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PRC 2000 02 22CHANHASSEN PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING FEBRUARY 22, 2000 Chairwoman Lash called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Jan Lash, Fred Berg, Jim Manders, Mike Howe, Rod Franks, Jay Karlovich and David Moes MEMBERS ABSENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: Todd Hoffman, Park and Rec Director; Jerry Ruegemer, Recreation Superintendent; and Tracy Peterson, Recreation Supervisor VISITOR PRESENTATIONS: Hoffman: Two visitors tonight. Well four. Frank Scott: I'm here in response to the letter from Todd about the playground up at Bandimere. And I'm representing the Chanhassen Athletic Association. As an entry, the Chanhassen Athletic Association doesn't have a lot of money, extra money. The way we do it is, we budget from last year what it cost us to run our program and then we up it to the next 5 or 0 and that's where we cut it oflk So we have so much, but not an awful lot of money. We don't like fund raisers that the kids have to go out and do things so that's kind of out. The sponsors we used to do on the shirts, and I brought some of the new uniforms. These are the ones we're using for baseball. Major League replica uniforms and the kids just love them because we've got the Cubs and the Red Sox and things like that, but again there's not a lot of room anymore for Merit Heating or something on it. They did a little thing on the shelve for Gold Medal and CAA and that's about all we have on this. So what my proposal is, that the CAA would go out and get sponsors for signs that would be on the fence at Bandimere. They would be vinyl type signs. Put them up during the baseball season and take them down after the season's over. They would be consistent, like a 4 x 8 white sign with black lettering. Merit Heating, phone number and possibly a logo, but not a lot of difl'erent extra things on it. So it wouldn't be, I don't think it'd be a real gaudy situation. We feel that we could do this and get about $300 a sign. Probably start by putting them every other part of the fence, and then if we got enough we could start filling it in. So it wouldn't be completely surrounded by it. And probably just do it at Bandimere, at least for now because there's not a lot off if you turn into Bandimere, you're up there because of sports anyway so it isn't so much a picnic place as Lake Ann might be. We haven't done anything about this and we would have to start fairly quickly to get anything done by May and I know I can't, you can't vote on anything tonight but if you could give Todd some kind of a feeling of if you're okay with anything like that. I guess what I'm saying is, whatever's left over after the expenses would, we would just turn over for the playground up at Bandimere. And we would volunteer to get it set up. Work with the sign people and all those things. So can I get any kind of feedback that says possibly, because like I say, I can't wait until next month to start and I don't need anything official to start but I do need a feeling like forget it. Don't spend your time or possibility. Park and Rec Commission Meeting February 22, 2000 Lash: You got anything Mike? We'll start down there. Howe: It's a good idea. Do other towns have programs like this? Frank Scott: I'm also involved in Victoria and we're talking to Victoria about the same thing for basically the same reason. At their Lion's Park. Howe: I think if the signs were consistent and local businesses, I mean I always thought that was kind of neat at a ballpark when you had the billboards out in back. I know we're not talking about this but I think it's intriguing. Lash: Okay, Dave. Moes: First Todd a question for you. Have you heard back from any of the others that you sent letters to? Hoffman: Tonka United Soccer and there is some sort of a cash financial contribution that will have no designation of where it would go, and I don't know what the amount would be. Moes: I like the, I guess the creative approach to it. It does meet the intent of a funding need and one thing that came to my mind was the consistency and it sounds like if you use the 4 x 8, was it vinyl? Frank Scott: It'd be vinyl. Wood wouldn't work because we'd like to use it year after year. Be able to take it down. Fold it up and next year just go back and say do you want to do it again and yep. Plug it back on the fence again. Moes: I think if you extended that and got consistency and whether it be the emblem or the lettering so that it flows across the outfield there as well, I think that would work. So I like the idea. I think it's a creative way of approaching it. Lash: Rod. Franks: What kind of revenue are you thinking about? Frank Scott: The first year, because we'd need to get the signs made up for the first time. Probably ask them to pick up the cost of getting the sign made up and ask them for $200 for the season to put it on the fence. Then next year we'd just go back and say the older ones we'd ask them for $300 just to put it on the fence and then maybe the new one's we do the same thing with them as, you get the sign made up. You pay for it and then $200. So basically it would be $300 per sign. Franks: And you have, when you're just were working it through did you have any idea about how many signs you believe you'd be able to sell? Park and Rec Commission Meeting February 22, 2000 Frank Scott: I'd just have to go out to Bandimere and count between the posts on the fences out there. What would you guess, 20? Audience: 15 to 20 per field probably. Frank Scott: I would guess. Franks: And how many do you think you'd realistically be able to sell? Frank Scott: Maybe I'm optimistic. I think we'd be able to sell, I think we'd max out. I don't think we'd have a problem. At $300 I don't think we'd have a problem getting people to, because even insurance companies and things like that, that's not a big deal and they have it up there for a season I think would be a good pitch to them. Lash: Are you done Rod? Franks: Well it's just, have you gotten any feedback from the parents who's kids are going to be out on the fields, what they might be thinking of that? Having the signs out. Frank Scott: Have not, and I guess it would just have to be sold the same way that, there's only so much money that you're going to be able to work with in the coming future because it's, whatever you get from taxes and stuff is not going to continue to come in forever. Well not the taxes but the new building and stuff like that. We're going to have to find ways to get extra money if we want to put lights up on the fields and batting cages along side fields and things like that. So it just, we're just coming up with an idea that might be able to do things like that. Franks: Todd, is there any kind of special permit that's required for signage like that? Hoffman: Sure would be. Franks: Would we run into problems about how long the signs could be up and? Hoffman: There would have to be some sort of a exemption I'm sure from the City sign ordinance. You see them in some communities go for it and they've got them all over and some communities steer away from it. And then.., sign ordinance is something that will have to be discussed by the City Council. Lash: Okay. Did you say you think there's 15 roughly? Posts? Hoffman: Yeah. Lash: And there's three fields. Park and Rec Commission Meeting February 22, 2000 Frank Scott: Yeah, the softball field's probably smaller but the baseball, big baseball field probably would be more. Lash: And how long is the season? Frank Scott: First of May til no later than the first of August. Usually about the middle of July it's pretly well done. Lash: Okay. Okay, I'm going to think about it some more. Fred. Berg: I like the idea that you'd just be doing it at Bandimere and not where there'd be other people other than ball players. I think it's a part of Americana. I don't remember going to a small town ballparks and watching town baseball without seeing that signage. I never felt it to be particularly intrusive or bothersome. It was just something that was there and it was the local merchants and that was it. I didn't even think of it as advertising as much as just part of that's what's supposed to be at a ballpark. Pardon the expression but Chaska's had it at their ballpark for years and years and years and it's just part of the ambience that makes it sort of a unique place so I'm 100% behind this. I think it's a great idea. Lash: Okay, Jay. Karlovich: I think it's a very nice offer and a good idea. I think it just needs to be thought out a little bit more. One of the things I fear is a big Budweiser out there or Turn on Howard type of thing and so you know, I don't know how much we can limit the freedom of speech there on each of the individual ones there but you know, I think what everyone's envisioning with the local businesses that would be acceptable with just lettering but I think you have to think about ifa tavern or some type of, you know there's an establishment that people wouldn't feel comfortable about. Lash: Okay, Jim. Manders: I have a couple questions. One was something to the effect about trying to have some type of consistency across the signs or, frankly I don't know if that's real necessary. I mean it's individuality. I think it shows a little personality as long as it's reasonable. Frank Scott: I think you'd allow logos but if you can keep it lettering about the same size and things like that so it would be pretty consistent. Manders: Then you're talking about some type of a vinyl sign that would be hung up? Or I guess my concern would be durability and wind and vandalism. Something that's going to stand up to. Lash: Are you talking about soft vinyl or hard vinyl? Frank Scott: I'd have to go up to Sign Source and tell them what I want and why I want it for. Park and Rec Commission Meeting February 22, 2000 Lash: But you're not talking about like roll-up? Hoffman: I would say a 4 x 8 hard vinyl. Frank Scott: But vandalism, whether we could handle the vandalism, whatever happened. And about the picking the places. Most of this is youth sports we're talking about that's up there. Not, I'm sure there will be someone else to handle softball and things but so the signs would be consistent with what we would put up for youth sports. Lash: I guess my concern was more with, why I didn't commit any. I wanted to hear everybody else's viewpoint but I guess I worry about graffiti and some of those kinds of things that can be less than pleasant and then it's up there until it can be replaced and then that's another cost factor to take care of and worry about that and then what's the one that was in Shorewood on 101. Bennett? Is that Bennett Field? That had a lot of signs and I thought, I think they changed it a few years ago and starting taking them down or they closed the field or I forget what they did but for a while there I thought it was starting to look a little bit on the tacky side because it had do many, and they weren't consistent like what you're talking about. I will give you that. They were all sizes and shapes and colors and stuck all over everywhere and it was leaned almost I thought to being a bit of an eyesore when you drove down 101 because of course they didn't match but. Seriously I didn't, when I think of it that's what I think of and I remember not liking that look, but I think if you had more control over you know the end product, that would probably be better addressed. Frank Scott: Again, it could become a headache if people did graffiti on it and go back and get them made up. But it's about the only thing that I could come up with that I could offer up that we could volunteer to do that would bring in enough money to make it worth while talking about SO. Lash: I mean we could always give it a try and if it tums out that it's a headache, then we know. Frank Scott: Appreciate that and you can take a vote anytime but I will proceed by going over to Sign Source and finding out what it does cost and then I can go out and hit some of the things up. And we'll, in fact I had mentioned to Todd earlier that the thing with the liquor is, you know if they serve food or if liquor isn't the foremost thing, maybe that's okay. If it's strictly a liquor thing, MGM Liquor we probably, and you know we may even get somebody yelling about that. That you can't do that. But if we can fill it up and not have those, I'm not sure... APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The Minutes of the Park and Recreation Commission meeting dated January 25, 2000 were approved as presented. (There was a technical difficulty with the taping at this point in the discussion. The video presentation was playing over the staff and Park and Recreation Commission's discussion of the Recreation Programs, and Self Supporting Programs, 2000 Adult Softball.) Park and Rec Commission Meeting February 22, 2000 RECREATION CENTER: Hoffman: ... customers that are there are very pleased with what they have. I think we will consider the first ever annual increase for passes, punches at some point here. Perhaps in 2001. Manders: I think that's kind of along the line I'm thinking too. In order to maintain interest we're going to have to maintain a certain quality of product. Hoffman: Correct. Lash: Okay. Anybody else have a question or comment on this? Berg: There is a company out there that's replacing and fixing Nordic Track stufl2 Do you want me to try and find it for you? Hoffman: Sure. SENIOR CENTER REPORT. Lash: Anybody have anything they'd like to ask about that? PARK AND TRAIL MAINTENANCE REPORT: Lash: Okay, then we've got our Park and Trail maintenance report from Dale. Questions or comments on that? Berg: Seems like the season gets shorter every year for ice skating. Lash: Starting so late. COMMISSION MEMBER COMMITTEE REPORTS: None. ADMINISTRATIVE PACKET. Hoffman: Did everyone look at that front page? Any corrections to phone numbers? Moes: Yes. Work number, 838-2984. And I'll give you a different fax number. 838-2990. Hoffman: Thank you. Lash: Anybody else have anything on that to correct? ... that would be very high tech of us wouldn't it? We could even set up a. Berg: We could have a commission web page. Park and Rec Commission Meeting February 22, 2000 Lash: Well we have a web page. Franks: Do you want e-mail addresses? Lash: You know what I mean when you can do everybody at the same time? You can send, you know what I'm talking about. You just do one and then you send it and it goes to everybody, right? Hoffman: Can't do that. Lash: Why? Hoffman: That would be a public business meeting. Lash: Oh yeah, okay. Thanks for keeping me in line. Karlovich: I'll get you my card. It will have my fax number on it. Lash: I can give you my e-mail if you want it. Karlovich: Todd my fax is 651. Hoffman: I'll put it right with these guys. Lash: But I mean if you wanted to make a change say, move the meeting... Hoffman: We can do that. Lash: We can do that, that's legal right? Hoffman: That's legal. Lash: Anybody else? COMMISSION MEMBER PRESENTATIONS: None. VIDEO PRESENTATION: 1999 NATIONAL GOLD MEDAL & STATE PARK AWARDS. The Park and Recreation Commission was shown a video at this point in the meeting. Berg moved, Manders seconded to adjourn the Park and Recreation Commission meeting. All voted in favor and the motion carried. Park and Rec Commission Meeting February 22, 2000 Submitted by Todd Hoffman Park and Rec Director Prepared by Nann Opheim