PRC 2011 04 26
CHANHASSEN PARK AND
RECREATION COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
APRIL 26, 2011
Chairman Daniel called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Jeff Daniel, Steve Scharfenberg, Cole Kelly, Peter Aldritt, and Brent
Carron
MEMBERS ABSENT:
Tom Kelly, and Elise Ryan
STAFF PRESENT:
Todd Hoffman, Park and Rec Director; Jerry Ruegemer, Recreation
Superintendent; John Stutzman, Recreation Supervisor, Dale Gregory, Park Superintendent;
Susan Bill, Senior Center Director; and Jodi Sarles, Recreation Center Manager
INTRODUCTION OF NEW MEMBERS AND APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR AND VICE
CHAIR FOR 2011/2012.
Daniel: I’d like to take this time to introduce our new members of the Park and Recreation
Commission. Peter Aldritt and Brent Carron. Thank you gentlemen for donating your time and
service to this commission and the Park and Recreation Commission, our department as well so
thank you. I suppose we need to move on to now the nomination of the 2010/2011 Chair and
Vice Chair and certainly if there are any names, anybody would like to take either of those
positions or any nominations.
Cole Kelly: I nominate Jeff Daniel as Chair.
Scharfenberg: Second.
Daniel: Anybody else? Any other nominations?
Cole Kelly moved, Scharfenberg seconded to elect Jeff Daniel as Chairman. All voted in
favor and the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 5 to 0.
Daniel: And then now we move up to Vice Chair and let’s certainly throw out names if there’s
anyone you would certainly want to recommend.
Cole Kelly: I would like to nominate Steve Scharfenberg.
Daniel: Steve, you’ve been Vice Chair before haven’t you?
Scharfenberg: I have. Last time. This last year.
Daniel: Oh I thought it was Tom wasn’t it?
Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Scharfenberg: No it was me.
Daniel: Oh it was Tom the year before. Well alright. Then I certainly second that motion.
Anyone else?
Cole Kelly moved, Daniel seconded to elect Steve Scharfenberg as Vice Chairman. All
voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 5 to 0.
Cole Kelly moved, Daniel seconded to elect Steve Scharfenberg as Vice Chairman. All
voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 5 to 0.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA:
Daniel: Are there any changes that want to add/delete to the commissioners or anybody? Todd,
from the park and rec department.
Hoffman: None.
Daniel: If not, let’s go ahead and approve the agenda. Motion.
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Cole Kelly: I’ll make a motion to approve the Minutes of February 26. Or no.
Daniel: The agenda.
Cole Kelly: The agenda.
Daniel: Second?
Scharfenberg: Second.
Cole Kelly moved, Scharfenberg seconded to approve the agenda as presented. All voted in
favor and the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 5 to 0.
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hoffman: Chanhassen Athletic Association opening day at Lake Ann Park this Saturday, if
you’re interested. What time is the ceremony?
Ruegemer: Was it 9:00? I think 9:00.
Scharfenberg: Noon.
Ruegemer: Noon? Waiting for the rain to go through I guess so, and then games will be played
into the evening under the lights at Lake Ann so it’ll be a full day of fun of Saturday so
everybody’s more than welcome to show up and have a good time. Watch some good ball.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Daniel: Okay, thank you Jerry. Todd.
VISITOR PRESENTATIONS:
Daniel: I see Todd, you’re joining us today.
Todd Neils: I am.
Daniel: Please stop up and state your name.
Todd Neils: Hello, my name is Todd Neils. First I’d like to say hello to new commissioners
Aldritt and Carron. You’ll get to know me over the next several years I suspect and the mantra
will be hide the CIP when I come around. I am here as the new City and District liaison for the
newly formed Dugout Club in Chanhassen. The club was originally formed to support the
maintenance at our favorite stadium complex at Chanhassen High School and to protect the
community’s investment. Since it’s inception in early March the members made up of
passionate diamond sports supports from the high school Red Birds, Post 580 Legion and Junior
Legion and CAA Baseball and Softball, have expanded our vision to include community
development projects within the boundaries of Chanhassen High School District 112. Our
mission and objective as stated on our web site, dugout-club.org are as follows. Support,
promote and enhance the quality of Chanhassen High School baseball and softball programs and
their facilities as well as other community based diamond sports programs and facilities located
and operating within the boundaries of Chanhassen High School District 112. Improve and
enhance safety and playability of the fields and practice facilities where our community teams
participate in diamond sports. And improve and enhance safety and playability of the fields and
practice facilities, which I just said. We are all aware of the current economic climate within the
state, city and school district facing us as citizens. Because of our interest in diamond sports
community wide the Dugout Club is in the process of raising money to fund it’s objectives. This
effort cannot be only funded on the backs of community members through membership. We
need to get businesses involved. It is important to offer reciprocation to any business no matter
how grounded in the community. The Dugout Club would like to offer signage at Lake Susan
Park during the months of April through July. In an effort to accomplish this task we are asking
for support of the Park and Rec Commission and further ask to be allowed to present our case to
City Council at it’s next meeting. I did come before this commission July 26, 2005 with this
request and was granted that opportunity and I hope this commission will grant the same and at
this point I’d ask if there’s any questions.
Daniel: Please, any questions for Todd? Cole.
Cole Kelly: When you did this in 2005, how did the signage work? Was that a good deal for
you guys? Did it work out well or were there problems with it?
Todd Neils: At that time the Park and Rec Commission did approve it. However during a better
economic climate the City chose to fund the projects that we were looking to fund through
signage on their own.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Cole Kelly: Okay. So you didn’t have to go out and.
Todd Neils: We did not at that time.
Cole Kelly: So this time you’ll have to go out and do that on your own?
Todd Neils: We look forward to it.
Cole Kelly: Okay, thank you Todd.
Todd Neils: You’re welcome.
Scharfenberg: So what, you would be doing it through April through.
Todd Neils: July.
Scharfenberg: July. And then I’m assuming everything’s removed, taken down.
Todd Neils: Absolutely.
Scharfenberg: Okay.
Todd Neils: And it would be late April when practice starts.
Scharfenberg: Go ahead, I’m sorry.
Todd Neils: So it would only be during a handful of months when games are played on those
fields by both, by Minnetonka and Chanhassen and surrounding communities.
Scharfenberg: And would you be proposing, well do you have a proposal at this point for
recommendation to the council or is it just we want to do this? I mean is there some, I mean
other than we want to put up signage, is there anything more than that that we need to know
about what you’re going to go to the council with on the next session?
Todd Neils: I think the basis of the request is merely for signage. Obviously it’s important for
different levels of sponsorship to receive increased reciprocation based on their dollar value and
that is why we are asking to go to the council and ask that the current rule be changed.
Scharfenberg: And would it be signing all of the fields that have.
Todd Neils: Only Lake Susan.
Scharfenberg: I know but at Lake Susan would you be putting them up at all of the Lake Susan
fields or just.
Todd Neils: There’s only one field there that.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Scharfenberg: Oh Lake Susan, okay. I’m sorry Todd, I’m just, I’m spacing out.
Todd Neils: Okay.
Scharfenberg: Okay. I was thinking Lake Ann.
Todd Neils: You’ll cover Susan later in the.
Scharfenberg: Okay, so just the Lake Susan field. Okay.
Todd Neils: Correct.
Scharfenberg: Alright.
Todd Neils: And it’s not our intent necessarily to cover every square inch. We’d be judicious in
that we would let’s say cover every other panel of the outfield fence. It wouldn’t be one of those
where we’d run down every single square inch of fence line.
Scharfenberg: Okay.
Daniel: And Todd do you envision this as a stepping stone from Lake Susan out to Lake Ann or
Bandimere?
Todd Neils: Not currently.
Daniel: Okay. I guess the question is, is this more of a test by forming this?
Todd Neils: No. To be quite honest the reason that we’ve chosen Lake Susan as much because
it’s a little more off the beaten track in terms of park versus Lake Susan. One of the objections
in 2005 was the covering of green space. At this point the signs would face Powers Boulevard
and therefore be covering the view of the tennis court and woods beyond so it’s not as if we’re
covering lake views or otherwise.
Daniel: Okay. Well certainly some thoughts on that. Peter?
Aldritt: I guess yeah, I think that would be you know definitely a possibility. Basically it’s more
for funding. You’re looking forward to support your programs.
Todd Neils: Correct.
Aldritt: I guess the only downfall I would see is taking away from the green space and more the
natural side of the park but you know in these economic times I think it definitely could be an
option for a short term thing and then be re-evaluated when the time comes.
Daniel: Thank you Peter. Brent.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Carron: Are these signs that hang on the wall or are they, are you actually erecting new signs?
Todd Neils: There are no signs currently at Lake Susan.
Scharfenberg: So it’d be putting up a banner type on the outfield.
Carron: Yeah, on the fence line. Okay. So you’re not erecting, well you’re not like building
stands or putting up signs that are going to be over the fence. They’re going to be hanging on the
fence type…
Todd Neils: They will be hanging on the fence and to allay possible fears of fence damage, if
they are, depending on what the make-up is. If in fact it’s a vinyl banner we will put appropriate
holes so that it can’t act as a sail. Or we’ll put plywood up to support the banners so that it won’t
again act as a sail and damage the fence line.
Carron: Do you currently have a number of how many sponsors are willing or looking to do
this?
Todd Neils: It’s a bit of a chicken and egg question. We don’t feel comfortable asking for large
donations before we have the blessing of the community to offer them reciprocation necessary
for that dollar value.
Carron: That’s fine.
Cole Kelly: I’ve got a question either for Todd Hoffman or Jerry. What does the City see as the
pluses and minuses of having signage up out there?
Hoffman: Pluses it’s a revenue source for one organization. The organization which you just
introduced tonight to but, so it can facilitate, we don’t know what the money’s being used for
directly but if it’s like Mr. Neils is stating, to improve facilities over time. It’s a revenue source
to do things in the community. We don’t know exactly what those would be. But responsibility
of the commission is to review this for the possible you know, so the signs go up and another
group comes to you in a month and says well, this organization put signs up. We want signs at
our facility and so you have to make sure that you’re, as a policy decision you’re making a
policy decision based on well are we going to allow other groups to do this or is this the only
group that’s going to do this? And tonight we certainly, as the commission you can make a
recommendation to the council. You don’t have all the information before you. My
recommendation would be to get that information before you before you formulate a
recommendation to the City Council but again that’s your choice as a commission.
Cole Kelly: Thank you Todd. Todd Neils, would you like to expand on what Todd Hoffman
was saying? He says we don’t know exactly how the money’s going to be spent but what’s your
vision? Obviously you have a vision of what needs to be done and where that money’s going to
go and how it’s going to benefit the community and I think we’d like to hear that stuff please.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Todd Neils: Absolutely and thank you for the opportunity. To Mr. Hoffman’s point, we do have
specific goals in mind and originally and for this year the intent is to take care of the stadium
complex at Chanhassen High School. We’re in the process of working with the district
maintenance staff to donate a tractor, grooming materials, purchase of a new lawn mower,
edgers, additional fill, improved drainage, all to make the field a much better playing surface.
Both aesthetically and playably. Based on the amount of money we raised this year will generate
discussion within the Dugout Club as to how it will go out in the community. Obviously I’ve
seen here a number of times talking about lighting for Lake Susan or dugouts most recently at
Lake Susan. However, our intent is long term to not only do some of those improvements at
Lake Susan but buy scoreboards possibly at Lake Ann Park. Additional batting cages at some of
the parks in the community and to be quite honest this is not a Chanhassen only conversation at
this point. Our intent is also to approach the City of Victoria as a city under the Chanhassen
High School District 112 umbrella and make a similar request.
Cole Kelly: So it’s my understanding that the field has been taken care of all by volunteers and
mostly a lot of stuff by hand without the kind of machinery you need?
Todd Neils: The long term playability of the field needs more specific maintenance than it’s
currently receiving.
Ruegemer: From the school district.
Todd Neils: From the school district.
Cole Kelly: Well when you say that, my understanding is the school district only does a certain
amount of maintenance and they won’t go beyond that point, is that?
Todd Neils: You’re correct. Although I have documentation on the amount of money that the
school district will be spending on general maintenance, fertilization and feeding throughout the
year. Through one of the carriers that does that. However our intent is to, as I said, you know a
new lawnmower so that the grass can be clipped at a more appropriate length. An edger to make
the lines much more crisp and clean. Better drainage that for all of us that were at Red Birds
games after a larger rain storm knows needs to be done and so on and so forth. But again, it’s
not merely about the stadium complex. There is a broader vision to come into the community
and put some of those dollars to work and if we raise enough money this year we’ll put that
money to work this year. It won’t be, we’re going to sink everything we have into the stadium.
It’s we’re going to come in the community and be ready to help anyway we can.
Cole Kelly: Okay, thank you Todd.
Todd Neils: You’re welcome.
Daniel: Steve, anything else you want to add?
Scharfenberg: No.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Daniel: Say Todd, you’re preaching to the choir from my standpoint. I mean I am a huge
proponent of outside revenues that certainly will assist in or help build our internal park systems.
Or at least within our athletic facilities and you know our sons, or my sons play on South Tonka
and you know that’s both South Tonka and East Tonka are littered with advertisement to help
generate those funding to upgrade those parks and without that funding, we certainly wouldn’t
have the facilities that we have currently so it’s certainly from my standpoint, I like the idea.
I’ve always, I guess it hasn’t bothered me at facilities like that. Todd you certainly bring up a
good point. What about lacrosse and what do they want to do? What about soccer and CC
United, Tonka United. How do they want to generate additional revenues? My point being is if
those type of programs are moved forward I want to see those funded and obviously all the
funding from any of those type of advertisements go back into upgrading those facilities.
Whether it be at Bandimere. Whether it be Chanhassen High School’s baseball field or softball
field. Lake Ann. I mean again I think this will be a good test to see what type of response you
get. I think Lake Susan’s benign enough based on the fact that it’s you know primarily
surrounded by I guess industrial. It’s in an industrial area. And certainly I don’t think we have
the immediate concern so I don’t know, I think you’re right. I don’t know if I’m ready to
formulate something that must, certainly other commission members think we should make a
proposal to council.
Cole Kelly: I’m game to make a proposal to council unless somebody here can give me a good
reason why we shouldn’t.
Aldritt: Yeah I think it’d be a good idea.
Daniel: Because I certainly, Steve?
Scharfenberg: No I’ve got another question for Todd. Assuming that this won’t, or is not your
only funding potential funding source to fund your potential expenditures that you’re looking at.
Todd Neils: No, we’re looking at a number of different things. Membership within the club. Be
a member and get a swell hat. T-shirt and stadium chair based on levels of membership. We’re
preparing ourselves to roll that out in the community and it won’t be merely the high school
community. It will be broadly based amongst all the CAA community which has approximately
700 to 800 members. So the intent is to build through not only membership but sponsorship with
businesses and partnering with the City. And again I do appreciate your group point Chair
Daniels. Every dime that we raise is to support community development projects as there will be
no funding going back to any association or otherwise. As a matter of fact the associations that
are members, Red Birds, Legion, CAA, high school will all be making donations to the club. To
that degree.
Daniel: Excellent. Well Cole.
Cole Kelly: Todd what are you, are you guys called the Dugout Club or?
Todd Neils: We are currently called the Dugout Club, yes. The Diamond Club was taken from
our northern friends.
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Cole Kelly: Okay, Dugout Club.
Todd Neils: And the web site is dugout-club.org.
Cole Kelly: Dugout-club.org. I’d like to make a motion that we recommend to the City Council
that they allow the Dugout Club to post signs at Lake Susan for revenue for purposes of putting it
back into the fields and community efforts in Chanhassen.
Daniel: Second the motion?
Aldritt: Second the motion.
Daniel: Okay.
Cole Kelly moved, Aldritt seconded that the Park and Recreation Commission recommend
that the City Council allow the Dugout Club to post signs at Lake Susan from April
through July for revenue for purposes of putting it back into the fields and community
efforts in Chanhassen. All voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously with a vote
of 5 to 0.
Daniel: Thank you Todd.
Todd Neils: Thank you very much.
Hoffman: Point of clarification. What would the commission like me to forward to the Council
in that regard?
Daniel: What he said.
Hoffman: Okay. Put it in writing and send it up with Mr. Neils. You’re going to come to a
visitors presentation.
Carron: Do you want to add April to July?
Daniel: Yes, you know what Todd? Can we just clarify that it is April through July only.
Todd Neils: Yes.
Daniel: For the, just within our recommendation to the council. Thank you Brent. Thank you
Todd. Okay, we got that taken care of and let’s move onto the approval of the minutes.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Scharfenberg moved, Cole Kelly seconded to approve the
verbatim and summary minutes of the Park and Recreation Commission meeting dated
February 22, 2011 as presented. All voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously
with a vote of 5 to 0.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
PROPOSED MODIFICATION TO LAKE SUSAN PARK MASTER PLAN; REMOVAL
OF SWIMMING BEACH DESIGNATION.
Hoffman: Chair Daniels, members of the commission, we just talked about a ballfield at Lake
Susan and we’d like to take you down to the waterfront and talk about the beach. Lake Susan
was opened to the public in 1991 and it had a couple of phases of development. Anyone who’s
been around town long enough will remember that the initial construction of Lake Susan
occurred when the pump house building was constructed out in the middle of a corn field. Little
utility road was out to Lake Susan just south of the railroad bridge, or out to Powers Boulevard.
And that pump house was for the new well that was there but in thinking ahead the park
commission, council at the time constructed a picnic shelter as well. And so people were
wondering why that picnic shelter was out in the middle of a corn field but those who were in the
know realized that that was to be future, a future Lake Susan Park. So that was the start of the
development and then it went through a couple of phases with the boat access being added, the
beachfront, the ballfield and some of the remodeling over time. The designated swimming beach
is 20 foot by 60 foot blanket of sand. Lifeguards have never been out at Lake Susan and the
beach has really never been utilized as a destination. People don’t go there for the beach. They
go to Lake Ann for the beach but from time to time we get people that reserve the facilities there
who are somewhat disappointed when their guests show up and they notice that there’s a
swimming beach designated on the community’s plan for Lake Susan and they walk down to
find a mostly weed infested, mud bottom beachfront area and so it is our recommendation to the
commission for clarity that we take the designation of a beach out of the Lake Susan park master
plan and remove that. Make that recommendation to the City Council. Ask that the City
Council authorize that removal. Take it off of our plans and then either allow the sand blanket
just to grow into a natural shoreline or modify it over time. An example, Mr. Gregory can speak
to this. I think it was just last year the boat got stuck putting the buoys out because the weeds
were so thick, you couldn’t even get the boat through the weeds to get the buoys out and so it’s
one of those areas that’s just, it’s not a very welcoming beachfront area. So we don’t think we’re
taking anything away from anybody. We’re simply clarifying for those who might not be
familiar with the community. For example if you or I were to making a family reunion at some
location outside of town and it said swimming beach and you said kids, pack your swimming
trunks and you run down to a setting like that, you’re going to just be disappointed and we don’t
want to set people up to that disappointment so it is our recommendation that the commission
recommend the City Council modify the Lake Susan Park master plan by removing the
designation of the swimming beach at Lake Susan Park.
Daniel: Okay, thank you Todd. Additional discussions or questions. Peter.
Aldritt: Yeah, is there any way to improve the beach or is it not cost effective to do it? It would
be better to just remove it or is there the possibility for improving it?
Hoffman: Lake Susan’s being, the water quality in Lake Susan has been worked on for quite
some time and basically our lakes in our community, each have it’s own characteristics and Lake
Susan, although they’re trying to improve it, you’re never going to raise it to the level of
swimability of like a Lake Ann or Lake Minnewashta and so short of, in some cases they put in
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
beach curtains and then they treat the water inside the beach area. Short of doing something like
that I don’t think you’re going to improve the water quality or the setting or the substrate which
is primarily mud past about 6 or 8 feet out into the lake or 10 feet out in the lake. Some of the
sand has migrated off the beach into the water so we, staff could not identify a good way to
improve that to make it a more palatable or swimmable area.
Aldritt: And then as far as percentage of visitors, have you seen that there’s much more of a
draw to a Lake Ann or a Lake Minnewashta, other beaches in the area that this just seems like
you’re losing the population going to Lake Susan? And the numbers that do go there and being
more disappointed with the beach front due to the.
Hoffman: Yeah, this is not a destination that people are going to for beach use.
Aldritt: Okay.
Hoffman: It’s just simply people that would reserve for a picnic or something of that nature.
Aldritt: And then use the beach just there, okay.
Hoffman: They see it noted that there’s a beach available if they’re not familiar with what’s
there.
Aldritt: Sure.
Scharfenberg: And people are still going to use it if they’re there to some extent.
Hoffman: To wade.
Scharfenberg: You know they’ll go down and wade in on a hot day and cool off a little bit but.
Daniel: You can do that at the boat access couldn’t you? It’s probably cleaner. Peter. I mean
Brent.
Carron: Nothing.
Daniel: Cole.
Cole Kelly: Todd you want the swimming beach removed completely or can we just say beach
or does that still not a good thing to do because it gives a misconception? And then when I was
thinking about that I opened up the next page and it said beach. Just beach on the next page so,
and I know what you’re trying to get across. Yeah, if it’s not a good swimming beach, you want
to take swimming off. Do we still want to leave the designation with beach on there?
Hoffman: I would not recommend that just, we might leave the sand blanket. People can use it
but yeah, when people associate a beach in Minnesota, they hope they can go in the water as well
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in some sort of a reasonable swimming or beach front experience and you’re just not going to
find that at Lake Susan.
Cole Kelly: Okay, thank you.
Daniel: Steve.
Scharfenberg: I mean I’m assuming that we’ll keep the canoe rack there. It doesn’t get much
use I’m assuming during the year.
Ruegemer: Lake Susan has kind of tailed off the last couple years but if that’s the commission’s
wish we certainly can keep that there.
Scharfenberg: I mean is there, how many canoes do we keep there during the?
Ruegemer: We can have up to 6 and currently we do not have any rented for the summer.
Hoffman: How many are rented at Lake Ann?
Ruegemer: We are at I believe 12 right now. I mean typically it’s full at 18.
Hoffman: We’ll keep it there unless the interest is completely. It’s gone down. People are
going to the other, they go to Lake Ann because it’s non-motorized and other areas.
Cole Kelly: Well I guess that kind of brings up another question. Are we better off moving the
canoes over to Lake Ann? Would they get more use?
Hoffman: We’re maxed out there at 3.
Ruegemer: Yeah, with canoes we are.
Daniel: We both space as well I assume?
Ruegemer: What’s that?
Daniel: I mean would it make sense to move the rack?
Hoffman: We have 3 racks at Lake Susan or Lake Ann and that’s about maximum for what we
want to take up to that area.
Daniel: Gotch ya, okay. I mean is there any maintenance associated with the racks besides weed
whipping around it? That’s it? Okay. Alright. I don’t have any questions with the exception of
the fact, oh I guess when we talk Todd about just leaving the beaches, would it continue to be
groomed and that it’s? Or we just let it kind of just go?
Hoffman: Not extensively groomed.
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Daniel: Let Mother Nature take her course.
Hoffman: We might pull the willows out but yeah.
Daniel: Alright. Well certainly I think we should probably move ahead with the proposed
motion by the staff. If there’s any changes, add right now. If not let’s go ahead and.
Cole Kelly: I’ll make a motion that we go with the proposed motion made up by Todd Hoffman
that’s in the box and pass it onto the City Council.
Carron: I’ll second that motion.
Cole Kelly moved, Carron seconded that the Park and Recreation Commission
recommends that the City Council modify the Lake Susan Park master plan by removing
the designation of a swimming beach. All voted in favor and the motion carried
unanimously with a vote of 5 to 0.
Hoffman: For new commissioners. An item like this will go on the City Council’s consent
agenda and so we think this is routine business. It will go on the consent agenda and if council
wants to pull it, they’ll pull it and ask for questions or they may send it back to the park
commission. If they approve of it, they’ll approve it as a part of the consent agenda.
REVIEW TH 101 NORTH AND PLEASANT VIEW ROAD INTERSECTION AND
TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS.
Hoffman: Thank you Chair Daniels and members of the commission. The proposed motion this
evening is that the Park and Rec Commission recommend that the City Council complete the
Trunk Highway 101 and Pleasant View Road intersection and trail improvements and authorize
the disbursement of $95,000 in park dedication funds to assist in the funding of this project.
Approval requires a simple majority vote. Let’s go right to the presentation. You’re familiar
with. Let’s go back to the drawing. That first drawing. I can’t see a date up there but the
commission, you created this concept plan for this trail, to complete the trail along 101 and then
to complete the trail along Pleasant View Road and this was done independent of the road project
and so the commission realized that that gap piece on 101 wanted to be completed. Needed to be
completed and that gap piece on Pleasant View Road needed to be completed so this was in 2010
I believe…and then the budget, if we can switch to the next sheet. The budget to build this as a
stand alone project. Is that 101? $400,000.
Ruegemer: Yeah.
Hoffman: So $400,000 for the 101 trail project as a stand alone. Commission pulled it out of the
CIP. You weren’t willing to finance this as an independent project and so now we’ll move into
the presentation. This is the City Engineer/Public Works Director Paul Oehme created. You can
go to the power point Jerry. So Mr. Oehme applied for some funding for the intersection
improvements at Pleasant View and 101 and then also the trail improvements. The trail
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
improvements were kicked out of the funding application originally by the State. We appealed
back to the State of Minnesota and they included the trail as a part of the funding application in
that proposal. So they’ve been looking at this intersection for a long time. Concerns over
accidents at intersection. Delays. We have that trail gap that we talked about. In 2010 council
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authorized staff to apply for this state aid grant. This January 10 the council authorized work to
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begin on the project. A neighborhood meeting was held on March 3. Council approved a
permit for the future trail in MnDOT right-of-way. A survey’s being completed and…design is
being completed. That’s how the intersection looks today. 101 north and south and Pleasant
View is to the west. Eden Prairie’s on the right. Chanhassen on the left. Storm water pond that
will be enlarged as a part of this project. That’s what it’s doing. It’s adding left turn lanes.
Right turn lanes. Widening the shoulders. Curb on 101. Extend the trail. Drainage
improvements. Extend the trail on Pleasant View. Add curb and gutter on the north side of
Pleasant View Road. People have asked about the stop condition. Could it be a stop light? It
does not meet warrants for a signal. Larger pavement section on 101 for the turn lanes.
Additional turn lane reconstruction at Fox Hollow Drive which is just south. additional pond
over sizing and clean out along with the storm sewer improvements and more retaining walls
along 101. So everything in the color is the new improvements showing the turn lanes. This is
working north and south here. Flip flop. This is Pleasant View Road looking north and south
and east and west is, unless if you follow the north there. So the maroon or fuchsia color is the
trail. That’s what will be extended of that intersection. Extends north to Minnetonka, Eden
Prairie. It’s actually in Eden Prairie. Minnetonka’s just to the north and then that connects to the
continuation of the trail. It heads up Highway 101 into Minnetonka and up to Highway 7. So
this truly is a gap. It was never completed when the trail was built the first time around. The
trail was stopped at Pleasant View Road. And this is the section of trail along Pleasant View
Road. Again here the westerly terminus is at a trail crossing. There’s a trail that comes out of a
neighborhood from the north and then it will T into this new trail section and then cross the road
and you take a trail section down to North Lotus Lake Park. Here’s the schedule. Start
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construction date September 6. Hopefully substantially complete by the end of October.
There’ll be some additional neighborhood meetings. There’s a variety of easements that need to
be acquired. Those meetings are going to be starting here this month and continuing on through
the first part of the summer. Funding, the total estimated cost is 759. It talks about the State
grant there. A maximum of 594 and then City funds to pay for all Pleasant View intersection
and trail improvements. So the proposed funding currently is that the park dedication fund pays
$95,000 of the total cost. Street pavement is $90,000 and surface water utility fund $45,000 so
not a $400,000 project but a $95,000 investment and so that’s staff’s recommendation is that you
approve that allocation to the City Council. Be happy to answer any questions.
Daniel: Yes, I’m sure there’s going to be some.
Cole Kelly: Can you go back to that last slide that you had? Okay, because let’s see. Total
estimated cost is 759 and you said the State is funding 594.
Hoffman: Maximum.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Cole Kelly: So we don’t know that they’ll fund that amount yet? Okay. Because I’m looking at
a difference of $165,000 there but yet we’ve got funding laid out at $230,000. From the City.
And that’s because we don’t know what’s coming out of the State?
Hoffman: Correct.
Cole Kelly: And when do we find out what comes from the State?
Hoffman: I don’t have that information. I can find out from Mr. Oehme. I don’t know. I’ll
have to find out from the City Engineer.
Cole Kelly: Okay. And I’m also kind of curious, and this is a curiosity question. Who put
together where the funds should come from out of the City? I mean was that kind of the City
Council looked at it and said if we move forward on this, this is where the funds should come
from or do you guys say this is what makes sense from the funding sources that we have in the
City or where does that come from?
Hoffman: Basically the project author, and so Mr. Oehme would put together the project budget.
We meet as a staff and talk about that. And then that’s made as a recommendation to the City
Council so this project was included in your last year’s CIP. So if you open up your CIP book
and you’ll go to road projects, you’ll see that this road project is identified, $95,000 in park
dedication funds, the street pavement management and the surface water utility funds so.
Cole Kelly: And I made the recommendation last year to add it in the funds for 2011?
Hoffman: Who made the recommendation?
Cole Kelly: I said did we make the recommendations?
Hoffman: You did not.
Cole Kelly: We did not? Okay.
Daniel: So this will be new business.
Cole Kelly: And coming out of the CIP this year, I’m assuming we have a number of things that
are going to come out of the CIP that we’re looking at and I guess for me it’s hard to look at one
item and say I want to, yes I want to do it or no, I don’t want to do it out of the CIP without
really seeing the whole schedule of CIP so for me this is something that I can’t come to a
decision on tonight personally. Just so you know where I’m coming from.
Daniel: Thank you Cole. Steve.
Scharfenberg: No questions.
Daniel: Peter.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Aldritt: No questions at this moment.
Daniel: Brent.
Carron: Any reason why this wasn’t done when the roadway was just milled and repaved last
year?
Hoffman: Yes. This project wasn’t funded and so it wasn’t, this application wasn’t even in yet
and the State…we talked with the State. They said we’re doing our project. You try to apply for
your’s and if you get the money, go for it and there are going to be some dollars there that you
know that intersection will be removed so there was some work that was done there last year that
will be tore up and re-conditioned.
Carron: Okay. The only other question I have Todd is on the graphic between the two different
types of trails. Has that been chosen what, go back. Yeah, keep going. Go back another one. I
think it was your first slide you showed.
Hoffman: Okay.
Carron: That’s not it.
Scharfenberg: I think it was the one with the scaled drawing.
Carron: I’m looking at this one…schematic.
Hoffman: Go back to the.
Carron: Oh, different presentation. Yep. One before that. Has there been a choice on what one
they’re looking? Do we make a recommendation or does MnDOT? Obviously MnDOT’s got to
make their final approval but do they, I’m looking at those.
Hoffman: This was a schematic.
Carron: Okay.
Hoffman: And then the plan set coming off of this project is being worked through, through the
State funding project and consultant that’s working on that project so what you see here is simply
a schematic to try to get an idea of what that trail was going to cost as an independent project.
The $402,000 or the $400,000…and so basically what my recommendation is the commission,
you’re getting a $400,000 trail project for $95,000. We’re piggy backing on a project, which we
often do and so one of the best ways to build trails in our community is to build them with a road
project. Often we do that at little or no cost. In this case you’re hopping onto a project that’s
going to improve an intersection. The public testimony in this area, these people are very excited
about the possibility of this trail going in because now they can start to make connections to the
other communities and loops throughout their neighborhoods so we’re taking an opportunity that
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
wasn’t there. The commission knew they couldn’t finance this for $400,000 and we have
another division within our city, the public works/engineering division that said we know we
want to do improvements at that intersection for turn lanes and safety improvements. And we
said well great, while you’re doing that let’s see if we can’t get that trail built as a part of a larger
project and so for a contribution of $95,000, which obviously doesn’t pay the whole trail cost.
There are costs being paid through the grant dollars and some soft costs being paid through the
project so engineering has taken care of the whole project. Is paying for the trail engineering
whereas if we were going to do this as a stand alone project, you’d be bearing the burden of all
this cost.
Carron: So the way it’s set up that bottom drawing with the trail outside of the roadway, is that
going to be the match line on the top or is all the trail going to be right alongside the road? I’m
trying to.
Hoffman: Yep, if you go to, go back to the power point. That shows generally where the trail’s
going to be built.
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Carron: It’s going to be built right alongside the roadway, right? Except up by West 67 there
might be some boulevard.
Hoffman: Yeah, it’s basically along and that’s because there’s a fence. There’s an existing
fence and those property owners and then there’s a wall that’s being constructed and then the
trail so it’s removed from the roadway. It’s not adjacent to the roadway in all places but it’s not
set back a great distance. And in these highway type conditions this is a fairly typical type of
construction cross section. If you travel down south from here the trail goes back and forth
depending on where you have the availability of space.
Daniel: I think that along 101 as you go further south from Pleasant View as the trail gets closer
to 101, I believe there’s guardrails up on there correct? Same type of design if that happens
here? Yeah, I’ve walked that trail plenty of times and you feel safe. It’s not really a safety
concern. But Brent, anything else you want to add?
Carron: No, that answered me.
Daniel: I look at this and, at least from my perspective that it’s a 75% off sale on a project that
we’ve certainly debated before in the past. For $95,000 to get how many feet Todd of?
Hoffman: I don’t have the total calculation.
Daniel: But nonetheless it.
Hoffman: It’s a big chunk of trail.
Daniel: Yeah, it’s a big chunk of trail exactly and I think really what is going to be a big
segment. Currently if you live on that north side, and you know if you want to get to the
Minnetonka park trail system you cut through the neighborhoods out there and then you have to
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
go to Vine Hill and then from there you can get on a small little sidewalk then reach the trails
along 101 that will take you into all the park systems all over so I mean this actually will, I’ve
always, at least from my standpoint envisioned this being a critical access point much like it is on
the south side as we’re going down Bluff Creek to reach the LRT there. This is kind of another
key point and for $95,000 I would say that it’s a bargain and a half. More so than that. And
especially since we’re tying in. I’ve always believed, and I agree with Todd, anytime there’s any
type of road improvement there should be the opportunity for us to evaluate and look at trail
systems. That’s something I said I wish we would have done in Yosemite when we had done
that. Tore up that road. So I guess I understand your standpoint Cole. Wanting to understand
where we are within the CIP but I think this is, I do believe given the dollar amount, at $400,000
it was something that would have just been tabled til 2017 like everything else that we’re doing
but I think certainly I wouldn’t hesitate to forward a motion at all to the City Council based on
the cost of this. The low cost for this portion of the road, and like I said based off of what we’re
getting and tying this in. Let me ask you this Todd, is there going to be any issues with a delay
until next meeting as we have a chance to evaluate the CIP? Will this cause any problems if we
wait til next meeting in May? Or sooner the better?
Hoffman: No, but I don’t believe you’re going to see all your CIP work in May. May and June.
And to Commissioner Kelly’s point, I understand that there’s going to be a lot of things that
come out of the CIP this year based on where the funding revenues are at and expenditures are at
and I also understand that the budgeting process and the CIP process is not always clean. These
projects get orchestrated. These dollars get allocated. The council approves it. You weren’t
onboard from the get go and I understand that so for that I apologize but I just think as you move
through the CIP process you’re not going to find many 4 for 1 sales in there at any level. This
section of trail has just, it’s one of the top 6 really left to go and we don’t have this kind of
opportunity. The Arboretum trail we’re applying for transportation enhancement funding. The
Bluff Creek trail connection to the LRT trail we’re applying for.
Daniel: Pioneer.
Hoffman: Transportation enhancement. I don’t think you’re going to see a major section of trail
completed in the town unless, in the near future unless you have some kind of leveraged funding.
In this case you have significantly leveraged funding to make this project happen so. If the
commission would not recommend the $95,000 they would just kick the trail out of the project.
Save the money and you’d be back looking at trying to build this thing for $400,000 at some
point in the future.
Daniel: That’s exactly my point Todd and certainly I’m not hesitant on this end of it given the
fact that, I mean part of it is Cole is because of the past that myself or Steve or other
commissioners that have constantly debate this particular one and part of the issue I always had
was the extreme cost at that time. In my mind but for some other projects that we’ve seen that
come through trail systems, this is a bargain. Extreme bargain and I think a great opportunity
just to complete it so that would be my opinion.
Cole Kelly: Well I guess what I oppose is that we don’t see what the CIP layout is so we can’t
rate it as compared to other projects at this point and this might be the best project. It might be
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
the fifth best project that we look at and I don’t have a clue if it is or not at this point so I will
oppose it.
Daniel: Okay. Well why don’t we go ahead and make a motion.
Scharfenberg: I’ll move to adopt staff’s recommendation to authorize disbursement of $95,000
in park dedication funds to assist in the funding of the Trunk Highway 101 and Pleasant View
Road intersection and trail improvements.
Daniel: Okay. Second the motion?
Carron: I’ll second the motion.
Scharfenberg moved, Carron seconded that the Park and Recreation Commission
recommend that the City Council complete the TH 101 and Pleasant View Road
Intersection and Trail Improvements, City Project #11-05 and authorize the disbursement
of $95,000 in park dedication funds to assist in the funding of this project. All voted in
favor, except Cole Kelly who opposed and the motion carried with a vote of 4 to 1.
Daniel: Thank you Cole though. I mean certainly I appreciate and understand your point of
view on this one too.
Cole Kelly: Thank you.
PRESENTATION OF 2010 PARK AND RECREATION ANNUAL REPORT.
Ruegemer: Thank you Chair Daniels and the rest of the commission. Good evening again. Just
to really it’s a great opportunity for us to take a look at our 2010 Annual Report. It was a 100%
a team effort within all of our park and recreation division from special events to Rec Center
sports to senior center, park maintenance. Rec Center is really a great effort by everybody in this
room. Also our administrative staff that’s put together this and really formatted everything. It
was, it’s a great document. We’re really pleased. We did start this process, well not the process
but the 2010, we started the annual report in 2008. It was really kind of a way for us to you
know kind of create a historical document and really track our accomplishments and our
performance throughout the course of the year really between all of our divisions of our park and
rec department. It’s been a great document really for us to kind of keep on top of kind of what
we’ve done. You know taking notes throughout the course of the year and really compile that
into this really a comprehensive document. We’re extremely proud of it. I just want to thank
everybody in this room on a staff level for really participating and really giving it their all and
really producing a great document. What I’m going to do is just kind of briefly go through all
the, just real quick the kind of different sections of that. The senior center is obviously a great
division of our park and rec department. You know Sue has been a great in adding a lot of
different technology to have some classes throughout the year. Last year from digital photos to
Skype and just a lot of senior surf days and just really trying to get technology introduced even
more into the senior’s lives. Sue does a great job on day trips and going on a lot of different
interesting places as we did have some of those conversations out at the Rec Center previously to
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
our meeting here tonight but Sue does a great job with all aspects of the senior center. A lot of
that is accomplished, or highlighted in more detail certainly in the senior section of that. Chan
Rec Center is really an important piece of our success obviously with our department as well.
Jodi kind of went through a lot of kind of the operation of the Rec Center tonight during the tour,
which was great. She didn’t tell you really about the new fitness equipment. We’ve really been
in the process of upgrading the equipment out there with different octane fitness and elliptical
pieces of apparatus. New treadmill. Kind of gave you kind of a broad view of how many
community hours are being used out there by different organizations and areas within our
community. Just Jodi does a great job with adult programming and also you know the dance
program we kind of went through tonight and were witness to one of the classes in progress
tonight so that’s a great job with that and certainly John and Jodi are supervising the Rec Center
Sports program. You certainly were a witness of the gym activity tonight with all the young
youth of our community out there having a great time so that really has been a wonderful
addition to our department and really is, they’ve done a great job on really exceeding
expectations of our customers with a 96% success rate and really the overall satisfaction of the
program during surveys with the participants parents and that so it’s been a great steady revenue
and we’ve increased revenue out there as well and am really keeping a line on our expenses as
well so really it’s been a great addition. John does a great job with youth programs. Just last
year, 2010 you had 427 participants in the Summer Discovery Playground program. That
program continues to be kind of our cornerstone of our department on an annual basis. We’re
extremely proud of that and just really what John is really trying to do is also kind of look for
different venues for programs that we have. We’ve introduced Summer Sensations out at the
Lake Susan picnic shelter just to kind of give it a different twist and just kind of keep trying to
reinvent ourselves a little bit too to kind of make it fresh for our community so that’s been a
great job. Done a lot of expanding and marketing with email blast. John and Jodi are very active
in that. Also with Facebook in a lot of different ways. We’re constantly taking pictures at events
and different things. It really can be updated on a daily basis if we like to. You know adaptive
recreation. Certainly the commission has seen some of the success stories that we’ve had in
offering a number of different programs with that you know really helping out, really an
important segment of our population and we’re extremely pleased with how the adaptive
recreation adults and children in our community. Adult athletics. We serve 57 teams last year in
the summer and fall programs with that and pleased with that. Also did some 3 on 3 basketball
as well. Those were played on Monday nights out at the Chan Recreation Center. Community
events. Certainly the commission is, been involved in a number of different events from the ice
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fishing contest, the 4 of July celebration, the Easter Egg candy hunt just to name a few. We’re
extremely proud of our community events. We really feel it is really kind of the cornerstone of
our department. The events have really grown with our population and really we hear a number
of really positive comments that people truly enjoy the hometown, small town feeling of our
events and you know kids can run free and parents can dance and have fun at the street dance
and feel safe and we take a lot of pride in that and really a lot of accomplishment in that so we’re
very pleased with that. John does a great job on administering the sponsorship program. You
can see in 2010 we’ve taken in over $30,000 in cash and in kind donations with that. We have a
very generous business community that we’re very proud of and will really look to continue that
in the future. Tree lighting ceremony was one of our largest attended events that we’ve had in
December of 2010 and that continues to be just a wonderful event. Our park maintenance crew
and division does a wonderful job on getting the park ready to go for that night. The ceremonial
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
flip of the switch and it’s magical when the light comes on and the whole park lights up and it’s
really breath taking so thanks to Dale and his crew for that. Partnerships. I was surprised when
we put together our partnerships here for the year. That is something that we did add new for
2010 report. Really across all of our divisions we have 60 different partnerships that we’re
involved in and I think that speaks highly of our communication and cooperation that we have
within our community and our organization to make really our programs that are in place or the
way we operate our maintenance division. We’re extremely proud of that and will definitely
continue to look on adding partnerships into the future. Our facilities are certainly an important
part of our operation from reserving ballfields to providing skating rinks in the winter time and
warming houses for that. Lake Ann, we talked about the beach tonight. Lake Ann obviously is a
great facility for providing swimming opportunities for people. The 20,000 number always
astounds me and that is the kind of the numbers that lifeguards are keeping track when they’re on
duty so that number is actually higher when people are just down there prior to the lifeguards
coming on duty for the day and after they leave for the night so that number is higher than that.
Same goes with our picnic. We estimate it at 10,000 users that used our picnic shelters last year
that were made with the reservations that we got. Certainly there are a lot of groups that are out
there during non-reserved times that are out there using it and enjoying our facilities and we
applaud them as well so we’re happy that people are using our facilities. We’re always amazed
with our park maintenance division. No matter how much pressure we put on them during the
course of the week, they always respond and rise to the top. They exceed a lot of the
community’s expectations and do a great job on that. You can see how much grass they mow on
a weekly basis and a lot of times we’re maintaining you know ballfields and that sort of thing
multiple times per week so the lawnmowers rarely shut off during the course of the week so
we’re very happy with the element of maintenance that they do provide for us. And you look at
the number of miles of trails that we have and that number seems to really kind of creep up on an
annual basis now with the important segments of our trail system you know kind of coming on
line every year. We’re extremely happy with our transportation areas that we have around our
school. Schools that you know certain kids can certainly ride their bikes during non-winter times
and also then walk to that so you know our trail systems are used on a daily basis from walkers,
joggers, bikers, Rollerbladers. People are using it for transportation to get back and to from
work. So extremely happy and Dale does a great job with the maintenance part of that. And also
with the park improvements. You know we’ve had kind of a run on diseased elm trees that
we’ve been kind of taking out of our park system and disposing of those properly. We’re
extremely proud of the Lake Ann steps project that we completed kind of the tail end of the fall
of 2009. That’s going to be just a great connection between Hilltop shelter down to the kind of
the base of the beach and the playground equipment for that and I’ve really been talking that up
to people that have been reserving the Hilltop shelter so people are really excited to have that
connection. To really just make that area just more complete so. We had talked a little bit about
the capital improvement project tonight. We did have a lot of different you know projects
ranging from $10,000 to $400,000 in 2010 so we’re very happy. Very pleased with this
document. Certainly we will complete that on an annual basis and staff has been great on
keeping notes kind of throughout the course of the year and compiling all that information into
the document you see tonight so I think we ended up to be a hair over 30 pages. 32 pages so it
kind of gives us kind of a snapshot of our organizational chart and how the seasonal people that
we have under each division and really great pictures throughout the course of the document so I
will entertain any questions tonight. I know we kind of breezed through that rapidly but
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
hopefully you all had time to kind of look through the document prior to the meeting tonight and
we’re pleased with our efforts.
Daniel: Steve.
Scharfenberg: Well just wonderful report and again thanks to staff and everything that they do.
I think we put on wonderful programming and the things that we do here are you know greatly
appreciated by the people of this city so again wonderful job for you and your staff.
Daniel: Cole.
Cole Kelly: I think we’re always impressed with what the Chanhassen city staff does and we
continue to be impressed so thank you for all the hard work that you guys do. We’re impressed.
Daniel: Brent.
Carron: Again I just, it’s a great report and with that looking forward to see it continue in the
future because it’s just like you said, it’s a really good recap from what happened last year and
then 10 years down the road so very, very impressive.
Aldritt: Yeah, I think it’s really great. When you see it on paper it really opens up your eyes on
how much you guys do do and see all, you know even with the figures and stuff, it’s impressive
with all that gets done and I think the City has done a great job with the different events
involving many different types of people in the different programs throughout the year.
Daniel: Thank you Peter, and Jerry I complimented you just before our meeting but just saying
what a great report it is and so, I had a chance to read through it last month and then read through
it again now so you forget certainly how much effort you guys put into it and like I said, it
certainly stands out so and this is I assume posted on the web site.
Ruegemer: It will be.
Daniel: Okay it will be eventually and every year we post that in the park and recreation
department section of the web site. Of Chanhassen’s city web site, okay.
Hoffman: And a point of knowledge, this production of this report is in the City ordinance so the
City Council requested that this report be published annually for their information and
information to the public.
Daniel: Excellent. Continue the great work guys, thank you. Alright.
RECREATION PROGRAM REPORTS:
2010/11 ICE SKATING/HOCKEY RINK EVALUATION.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Stutzman: Thank you Chair Daniels and members of the commission. This seems like a little bit
of another lifetime at this point. Even though it’s not white we’re still getting different forms of
precipitation out there.
Daniel: Well I think it just felt like February ended last week so don’t worry.
Stutzman: Well that too so. I guess I’ll just highlight a couple things here in the interest of kind
of keeping things moving. First of all just to kind of highlight, we had 50 days that we were
open throughout the season. Kind of like this spring it was a trial by fire in some of the days out
there. We had some warm ones. We had one really cold ones and so we kind of pieced a season
together but all in all I think it was a great season with only 50 days which was down 17 days
from last year. We still averaged or we still had almost 7,100 skaters out there which is only
about 2,500 down in a difference of you know 2 ½ weeks so all in all I think it was another great
season out there. Staff was very nice, did a nice job out there again and kept the facilities
looking good as well as the maintenance staff did a phenomenal job doing everything they could
giving all the trials that were faced by Mother Nature. The last point that I’m sure Dale will
probably mention this as well in his report. After this report was printed Dale and I touched base
and there was a figure wrong in the expenses. The rink maintenance should actually be
$35,256.99 and so the total expenses come to $47,212 just as a point of clarification for you guys
so. At this point if you guys have any questions on the rink season I’m certainly happen to
entertain those as well.
Daniel: Alright, questions. Cole.
Cole Kelly: John, are we happy with the usage at all the parks at this point and with the staffing
that we did do in the warming houses?
Stutzman: That’s a great question. I believe it, and correct me Commissioner Scharfenberg or
Daniel, this was a conversation we had 2 years ago. Not this past season but 2 seasons ago
where we actually evaluated that exact answer and to say at this point I would say yes. After the
modified hours at Roundhouse, I think that the staffing hours have been very appropriate. I
would also like to add that the Roundhouse neighborhood, I would say really rallied behind it.
They really took it as a personal challenge to continue to use that rink out there, which I give
them a lot of respect and credit for. I think that was a great part on their behalf. They were
certainly willing to negotiate with us and forego the weekday hours and still get some hours on
the weekends and when we have staff out there they’re very well used. User is up from the past
which is great to see. The other locations were Rec Center and North Lotus continue to be by far
the busiest locations just based on where they are in the city and the number of rinks available
and City Center Park continues to be a favorite of the hockey associations and people just
looking for giant pleasure rinks so I think at this point we’ve got a pretty good fill from around
the city.
Cole Kelly: Great, thank you John.
Daniel: Steve, anything you want to add?
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Scharfenberg: Just thank you to Dale and his staff again for all that they did with getting the
rinks prepared again this year and getting them cleared off with all the snow that we had and I
thought it was again you know by Dale’s report and this report, another successful season so.
Daniel: And I second that as far as what Steve says. I mean certainly thank you to the staff in
keeping those rinks open for this winter season, and I just assume the 17 days, I think we reached
a point when due to the snow that we were getting, I mean that’s really what started to get us this
time wouldn’t you say?
Stutzman: Yes. Yeah it was a lot of the snow days. We did have some very, very cold days as
I’m sure we all remember and then I believe it was actually right around that winter break time
where we had that heat wave that the rinks were too soft to skate so it really was a combination
of all factors of Mother Nature this winter.
Daniel: And which day were you talking about that heat wave? Hours?
Stutzman: I believe it was the first couple days of winter break leading up to winter break
because I remember Dale’s crew was working very hard to try and get them open. I certainly
reluctantly closed them over those days and yes that does seem like a very long time ago.
Daniel: Okay great. Thanks John.
2011 EASTER EGG CANDY HUNT.
Stutzman: Based on the fact that this was to be offered last month, this was just a brief preview
in there. I have an evaluation that I’m working on to present to you guys next month but real
briefly I’ll just touch on the biggest thing was the new location and format this year that all in all
went extremely well. I’m very pleased with moving it back up here to City Center Park. The
elimination of the entertainment was not a big deal. There were a lot of happy faces out there
and I was very pleased with it but we can talk more about that next month.
CHAN JAM EVALUATION.
Stutzman: Chan Jam was another good event this year. There were definitely some challenges
to it but certainly we worked through them, and I have to give the students a lot of credit because
they really helped me rally around it. We had 5 bands that were scheduled to play. We did have
one band that had to withdraw about 3 days before the show due to an emergency but I will say
the 4 bands that did participate that night were not only tremendous young students and young
adults but they were incredible musicians. Very pleased. Attendance was down but I think that
was mostly due to the bands. The down number in bands but exceeded my expectations per what
we had. Moving forward I think in the future there’s some suggestions that I’ve made possibly
moving the, it to November which I am pursuing. I talked with a majority of the bands. Most of
them seemed to be very on board with that idea. Just a less chaotic time of year for them. I also
talked with some of my contacts in the school saying hey, let us know in advance and we’ll try
and help you find a date too so there’s been a lot of support around that in trying to continue to
do this. The other thing I will just say too, the biggest praise I heard from participants as well as
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
families of the participants were the quality of the judges that we had this year which were
outstanding. A couple members of Casablanca Orchestra as well as some of the teachers and
members of staff from Paul Green School of Rock over in Eden Prairie. We had some wonderful
sponsors that, Eric Saunder from Chaska Middle School West I believe helped set me up with, he
used to run Battle of the Bands that he no longer does and has really jumped on board to help me
put this on so special thanks to him in getting us those but again I can entertain any more detailed
questions if you guys have any at this point.
Daniel: Any questions for John?
Scharfenberg: John I mean, is there any way to kind of grow this event beyond where we are? I
mean it kind of looks like in terms of kids has stagnated a little bit last couple years. Anything
else that we can do to grow that event at all? I mean other than moving it to November possibly.
Stutzman: The other piece that I’m seriously considering to do just that is opening it up to bands
outside of the Chanhassen, Minnetonka, or pardon me. The eastern Carver County and
Minnetonka school districts. If I were to do that certainly those schools would receive priority in
the selection process but that would allow us to turn it into a larger draw for participants as well
as getting bands because there has been interest expressed in the past with that so I am weighing
that possibility.
Daniel: Yeah, and it creates this participation as well as attendance. You know I’m sure there’s
plenty of band options out of Eden Prairie or Hopkins or certainly even some of the other schools
that are close by. Shakopee so.
Cole Kelly: John, could you give me the process for how you go to, how you recruit bands?
Stutzman: The biggest things is obviously with that particular age group is word of mouth so I
really appeal to bands that have played prior. I send out multiple emails. Talk to them. We’ve
had one incredible student by the name of Thomas Pierz from the Wander Bartletts who was
involved in all four years this event has been going on. He recruited several bands from
Minnetonka this year and in past years. Eric Saunder over in Chaska Middle School has been
certainly involved in things like that. Facebook is one thing I continue to explore more and more
and then just advertisements in the schools as well have been explored so I think if we opened it
up we could owe our access more resources such as some of our sponsors this year from the
Music School. They did inquire to me, hey can we get people in those school districts involved
and I kind of told them at this point no, we can’t so that would be a resource if we did open it up,
as Steve and I were talking about, that we would work to utilize them to continue to grow as
well.
Cole Kelly: Good, thank you. I’m also glad to hear you’ve got Eric Saunder involved. He
taught band to one or two of my children and I’m very impressed with him.
Stutzman: He was phenomenal this year.
Daniel: Great, thank you John and good job.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Stutzman: Thank you.
Daniel: For putting on Chan Jam so thank you.
RECREATION CENTER REPORT.
Daniel: Hi Jodi. Good chance to talk about the recreation center updates.
Sarles: Yeah. I look at this and the first item we have on here is facility information and I wish I
could say the roof was all fixed and everything were on par but as the commissioners saw tonight
on their tour, we’ve got a couple buckets but we’re down to 2 buckets which is vastly
improvement from a month ago so happy to say that but working well with the school district.
We’ve got the roofer back out. He’ll be back out again on Thursday in developing a future plan
how to alleviate our troubled areas here so, which is good. We did a big facility rental evaluation
so if you flip over a couple pages, we took and emailed out to everybody who rented in 2010, or
people that gave us their email addresses, an evaluation form. Just kind of asked about their
experience there. How many times they’ve been there. Those sorts of things and basically we
rated either good or very good, or in the top two. Excellent or very good from the majority and
so 90% I would say in those two categories. My staff all got copies of this so they could see it
and you know, it’s great to see them getting compliments. Everybody enjoying working with
them. Saying they’re doing their job. There’s a few things we’re working on but other than that
it’s been, it’s a nice tool that we can kind of anonymously send out and gather data and we used
Survey Monkey so pretty easy and, for both parties so it’s all anonymous for them too. And to
go through, we did go through a rate increase so the rates coming in to use the Rec Center, the
daily rate went from $2.50 to $3.00 for Chanhassen residents and then from $3.00 to $3.50 for
non-residents. We basically you know a few folks understood. It was the first rate increase I
believe since 2004 so. Sometimes still get a few comments but for the most part people
understood and are happy with what they get and the experience of the Rec Center so. Dance for
Fun. We got to witness one of the competition teams tonight but we did have a winter showcase
in January with over 500 people that came to those, both those presentations so that was a neat
way for those dancers to kind of show where they were at halfway through the year and now we
th
are diligently working towards our May 14 recital over at the Chanhassen High School. Few
different things that are going on. Zumba is one of the classes that continues to just go nuts. I
don’t really know what’s going on there but it’s a Latin dance aerobic class and the instructor’s
great. Last week was supposed to be her week off but folks did not pay attention and at class
time there were, I think there were 20 people there waiting for her. Her class was supposed to
start this Wednesday, not last Wednesday and so my staff person called her. She came in. Ran a
class and got 7 more entrants for the class starting tomorrow night and she’s got, she uses the
studio and she’s got space, I think a maximum of 30. Right now she’s got 27 signed up with the
availability of 3 walk-in’s so that program will be moving into the gym in May so. Those guys
are going to be dancing right into each other. I talked to her about it and she’s like no, that’s
great. As far as the rec center sports, it’s the small fry sports, John and I continue to be amazed
at the program. Those kids, those 3 and 4 year olds. It’s great. The parents love it. They are
learning and trying to learn how to play sports I think is the best thing we can say. We’ve done
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
basketball, golf and soccer so far. Our next challenge will be starting next week we’re going to
have those little guys playing football so, and without tackling, right? Yeah. So yeah.
Stutzman: I think so.
Sarles: Yeah I know. That’s what we’re attempting but you know. Some soft landing
somewhere. Preschool sports again, you guys saw tonight. It is a very successful program. We
heartily thank our volunteers that help run that program as well as our staff so they’re doing a
great job. We continue to send out evaluations each session and they keep coming back
excellent so we’re happy that that’s a successful program for us. And then the same thing with
after school sports. That just continues to run well. We are now starting football. Flag football
after school so that’s a Wednesday night program and in that one we got a new instructor now so
we’re ready to roll and have a few, 4 weeks of flag football. 5 weeks of flag football coming
here this spring. Upcoming events. We’re now past events so we’re looking at kids to kids
th
garage sale. We held that on March 11. I think we had about 20 kids have their own little
tables and selling their own goods. I think the next time we will do this we’ll push it to a day
that both school districts have the day off and so that we’re can maximize but the kids loved it.
They thought it was great. They were buying stuff for 50 cents and you know, they sold me a
couple carts for the Tot Time in our gym program that we run so I bought a grocery cart for
$3.00 and then another little girl came up, but this one has a scanner on it and it was full of toys
so she sold me that for $3.50 so we made a big investment in Rec Center equipment at that point
that day. So we did a heck of a deal and now every Monday, Wednesday and Friday that grocery
cart comes out and my staff people are very happy to pick up boxes of macaroni and cheese and
it has a little scanner so they all have little codes but they end up being across the entire gym so.
They grocery shop in a little different way than we do now but so, that is what’s going on at the
Rec Center. Do you have any questions?
Daniel: Peter. Peter, Brent?
Aldritt: No.
Carron: No.
Daniel: Cole.
Cole Kelly: I’ve just got a few comments. No questions for you because you already answered
our questions earlier tonight. Thank you. Having coached basketball and soccer for years and
having been to a number of banquets over the years at the Chanhassen Rec Center, I know what
it’s about and I know as a user what’s there. I enjoyed tonight having you take us through and
kind of telling us the inside story and the changes you’ve made and I appreciated the fact that we
got a chance to just sit down with our small group and talk about what you’re doing and what the
changes have and obviously the numbers prove that what you’re doing is working so I just want
to say thank you for everything you’re doing and keep doing it.
Sarles: Thank you.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Daniel: I second that. Steve.
Scharfenberg: No. Couldn’t say anything more than that. Thank you.
Daniel: Thank you Jodi. Certainly appreciate and again, keep up the great work and glad to see
that you’re expanding our opportunities at the Rec Center so.
SENIOR CENTER REPORT.
Bill: Thank you. I’ll keep it brief and what I really want to start off and say, that we all know
that the winter was a long, cold winter but it didn’t hinder seniors from getting out. I think it
really provided an opportunity for people to come together and get out of the house and
socialize. I think our numbers were steady, if even not increased with participation and it was
really fun to see the opportunity for people to get together and socialize and have a little bit
companionship through the long winter. Education programs continue to be a highlight of a lot
of our programming. Even with a lot of the social programs I do with my lunches or special
events there’s, I’ve added educational aspects to it. Whether there’s speakers or our passport
programs, it just becomes more and more obvious that our people, that our participants just love
to learn and grow and that’s the talk. Every time we have a program, when can we have our next
one? It was so educational and fun so really the food is secondary and the education aspect of it
is really primary, and I continue to look to try to find new and different things to offer them. Get
input from people. The technology things continue. This summer I’m looking at introducing
Kindle, IPad, some other EBook type of things and they’re more for education just to give people
what’s out there so they’re knowledgeable about it. KleinBank once again is offering our
Augsburg College program, the Third Age. Those are retired professors that come from the
Twin Cities area. They add an additional dimension to the educational programs and people
really enjoy them so all in all it was a long winter but a good winter. The daily activities were
well attended and it just is enjoyable to see people socializing and enjoying companionship and
participating in activities so that’s all I have. Any questions?
Daniel: How’s the war on terrorism, who’s winning and how do we know? How’d that go?
Bill: Very interesting. He was a correspondence to the Washington Post and then he was the
editor for the Star Tribune for a number of years. Very interesting. Had a lot of, he was in the
Middle East quite a bit so it was a very stimulating conversation and people really, really
enjoyed it. Not a real light topic.
Daniel: No.
Bill: But it was interesting. He really added some things and was very open to questions so.
Daniel: Good attendance?
Bill: We get about, I think that one we had 35 people which is a good number of people so.
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Cole Kelly: I think the night we met with the City Council earlier this month you had something
going on because we walked by the senior center and it was packed.
Bill: That was probably a Defensive Driving class. Yeah.
Cole Kelly: Okay. So it’s nice to walk through and see the area being fully, I mean it was being
fully utilized.
Bill: Yeah. Every now and then look at and that time possibly will come down the road with
baby boomers maybe looking to utilize and do more things in the evening. I just came back from
our State meeting in Minnesota Area Senior Association. All different coordinators from around
the state. For the fourth year in a row head topic was baby boomers. You know how do you
program? What do you do? And what I walked away this year with is every community is
different. Every community has a different feel. Different programming needs so you know my
approach right now is just creativity. Jodi and I work on some things together. Just creativity
and diversity in programming but to throw some evening things in and to try to attract new
people. Baby boomers are not joiners. You know especially the newer boomers. They still
think they’re fairly independent. They don’t think they need a lot of organized activities but as
the numbers increase I think we’ll do more and more with that, as well as working with the
senior commission. We’re working with them to look and address that issue so anyway, you
might see more in the evening when you come down the road.
Cole Kelly: Oh good. Great. Thank you.
Hoffman: …have scheduled for your operations tour?
Bill: In June.
Hoffman: So we’ll be at the senior center in June.
Daniel: Okay great. Thanks Sue. Hi Dale.
PARK AND TRAIL MAINTENANCE REPORT.
Gregory: Hi. John’s done a pretty good job on covering the skating rinks so I’m not going to
add to his report but I would just like to add a couple of added reports that I put in. One of them
is pretty much the expenses for this year. The total expenses and if you look at that it really boils
down to mostly just labor and overtime of flooding the rinks and just some cost for fuel but that’s
our main cost of doing rinks and that is our labor and that. We, and the biggest cost is right off
the bat. We try when the weather is ideal conditions and that, our optimum is to run 24 hours a
day for 7 to 8 days and that will give us the ice that we need to open up so between the 7 guys, I
mean our total park department is 7 guys and we try to run 24 hour shifts. Or I mean for 7 to 8
days so it takes quite a bit out of the guys but it, that’s one of the reports. The other report I’ve
got is opening and closing dates and this thing I’ve kept track of this going back to 1982 and I
just put down the days we opened. The days we’ve closed. How many days we ran the rinks
and then in 1998 I started adding the cost to it just kind of as a reference for the commission and
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that, that you can look back and see what, how many days we’ve run and that. Like this year we
only ran 50 days and it cost us like roughly $705 per day to keep rinks open. Once we get them
flooded and everything else the longer we can run, it brings the cost down so. But those two
reports are just kind of a reference point for the commission and that to look at and if they have
any questions. Wood duck houses this year and that. We maintain and take care of 42 wood
duck houses every year. Clean them. Repair them. Whatever we have to do. We did go down a
little bit this year. We went down 2% down to 38%. I also have a report in on that one that goes
back to I think 1994 and the lowest we’ve ever had was 29% and we had that in 2007 and the
most we had was 80% of wood duck usage and that and success rate. If you look at the report, if
it seems like it goes up we get some high years and then all of a sudden it just gradually goes
down for a little while and then all of a sudden we’ll get, jump back up into some high years.
But even at 38% and that I think is a pretty good ratio of getting wood ducks back into the area.
Hoffman: These are houses that are manufactured by eagle scouts. It’s an eagle scout project
and it really is not a very, they check all houses one day this year.
Gregory: Yep, we check them all in one day. The eagle scouts do some of them and that. A lot
of the replacement wood duck houses are all done by the senior wood carving club. Yeah, and
they will, whenever we’re short of wood duck houses, blue bird houses and that, we’ll talk to
them and we’ll get the wood and everything ready and they’ll do all the building of the wood
duck houses and stuff for us so we keep quite a stock at the shop and that so we’re pretty much
ready to go to replace any if we have to. This year we’ve got the Sentence to Serve again in
April here. That was the last time I reported to you on that was, they were going to eliminate
that program and basically it’s a program where we get inmates that come up and they’ll bring
one supervisor with them and that and they will come up and they will work for us. This year
and that we cleaned the downtown. We had them for 4 days. We had 6 guys that were up here
those 4 days and basically we got about 6 hours of work out of them each day so roughly we had
144 hours of work that one week and they took care of working our whole downtown. Cleaning
all the bushes, everything out. They even did some trimming for us around the public works
building and City Hall, fire stations so we get a lot of work out of them in the spring and that and
they love coming here and working for us and that so we try to use them as much as we can.
And then we also have the juvenile Sentence to Serve. We’ve got them coming this Saturday.
We don’t have to be out there or anything else or watch those guys but their supervisor, they’re
taking them out to the Chanhassen Cemetery and they’ll rake and clean that whole thing up for
us so come Monday morning we just go out there and pick up all the bags. All the brush. All
that sort of stuff and like I say they do a lot of work for us and that so it’s a program we’d really
like to see the County be able to keep. They’re talking about cutting it again because of the
costs. We’re not the only community that they come to. They go to Waconia. They go to every
city around and that and help people out, or help the communities out so it’s been a real good
program.
Daniel: I’m still trying to figure out what the costs are besides the supervisor who’s getting paid
anyway…
Gregory: Really that’s it.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Hoffman: Transportation.
Daniel: And literally that’s something that you can negotiate with them and bill us for the 5
gallons of gas it takes to get to and from. For the amount, I mean when you’re talking about 144
hours at a burden rate to the city, that’s a tremendous amount of savings and that’s a program I
think that they County has to understand is a huge benefit to all the cities within the county so.
Carron: I think it’s good for them too.
Gregory: Well and also what it does is it helps work off their time so if they go out in the
community and work, it actually takes like another day off of their time that they have to spend
and so it helps reduce their sentence. And I didn’t find out about it soon enough today. I talked
to their supervisor down there and we can get a whole report of how many hours they put in this
year and how many hours they put in for the city in the last how many years so he was going to
email me that. It should be at my desk tomorrow and that but I was hoping I would have it
tonight so I could have given you the total number of Sentence to Serve hours that we’ve
benefitted from this program and that but like I say I’ll have it at the next meeting and bring it
next time.
Daniel: Great, if you have it at the next meeting that’d be a great topic of discussion.
Gregory: Yeah. Yep. Lake Susan. The oxygen levels in Lake Susan and that this year, we
really thought we were going to have to put the aerator in. With the early heavy snows we had
we were expecting the levels to go down. We monitor it through the year. Through the winter
and that. Twice a week and as the levels go down and get closer to where we think we’re going
to be putting in, in the aerator we’ll start monitoring them 3 times a week so we can get the
aerator in as soon as we need to. This year we talked with Todd and everything else, the levels
were getting down to a close proximity of where we should be putting it in. We were running
close to the end of the year and we’re starting to get some thaw. We were starting to get some
water run in and that and it was decided not to put it in. We work with the DNR and we really
didn’t experience any winter kill in the lake and that this year so we, we made it through that
year without putting it in. Lake Lucy did experience some winter kill. Not total but some winter
kill down there on that lake.
Hoffman: As did Kerber Pond.
Gregory: Right. And currently and that all we’ve been working on is getting parks ready.
Getting the concession building ready. All the rental buildings. Getting everything ready.
Bathrooms and everything all up to date and ready to go. Got ballfields ready all last week.
We’ve been maintaining them. Ball started last night. Softball playing. And as soon as it quits
raining we’re going to try to get some soccer fields marked for Jerry. He’s been kind of on us
and that so we’re going to, as soon as it quits raining we’ll get out and try to get some marked for
you so that’s all I’ve got.
Daniel: Okay. Questions for Dale. Peter? Brent? No? Cole.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Cole Kelly: Nice job this winter by the way on keeping the paths for snow. I walk outside here
and there and you know I walk down Audubon and you had that bridge over the railroad was as
clear as it’s ever been. I was very impressed and just walking around I had no problems walking
around when I was out walking this winter so good job on that.
Gregory: Well the trails we’re trying this year with the heavy snows that we had, there was a
point where we couldn’t even plow them with any of our V-plows or anything else. That we
were down pretty much to just doing our trails with our tractors and snowblowers and we did
have a period where it was, was it almost a week or no a couple weeks. Two weeks before we
totally had all of our trails opened because we had no other equipment we could take on them
and that’s all we had to use so.
Hoffman: That happened 3 times where we could not plow them with the plows we had.
Cole Kelly: Well you had to walk over a snow bank one time.
Gregory: No it’s like I say, if we just get a normal snow and everything else and that within
about oh 10 hours and that of snow plowing we can have all our trails open and that but boy we
ran into some this year and that that I’ve never had to plow that much and that. Luckily the guys
ran extra hours. We were running early in the morning and running the tractors late and we’d
switch off and just keep them going all the time and that but we weren’t the only community. I
talked with Eden Prairie, how they were doing. They had the same problem so.
Cole Kelly: Oh I think with the snow falls we had you guys did very well.
Gregory: Thank you.
Scharfenberg: Dale were there any trail issues this year I mean with wear or anything over the
winter that anything was damaged or anything? That you’ve heard of.
Gregory: From the winter?
Scharfenberg: Or just you know with erosion or you know anything that happened over the
winter.
Gregory: We had a few areas that we had basically sink holes that we’ve gone out and worked
on and that and there was one came in again this morning and they went out and looked at it. We
think there’s a power or something going across that one. That one just sunk away but we had
about 4 areas and that that had some.
Hoffman: There was some edge cracking from the severe, last winter we went into the winter
with high moisture content in our soils and so the roads heaved very strongly and so did the trails
so we’ve got some edge cracking from that. It was more than normal but…patch up. And then
we had some times for snow removal where we already had frost coming out adjacent to trails
and so we had some minor damage that made it difficult late in the season to stay off the trails
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because they were snow covered for about a week late in the season because you wanted to stay
off to minimize turf damage so it was a difficult year but now spring’s here…
Daniel: That’s right. Driving down Galpin was a pleasure this winter. Especially the last month
before the thaw came in. Dale, certainly again appreciate you and your staff on keeping the trails
open this year. Again it was absolutely challenging and wonderful job on the rinks as well. One
question I have. There’s some significant erosion going on over at Kerber. Is that being covered
by us or is that the environmental group?
Hoffman: No, that’s the water resources coordinator and that was, the commission will recall
there was a trail and a water quality project for Kerber Pond Park and they exported some soils
out of one side of Kerber Pond, the hillside, and then imported some materials that were not
suitable for construction but they thought would be suitable for this embankment. They’ve had
some significant sloughing there and if you take a look at the slough it’s basically it’s just
sloughing out all that bad material right onto the scar of the face of the material that was there.
The base soils there and so they’re going to have to come back in and fix that and it’s not, they
fixed it once on kind of an interim basis but not it’s, the entire thing has slid so they’ll be back, if
not this summer, maybe during the winter. Summer they’ll be, it’ll take the trail out. They’ll
have to reconstruct the trail so they’re not quite sure what they’re going to do with the summer
yet or wait for this winter when they can drive in on the frozen soils.
Daniel: Okay. Alright, thank you.
Hoffman: Not a small problem.
Daniel: No it’s not.
Hoffman: Yeah, it’s a significant problem.
Daniel: Thank you Dale.
COMMISSION MEMBER COMMITTEE REPORTS.
Hoffman: Chair Daniels, from Elise Ryan. She has a report. She sends her regrets. Had a
challenge with a miscommunication on a babysitter and her thoughts are Arbor Day, the
ballfields 3 and 4, activities for the kids provided by the park department. She brought buckets
and shovels so the little kids can shovel dirt and plant 19 trees, 5 species. That’s coming up May
th
7 so the commission, we’re going to meet as a group. Those who can come out. 9:00 the
th
Mayor speaks. Refreshments. And that’s May 7.
Daniel: Lake Ann?
Hoffman: At Lake Ann. Steve represented the commission last year. Did a nice job so Lake
th
Ann. Mark that on your calendars. May 7, 9:00 a.m. We’ll plant a tree. Work along with a
community group. Jill Sinclair has promised that she’ll have the park tree inventory for the
department by the end of the year. The Red Birds are running a variety of special promotions
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
but one that includes the commission is they’re having a city employee recognition day on June
thth
24. Jot that down so all commissions, all employees are invited to the Red Birds June 24.
You can get a free ticket, soda and hot dog and chips.
Scharfenberg: Who’s the opponent that day? Do we know?
Hoffman: Excuse me?
Scharfenberg: Do we know the opponent?
Hoffman: Yes. Who is the opponent that day? Oh yeah we do.
Ruegemer: I can’t remember.
Hoffman: Oh I do. Easter Egg Candy Hunt, despite the cold weather, awesome job. Great job
thanking sponsors. It started on time. The kids loved the bunny and the kitty. Made it fun for
families and kids. Next time put a sign on the tent to instruct who’s registered versus non
registered people and where should they go to get tickets. That’s all quotes.
Daniel: Thank you Elise.
COMMISSION MEMBER PRESENTATIONS.
None.
ADMINISTRATIVE PACKET.
Daniel: Todd is there anything you want to highlight on the administrative section?
Hoffman: No. The two items pertaining to cost were at the start of the winter and those were
again, we were in a budget year where many citizens were weighing in the budget process.
Council wanted to know what the costs were to maintain winter trails, which is $38,000 to
$50,000 to plow those trails and wanted to know what it cost to maintain the hockey rinks. It’s a
similar number. $32,000 to $57,000 and so again in budget cutting there’s always lots of ideas
that float around but when you have a $20 million dollar trail system, choosing not to speak
$38,000 to $50,000 so you can use it all winter long would not make sense to a lot of people.
Some people would say save the money and don’t plow them. And the same with outdoor
hockey and ice hockey. Those who don’t use that, they say then you know $32,000 to $57,000
but as a community you try to provide a little something for everything so the council did not act
on that.
Daniel: Okay, great. Alright if there’s nothing else to be added we can go ahead and adjourn.
Make a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Scharfenberg moved, Cole Kelly seconded to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor and
the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 5 to 0. The Park and Recreation
Commission was adjourned.
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Park and Recreation Commission - April 26, 2011
Submitted by Todd Hoffman
Park and Recreation Director
Prepared by Nann Opheim
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