler reviewed the list of parks planned for irrigation and questioned if there were any priorities for the Commission. Commissioner Lindahl thought that Bunker Hills West, Fox Meadow, and Timber Trails would be higher priority fields because of the need and high usage. He did not think that Wild Iris would be a high priority as it sits next to a wetland and does not dry out as fast as others. Commissioner Miskowiec questioned if the youth associations would be willing to contribute to the irrigation and whether they would have a preference on priority. Commissioner Hupp commented on the need for additional soccer fields and questioned ifthat need would come into play with the irrigation. He thought that Fox Meadow and 0 Hawk Ridge would be good fits for additional soccer fields. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - May 7, 2009 Page 5 0 Chair Butler thought that it would be best to speak with all the youth associations and question what their priorities would be for irrigation and whether they would be willing to contribute to the project. He thought that more benefit would be gained from irrigating multi-use sports complexes. He stated that if the youth associations did not come into play his first priority would be Timber Trails. Commissioner Lindal thought that if irrigation were added to Timber Trails, a fence would also be needed. Commissioner Hupp thought that the high priority parks would include soccer fields. Commissioner Miskowiec thought that once the irrigation was installed at certain parks the demand for the smaller parks would decrease. Commissioner Lindahl explained that the different parks are used for different aged children and thought that there would still be demand for the smaller parks from younger children's sports. Chair Butler confirmed that Hawk Ridge was a top priority and thought the next step would be to approach the associations to determine their first priority and whether they would be willing to fund a portion of the project. He advised that work would not begin 0 on the project this year. DISCUSS SKATE PARK /08-08 Chair Butler advised that five options had been given from Mr. Haas for the skate park. He advised that there may not be sufficient funding for the current option and gave a few other options, such as choosing equipment made of another material other than concrete. He stated that with all ofthe input the Commission has been given the skate park would be heavily used within the City of Andover and wanted to move forward on whatever they could at this time. He was in favor of putting down a concrete slab and moving the equipment to that location for the time being. Commissioner Hupp questioned what the City would be able to afford at this time. He questioned ifthey could purchase some new equipment and add to the existing temporary location. Chair Butler did not think that the City Council would approve much at this time. Commissioner Lindahl had concern with spending money on concrete at this time. He thought that a permanent home would need to be given to this project before anything else was done. He thought that the lifespan of the equipment would be decreased if it had to be moved. 0 Mr. Haas thought the cost for a concrete slab would be $40,000 to $50,000. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - May 7, 2009 Page 6 0 Commissioner Lindahl thought that the Commission would need to stay with what they had at this point. Chair Butler recognized that the funds were not available at this time and questioned if the Commission would be willing to add this item to the CIP, for installation of a concrete slab and fence, in the next three years. Commissioner Miskowiec thought that this item should be removed from the CIP and reintroduced in the future when funds are available. Commissioner Hupp agreed that the Commission should plan appropriately and did not feel that this for an affordable project at this time. Commissioner Lindahl questioned ifthe City could keep the equipment where it is now and fence the area, storing it in the same place during the winter. Mr. Haas advised that the space would be needed in the winter for hockey. Commissioner Hupp thought that if a home could be found for the equipment they could use what they have for the time being. 0 Shaun Van Vark questioned if there was something in between, rather than doing nothing or spending $10,000, such as adding a modular item. Chair Butler agreed that by using items other than concrete would provide more flexibility, such as moving items around and repairing as necessary. Chair Butler stated that although the Commission would like to move forward with this project the funding is just not a reality at this point and thought that it should be placed on hold for the time being. Shaun Van Vark recognized that the City has budget concerns at this time but questioned if the City would have $2,000 available, or $500 to $1,000 available for the next four years, to invest in another piece of equipment given the high demand for the feature. Chair Butler advised that an expenditure with a cost of $4,000 had to be put on hold because of the lack of funding. Commissioner Hupp advised that because development is not occurring within the City there just are not any funds available for projects. Mr. Haas commented that if funds were available they would first go towards paying the Q assessments at Andover Station North. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - May 7, 2009 Page 7 0 Chair Butler commented that the debt obligation to Andover Station North was over $133,000 per year and the budget allotted from the City Council to the Parks Commission was only $58,000 per year. He explained that without another source of revenue the amount of debt owed by the Parks Commission exceeded the available funds. Shaun Van Vark advised that he would discuss the option of a skate contest for Andover Fun Fest with Cindy at the Community Center tomOlTOw. It was the consensus ofthe Commission to place the skate park on hold until a time when development increases and funding is available. DISCUSS 2010-2014 PARK CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN Mr. Haas stated this item is in regard to discussion of the 2010-2014 Parks Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Chair Butler questioned some of the technicalities of balancing the budget. He advised that if the skate park were removed completely it would free up $200,000 and reviewed the ending balances that would then be available in the following years. He stated that even with that removal the balance would be negative in 2013 and 2014. He advised even with removing Sophie's the balance would still be negative in 2014. He questioned 0 what the item regarding Andover Lions Park would be. Mr. Haas thought that project included a fence and possible irrigation. Chair Butler confirmed that by removing the Andover Lions Park project it would leave them with a balance of$350,769 in 2014. He advised that if the annual miscellaneous project budget was cut back to $15,000 per year, the Commission would be able to complete a project with the additional funds. Commissioner Miskowiec questioned if the full $25,000 was used every year. He questioned what happens to the additional funds budgeted for miscellaneous proj ects if it is not used during the year. Mr. Haas replied that the unused funds would just remain in the Parks fund. Commissioner Hupp stated that he would not be comfortable bringing the miscellaneous project budget under $15,000. Chair Butler clarified that the miscellaneous projects budget is not used for maintenance, as that budget is separate and explained what the funds are used for. He thought that by cutting the miscellaneous projects budget, the Commission would be able to use those funds for the irrigation of a park. e Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - May 7, 2009 Page 8 0 Commissioner Lindahl questioned ifthe available $10,000 per year should be labeled, such as for irrigation. Commissioner Miskowiec was concerned that labeling the funds for ilTigation would limit the options for the spending of the funds. It was the consensus ofthe Commission to add the irrigation item into the CIP for the year 2010; decrease the miscellaneous funds budget to $15,000 per year; and to remove the skate park, Sophie's Park, and the Andover Lions Park project from the CIP. This item will be brought back to the Park Commission with the cOlTections at the next meeting, which would be the first meeting in June. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Lindahl, seconded by Miskowiec, to adjourn the meeting at 8:55 p.m. Motion carried on a 4-ayes, O-nays, 3-absent (Kowalewski, Lindell, Ramnath) vote. Respectfully Submitted, Amanda Staple, Recording Secretary 0 TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. "