PRC 2017 05 23
CHANHASSEN PARK AND
RECREATION COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
MAY 23, 2017
The Park and Recreation Commission met at 6:15 p.m. to tour Manchester Park.
Chairman Scharfenberg called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Cole Kelly, Steve Scharfenberg, Rick Echternacht, Jennifer
Hougham, Jim Boettcher, Karl Tsuchiya, Meredith Petouvis, Lauren Dale, and Grant Schaeferle
STAFF PRESENT: Todd Hoffman, Park and Rec Director; Jerry Ruegemer, Recreation
Superintendent; Katie Favro, Recreation Supervisor; and Adam Beers, Park Superintendent
PUBLIC PRESENT:
Chris Carlton 6637 Mulberry Circle West
Jacob Taylor 75416 Bent Bow Trail
Nikolas Charherko 725 Applewood Circle
APPROVAL OF AGENDA:
Scharfenberg: Does anyone have any changes to the agenda?
Echternacht: I’d like to add under new business I guess it would be…between National
Recreation and Park Association and the Walt Disney Companies…
Scharfenberg: Okay, we’ll add that as number 2. Anything else? I’m going to add two items.
Number 3 under, I’m sorry that will be number 3. Meet Me At The Park will be number 3 under
new business. Under old business I’m going to add a new number 2 for an LRT update from
Todd. And then on the second page under K, Commissioner Member Committee Reports I can
give an update on the Advisory Council meeting from 2 weeks ago.
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Ruegemer: Chair Scharfenberg I’d just like to bring to everybody’s attention, we have the
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Memorial Day Ceremony coming up this coming Monday, May 29. I put some, a couple pieces
of publicity or information in front of you tonight. The flyer, the one sided flyer will be an insert
into this week’s Villager. And then the program is also attached here for Monday so please
attend. If anybody has any questions please let me know.
Scharfenberg: Thank you Jerry.
Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
VISITOR PRESENTATIONS. None.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Hougham moved, Echternacht seconded to accept the
verbatim and summary Minutes of the Park and Recreation Commission meeting dated
April 25, 2017 as presented. All voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously with a
vote of 9 to 0.
INTRODUCTION OF 2017 KLEINBANK SUMMER CONCERT SERIES.
Scharfenberg: Number one is the KleinBank Series and that’s Katie.
Favro: Thank you commissioners. The City of Chanhassen is proud to present the 2017
KleinBank Summer Concert Series and those are going to be held at City Center Park plaza
which is right down here between the library and City Hall. They’re on Thursday nights starting
at 7:00 p.m. However we do have one performance that is geared towards children that is at
11:00 in the afternoon. Last night the City Council accepted the donation from KleinBank so
that’s always exciting and we’re very appreciative of their partnership. They come to all of the
concerts and they provide free water for anybody who attends and balloons for the children’s
performances. This year is going to be really great. We’re always looking for new, different
variety of bands to perform. There’s going to be 9 different ones and like I said the 2 children’s
concerts. I guess does anybody have any questions on any of those?
Scharfenberg: Any questions for Katie? Looks like a great line-up Katie. Thank you.
Favro: Yeah and you all should have received a magnet. Those are, we bring those out. They
are available at the concerts and then we drop off a bunch at KleinBank and we’ve also got
promotional posters at KleinBank and around different places in Chanhassen. Thank you.
Scharfenberg: Thank you.
RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL FOR AWARD OF QUOTE, BANDIMERE
COMMUNITY PARK AND LAKE SUSAN COMMUNITY PARK ENTRY SIGNS.
Beers: Thank you Chair Scharfenberg and commissioners. The 2017 CIP budget this year
includes $60,000 for the purchase, installation, the concrete work associated with the project and
all required electrical work to complete the signage. These signs will match the entrance sign
that is currently at Lake Ann Park. If you guys decide that you would like to move forward with
this project then all of our community parks will have similar entrance signs. They’ll be lit up.
I’m sure all of you guys are familiar with the Lake Ann sign. Three quotes were sent out to Sign
Source, Nordquist Signs, and DeMars Signs with no response coming back from DeMars. And
as we started moving through the plans for the signs, working with the landscape architect and
staff we felt that due to the increased traffic speeds on 101 versus what would be going on Lake
Drive it was thought best to increase the signage. The overall size of the sign and the letters so
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
with that an increased cost was incurred there so if you guys would like to move forward with
the project it’s staff recommendation to amend the $60,000 budget to $63,000 to cover the
increased cost and the funds for that are included in the 2017 CIP. So if you have any questions
I’d love to answer them.
Scharfenberg: Anybody have any questions for Adam?
Kelly: Adam how much was the sign that we did at Lake Ann? I don’t remember. Do you
remember?
Beers: That was before my time but I could figure that out and get back to you.
Hoffman: It was right at about $27,000 or $30,000.
Kelly: Okay so it’s right in line with what we’re looking at. Okay that’s all I was looking for.
Thank you.
Scharfenberg: And with respect to both signs, will there be some plantings and that associated
with that or do those come in later?
Beers: We’d likely do that at the same time. That’s something we do in-house so those costs
wouldn’t be contracted out or anything so we’d just do that within our division.
Scharfenberg: Okay.
Hoffman: The one at Lake Ann was an Eagle Scout project. If the timing was right we would
do the same thing.
Scharfenberg: Okay. Anybody else have any questions for Adam on the signs? Does anybody
want to make a motion?
Kelly: I’ll make a motion that the Park and Recreation Commission recommends that the City
Council award the quote for the purchase and installation of park entry signs at Bandimere Park
and Lake Susan Park to Sign Source Inc. in the amount of $62,903.08.
Scharfenberg: We have a motion from Commissioner Kelly. Do we have a second?
Boettcher: I’ll second it.
Scharfenberg: Todd?
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
Hoffman: Could I request an amendment. Commissioner Kelly if you could go to the
recommendation and add that amendment to the budget please for City Council. We apologize
it’s not on the front.
Beers: It’s on the back page. Or the back of the first page I should say.
Hoffman: Third line amending the award that amount and then amend the project budget from
$60,000 to $63,000.
Kelly: Okay so where it goes to and amend?
Hoffman: Yep.
Kelly: Okay. So I would like to amend the motion to what I said before and add, and amend the
project budget from $60,000 to $63,000 and I think that’s all we need right?
Hoffman: Correct.
Kelly: Okay.
Hoffman: Thank you.
Scharfenberg: We have an amendment to the motion from Commissioner Kelly. Any seconds?
Boettcher: I’ll amend my second.
Scharfenberg: Seconded by Commissioner Boettcher. Any discussion?
Kelly moved, Boettcher seconded that the Park and Recreation Commission recommends
that the City Council award the quote for the purchase and installation of park entry signs
at Bandimere Park and Lake Susan Park to Sign Source Inc. in the amount of $62,903.08
and amend the project budget from $60,000 to $63,000. All voted in favor and the motion
carried unanimously with a vote of 9 to 0.
Scharfenberg: Motion passes. Thank you Adam.
Beers: Yep.
MEET ME AT THE PARK.
Scharfenberg: Next is the addition, the Meet me at the Park. Commissioner Echternacht why
don’t you kind of share with us what you sent the email you sent earlier today.
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
Echternacht: Okay. All of us on the commission probably are receiving newsletters once a
month from the National Recreation and Park Association. If you haven’t you’ll be getting,
about once a year they send out an email to the commissions asking if you’d like to receive this
so I, they come just before the meetings it seems like. Anyway I was looking at one today and
there’s a collaboration between them and Walt Disney Companies. Walt Disney’s giving $2
million dollars for grants to enhance children’s playing in the parks and they’re going to be
handed out as grants from between $10,000 and $50,000 per city or per park and the stickler is
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that the grants have to be in by June 23 so this is more kind of a learning experience but there’s
a webinar this coming Thursday at 1:00 Central Standard Time. I’ll send out an email to the rest
of the commissioners that if you have the time and want to watch the webinar but it basically, it’s
that they’re willing to give money and I thought maybe we, until I got more into it that maybe we
could get some money for like a splash pad or something in one of our parks but it’s kind of a
short notice to do that but I just wanted to let everyone be aware of it and about the webinar and
I’ll send the emails out to you. If you have any other questions of me I’ll see if I can answer
them.
Boettcher: When did you send your email out? You said today?
Echternacht: I sent it but I didn’t have everybody’s email. I just sent it to.
Boettcher: Oh okay.
Echternacht: Todd and Steve.
Boettcher: So I’m not included again. Okay.
Echternacht: I will have them by the end of the night though. Thank you.
Boettcher: Thanks.
Scharfenberg: Todd these grants that are available that Rick mentioned and other ones that come
up, have we ever applied for anything like that?
Hoffman: Traditionally no and so we, the City has applied for state and federal grants. A
number of years ago when we were, when those were the hot thing to do and when they were, we
were doing public water accesses. When you knew you had some ability to be successful.
We’re still applying for some trail grants. Something like this it’s not something we can’t take a
look at. We’ll investigate it and if we think we have a decent chance we’ll reach out to
commissioners. See if somebody would want to work on it with a staff member and make an
application. If we think it’s pie in the sky and not work the investment of time we’ll spend our
time doing other things.
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
Scharfenberg: Okay, thank you.
RECOMMENDATION TO CITY COUNCIL TO ACCEPT AND APPROVE PARK
MASTER PLAN FOR MANCHESTER PARK.
Scharfenberg: We were all, all the commissioners were out and took a tour of the site earlier this
evening and were provided with information from staff regarding location of the park and the
cul-de-sac and I’ll turn it over to Todd to present some additional information.
Hoffman: Thank you Chair Scharfenberg and members of the commission. This evening
following last month’s staff report we put together a presentation which goes back to the history
starting in ’05. Even back to 2003. Talk about the history of the site some of which I reflected
on when we were out there this evening so I won’t belabor those details as we go through the
presentation. So this is the sign that was placed on the property. This was at the bottom of the
hill. We were standing behind the sign just up on top of the hill. City of Chanhassen future site
west water treatment plant and park and the sign was there for over 15 years. Background on the
water treatment plant. ’03 there was the study that recommended the two filter plants. The east
field was recommended first because it contained the worst water on the east end of town so that
one was built downtown and then the construction started in ’05. At the same time the City
purchased that property that we stood on this evening at the Lake Harrison development for the
future west water treatment plant and a small neighborhood park. It was really the price tag, $16
to $20 million dollars that took the City and the City Council a long time to find the ability, the
funds and the support to create that second water treatment plant. That obviously was recently
done in 2016 and the site back in ’05 was paid for using a combination of park dedication funds
and water utility funds to help pay for that particular piece of property that we were standing on.
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So here’s the water plan schedule starting on May 9 with the City Council approving, May 9,
2016 when the City Council approved the preliminary design. Goes through all the
neighborhood meetings, the public meetings. As the Parks Director I was at the majority of
those public meetings for the water plants since it also involved a park and I had nobody during
those meetings come up and say they were in opposition to the park. I did have a good number
of people come in and say they were happy that the park was finally being built. They wish it
was built first before waiting 16 years for the water treatment plant or 15 years for the water
treatment plant to go up. There was one family that had either 3 or 4 young boys that lived up in
Lake Harrison and she was like finally the boys, I can take the boys to the playground before
they’re too old to even go and so I know there’s people out there that support the park plan and
they did show up and express those opinions at least in those neighborhood meetings. Those
public meetings. Important date at the bottom is that the water treatment plant will start up in
April of 2018. The site will be largely completed by then. The water treatment plant site and the
cul-de-sac and then the park, we can come in and add our piece. We’re the last, if approved
we’re the last piece of the puzzle on the site. This was the first, 1 of 3 concepts that started in
June of 2005. So immediately following the acquisition of the property this was a concept from
’05. Concept 1. There’s also Concept 2 and Concept 3. Just kind of twisted the building around
and did a little different things with the park but as you can see the water treatment plant
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
switched directions but the park is largely the same, at least in concept. A playground and a
shelter and the cul-de-sac with this parking stalls. Then following the approval started in 2013.
This was in 2014. Again preliminary water treatment plant layout and site layout for the park.
Somewhat similar. Siting the water treatment plant was the most difficult part. You know the
elevations were obviously a big deal so how far do you push it into the hill and so that piece of
the puzzle moved around quite a bit. This is another site layout on 5-9 of 2016. And all of these
documents were included in the water treatment plant public hearing process. Planning
Commission. Paul, if you recall Paul Oehme the City Engineer/Public Works Director came to
your meeting and presented the plan and the park plan. This is getting close to the end and so
this is a project rendering for the water treatment plant and the park on 6-22-2016. Just before
the approval of the water treatment plant project itself. The site continued to be refined. This is
a rendering of where we were standing so you can see the picnic shelter is shown in this. The
cul-de-sac with I think it’s got some cars parked in there just on the left hand side and then the
water treatment plant as it cascades down the hill and the stormwater pond down in front. So we
were standing at the top of that building right between the shelter and the building site right
about at that location. These renderings were used in the public hearing process and the approval
process for the water treatment plant. The same company this is designing the water treatment
plant, WSB and Associates was retained by the City since it made for a seamless process. They
knew the grading plan. They knew the landscaping plan so we hired them to do this park plan
for the park and so that was Mr. Jeff Deitner who was here at your last meeting and Bailey
Krause at WSB presented this plan. We looked at a variety of options. Frankly there’s just not a
lot of space there so there’s not a lot of options to do a lot of different things with that park site.
There would be swings in this container. It’s large enough which are very popular and then a
playground structure for 5 to 12 year olds. So that’s the plan as presented at your last meeting.
These are the half mile park service areas. So you look at the top circle, that’s Pheasant Hill
Park. The bottom is Sugarbush and the center is Manchester and there’s quite a few homes in
the Lake Harrison area and then the Highover area which would be right in the bullseye of the
Manchester Park service area. And then obviously everybody on Manchester and north. The
parks, the Park and Recreation System Plan says that there’ll be a park within a half mile of
everyone’s front door. A neighborhood park in our Comprehensive Plan and it’s really an
important distinction in Chanhassen. I was on the phone today with the Avienda developers and
we were talking about that plan. She was, expressed that she was very impressed that we were
seeking to do something on Avienda. She said many cities would just let commercial and
housing come in and they wouldn’t even think about the park needs so we talked about the
history of that and really what you find is, if you study this down people love national parks.
They love county parks. They love state parks but the park they visit most often is the park just
down the street from their house so that’s where they’re going to spend most the time. They gain
a lot of value meeting their neighbors. Raising their children there and so that’s why the City has
embraced that park within a half mile of everyone’s front door. If you choose to use it you can
use it. It also provides value for your home because it’s there for the next family to take
advantage of when they move in and purchase your home if you happen to move out. So those
are park service areas. This is not, the capital is not in this year. It’s in next year and so the 2018
park fund capital improvement program includes $125,000 scheduled in 2018 to install the first
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
playground. The playground, wood fiber resilient surfacing and the picnic shelter. We will act
as the general contractor. If we were to bid this out they estimated that work would cost
somewhere between $220,000 and $240,000 and so it’s a good value for the way we do these
parks. Pioneer Pass Park was the same thing. When we quoted out or designed Pioneer Pass
Park it was on the same process as this. A landscape architect was hired. They developed a
plan. They gave us a price and we did it internally just simply because your park fund can’t be
stretched that far and we built that park for about half of what that contractor cost was. It’s
similar here and so we think that $125,000 we’ll be able to manage the presentation that you
have before you. The plan that you have before you. The park construction schedule would be,
occur in the spring and summer of 2018 so we would allow the grading and the cul-de-sac and
the trail to all go in this summer and fall as a part of the water treatment plant. First thing spring
of 2018 our crews would move in. Finish grade the site to prepare for the container. The
playground container and the shelter. Have that rocked and concreted. Order up the shelter.
That will come in and then order the playground. You can meet with a group of the neighbors
and select the playground. We would create that budget. Do an RFP for saying to a variety of
vendors we’ll pick 3. We have, whatever the number will be. $40,000 for a playground. Give
us the best playground that you can in this age group. These swings and then we’ll pick it with
the neighbors and then we’ll install it so the estimated completion date then would be next July
of 2018. Mid July. That’s the background we have. I’ll be happy to answer questions of the
commission. So tonight we’re back at the recommendation to the City Council to approve this
park master plan, if that’s the direction you would like to take it and then once the council
approves it then we can go ahead and plan for the construction of the park site.
Scharfenberg: Do we have anybody here from, that wants to speak to this topic in the audience?
No? I would open it up then to the commission, any questions for Todd?
Kelly: Todd I think you mentioned it out at the site but out of the park and rec CIP we spent,
was it $400,000 on that property?
Hoffman: That’s what I recall but I would have to double check. I recall the purchase price was
around a million and I believe the split was $600,000, there about’s for the water fund and about
$400,000 for the park fund but those may be incorrect but I know they’re close.
Kelly: Thank you.
Scharfenberg: Any other questions about the Manchester property? Any questions for Todd?
Echternacht: Steve I’d like to make a proposed motion then.
Scharfenberg: Okay.
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
Echternacht: I propose that the Park and Recreation Commission recommends that the City
Council approve the proposed park master plan for a new neighborhood park to be constructed
adjacent to the west water treatment facility and approve the park name of Manchester Park.
Scharfenberg: We have a motion from Commissioner Echternacht. Do we have a second?
Kelly: Second.
Scharfenberg: Second from Commissioner Kelly. Any discussion?
Echternacht moved, Kelly seconded that the Park and Recreation Commission
recommends that the City Council approve the proposed park master plan for a new
neighborhood park to be constructed adjacent to the West Water Treatment Facility and
approve the park name of “Manchester Park”. All voted in favor and the motion carried
unanimously with a vote of 9 to 0.
LRT UPDATE.
Scharfenberg: Next under old business, Todd can you give us an update on the LRT trail and the
process that’s going on with FEMA?
Hoffman: Be glad to. Many of you are familiar with the two LRT trails that we have in town.
On the north side we have the Lake Minnetonka Regional LRT trail. Cuts the corner of
Chanhassen but then that leads to Victoria. Goes to Hopkins and then to downtown after that. If
you’re in Hopkins and you decide to take the Lake, or the Minnesota River Bluffs trail you can
come right out of Hopkins and come right down into Chanhassen and the Minnesota River Bluffs
LRT trail. Very popular regional trails. Old railroad beds. The railroad ties and the tracks were
taken off some 25 years ago and then the aggregate surface was improved and those have been
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used as regional trails ever since. On June 19 of 2014 we had the last of a series of rains. I
think the rain that night was about 6 inches but that followed about another 8 inches that we had
had the previous 30 days or so, so the soils were excessively saturated and there was a significant
slough just to the east of Highway 101. Inbetween Highway 101 and Pioneer Trail and so the
trail was closed and what happened at that time is people continued to use it because the closure
was just some signage and a few barricades and so if people wanted to continue to use it. Then
the land owner who was the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority and so it’s owned by
the Railroad Authority of Hennepin County. They closed it off permanently and then they
sought federal funding, FEMA funding to improve that or to restore that slough. The project
budget was in the one million dollar range and that was not approved by FEMA and Hennepin
County Regional Railroad Authority appealed twice over the last 3 years. In that second appeal
now was extended and then denied so finally denied so FEMA is not going to finance the
restoration of that. Tomorrow afternoon Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority will be
in this building to hold a meeting between the local cities, some of the county agencies to start a
conversation about now what? Now what do we do? So at least it’s staff’s opinion that we’re
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
not available to be on board financially for this. It’s a regional trail corridor. Hennepin County
Regional Railroad Authority owns it. They have the requirement as a government entity to
maintain it as a viable corridor for whatever it’s going to be. A trail. An LRT line into the future
and so there’s going to be I think some political pressure to start divvying up this cost and say
hey will you jump on board? Will you pay for this? If you don’t we’re not going to fix it so I
think what we’re setting ourselves up for is probably a little bit of political posturing over the
next few months to see who’s going to flinch and who’s going to fund and who’s not going to
fund. The other part of this whole thing is that the Highway 101 project is getting ready to, you
know the council has got it mapped. The City Council has it mapped. They’re seeking funding
and it includes a significant trail bridge for this trail so how are you going to capture funding for
a road and a trail bridge to a trail that’s closed. That’s not going to be very popular so right now
there’s some efforts to get that money or that project approved as a part of the road financing as
well. So starting tomorrow we’ll know more. Where we’re going from here but at least my
position as a Chanhassen Parks and Recreation Director, appointed official will be to say that this
is outside of our jurisdiction. Our current plans don’t include maintenance for that. We’re not
involved in the maintenance of that corridor. Yeah the residents of Chanhassen would like to see
it opened. Perhaps it could be Three Rivers Park District being involved since they’re the entity
that holds the permit. So they hold the permit through the Hennepin County Regional Railroad
Authority to maintain it as a trail. At least up to Bluff Creek. From Bluff Creek Drive to the
City of Chaska the City owns that permit but we’re turning that over to Carver County because
they’re going to be paving that section next week so Carver County will have the permit from
Chaska to Bluff Creek and then the permit from Bluff Creek to the end, east side of Chanhassen
is held by Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority and then through Three Rivers Park
District. So those are the involved partners. Carver County would like it opened. There’s a trail
group that’s meeting out of Victoria. The Southwest Trail Group and they would like to see this
re-opened. You know it’s going to be 3 years this June and people are really disappointed,
especially those that used it regularly for not only recreation but for commuting to work and
training and other things. The people that are using it coming from Shakopee, there’s a brand
new beautiful bridge. $50 million dollar bridge and a trail on Shakopee and you know that cuts
off a lot of use there. There’s a lot of new improvements in the Highway 61 corridor area and so
this is a significant bottleneck.
Scharfenberg: Thanks for that update Todd. Anybody have any questions?
RECREATION PROGRAM REPORTS: LAKE ANN PARK SUMMER UPDATE.
Scharfenberg: Jerry, recreation programs.
Ruegemer: Thank you Chair Scharfenberg. If I may divert from the agenda for a brief moment,
I’d like to introduce Chris Freemark, our Park and Recreation Intern for the summer. Come on
up Chris. Chris is on his second day with us here. With us so we really want to welcome him.
We’re really happy that Chris is here. Chris was a little bit late tonight because he was helping
Jodi with Rec Center Sports so we’re going to roll up his sleeves a second day here. We’re
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
really going to keep him busy here so Chris do you want to just say a few, you know where
you’re from. Where you went to school. That sort of thing.
Chris Freemark: Yeah I’m from Maple Grove. Went to Maple Grove High School and just
walked at Minnesota State University. Part of the RPLS program there with an emphasis in
leisure planning and management and this is kind of like the last requirement for my major there
so I’m excited to be here and have had a great 2 days so far and looking forward to continuing
throughout this week and beyond so yeah.
Ruegemer: Thank you Chris. Appreciate it.
Chris Freemark: Yeah, thanks.
Hoffman: Thanks Chris.
Ruegemer: We’re really happy Chris is here. We’re keeping him busy already so. Right on, so
thank you Chair Scharfenberg and the rest of the commissioners tonight. Lake Ann Park, we’re
going to be really getting into the swing of things here very shortly. 2017 is really full of
excitement so far up to this point. We’re going to open up the concession building this coming
weekend on Saturday morning with that starting at 11:00 and we’ll be open 11:00 to 7:00
throughout the weekend and then we’ll be open for the most part then about next Wednesday
then for the rest of the summer. We’re going to kind of stagger it a little bit since school is still
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in session but we’ll be open til August 20 for that so that’s going to be really a great summer so
far. Chris and I met with Jacob Stolar, our concession manager here for the summer this
afternoon and went and had a long meeting in my office. We went out to Lake Ann as well. We
kind of went through the operation. We’re going to be doing staff training on Thursday
afternoon with the rest of the staff to kind of go through you know how to pop popcorn and make
hotdogs and hook up boat motors and batteries, that sort of thing here to get everybody kind of
up to speed with the operation for that so. We’re excited that that operation will get started here
momentarily. Also just wanted to inform the Park and Recreation Commission again that Twin
City Paddleboard is onboard again with us this year with supplying the paddleboards for us so
we’re going to have 8 out there again for 2017. They were delivered this afternoon so they are
securely locked on the racks right now so that’s been a really popular rental for us out there. Jeff
Gibbon with Twin City Paddleboard is wonderful to work with. We have a really nice
agreement with him as well. We provide labor and he provides boards and we split revenue
which it really works out great for us. It’s really our number one rental out there so far and
people are always looking to get out on them so we’re pretty excited about that. The Lake Ann
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Beach is going to be opening up June 3, a week from this coming Saturday and that contract
was approved by this board earlier this year so that will be through Minnetonka Aquatics again.
The Minnetonka School District so Dan Berve and I have been discussing you know kind of
details of the operation so we’re all set and ready to go with that. Picnics have been crazy busy
as they always are with that so many of the weekends are booked right now. And just to give the
commission update as well. On any youth athletic weekend tournaments we have been booking
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
out both the Lakeside and the Klingelhutz shelters as king of non-rentals just so we don’t
increase the capacity of Lake Ann Park. Just to really dedicate the weekend to the youth
tournaments here to help out with parking and other types of things so, and the shelters then are
available for tournament participants if they’d like to go up and have a picnic with their team or
that sort of thing here too so that’s worked out good. We’ve done that for a number of years now
and it seems to work out good just to help with congestion out there and have everybody’s
experience a little bit more positive so it works out good with us so. So Lake Ann is going to be
really busy. It’s already starting to pick up now since the weather’s been getting fairly nice. I
would assume that it’s going to be hopefully the rain will break and we’ll get everybody out
there and get them out there enjoying our parks again so. I’ll entertain any questions if anybody
has any.
Hougham: Yeah a question for you Jerry on the rental of the pavilions. I think maybe it was last
fall when you gave us the recap you said you were going to start doing online rentals. Like they
could do it online instead of in person.
Ruegemer: Yep.
Hougham: Have you had any come in online yet?
Ruegemer: Actually you know what we’re still looking into that at this point.
Hougham: Oh.
Ruegemer: I did some investigating on it right now and with our current software system, I
thought the layout was really confusing. I went on other city’s websites to kind of look at their’s.
I’ve created accounts so I could go in myself and book a site and I just thought it was really kind
of confusing and I’m familiar with the software system and I couldn’t figure out how to book a
facility so I’m still in that process of investigating that.
Hougham: Okay thanks.
Scharfenberg: Anybody else? Alright.
2017 SUMMER PROGRAMS REPORT.
Scharfenberg: Jerry are you up next or Katie?
Ruegemer: I think Katie is.
Scharfenberg: Okay.
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
Favro: And again thank you Chair Scharfenberg and commissioners. The following list I’ve got
is just kind of an update or a list of everything we’ve got going on for preschool, youth and
family programs offered through the summer with the Chanhassen Park and Rec Department so
some of these programs are run specifically through the park and rec department so like our
Summer Discovery Playground program which is a big hit and like our Lake Ann Camp, those
are two of the main ones that are run right through the Park and Rec Department. There are
some other programs that we try to team up with. Like our skateboard series, or our skateboard
camps and series, those are run through Third Lair. They are all things skate park and
skateboards which is great because I’m not really necessarily familiar in there. We also team up
with Carver County on a few programs like our youth archery programs and our family log
rolling and then Jodi also has some things going on at the Rec Center like all our Rec Center
sports and the sample camps and different things like that. So if you have any specific questions
about any of these I would be more than happy to discuss them with you. So there’s just a few
things going on.
Scharfenberg: How have the numbers been Katie coming in so far?
Favro: So far right around, just with the ones we do, kind of right around where we usually are.
Our Summer Discovery Playground program is one that always continues to grow. It’s grown
the past few years by like about, roughly about 100 participants so it’s on schedule again to do
that. We get a big rush of people who enroll kind of right away once the Connection comes out
and then they kind of trickle in and then we also get kind of another rush once parents are kind of
like oh, school’s out. Like I’ve got to you know find something to do for my kids so then we
kind of get a rush again towards the end of May and beginning of June.
Scharfenberg: And Meredith I know you had raised a concern in an email about at least
Chanhassen kids being able to get a newer, some people in your neighborhood were having some
issues, is that right?
Petouvis: Well I was talking to a neighbor a few weeks ago and she shared a comment that I
passed along to Steve and Todd that the Roundhouse Park program is so popular and being on
the western edge of the city it draws from other areas so I think people within the neighborhood
and within the city, she’s experienced in having trouble registering for the slots that she wants to
find and other people have shared the same comments so I just thought I would pass that on and
she was hoping that maybe city residents could register a bit early.
Favro: Yeah that’s definitely something we can look into. Roundhouse Park is one of our more
popular parks. It has been for the past few years. Last year we only, or we started out with one
session and we ended up with 26 kids on the waitlist so then we opened a second session and we
only opened it up right away to those people who were on the waitlist so right now we have two
sessions going on at Roundhouse Park and they are Monday afternoons and Wednesday
mornings. Right now the only one that is full right at this moment or the last time I checked is
going to be the Monday afternoon ones for the older age group and so how we kind of deal, and
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
there are a few people on the waitlist. And how we deal with the people on the waitlist is if
there’s room so if the younger age group doesn’t fill up then we contact the people on the waitlist
and we will over enroll the older group. So that one is at 30 dynamite so just out older age
group. I think 12 tinymites and then at the second day we’ve got I think 12 dynamites and only
one tinymite so that group is a little bit smaller so we have noticed that and then the non-
residents do pay a higher fee as opposed to residents but we can definitely look into seeing if
there’s a way. I’d have to check in with the people who do the software. The registration to see
if there’s a way to let residents kind of set two different I guess times for registrations. Like a
week apart or so.
Petouvis: Thank you.
Favro: Yeah.
Scharfenberg: Any other questions for Katie? Thank you Katie.
Favro: Thank you.
2017 ADULT SOFTBALL REPORT.
Scharfenberg: Back to Jerry, adult softball.
Ruegemer: Thanks again Chair Scharfenberg. Just want to give just the commission a brief
update on the 2017 adult softball. We are playing leagues on Monday and Thursday nights out at
Lake Ann Park. This year we have 8 teams on Monday night and they’re playing 28 games of
double headers with that so they’re playing on Fields 4 and 5 so the season did start already.
ththth
April 27 and it will go til August 7. Thursday night did begin as well on Thursday, April 27.
thth
Actually the other was 24. And then April 27 it started Thursday and then they’ll conclude the
end of July with that. They’re playing on Fields 4, 5 and 6 so. We have 12 teams on Thursday
night and 8 teams on Monday night so just one rain out so far on Monday nights here and Adam
and his crew have been working miracles for us on league nights so I applaud Adam and crew
for making the fields playable. Sometimes in the early afternoon it’s, if they’re completely under
water and Adam’s crew go out there and work their magic so I thank him for that so we’re lucky
to only have one rainout so far so hopefully the rain will change here and turn in some sunshine
and create a little bit better experience for everybody here so that’s kind of where we’re at right
now for the leagues.
Scharfenberg: Any questions for Jerry?
ESTABLISH PARK AND TRAIL ACQUISITION AND DEVELOPMENT CAPITAL
IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM TOUR DATE.
Scharfenberg: Alright, next item Todd. Establish a park and trail acquisition tour date.
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
Hoffman: Annually the commission develops a tour just prior to starting deliberations on your
CIP budget for 2018 and beyond and so you’ll have the months of June and July to formulate
that recommendation and then it would have to be done, completed either in July or August. So
not unlike the House Senate and House of Representatives right now getting their budget done,
that’s our responsibility so it’s a 5 year CIP. It’s not just 2018 but then beyond, the next 4 years
after that. It gives everyone, the council obviously once they approve it and then citizens who
are interested in what the business of the Chanhassen Park and Recreation Commission is.
Where your priorities are. It gives them a document to look at to understand what the future
holds. I can take some notes if you like. I’ll give you some ideas. You’ll need to talk it about
and see where you want to go and what dates you would like to go see these things. Some of
these might be things you’re familiar with. There might be other ones that you want to go take a
look. Ideas that you’ve heard about. In 2018 the projects currently scheduled are neighborhood
shelters. Neighborhood picnic shelters at Sunset Ridge. That would be a good park to visit
because it’s the oldest playground in the city and we really need to get it replaced. Either
through the park system plan or another mechanism. And then Prairie Knoll, Grant’s park or
other known as the rainbow park because of the slide so where Grant grew up and spent his time,
that’s also on the neighborhood park picnic shelter list. Those are potential tour sites.
Bandimere Park sport court is in 2018. We could take a look at Bandimere and at the park
master plan there. The Chan Rec Center, there’s been some very concerned parents and people
involved with softball and baseball about the low fences and the danger that that may pose.
Arbor Glen and the entire Fox Wood subdivision, so there’s a trail that will be constructed on
Arbor Glen coming north on 101. We could go take a look at the Fox Woods subdivision itself
and the Fox Woods Preserve. Lake Susan bathrooms. The public building. Talking about an
upgrade there. People have been interested in seeing that facility be improved. Archery re-use
so what would the commission like to do with the archery area. First contemplation was to
construct a trail from it’s terminus at the entry of the archery way over to Powers but there’s
some wetlands there that prevent that from happening so we would, if we want to attempt that we
need to go through a wetland mitigation process. And since there’s already an alternative trail
over just to the north along the road that we would probably be successful if we wanted to take
wetlands out and mitigate that so you might either have to, one idea I had earlier this spring is so
many people want a place to swim their dog and so instead of an archery range you could have a
dog swimming area into the pond. Obviously they’d have to be leashed going down there but
once they get down there they could be off leash. Currently we don’t have a legal location to
swim your dog. People mostly do it at public water accesses at Lake Ann and Lotus Lake and
some of the other parks. Some cities have official dog beaches or dog swimming areas so that
would be one possibility. There’s others as well. You can let it restore itself back into nature.
You could do other things down there but that is something that since the archery range is now
gone we should probably talk about that. And then repainting the round house. There’s a lot of
things going on at the Roundhouse with the pickleball and tennis but the round house itself needs
some TLC again. It was saved by a neighborhood contingent but now it’s not doing very well, at
least on the paint and it needs some landscaping so you can take a look at that. So that’s a short
list of ideas that I’ve been jotting down for 2018 and beyond. Typically you take a couple hours.
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
15 minutes at a site so you can get about 8 sites if you do it quickly. Maybe 6 if you want to
spend a little bit more time and it’s certainly something you can do as a group. It’s probably
most beneficial but if you don’t have the time on your calendars you can do it individual as well.
This is completely up to the commission.
Scharfenberg: I know like Todd said it’s not an exhaustive list. I don’t know that we have to
decide tonight exactly where we want to visit. Todd is it possible just to send out kind of the
projects that are on for 2018 and 2019 so we can just see what those were again.
Hoffman: Sure.
Scharfenberg: And then if anybody else, if tonight I’ll open it up, if anybody else has any areas
that they would like to see or in the next couple of days thinks of something that they would like
to put on that list we can certainly send it through to Todd.
Hougham: We were just talking in the minivan about was it Herman Park is also getting a
shelter? If we can add that one.
Scharfenberg: Yeah Herman. We were talking a little bit about it. It’s not a park that
everyone’s familiar with because it’s tucked away and we had within the last year I think a
resident who came and complained about some issues with children in the park after hours and
stuff like that so that might be one to add so that everybody kind of gets an idea of Herman Field.
Hoffman: A few years ago you had a nice interaction with a group of neighbors and that resulted
in the basketball court and now the shelter so that park’s being invested in.
Scharfenberg: Anybody else have anything that they would like to add? Okay if you think of
anything in the next week or so forward that onto Todd. Is the date, everyone good with the
th
date? June 13.
Boettcher: I’ll be gone. Be in Norway.
Petouvis: I’m not available either.
Scharfenberg: Okay.
Hoffman: That’s simply a second Tuesday in June. You can pick first Tuesday. A third
Tuesday. That’s up to the commission if you want to move that around. Pick a different night.
thththth
20 then if you selected the 20 you could go the 20 and the 27 for your regular meeting.
Scharfenberg: Anybody have any druthers about moving the date? Jim’s going to be gone no
matter what.
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
th
Boettcher: Right. Until the 25.
th
Scharfenberg: Yep. Want to move it to the 20? Does that work for you Meredith?
Petouvis: That would be great.
th
Scharfenberg: Okay, we’ll move it to the 20.
Hoffman: What time would you like the tour? 6:00 to 8:00?
Scharfenberg: Yes please.
Hoffman: Okay, 6:00 to 8:00.
COMMISSION MEMBER COMMITTEE REPORTS: ADVISORY COMMITTEE
MEETING UPDATE.
Scharfenberg: Okay the last item that I added was an Advisory Council update. We met a
couple of weeks ago as a group and talked about prioritization of the products. Of the various
items and agendas that have been put together by the committee so we talked about ranking them
and how did we rank them again Todd? It was 3 different levels.
Hoffman: Correct.
Scharfenberg: I forget now what.
Hoffman: Low, medium, high.
Scharfenberg: Yeah low, medium, high but something was new that we wanted, I think we
added 1 to 5 years then 5 to 10 years and then out later than 10 years. And we moved some
things around to what, to where they had initially been given a ranking. I don’t think we moved
that many items but I think it was a handful of items that we moved around. That’s in the
process of being updated and then we’ll be, I think are they going to present at June Todd?
th
Hoffman: They present to this body in, on July 25 to review the draft document.
th
Scharfenberg: Right so July 25 we’ll have another presentation and review that drafted
document and then once that’s approved I think then does it go to Council?
Hoffman: Correct.
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Park and Recreation Commission – May 23, 2017
Scharfenberg: So moving forward. We have another meeting in July before the meeting then
with the commission. And that’s about it with respect to the council, advisory council. Jennifer
do you have one other item?
COMMISSION MEMBER PRESENTATIONS.
Hougham: I do. I just wanted to give a reminder to this body that the Chanhassen Farmers
rd
Market starts up again the weekend of June 3. Farmers Market runs Saturdays this summer
from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and it sounds like they have some new vendors and some new ideas
this year. Come visit.
Scharfenberg: Okay. Anybody else?
Kelly: Yeah Steve I’d like to add one thing. I stopped at the Carver County Park and Rec Open
House they had at the Recreation Center this evening before I met up with you guys and so that’s
the Highway 5 corridor trails that they’re looking at. The main areas that there might be some
differences are at the Arboretum. I think they’re going to end up being on the trail that the
Arboretum has now. They were looking at a different trail that went in and more along Highway
5 but because of the water there and the cost to come over the water that’s probably not going to
happen. And then the second item that they were looking at was going along Highway 5 by the
Rec Center which the City of Chanhassen at this point opposes and they want to come in by
Coulter because it’d be easier for people I think to get in and out of the Rec Center and onto the
other trails so those were the two main things that I got out of that meeting and just wanted to
pass that along.
Scharfenberg: Thank you. Alright, anyone want to make a motion for adjournment?
Boettcher moved, Echternacht seconded to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor and the
motion carried unanimously with a vote of 9 to 0. The Park and Recreation Commission
meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
Submitted by Todd Hoffman
Park and Rec Director
Prepared by Nann Opheim
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