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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 21, 2010 0 5'\NDbVE~ 1685 CROSSTOWN BOULEVARD N.W, . ANDOVER, MINNESOTA 55304. (763) 755-5100 FAX (763) 755-8923 . WWW,CI.ANDOVER.MN.US Regular Park & Recreation Commission Meeting January 21,2010 7:00 P.M. 1. Call to Order 2. Resident Forum 3. Approval of Minutes (1/7/10) 4. Review Request for CUP/Clearwire/Hidden Creek North Park 5. Review Request for CUP/Clearwire/Rose Park 6. Review Draft Plan and Estimated Costs/Hawkridge Park/09-18, cont. 7. Update Community Garden Plot/Grace Lutheran Church, cont. 0 8. Anoka County Sheriff's Department 4th Quarter Report 9. Park Dedication Improvement Fund 4th Quarterly Report/Finance 10. Outstanding Items 11. 12. Chair's Report 13. Adjournment 0 0 ~NDbVE~ 1685 CROSSTOWN BOULEVARD N.W. . ANDOVER, MINNESOTA 55304 . (763) 755-5100 FAX (763) 755-8923 . WWW.CI.ANDOVER.MN.US PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING-JANUARY 21,2010 MINUTES The Regular Bi-Monthly Meeting of the Andover Park and Recreation Commission was called to order by Chair Butler on January 21,2010,7:00 p,m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota, Commissioners Present: Chair Ted Butlei:, Tony Kowalewski, Vice Chair Jim Lindahl, Mark Miskowiec, Shan Ramnath and Shaun Van Vark. Commissioners Absent: Bill Hupp. Also Present: Assistant Public Works Director, Todd Haas. 0 OATH OF OFFICE Chair Butler swore in Commissioner Miskowiec, RESIDENT FORUM Mr. Pat Wilson, 991-140111 Lane, Andover Athletic Association Slow Pitch Softball Director, stated he was at the meeting to discuss the purchase of scoreboards at each of the six fields at Sunshine Park. He stated Andover Athletic Association is going to purchase six score boards and will pay to have them installed with their own general funds and they understood the City of Andover will take ownership of them once installed. Mr, Wilson stated since Andover Athletic Association is purchasing the boards with their own funds they are asking that the other associations that use the boards during tournaments or games be charged some type of nominal fee for using them. Chair Butler thanked the Association for doing this and for what they are doing to help improve their parks. Commissioner Kowalewski stated he knew that last year the high school brought forward a request for getting score boards there. He wondered if this has been addressed with the ~ association. Mr. Wilson stated they are working on something but does not involve this. , 0 Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - January 21, 2010 0 Page 2 Motion by Lindahl, seconded by Miskowiec, to forward to Council for approval. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, O-nays, I-absent (Hupp) vote. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Lindahl, seconded by Kowalewski, to approve the January 7, 2010 Park Commission minutes as presented. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, O-nays, I-present (Miskowiec), I-absent (Hupp) vote. REVIEW REQUEST FOR CUP/CLEARWIREIHIDDEN CREEK NORTH PARK Mr. Haas explained that this item is in regards to reviewing a request for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) from Clear Wireless, LLC to place a telecommunications antenna facility at Hidden Creek North Park. Mr. Steve Schulz, Representative for Clear Wire, Inc. reviewed the request with the Commission. Commissioner Miskowiec wondered if a water tower is used to place an antenna on is the antenna shorter or is the same size antenna used as in other places. Mr. Schulz stated they typically place an antenna on the top of a water tank and their equipment would be 0 placed on the top rail with no additional construction done. The pole for this site is proposed at seventy-five feet which is the minimum they can go to hit the other sites, This is a site to site connection. Commissioner Van Vark wondered what they would do if the park was not located where it is, would they look for a private landowner or business owner to try to find space, Mr, Schulz stated they start first with the City Code and review the telecommunications code to find out where the towers are available to be placed and the setback requirements and then they look from there, That is how they found this spot because they meet all the setback requirements and that is why they got Planning Commission recommendation in favor ofthe project. Mr, John Stinson, 2551-136th Avenue North, stated he did not want to look at an antenna when he looks out his window. He thought there were better places in the City to place the antenna, , Mrs. Ally Torres, 13669 Yulmn, stated a couple of her concems were if other options and , locations were looked at and what kind of security will the tower have. She stated the safety and security of the kids come first. Mr. & Mrs. Andrew and Kristina Tremble, 2633 1361h Avenue NW, stated they purchased the house on December 15th, not know this was all taking place and if they had 0 known that this was on the table they would not have purchased the house, He wanted to look out his window and see kids playing in the park and not a tower. He stated City Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes-January 21,2010 0 Page 3 parks are not for towers they are for kids to play in and people to enjoy. He stated he was also concerned about the loss of property value on a house they just purchased. He stated they also did not receive any notice of this item being discussed. Mr, Tremble wondered why other areas in the City were not looked at for the site ofthe antenna. Mrs, Tremble stated she is taking care of her mother who has cancer and she does not want her to be exposed to anything harmful. She also noted she has a daycare and does not want the kids to play on or near the tower or to lose business because of an antenna being put in the park by them. Mrs. Jan Anderson, 1368 Yukon Street, stated this is a segway to what the previous speakers mentioned. She stated she has lived in this neighborhood for 21 years and has seen the weather that goes through there. The park is rather low and they have had any number of straight line winds go through the parle She did not think a tower would be feasible. There is also very sandy soil there, which would not support the tower. Ms. Patricia Grahek, 13678 Yukon Street, stated she was at the last meeting for this and discussion regarding the possibility of the tower falling in the street if it did not fall on itself. She wondered about the safety ofthe people who use the park. She also wondered 0 ifthe City was going to reimburse the residents for the loss of value to their homes because of this. Mr, John Lexxon, 13564 Hidden Creek Drive, stated his concern has to do with the right of way, He thought utilities had to purchase right of way to put in utilities and he wondered why this does not need to be done, He also wondered how the park will benefit from this and how will it be improved. Chair Butler stated they do not have current plans to do anything in the park because they do not have a budget for this until they actually have the money, Mr. Lexxon wondered how much the City will get for the antenna being placed in the park. Mr. Haas stated it had not been determined yet. Mr. Lexxon stated he did not want this antenna in their park because there are commercial propeliies in the area that could be used. Ms. Kate Morphew, 13682 Xavis Street NW, thanked the Commission for letting them present their case, She stated she lives a block and a half away and her kids use the park all the time and the park is always packed. She stated Andover is known for their parks and parks are made for people to eJUoy them, not to increase revenue, Mr. Joseph Bush, 2586 135th Lane NW, stated he has lived there for about twelve years 0 and the reason he moved to Andover was because of the parks. He stated towers do not belong in parks, they are meant for people. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - January 21, 2010 0 Page 4 Chair Butler stated one ofthe concerns with the residents were what other locations were looked at. Mr. Schulz stated other locations were considered and they looked at all the applied, They have a ring they work with just south to this site and this is the best spot for this, He stated it is not an easy situation to come in and build in a park, They are doing it because it is their only option in this area because they would lose coverage for the connecting sites, Mr, Schulz stated they were open to designing the tower to suit the City's requirements and would be willing to screen it. He stated they do have an anti-climb tower so kids cannot climb on it and they would also be willing to put up a six foot fence that would be tilted so balls would not go into the area, Mr, Schulz stated to his lmowledge there is not affect on property taxes what so ever. It is common to see towers throughout cities now, Chair Butler stated there was concern about electro-magnetic fields. Mr. Schulz stated they are normally at one quarter of what one cell tower emits. He stated there is no need for fear of exposure. Chair Butler asked what the fall rate is on towers like this, Mr. Schulz stated this tower is 0 a monopole tower, which is the safest tower out there and is intended to fall on itself. He stated they will go through the same inspection and review process that any building in Andover goes through. Commissioner Kowalewski stated there is photo in the packet of a generator enclosed with a wire fence opened at the top and he wondered if this was what they would have. Mr. Schulz stated typically the applications they have put in are six foot fences open at the top but the Planning Commission has requested they put a fence over the top of it so balls would roll off and they are willing to do that. Commissioner Kowalewski asked for clarification on the strategic investors in their company. Mr. Schulz explained to the Commission the financial aspect of his company and noted it was a very solid and liquid company. Chair Butler asked if there were other parks besides Prairie Knoll Park that has antennas, Mr, Haas indicated Prairie Knoll Park will be the first one with an antenna. Chair Butler stated these are not easy decisions to mal<:e and the City is facing tight financial times and continuing to pay for maintenance for the parks is challenging for the City. Paying for any Capital Improvements is off the table for a while so no improvements will be made, The City Council needs to weigh the pros and cons and decide what the best course of the City is overall. He appreciated the residents coming 0 out and voicing their comments. , Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes - January 21, 2010 0 Page 5 Commissioner Lindahl stated one of the things brought forth was the recreational use of the facility itself and he thought if the tower does go in there is opportunity for another field of people for recreation use ofthe cellular ofWi-Fi so he thought they needed to consider that also because the people who do not use the park would benefit from that. Commissioner Miskowiec stated he did have a question about the location and wondered if it could be placed closer to Bunker Lake Boulevard so it blends in better with the lights. He stated he did not like the placement to be in the middle ofthe parle He was looking to the future if they wanted to redo the park and how it would affect how the park is reconstructed, Commissioner Lindahl did not think the park would be reconstructed because it was recently redone. Mr. Haas stated at the stafflevel they looked at placing the tower on the north side along Bunker Lake Boulevard between the field and it does not meet the setback requirements. They would have to go through the variance process to do that and if it fell it would fall outside of the boundaries of the park. The Commission discussed with staff alternate placement of the tower in the park. Commissioner Van Vark stated he understood the concerns from the neighborhood about safety. He wondered how far the City wanted to go in allowing parks to be a good place 0 to put revenue generated things, He wondered if it would stop once allowed. Chair Butler stated it comes down to a question of how appropriate it is and if they are going to allow it what would they like to see in terms of the location and requirements as far as how it is built and what surrounds it in terms of vegetation and security features, Mr, Schulz reviewed the set back requirements ofthe City with the Commission and how they have followed the City Code in order to determine where the tower will work. The Commission reviewed some alternate sites in the parle A suggestion was to place it by the skating rink if a light could be placed on it for the rink. Mr, Schulz indicated they would be willing to put a light on it for use for the rink and the ball field. Chair Butler preferred the site closer to Bunker Lake Boulevard, out of the center of the park and would encourage the Commission to require that slats be placed in the fence to block the view of the equipment and City Staff put together a recommendation for natural screening around the fence including evergreen trees. He also asked they stick with the Planning Commission's recommendation of using a tiered fencing structure to keep both , balls and kids out of the area of the equipment. Commissioner Kowalewski agreed with not having it in the center of the park. He fully understood a lot of the residents worry about the parks. He liked to look at this as long 0 telID for maintenance ofthe park. He recommended that they try to find a location closer to Bunker Lalce Boulevard. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes -January 21,2010 0 Page 6 Commissioner Lindahl agreed that providing there is enough space along the road to move it out ofthe center ofthe parle Commissioner Ral11llath agreed with the screening and vegetation and agreed with also moving it closer to Bunker Lake Boulevard if possible, He did not think this was something that could be ignored teclinology wise and will happen eventually. He thought it will be a great service for the community and a security light would be a great addition to the park. Motion by Lindahl, seconded by Ramnath, to recommend to the City Council approval to install a wireless internet service antenna in Hidden Creek North Park with the considerations that the Commission would like to see it closer to Bunker Lake Boulevard and that they would also get the option to see the screening prepared for the location. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, I-nays (Van Vark), I-absent (Hupp) vote, REVIEW REQUEST FOR CUP/CLEARWIREIROSE PARK Mr. Haas explained that this item is in regard to reviewing a request for a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) from Clear Wireless, LLC to place a telecommunications antenna facility on the existing water tower at Rose Park. 0 Mr. Dave Hagen, Clear Wireless, LLC Representative was at the meeting to answer questions. Mr. Hagen indicated the City plans to remove the water tower at some point in the future and Clearwire would want a provision in the lease that would allow for placement of a , free standing tower, monopole type, at Clearwire's cost. Chair Butler stated Rose Park is on their list of parks that they would like to eventually redevelop and if they were to do that at the time the water tower came down could Clearwire locate the tower elsewhere in the parle Mr. Hagen stated they are very flexible as far as where within the park the tower would be placed. Commissioner Lindahl thought it would not be a problem to place the tower in the park as long as Clearwire would be willing to look at relocation when the water tower is removed. Chair Butler stated he would like to have the potential future tower have the same screening and security as the one at Hidden Creek Park. Motion by Lindahl, seconded by Miskowiec, to recommend to the City Council approval to install a wireless internet service antenna on the water tower at Rose Park with the 0 aesthetic requirements similar to Hidden Creek Park North when needed. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, O-nays, I-absent (Hupp) vote. Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes-January 21, 2010 0 Page 7 REVIEW DRAFT PLAN AND ESTIMATED COSTS/HAWKRIDGE PARK/09-18, CONT. Mr. Haas explained that this item is in regard to reviewing the draft plan for Hawkridge Park. Ms, Barb Anderson, President with NOlih Metro Soccer Association, reviewed with the Commission the Hawkridge Park draft plans for improvements to the park. Mr, Mark Miller, Field Director with North Metro Soccer Association, explained they were looking at other options to bring forward to the Commission and they wanted to look at the feasibility of turf but need to review that because ofthe cost. He stated they are getting set to get going on the project. UPDATE COMMUNITY GARDEN PLOT/GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH, CONT. Mr. Haas updated the Commission on the community garden plots that were discussed at the last meeting. Commissioner Kowalewski asked ifthere was any way, if they are going to be using 0 pesticides they would be on one side of the garden and organic on the other. Mr, Haas stated that will be hard to control but it is in the guidelines and want to make sure they follow all the manufactures guidelines and respect the people gardening around them, ANOKA COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT 4TH QUARTER REPORT Mr. Haas reviewed with the Commission the Anoka County Sheriffs Department 4th Quarter Report. PARK DEDICATION IMPROVEMENT FUND 4TH QUARTERLY REPORT/FINANCE Mr. Haas reviewed with the Commission the Park Dedication Improvement Fund 4th Quarter Report. REVIEW OUTSTANDING ITEMS Mr. Haas reviewed outstanding items, CHAIR'S REPORT Commissioner Ramnath stated he went out to Andover Station North over the weekend to 0 bring his kids sledding at the park and they enjoyed the field and sledding hill. ---- . Regular Andover Park & Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes-January 21,2010 0 Page 8 Commissioner Kowalewski updated the Commission on the Andover High School sports, ADJOURNMENT Motion by Ramnath, seconded by Lindahl, to adjoum the meeting at 8:38 p.m. Motion carried on a 6-ayes, O-nays, I-absent (Hupp) vote. Respectfully Submitted, Susan Osbeck, Recording Secretary TimeSaverOjfSite Secretarial, Inc. 0 0