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1984 12 04 Minutes Park and Recreation Commission December 4, 1984 . Commissioners present: Michael Lynch, Brian Foltz, Torn Schoenecker, Michael Rosenwald, Charlie Robbins Commissioners absent: Joeseph Warneke Staff present: Lori Sietsema A regular meeting was called to order by Commissioner Mike Lynch at 7:40. Herman Field Concept Plan Review Lauri McRosti was present to present the Herman Field concept plan. She began by giving a summary of how the property lies at present, including: topography, soil types, tree coverage, etc. As Lauri presented the plan, she explained that the plan is a "explore" or "play" type active use plan, (as opposed to a tradi- tional active play field). The plan includes a 16 car lot, an enclosed tot lot, a compact chip nature trail, a picnic shelter and area, a board walk over a wet area, discovery features (concrete pipes, boulder play field, timber ramp, rope swing, lookout tower), a small children-size ballfield, sliding hill . Charlie Robbins asked about using the park for cross country skiing on the trails. Lauri responded by saying that the park would be very conducive for that kind of activity. Charlie also commented that an indoor natur center would be nice in this type of park. Torn Schoenecker asked if it would be possible to put in a tennis court in this plan as the area residents were expecting one. Lauri said that it would be possible if we took out the ballfield, but the size would be prohibitive to have both. Michael Lynch asked staff to find out if the City currently has a right of way as shown on the north side of the plan, if not, would it be possible to be obtained. Mike also was concerned about park maintenance being able to get to the ballfield to maintain it. Lauri said that she got a rough estimate on the development of the access road which was $18,000 - $20,000. Brian Folt~ expressed that it would be nice to pave that road and the parking lot. The commissioners decided to let Torn Schoenecker take the plan to present at the next Minnewashta Homeowners Association meeting. . They will review the plan again at the next meeting with the homeowners comments. . . . Minutes Park and Recreation Commission December 4, 1984 Page 2 Interviews for Park and Recreation Commission Vacancy At the beginning of the interviews Michael Lynch explained exactly what the Commission does and the kinds of projects that they deal with. He emphasized that they only make recommen- dations to City Council, and do not have the authority to make any final decisions. The first applicant to be interviewed was Jim Hofer. Mr. Hofer is new to the community and is interested in becoming involved. He moved to Sterling Heights, in Chanhassen, in May from California. Mr. Hofer has never been on a commission before but was involved in a Jaycee organization that worked closely with the city coun- cil. He has a 15 year old son who is interested in outdoor sports. When asked what he thought of a plan like the one for Herman . Field, he responded by saying that it encouraged individual active recreational activity as well as leisure activity. He also mentioned that he has noticed a lot of those types of park plans being implemented in the parks in Minnesota. Mr. Hofer assured the commission that he does a minimal amount of traveling and that meetings on the first Tuesday of every month would not be a problem. The second applicant to be interviewed was Mr. Wallace McKay. Mr. McKay has been a resident of the Minnewashta area of Chanhassen for 24 years. He has been an employee of the Minnetonka School District for 25 years. When asked his thoughts on parks being used for active or passive purposes he said that he liked passive parks. He felt that small neighborhood parks need to serve the surrounding area, and in doing so the area residents take pride in those parks. He added that he would like to see a bike path be completed in the city. Mr. McKay said that he was not on any other commissions and that he did not have an application in for any other commission. He said that he has been mostly involved with school meetings, and, since he is retiring he is looking forward to becoming involved in the community. He also added that he has always been an advo- cate on representing the whole population and not just a section. Mr. McKay said that his three grown children and his grand- children all live in Chanhassen. Before the commission voted on a candidate, they discussed the possibility of having eight commissioners instead of seven. It Minutes Park and Recreation Commission December 4, 1984 Page 3 . was decided that since the City Council defined the Commission with seven members that that was the way it should stay. One Commissioner pointed out that there were only seven places for Commissioners to sit. The Commissioners seemed to agree that it is commendable that Mr. Hofer, being such a new resident, is interested in becoming involved. However, due to Mr. McKay's work experience and long residency, he is more qualified for the job. Brian Foltz moved to recommend to City Council that they appoint Mr. Wallace McKay of 6321 Dogwood Avenue to the Park and Recreation Commission. The motion, seconded by Michael Lynch, carried unanimously. Approval of the Minutes of the November 16, 1984 Meeting Michael Rosenwald moved to accept the minutes of November 16, 1984 as presented. The motion, seconded by Charlie Robbins, carried unanimously. . Lake Ann Revenue Report The commissioners discussed and compared the figures from 1983 to 1984. Because the daily gate fees vary so much, there was discussion on how that area could be handled better. The Commissioners asked staff if, at a later meeting before spring, they could discuss softball team fees, gate house pro- cedures, possible car counts, ,gate house hours, and publicizing park ordinances, policies, prices, and hours in the City Newsletter. Adjournment Charlie Robbins moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion, seconded by Mike Rosenwald, carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20. Lori sietsema Park and Recreation Coordinator .