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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 12, 2011O NDQW: 1685 CROSSTOWN BOULEVARD N.W.. ANDOVER, MINNESOTA 55304 . (763) 755 -5100 FAX (763) 755 -8923 • WWW.CI.ANDOVER.MN.US Andover Open Space Advisory Commission Meeting Agenda October 12, 2011 Andover City Hall Conference Room A &B 7:00 p.m. 1. Call to Order 2. Resident Forum 3. Approval of Minutes— September 14, 2011 4. 2011 Site Selection Process 5. Update - Maintenance of Open Space Sites © 6. Other Business a. Next meeting: November 9, 2011 7. Adjournment E REGULAR ANDOVER OPEN SPACE ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING © October 12, 2011 MINUTES The Regular Meeting of the Andover Open Space Advisory Commission was called to order by Acting Chairperson Kim Kovich at 7:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Commissioners present: Drago Flores, Val Holthus, Jim Olson, Bruce Perry and Suzanne Van Hecke Commissioners absent: Gretchen Sabel Also present: Courtney Bednarz, City Planner RESIDENT FORUM No one wished to address the Commission. APPROVAL OF MINUTES- September 14, 2011 Commissioner Holthus asked for clarification of the two owners north of the Aasness property that had been contacted. Mr. Bednarz stated they were the Kuiken and Lawrence families. Commissioner Holthus noted that Mr. Aasness had previously considered a conservation easement to reduce the taxes and requested an update on the status of that discussion. Mr. Bednarz stated that the owner had discussed this with county assessor's office. The owner could move forward on his own with this if he chose to. The difference would be that if the city is not involved, public access would not be achieved. Mr. Olson asked if public access could be written into an agreement. Acting Chairperson Kovich stated that conservation easements are very flexible and this could be done if agreed upon. Motion by Olson, Second by Holthus to approve the minutes. Motion passed 6 -0 (Sabel absent). 2011 SITE SELECTION PROCESS Acting Chairperson Kovich requested an update. Mr. Bednarz stated that he had been contacted by the owner of the Southerly parcel that they visited last month and she indicated that she was not interested in working with the city. Commissioner Van Hecke verified the route the Commission had taken through this area on their site visit. She asked if the Commission should try to work with the owner for access through the property if purchase wasn't possible. The Commission agreed. Acting Chairperson Kovich suggested the evaluation criteria be applied separately to the Dalske 7 property as a result. He noted they were not in a hurry and needed to make sure they selected the right site. ® Regular Open Space Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes — October 12, 2011 Page 2 Mr. Bednarz noted it was important for the Commission to continue to make progress in evaluating properties and working toward a recommendation to the Council. Commissioner Van Hecke asked how up to date the Council was on their progress. Mr. Bednarz stated that staff reports are available, the Council receives their minutes and there are updates provided in the weekly management report. He stated the Council is aware of the two areas the Commission is currently discussing. Commissioner Holthus stated that there has been some discussion about the amount of school trust land, how it is used and the potential for more focus on education. She asked what could be done to facilitate this change. Mr. Bednarz stated that state statute provides a framework for school trust land, the DNR has policies for operating the sites based on each site's characteristics and the school district receives the proceeds. He added that changes would likely need to be initiated by the legislature, although Anoka County had success in creating a county park in an area of the township that was typically school trust land. Acting Chairperson Kovich asked if the school district received proceeds from the park site. Mr. Bednarz stated he did not know. Commissioner Holthus stated that there is a great deal of school trust land in northern Minnesota and it has been discussed that there may be a better use for this land. Acting Chairperson Kovich stated that the school trust land north of Andover was accessible via a minimum maintenance road although most people wouldn't know that because the adjacent property owner has signed the area `no trespassing'. Mr. Bednarz summarized his discussions with property owners in the area northeast of Hanson Boulevard and 161 Avenue NW. It was noted that ownership had changed among Kuiken family members and they were again considering the city's request for access to Hanson Boulevard. Commissioner Perry asked if there would be an issue with crossing the ditch. Mr. Bednarz stated that the property owner indicated the ditches are not joined between the Kuiken and Lawrence property adjacent to Hanson Boulevard. © Acting Chairperson Kovich stated that a bridge may be necessary because any modifications to the ditch would be very contentious based on his experience. He asked if the Commission had considered access from the south. © Regular Open Space Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes — October 12, 2011 Page 3 Commissioner Olson stated that they had, however this route had not been as desirable as other sites due to the location of the gas line, amount of wetland and dirt bike track. He also noted that in their last discussion with the Council an access at the north end was suggested. Commissioner Van Hecke stated that a large sized open space area was one of the things they were trying to achieve. Acting Chairperson Kovich stated that access may eventually be achieved to the west, that future development would improve access and they needed to be sure they were focused on open space and not creating a park. Mr. Bednarz stated that access from the south would require crossing approximately 660 feet of wetland. Commissioner Van Hecke stated that the property should be able to be acquired more reasonably with the amount of wetland that exists. The Commission discussed their site visit to the Aasness property and the orientation of the © wetlands, forested areas and open areas. Acting Chairperson Kovich stated that there was potential for access to the Selmer property from either the south or west. Commissioner Perry stated there would be difficulty in crossing the wetland to get access from the south. Commissioner Van Hecke stated that an easement for access from the south may be a possibility. Commissioner Holthus asked for a summary of the properties adjacent to the rail line. Mr. Bednarz stated that these owners were interested in future development and discussions regarding open space preservation were at that price. Commissioner Olson noted that the Commission had all appreciated the Aasness property. Commissioner Van Hecke stated it would be worth taking another look at to see how the site had changed since their site visit. Commissioner Perry stated he felt access to the Selmer property should be from the west. He stated that to cross two 40 acre parcels from the south was too far for people to walk. © Commissioner Olson asked what type of bridge would be needed if the ditch were difficult to cross. Acting Chairperson Kovich stated that there would be design criteria and some expense if a bridge was necessary. ® Regular Open Space Advisory Commission Meeting Minutes — October 12, 2011 Page 4 Commissioner Olson asked to revisit the Dalske property to see if access would be feasible from the east. Acting Chairperson Kovich asked if there were updates on any other properties. Mr. Bednarz stated he had not been contacted by any new property owners since their last meeting. He added that the property map and list that had previously been assembled contained other options. UPDATE - MAINTENANCE OF OPEN SPACE SITES Acting Chairperson Kovich asked for an update on maintenance activities at the open space sites. Mr. Bednarz stated that there has been a problem with ATV's entering Martin's Meadows along the utility corridors. He stated the Parks Maintenance staff would be installing snow fence and additional signage to deter people from using this route. He added that the newsletter article would also address this issue. He stated that entrance and boundary signage had been installed at © North Woods Preserve. The Commission discussed where the damage was in Martin's Meadows and where the ATV traffic could be coming from. It was noted that snow fencing and additional signage would be installed in areas where the vehicles were entering the site. OTHER BUSINESS Acting Chairperson Kovich asked if there was other business for the Commission to discuss. Mr. Bednarz distributed copies of a newsletter article and photographs. The Commission reviewed the article, stating a preference for location maps to the open space sites and that they are large enough to be legible. Commissioner Van Hecke asked if the Commission would like to visit Martin's Meadows as a group. Acting Chairperson Kovich suggested a 4:00pm start time for anyone that would like to attend. Motion by Perry, Second by Holthus to adjourn. Motion passed 6 -0 (Sabel absent). The meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m. © Respectfully submitted, Courtney Bednarz