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PRC 2014 11 25 CHANHASSEN PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 25, 2014 Prior to the regularly scheduled meeting the Park and Recreation Commission held a work session for a round table discussion with soccer associations. PUBLIC PRESENT: Bobbi Hoebelheinrich 18328 Minnetonka Boulevard Jesse Hawke 1735 Apron Drive Denny Wollan 5301 Holiday Road Matt Lindberg 5160 Greenwood Circle Jonathan Tudor 1704 Prescott Court, Chaska David Keenan 1800 Valley Ridge Trail South Jonathan Schema 2670 Regent Avenue North Chairman Kelly called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Cole Kelly, Steve Scharfenberg, Elise Ryan, Brent Carron, Rick Echternacht, Luke Thunberg, Jacob Stolar, and Tyler Kobilarcsik MEMBERS ABSENT: Jim Boettcher STAFF PRESENT: Todd Hoffman, Park and Rec Director; Jerry Ruegemer, Recreation Superintendent; and Meghan Gess, Recreation Supervisor APPROVAL OF AGENDA: The agenda was approved as published. PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS. Kelly: At this time I would like to congratulate both Jim Boettcher and Elise Ryan for running for City Council and I want to further congratulate Elise Ryan for winning a spot on the City Council. I will miss your collaboration but I wish you the best of luck in your venture. Ryan: Thank you. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS. None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES:Echternacht moved, Thunberg seconded to approve the verbatim and summary Minutes of the Park and Recreation Commission meeting dated October 28, 2014 as presented. All voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 8 to 0. Park and Recreation Commission – November 25, 2014 STATUS OF 2014 PARK AND TRAIL ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS. Hoffman: Thank you Chair Kelly, members of the commission. Annually we take a little bit of time to talk about, you know you spend the time last year finalizing these recommendations. They go to the City Council and then we want to give an update on where did the projects go to and how did they turn out so I’ll spend a few minutes talking about each one of the items. Trees are $15,000 and this allocation is really spread across our park system on an annual basis so there are a variety of projects and this money is leveraged with our planning division and then our water resources division so people like Jill Sinclair, Krista Spreiter, Terry Jeffery, they’re also doing tree planting projects which then we combine these budgeted dollars. This is actually one of the lower numbers that’s invested annually in our parks. Jill Sinclair with her planning dollars has some of the larger amount of the dollars that go into tree planting. So we’re doing a variety of things. We’re replacing diseased and dying trees. We’re working against the eventual arrival of Emerald Ash Borer. We’re just trying to make as pleasant an environment as we can in our groomed park areas and so when you plant trees, really it’s to only a small percentage of them that make it to maturity and so it takes a lot of time to go back and care for those. Something I will let you know about is, Jill has had 3 retired gentlemen. They are named the Tree Amigos who have been doing a inventory so they’re out inventorying every tree which they’ve completed and then now going back out and doing some further refinement of those inventories as far as the health of the trees and so they’ve been in every park. Every public space in our community over the last 3 years so now Jill on a GIS system, she knows the species, the size, the health of each one of those trees and so when you go into these plant management programs, these tree management programs it’s very easy to find that data. If we have $20,000 to invest, we know how many trees that’s going to buy and she can say okay, show me the worst specimens of trees in this particular area of our community or this particular park or in all park areas and the list will pop out and she’ll say okay. This is where we’re going to be putting our resources. Prior to those gentlemen completing those, volunteers completing that work it would be up to us as staff members just to know okay, we’ve seen these trees. These are bad. Let’s go here so that’s been a real great planning tool for trees and thanks to Jill and her group for that. $10,000 in picnic tables and park benches. We just have a lot of tables and benches that just through attrition leave our park system and then we’re also purchasing memorial park benches on an annual basis so we have this 100 mile trail and sidewalk system. People are always asking for additional benches in some of those areas and so we’re utilizing that memorial bench program. So we purchase the benches out of here and then they’re purchased and installed at that $1,000 level and then installed in our park system. We’re also buying replacement picnic tables and benches. The two docks at Lake Ann and Lake Susan were purchased. One of the first things Adam did last year when he arrived, and they were installed early in the spring and they’ve been well received and so people mostly comment, they just can’t believe that there was never a dock available. It provides a lot better accessibility for people that have a little bit of difficulty transferring from a, when there wasn’t a dock you had to go from shore into the boat so very well received and they’ve worked out nicely. Pedestrian trail to the Arboretum design and planning. We have agreed as a City to permit Carver County to pursue the next application for a TEP grant for that funding. The Arboretum is back on board. Marty Walsh and myself have, and Paul Oehme have all met with the Arboretum folks and they’re willing and ready to make that final connection if this federal funding comes available. And really at the City our belief is the higher you move 2 Park and Recreation Commission – November 25, 2014 that up, and so you get that up to a county level, the application is just going to be looked at that much more favorably. The City is still involved. We’d still probably likely be a funding partner for the matching portion and the funding, the overall funding dollar amount that you’re eligible to apply for has increased and so the capability of financing this fairly aggressive project, it would go a 10 foot trail from Century Boulevard all the way west to 41. All the way through the Arboretum and then out to the underpass and so that’s the length of trail and the project would include an underpass of State Highway 41 just south of Highway 5. So these planning dollars have not been spent. We’re going to allow the county to invest those planning dollars in that project and that application. We’ve provided them with the application we did the last go around and so they have that information and then those dollars would just be used for a matching contribution or portion of a matching contribution in the future. Kelly: So Todd will they hear what in March, April or May? Do we know when those grants are given out? Hoffman: I don’t know the exact date but yeah, it will be applications time is coming up and so yeah, sometime next spring I think we would know. Kelly: Thank you. Ryan: And Todd does it make it attractive because then it flows from the east. Further east than 41 versus the trail that came in from Chaska or Victoria into the Arboretum. Hoffman: Correct. So it raises this to a regional level and so it’s a regional trail connection on Highway 5 and so, and you know you’re talking federal funds and federal people talk to state people better than they talk to county people and so just the larger we can take that up at the county level I think they’re going to have a better chance at that grant. City Center Park improvements. So there was some discussion about a band shell and that item did not have universal support and no action was taken towards it’s completion. Council talked about it and so it’s off of your CIP list and it would have to be brought up again and reinstated if you wanted any additional action on that particular item. Bandimere Community Park expansion design and planning. $25,000 was dedicated. We invested $7,500 dollars of that to perform professional services associated with the expansion so that was the expansion work that you met with WSB last spring and Mr. Koechlein and his group and the neighbors so that was a good buy I think to get the work done that was completed there so it’s not to say that that’s the final plan that’s going to be developed but at least we needed a plan to do some of the grading work. If you’ve seen the site, it’s clear. It’s ready for future expansion and so those dollars were well invested but just at a $7,500 level. Not to $25,000. And again the current proposed expansion includes a multi- sport court, parking lot expansion, a stormwater element or stormwater pond, free skating and hockey rinks, and then accommodations for a warming house facility, trailways and lighting. You know people have been positive. We’ve received positive responses to that. There’s a lot of neighbors moving, new neighbors moving in and so they see it as a positive. Athletic field lighting was slated at $175,000 and again that item did not move forward in 2014 and so once a recommendation leaves here and is approved by the City Council it still requires City Council support. City Council approval. You know City Manager’s administration support so when I’m asking well, here’s the proposal. Are we moving forward and you get that push back, you’re just 3 Park and Recreation Commission – November 25, 2014 not going to move forward at that time so they wanted, I think the council wanted a little more discussion on that and the meeting you had this evening is one more element now. Maybe we’re shifting away from lights and moving into something else so I think probably a wise decision to hold off and have some additional conversation. And then a couple of projects outside of the park dedication, the assessment, revolving assessment fund. Tennis courts $75,000. Again here I’m just really proud of our staff and the effort and then also the community to provide the input so it’s the pickleball people that came to us. You know they’re, they weren’t in on this project but we really saw the ability to bring those two sunken tennis courts at the Rec Center up to 6 pickleball courts and so we utilized a portion of the $75,000. Still got the 4 tennis courts at City Center Park done and the Lake Ann Park tennis court rehabilitated and then we took those 6 tennis, or those 2 pickleball or 2 tennis courts and turned them into 6 pickleball courts at the Rec Center so that group just couldn’t be happier. And those will open up next spring. And then the final project is a general surplus, fund surplus project and that’s the neighborhood park picnic shelter initiative. $100,000 and so three neighborhood shelters are going in. The concrete is down at Stone Creek Park, Sugarbush Park, and Roundhouse Park. The shelters are on order. They’ll be delivered here near the first of the year and then installed and ready for spring. And our plan for the next three, which will be at Pheasant Hill, Curry Farms and Chanhassen Hills will be to bring those in real early in the spring and hopefully have those useable by about June so we’ll have 6 new park shelters available to the public by this April, May and June. And that’s just the start of that project and I think those are going to be really well received. So there’s still a lot going on in park and trail acquisition and development and we want to thank the commission for your leadership and your continued guidance. Kelly: Thank you Todd. Any other questions for Todd? Scharfenberg: Todd with respect to trees, do you think it would be possible to have Jill maybe come in sometime and just talk to us about our parks and the trees and maybe what the plan is going forward with that? Hoffman: I’d be glad to. Scharfenberg: Thank you. Kelly: Any other questions? Thunberg: Yeah. Except for our CIP for this year we totaled $480,000 and just from going through this it looks like we spent $142,000 and $238,000 went unspent. When we were doing this last year, this next year’s CIP, was that funding that just was already rolled into that or would that have essentially that $238,000 will be added back upon once our CIP is final and approved? So as we’re looking through the 5 years I mean we kind of see what our balance is and what’s available funding. Hoffman: It was still in there. Thunberg: Was that $238,000 in there when we were looking at it though through this last summer when we were approving the next 5 years? 4 Park and Recreation Commission – November 25, 2014 Hoffman: It would not have been in there as a available cash. It would have been in there as spent dollars so yeah. Available cash. Carron: Same wave length. That’s what I was going to ask. Kelly: Go have a party. Have fun. Jerry, I think you’re on tap. ESTABLISH 2015 PICNIC RESERVATION FEES. Ruegemer: Thank you Chair Kelly and the rest of the commissioners. Thank you for having me here tonight. Last month we had taken a look at the 2014 picnic season and this month we’re going to take a look at the picnic fees for 2015. I did look at some comps in the area with the City of Chaska, Three Rivers and Eden Prairie and I’m very confident that we’re, our prices are very competitive and right in the ballpark kind of in line with everybody else so. Staff is recommending that the fees remain the same level as 2014 looking ahead to 2015. The fee structure is attached to the back of the memo for your review so staff is recommending that the park and rec commission recommend to the City Council to establish the 2015 group picnic fees at the same level as 2014. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the City th Council as part of their annual review of all license fees on December 8. Kelly: Any questions for Jerry? We talked about this a little bit last meeting or do we want to go right to the question? Carron: Well I’ll make a motion if there’s no discussion that the picnic reservation fees stay at the same level per staff recommendation for 2015. Kelly: There is a motion to follow the recommendation made by staff. Is there a second? Echternacht: I will second that. Kelly: And a second. Carron moved, Echternacht seconded that the Park and Recreation Commission recommends the City Council establish 2015 group picnic reservation fees at the same level as 2014. All voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 8 to 0. APPROVAL OF WELL 15 SITE PLAN, PHEASANT HILLS PARK. Kelly: Todd, we’re talking wells. Hoffman: Thank you Chair Kelly, members of the commission. So as an organization we work with each one of our individual departments on a daily basis so that’s our planning division, finance, public works, engineering and then our building officials, law enforcement and our public works/engineering division often uses the city parks as a landlord for some of their public works improvements and so wells. Water treatment plants. Some of those other public works 5 Park and Recreation Commission – November 25, 2014 type of facilities and so Well number 15 is a new well to make sure that the city maintains it’s capacity to deliver clean water to it’s residents and typically what they’re looking at is to spread these wells out into zones and so they have a map that’s available. You have to be so far away from other public wells. Other municipal wells in our community and so they strategically locate these sites. Pheasant Hills Park has been identified for quite some time as a potential location. Can we use the overhead to talk about that? So you have the maps. Some of you are probably more familiar with Pheasant Hills Park than others. Jerry will get our overhead up and we can talk about the particular locations. Little history on Pheasant Hills Park. It was purchased with some of the dollars from the 1997 referendum in the city of Chanhassen so this area of the city was identified as a park deficient zone in our community so we sought out a piece of land. This property was going to be developed as residential homes and then it was lost to the bank as a part of a financial foreclosure. The City picked it up and purchased it. Good to go? So this area was to be developed with a street at this location and then a cul-de-sac of homes and so it was platted as homes at one point and then the City acquired it and including the high ground and the wetland area, which always makes a nice combination in a, even in a neighborhood park setting. It expands the view sheds on the park property and expands the ability for the park to hold wildlife in addition to the more active play areas. So this is the intersection of Lake Lucy Lane and Lake Lucy Road and this is the location of the proposed improvements, right at that intersection. When we’re talking to the engineers we’re always you know again leveraging the project. If you’re going to put a well in this property, what can you do to improve the site as well for the residents of Chanhassen and so that’s what we’re working with the engineers on and this is the plan. To do that the park gets an addition of 3 pull in parking stalls just off of Lake Lucy Road. The trail is bremeandered right now. The trail is in this underlying location. The trail would be moved over away from these improvements and then you have a temporary chemical feed building and this would go away when a future west water treatment plant is developed and so this is a temporary installation to treat the water as it’s drawn from the well and then put into the system. And then you have the underground bunker for electrical utilities and then the well itself. So these are out of public areas. The trailway is here. You would have parking stalls available and there are a number of people that park here on the roadway currently and this would provide them for some off street pull in parking and to access the playground and the park. Other park amenities. Scharfenberg: Todd is that, would that be a whole new trail that they would be building in through that park or there’s an existing? Hoffman: There’s an existing trail right here. Scharfenberg: Okay. Hoffman: Yeah, so they would be moving it over but this trail exists and it takes you down to the playground. Scharfenberg: Okay. th Kelly: Todd I wasn’t able to make the meeting on Thursday, November 13. Did we have a lot of people show up and what was the general reaction? 6 Park and Recreation Commission – November 25, 2014 Hoffman: There was a variety of neighbors there talking with Paul and his group and their primary concern was that this well would not affect their personal wells. They were not opposed to the well going in or the site plan but they just wanted to make sure that there wasn’t going to be a negative impact on their personal wells and so that’s the responsibility of the consultants that work with our engineering division to talk about is that draw down zone going to affect any of those neighboring wells in a negative fashion. Scharfenberg: So there are people there that have their own personal wells? Hoffman: Quite a few of them, correct. Scharfenberg: Really? Hoffman: In this area of the city. So you have some large lots. They do have the availability to hook up to city water but in some cases by ordinance you know they should be doing that but they’re not forced to do that. Ryan: But the neighbor to the east there. Hoffman: This neighbor? Ryan: (Yes). Hoffman: I do not know. We have some leverage there because their driveway is on part of property so we’re kind of in a, if you want to stay where you’re at we’re going to stay where we’re at. Just to be honest. Ryan: Well in that case, this is the park that we go to so I am very familiar with it. Is there any way then with the trail as it comes down Lake Lucy to hook it in. Instead of going you know right now they have to go out onto the road. If you’re riding your bikes you have to go out onto the road. Then make a U turn and come back and. Hoffman: Right here. Ryan: Right, and just cut it in so you’re staying on the trail versus coming into the road because the drivers that are coming down Lake Lucy cut that corner really sharp to go down that road and it’s just a little. Hoffman: I think that’s a great recommendation. It looks like there’s a fire hydrant there. There might be some things that need to be moved around or this trail might have to bounce in a little bit but I think that’s a great recommendation. There’s really, you’re talking about a 10 foot stretch there. There’s no reason to force those people into the road. Ryan: Okay, that’d be great. 7 Park and Recreation Commission – November 25, 2014 Hoffman: Good recommendations. Ryan: Thank you. Kelly: Any other questions or comments? Ryan: Is 3 the max number of stalls that can be there? Hoffman: Yes. We actually originally asked them to build an interior parking lot with about 5 stalls and it just didn’t fit into the site plan. And then another part of this, they had just pull off parking. Just a widen shoulder and again we didn’t think that was the best plan so we asked them to create something a little bit nicer. So you have a depth there of what, 20 feet. 20 foot depth for those parking stalls. So we can send any other comments back to the engineering division. You have a recommendation this evening proposed to you and this will go to the City Council for final approval at some point in the future. Kelly: So any other questions or Elise I’m going to let you make the motion if it’s with your, with your amendment. Ryan: So how do you want me to say with the, just the adjustment on the trail? Hoffman: Yep. Kelly: Jacob or Tyler, you been to that park? You familiar with it at all? Kobilarcsik: I might have been to it once. Hoffman: They call it dinosaur park too because the playground looks like a dinosaur. Ryan: That’s how we know it. When people are talking about Pheasant Hills I’m saying, it was always the dinosaur park. There they go with their tickets. Okay, I’d like to make a motion the Park and Recreation Commission approves the well number 15 site plan for Pheasant Hills Park including the well, an underground electrical service vault, a temporary chemical feed building, the addition of three parking stalls for the park and landscaping, with the addition of adding the trail to feed into the new trail. Kelly: There’s been a motion with the proposed motion with an addendum made. Is there a second? Scharfenberg: Second. Ryan moved, Scharfenberg seconded that the Park and Recreation Commission recommends the City Council approve the well number 15 site plan for Pheasant Hills Park including the well, an underground electrical service vault, a temporary chemical feed building, the addition of three parking stalls for the park and landscaping, with the 8 Park and Recreation Commission – November 25, 2014 addition of adding the trail to feed into the new trail. All voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 8 to 0. Kelly: Moving right along I’m going to add a number real quick. I didn’t think about it earlier. And all I want to add is Jerry at some point before the spring we want to look into what the cost of the turf would be so we can talk about it before our CIP and when the, when those two groups get back to us with their thoughts and I have a feeling we’re not going to hear anything for a few months from them so my guess is you’ve got some time but I think we should add it to the plan at some point before March, or by March. RECREATION PROGRAM REPORTS: 2014 HALLOWEEN PARTY EVALUATION. Gess: Thank you Chair Kelly, members of the commission. Wanted to talk a little bit about the 2014 Halloween Party and it was, can’t believe it was a month ago already. The annual th Halloween Party was held on Saturday, October 25 at the Chanhassen Rec Center. There was an estimated 325 children that were registered generating just over about $1,500 in revenue so with family and friends joining those I’d say we had about 600 to 700 participants overall. Nothing out of the ordinary in terms of kind of what was there. We had live entertainment. There was a magic show. 30 minute magic show. Carnival games. Refreshments. Indoor trick or treating. Spooky room and hayrides which were awesome because it was really nice out so we lucked out with the weather. Kelly: I want to add that I went in and listened to part of the magic show and the guy had the kids eating out of his hand. It was much fun to watch and he had the whole place rocking. It was fun to watch. Gess: Yeah, we had a lot of positive feedback from parents and kids that were there. They really enjoyed him so it was great and I got to see him again 2 weeks later at a MRPA function so lucky me. And we had face painting and you know to thank volunteers that helped out. Thank you Chair Kelly for coming and thank Terry as well and we had a lot of volunteers from Chan and Chaska High School Key Clubs as well as a few here and there, a couple from Minnetonka and also a few from the Interact Club so that was great. Kelly: Meghan, my wife has already bought a new witch hat for next year and she’s like, so she’s already planning. Gess: Good. Overall you know looking at the expense report we spent about $3,800 and brought in about $1,600 and this event was the final of four that are part of the community event sponsorship program so that was the final. After that we started rolling into looking at 2015. Any questions on the event or did I not cover anything? Kelly: The event was a great event and all the kids had a great time and you could tell. It was fun to be there as it is every year and it’s fun to see all the little kids and some of them are nervous and some of them are excited to be there and it’s just fun to watch the whole gambit and we actually had a mother, father and son walk in dressed as Mr. Incredible, taking away from my thunder. 9 Park and Recreation Commission – November 25, 2014 Hoffman: All three of them? Kelly: All three of them. So it was a great event. Nice job. Gess: Thank you. 2014 TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY. Kelly: Meghan, you’re still on tap here. Let’s talk about the tree lighting. Gess: I am. The next event is the annual tree lighting ceremony and that will be held a week th from Saturday, December 6 at 5:00 p.m. on the plaza in City Center Park. The event will run for approximately an hour with the tree being lit around 5:15. Again kind of the same type of set up as in year’s past. There will be a live reindeer, refreshments, a bonfire, carolers and the gingerbread house displays from the gingerbread house decorating contest. A visit from Santa Claus on the fire engine and the event is free and open to all so I invite you all to attend. And then you’ll see attached is the flyer. It was, it should have been included tomorrow, the Chanhassen Villager will go out as an early edition due to the holiday so those inserts will be in the Villager tomorrow. COMMISSION MEMBER COMMITTEE REPORTS. None. COMMISSION MEMBER PRESENTATIONS. Kelly: We have a Park and Recreation Commission farewell party. I think Todd notified th everybody. It will be December 9 and we’ll shed a tear as we bid farewell to Elise Ryan and we’re looking forward to that night. So unless anybody has anything else to add, do they want to put it to the question. Ryan: I actually would like to say a few things please. While it’s hard to believe that this is my last meeting after 6 years has gone quickly and when I first wanted to join the commission it was, you know I wanted to utilize it as an opportunity to get involved and you know serve the community and it’s really turned into a true passion for Chanhassen. When I became a commissioner 6 years ago I look around and I see one person that was on the commission with me at that point and another commissioner’s dad. I sat next to Glenn right in that chair down there and really have enjoyed all of these 6 years as a park and rec commissioner so I wanted to have a few, say a few thank you’s. First a big thank you Todd for all of your guidance and support these last many years. You have been an invaluable resource to me and I truly appreciate the many phone calls and office visits to discuss and help me through questions that I had and all of your encouragement and support. I’d also like to say thank you to you Jerry and all staff for the endless hours of hard work and your enthusiasm and positive energy that you bring to the park and rec department so thank you for that. Your entire team has an incredible way of listening, teaching and sharing with us your vast knowledge and experience so we as a commission are very lucky to have you guys as part of the team. Second I want to say thank you to fellow commissioners. We’ve learned. We’ve laughed. We’ve challenged each other and 10 Park and Recreation Commission – November 25, 2014 I’ve been challenged by all of you here. I’ve learned that a group of people can all come from various ideas and have different perspectives but we can work together towards a common goal and resolve any kind of problem and come up with great solutions. I value what each of you has taught me along the way and I appreciate what you bring to this commission. Finally I am looking forward to the next stage of serving Chanhassen as a council person and I look forward to working with all of you as a council member but most importantly I hope to remain in touch with all of you as friends and colleagues and I will look back on these 6 years as a park and rec commission with a lot of pride and joy so thank you for each of what you’ve brought into my world and I will miss my Tuesday evenings shared with all of you so I wish you all success personally and professionally and thank you for all your support along the way. Thanks. Kelly: Thank you Elise. Is there a call to the question? ADMINISTRATIVE PACKET. None. Ryan moved, Carron seconded to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 8 to 0. The Park and Recreation Commission meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Submitted by Todd Hoffman Park and Rec Director Prepared by Nann Opheim 11