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6a PheasantHillPark UtilizationCITY OF (P MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: DATE: SUB J: Park & Recreation Commission Todd Hoffman, Park & Recreation Director November 21, 1996 Pheasant Hill Park Utilization Background information on this item is contained in the attached letters. 1. A letter from Mr. JeffJessen, 1741 Wood Duck Lane, dated October 13. 2. My response to Mr. Jessen dated October 17. 3. A second letter from Jeff, Becky, Emily and Jared Jessen dated October 24. The report responds directly to Mr. Jessen's most recently letter of October 24. Park Safety: Mr. Jessen and I have agreed that a higher level of attention to sweeping pea gravel from hard surface areas will increase safety. The department will also redistribute the pea gravel as required to minimize spill over onto hard surface areas. Park Utilization and Neighborhood Safety: To date, the commission has exhibited the presidents "Don's Ask--Don't Tell" policy regarding team practices at neighborhood parks. Mr. Jessen is asking if the commission will go one step further and actively police a policy of"no team practices." Assessment: A democratic society exhibits compassion for one another's needs and differences. A primary characteristic of a democracy is the concept of contributing to a central "pot" in order to fulfill "community" needs. It is an inconvenience to have team practice at neighborhood parks for 1-3 months out of the year. However, the resources do not exist to satisfy all team needs at community parks not located in residential districts. The Park & Recreation Commission oversees a tremendous investment of capital in park and recreation facilities. Allowing shared and reasonable access to these amenities is central to your charge as a commission. Park & Recreation Commission November 21, 1996 Page 2 RECOMMENDATION I respect Mr. Jessen's position, however, I cannot advocate signing neighborhood parks "No Team Practice~Neighborhood Use Only." Attachments 1. Three letters referenced earlier c: Mr. JeffJessen, 1741 Wood Duck Lane, Excelsior, MN 55331 g:\park~th~pheasanthillpk.e October 24, 1996 Mr. Todd Hoffman, CLP Director of Parks & Recreation City of Chanhassen PO Box 147 Chanhassen, MN 55317 Re: Pheasant Hill Neighborhood - Park & Other Dear Todd: Thank you for your prompt phone call and follow-up letter regarding my comments on Pheasant Hill Neighborhood Park. In regard to a couple of items we discussed by phone or were noted in your letter of October 17th: Park Safety - Pea Gravel spilling over onto hard surfaces (and cushioned landings/pathways) As I mentioned to you by phone, I think it would be unnecessary and actually undesirable to consider raising the tie wall height. A certain amount of pea gravel will always spill out by "kids being kids" so I think we would be back to the same point. It would also make getting into the play area much tougher for toddlers and a safety concem may arise since all kids are ultimately tempted to walk the tie wall as a balance beam and we don't need additional height. I agree that just a little higher attention to sweeping and occaisional redistribution of pea gravel away from the cushion areas would tend to keep all surfaces in a more safe condition. Park Utilization and Neighborhood Safety I do want to restate my hope that the Park & Rec Commission would take an affirmative step to discourage team practice rather than just hope the coaches from the community (or coaches from outside the community) follow its' intention of reserving the space for neighborhood use. Again, a simple sign: No Team Practice, Neighborhood Use Only would be the solution in my opinion. That would create enough ora barrier where most people wouldn't test it. This could be essentially self policed by the neighborhood because we would feel some authority to point out that it is for neighborhood use. If, as you say, the" ... Commission is a stanch advocate of reserving neighborhood parks for neighborhoods", then I would suggest they take the above simple step to convey their intentions. As far as those individual coaches who may reason that their individual right to use the park creates an extension of that right to bring their team into the park, I don't think that passes a basic logic test on a few fronts. First of all, they themselves may not even be from the neighborhood which may question whether they have a right themselves, much less extend that to a team - they may have simply passed by the area one day and said "hey, there is a park for us to practice at". Secondly, even if the coach is from one of the neighborhoods the park is intended to serve, that ~]:::DJ~F~ brings with it no special right to bring kids (and the related parents and traffic) from Shorewood,'~' ....... """'~ ~'* O0T 2, 8 1996 CITY OF CH~NHASSEN Excelsior, Victoria or anywhere else outside of the neighborhood for team practice. Certainly, an occaisional birthday party or something like that necessarily brings kids from outside the neighborhood but it doesn't extend to organized, scheduled team practice in my opinion. Finally, the coaches logic that he/she can bring a team to use the open playing field and literally deprive the neighbors from its' use is the most obvious flaw in that argument. I really don't think they consider the issue very carefully - they know they want to get their practices in treat it like it must be "first come first serve". Of course, they tie up the field during the prime time period of the evening when neighborhood parents are just coming home to have some time and activity with their kids before the kids need to head home for bed. Over the coming years, there will be a growing number of young kids who will be moving out of yards under close parental supervision and on to the park grounds so the issue will only be exacerbated. As it stands, it would be very difficult to approach a team of young kids in uniform who are fired up, going through their practice drills and ask them to vacate the open play field so the neighbors can use it. It puts the neighbors in an unfair position of being a bully and we currently don't feel empowered to even raise the issue. I don't have any idea how limited or extensive the practice field options are for these respective coaches, but I think that is clearly their issue to explore and solve. I don't want to come across harsh, but that is about how it stacks up in my mind. This park was intended for neighborhood use long before a coach or two thought it would be a good idea to use for a practice field, before. As everybody recalls, we all did wait a long time for the plan to come to fruition, all paid park fees and pay real estate taxes which help sustain these community and neighborhood amenities. Don't get me wrong, I am not the proverbial "Angry Taxpayer" at all, but I think it is worth noting that we do have some stake it this from that angle as well. I think you mentioned that by the Commission was unable to verify that the traffic/parking was very significant as was raised by at least one of the neighborhood parents. The intensity definitely died down by the time the issue was raised with the commission, but I would like to verify that there was alot of activity in the late spring/early summer time period for a number of weeks. The enthusiasm for practice no doubt died down once the league games started. No Team Practice - Neighborhood Use Only solves the utilization, traffic and parking issues. Again, I appreciate your attention to my letter raising these issues and I look forward to receiving any information on whether the topic can be discussed at an upcoming meeting. I would like to attend and participate in finding an acceptable solution to preserve neighborhood use. Sincerely, left, Becky, Emily'~/& Jared Jessen 1741 Wood Duck Lane Excelsior, MN 55331 CITY OF 690 COULTER DRIVE · P.O. BOX 147 · CHANHASSEN, MINNESOTA 55317 (612) 937-1900 · FAX (612) 937-5739 October 17, 1996 ~Mr. JeffJessen 1741 'Woodduck Lane Excelsior, MN 55331 'l'hank you for your letter of October 13. I am encouraged by your positive outlook towards the provision of public services at Pheasant Hill Park. The Park & Recreation Commission will also be,pleased to receive a copy of your letter. Please allow me to respond to your inquiries. Park Safety: "Pea gravel spill over onto hard surfaces." 'l'he Park & Recreation Department holds the same concerns that you describe in your letter. The mandate to provide "hard surfaced" access to playgrounds nation wide has dramatically increased the number of playground sites exhibiting hard surfaces adjoining resilient pea gravel or sand. I will advise our Park Superintendent to increase the frequency of sweeping at this site. I will also investigate the merits of increasing the height of the containment border in this area. As you recognize, neither of these solutions will totally eliminate spill over of pea gravel; however, I believe these measures are reasonable and in the best interests of public safety. I xvt-Il also consider the placement of a warning sign, something to the effect of, "Warning: Loose gravel" in appropriate locations. ~ Parlr Utilization: "Keeping organized practice out of neighborhood parks." You may be aware that the Park & Recreation Commission is a staunch advocate of reserving aeighborhood parks for neighborhoods. Year in and year out, the commission is approached by representatives of athletic leagues requesting that neighborhood parks be open to league play and practice. To date, the commission has refused to reserve neighborhood field space for organized activities. Carver Beach Playground and Rice Marsh Lake Park are exceptions Mr. JeffJessen October 17, 1996 .Page 2 carrying"grandparent" status. However, the Park & Recreation Commission has yet to actively police independent coaches who take it upon themselves to schedule practices in neighborhood parks. I will review this issue with them at their November meeting (the October agenda has already been published). Jeff', please be aware that the coaches organizing these practices will also claim their rights to milize city and neighborhood facilities. Many of these individuals reason that even though their collective rights as an organization can be governed, their rights as individuals are immune from such rules. I will mail you copies of my correspondence to the commission allowing you the oppommily to provide further input on this issue. The commission's November meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 26 at 7:30 p.m. The commission meets in the city council ~hamherS. Again, thank you for your encouraging letter. 5'mcerely, Tockl Itoffman, CLP ~Park & Recreation Director "Park & Recreation Commission Don Ashworth, City Manager Dale Gregory, Park Superintendent October 13, 1996 Mr. Todd Hoffman, CLP Director of Parks & Recreation City of Chanhassen PO Box 147 Chanlmssen, MN 55317 OCT 16 1996 CITY OF CHANHASSEN Re: Pheasant Hill Neighborhood - Park & Other I want to x~xite and compliment you and the City on the wonderful job of landscaping that xvas designed and installed on the Wood Duck Lane outlot entrance to the Pheasant Hill neighborhood park. The design was excellent and gives a welcoming feeling to the park entrance. The quality of the plantings was surprising considering you most likely were working off a tight budget. This whole project was well done and Oyes a nice gateway to the park and will hopefully enhance property values immediately adjacent to the park and beyond. I think history will tell you that it xCas a wise decision to obtain the park property and preserve it in a natural way rye had a couple other thoughts in nfind over the past few months that I thought I would la)' out: Park Safety' I was glad to see that you put the final touches on the asphalt pathways around the park to give it a much more finished look. A concern is that the pea gravel spills out of the contained playground equipment area sometimes muses a safety hazard to bikers heading north down the steep grade. I don't have an)' kids this age, but I mn see that a bad accident is imminent or has already occurred. Does the Park & Rec have the ability to keep the asphalt and the cushioned landings within the equipment area somewhat swept? I've been to Chanhassen Elementary (which has a/very nice playground facility) several times ,vhere I have seen several fairly nasty accidents occur due to slips and fails on the excess gravel over concrete at the bottoms of slides, etc. I realize the cushion material is much more forgiving, but the area is very full and pea gravel at the bottom of slides, on pathways, etc. is a somewhat hazardous. I don't want to be an alarmist, but these kids run corners axx{ul fast and the bike speeds coming from the south are sornetimes quite high. Park Utilization Like a couple of our neighbors, I xvas concerned during the spring and early summer (primarily) concerning the use of the Open Playing Field area. My concern is primarily SAFETY and secondarily utilization. I'll get to Safety shortly, but first a comment on utilization. In my opinion, the utilization of lira Open Pla)' Field during the spring and summer as team practice field violates the purpose of the park at its' very purpose - to be a neighborhood park. The reference to it being a neighborhood park is indicated all through the original park planning correspondence that I rexSewed from my file. I realize that there is a shortage of practice arms for soccer teams, etc., but this was acquired for neighborhood park purposes - to kick a ball, to throw a ball, to play tag, to fly a kite, to throw a Frisbee, etc. etc. etc. None of these actixSties mn be done when the Excelsior Pizza Hut (or whatever the name) soccer team is practicing their drills. I don't want to discourage young people from practicing, but that's not the point. I saw a simple sign in another city that I thought was just perfect: No Team Practice, Neighborhood Use Only. Sounds about right to me. I realize it is hard to monitor park usage, but a sign would clearly set The other piece to this is Safety. About 35 kids (many preschool and beloxv) live in the relatively small area comprising Pheasant Hill 4th - from Wood Duck/Ringneck east. These kids are all experimenting with Big Wheels, Traceless and Bicycles and are not fully axvare of the dangers of autos. When the parents come rolling in to catch the last of their kids' practice or pick them up, they don't have our kids in the front of their minds. Mr. and Mrs. Yuppie seem to be in quite a rush, a fesv have car phones stuck to their ears, and seem preoccupied with getting to xvhere they are going, rather than xvatching out for our kids. Some then pull U-turns on Wood Duck Lane in a rush and head directly into the setting sun as they go West without any more care than they came into the development. We already have Mr. & Mrs. Richard Petty and Mr.& Mrs. Al Unser, Jr. living up the street and don't need to invite any other speeders on to Wood Duck Lane. The other hazard is cars parked butted up against each other on both sides of Wood Duck Lane to jockey for the closest spots to the park entrance. Kids are darting in and out of yards, crossing the street and many are just learning to pa)' attention to traffic. I don't think the City wants this kind of liability xvhere il is effectively "inviting" the traffic to park on Wood Duck Lane and we the neighborhood parents ~r~ainly don't xvant the accident potential. ! believe you mentioned at one time that a sign might be possible along the lines of"Caution - Children Playing" or something along that line. Is that still a possibility? Most neighborhoods have some kind of regrettable (and most likely avoidable) accident and I just don't want to be a part of an)' accident ff possfl:de - either with my kids or an)body else's'. A second level concern is just esthetics and outdoor enjoyment. The good weather season is so short as it is and it is discouraging to come home from a work day that starts earl)' and ends late, only to see a bunch of cars parked in front of the neighbors houses. The practice then breaks up and then it has been cutting across yards to get to the car, although the split rail fencing should help "channel" most traffic on to the Don't gel me xsxong, I want maximum park utilization, but I am for neighborhood utilization. I think I am correct that we all paid a big park fee in connection with our original Building Permit Fees, plus significant property taxes each )'ear. In my opinion, the park should be at our option first. The bottom line is that ifI come over to play catch with my son while a team is practicing, I can't do it. We'x~e enjoyed the park, it's well done, fairly quiet, will get better as it progresses and the latest entrance work is tremendous. These comments are meant to be constructive and we certainly appreciate your efforts lo make Chanhassen a great place to live. My dad was a Park Conunissioner for many )'ears and I know /aoxv hard it can be to please the citizenry and I don't want to come across as negative. I am concerned about safety primarily and I thought it would make sense to take stock of these issues now that the park is fully operational. If you svould like to contact me during the da)' may phone is 636-4320. Thankyou for the time to read this letter. 1741 Wood Duck Lane Excelsior, MN 55331