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2003 01 26CHANHASSEN PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING NOVEMBER 26, 2002 Chairman Franks called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Rod Franks, Amy O'Shea, Tom Kelly, Paula Atkins, David Happe and Jack Spizale MEMBERS ABSENT: Glenn Stolar STAFF PRESENT: Todd Hoffman, Park and Rec Director; Jerry Ruegemer, Recreation Superintendent; PUBLIC PRESENT: Name Phone Number Helen Merchant Rita Klauda Brenda Petersmeyer Ted J. Koltes Brandon & Thomas MacFarlane 952-443-2492 952-934-7844 952-949-0698 952-470-8632 952-934-5175 APPROVAL OF AGENDA: As presented. PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: None. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS: Helen Merchant: My name is Helen Merchant and I'm Principal at Chanhassen Elementary and we're here to talk about the vandalism that's been happening at our school over the last couple of years. And first of all I want to say, we have been so appreciative of all the support that the city has given to our school. We think about the city park behind the elementary, it's incredible and the kids have really benefited from it just in the activities that they play during the school day. The basketball, the four square, the fields for the soccer and the baseball and just so many other activities so first of all I do want to say you know, thank you for all your support. We've really benefited from that. We have our track and field day there where all of our families or a lot of our families come and help celebrate the track and field day and it's just a beautiful facility for that too. Which really teaches our kids physical fitness, the compassion for others and also really teaches our kids collaboration. I work all year round so I get to see the kids not only at Chan Elementary use it but I get to see other kids throughout the summer using it too and I know it's used in the evening by all of the schools in this area and so it is truly a blessing to have that. And the other thing I would like to do is comment on the police coverage that we've had at Chan Elementary the last couple months especially. I think they've done a really good job to try to stop some of the vandalism so we're here tonight you know to say thank you for one thing. For our beauti£ul field and the support that you've given our school over the years. It's really made a difference. But we think you should be aware of some of the concerns that we have over the last couple of years. Prior to that, I've been in that building for 12 years now, very, very seldom, my head custodian and I have talked many, many times, we'd probably have 2 or 3 phone calls to the Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 police a year. Around Halloween or something like that, but very seldom. Since the addition of the skate park, and I'm not saying just the skate park, but sine that addition of that, we've had much more vandalism to our building and I've Rita Klauda to come join me tonight. She's our PTO President to talk about our concerns. Rita Klauda: Good evening. It's a pleasure to be here, My name is Rita Klauda and I'm here tonight as a parent of 3 children. Two that went to Chanhassen Elementary and one who's currently still there in the 4th grade. I'm here as a staff member at Chanhassen Elementary, and also as the PTO President at Chanhassen. Franks: Rita, excuse me. Could you give us your address for the record. Rita Klauda: Sure. Our address, my address is 8130 Marsh Drive in Chanhassen. Franks: Thanks. Rita Klauda: You're welcome. Aud I just have some pictures this evening of just a little bit of a sampling of the vandalism that's happened probably over the last 18 months to 2 years at Chanhassen Elementary. I've been doing lunch and recess over the last 3 years and just have been seeing a problem getting worse and worse and worse and this year, I take the first graders out for first lunch and so onr first graders are the first ones out onto the playground during the day, approximately noon. And every Monday, except for 3 since the beginning of the school' year, and that includes yesterday, we've found some sort of vandalism. Some sort of, to the grounds, to our building, to the equipment, since the beginning of school. There's only been 3 Mondays where we haven't found something out there and unfortunately sometimes the first graders have found it and not au adult. I'm not qnite sure how the camera works here. Little messages written on the swings. First graders went to swing on the swings. Mrs. Klauda. Yeah. What does this say? We've had our building spray painted. We've had our windows broken and our doors, which were very expensive to replace. Here's another picture of a window broken and it's difficult to see, but there used to be a surveillance camera right here. Also a surveillance camera on this door. Someone didn't like them. They chose to tear them down. The playground equipment, this is difficult to see but this is one that we found last year. The equipment has been burned. It has been cut. It has been written on. Obscenities with marker. Besides our windows and our cameras, signs have been torn out that people have disagreed with. Torn right out of the ground trying to set off some rules. The playground has been burned. We've found, one day a little first grader came to Miss Stone and said Miss Stone, my basketball won't come through the net. Miss Stone walked over, little first grader, there was a condom twisted into the net. Not letting the ball drop through the net. I was told today by one of the other para's, she picked up a used condom off the playground just yesterday. Liquor bottles have been smashed against our school. Little first graders have come np with empty cardboard containers of 24 packs, empty beer cans. Just this year off the playground. They're picking up liquor containers. And matches and cigarette butts and the F word, and FU and F this school messages spray painted across our back boards of our basketball hoops. That cost ns approximately $500, the school, out of the school's capital budget, $500 to repair that. We try to repair that before the kids get out onto the playground. That's why we try and catch it. Things have been stolen out of onr building. People bare walked in our back door. VCR's have been stolen. Eggs have been thrown at our school. Screens have been slashed. I mean it's absolutely ridiculous. Now it is my personal task to walk around every Monday morning, I've taken this on myself because I'm absolutely exasperated with this activity. I drop my son off at school and I walk around the building every morning, every Monday morning looking for something so our children don't have to see it, so I can run in and tell our custodian, burry up and get out there before the kids see it, because I don't think that 2 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 delivers the right kind of message to our children who are supposed to feel safe in their school. Actually Brenda Petersmeyer, our Assistant Principal now has something that she's like to say and I'll be back. Happe: Todd, could we pass those pictures around? Brenda Petersmeyer: My name is Brenda Petersmeyer. I am the Administrative Assistant over at the elementary school. I want to share just a couple things with you. Since, I have a police report here between July 14m and November 14m, which is 4 months, we've had 14 phone calls to the police, and that is just in that 4 month period of time. Tennis court net is on fire. Property has been stolen. Vandalism to school. We've had vandalism to windows. Theft of bicycle. Theft of bicycle. Stolen bike. That's 3 bikes in a row. Bicycle has been thrown through the door. Two juveniles breaking branches off our newly planted trees, which the PTO purchased for when we had our September 11th ceremony. Black permanent marker writing on basketball back boards, total damage $500. Again, what Rita had talked about. Five juveniles out in the parking lot. Those kids are out there. It's not just skate park kids. We have kids out there during the end of the school day when our kids are trying to get on the bus. I have seen kids out there playing football in the parking lot when parents are trying to pick their kids up. They're smoking. I have safety patrols who are reporting to me daily that there are kids out there, sexual activity that's going on. They're absolutely grossed out by this. The smoking in the parking lot. We had people that were picked up for possession of drugs and marijuana. We truly believe that there is drug activity going on at our school in the area. My biggest concern I guess right now is that we have kids out there on the playground and it's becoming a huge safety issue. A few weeks ago, or a week ago or so, we have fourth grade girls who were approached by kids from the skate park. It was 12:30 in the afternoon. They had commented to them that they were skipping school. They were sworn at. They were sexually harassed and this is in the middle of the afternoon. They have behaviors going on that are smoking. They're, my concern is what's it going to take before something is done. Does a child have to be stolen? Does a child have to be hurt? I was called immediately by the paraprofessionals. Their job is to watch the kids out there, not babysit the skate park. And stand in front of that skate park, I can't tell you every single day when I walk. out there and check out, if I check out if there's something going on on the playground, how many kids are at the skate park in the middle-of the afternoon. My question is, where are you supposed to be? You know these are middle school kids. If they're skipping school, that's their business but they're harassing our kids. And it's getting to the point where it's a safety issue because I'm concerned for our children and I don't know what can be done in terms of truancy, but we're concerned about can we possibly shut that gate that goes right to our playground for those kids who are out there? It's a 2 ½ hour period, 3 hour period during the day. Our kids don't need to go through that. Our parents don't need to feel that our kids are not safe at school. We have 2 para' s out there, sometimes 3 and their job is to watch the kids on the playground and not make sure that the skate park kids are harassing them. Not harassing them. Okay. Rita!s going to continue. Rita Klauda: I'd like to dove tail on Brenda's request. I personally, as a staff member who's out on that playground every day, would like to see that gate closed permanently. The only difference between what's inside the gate and what's outside the gate is a chain link fence. There's a perfectly paved path between the ice rink and the skate park for people to walk. I mean I don't see an inconvenience factor there. We have children who's bails roll off the playground and into the skate park and the children are you know verbally abused by the people in the middle of the day who are at the skate park. They just run to get their, to retrieve their ball and they're, you know and they're taken to task and foul language is used and they come back. They shouldn't have to tolerate that. I just, I can't see why it just can't be shut. It's I think the safety Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 for our children far outweighs the inconvenience it might cause someone trying to get into the park. They ought to just go down and just walk around. I don't understand why that's open. Maybe there's a reason that I don't know of but I just don't understand that. And also I think these people somehow or other in the evening particular, the people who are particularly camping out in the north parking lot, I think something needs to be done about those people. It's the people, the person who was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and marijuana, that's the same person who at 8:30 in the evening chased me from the parking lot. I drove through the parking lot just to check out to see what was going on because I kept seeing the same vehicles there, and I though this isn't right. Something's going on. I drove tlu'ough there. I stopped. I looked around. I had my daughter in the van with me. We decided to drive out and all of a sudden, the person, because I know the license number, came at a very high rate of speed, flying out of the parking lot after me. Followed me very, very, very closely. I tried to remain calm because my daughter was in the van. She was scared to death. Mommy, what's happening? And he backed off but he followed us down to the stop lights, turned, still followed us, and by the Country Suites I was going to turn left because that's not the direction of my house and I didn't want him to follow me there. Got up in the lane beside us. Parked. Reved his engine. Out of the corner of my eye I could see he was looking at me trying to intimidate me. It was 8:30 in the evening. Why can't I drive through the parking lot at the elementary school? Because they didn't want me there. Because they were up to no good and they wanted me to go away. And so as a parent that says, it's not even safe for me to be there, let alone my kids. In September, after I started seeing all this thing, my danghter loves, my 7th grade daughter loves to play tennis. I won't let her ride her bike up here to play tennis. I don't know who's in that parking lot. I don't think it's safe, and that's sad. She went to school there. She loves that school. Why can't she ride her bike tip and play tennis at 5:30 in the afternoon? She should be able to, but I don't think it's safe. I won't let her. And my son was on the playground when those kids came off the skate park and started harassing the girls. I don't like the thought of that. And I know for a fact that I heard obscene language fi'om those people coming from the skate park. I've had kids tell me that they hear all kinds of ten'ible things over there. They're at recess and they overhear these things during the day. And we've also had parents call the school saying that when they drive through the parking lot to pick tip the kids, they have seen suspicious activity. They have things, seen things that leave them with the impression, and this is their personal feeling, that they've expressed to Helen and to Brenda and to myself, that they feel that drugs are being sold in that north parking lot. That's their personal impression but they say what is going on over there and that's really scary, as a parent. As a staff member. And it just really scares me because our kids should be safe. Helen Merchant: I think what's really, you know kind of scary abont this is that these aren't things that we're just hearing about. I mean the police report does support that there bas been some drug possession over there. Marijuana or whatever. Even if it's one or two kids, what else is happening there and that's my concern. And so I'm just, I guess we're just asking for your assistance in any way possible to try to address the vandalism that is happening. With the increase we are worried about it. We can keep an eye on the kids during the day. They're going to be safe with our care, but we can't protect them from the verbal, you know things, comments that come back off the skate park. Most the kids at the skate park I think do a really nice job, but there are enough of them that we do have some concerns. And so I'm not sure what the answer is. I did meet with the police depamnent a couple of months ago. I met with Todd several times. I know they're trying but I just feel like you know, Officer Dave Potts has been wonderful. I think the last two months he's had tons of coverage over there and I really think the police have done a good job of clearing out that parking lot quite a bit compared to what it was. So I'm asking for the continued support from the police department, but I'm also asking about a barrier between the skate park and the school to eliminate those harassment issues. I don't 'know if that Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 gate's going to be enough. I don't know if we need to put up a wood fence there between and it's primarily during the recess time when the kids are at recess. That's 2 V2 hours a day. So that's one of the things that we're looking at, asking if that's a possibility. At the minimum being able to lock that gate and keep the kids, balls from going in there. But I really think that would help eliminate some of the playground issues. Also the playground equipment has been vandalized. The cost to maintain and repair this equipment, I have the invoice is $5,198, and that's not just for the repairs to the vandalism. That's to kind of maintain it too. We were, I did contact the city. They weren't able to support us as far as sharing the cost of the rePairs. But during the past few years, I've been here 12 years, the city and the PTO have worked together to build that playground and it's not just used by Chan Elementary kids. It's used by a lot of other kids too. And I think the PTO paid I think $19,000. The City I think paid 19 wasn't it Todd? Do you remember how much for that last playground phase? Hoffman: I don't recall but it was a split, yeah. Helen Merchant: Right, and so we've had the support of the city with the playground and we really appreciate that and with the vandalism, these things, costs are increasing and I know the city's on a tight budget and we are too. I think that's why again we ask for your support in any way that you can. Another thing I just mentioned, we had a port-a-potty over in that area of the parking lot. I think that was an attraction to the kids that were having some social time over there so if we can get that moved too, but I think more so than anything else is, you know having the police coverage. I don't know if it's a surveillance camera. I don't know if it's, what the answer is, we're asking your help but what we want to do is just make you aware of what's going on over there and sure it's not the building being burnt down or you know bomb threats or anything like that, but it's a lot of nickel and diming and I think nickel and diming does add up and it takes resources away from the city. It takes resources away from our school. It takes resources away from our PTO and that makes it hard too so again we don't know what the answers are. The reason we came tonight is just to express our concern and to ask if you could help any way. I will leave the police report that I received from Officer Potts today. I will leave a report of some of the things that we shared tonight. We will drop off the rest of the pictures. I have more pictures back at the school. I will also leave an invoice as far as the playground eqUipment, and again it's up to the park board and the city to decide how much they're going to help us here, if they are. We just want to let you know that we'll appreciate anything that you can do for us. Thank you for letting us speak today. Franks: Thank you. Helen Merchant: The other thing I just wanted to mention too is, I talked to one of the people from Fianagan, and we are going to have to replace our playground within the next 5 to 10 years and, because of safety issues and again this is not just for Chan Elementary. This is for the children that use that park in the summer time and I don't know if we'll have the support as far as splitting that cost again but I know the PTO would be very supportive of that, as they have been in the past, of looking into that for sure too. Okay, any questions? Franks: Well let's open it up. If you want to stay at the podium. Helen Merchant: Sure. Franks: And if it's okay with the other people, is there anyone else wishing to speak on this matter first of all? Okay. We'll open it up then for some questions and if any of the Park and Rec Colnmission - November 26, 2002 commissioners, any of the questions directed to the other two have spoken, if you'd be willing to COllie up. Spizale: I guess one question, what was the sheriff's solution? Did he have any? Helen Merchant: Well he said, you know that he would make sure that they did come to the building quite a few more times. They were trying to do that. We did talk about, for a while, chaining off that part of the parking lot, but then the police can't get over in that area, so that was another issue so we've tried to brainstorm some suggestions. I think the most help has been the increase in coverage by the police department. But I just don't know what else we can recommend at this point. Oh yeah, we did install lights and Paul, Paul Sleutter is our building and grounds person. Do you want to say something about the lights? Paul Sleutter: Well I'll just mention that we do have a part of our capital budgeting process this year was to add additional lighting on the, it used to be the west side of the building, which we've done. Kind of a first phase of that now determining if it's adequate or if we need to add additional lighting which we will do if we need to do so. Spizale: Yeah, and one other question too. I think in that police report there was a couple citations given to a couple people, or at least one person I noticed. Was that person using the skate park or was he from somewhere else, or didn't we know? Helen Merchant: See we just don't know. We don't kuow on that one. Spizale: Okay. That's all I have. Helen Merchant: I see, you know tile skate park as really a problem at lunch time tile most. I think there's other tilings going on in that park area that I think right now as far as the kids being you know verbally harassed in some way, it's primarily the skate park because that's where our kids play ou the equipment over in that area. Spizale: Okay. Franks: Conmfissioner Happe. Happe: One of the things that we saw in some of tile pictures was some damage to surveillance cameras. Is there a surveillance system at the school right now? Helen Merchant: No. What I did is, I met with one of the, oh we had a system put in our building to make sure that it was safe and I said is there something that we can do, because I said the vandalism you know is pretty bad, especially having two doors kicked in in the back of the building there. We were, it was just a matter of time we felt before something else was, where they'd get into the building or something, and he suggested that why don't we put in surveillance cameras that were fake as a trial. And I think what we did, one of the things that made it not work for us is that we put them pretty low. And again it was an experiment, so I think we learned fi'om that. If we do put in a surveillance camera again, we're going to have to put it at a higher point and maybe this was just a regular camera, whereas a surveillance camera, a lot of the nicer ones are pretty hard to break, you know for the most part, so with the new lighting I think it would be much more effective too. But that's one of the things I think would possibly make a differeuce, but again I thiuk you know, we bad to just give it a shot and see what we could do and at that point I wasn't willing to put out a lot of money because our capital budget wasn't that Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 strong, or that, or I should say resourceful. And so we decided to go and just give it a shot. But again, I did talk to Dave Potts this afternoon about the surveillance cameras and they're, Roger Roach has met with me too. He's one of the officers from the police department. I met with him last year about this and he did even put in a small camera down in that one comer, but at that time the lighting was pretty poor, but I think we've got some factors in place that may make a difference in a surveillance camera situation now that we didn't have back even a year ago with the new lighting and that would make a difference. Happe: I just wonder had the surveillance system, maybe even with some signing to indicate there's a surveillance system present would be a great vandalism deterrent. Can I direct a question to staff at this time too, or just? Franks: Let's work through questions for our visitors that have presented and then we can. Happe: As far as one of the issues that was mentioned with regard to some truancy, is that something that the school district can work within? I mean I'm assuming that there's a truant officer or something that would be notified to curtail that problem. Helen Merchant: Right. If we, we're finding not all the kids are from the Chaska school district. The person that was arrested I think is, well I know is from a different city. With the marijuana but I really think we do address it when we know that the kids are in the Chaska school district but it's hard to tell you know what district these kids are from. The skate park does attract kids from other communities too. So our district does keep track of truancy though and does, you know if there's a child out there that went to Chan Elementary and I see them out there, you can be sure I'm going to be calling the middle school to have them deal with that, but again we have so many kids out there that we just don't recognize. Happe: Okay. That's all the questions I have. I have a few for staffthat I'll save for later. Franks: Okay. Commissioner O'Shea. O'Shea: I have one question Helen, regarding vandalism. You mentioned the amount of money. Are you, compared to all the other schools in your district, is your school the highest in vandalism, the amount? Helen Merchant: I haven't checked that out to see. O'Shea: Because I'm just trying to correlate you know, is this an isolated significant amount caused by. Helen Merchant: Right. Paul, do you know that? Paul Sleutter: Yeah, I could answer that question and yes, percentage wise Chanhassen Elementary probably incurs the largest cost of vandalism correction of any of our schools. With the exception of probably the high school. The high school because of the physical size of that building. You know dollar for dollar it's more but percentage wise it's probably equal to Chanhassen Elementary. Or the high school in the district. Helen Merchant: You take that door, how much was that door to replace that glass, do you remember? 7 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Paul Sleutter: Generally a couple hundred dollars at least a time depending on the... Helen Merchant: Right, and I even gave up on glass. I know I'll put the steel panels in, in the back because we've had a couple, one of the doors kicked in twice and another one kicked in and rather than put the glass there, I thought well let's try the steel. O'Shea: Thanks. That's my only question. Kelly: I just want to follow up that question. Would it be true that Chan Elementary School was not among the highest in the pre.., Paul Sleutter: ...District 112 only for about 3 V2 years so I'm not familiar with the experience prior to that, but I can say in the last 3 V2 years, probably the last 2 years has been, I've noticed a significant increase at Chan Elementary than prior to... Atkins: I know that nsage in the summer must be a lot higher. Is there a lot of vandalism occurring during the summer months? Helen Merchant: Yes there is. It's, right now, the last 2 years, the winter has been pretty good when the skate park has been closed. It's been real good but in the spring, summer and fall, that's when we've been [laving. Atkins: Summer's there's...would be considerably more in the snmmer. Helen Merchant: Right. Atkins: And I understand that there are cars and kids in tile parking lots during school hours. Is that what I understood you to say? Helen Merchant: Right. Atkins: And tile police co,ne by and patrol occasionally and kick them out? Helen Merchant: They do. We call them when we see the kids out there. Atkins: And that's the north side of the school, tile big parking lot by the tennis courts. Helen Merchant: Right, the north parking lot. Atkins: Which is a considerable distance fi'om the skate park. Helen Merchant: Right. And we see them, you know if it's, if they're just talking or something I'm not going to call the police but wheu they're doing more of the harassment type things, or you know playing games out there or something that we will contact the police just because we want it to be a safe place. But we have had what, 3 bikes stolen in the past year. I think something like that, or year and a half. That was, I never had that problem prior to this. Atkins: During school hours. Helen Merchant: During school hours. Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Brenda Petersmeyer: I have asked people, I've been out there during the recess hours too and there were 2 or 3 times just this past fall, there were people who had ridden there and parked where we have vehicles come in and drop things off, whether it be milk products or whatever the case may be, and I've asked them to move their cars because they're not supposed to be parking in our school parking lot during school hours and I've been verbally harassed by these people. Franks: In the south end lot? Brenda Petersmeyer: Yes, right by the skate park. Rita Klauda: We had a sign that said no skateboard parking, but it was ripped out. Brenda Petersmeyer: ...on the sidewalks also... Atkins: I just have one more question. Have you approached the city staff about closing the gate? Helen Merchant: Yes I did and was told no. Atkins: That's all for me. Franks: Okay, anything else? Okay, well we thank you for coming. Helen Merchant: Thank you. Rita Klauda: Thank you very nmch. Helen Merchant: We appreciate your support and if you have any other questions, feel free to call us. Franks: Well I think what we'll be doing is we might have some comments for staff, and we may request that staff look into it a little bit more and prepare some alternatives for us, which we can actually take a look at and possibly implement, or not I guess at our next meeting. Todd, is that considering the agenda items coming up, is that something we could work on? Have ready for our next meeting. Hoffman: Next meeting is just two weeks away so depending on the time, but winter's upon us so we have plenty of time. Franks: We have plenty of time to think about it. I guess my feeling too is not to, since we are running up on the winter season, is to really take some time to consider what would be some effective interventions and solutions instead of rushing into something and then just experiencing more fl'ustration that here is another failed attempt that maybe incurred some costs and we might have, those resources we might have used more effectively some other places so we'll make sure that as we continue this, that we will involve the school as partners in developing whatever solutions we think will work. Helen Merchant: Okay, thank you Rod. Thank you all of you. We really appreciate your listening to us and any support that's for sure. Park and Rec Cormnission - November 26, 2002 Franks: I'm going to ask you to hang around while we grill staff on the subject so, to make sure you have that information as well. So let's bring this back and we'll allow commission members to ask some questions of staff, if you have them, and make any conm~ents also. We'll start down at this eud. Paula, do you want to lead off. Atkins: Is the skate park actually opened year round or is it closed for a number of months? Hoffman: Closed once the snow and ice closes it and then it's opened once the snow and ice is cleared and the pavement is dry. Atkins: Are there set hours? Hoffman: 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., same as all park hours. Atkins: And the gates are locked? Hoffman: Gates are not locked. Atkins: Never locked. Hoffman: The gates are locked during the winter. Atkins: Okay, that's all. Kelly: Is the reason for the second opening more by the school primarily for emergency vehicles? Hoffman: Two reasons. Access. General access. Any time you have a facility where you have it gated or a fenced interior, you want two accesses to it so we have the oue on the south and the one on the north. When ambulances or emergency vehicles do respond and take the trail just outside of the fire station and drive iuto the skate park to respond to emergencies, so that's the emergency access. The access from the south is the stairway or the foot access. The fence was never originally installed on part of the plans but when the skate pink opened the parking started to spread around the entire perimeter, in the fire department parking lot, the school parking lot and so we started with that fencing project, and that curtailed that problem at least to a great extent. I've not heard another parking complaint, at least in quite some time. Kelly: And the reason that tile other gate is closed is to discourage parking at the fire station'?. Hoffmau: There's a gate at tile driveway access into the fire hall. If we opened that up, then they have very convenient parking that they'll park at the fire station and then walk through that location. That gate is opened up iu the winter for maintenance and it's just there for general maintenance operations. Kelly: My only thought is a trade-off. You know is it, what's more important, closing the access to the playground or limiting parking access at the fire house, and I don't know what. I mean I kuow what my kuee jerk reaction is, and I'm going to have a child there next fall but, I just wanted to let everyone aware that there is another gate there that can be used as a second entrance but there are parking implications about opening that gate. I just wanted to throw that out there. 10 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Franks: Is it necessary to have both openings as emergency, or is it just, that's just standard design or is it an ordinance or a code or requested emergency vehicle or the fire department that we have two emergency entrances to an enclosed area like that. Hoffman: Well the south entrance they can't get a vehicle onto the site. Whereas the other two entrances they could. Franks: Okay. And the one question I wasn't quite clear about, and I don't know if there's any information from the sheriff' s department as well but, I was also thinking that the vandalism you would think would most likely increase when the use of the skate park is at it's highest, which is during the summer with the extended daylight hours and the kids not in school. So I don't know if there's any hard information that we have to indicate that that's actually what is happening. Hoffman: The data that you have there tells the dates of the calls that were made. And when you talk to the kids that are at the skate park, they'll say that the kids that are hanging onto the north lot are not associated with the skate park, and I believe there was some retaliatory vandalism from when the cops started pushing those kids out of that north lot, and they retaliated With at least one incident of vandalism so, are they associated or not? I don't know, but there is certainly increased activity at that entire location since the Skate park has been put in. And increased activity leads to some increased incidents of vandalism and problems. Helen Merchant: Can I just mention too that I haven't turned in all of the vandalism...see the police reports but there have been many, many times when we've had like a screen ripped or a, you know the little things that I haven't turned in. So when you look at that police reports, it's kind of...over the past 2 years... Franks: Have we seen continuing vandalism at the Herman Field Park as well? Hoffman: This year was pretty good at Herman Field. Lake Ann is our highest incident of vandalism in the city park system. Lake Susan. We see vandalism in the entire park system. Franks: When I was looking at those pictures, it's not the only playground equipment where we see those on a fairly regular basis. Not to diminish but it is something that we have to deal with system wide. There aren't hundreds of little children present often when this kind of stuff occurs though at some of the neighborhood parks, but what's happening at Chan Elementary on the playground there is not unique in any way to what we have to deal with and it's interesting, I was listening to you saying the last 2 years. It's really kind of bumped up and we have this activity going on in the north parking lot and ! was just wondering, have we had a little transfer of activity fi'om a park like the Herman Field Park and we've now found a new place. You know there could be all kinds of trends that could be happening here and addressing the skaters might not just be the only answer dealing with it. Helen Merchant: ...multiple, multiple sources of this. Franks: handled? that? Okay. If we were to lock that gate as been suggested, like how would the lock be I know that you talked about doing it for those couple hours during the day. Would Hoffman: We would just have to change out the lock. It's a standard lock for all city padlocks at this time so we would change it to an individual lock that then the school have the keys to. 11 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Franks: The keys, okay. Thanks, that's ali I had, O'Shea: I don't have a question. Mine is just a comment of, because we see problems with language in the summer and issues at the skate park, that, the problem is bigger than locking the gate that I think taking this winter and really coming up with some solutions to solve the school's problem as well as the skate park issues with vandalism, harassment and those other issues that, if we do take this time we really should come up with something that's going to resolve it for all the areas so I think that's a good suggestion. That we should try tO make that our goal, because I think locking the gate will help but I think the big things that I'm concerned with are the harassment issues, the safety issues and the vandalism too. But that's my comment. I don't have any other questions. Happe: Why does the school pay for damage to the park? If it's a joint partnership between park system and the school. Is the school bearing all the responsibility for the vandalism that happens? Hoffman: There's an unwritten agreement at Chan Elementary, there's a written agreement Bluff Creek Elementary, and basically the agreement, joint partnership or the agreement at Chan Elementary goes back into the 70's, the beginning of the school, and it was on capital projects we'll do a 50% cost share and that started back with the original improvements. The tennis courts and the ballfields and those type of things. Over probably the past 10 or 15 years, when improvement ideas have come up and the city has approached the school district, the school district for at least the couple of occurrences has not had the resources to partner with that 50% cost share. And so the park staff has gone ahead working with the commission and the City Council and sponsored at least the last 2 projects wholly with city resources. And so that puts us as a city about $600,000 ahead of recent investments at the school district. And the district has continued to request that the city partner or pay for or work on a variety of things at the building or at the school grounds, and my response to that is until we see some equity in that balance sheet, I can't with good management offer up additional resources from the city. The playground that you see there, the equipment which is green and tan was purchased 50/50 from the teachers, or the parent association and the city. The multi-colored, primary colored, yellow, blue, that was acquired on a grant by the city. Installed originally on the north side of the school and then moved at the request of the school, with city resources and city personnel to it's present location. That's the playground that Helen talked about needs to be replaced at some point in the future. The basketball courts and the back boards that we're talking about, those were all installed before and painted by the city, so to come back and ask that the city again start paying for additional improvements and repairs, I just don't believe that the city's in a position to do that until there's some equity in that balance sheet. Happe: I agree with taking this on as a project for the commission, because hopefully we can figure out some ways to help. In the short term however, and when we come back to talk about this next month I hope that we'll take a look at taking at least a simple recommendation from our Principal and fi'om our PTO President, that if there is a bridge solution or a short term solution that may help keep kids out of trouble's way by closing the gate, we should at least take a preliminary measure to listen to what they're saying, especially if there's another access. I'm more concerned about the safety of the kids I guess than I am about the parking issue. I think in the parking lot, it sounds like that may be a little out of the scope of, well we could do that. Todd, is that lnore of a law enforcement issue than it would be anything that would be germane to this Park and Rec Con-unission? Hofflnan: it's district property. It's really not an area that you would actively manage as a city body or govel'nmental organization. 12 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Happe: Okay. So I guess my comments would be, I'd love to see us take a hard look at closing that gate until we come up with a better solution. And opening up another gate that would allow the emergency vehicle access. I'd love to see us take a look at the potential in some sort of partnership or at least reviewing with the school the potential to enhance or create a surveillance system that may greatly curtail the vandalism. I'd love to make sure that they know that we want to continue to pursue a partnership with them for the long haul for the replacement of this equipment, and I want to take steps that we can take, whatever those steps are that the commission concludes to make sure that they know that they cOntinue to have a willing partner with us as we both take a look at the 5 to 10 years down the road and the need to replace this equipment. And lastly there was a request that was in one of the documents that I saw passed for another quick, easy, short term solution that may have a little bit of an impact and that's in the relocation of a port-a-potty so that's an issue that I'd like at least looked at as part of their request and something that may be simple for us to do. So those are my comments. Spizale: Well, and I've got to bring up maybe a diagram of the way that fence goes is going to help. I'm not quite sure that I've got it pictured exactly in my mind where those gates are, so maybe when we do have this other meeting, a detailed diagram would help. And that's all I've got. Franks: And along with that diagram Todd, the preferred locations or relocation of the port-a- potty. The other thing that I'd request is that prior to that meeting that somehow, and we'll allow it to your creativity, some notification be made at the skate park to the skaters there in case there's some interest of wanting to come be a part of the dialogue as well. I know that in the past we've had some participation from the people that are involved at the skate park so I don't know if it's possible that we could actually do that or post or go out there one day and hand, I don't know how. Hoffman: It'd be closed. Franks: Yeah, it will be closed by then won't it. Atkins: I had, just my neighbor boy was just here with his dad. They left. Obviously they had some place to go but I'm sure he'd be interested in giving some input, if you want it from kids. Franks: If at all possible I'd like to find some way to include the users of that facility in at least being a part of designing any solution. As much as they would be willing to participate so if we could find some creative way to involve them as stakeholders, we'd certainly like to hear about that too so, Jerry put your thinking cap on. Great. And you have the contact person for notifying if it makes it on our agenda for December at the school? Hoffman: Yes. I'm at the school almost daily. Franks: And I do want to say that I was there for pizza on Monday and we did have.,.change. Not happy. I got the chicken nuggets because I was told to avoid the other menu choice. The wisdom of an 8 year old. Helen Merchant: I just want to mention too, over the years I've worked with Todd and he has been very supportive of...just part of the problem. We realize that our parking lot may not be related to that, but I know... Franks: Great. Thank you. Thanks for coming. 13 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 APPROVAL OF MINUTES: O'Shea moved, Spizale seconded to approve the Park and Recreation Commission Minutes dated October 22, 2002 as presented. All voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 6 to 0. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE 2002 PICNIC RESERVATION FEES. Ruegemer: Thank you Chair Franks, rest of the commission. On an annual basis the fee structure, fee schedule is brought up to the commission to approve for the next year. What I'm requesting at this time is for the commission to review the 2003 picnic fees for Lake, three locations at Lake Ann, one at Lake Susan. As you can see, we had roughly about 100 reservations this year totally about $9,500 in revenue. That is up slightly from last year's total. What I would like to do is keep those fees the same as what they have been, feeling again that we are on the higher side for fees in relationship to our surrounding communities. So it's staff recommendation that the Park and Rec Connnission recommend approval of the attached fees in 2003. Franks: Thank you Jerry. I'll just stmnt out with the question, when was the last time, I can't remember but I should remember, but when was the last time the reservation fees were increased? Ruegemer: Approximately 3 years ago. Franks: And have you received actual feedback from groups making reservations about the fees being high? Ruegemer: Yes. Franks: And what's the type of feedback that you get? Hofflnan: You've seen it in the packet I think we have those. Ruegemer: Yeah, a lot of the evaluations. Franks: Well tile evaluations, when I look at the administrative packet they all look pretty positive. Ruegemer: Well if you look at, they're positive but if you lc, ok at tile numbering system, when tile specific question asked are you satisfied with the fee, a lot of times they're not l's. They're 3's and 4's, with being dissatisfied. A lot of people are kind of middle of the road or thinking they're a little bit too high and I take a lot of picnic phone calls throughout the course of the year and for a non-resident business coming in, it's $280 at Lake Ann. A lot of the companies absorb that but there are some that I hear, and even residents that come in. You want to book a graduation down at Lake Ann or Lake Susan, you know it's $100 fee approximately for that. And there is still some belief that the parks should be flee. You come down and use it, there shouldn't be any picnic fees but that's what we're trying to, we certainly take in decent revenue on those. My thought or my worry is if we raise it too high, that we'll start to drop off in attendance. Franks: And that would be my concern too. Always my concern. But what I'm looking at here in yonr report is that actually the reservations were up. So I'm just. Ruegemer: Froln 90 something, the year before. Approxi~nately. 14 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Franks: I guess I'm wondering, and I don't know if it exists, if there's some kind of analysis other than just antidotal evidence about where we've come to that price point of where we are maximizing profit. You might not be having as many reservations as we might get, but we're actually making the most amount of money. So I. Hoffman: Sad to say but we tend not to be that sophisticated in much of our pricing. As an organization. And I'm not sure that that's going to change. Franks: See I know like on me, just because the business I'm in, when I look at those rating scales right, and you've rated l's and 2's, the goods for all the things, you're looking for that one thing because you're wanting to maintain some sense of balance and of course when it gets to the money, everybody's going to feel, if they paid a dollar, since they think parks should be free, they've paid too much. You know, and so that's going to be the one thing you're going to mark low if you're going to mark something low. Hoffman: In comparison to other organizations. Ruegemer: Well for example I don't think there's any reservation in Chaska that's over $30-$40. Franks: And what are their number of res, do you have any idea of what's happening there? Ruegemer: I couldn't cotmnent to that tonight. Hoffman: The Three Rivers Park District. Ruegemer: Quite a bit lower I think than that. Quite a bit lower. Eden Prairie is not as high as we are either. Franks: That's all I have. Jack. Spizale: Is there any extra work when they have these events for city employees? Ruegemer: Certainly. I mean stmling with the reservation process over the phone. We do all that over the phone. There's time that goes into updating the menu signs at each location. On the weekends, both Saturdays and Sundays we do have park maintenance staff. I mean well, not just Saturdays and Sundays, 7 days a week, they're cleaned. Garbage emptied, power washed, a lot of those type of things. Picked up before the picnic people get there so, there's quite a bit of effort to make sure that those are in proper order for the reserving groups. Spizale: Is there extra work afterwards too? After they're done. Does it have to be. Ruegemer: You know that's, you know I don't know about extra work but the next day it's cleaned again. A lot of the groups are pretty good at making sure the garbage is in the garbage receptacles and a lot of those type of things, and it's generally picked up. We do charge a $200 damage deposit, just in case, and that typically is enough of a scare factor that the locations are picked up. Spizale: Okay, that's all I have. Happe: What's the split approximately between resident and non-resident in reservations? 15 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Ruegemer: Probably the highest group is probably, I'm guessing probably the business. There's a lot of non-resident businesses that come in. A lot from Edina, Bloomington, Eden Prairie. You know I don't have a split or a hard percentage for you tonight, but we do do a lot of graduation parties, weddings, birthday parties, and a Iot of those type, a lot of family events, reunions. Happe: We're talking about only $9,500 in revenue so the dollars, they're important dollars but we're probably not likely to make a huge dent in the total, overall revenue but I guess if there was a place to raise it up, I might take a look at raising it up amongst the non-resident user fees. So that's the only comment I have. O'Shea: Jerry, getting back to Jack's, are you covering your variable costs that are associated with the extra work to clean these up? Ruegemer: Well we have seasonal park maintenance workers clean those. A lower hourly rate than normal staff so we're not paying full time staff for the most part overtime to clean those. We have seasonal kids coming in and doing that. Hoffinan: We're ma~ng money. O'Shea: You're making money. You know I also like setting prices with quantifiable data because you don't want to leave money out them that you can, there is always, you know there is a break even point of where people will not, not break even but there's a place where you'll start losing business if you raise it too high and naturally, it'd be interesting to...companies are willing to pay us. Out there. Would that? Ruegemer: Systematically, is that fair practice? O'Shea: Well if you're not going to quantify it, if you're not going to go and do research of calling people to find out, you know what range are you willing to pay for this type of service and, because there's always a rauge that people will say, well you know I won't go up that high, but I could pay you know $20 mom. So if that's not possible for the city to do, yeah it is. Because if you really feel. Ruegemer: There's still a lot of the residents that call t~p with the family reunion or a graduation party that are very surprised that we have fees. O'Shea: Yeah, but I'm looking more at the majority of our rentals are the business, right? 1 was thinking more on that street. When I look at this, boy I don't know where else you can rent something, that seems pretty reasonable to me. The prices that are on there. But that's one way to do your study, your cost study without incun'ing a lot of expense by having someone call and really collect data by calling individual people that book. Happe: I guess I'm leery of trying to find the highest level of threshold of pain that a taxpayer will pay to use one of these facilities. O'Shea: Yeah, and I'm not necessarily saying to go to tile high end but in the range. Tile range that someone might be willing to pay, which we don't even know, we're guessing. Their range might be you know 140 or 180. So we're not even in. Ruegemer: I guess xve're trying to gauge that comfort zone is by our neighboring communities. You know again like Chaska's is well below us. on resident and non-resident fees. 16 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Franks: As well they should be for those facilities. O'Shea: Yeah, are they comparable facilities? Comparable? Ruegemer: I mean, well Eden Prairie's probably more comparable to what we have with Lake Riley and some of those. They are I believe also lower. Hoffman: We have no objection to raising them so, that's not a problem. Franks: Go ahead and finish up. O'Shea: No, I just would not like to see a fee stay at something where you could really elevate it without making anybody, losing business and keep growing. That would be my only concern. Setting a price with some knowledge of knowing what the market would bear, but again not going to the high end but certainly being competitive in this area that they're willing to pay. Hoffman: Well we are at the high end. already. O'Shea: Well. Hoffman: Of the prices in the area. O'Shea: In the area but maybe not the people that are renting from you. You know if that's the case, if you're already at the high end and they're still coming to you, you know unless these other, because I think too, I remember correctly, you're rented out most of the summer, the peak times aren't you? Ruegemer: Many times we are on both Saturdays and Sundays at the covered pavilions. O'Shea: So you're really not, you don't have any more room to rent in the peak, right? You're happy with the rental as it is? Ruegemer: It could always, I mean it's not booked every, but for the most part it is, but the non- covered areas are pretty non-existent. O'Shea: Okay, so you're not feeling you're losing much business right now because of the prices? Ruegemer: You know I think to a certain degree that may be true in some cases. Once people get the prices they choose to maybe go somewhere else. O'Shea: The businesses do. Ruegemer: Business or residents or whoever. People that just shop around for price. Franks: But I guess what, if I can jump in. Amy's maybe suggesting that weekend's going to book up anyway. Maybe somebody might walk but somebody else is going to take it. It sounds like most of those Saturdays and Sundays are booked at the covered pavilions. O'Shea: At the higher rate than your neighboring communities. So so far, what I'm getting at is so far it doesn't seem to have deterred too much of your business even though you're higher, so 17 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 they must think that Chanhassen has some pretty nice facilities that they're willing to pay more than they do in Eden Prairie, which is a compliment to the city that we don't know, we're guessing that, where is that level that they're willing to pay for these amenities. Franks: So it might be at the, if I can jump in. It might be at our range, as the city might be at the higher end of neighboring cities but it might be at the low end of what the company's budgeted range is, is that? O'Shea: Right. And for the amenities that we're providing. That's all I have. Franks: Are we turning people away on weekends? Are you having like multiple requests? Ruegemer: Certainly. Depending on if there's certain weekends, certainly. Franks: Have we considered having a tiered pricing structure? I guess what I'm getting at is if we have a demand time and the market is you know, the supply and demand. We have a lower supply of weekends and a higher demand, would it be possible to charge more on weekends. Charge less on weekdays and try to shift people around and increase the total number of bookings, because some people might say I'm not going to do it on a Saturday, but I'm going to do it on this Thursday and we'll make it work because we're going to get a better deal. And then freeing up that weekend for someone who's willing to pay a little more and really look at. Now I know we're nickel and diming you, I know we are because I agree with Dave that you know that it's not like a ton of revenue we're talking about here but. Ruegemer: Certainly if tile commission wishes to do that we certainly can make that work. We just need to take a look for our computer software as well as for the reservations schedule and how that relates to multiple fees like that for 'accounting purposes. But we certainly can investigate that. Hofflnan: $10,000 is a significant amonnt of revenue in our system. Franks: Yeah, but I mean after the incidental costs, after the indirect costs we take out of it. Hoffman: Anywhere we have revenue, $10,000, $15,000, $20,000, those are, you know we want 10, 15, 20 of those programs, those type of events at $10,000 are starting to add up. Happe: I'tn not saying tile revenue's insignificant. I'm just saying that the percentage gained on an increase in the fees if we raise the fees by an arbitrary $10. We should probably take a look at what that total dollar amount, what impact that would have because it may be $500 or $1,000 is what we're talking about. Franks: I'd like to have my cake and eat it too. I'd like to increase the number of bookings and increase the amounts that we can gain from this, not just from the extra amount from having more bookings. But, and I think the approach to do that is really look at where's our highest demand and what is the market willing to bear for that demand, and then possibly shifting people who are unwilling to pay that to a time that's more conducive to that. Because there's both kinds of people that are out there. People that are looking for a date and they're going to pay almost whatever to get what they want, and people who are looking for a bargain. And it might be possible to appeal to both of them. Hoffman: Rod, do you have a number or percentage drop in mind for those weekdays? 18 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Franks: You know I really don't right off hand. In fact the idea is forming as we were talking today, but when you mentioned the bookings on the weekends and then wondering if you could have other people looking to book on weekends too, you know and already being booked, like that's the demand time so that might demand a higher value. Hoffman: Probably at 30 to 40 percent discount on weekday. Franks: Probably something like that. I mean it's not being used right now. I mean they're not being booked heavily on weekdays anyway. So if you look at and you see the same price, I'd be, I'd hold out for a weekend too, you know. And then I'm capturing a weekend that somebody might be willing to pay more. Hoffman: Do some companies book weekdays? Ruegemer: Certainly. During the days. Hoffman: Currently so you'd be losing some cash there. Franks: Right. Ruegemer: Companies typically go Thursday-Friday's during the day or 4:00 to dark. Franks: Well I'm certainly willing to go ahead and approve the fee structure for this year, but I would really, I agree with Commissioner O'Shea that I think we need to start looking a little bit more scientifically at all these things. We've had this great little city of 10,000 people for a long time and we've operated well on antidotal evidence and, but we're getting bigger and we are needing to get more sophisticated as well. One of the solutions that I might have to consider is really adding on a new question on the questionnaire. Something like, it is expected as our costs increase thht reservation fees will increase in the next year. How much would you be willing to pay, or something like that that is at least to get, it lacks face validity I know but at least something to gauge, you know what are, would a 10% increase fit with your companies budget or your organization's budget for next year? Something. Happe: Wouldn't you assume you're going to run 100% negative on that though. Franks: Well, but how negative are you going to run? You know is it going to be all the way to the end or are we going to be in the 2 or 3. I guess that lacks some face validity, but at least it's something. Tom? Kelly: I like the tiered pricing approach. Monday through Thursday one price, which I think, I don't even know if I would agree to reduce the price Monday through Thursday. I would almost. Franks: Look at increasing. Kelly: We want to, right. Maintain it as it is Monday through Thursday and then maybe 20% increase, I don't know on Friday through Sunday because if it's supply and demand, and one person says no for Saturday and there's someone else ready to take that slot, then we don't lose. We still come out ahead so, I mean I think tiered structure is a common pricing practice. I don't know if it is for parks but for hotels and all that stuff, you do see some tiered pricing. Franks: Okay. 19 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Atkins: I'm going to leave the resident fees alone. Because I think they're highly reasonable for groups. I'd like to think that they wouldn't change, but I think the tier thing is very well worth exploring too. Makes sense to me. Franks: We need to take some action, so any other questions for staff?. We need to take some action today. One course would be to of course approve the recommendations of the fee structure that's been proposed for the 2003 season and really direct staff to develop and alternative for the 2004 season, taking into account the recommendations we have tonight about development of the tiered approach to pricing. The other one would be, as I see it, is to implementing that in some form for the 2003 season so I don't know if there's any discussion on the commission as far as any co~mnents. Kelly: I thought there may have been a software issue with tiered pricing. Ruegemer: That could probably be worked out... Happe: Rod, I do like your idea of a tiered system to encourage additional usage of the facilities that are not fully used during the week. Trying to incentivize the additional revenue creation if possible. I don't know what we'll lose Jen'y from the customers that will come back that are currently supporting it in the weeks. I would however like to see that as incremental revenue and not try to go to the highest common denominator by increasing the weekend rental rates, and keeping those weekday rates the same. I think itl the spirit of trying to generate additional use of the facilities, tile best answer is to do exactly as you've proposed in terms of trying to stimulate additioual use of and additional rental of those facilities, but I'm not in favor of raising the rates to try to find the highest common denominator for our residents. Franks: This year. Happe: This year. Franks: We haven't raised rates in about 3 years so tile reality is that we're going to have to raise rates probably in the next couple years for sure. Ruegemer: Prior to that we did approximately 10% a year for many years. Happe: I think a question that Amy asked, we're covering our operational expenses with the revenue that we have coming in, so we're not funding or supporting a program that currently is in the deficit. Is that con'ect? Franks: Well my understauding is we're making money. Happe: Right. So we're making money. We're not spending to keep this program alive, in it's current state with these cra-rent fees and the current reservations, it's a profit generating vehicle for the city. So to look at trying to enhance that profit, I'd love to see this stay affordable for our residents. Spizale: I think a 10% increase, after not increasing it for 3 years, wouldn't be much of an increase. I mean cost of living goes up. Your costs go up. My costs go up. I don't think anybody would balk at 10%. Especially since it hasn't been raised for 3 years. That's my feeling. 2O Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Happe: I think you're right Jack. I don't know that they would balk at it. In fact I bet our reservation rates stay strong. I just don't, we don't have to charge the maximum amount for services that we can get by with. I would love to figure out a way to keep it as affordable as we possibly can. We have residents that love to use these facilities, and I don't want to increase their costs by $10 just because I can. Franks: Now don't confuse me commissioners. That's so unlike you. Just when I think I have it figured you throw me a curve. It seems as though if we're not capturing potential revenue, we're actually subsidizing through tax dollars the loss of that revenue. Happe: I don't think so because it's a revenue, a positive... Franks: ...on how you want to look at it. Happe: Rod, if it was a revenue, negative service, I'd agree with what you just said. We're making money so it's not in effect costing taxpayers money. It's generating positive cashflow. Franks: Well it is costing their money if in fact we're capturing all of the available money. Happe: I understand your point. Franks: Because then that's money that was not counted as revenue that we are spending from some other, you see that's what I'm saying. Happe: It's somewhat of a circular argument but I see where you're going. Franks: Right, there's a little... O'Shea: Dave when you say resident, do you mean, are you meaning or the Chanhassen business? Happe: I mean resident as in Dave Happe wanting to secure it for my family reunion. Again I don't, I'm just differentiating between resident and resident business. I'm not as adamant about not raising the-non-resident user fees because they've been paid to help us build these facilities. But the residents either...when they moved into the neighborhood and there was a park and trail fee or whatever the fees were that were raised to build these facilities. I think the residents have already chipped in and I just hate to ask them for another $10 bill out of their pocket. Franks: I'd like to propose an idea more along the lines of an experiment to see if we're on the right track or not, because really we don't have anything, as I've said before, other than antidotal evidence to base what we're going on, and that concerns me. But I'.m wondering if we couldn?t adopt an approach where for 2003, for the Friday through, or Saturday through Sunday, or Friday through Sunday reservations, we bump them up by 10% and leaving other reservations at the current proposed 2003 rate. And seeing what the response is, and if it turns out that at the end of the year. Doable Jerry? Ruegemer: We can do anything you wish Commissioner Franks. We can make that happen. O'Shea: Can I ask one more question? Franks: Go right ahead Amy. 21 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 O'Shea: Jerry, I'm focusing more on the business ones. How do you set Chanhassen business is $45 for Lake Ann for the one and then it's $130 so there's quite a spread there. And then how, right on that same page below for the other part of Lake Ann, it's closer to the 50% discount. The 130 to 280. How did you, how do you derive the difference? Ruegemer: The first one you're looking at is the lakeside. That's a non-covered area. And the, you know these fees were established back from past commissions. I think back when they established these it was more kind of what the threshold of pain is, more so than any scientific formula. If that's what your question is. O'Shea: I was just wondering how you came up with the different spread between the, you know I thought like we'd have 50% discount for Chanhassen businesses. For example across the board but I was trying to figure out how those prices were set and you answered it. It was kind of just thrown out without any guidelines, is that right? Okay. Franks: I want to put you on the spot again, but do you think that these prices make sense? Ruegemer: Why don't they make sense? Franks: Well I mean, if what you're saying is con'ect, and I've been a part of this commission for a while but if this is all just arbitrary, and you know it was done at the threshold of pain, are we at a point now, and maybe that' s what a lot of the struggle is about here is we need to mayba not for 2003, but really take a pretty solid look at the whole fees that are charged, generally speaking, to come up with the structure you know, because I'm sure that it's occurred. If the business people are thinking about it, they looked at this whole sheet like this, the same question would occur. What's the deal with that? Happe: Staff's recommeudation that we adopt these fees? And what I would like, Rod I know there's a motion on the table. Franks: There is ilo motion on the table. Happe: Oil I'm son'y, I thought there was a motion on the table. What I would like to do is instead of hastily raising rates arbitrarily, go with staff's recommendation while we continue to study some of the neighboring. I know we haven't seen any hard data that says raise them or don't raise them. We have staff's reCOlnmendation, after they've spent more time than we have studying it, to go with these rates. What I would propose is that we go with staff's recommendation and meanwhile we [lave time to review 2004 and beyond. I don't see the need because of a profit loss, to raise the rates without having further study and fltrther discussion on it. Franks: Okay. Well I'm willing to accept any motions that any commissioners wish to propose SO. Hoffman: You have an option of tabling this for 2 weeks. Frauks: You know. Happe: We should roll with something. Franks: What I'd like to do Todd is I understand that but I'd like to see if we're not at a point 22 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 where we can take some action, if we're' unable to reach any kind of consensus or develop a motion that's acceptable, then we should consider tabling it. Kelly: I move to maintain the rates, the current proposed rates for Monday through Friday and then increase the rates 10% on Saturday and Sunday for the year 2003. Franks: There is that motion. Is there a second? Spizale: I'll second that. Franks: Okay, it's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion on the motion as proposed? Todd. Hoffman: If we go to 10% and then we find next year that we actually want a large, much larger price variation, say 20 or 30%, then we're starting to tell people well this year your price gap was 10%, but we think we can go to 20 or 30. So I don't know if we're, granted many folks, these people return. Ruegemer: Many do. Hoffman: Jerry takes all these calls and deals with all these people and he spends a good amount of time on the phone with these people and so I just want to make sure if we're going to increase rates, that's not a problem but let's do it consistently. So that 10% is going to end up to be what, 20 bucks. Or we'll round them up, and perhaps that's enough. We wouldn't go any higher. O'Shea: Well you'd have your feedback. Jerry would have some feedback to base it on with the negative comments or lack of booking. It'd be a way to at least have some quantifiable data. Hoffinan: I don't disagree with the concept. Perhaps the percentage. O'Shea: I know what you're saying too is. Kelly: It's too low? The percentage is too low? O'Shea: We don't know. Kelly: We don't know. Spizale: I think it's a good start. Franks: You obviously have more, both of you have more experience on this than we do but, you know what, the process for determining what that percentage would be. Hoffman: It's a guesstimate. Franks: It's a guesstimate, right. Educated guesstimate hopefully. Well I'm wondering if we couldn't use the year 2003 as a data gathering year. I mean I think there's some consensus that we like the idea of a tiered, the free structure as a way to capture any revenue that might be lost without alienating the repeat users or residents obviously and keeping it as affordable. Affordable doesn't mean that the rates might not go up though, so it's what people are willing to afford so. 23 Park and Rec Cotmnission - November 26, 2002 Hoffman: And those tiers were across the board, residents, non-residents? Ruegemer: 10%. Kelly: There's an opportunity to test out the price and lasticity of our fees. I don't know. Franks: Well we do have, is there any further discussion on the motion? Kelly: The only group I would hesitate to raise fees on is non-profit seniors. I don't know if that, because I know right now they're getting a 20% discount but I don't know if that makes. Hoffman: 25. Kelly: 25% discount. I don't know if that makes things too complicated. 25, I don't know. Franks: I tbink Todd brings up a good point. You bring up another one that this is, we might not just be ready to make all the decisions that would be necessary at this time to develop, because do we do it with seniors or not the seniors? Do we do it with residents or not? With resident businesses or non-resident businesses? Any further discussion on the motion? All those in favor of the motion. Seeing none, we'll go ahead and take a vote. Kelly moved, Spizale seconded that the Park and Recreation Commission maintain the cnrrent group picnic reservation fees for Monday through Friday and increase the rates 10% on Saturday and Sunday for the year 2003. Kelly, Franks and Spizale voted in favor, O'Shea, Happe, and Atkins voted in opposition. The motion was tied with a 3-3 vote. Franks: Can I see the opposed? We have 3-3. In the event of a tie, this has never happened to me. The motion fails. Thanks for giving it a try. Appreciate it. I'm wondering if Jen'y, if there couldn't be some more compulsive record keeping. How many people are actually looking for this Saturday, this Saturday, that. How many calls did you get on that? Ruegemer: I receive many phone calls throughout the course of the week. I mean from this point forward I certainly could have a log of sorts if people are looking for multiple listings or multiple requests for certain weekends, we can certainly do tbat. Franks: Is it necessary that this be approved prior to January of 2003? Ruegemer: i believe it is. After the first of the year people start to kind of think towards that process of reserving. O'Shea: Can I, are we still able to throw things out? Franks: Yeah, go ahead. O'Shea: Jerry, because you have such a good working relationship with these people, what if you called 5 of your, the people that have booked every year and said, you do it in a way that naturally they're going to say well no, we'd like them to lower the price instead of raise it, but if you have a good workiug relationship and say you know we don't want to lose your business but we really do, we haven't raised our prices in 3 years. I just want to hear from you what you think is fair because we really don't want to lose you as a customer, but and throw out a price range like give 24 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 them 3 different price ranges. And don't even give them the old price. I probably don't even remember what they paid anyway, and just give them 3 different price ranges of, would you still be able to, would your company still one, be able to afford using our facility. And would you book with us at these rates. And just feel them out. Call some long standing customers and then come back on December. Ruegemer: Both resident and business? O'Shea: Sure, and I'm just, I'm more focusing on the business end of it. The Chanhassen business and then the non-Chanhassen business. Just call 4 or 5 of them in each category of those two. Franks: I hope you're not going on vacation in the next couple weeks, because where this is headed is we're going to table this until the December meeting and we're going to direct you to develop what you consider to be a reasonable plan for implementing a tiered reservation system considering the respective prices for the businesses and for weekends and how you're going to define that weekend, either Saturday-Sunday or Friday through Sunday. Ruegemer: And my probably idea right now, talking to people, I would probably be 90 to 100 percent... 10 to 15% increase, whatever. 5 to 10. I would imagine that would be absorbed by the company. Spizale: I have one comment to make too. All these businesses have raised their prices in 3 years. You can bet on it. I can't see where it'd be an undue, I can't see where it'd be a problem raising a fee for the businesses at least 10%. That's really nothing. Kelly: This may be an apples to oranges comparison but you know if raising the fees of businesses 10 to 15% means that we can flood an additional ice rink. I'm being serious though. If we can lake money here in something that I think is an acceptable approach to gain some revenue and move it to flooding additional neighborhood parks, or something you know that might be a benefit to at least part of the community. I think that's a fair reallocation of our revenue and what comes in and where it goes. I look at this as we always seem to try to spend money, I think this is an opportunity to gain a little revenue that we can apply to some of the other areas where we are lacking funds. Franks: So there's some consensus, I hope you're picking up on it. Okay? Hoffman: My response to Commissioner Kelly is that, I know the council for one is going to say any increase revenue that you make is great, but it's going to offset current costs. No doubt about it. Kelly: Okay, sorry. Hoffman: At the current conversation with budget. They want us to, in fact they talked about the committee that you're working on on the revenue at last night's budget meeting, and today I was directed to formalize a brainstorming session among selected staff members to talk about how park and recreation can raise revenues across the board. So this is one way that we can raise revenues and we'll stick it right into the formula and this goes from a program orchestrations to rec center increases to new forms of revenue. One thing, we always have to be cognizant of in our business is that we haven't talked about the other aspect of company picnics tonight is that, we've all attended them and they are a wonderful form of recreation that we want to continue to 25 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 foster. And so we tend, when we get into these budget discussions we tend to focus on the cash and there's a whole other reason why we're in business as an organization, as a park and rec commission. Franks: I want to make clear, my goal is to increase the number of bookings, okay. And if there's a way that we can set up a pricing structure to do that by providing alternatives that appear to be more acceptable to the more sophisticating marking and make more money, all power to us for that. Happe: Rod as you know too, in some cases, I'm in the hard goods industry and some cases when we lower the price, we sell more product. And I think in terms of those weekday lack of bookings, we may find that we can increase the revenues by making those off days more attractive. Not necessarily raising the price of that VCR just to garner more revenue on that one individual transaction. Franks: And I'm suggesting we don't have quite the information available to us to make that decision becanse as you're saying, there's businesses that are paying full rate to have their picnic on Friday afternoon or whatever, so I mean that's something for you guys to consider. I think it'd be great if you could come back with at least a pretty good idea that we could kick around in a more concrete fashion for the December meeting. So I'm wondering if there's a commissioner who'd be willing to entertain a motion to table this item until our December meeting and to further direct staff to come back with what their ideas are and how to implement, what we're calling a tiered pricing schedule for park reservations and to, also indicating what percentage increases, if any and to what populations those increases would be targeted. Help me out. Happe: A motion, is that this point be move to the December meeting and that as Rod-has articulated, that staff prepare some summary reports on a way to implement a tiered system, along with some directed or targeted fees for the various user groups and help us determine a way to use this system to generate more bookings and generate additional revenue. Franks: This has been moved. Is there a second? O'Shea: I second. Franks: It's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion on the motion before us? Seeing none we'll move' it to a vote then. Happe moved, O'Sbea seconded tlmt the Park and Recreation Commission table action on tbe 2003 group picnic reservation fees to the December meeting. All voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously with a vote of 6 to 0. Hoffman: We'll get this to marketing first thing tomorrow. 2002/2003 ICE SKATING PROGRAM. Ruegemer: Thank you Chair Franks. We did, as you all know, discussed this at length at the October meeting. Since then we certainly have gotten calls from Pheasant Hills. Mr. Koltes is here again tonight. Also we have had increased phone calls from the Minnewashta Heights neighborhood as well, stating support that they would like to see their rink be flooded and operated again for this year. I did pass out another e-mail just from last Friday from Ms. Schaeffer, and then also I had another phone call from a Debbie Bach today fi'om the 26 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Minnewashta Heights. I don't have that in the form of an e-mail. Just to, I wanted to get it on record that she did call and request that the rink be flooded and operated again for this year. We had kind of talked about a number of different things. Certainly the feeling or the direction I got from the commission, it seemed last, at last October meeting, it seemed like the sentiment on the commission was to, they were in favor of or looking at least flooding the finks for this coming winter. Coming up with a new kind of data collection kind of a system, and then put the neighborhood in question on notice so to speak and have sort of a notification letter that goes out stating that we're seriously looking at this and we need to see some increased activity or your rink may be in jeopardy during the 2004/2005. 03-04 season I guess it would be. Going into that we certainly had talked about that and I guess, talking to a lot of different agencies, park and rec agencies, there wasn't really a perfect system out there, or a system in many cases to collect data on non-attendant rinks. You know a lot of people don't keep those types of records and a lot of people don't keep attendance records at places that they attend. So looking at our system, it may not be perfect but it is a system to collect numbers. Another way that we certainly have talked about is maybe we should hire somebody for the winter time to go out at various and periodic times throughout the course of the year at these different rinks. You know maybe 4, 5, 6 times a week, at different times to collect that sort of data that I guess we're trying to collect and making decisions on with that, so I guess what we're trying to do now is really kind of make that decision I guess which way we're going to go. Certainly seen before that the commission is interested in maintaining or preserving those neighborhood rinks. Just coming up and staff is certainly interested in hearing what the commission has to say or if there's different ways of collecting and have thought about it since the last time. We're certainly interested in entertaining that. Franks: Thank you JelTy. What I'd like to do is just take any very quick questions for Jerry from the commission. Happe: So the main reason we held it over was to see if there was a new measurement stick or a new way to track performance against the ultimatum essentially that we're talking about.,. neighborhoods and there wasn't any different way that staff has come up witl~ to help us figure out if our test is going to be successful or not. Hoffman: Other than what you proposed. Franks: Anything else? Is there anyone in the audience wishing to address the commission on this topic? Come on up. And we appreciate waiting through that. Ted Koltes: No, not at all. I enjoyed it. Franks: Would you state your name and your address for the record please. Ted K01tes: My name is Ted Koltes at 1731 Wood Duck Circle. That's relative to the Pheasant Hills Park that's been kind of the key to this discussion. Since my last attending this meeting I've had a chance to talk with my neighbors more and kind of broaden out a little bit and it's really only 4 to 5 the position as you've received and continuing the phone calls. The more I think about this, it's not going to save money not to flood the parks. I mean it's, as I understand it, it's budgeted to do this. It would just reallocated to another area. So in terms of X's and O's, as it were, it's not safe revenue, and I levy that, I weigh that out against those that have committed to me, and my efforts so I'm not making myself to be the fool in coming here and laying on the line that yes, this particular park is going to get used. The one, and this is my first year at our address here. We just moved in August. My question is, as I understand it there aren't lights. Is that, okay. So on weekdays you're going to have Monday to Friday where the majority of the parents 27 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 aren't getting home til after dark. And my concern, based on this testing is that you know I myself, I'm not going to be home before it gets dark Monday through Friday, so if it's measured based on usage Monday to Friday, I can't contribute to it's usage during those times. Now on the weekends I can contribute like all get out, and fairly intend to do so, but for lack of a better system, I don't have any suggestions as far as that goes. The only thing I have to rely on are the conversations of the neighbors that I've had and the feedback that I've received from them and that now based on this being brought to the forefront is coming out from the neighborhood and that is yes, they want it. They feel that they'll use it. It's important to them. It was important to me and as I understand a number of other people in this room as they were growing up. Whether it's for themselves or for the kids and I would just ask because it's not going to be a direct correlation to savings to the city, that we at least be given the chance to demonstrate that very usage this winter again. I guess I don't have more to say. I want to skate. It's cold out. If you're not skating, winter is useless. You know we don't have big hills. We can't ski. We've got to skate so I hope we can do that at Pheasant Hills Park. Thank you for your time. If I stay here, do you have questions? Hoffman: Just to maintain the accuracy of our conversation when we talk about cost. It would be a reallocation of regular hours that, if you take a look at 2001 through 2002, we have regular time of 6,200 and overtime of 4,500 so there would be a cost savings in those overtime hours which is not 50% but a good percentage of the money that would, we use those overtime hours because we're flooding around the clock. During the cold periods of the day. Franks: Is there any questions? Happe: On the week nights will you travel and use the city ice facilities with the lights and the xvarming houses? Ted Koltes: Based on my particular schedule, I can't speak of that of my neighbors but based on my schedule I generally don't get home til 7:00-8:00. So where I would use it would be, you know and conversely I aln home generally til noon or so during the weekdays so I guess, backing into what I was saying before, I would have time early on in the days to use it. But I mean I'm going to be out there like a spotter with my binoculars looking for the sky with my skates in hand so I can be out there when he's there. But yeah, I mean it's really, it's been kind of neat to see the interest in the neighborhood and I, so much has changed from being a kid, when I was a kid and I'm not even that old, to now being a kid today. And this is in my mind, and I know I'm partial because of all those years of skating and playing hockey but I mean this, I look back on my, on being a kid and this was kind of one of the pm'est forms of being a kid you know for me. You know it's exercise. It's not sitting in front of a TV playing video games. All the people that I've spoken with are easily within walking distance, and to bring that much further away, I wouldn't hope for that. But yeah, I'm out there in the mornings. Franks: So no light. Ted Koltes: Light, say l i:00 when I've got to take my little man home and get ready foE' work myself. But yeah the morning times would be great. And I mean from a, you know my little girl's at school and I was very iuterested in this conversation earlier about the Chan Elementary because that affects me directly but while my little girl's at school I'm thinking of myself and I know that this is self serving of my interest but boy this is great time for me and my 4 year old son to be out there playing and I just very much look forward to that time. An.:l yes, it would be more difficult for me obviously to get in a caE' and go somewhere else. And I can't speak for the rest of my neighbors. I can't speak for their situations. 28 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Franks: Okay. Any other questions for Mr. Koltes? Thanks again. Ted Koltes: Thank you. Franks: Let's bring this back to the commission and let's hear what your comments are. Atkins: Since we're reconsidering it, I'm looking at it in a different light and thinking perhaps just eliminating 5 or 6 of the parks. The rinks might be a good idea. Specifically Sunset, Chanhassen Hills, Rice Marsh, Meadow Green and Carver Beach. Carver Beach and Meadow Green are both quite close to City Center. Chanhassen Hills, from what I heard gets very little use. And Rice Marsh and Sunset, I can't speak of because I don't know for sure where they are SO. Franks: So what you're advocating is to keep the pleasure rinks at Minnewashta Heights and Pheasant Hills? Atkins: Yes. Franks: Paula, anything else? Atkins: No. Franks: Commissioner Kelly. Kelly: I am in favor of, I mean of keeping the rinks open. I would hate to, I mean the Minnewashta Heights and Pheasant Hills, those are the only two rinks that people have come forward with in the last few weeks and voiced opinions? Ruegemer: Yeah, I think I've also had a call from Rice Marsh. Kelly: I think I'm in favor of keeping them open for a year. Sending out letters to all the surrounding neighborhoods explaining that you know, without a lot of use this year, it may be closed the next year. I don't see the need to hire someone to go and, go to these unlighted ones and monitor the uses. I think if the system that we're using is as good or better than any other system that park systems in the area are using, we'd have to probably stick with that but to your point, let's not measure them on a Wednesday morning. Let's look at things on a Sunday morning or Monday morning just to get a better reading as to how these rinks are used during the potential peak times as opposed to the potential down times. Hoffman: We can split that classification for you so we'll simply have it, you know obviously Monday mornings are going to be the time where's going to be some heavy use, but these are, if you look at the statistics that you have, they're being flooded on weekends, on Mondays, on Thursdays and there are still rinks, whether they're flooded on a Sunday or a Thursday, just do not see the use and it's not recorded here. It's not that we're going to, if it's being used heavily on a weekend, it's going to get recorded. Ted Koltes: And again Todd, can I say something else? That's from 2 years ago? Hoffman: Yes. 29 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Ted Koltes: I want to reiterate the turnover at least in our neighborhood in growth, there's a lot of kids...that are skating age. Ruegemer: I also did receive that same type of comments from Minnewashta Heights neighborhood that there was turnover in the neighborhood. Kids were getting older. There's new people in the neighborhood so some residents of the Minnewashta Heights did kind of echo Ted's comments. Franks: Okay. Tom, anything else'?. Kelly: No. Franks: Are you suggesting then to flood all of the pleasure rinks? Kelly: I guess I'm going to turn it back. Is that fair? Is it fair to isolate, not isolate but is it fair to only flood the two ones where there's been a lot of support for keeping it open or maybe... I guess at a minimum I would like to see Minnewashta Heights and Pheasant Hills open, but I'd be, I guess I'd be more comfortable with the decision of having all them open to give all the neighborhoods opportunity this year to skate. I'm through, thanks. Franks: Comnfissioner O'Shea. O'Shea: My feelings are the same as what we passed last meeting, other than, and I'm back to quantifiable data. I hate to see expense added to this program to hiring. I don't know if it would be enough of us or other people that would volunteer to pick dates, if that makes sense, and times of the day to go and, I certainly would be willing to take these 7-8 questions and go at an appropriate time of what we think would be heavily used times, and go around and mark it instead of having that incur the fee of hiring somebody. So we could look at the volunteer end of it from this commission and other avenues that we might have. But the other thing we'do have is, you know the neighborhoods are changing but we have access to the demographics of these neighborhoods. There is a certain age that's going to be using these parks. The kids, that if we pulled up that demographic study and looked at which parks are growing out of the age that typically uses this type of amenity, that would help tls too at the next time that we evaluate so where I stand is, one, I don't think we should add a fee of hiring somebody if we could get enough voluuteers to pick times that make sense. We should get it gathered that way. Leave them open like we thought. Let the neighborhoods know that we're thinking, what we're thinking and if the usage isn't up, we're going to have to eliminate that from the following winter. So that's what I'd do. Is to, I mean bring in the demographics along when we're making this decision. These neighborhoods are growing up and they've changed but these neighborhoods have had new people move in that now have younger kids, plus the data we've collected this winter. That's where I'm at. Franks: Dave. Happe: I don't think we'd be hiring somebody specially to do the monitoring. I believe it's the people that are ah'eady going to be at the rinks flooding the rinks that do the actual record keeping, con'ect? Hoffman: There's two different methods. We can always do the person in the flood truck, but if we want to count head counts when there's actual people there, then they go during a different time because we flood after hours. For the most part. 30 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Happe: Okay. If there's a motion raised to keep Pheasant Hills and Minnewashta Heights, and go with staff's recommendation on the elimination of the rest, I would vote in favor of that because I think it's an interesting compromise. We could use 2003 then really again as a data collection year against that type of a move to determine if there were increases in the community parks, just to further study that but I would be in support of that as a motion. I think Tom you mentioned your concern for not only discriminate against a few, but right now in my perception, we're discriminating against the neighborhoods that don't have this as an amenity offered to them. Herman Field, Curry Farms Park, Highover, Longacres, Pulte, Walnut Grove, Greenwood Shores, Kerber Pond, Stone Creek, Bluff Creek Estates, Lake Susan Hills East, Mission Hills, Bandimere/Springfield, Lake Riley South, and Hesse Farm are several of the major neighborhoods that don't have this same taxpayer subsidized service provided to their neighborhoods, so I think under equal services I think your concern is probably good but it's, there's a whole lot more than these 7 neighborhoods that are affected by paying taxes for these facilities and not actually having them in their approximate area. So that being said, the motion that I would prefer is to go with staff recommendation, if the motion is raised to do a partial in keeping Pheasant Hills and Minnewashta Heights because of their citizen activist and to be able to use that as a measurement tool for the elimination of parts of this program. Then I would vote in favor of that motion as well. Franks: Okay, thank you. Conmfissioner Spizale. Spizale: Okay, my feeling is, I feel we should, this year, this winter we should flood the same rinks that we did last year. I don't think we should change it this year. Take a look at the data after this year and then make that decision. That's my feeling. Franks: Okay. I think I mentioned this the last time. I've the unfortunate benefit of being- through this a number of times and my personal feeling is, it's going to be very difficult without spending money, which I don't believe we have on this to collect better data than what we've got. I was initially in favor of staff's recommendation to close the listed pleasure rinks. But I'm also understanding that when you show up for dinner, you usually get to eat and the Pheasant Hills neighborhood, correct? Ted Koltes: Shown up for dinner, right? Franks: They've shown up for dinner. And to me that's a little bit of putting your money where your mouth is, in a sense, if I can work in some other clich6s during my monologue I will try. Ted Koltes: I'm already a citizen activist so... Franks: But that level of commitment tells me, I mean that they're willing to show up and come and send their e-mails and make the phone calls and actually come to these meetings, indicates that there certainly is probably some behavior and numbers that are going to follow hopefully the use. So I would personally be in favor of maintaining the Pheasant Hills rink and deleting the other listed pleasure rinks from the earlier recommendations of staff. And at the same time, directing the flooding crews to, as best as are able, to get some handle on what the usage is of that rink. And then we're going to consider it again and it will be considered again and I know, but I don't necessarily have a problem with that process to see who wants to come to the table every year. 31 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Hoffman: Back to the, Chair. The question, these other people don't know...so the fact that we have one neighbor here and one neighborhood on the e-mail and the calling list. I mean Cindy Hansen has got a calling phone tree going that we get these calls on a daily basis. Happe: Well to that point though Todd, I think you have 12-15 neighborhoods that aren't part of the program that also probably aren't cognizant of the fact that their tax dollars are either directly or indirectly subsidizing this program. So yes, some of those neighborhoods maybe aren't as aware as Pheasant Hills, but I'd counter that there's probably an equal amount of residents that aren't aware that this program exists that they pay for and don't really have access to use. Franks: I mean based on, I think you know where I'm at when it comes to opening up city services and facilities to the public. I mean I've made that pretty clear over and over, but when I look at the numbers Todd, it just doesn't look like that many people are going to be affected...at that point consider that as well. That's unfortunate for city staff because it may mean some tough phone calls to handle this year. But I'm sure that you'll direct them to come and address the commission when the time's appropriate to consider the establishment of the 2003-2004 ice skating program Todd. Hoffman: I guess my concern is just not good policy and tonight we do have some numbers that the commission I know is not particularly happy with. A point that if we were going to cut rinks it wonldn't be, it would be Pheasant Hill and it would not be some other ones that you're talking about cutting tonight, but the fact that we have at least one "neighborhood activist", my friend Ted, and so he's here and so we're going to give him his rink and I'm not sure that that's good policy. O'Shea: Yeah to be fait', the neighborhoods should have gotten a letter saying to come to this meeting if you felt strong like that because being in the, I don't think the neighborhoods realize they're going to get their rinks taken away. Hofflnan: Other than tile fact that it Was just not included in their brochure, and some people clued into that, some people have not. O'Shea: Yeah. It was out of the brochure that just went out. But I do think, I also want to weigh, and I might be alone on this but I would like some more numbers, which we don't have and that's why I'm sticking with what we passed last month, that I fear in business when you take something away and cause animosity, it's worst than the $30,000 we're going to spend to collect some hard data and then make a decision. So I worry more that sure, people are going to be mad and when we get the irate people calling and the collecting, sometimes when people go around the neighborhood, they'll get people to sign something and it will look like they would use it, but in fact they wouldn't so it can be misleading data then next year when we look at this, we could have this whole room filled, and yet they wouldn't have used it this year anyway. So then we're goiug to go back and re-open, which makes us look like we didn't do out' homework and make a proper decision. So that's why I'm sticking with, let's open them. Let's collect the demographics that we need. Let's get some data collected, either through a volunteer system and go with that, and truly we started this because of Iow usage and you're right. The one that should be closed is tile one we're thinking of keeping open and I don't think that's fair to the other neighbors because they don't know or didn't key into tile brochure that they weren't going to be open. 32 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Hoffman: Just some history on exactly what you said. When we closed Minnewashta the first time, people reacted. Filled these chambers at least with some sort of effort that said let's bring it back. We brought it back and you're right, that may occur. Happe: That's how the process works though. We can't just make a decision based on whether or not we're going to be popular. There's a whole study that shows that it is not a good return on your investment. O'Shea: Well it's not a decision on being popular as much as, again I want quantifiable data to make our decision. And then you make a rationale decision. I think in a business sense we would never make a decision right now without more data. And that's what I'm after. Is it going to really hurt the city if we spend this $30,000 and try another year with collection like we talked about last time, and then let's make a decision, then we're done. Then we don't. Happe: The collection, we have the collection. The collection is going to be measured no differently than the data that we already have. O'Shea: Yeah, other than if we go back to the idea that Jerry brought in of having people actually go at peak times, but do it, and I threw out doing it on a volunteer basis, because then I do think we might get some different data. And then Pheasant Hills might turn out to be the most used this year, or you know I think, then again I'm relying on this, and this might be incorrect of me. I don't feel strongly that this is the right usage. I don't think it, I don't. And that's why I'm wanting to try another year. Let's get some hard data. Demographics of those neighborhoods and then make a decision once and for all, and then I feel strongly as a commissioner when people come to me to say this is why I voted to close these rinks and I'd have some hard facts. Right now if someone came to me, well we left Pheasant Hills open because we had one representative, but yet they really, the least used rink, to me I don't feel, and it's not popular. I just don't feel like it's a sound business decision making process. So that's why I'm still sticking with let's open them, gather the information we need, and once and for all, because this has been an agenda item it sounds like every, for a few years now, and then let's just decide the next time it comes up next season. Hoffman: Well there's 7 commissioners. That's 7 weeks. O'Shea: Yeah, I mean just how long, will it take that long? It might not be as fun as the 4th of July bnt, I don't know. Happe: What's your thought process t9 all the neighborhoods that because they're not part of this old system of doing this have no opportunity to, I mean your concerned about the 7 existing neighborhoods. I'm concerned about the 15 neighborhoods that pay for this that don't have the same opportunity to get the service. O'Shea: Well that's where you know I think, once we get the numbers and maybe then we're looking at if we get the demographics and we see neighborhoods that have a potential, maybe we then look at well shoot, maybe these 7 aren't open but maybe we should be looking at these other neighborhoods that have the demographics of the age of children that use rinks. So that might come up. Franks: We don't even know what, I mean it could very well have nothing to do with age. It could be user trends. 33 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Hoffman: Which are down. Franks: Which are down, I mean we know that so I think that's why this has been confing up. Is that we've tried to make it a numbers game about usage and I think it just, tennis. It happened with racquetball. It happens with participant sports. That you know they're up and down and I think what we're really experiencing now is that those neighborhood rinks just are not seeing the use that we used them when we were kids. And we would all wish that it were that way but I just don't think that it is. And I don't want the commissioners to forget that we're not proposing taking out providing ice skating amenity in the city. In fact we're proposing keeping some very nice facilities open in centrally located and easily accessible locations. My preference certainly, as I stated in the last meeting, would be to follow staff's initial recommendation and close all of the listed pleasure rinks. Okay. At least for me to be honest, I can say that finding some way to get most of what I want by...seemed prudent but if it comes down to it, I would certainly be most in favor of following staff's earlier recommendation. Atkins: What if we would use Pheasant Hills and Minnewashta as more of a monitor those two very closely rather than try and monitor all 7? And use that data. Franks: Monitor, how? Atkins: Usage. I don't know. Franks: See I think. Atkins: On a voluntary basis perhaps. Franks: And then it's coordinating volunteers and finding volunteers and having people sign up and then actually are they going to get there on time, when they're supposed to. I mean it becomes very, very complicated. Well we've gone round and round on this so let's. Kelly: Is there a motion? Franks: Yes, is there a motion? It's time for a motion. There is not a ~notion on the table. Happe: I'd make the motion. I'd like to move that we support staffs initial recommendation for the supporting of the community park ice facilities complete with warming houses and lights as identified in their initial report to this commission. In addition I would, consistent with staff's recommendation, propose that those resources be devoted to those community park facilities and that the neighborhood ice sheets not be funded for the 2002-2003 calendar and fiscal year. Franks: Okay, it's been moved. Is there a second? Is there a second? Seeing that there is no second for the motion, the motion fails. Is there another commissioner willing to make a motion? Kelly: I would like to make a motion on the entire other side of the spectrum. I move that we keep the 7 neighborhood ice rinks open for 2002-2003, along with that sending out letters to all the neighborhood residents stating that these rinks may be closed in the 2003-2004 season pending low usage in the 2002-2003 season. To monitor the usage I would propose using the current system of that's being implemented right now with looking at the ice when they go to re- surfacing, and possibly augment that with some volunteer supervision. Volunteer stuff. O'Shea: Data collection. 34 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Kelly: Yeah, data collection to be determined but still focus the primary, the primary utilization analysis using current methods. Franks: It's been moved. Is there a second? Spizale: I'tl second it. Franks: It's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion on the motion? Kelly moved, Spizale seconded that the Park and Recreation Commission approve that the warming house locations be maintained at the Chanhassen Recreation Center, City Center Park, Roundhouse Park, and North Lotus Park for the 2002-2003 season. Also that the 7 neighborhood ice rinks which include Minnewashta Heights, Pheasant Hills, Carver Beach, Meadow Green, Rice Marsh, Sunset Park and Chanhassen Hills Park remain open for 2002-2003, along with sending letters to all the neighborhood residents stating that these rinks may be closed in the 2003-2004 season pending low usage in the 2002-2003 season, using the current system of record keeping for rink usage. All voted in favor, except Franks and Happe who opposed, and the motion carried With a vote of 4 to 2. Hoffman: We'll get cormnissioners out to these ice sheets on a weekend, I think that's going to be very educational and so we'll start Dale with our volunteers and I'll go out there and count people and we'll have that data to see to compare against the maintenance folks data and we'll come up with a manner to collect that, what would be reporting that which tends to quantify that data that can be a little bit more dissected. Weekends, you know Monday mornings versus the weekday times. Atkins: And this is jnst the 7, not the? Hoffman: Yes, the 7 neighborhood rinks. Franks: Well good work. RECREATION PROGRAMS: 2002 HALLOWEEN PARTY EVALUATION. Franks: Jerry, will you be taking over this one? Ruegemer: I will be. Franks: Because I don't see Corey here but. Can we move through the highlights and then just save some time for comments from the commission, thanks. Ruegemer: Certainly. Highlights. The musical entertainment was moved back per some recommendations and that's working. We did move them all back and they did have more room in front, and actually we fought them a little bit at the beginning of moving them back. They wanted to be closer but at the end of the night they thought you know what, hey. This really worked out so moving it back, so that was, I think that really worked out nice. Having candy distributors on one side of the hallway certainly worked out very good with that. Again our numbers were down a bit from previous years, but it seemed like the flow of the event really went 35 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 much nicer and smoother. It wasn't just kind of a mob of people. It really made a nice event where we could walk through the hallway. You could sit down and have something to eat. You could go to the games and have fun and go to the entertainment. So it really was a nice event really all the way around. Corey had some general, we had a lot of volunteers again from the KEY Club and Park and Rec commissioners and others commissions were represented from the city. So that really helped us out a great deal. We don't have a big issue or problem with volunteers. Everybody was there early. Everybody was dressed. It really was a great event from that aspect. And then a lot of the comments were kind of down here but it really is a fun event. People seem to have a good time. Staff enjoys it so, any questions? Franks: Questions or comments? Ruegemer: Just thanks again to all the commissioners that were there that evening to help out and came in costume and helped out with registrations and all that. It really helps us out so thank you. Franks: You're down about i00. Ruegemer: Yeah, we had 215 kids pre-registered and 112 walk-in for a total of 327, which is down. You know you figure one or two parents per so we're up in that 500 and 600 range for people, which is down 200 to 300 maybe fi'om previous years. Franks: It will be up next year. Hoffman: 4 bucks a person. Ruegemer: 4 bucks. Atkins: I have a comment, tt was the first time I attended that and even my kids never went to it. I think maybe they were too old or too young or whatever, but it was wonderfully run and very impressive, I thought. I enjoyed it. Franks: Pass that onto Corey. Ruegemer: Yes we will cellainly. He does a good job. Great job. 2002 TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY. Ruegemer: Tree lighting's confing up December 7th at 5:00 and since we don't have a tree here anymore, where the library is currently being constructed, for the second year in a row it will be down by the clock tower plaza, just on the east side of the medical, Chanhassen Medical building. Kind of down in that area. Kind of where the clock tower is. So that will be taking place at, I believe Mayor Jansen will be there to officially throw the switch if you will on the tree. Kicking off the holiday seasou and theu we're also, we'll have some refreshments and a bonfire and that sort of thing there, Santa Clause will also be there. So if everybody's in town, please attend. Happe: Jerry, Chapel Hill Academy thinks they're a co-sponsor of the event, and I asked the question last time and I was told it was with the Chanhassen Chamber and the City of Chan. For some reason Chapel Hill Academy has... 36 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Ruegemer: I know that they have a component of the event. I believe that we are the sponsor and the Chanhassen Chamber is a sponsor so if there was misleading information. Hoffman: What do they do, sing? Happe: Do they do the refreshments as well? Ruegemer: I know they sing. Typically the refreshments are from the Chamber of Commerce who get cookie snack from Pillsbury and that sort of thing. Happe: Okay. I'll see if I can chase it down because I can probably clear that up if they are a co-sponsored, I'd like to see them recognized, but if that's not the role, maybe it's just a communication. Ruegemer: I can direct that tomorrow morning as well. Happe: Okay. Franks: Thank you Jerry. Ruegemer: You're welcome. ADMINISTRATIVE: ROUNDHOUSE RESTORATION, ROUNDHOUSE PARK. Hoffman: Thank you Chair Franks, members of the commission. On October 28~ the City Council received a report from Deanna Bunkelman, which was much awaited over the summer. And upon receiving that report and hearing from Ms. Bunkelman, the City Council directed staff to repair the roof and paint the structure under a city contract, not a neighborhood initiative and those repairs be an amount not to exceed the $25,000 which is left on the ledger for the improvements at Roundhouse. And that is in an effort simply to get off the dime and get something done there and many complaints that the council members have been hearing is over the appearance of the structure. Thereafter then the building would be turned over to the neighborhood for additional improvement. Staff will be soliciting bids on this project over the winter in the hopes of we can have a contractor there first thing this spring to complete those i~nprovements, and the neighborhood can take it from there. Franks: What color are they going to paint it? Hoffman: What color would you like to paint it? Franks: Well I just don't, you know. Hoffman: That's our decision. Franks: Okay. In a way I'm only partly joking but is that going to come back to us? Or who's handling those types of decisions I guess? You are? Hoffman: So if you have direction, let me know. Atkins: Pink. 37 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Happe: Or green. Franks: Well my only thought for you to consider is there's something that approximates what that naturally stained, clear coated wood would appear. Some nice, warm earth tone color that fits in instead of you know, light blue or green or any of the other colors. Hoffman: Earth tone, nice shingles. Franks: Earth tone, nice shingles. Architectural shingles would be nice. Hoffman: The wild card here is the windows. It would be nice not to have boards in the exterior of the building, but I'm not sure that. Franks: But what I understood was that the neighborhood group was going to coordinate the installation of the windows with some of the work to the exterior of the building. Hoffman: Hopefully. Happe: Was there a timeline that was identified for the completion of the interior of the building? Hoffman: No. There was in the contract but this, the neighbor has not signed it. And under this an'angement I don't believe that the contract is valid any longer. One other comment I want to make is, that I thought about during the meeting is the City Council is currently working on the city's budget. Last night they had a budget meeting. Two weeks ago they had a budget meeting. Next Monday night is the Truth in Taxation hearing here in the City Council chambers, 7:00. They will then move to what is currently scheduled as their final budget meeting on December 9~h. Tile capital plan that you saw over the summer, you will not recognize tile capital plan that is currently before tile City Council. We have, staff has worked with tile administration and with tile council on taking in some of the changes that the commission talked about. Deleting the Bandimere park shelte,', and putting that money back into the replacement of these playgrounds that have been identified. The council has accepted and endorsed that idea and will approve at least probably 50% of what we need to do this year, with an intent or a: least a suggestion that the remaining 50% would occur next year. The other change, which is even more significant, is the city commons library has been ou a three way split budget up until recently, and now the primary funding source as at least identified by administration for that is fund 410 park dedication. So if it moves forward as the conncil is cmTently planned, that will be most likely a $500 to $600,000 expenditure out of fltnd 410, versus an original anticipated level of $200,000. So that's a big change in fund 410. Franks: Thank you for that good news. Alright. Happe: When will we then be able to see what kind of the, is it January that we'll be able to see what actually was approved on a line item basis? Hoffman: Yes. Happe: Okay. That's a big dollar amount for tile city commons library work. COMMISSION MEMBER COMMITTEE REPORTS. Franks: We actually have one. Commissioner Happe. 38 Park and Rec Commission - November 26, 2002 Happe: We do have one. And Todd, maybe you can jump in onto the back of this just for clarification of what we talked about earlier about the alternative revenues. We did have our first meeting of the alternative revenue committee meeting. We discussed many ideas. We threw out, basically had a good brainstorming session. It was attended by myself, Commissioner O'Shea and Commission Spizale. We talked about a lot of ideas. We threw a lot of ideas on the board. We then classified those ideas in terms of some high priority ideas. Tabled ideas and ideas that we killed altogether. The intent is to, for this committee to forward back to this commission the best of the alternative revenue ideas that we come up with in committee. The high priority ideas were each identified and designated to one of us individually to follow up on for our next committee meeting which will happen sometime in December. The major ideas that emerged out of this committee meeting that were assigned as high priority include that we're going to review further and include municipal golf course. A golf dome possibly combined with a golf course. Some type of a municipal arena concept that could be a multi-use facility. We talked about the potential to take a look at the development of the round house as potential program space. We talked about some ideas for activity fee generation from the heavy users of the athletic and recreational facilities that we have in Chan. We talked about as a high priority item, lake area dockage rental. Potential to utilize existing city land and maybe put some enhancements onto the lakes that could be revenue generating in terms of dock space, etc. We talked about a dog park, which has been brought up frequently, and a few other pet related ideas that we're going to chase, pardon the pun, in the interest of determining additional revenue, positive revenue generation we can create there. We'll have another report, we haven't scheduled yet that next meeting. We'll do that at the close of the meeting this evening, but we should have another report at the next 1 to 2 meetings of our progress and of the ideas that have emerged from this committee. Franks: Great, sounds good. Keep it up. We'll look forward to that report. Any other commission member presentations or committee reports? Hoffman: Focus group? Franks: Well Paula, do you want to handle that one? Atkins: I didn't bring the sheet. Franks: Okay. The community center focus group has concluded it's work. It did report back to the City Council yesterday, and do you have the top 5 amenities? Hoffman: Top 5 amenities are indoor pool, water park outside, fitness area, ice arena and performing arts. Franks: So the focus group accomplished it's stated purpose of providing the city with some feedback that the group of residents did believe some community center in some form was viable here and that the preferred amenities are the top 5 as listed. And that the focus group also saw that working in some form of partnership with some other as yet to be identified entities would probably be the most viable way to bring the community center to our city. Hoffman: Ron Laprade, he presented last night to the City Council. Was well received. The City Council made a variety of inquiries and they also heard from Cindy Skack who was on the committee. Brought forth some independent comments of her own. And discussed but did not make a commitment, or at least a firm commitment, to continuing the process through our fee request for proposals and so then... 39 Park and Rec Cormnission - November 26, 2002 ADMINISTRATIVE PACKET. Franks: That's good. Under the Administrative Packet. Is there anything to cormnent on there? Kelly: Thanks for the...paths. Franks: They are nice. Happe: Todd, you are a good person. Hoffman: Well you like to see that in print occasionally. Franks: Any other comments regarding the administrative packet? Happe: I guess the letter to Carver County Attorney Fahey, that situation's been positively resolved already so. Hoffman: Great. Franks: Okay seeing none, is there a motion to adjourn? Happe moved, Spizale seconded to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor and the motion carried. The Park and Recreatiou Commission meeting was adjourned. Submitted by Todd Hoffman Park and Rec Director Prepared by Nann Opheim 4O CHANHASSEN PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING DECEMBER 10, 2002 Chairman Franks called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Rod Franks, Amy O'Shea, Paula Atkins, Glenn Stolar, Tom Kelly, and Jack Spizale MEMBERS ABSENT: David Happe STAFF PRESENT: Todd Hoffman, Park and Rec Director; Jerry Ruegemer, Recreation Superintendent; Dale Gregory, Park Superintendent; Susan Marek, Rec Center Manager; and Kara Wickenhauser, Senior Center Coordinator. PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: None. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS: None. MINUTES: None. TOBACCO FREE POLICY FOR OUTDOOR SETTINGS. Ruegemer: Many of the cities and school districts around the state have taken a look at developing such a policy, tobacco free policies. We receive requests periodically throughout the course of the year on addressing these types of issues within our park system, and I guess internally we've been discussing this policy .or developing a policy for quite some time now. Now seems to be the time since we are in the health business so to speak, it's time that we kind of take a look at taking measures on I guess providing environments for our children and our park users. We did, I did include some other policies from other cities to kind of give some ~knowledge or some background information for the commissioners tonight to take a look at those and kind of formulate and maybe have an ala carte, kind of a system for us to take a look at in developing this type of policy. What I'm really primarily concerned on is athletic areas and our skate park mainly. Beaches, a lot of those types of areas where we're going to have kind of a mixed use of participation and my, I guess goal tonight is to discuss a lot of the issues that go into this. I did include a sample policy that I kind of put together and it kind of touches some key points. Certainly there's room for discussion on that policy and anything that the commission would like to discuss tonight or add or delete. Staff is certainly open to that tonight and that's why we provided the additional policies from other cities so you could get kind of a well rounded, education so to speak in looking at this policy. Staff feels it's important to adopt such a policy for our park system, and I think the time is now to take a look at that seriously and make some reco~nmendations so, does anybody have any questions on that at all? Franks: Thanks Jerry. Well let's open it up for questions then. And since there's just us today, let's we can maybe just shoot our questions out as they come and respect each other's chance to field some questions. JetTy to field some question so, any commissioners have questions? Jerry, are you ready? I promised Jerry we'd be nice to him tonight. They never listen to me anyway but I thought I would throw that out. Ruegemer: Thank you. Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 Atkins: Jerry, oh I'm sorry. Would it be public safety enforcing it? Ruegemer: Well it's, there's a couple ways that you can go about that issue. Some of the cities as you see, it really depends on how far we want to go with enforcement. Some have adopted or passed, kind of the bite of it is, if you get caught violating, it could be a misdemeanor or $25 fine. I guess my angle on it was more education at this point versus having a set fine. You know 1 really found that hard to enforce. Are we going to send out a CSO or are Todd and I going to be deputized to write out tickets. Hoffman: The 7 of us in this room would do more enforcement than the police department would do the entire year. Unfortunately this level of you kmow, dogs in the park, all those issues just do not, they don't rise to the level of our contract with Carver County so you need to recognize when they pnt these, if you put these into force, it's going to be up to us to do self enforcement. Kelly: I was curious too in this policy, did you intend on applying it to neighborhood parks, so if kids are playing a neighborhood park that you would prohibit smoking in that park or was it more towards if there was an organized activity going on in that park Iike a soccer game or a softball game? Ruegemer: You know kind of looking at the policies, it does address kind of my vision of this would be more in the active parks area. Lake Ann, Bandimere, Lake Susan. A lot of the areas where we have a lot of youth activities going on. Skate park. We certainly could, the playgrounds are certainly part of that. So whether we, maybe it's as simple as positing a sign of sorts itl neighborhood park areas, I'm not opposed to that. Kelly: I was just curious. I didn't know. Stolar: With regards to signs, given that question about how many do you thi'nk we're'going to have to put out there? Rnegemer: I figured rough numbers around 30. 30-35 I'm guessing. Hoffman: If yon included playgrounds it would go higher. It'd be another 20. If you inclnded every playground set of apparatus. Ruegemer: When figuring this number I really kind of kept more towards the active community locations. Kind of the information that, that was kind of basing the $15 price on was if you look in your packet, back at the sign for UFA. I did contact the UFA and those were approximately 14 and some change with shipping and freight and some of those prices with tax so, those were kind of tile signs that I kind of based my numbers on. Stolar: Is there a quantity discount question of ordering some, because we're going to have some torn down. Ruegemer: Con'ect. Yeah, and tile price certainly did go down with higher numbers. Stolar: Okay. Franks: I have a few. You mentioned that, Jerry that staff feels the time is now. What makes tile time uow to do this? Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 Ruegemer: Well number one, we have been receiving a few phone calls. It hasn't been ringing off the hook or anything. Franks: Like what is a few? Ruegemer: A few? Probably less than 5. Franks: In the past. Ruegemer: Oh couple years probably for that. I'm just thinking now is a, as kids are kind of put in situations where they're you know, left unattended so to speak, I think there's a lot of situations out there they can get at, basically what I'm trying to do is provide safe, positive environments and really kind of look at the whole positive role model angle on this. There's a lot of, if you look at youth sports, there's a lot of positive that can come out of that and this is just an extension of that if we can provide safe environments for the kids. Hoffman: The addition and operation of the skate park was another reason that this has come to the front of our agenda again. Franks: So, I mean we're saying that the parents who come to watch the kids at the skate park are smoking. Ruegemer: Well not necessarily at the skate park alone, but there certainly is that activity at a ball game on any given night at Lake Ann or Bandimere. Hofhnan: And the kids themselves are smoking. Franks: That's already against the law. ' Hofhnan: No. Not if you're 18or older. Franks: Well okay, right. But that's what I mean, adults. Hoffman: Young adults who smoke. Franks: Right. Hoffman: Primarily it would be young adults and then there are a number of under aged kids that smoke there as well. Atkins: What about at community gatherings like the 4th of July and February Festival, things like that? Ruegemer: We had discussed that a little bit on the staff level and you know, enforcement ce~lainly is an issue with those types of events. Hoffman: It's not going to be very popular. Ruegemer: Yeah. Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 Franks: What's not going to be very popular? Hoffman: No smoking at the 4~ of July under the beer tent. Ruegemer: I guess that wasn't, that was kind of more, going more towards the park angle on this. Atkins: Well if the signs are posted more near the parks and not where the activity is taking place on the 4"' of July, people will assume that's an open zone probably. Not that it's good. I'm sure it gets pretty smoky in there. In the tent but. Stolar: Well this recommendation, it is specific though it's when youth activities are going on. Franks: Is that the intent that this be specific to when a youth, an organized youth activity is in progress? Ruegemer: That was kind of my intention for that. Franks: With the exception of the skate park being in all the time? Ruegemer: Yeah, I think that was addressed in that, itl the policy. Certainly you'd want to address the skate park as well. Stolar: The way it's written, it might need some clarification for playground to tile skate park for example with a period. And then for the athletic fields and such, it's when youth activities. If that's your intention, that's some of the question. Franks: You also have the beaches involved. Are you suggesting that tile beaches be part of tile ban when there's an organized activity at the beach? Ruegemer: You kuow again this is kind of a policy that was put together for your review. We don't necessarily have to have beaches in there. Franks: Well what do you think? Rnegemer: Well enforcement may be an issue down at the beach. Franks: No, but do you think that that's a good, I'm interested in what you think. Do you think it's a good idea to have the ban extend to tile beach or? Ruegemer: Me personally, yes. I'm not a big person icl favor of smoking. I wish it would be banned all across the nation but, I won't let my personal biases to get in the way. Franks: Okay. Any other questions? Stolar: In summarizing this conversation, I don't know if now's the appropriate time but my thought would be that we would, at least I along the lines of Jerry, would think that at beaches, playgronnds, and at the skate park we would just want to ban smoking, and athletic fields, and I didn't see skate rinks in here at all. Like for the ontdoor ice skating, for those types of fields when youth activities are occurring. That would be something that I would be in favor of, but I don't know if I'd pose it as a friendly amendment. Franks: Well let's just move that right into tile com~nents phase and you jnst take right off. Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 Stolar: Well that, I mean that would be my preferred approach, and enforcement, you know this is not something that we're looking to be bringing the hammer down. It's a, it is policy if this is adopted by the City Council, but it's not something that we're going to expend a whole lot of effort to enforce, so I think going that way to make the beach cleaner is a good thing. To make the playground areas better so I'd like to propose that as a friendly amendment to this approach, and I guess we have to bring this to the table first. So I can't put a friendly amendment to my own motion. Franks: We don't have a motion. Let's just finish the comments. Go around and then maybe that will help us define it up. Stolar: Okay. Atkins: It seems to me that it would be just a reminder and the signs would be a reminder. Make people think before they light up and I think people would comply voluntarily pretty well. As long as, if they can't smoke right on the beach, they can walk away from the beach into the woods if they have to. I think you'll have a problem with young adults on the beach in the evening, because they hang out there. Hoffman: During the lifeguarded times, the lifeguards will conduct enforcement. Atkins: Right. I think it's a good idea. Ruegemer: And also tobacco free also means chewing tobacc° and a number of things as well. Franks: Right. Tom. Kelly: I think it's a great idea. The only question [ have is going to the next item agenda which is the fees for renting the parks. Would that mean; would you be in favor then of smoke-fi'ee picnic areas? Fm just trying to, if we're going, what Glenn had said in terms of, and you said maybe beaches, skate park and neighborhood parks. Stolar: I said playgrounds. Kelly: Playgrounds. Stolar: Yes. Kelly: Then you know Lake Ann and Lake Susan both qualify as a beach and a neighborhood, as a playground. I wonder would you want to apply the ban to the picnic areas so groups that signed up to have a picnic would know that there's no smoking at that facility and is that a direction that you'd want the policy to go or not. Ruegemer: I would not want that policy to go that direction. Stolar: And I think we would probably need to specifically exclude that. If we don't want it required. Kelly: Ah'ight. l just wanted to bring that up. I don't want to make it too general and then have something like that all of a sudden fall under the guideline. That's it. Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 O'Shea: My comment is I think it's a fabulous principle/value statement that the city should take. Because it's hard to monitor, the less gray area there is, the better. So when we start naming certain things and leaving certain areas out, it gets even more confusing I think to monitor, so if we could, would it be too vague to just go, you know whatever youth activity is going on or youth involvement, and that way like for example the 4th of July when it's dark and it's late, those are mainly 18 and older. So really at the 4°' of July it wouldn't affect the youth. But in the day when they're doing more youth activity with the games. Well then it ~hould apply that there shouldn't be smokers out in the field for example you know going inbetween the games. So could we just say, you know wherever there's youth activities involved, and then I do think too we should exclude the private rental groups in this as well. So that would be my comment. To make it as simple as we could instead of naming specific, you know and then in the, whatever you write up, you could give examples of lists that it be soccer games, skate park, but I'd say the simpler you can write it, the easier it would be to enforce when you have to. But it's excellent principle/value statement I think. Hoffman: Tile one difficulty I think is that tile written policy is not going to be something that the general public comes in contact with so how do you write that is really not as important as what tile sign says and where the sign goes. Unfortunately that's how we operate as a society. If there's not a sign in front of my face that tells me I can't do it, and if somebody walks up to me and says oh yeah, there's a paper up in the draw at City Hall that says you can't do it. Well I don't really care. Put a sign in front of my face and then I might listen to you. So signs have to go up arouud the perimeter of the beach, at tile playgrounds, which generally have an access point at the skate which have an access point, and then they'll go up on the back stops of all the fields and we might in fact have two signs. One sign if we go the way of Con~tmissioner Stolar that says no smoking at this facility which would be posted at beaches, playgrounds and skate parks and then the athletic fields it could say no smoking during these athletic events. Franks: Well I'm going to pull a Jay and, which this is not going to seem like me, the comment I'm goiug to make but I do not think this is a good idea. I don't think it's a necessary idea for one thing. I think we, I'm not personally a smoker either and it kind of bugs me a little bit too, but you know my kids are out at sporting events and we're down at the beach and although maybe I've been nuisanced very, very infi'equently, I haven't really seen it as too much of a problem and so when I'm applying kind of my own cost benefit analysis and although I would certainly talk to anyone about how it's not a healthy habit to engage in, you know I'm wondering is coaches who aren't going to coach and grandparents who aren't going to show up and parents who aren't going to take their kids to the beach or people who, I mean because of that. And people who smoke are paying taxes too and I know we have limitations on lots of behaviors that we have. We could limit behavior, that's perfectly fine, but considering that we've gotten 5 calls, and I expected it. That's what I expected. I just asked the question to confirm what I had expected. That you've gotten 5 calls in the last so many years is indicating that people are really more concerned maybe about other things than the smo'king that's going on in our parks. We are in the business of park and recreation and through that we promote health, but I don't know if as a government agency we want to get too involved in indicating what values people are supposed to bave while they're using their park and recreation. About as far as I could go in attempting to rationalize it and justify a position here was a safety issue in like a designated play structure area where the last thing I'd want while kids are running around is someone's big, long cigarette ash hanging out that they'll run into and get burned on or something like that so that might be something that I could see, but if that were really happening and a problem Jerry, I'd bet you'd be getting calls. And we're just not getting them. And I'd like to use the argument of is this something we want to spend SOlne money on? The money's not that much so that's not the big deal to me. But part of Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 me thinks the tick off factor to a lot of people is going to be greater than the benefit we're going to get from something we can't enforce and that maybe people aren't really identifying as a big issue. That's my feeling on it and so, although at some point in the future I would think maybe we'll have to deal with this, but I'd rather see a thing where we encourage the sports organizations who use our facilities to start enacting their own policies on that one, and for them to begin to monitor their members uses on our facilities instead of us dictating in a sense that kind of social behavior. So I'm sounding like a libertarian tonight I guess, but less government sometimes is more. Stolar: Can I ask a question? Beside from the complaints, are there a lot of cigarette butts, clean- up issues? Hoffman: Ask Dale. Gregory: Down at the beach there's a lot. There's a lot of them down there. The ballfields up on the softball fields and that, there's quite a few but the beach is really the worst that I see. Franks: But with that occurring, it's also when there's adults. Gregory: Pardon? Franks: For the softball area they do also when there's adult. All adult activity. Stolar: Right, which we wouldn't prohibit there. What about in the skate park? Were these 5 calls all related to the skate park or were they spread across? Ruegemer: Not necessarily the skate park. I mean it's just mo?e overall type of thing. We've got things at the, some of the special events, some of those type of things so, it's not necessarily specific to the skate park, no. Franks: The thing that also, I agree with it and I bristle that I agree with it, but it's the whole thing about the role model issue. Where I'm trying to separate my feelings from my cognitions. My emotions from my cognitions. And part of you know, one of my kid's best soccer coaches that commanded the most respect and had the most skill, you know turned around at half time and lit up. And so you think, you know that always kind of bugged me a little bit but yet when I talk about who was your favorite coach, this is the person that comes up. And as a child I remember also that of course the behavior, smoking was much different but I don't, I'm having a hard time with me personally thinking how it adversely affected me to see or that I had negative images of some of these people in my life as adult sports figures who smoked as having a real negative influence on me. It may exist but I don't know if the correlation is... Hoffman: That's why it hasn't bugged you today. Franks: It doesn't bug me today. Hoffman: That's why. Franks: But I'm one of the first people that's like, when we went on a cruise, I picked the no smoking ship so that's why, I know you're laughing and I was happy, happy, happy. Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 Hoffman: All school buildings and grounds are no smoking. All public city buildings are no smoking so this building, all city buildings that we have. The rec center. And the, there's all sorts of issues here. Why do we let drinking go on and not smoking in areas? Why would we prohibit smoking at youth events and not at an adult event? The beach is an issue I think for maintenance and the proximity of these people. That's where I see the most disturbance between people that are smoking and people who do not care to be in that environment. And then the skate park' s a real issue because we bare tons of kids in close proximity and I would just as soon be able to walk over there and tell any person not to stop in the skate park. Franks: See I think we can make a justification on the safety issue that smoking at the skate park poses a risk. A safety risk. Because if you have people in that enclosed area smoking and skaters going all over tile place, you know people are more compacted in, I think we can do that. If we want to say that smoking at the beach is creating a cost because of maintenance and a hassle, and a nnisance to people attempting to use the beach which is a defined, confined space, I think we conld justify that as well. I could even go so far as saying in the play structure, inside the play structure area, because again you have tile same kind of safety risk, that that seems consistent for me. But I run into the same problems. We're going to let adults smoke at adult activities and we're not going to let them, you know at their youth activities and it's because of the value issue like you bring up, but is that our business. Hoffman: That's for you to decide. Franks: Yes, and I would say that it is not. Kelly: How were these received at Roseville and Bloomington? Ruegemer: You know I didn't ask that specific question of the individual cities. So I couldn't comment on that. I inean most are relatively new, probably within the last couple years. Just kiud of the momentum of this issue certainly has gained in the last couple years. Hoffman: It was obviously a hot topic in Eden Prairie that most of you I'm sure followed. Stolar: Itl the Roseville discussion they say in youth activity areas when Children are present, and that's their wording. In our discussiou right, to me, you know Rod's question about the question of setting the example. You know I would actually go the opposite side of Rod. I'd just ban it from tile parks personally. That's how I would do it because I think it is a nuisance to the people who dou't smoke and they don't get a choice, right if someone lights up. And it's also a safety and clean-up issue, but I would understand with Rod's statement that maybe we focus initially on a policy that says these are key youth activity areas where children are present. There are safety an~t cost risks, or costs associated with those. Focus on those. See how it goes and potentially expand. Again we aren't talking a lot of money so we pay $15 a sign now, we pay $16 in two years if we expand it. It's not going to hurt us. But I do think those areas, my key focus is what Rod said. The playgrounds, the skate park and the beach. Those are the key areas I'm most concerned about. Now you have another question which is if we go to the city with recommending beyond that, or we only purchase signs for those areas, then we aren't spending the money but we do have a policy itl place that we can casually enforce. We can add signs later but we go with our policy. I don't know if that solves part of your dile~mna Rod about tbe expense. 8 Park and Rec Colmnission - December 10, 2002 Franks: No. I'm saying, I wish I could make that a dilemma but I can't because we're not talking about that much money. I mean $750 to go full bore with it is, that's not an issue. It'd be nice to have that as an argument but it's not. Hoffman: There's also a choice in the fact that if you make it policy or in Bloomington it's enacted as an ordinance by the City Council. So you can include that in your recommendation. At what level do you want this in your policy. Franks: Well I'd like to even see things like I, a tobacco use policy for outdoor settings, because tobacco free just strikes me as being so subjectively value laden that I don't know if that's our business. Because we're talking about restricting the use of tobacco for justifiable reasons. Protecting the safety of children, just like we expect playgrounds to be safe and you know in code. O'Shea: Can I ask you a question Rod on your, because I see where your reference point has not, you know values and principles but I see it as, it's an extension of our building. For example the parks, if you doomed it, you'd have the no smoking policy. So to me just because you remove a roof shouldn't eliminate what we feel the value or principle statement for the city. So that's why. Franks: But where I would go with that is, I'm agreeing to do it in closed, outdoor statements. Skate park, playground, a beach. Those are definable and you could say enclosed area. A beach is as big as it is, you know, and playground is defined and enclosed. The skate park is fenced in. Just like a building has four walls on it. O'Shea: Okay. Oh, so you're for all those areas. Franks: I'ln saying I could go along with that. I would prefer not to have this. My preference would be this is not, it's not neces-sary at all at this point. So Glenn, make a stab at a motion. Oh, the other thing that I'm thinking too is, I would like to see this, if we do agree to do a policy or to take this as far as ordinance, it says here in the staff's recommendation that after review staff should be dh'ected to make changes and forward to the City COuncil. I'd like us as a commission to forward, if we're going to go that far, what our policy would be and not just that we're forwarding the idea of creating this policy and here's the guidelines. It's that we actually, are you following me on that? Hoffman: Absolutely. We'll make, we'll adapt it up for your January meeting. Franks: Yeah, great. AIright Glenn. Stolar: I make a motion that the Parks and Recreation Commission direct staff to draft a tobacco policy outlining the prohibition of tobacco usage at the beaches, playground areas and skate park. And we only have one now but we' ve always talked about multiple. Franks: Alright. Anything else? Is there a second? Stolar: Yeah, no. That will be it. Franks: Okay, is there a second to the motion? O'Shea: I second. 9 Park and Rec Conmfission - December 10, 2002 Franks: Okay, it's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion on the motion? That sounds good. Stolar moved, O'Shea seconded that the Parks and Recreation Commission direct staff to draft a tobacco policy outlining the prohibition of tobacco usage at the beaches, playground areas and skate park. All voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously. Franks: So staff, we will look forward to our meeting in January. Hoffman: Aud no reference to athletic fields? Franks: At this point no. Stolar: At this point no. I reserve the right in Jannary to change my mind. Franks: Well I think where we're going to be headed Todd is that we'll enact a policy, hopefully the City Council will endorse enactment of this policy. And then at any point in the future we can amend the policy to fit the changing needs of the community or culture. Stolar: Yeah, I think that that's the...important that we can extend it if we need to, or decide to. ESTABLISH 2003 PICNIC RESERVATION FEES. Rnegen~el': Thank you Chair Franks. We did discuss this item at length at the November meeting. The commission did direct staff to obtain some additional information, and kind of close some gaps on some things aud research past picnic users, which was all done. Basically what I did is kind of take a look at the, I think Commissioner O'Shea had talked about the, that the rates weren't proportional in looking at. We did take a look at all those rates fi'om location and classification of that aud take a look at those and adjust those so they are proportionate with each other across the board. Hopefully that looks okay to the commission. I also had contacted and obtained information from, I just used three, kind of our neighboring areas that provide picnic facilities. The City of Eden Prairie, the City of Chaska, and Three Rivers Park District. Their fees are listed in the memo as well as included within your packet for your review, so I think that will be helpful for the commission to kind of base their decision tonight on the 2003 fees. I did talk to people, really my findings were that people that have paid kind of the, obviously the lower fees could absorb a little bit higher percentage of a rate increase if needed. If need be. And also then in talking to the kind of the higher end people, the non-Chanhassen business people in the 250-280 range people, things I think will be a little bit tougher for them to absorb. I think a little bit would be alright but one even said that Lake Ann's a good value because we don't have a parking fee of course so. Hoffinan: Which Three Rivers charges. Ruegelner: Right. That's correct. And so, in talking to the people who have been out here for a number of years, I think a small rate increase probably would be fine. I mean they certainly were concerned about having a major, major increase since we are again, as you can see, one of the kiud of the higher cities and higher agencies that do charge picnic rates. Granted we do have very nice amenities with, I think we can get, we certainly have a lot to offer at our picnic Iocations. So what I also did is, you know taking a look at, and talking to people, I think a 10 percent increase certain]y could be absorbed, be okay with any of these organizations in context that I did talk to. We did, I did take a look at creating kiud of a tier system and basically I defined the weekday 10 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 rates as Monday through Thursday, starting with weekend rates on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as consistent with Three Rivers and other areas as well. Taking a look at the tables listed below is the current kind of adjusted rates proportionally. The Monday through Thursday. That was based on our rates that we've had in the past, adjusted to the appropriate new numbers. And then the Friday and Saturday on the right hand side of the column was the reflection of the 10 percent increase per category within those sites mentioned. The Lake Susan shelter, Lake Ann pavilion, and the Lakeside and Parkview areas at Lake Ann Park. Now with that I will certainly field questions if the council has questions or comments. Franks: Any quick questions for Jerry? Jerry, good job. Ruegemer: Thank you. Franks: I don't have any questions but I think this now like to me makes sense. It looks good. You know when you actually see 10 percent from a dollar amount on some of this stuff, it doesn't look like a whole lot but the philosophy is there and it gives us something that is much more logical to work with in the future, and it sets the stage for how we're going to approach this now and I think that works really good. It was great that you actually, and I'm sure those weren't easy phone calls to make, but to call up some of the past users and kind of feel out where they're at and that's just great to also give us that kind of information and it tends to support where we were going last week, so that was really helpful for me. And I think that what we've got here is really good and I would certainly recommend supporting it. Open it up for any other comments. Amy? O'Shea: I think it's good. It does help to make sense of it, so I think it looks good. Franks: Commissioner Kelly? Kelly: I think it looks great. Atkins: I was wondering if you think that's a large enough increase. Or if it's going to have to be raised again nexf year. The year after? Ruegemer: Kind of what my philOsophy on raising fees has been, in the past, is that we look at, if we do recommend a rate increase, to hold that fee for a couple-three years and then re-address it at that point. I personally have not been in favor of 10 percenting it every year with that, so knowing that in mind I'd like to kind of establish that fee and maintain it, whether it's softball fees or basketball fees. Picnic fees. I like to kind of maintain that so people don't feel like they're getting nickel and dime. every time they sign up for something. But if you remember, I didn't recommend an increase in November so I think 10 percent is plenty, but that certainly is at the colmnission's discretion tonight to raise that fee.. Franks: Were you thinking going, when you look at those dollar amounts, it doesn't seem like a whole lot. Atkins: No. It looks affordable for me, and it very well could affect me and I would be perfectly happy with these rates. I just know that for instance with our theater we raise ticket prices every couple of years and we'd rather do it in, not do it. Franks: I'm sorry, rather. 11 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 Atkins: Raise it and leave it for a few years before we raise them again rather than do it every year because people notice that so, this looks great. Stolar: I apologize for not being in the discussion last meeting. This looks great. Just a couple thoughts. One would be, I noticed Three Rivers Park District they have a 20 percent differential between weekday and weekends. Something to consider in the future. And then Eden Prairie has half day rentals that are more than half the amount. That might also be a consideration for the fnture. Something, depending on demand side, that we might consider. I also like the idea of, this new request that we sent this as a 2003 rate, but I'm wondering if this group, again not being on the discussion last time I don't know if we talked about this, might recommend setting it for two years. So that it is, we've asked people to absorb an increase. We went out directed them and asked them can you absorb it. Part of this could be saying, you know you can count on us for a couple years obviously. City Council can always over rule us but we can recommend this for two years. Franks: Personally I don't know if I want to box myself in on that, considering that we're starting the tiered approach for our very first year. I'd really like to see how it goes and what the response is, and if that's something we want to look at for in the future, I'm sure that, or Jerry, if that's where you feel you need to go, that that would be part of the next reservation fees recommendation. Ruegemer: Sometime in the fl~ture would the commission like to see the breakdown of, you know fi'om this point going forward, the breakdown of you know how many resident reservations we' re getting on residents, that sort of thing. Franks: It might be helpfl~l. The other thing that I'd like to ask to do is if there's some way to track the volume of reqnests, and if we can determine whether we have high volume weekends. How many people We might be turning away, or who's request you can't fulfill that would be willing to iign up. If there's just some way when the calls come in that you could log those and have that be part of the year end report as well. I'd like some sense of what the actual demand is. We know what the supply is. Or as close as we can. I mean it will be antidotal... Rnegemer: We can do antidotal. Franks: Ah'ight. Any other comments or questions? Alright. How about a motion? Kelly: I'll make a motion to recommend to the City Council to accept the 2003 group picnic reservation fees proposed by staff. Franks: Okay, is there a second? Atkins: I second. Franks: It's been moved and seconded. Any discussion? Seeing none. Kelly moved, Atkins seconded that the Park and Recreation Coinmission recommend that the City Council adopt the 2003 group picnic reservation fee schedule as proposed. All voted in favor and the motion carried unanimously. Franks: Thank you Jerry. Nice work. 12 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY REPORT. Franks: Let's move ttu'ough these and hit the high points if you can. Ruegemer: Okay. Thanks again. The verbal went to written today so I passed out that information to you as well tonight. We had a pretty nice night on Saturday night for the tree lighting ceremony. We did, did you think it was cold? The fire was nice. I was warm but I was running around too much. But we had, I think around 200 people there which is really has gained in popularity and numbers wise since certainly I've done it. 12-13 years ago when I first started it but it was a nice event. We had Chapel Hill there singing carols and Santa arrived on the aerial fire truck which was fun, and it was a fun event having the Chamber down in the old Village Hall building certainly lends itself to a nice location for that event so they can promote the Chanhassen business and having kind of a focal point and having a fun event that evening so. Other than that, that was about it. I think our hope once the library is complete is to kind of relocate things back to, I kind of view this as our temporary home, and when City Center Park gets built and completed, that will have a permanent tree in that location. Franks: City Center Commons. Ruegemer: I'm sorry, City Center Commons. That will have a focal point for this and that will be kind of spread out between two locations so. Franks: Good. Any comments? No? Just one. I am just wondering if there's any way to start taking a look at these types of events as finding a way for them to be self-supporting. And that may mean some creativity and I don't know exactly what you would do but things, this cost us $230 to put this one, and is there a way, some way for these types of events to be self-supporting. Whether that's through some kind of concession or whether, I mean I don't know exactly what it would be, or some Santa raffle ahead of time or whatever. But I'd like you for next year, and generally speaking for some of these programs to see what you can come up with. Hoffman: You could call it self supporting tonight based off of our sponsorship program. Franks: Okay. Hoffman: We raised $10,000 in cash specifically for our special events programs. Franks: For this. Okay. Ruegemer: This and other events. Atkins: What was the money used for specifically at the ceremony? Franks: It's on the back of the. Atkins: Oh, I didn't see the back, sorry. Ruegemer: That's kind of a breakdown of how the money was, the expenditures for that program. 13 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 Franks: And some, I know that some of these programs there's like no way they can be self supporting. I mean just absolutely not but some of them maybe, and then we'd have more resources through the sponsorship program to apply to other things. I mean generally speaking. Hoffman: Brought to you by. Franks: Brought to you by. I was just going back to my Y experience and if you didn't break even on a program, you probably didn't run your program the next year. At least that was my experience. Atkins: Well I can't believe Santa charged 70. Franks: Bah, humbug. Atkins: He's a good Santa though. Stolar: Quickly, do you have these laid out for 2003, all the different events. What dates they're going to occur? Ruegemer: Yeah. Stolar: Could you next meeting. Ruegemer: I can run upstairs and get it for you now. Stolar: Well in January maybe just bring it as a report item showing the events for 2003. Not that I would have attended, because I had the flu Saturday but my wife had made plans for the same day before we got the date, or at least before I knew about it. So I mean get it on the calendar first this time. Atkins: I do have one more comment. I was there and I think that having Chapel Hill involved brought in I'd say more than half of the people. I did' not know anybody there except Todd and the firemen and you. And my father. And my family but otherwise I knew no one and that's really unusual for me to go to a community event and not know anybody. So I think that that's where all the people came from. And that's a good thing. That's a good thing, but and also, I wonld love to see it remain at that spot forever because that's the heart of old downtown and I think it's a great spot for it. It was fun. RECREATION CENTER REPORT. Franks: Let's move onto the recreation center. Susan. Marek: Well I've come to report on the perennial topic on the rec center so why don't we start off with the child care progran~ning. Those of you who have served on the commission for a lengthier time know that this one comes up quite often out at the rec center. Our program did begin this September and to date, that was the first week in December, we bad $250 in revenues and expenses of $900. We' re just not getting participation in that program with enough children. It's always a balancing act for us to come out in the black. I dou't expect that this will turn around. I think it will increase January-February. Start failing off in March and be very low again in April and May. Right now because of the cycle that we print the newsletters at, they get mailed out to all Chanhassen residents, we are committed to run this program through the end of March. Generally the school year is a good breaking point for this program because we do close 14 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 it down over the summer months anyway, so at this point I am going forward with the thought that we will cancel entirely the child care program in June of 2003, with no start-up scheduled at all. And I'm just looking for your thoughts on that topic. Franks: How are we committed through March? Marek: The newsletter that gets mailed out, it was mailed on November 6t~, has in it information regarding child care availability at the rec center. That newsletter covers activities in January, February and March. Franks: But how many people are going to be affected by that? Marek: My guess is probably 20 to 25 families. That would choose to use the facility and then not have it available. Franks: Okay. Stolar: Do you see any, did you say it's closed down in the summer. Do we have any unmet demand in the summer? If kids are out of school then, or is it for lower aged kids? Marek: Our child care runs for children 6 weeks to 6 years in age. Generally in the summer the demand goes down because people are doing other activities not interior to the rec center and secondly there are older school children at home to help spread out that burden with the younger one also. O'Shea: You know it concerns me because I'm thinking how can you grow the usage at the rec ceuter, in all areas. In classes and the fitness room and then actually the daycare, or not the daycare, the babysitting area, or'child ca~e. So I'm just thinking, it seems like it's such a, you know I'm puzzled why it hasn't you know, it's a tough one because I think if you, how can you grow if you can't offer that because that's a real good incentive for people to come and use the rec center. This is nothing new, but why aren't they? So I'm thinking if you promote, you know I'm for spendiug more money to promote the rec center use. But if you don't have babysitting, that really cuts down your target market that you're going to be going after. If you don't have, you know from September through May, because then you're going to really narrow it down to people that have grade school kids and up to come and use it if you get rid of it, right? Hoffman: Well currently we only have 20 or 25 families that are using it so that's a...market. O'Shea: But then I'm thinking, but you're not really want to be even in all the areas, right? Wouldn't you want to have more people in the fitness? Franks: Well it's about maxed out. We're at a maximum. Marek: The participation in the fitness room itself is a self, it's self limiting. That is, you know we can sell as many punch cards as we want but as the crowds get bigger in there, then it serves as it's own deterrent. If people can't get on their treadmill, they're not going to come back so it, you can't keep promoting and pushing that and selling punch cards and then having people be angry because they're not able to access the equipment that they want. Franks: Amy question is good. Is it possible to grow in the current physical set-up? The cardio vascular workout programming at the rec center. 15 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 Marek: Are you refen'ing to the fitness room? Franks: Yes, the fitness room. Marek: We are space limited. Franks: Space limited and you're pretty much maxed out. Marek: We're maxed. Right now the only program thoughts that we have with regard to any equipment changes in that room are replacements, not additions. Franks: And what about fox' aerobic classes? Marek: Right now our morning aerobic classes are doing pretty well. Our evening ctasses have decreased attendance. Franks: Okay, but it's during the daytime that you have child care anyway. Marek: Yes. Franks: And those classes are doing well. And the daycare's still not being used. Marek: That is correct. Franks: Okay. O'Shea: So going to the fitness room, what do you consider maxed at say 9:30 in the inorning? How many people would be in there? Marek: In the fitness room? O'Shea: Yeah, in the cardio vascular. Marek: Oh 10 to, somewhere between 10 aud 20 in that room. O'Shea: So you could have up to 20 people. Marek: It's tight. O'Shea: And you feel you're at 20 people? Marek: No, not all the time. No, but I think we could handle that. O'Shea: Okay but you're not, I'm just thinking when I come there to work out there's room for a lot of people to fit in there because, what I've seen in two years, to me, let me ask this. Three years ago, four, you had more usage, correct? Marek: Iu the child care room? 16 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 O'Shea: Well we'll start with the, well child care but I was thinking right now specifically the cardio vascular room. Or fitness room. Marek: Okay. I don't have numbers on the number of participants that are in there at any given time during the day. Generally we look at punch card sales as an indicator of how those facilities are being used. Now the last two years punch card sales have leveled off at about $75,000 to $80,000 a year. O'Shea: Okay, and is that a decrease from initial? Marek: It is not a decrease. It is flat. So we've been increasing, increasing since we opened, and leveled off the last two years at about $78,000 Todd? O'Shea: And that's not due to price increase per card or anything? Marek: One of those was a price increase that happened two years ago. But the trend would still be there even without the price increase. The number of cards sold. O'Shea: Okay, because I thought the last time, I misunderstood. I thought there was room for growth at the rec center, but now I'm hearing there isn't room for growth. Is that correct? For usage. Marek: I think that your statement is a little general. We have to talk about in what, what are you refen'ing to when you say growth. In what area? Do we have grOwth in terms of programming in our lneeting rooills? Yes. Do we have growth in some programming areas for new .sports in the gymnasium? Yes. Do we have growth in packing more people into the fitness room? You know only between the hours of 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. The dance and aerobics stUdio is-booked generally all day except between noon and 3:00. So it depends on where you're looking at in terms of groWth. In some areas there room. In som~ areas there's not. O'Shea: I guess I was relating more when babysitting, you know going back to babYsitting, so I don't know if you have to use the fitness room as well as where you hold the classes so I Was looking at those two. See how it Can be more self sufficient, that's paying for itself is what. And if you're saying that, then it gets back to, if those rooms are at max, then you'd be better off to turn the babysitting room into another cardio vascular area. The last time I heard that wasn't the case because. Hoffman: We want to keep it for a meeting room. O'Shea: Okay. But see I, okay. I thought your numbers were dropping somewhat witb the participation in those two rooms. Marek: In our aerobic class participation in the evenings particularly has declined. Use in the aerobics studio overall has been increasing. (There was a tape change at this point in the discussion.) O'Shea: ...because last time you said that the babysitting was much more used. It was used a lot more four years ago than it is today. Marek: Right. For two years we were able to make that break even. 17 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 O'Shea: So the people that are using the facility then must have changed. If you haven't lost numbers. Marek: That's quite possible. We have a lot of the same people that are still using the facility. Their children have just gotten older. O'Shea: But that chauges your target market. Marek: Okay. Stolar: Do we see the impact on the new construction that's going on in that area? Potentially bring this up. Hofflnau: Pulte. Stolar: Pulte aud I think that's tile big one, right? That we visited. Marek: I think that potential is always there. Keep in mind that our initial market for this program is a small slice of the whole population to begin with because we're looking at the stay at home parent who chooses to come to the mc center and do one of two things. Go to a class that specifically happens at 9:30 in the morning, or goes to the fitness room between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.. That's a pretty narrow window when you look at the general population. It really you know takes our market and makes it a very small market. Franks: Five years ago i said we'd be meeting one day to end the daycare program. For four years you have proved me teyribly wrong, and I got to tile point when I read this report I was truly · sorry because I wanted to keep eating that crow for as long as. [ could. Marek: I did too and Todd knows that I've worked and worked at this for a few years. Franks: I have to say, for tile benefit of the rest of tile commissioners up here that, I don't thin'k, well there's no one I know that could have kept this program running for as long as you did and to have tried to everything that could possibly tried fi'om promotion and advmlising within the means that we can work, to creative staffing and everything so I really want to applaud Susan your effort itl doing that. Aud to start with the negative, when you have a whole page here of positive things that are going on, that's also great but next time in inte~-personal communications it's usually best to start with the positives and then roll into the less than positives but I appreciate... Hoffman: Susan's braver than most. Franks: You know I know that the newsletter suggests that it is a service that's going to be available til March but I'm wondering if there just isn't some way to end it shortly after the first of the year. I kuow we want to be fair to the people who work as well, and to give those that are using tile service some reasonable notice that it's going to be ending but. Kelly: It's about $300 a month. Marek: Well certainly tile people in this room have the ability to pull tile plug on it whenever we decide to do that. My thought is that, I would at least like us to continue through to the end of 18 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 March, first of all to commit to the staff person in there and give them some planning time. And the second thing, which has a bigger impact on my management skills, would be managing the two aerobic instructors who's children use child care while they're working for the rec center and teaching classes. Franks: How much would you, how much are you projecting that this program's going to lose between now and March? Marek: I think we're probably looking at, well less than the 650 you see there. Probably another 500. 400 to 500. We will have more participation simply because more people partake in fitness activities January, February, March. Franks: Right. So we're going to have to eat about $1,000. Marek: We are. I'm prepared to do that. Hoffman: Rod may recall, the others probably not, that before Susan started operating this program, this thing would lose 4,000 or 5,000. Franks: Thousand in a year, right. Hoffman: So Susan has done, backing on Rod's comments, a wonderful job in keeping this thing right at the break even. Franks: It even looked like a few years we were going to turn money on this one so. Marek: Any concluding coimnents you'd like to share with me on this one? Hofflnan: Art exhibitors. Marek: Ah'ight. I'm going to go forward. Franks: Are you looking for us tO give you direction on what to do on this program right now? Marek: I don't think so. I'm just collecting information. At this point my feeling as manager of the rec center is I'm committed to have this open through March. That is my absolutely commitment at this point in managing this program. Franks: Okay. I think you might want to move on. Marek: How about if we do that. Franks: Since it is the holiday season. Marek: Exactly. A couple of back to back fabulous art exhibits out at the rec center. The first time we've been into the reahn of photography and we've had a wonderful reception to that, and the first photographer sold about 8 of his photographs and the second photographer, Lori Hernandez, her show is on through the month of January so something a little different and unusual. Sculpture is coming up on the schedule in March so that will be a different medium for us to show out there. Moving onto the dance program. 243 enrollees. We're pretty proud of that number at this point because we did have a big change in our dance staff so we're really 19 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 happy to hold that number. And really big into planning the spring recital entitled childhood dreams, and once again we did secure the Eden Prairie Performing Arts Center. The price on rental on that facility is about $2,400 to rent that for one night of rehearsal and one day of performances. So that's a huge expense for us but of course we do make that up in our ticket sales. Hoffman: Dance is tile second largest revenue generating program in the city, next to punch cards. $40,000 or $50,000 a year. Number two. Marek: And then going onto punch card sales. Just kind of a heads up here. December is our biggest month for punch card sales. We do run a sale for the entire month of December. People can buy that $40 punch card, get the 10 punch free along with it. Certainly people stock up during this time of the year, and we have a disproportionate of sales happening during this month because of it. Our customers really seem to think that that's a really big deal. It's a good, it gives our customers a good feeling to know that in the December we're going to have that price break. So even as we may consider price increases in tile fitture, this sale in December is a good thing and really brings in the revenues there right at the end of the year. Kelly: Can I ask a totally unrelated question? Marek: Of course. Kelly: Given that a room might be opening up with child care, has the rec center ever considered spinning as an option? Is it too expensive? Do you think it's on the way down in terms of popularity? Is there too much up fi'ont capital that has to be invested? Is it too difficult to find a qualified spinning instructor? Yes to all those? Marek: Of course. Definitely not decreasing in popularity. Still I think increasing and leveling off. It's always going to be a popular option out there because of the non-impact nature of it. Certainly there's capital expense required. It is about $750 per bicycle for spinning and we simply haven't had that kind of capital available for those expenditures. Also there is a space constraint because we may need 10 to 12 bikes to hold a class, but then we have to have somewhere to put them when the class isn't in session, so that's an issue. With regard to the room being available, child care only occupied it for 2 V2 to 3 hours in the morning and then that room was used, is used for meetings the rest of the day. Kelly: Okay. I was just curious because I know it's, I know it's popnlar. I know they had it at Bokoo Bikes. I don't know how popular it is at Bokoo Bikes but I know you could definitely charge a premium over and above 2 punches to go to a spinuing class. Marek: It's very popular at Bokoo Bikes, and I've been to those classes several times myself. And I' ve tried a number of times to have them set their bikes up out at the rec center for a month or two and run their classes out there but haven't been successful in firming up that arrangement as yet. Franks: And I agree with Commissioner Kelly on this, and maybe anything else that you want to come up with. That although there's nothing necessarily wrong with capital expenditures. If we present the plan that show that those expenditures are going to provide a return on our investment, you know we will certainly take a look at that and find some ways to deal with capital issues as best as we can. Sorry Todd to make budget busting types of statements to you but. 20 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 Hoffman: No, that's fine but then again we could make a recommendation and just fill the entire meeting room with capital equipment and make money. But is that our philosophy? Those four rooms are vitally important to this community as meeting space and so it's not just can we make money because we could make more money at the rec center. Franks: But like a, you know something like the bikes, and you're talking about a space to do them but I've seen it where they get moved in and they get moved out and they get moved in for the classes and then. Hoffman: No place to put them... Franks: But as an example of some more creative thinking about a way to maximize the multi- task on space. What I'm suggesting is don't let capital type of expenditures get in your way of being creative in finding a way to. Marek: Well I appreciate that optimistic outlook on capital expenditures. Franks: And I also want to point out too that the Dance for Fun. That's fantastic after losing kind of the lead person that ran and built that program, to maintain enrollment where it's at and the excitement in the program that you have, and it just shows again I think some more leader, programmatic leadership that we are appreciating. Marek: It's a nice program. It's really one of the premiere programs we have out there, and you will all receive invitations and tickets to the recital. Hoffman: Alright. Mamk: It's a pretty big show. Franks: Alright, thank you. Kara, are you ready? SENIOR CENTER REPORT. Wickenhauser: I'm ready. Good evening to everyone. Currently I'm basically working on new programming here for the year 2000. I'm continuing to work with the Chaska Park and Rec Department, the Eden Prairie Senior Center, and the City of Victoria to provide one day tours for our seniors here. I do have a meeting scheduled with Joyce...with the South Shore Senior Center to discuss possibly working with her more frequently since the two communities are so close here. As far as one day tour, they did outline the numbers of our last tours that we bought over the last 4 or 5 months. The only tour I don't here with a number is the holiday lighting tour that we had last night. That was put on by Southwest Metro Transit. We used their. Franks: Trolley? Wickenhauser: Yes, so everyone really loved it. We could take up to 25 and we had 20 seniors on it. They toured the city, the Chanhassen, Chaska and Eden Prairie and hit a little bit of Edina so theY just loved it, and for 2 bucks. What do you get for $2 for a 3 hour bus ride, so I think they extended the tour for an hour so, they were loving it. Our senior center continues to offer extended tours. This surmner we did a tour to Quebec and Montreal. We had 22 people for that event. We had 8 people who traveled to Ireland. Upcoming we have a tour to Hawaii in 21 Park and Rec Cornmission- December 10, 2002 February of 2003, and to Italy November, 2003 so it will be exciting to see how those turn out. If anyone wants to go, go ahead and register. They all sound great. We also held our annual holiday social this past Friday at the Recreation Center. We had 72 seniors in attendance. Entertainment was provided by the Minnetonka Go 4's, which is a barbershop quartet. Hors d'oeuvres were catered by Millie's Deli. Everything was excellent. The food and entertainment was probably one of our best. Some of the new programs at the senior center is in the process of organizing or have organized is our senior safety seminar program. We have a wood carving project that we're working on for the new library. Our ingtrumental group, and an open swimming program with the Americlnn in town here. Enclosed in your packets you'll find a copy of both the senior safety seminar and the wood carving projects. If any of you haven't had an opportunity to read these articles, they're great articles that outline each of these programs so please take a chance to read them. Our senior safety seminar...back in the end of October. We had 47 seniors fi'om the Chanhassen community that attended. Very well received. It was a joint effort between the City of Victoria and the City of Chanhassen. There was a lot of involvement with the Carver County law enforcement and both fire departments from Victoria and Chanhassen. Just a wonderful program. They want us all again to host it next year so we plan to host it with the City of Victoria again. The wood carving club, they have met with the library committee and have given them the go ahead to donate a wooden quilt. It's going to be a quilt of 16 blocks. They're going to do 12 x 12 blocks of butternut and they're going to, each of them are going to carve a historical site from Chanhassen's history and so there will be a brochure that will be developed to go along with this quilt that's going to basically describe each historical find, each block and then a little bit about tile carver themselves. Who carved the blocks so that will be kind of neat. So they're busy working on that right now. Our instrumental group is 8 months new. We have 3 saxophones, a trumpet, a keyboard and a clarinet player but they're still looking for a percussionist, a trombone and a, what else is the other one? Percussion, trombone, and what is the other one? I can't even remember. If you know of any of those two instruments, please let me know. And let's see, I do have a ineeting set for next month with Susan Jesperson from Americlnn to discuss the posgibilities of an open swim program for this upcoming winter, so we're hoping to, well I hope to have all the details set for this next connection. The winter connection. The times. How many times a week, the cost and that type of thing so. Other activities I did list {n here are visits from the Chapel Hill Academy...whicb they met this Monday. They came to sing and they did a game and had brought home made cookies for the seniors. There was 25 people who enjoyed that aud tile Cbanhassen Elementary first grade class is going to come over next Tuesday to sing for about 20 minutes. So we've got a lot of fnn things going on and always continue to be busy so, does anyone have questions for me? Franks: Any questions? Comments? Spizale: Looks like you're doing a great job. Franks: Do you want to just let them know you're here. Spizale: I'm here .... concert. First nighter. Always great. It was at the Chan Rec Center. Yep, the acoustics are fantastic. Franks: Looks really good. They don't need a tour director for that Hawaii Cruise do they? Just joking. Great. Well, seeing that there's nothing else, you're off the hook now so, and we see that Mt'. Gregory's taking the hot seat. 2?2 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 PARK AND TRAIL MAINTENANCE REPORT. Gregory: Good evening. Since I wrote my report and that we've had a little bit of a change in that. We started out with a great winter and that, it was one of the earlier years for flooding and that. We got started a week ago. We got 3 days in, evening flooding and that and since then it's kind of did a 180 on us and we're shut down. Looked at the weather report late this afternoon and I don't see anything until next week sometime that it's even going to be considering to start flooding again so. We are back at getting a late start. Franks: Pushing that frost down. Gregory: We got frost in. We got a great base and everything and that. I mean if we could have kept going like that we would have very easily had rinks open by this weekend. It wouldn't have been any problem at all, but the way it is 'right now and that...on the rinks to do anything anymore so we're pretty much on hold for that one. And once it gets cold again we'll be out there nights and continue the flooding, so we'll get at it. This year and that the guys, we went out, we did an extensive trimming job on all of our trails. We found a lot of them that needed some trimming and that so we decided to hit every trail in the park, in the city that runs through where we've got trees, anything. We went through everyone and did an extensive trimming. We trimmed them back to the fact that we shouldn't have to do it'for at least 3-4 years and that. I mean we took them back to where we won't have to worry about trucks and safety and everything else and that anymore so we can get through and plow them so we're in good shape for that. This fall we also, every fall we do an extensive fertilizing program'on all of our sports fields to try to keep them up in good shape for the next spring. We aerate them. Some of them we have to slit seed. This year we took a real hit at Lake Ann on Fields 4 and 5. That's where they have the football for the, I believe the youth is it Jerry? Out there. And we took the real hit. It was a wet time of the year. They played and so it, we've done a lot of extensive repairs out there and we're hdping that everything will come through okay in the spring. We haven't had them this bad before so we may get some comments come springtime if those two fields aren't in real good condition, but all we can do is see when it starts in the spring and if we can maybe work at it and keep the softball players off until right up to softball times on those two it would help greatly, so. we'll monitor them in the spring and see what they look like. We also. did, with the assistance of Jill Sinclair over at the city and that, we did an extensive tree planting and that."We had 5 city parks that we planted 125 trees in, and it's going to be a big asset in that they're really some nice trees. We got a good variety of trees and so we're trying to break up just the maple and ash and everything in the parks and we're trying to get a little bit of everything and that so. That was a big help fi'om her. And that pretty much took care of our fall. If anybody has any questions. Franks: I noticed the tri~mning right away on the trail around Lake Susan, and it looks the best I've ever seen it look. Gregory: They all look really good going through the woods and that now I mean, like I say we don't have the safety hazards anymore and they needed it. They really needed it pretty bad. Franks: And my kids were real disappointed. They were talking about getting out on the ice because it looked to them like the ice was going to be ready and I had to explain to them, it's going to be 45 degrees tomorrow. They weren't too happy. Gregory: Over the weekend, it was surprising. North Lotus and several of the parks, we had a lot of people skating on the weekend and that, but it. 23 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 Ruegemer: Was it light, medium or heavy? Franks: Wait, I didn't see anybody on the schedule for that weekend. Gregory: We haven't started that yet so. But like I say, we... Franks: I think that was Amy's weekend. Hoffman: They were skating tonight when I came... Franks: Any other comments? Any other questions for Dale? Well, keep it up. You've got increasingly more to work ou. Alright, thank you. That looks like that finishes all the reports. COMMISSION MEMBER COMMITTEE REPORTS. Franks: Are there any commission member committee reports? The only committee we have going right now is the revenue generating committee. Anything to report there? No? Okay. COMMISSION MEMBER PRESENTATIONS. None. ADMINISTRATIVE PACKET. Franks: Any comments on the administrative packet? No? Is this, Todd is this the first year. This isn't the first year that they've rented tennis, or is it? Did they approach tile city for that? Hoffman: Yes. Ruegemer: And they have interest in renting again itl 2003..I believe for spring for their, I think girls prograin. Franks: Is that going to be during tile day or are they also going to use evening or? Ruegemer: No, that was primarily that, right after school. 3:00 to 5:00 timeframe, which for the most part did not interfere with any other types of commmfity based recreation. Franks: That's excellent. I'm wondering if there's, well those types of, could be promoted somehow. I mean if, that might not be the only organization that maybe doesn't know that they can utilize those facilities, or we might be able to offer them to them for use. Hoffman: We discussed that in our revenue brainstorming session last Thursday, at the direction of the council and the city manager. I'll talk about that briefly when we go to the correspondence. And one of the items that Jerry and I talked about is coming up with a catalog of tile public facilities that we have available that could be rented. Franks: Excellent. Great. And I did count, just to make sure that everybody had 3 times listed on the volunteer rink attendant schedule. Ruegemer: I' m trying to keep it as even as possible. Franks: And my question is, now I thought when I was first reading it that we are supposed to drive around and take a look at all the rinks. 24 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 Ruegemer: That's correct. During thattime. Franks: Ob it is? Hoffman: Six of them. Franks: Okay. But you want us to, when it's during our day to look at. Ruegemer: To look at all six during those times. Franks: So like at, okay. All six during those times. Ruegemer: So 1:00 Rod, you can pick if you start at Minnewashta Heights and kind of chart your course. Franks: And do them all. Ruegemer: Right. I was going to include base maps for you guys as well if you don't know where... Franks: And then are you going to copy out a whole list of these for us too? Ruegemer: Right. Franks: Oh, will you put them in the mail so we've got enough? Ruegemer: Yep. That was just kind of just a copy of it'so you:could kind of take a look at it. Franks: And we're counting bodies, not skate marks. Ruegemer: That's CO~Tect. O'Shea: Not low, medium. Hoffman: People with skates or people with boots? Franks: I think we should count bodies. Spizale: I agree, yeah. Franks: We don't need to be restrictive about how people are using this ice. Count the bodies. It doesn't matter. So you'll send out enough forms so that will be 6 times the 3 that we're out so. Stolar: I only have one and I need to trade that so if anyone wants to trade 2 for 1, I'd be happy to. I'll take 2 on the weekends but I've got to work that Monday, December 30th so I won't be able to do it. Hoffinan: There you go. Stolar: I only have one day, Monday, December 30th but I work that day. 25 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 Franks: Well I'll take it. I'm off every Monday. Stolar: ...e-mail to address this but I'll send out an e-mail saying if someone wants to swap out. The only weekend I can't do it is the 18m and 19m. I'm out of town. Ruegemer: Would it be helpful for the comn-fission to have base maps? Would you like me to highlight the individual parks within the system and. Franks: That'd be great. Ruegemer: Do you want me to rank them in order from east to west, north to south? I can do that. Franks: You know we're just voluuteers. We wouldn't figure that typically out on our own. Thanks for including the community center focns group. Any other comments on the administrative packet? Hoffman: An additional item. Last Thursday for oh an hour or so, staff met with the' city manager to talk about revenue producing ideas to present to the City Council last night. The staff identified $40,000 in additional revenue generating ideas that we believe we can come up with... They liked SOlne of the ideas. They liked a majority of the ideas. They didn't like a couple, there were two that they did not like particularly were the idea of putting a $5 car charge at the Lake Ann fireworks so as you drive iu you would pay $5 a car to park at Lake Ann Park during the fireworks. Second one was a $10 per year membership or general fee for the senior center. So their costs associated with operating the senior center like the coffee, supplies and they didn't like that. The ones that they felt comfortable with I believe are punch card increase, which we feel will generate about $15,000 in additional revenue. A general across the board fee increase on all of our recreation programs, which when we priuted out the last was somewhere in the 3 to 400's programs, and that's about a $12,000 increase. And those are the biggee's. There were some other areas, smaller items included in there. We had a list and I'll include that in your January packet, a list of...approximately year is $360,000 currently so that's going to push it up to $400,000. That $400,000 in revenue coming from departments which probably account for about a half a million dollars in expenditures wheu you come right down to it. So there is increased discussion at the council level, increased discussion at the commission level about making these things pay for themselves, and so when we take a hard look at our recreation programming and recreation facilities, we're actually doing pretty well. If you take out park maintenance, if you want to start making money on park maintenance and taking care of the trails and parks, then we're going to have a much longer conversation...Lake Ann Park and charge for trail use and, but by and large we're doing fairly well with revenues so we're up from 360 to 400. Those are some pretty good dollars for the organization... The list goes from, the majority of that revenue is generated right at the rec center, so when you talk about priorities at the rec center, well is our priority making money or providing service? The rooms make $16,000 or $18,000 a year and so we give those rooms away all the time. You've heard me say it before, and that's vitally important to this community. Those concerts this eveuing, those rooms were all filled with free ensembles before they head off and go iuto the gymnasium and sing. And so if we pack them full, like has been talked about makiug one a dance studio. Making one an aerobics room, that takes it out of the general use areas of the public so. We also enlisted an additional $60,000 in cuts to our budget. Our general operating budget with the City Council last night, and in general that was in the area of temporary wages, maintenance materials, and maintenance equipment. So that was $100,000 in total that we offered to the City Council. They felt fairly comfortable with 26 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 that I think. The action by the council last night concerning the budget was to approve the budget as presented with the exception of cutting $300,000, which had been identified by staff, but the council did not specify where the $300,000 would be cut. They left that up to the decision of the incoming City Council. And then I referenced our changes in capital funding, and I'll include that in your January packet. There were extensive changes in the capital budget, and we're spending Fund 410, the park and trail dedication fund right now into the hundreds of thousands, not the millions, and so the library. $700,000 for the park. 5 V2 of that comes from park dedication. These playground replacements that we talked about with the playgrounds, that's going out. And trail connections. So there's some heavy pressure on the park fund right now. Franks: Is it possible on the library commons, I mean City Center Commons, or is it Library Commons? Hoffman: City Center. Franks: City Center Commons. You know the, my understanding is that they'll, from the meeting last night anyway, was that the building's going to come in under estimate, or what was budgeted. Hoffman: There's a percentage dedicated, about $175,000. Anywhere from 125 to 175 of that money dedicated. Franks: And if they don't build the coffee shop, is there any way. Stolar: Friends space. Franks: Friends space. The friends space. Is there ways for those funds to be translated into the City Center Commons project or are 'those'like dedicated to specific funds? Hoffman: No, there's always that opportunity. Franks: There is. Hofflnan: There is more change orders on future... We don't know where that will... Franks: But it is possible for some of these funds to be, they're not completely ~tedicated to building or to park? Hoffman: No. Franks: Okay. Stolar: But then we could potentially, at least make a proposal to City Council to. Hoffinan: That's ah'eady in the plan. There's dollars coming over from the library referendum to help fund this park, but they're limited right now to about 125 to 175. Franks: Okay. 27 Park and Rec Commission - December 10, 2002 Kelly: I just want to say the i01 North trail, even better from the 101 South trail. I like the way it kind of winds up by the park and then it has a kind of outlook area when you get past Choctaw. I thought it was really, really nice. Hoffman: Take a run? Kelly: A couple, yes. Spizale: ...this one spot's not connected, right? Hoffman: There was a property owner dispute that they did not want to go along with how the project was being proposed to them. The compensation so that propelnty was put under a quick take and the easement, the necessary easements have now been acquired but past the time of construction so it will be finished this spring. Kelly: And that's just at the very end, right? That's on the way to Pleasant View. The last half a block or whatever. Hoffman: Right. Franks: Alright. Seeing that there's no other comments regarding the administrative packet, is there a motion to adjourn? Kelly moved, Spizale seconded to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor and the motion carried. The Park and Recreation Coinmission meeting was adjourned. Submitted by Todd Hoffman Park and Rec Director Prepared by Nann Opheim 28 FJn~,llCe r'tlhlic Senio~ Cenler Site MEMORANDUM TO: Todd Hoffman, Park and Recreation Director FROM: Jerry auegemer, Recreation Superintendent ///ff ~ DATE: January 21, 2003 SUB J: 2003 Reach for Resources Adaptive Recreation Contract On an annual basis, the City of Chanhassen reviews the contract with Reach for Resources (formally West Hennepin Community Services) to provide adaptive recreation services. The city has been contracting with Reach for Resources since 1999 for these services. Staff has started to see increased inquires and participation in the programs offered. While enrollment numbers were not huge, we did have participation in programs sponsored by Reach. Inclusion services were also arranged for participants in pre-school basketball, pre-school t-ball, and most recently children participated in west teen explorer, floor hockey, girls club, and karate kids. This past summer, Reach staff trained our playground staff on how to address or accommodate a person with disabilities, provided guidelines for effectively working with families, techniques and tips to integrate all participants, and much more. Reach staff did an awesome job and we are going to incorporate this training every year. I have had conversations with parents who am thrilled that these special inclusion services are available for their children and that they are able to participate in activities with their siblings and friends. I predict our numbers will increase as people participate and with word of mouth and constant advertising. We are definitely picking up momentum and during the fall of 2002 we had the most participation of all the cities Reach serves. © I have seen first hand that we are making a difference in these children's lives. They feel so good about themselves that they are able to participate just like everyone else. P, ECOMMENDATION It is staff's recommendation that the Park and Recreation Commission recommend approval to the City Council of the 2003 contract with Reach for Resources to provide adaptive recreation services for children and adults with developmental disabilities. The contract amount is $3281.00 and this amount has been budgeted in the 2003 recreation budget. G:\park\jcrry\rcachcontractmemo2003 January 14, 2003 City of Chanhasser~ Attn: Jerry Ruegcmer 7700 Market Blvd. Chanhassen, MN 55317 Deal' JelTy, Happy New Year! I hope this New Year finds you healthy and ready for another great year. Enclosed you will find all updated service agreement and contracts for the 2003 year. Please review the malerials and sign both contracts. Keep one copy for your records and return thc other to me for my file. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at your earliest convenience. Thanl<s amdn For your support to people with disabilities. Sincerely, M arS' Perkins Executive Director ~IlC]OStlI'CS [Roor,-n 217 !-topi<ins, h4N ,55305 952,988.4177 Fox: 952.988.4020 ~duc~tion /~dvoc~cy ?OT?~gTly West Henne?in Communio~ Sea.vices Counseling Health WHEREAS, Contract Aereement The city of Chanhassen (hereinafter called the "city") is in agreement for Reach For Resources, Inc. (hereinafter called the "contractor") to provide adaptive recreation services for children and adults with developmental disabilities. \VHEREAS, Reach For Resources, h~c. and the four Western Conmmnities did contend that a part-time professional will coordinate programs for persons who have developmental disabilities. WI-IEREAS, The city desires that Reach For Resources, Inc. provide such a coordinator: 1. The contractor shall perform ail the services of this agreement, as described in the proposal. 2. Thc payment shall be $3,281.00 3. The method of payment shall be: S3,281.00 Annually Quarterly __Other Semi-Ammally Monthly 4. This agreement shall be in force and effect for a period of one- year commencing on January 1, 2003. Reach For Resources, lnc. ) By ~,, /( ,:.~ City of Chanhassen Title 001 Hio!-~vvoV 7 Iqcom 217 Hopkins, [MN 55305 952,988.4177 Fax' 952.988.4020 West Hentzepiu Community Setvices L:d c io Advoc c>, Co n lin H alth Therapeutic Recreation Service Agreement Reach For Resources, Inc. contracts with a consortium of Northwestern municipalities to provide for the on-going development of therapeutic/adal3tive recreation services for people with developmental disabilities and their families. The services shall include lhe provision ora Director of Therapeutic Recreation that will be responsible for: Planning and design of a series of community-based quarterly recreational program offerings for children, teens, and adults with disabilities. Implementation of all aspects of these programs including: activity development, scheduling, hMng, training and supervision of program leaders, and on-going monitoring and direction of programs. Follow-up and evaluation of programs with key stakeholders. Submission ofquarterly reports lo city personnel. Consttltation, training, information and referral to parents, professional or olhcr community/public organizations. Collaborations with city, school, or other grotlpS to proviclcjoint program oFl~rings. Pnrticipalion and input into community committees. Individual leisure .planning and development. lnctividtml cities may also l)urchasc: Community inclusion services into general park and recreation programs. Those services include individual assessment, adaptation recommendations, consultation with recreation generalists and provision of aides including their recmilment, lraining and supervision. Program offerings shall include programs such as: Adult social clubs £or various levels of disability. Adult athletic leagues. Teen activities. Childrel~'S social clubs. Special events. Holiday 1)attics/dances. .... ,, ,' , ~ot31,',ir-~ MN 55305 952,988.4177 F©x: 952,988 4020 ~'uO] t-liot-,,':3, 7 IRoorn 21-' "' ¢, . Recreational programs shall have overall Reach support which includes consultation as needed with other Reach professionals to assist in the development of individual behavioral plans or support for other programming decisions or issues as they arise. Service professionals currently available to assist the recreation director include: · A licensed psychologist. · A licensed social worker. · A special education teacher. · A community skills trainer and client advocate. 0 03 0 0 0 0 C'd r-.D CO ~ c E,E E E 0 j~ 0 O ~ o 0 llJ '7 t'" LO x O ILl Q 0 > 0 '--'7, City NARC/WARC Fall 2002 Adult Special Events West Dance Crystal Plymouth Average - 2 Dance NW Dance Total Brooklyn Center 1 3 5 9 Brooklyn Park 5 9 6 20 Chanhassen Chaska Crystal 7 7 4 18 Golden Valley 8 12 8 28 Maple Grove 1 4 2 7 New Hope 10 4 4 18 Plymouth 23 10 15 4.8 Robbinsdale _H_o_,;~ k i n s_ iMinnetor:ka St. ! ouis Park Other Total 7 4 1 6 10 I 36 18 I 17 104 85 L 62 I2 16 71 251 Other: Minneapolis - 9 St. Paul - 3 Eden Prairie - 16 Victoria - 5 Bloomingto~- I8 Maple Plain- I Blaine- 1 Wayzata - 10 Edina - 6 Hamel - 2 (273) Fail !nclnsions 2002 Allicyn Bj orken, Chaska resident Super Tots gymnastics - Chaska Community Center. 2 sessions Kinder Music I - Chaska Cormnunity Center Molly Con,roy, Chanhassen resident Dance class, Chanhassen Recreation Center Total inclusions=4 SaturCay, ,January 25 /..~,_i i~he Carver' and LovvFy Nature ReseFve Center Ti m e: Cost: Bring $5, as well as the cost to get Please meet inside the nature (directions on back) Activities include snowshoeing, downhill sledding, kicksledding, snowsnakes, quinzhee building, animal tracking, fire building and crafts! 12:00 .-. 3:00 p.m. this includes refreshments in. center Questions?? Please call TaFa at (952) 988~4176 Carver Park Reserve and Lowry Nature Center *Carver from the west: From Hwy 5, turn north on Carver County 11 and follow to pa~k entrances, '" Carver fronq the east: From Highway 7, go south on Hwy 41 and proceed approximately two miles to Hwy 5. From Hwy 5, turn north on Carver County I and follow to park entrances. o, atur--day.~ Feb~ I5 I I w~ti call you with the exact time Cost: $6.39 S~fari Island Community Center 650 Community Drive in Waconia I:) i r'-e cfi o n s on back Questions?? Please call-it:ira at (952) 988-4176 Safari Island Community Center 650 Community Drive in Waconia Co mmunity Dr. > MN ~ 5 Z From the East: Take Hwy 5 into Waconia. Take a right at Oak Avenue. Take a left on Community Drive, Safari Island will be right behind the high school. T~me. 3:3 Cost: $5 plus $3 for shoes Brunswick Eden Prairie Lanes 12200 Singletree Lane Take Hwy 5 to Prairie Center Drive. Take a right on Prairie Center Drive. Turn Left on Singletree Lane, it's on the left side past Bachmans. Questions?? Please call Tara at (952) 988-4176 CITYOF CHANHASSE 7700 Market Boulevard PO Box 147 Chanhassen, MN 55317' Administralion Phone: 952.227.1100 Fax: 952.227.11f0 Building Inspections Phone: 952.227.1180 Fax: 952.227.1190 Engineering Phone: 952.227.1160 Fax: 952227.1170 Finance Pi~one: 952.227.1140 Fa'.,:.: 952.227.1110 Park & Recreation Phone: 952.227.1120 Fax: 952 227.1110 Recreation Center 2.310 Coulter Boulevard Ph3ne: 952.227.1400 Fa',:.: 952.227 1,I04 Planning & Natural Resources Phone: 952.227.1130 Fax: 952.227.1110 Public Works I591 Park Road Phone: 952.227.1300 Fax: 952.227.1310 Senior [;enter Phone: 952.227.1125 Fax: 952.227.1110 Web Site v:,',',',,.cJ.chanhasse n.mn.us MEMORANDUM TO: Todd Hoffman, Park and Recreation Director FROM: Jerry Ruegemer, Recreation Superintendent DATE: January 13, 2003 SUB J: Tobacco Use Policy The Park and Recreation Commission discussed many aspects of the Tobacco Policy at their December 10 meeting. The commission directed staff to make changes and below is the outline of these changes. I. Changed the title of the policy from "Tobacco Free Policy" to "Tobacco Use Policy". 2. In Section 1 of the policy, all the verbiage that identified youth activities and athletic areas was omitted. 3. In Section 1 of the policy, the only facilities identified in the Tobacco Use Policy are playgrounds, beaches, aquatic areas and skate park. I have attached a cun'ent draft copy of the Tobacco Use Policy for your review. I will discuss the changes with the commission at their January 28 meeting. Ban'ing any changes, it is staff's recommendation the Commission recommends approval of the Tobacco Use Policy to the City Council. Stop by if you have any questions. g:\park\jerry\tobaccousepolicymemo The Cily ol ch, nhassen. ,~, gro',',rirlg commun0y with clean lakes, quality schools, a charming downtown, thriving businesses, winding trails, and beautiful parks. A greal place lo live, work, and play. Tobacco Use Policy For Outdoor Settings (Draft) CITYOF CHANHASSEN 7700 Markel Boulevard ?0 Box 147 Chanhassen, MN 55317 Administration Phone: 952.227.1100 Fax: 952.227.1110 Bnilding Inspections Phone: 952.227.1180 Fax: 952.227.1190 Engineering Phone: 952.227.1160 Fax: 952.227.1170 Finance Phone: 952.227.11`40 Fa',:: 952.227.1110 Park & Recreation Pi~ne: 952 227.1120 Fa~'.: 952.227.1110 R,:crea',ion Center 23!0 Couiier Boulevard ?bone: 952.227.1400 F~,~'.: 952.227.1,404 Planning & Natural Resources Phone: 952.227.1t30 F~x: .952.227.1110 Pnblic Works 1591 Pare ~,oau Phone: 952.227.1300 Fa~,:: 952.227.1310 Senior Cenler Phone: 952.227.1125 Fax: 952227.1110 Web Sile ~,, ,', ~,,, ci chanhassen.mn.us WHEREAS, the City of Chanhassen believes that tobacco use in the proximity of children and adults engaging in or watching outdoor recreational activities at City-owned or operated facilities is det~dmental to their health and can be offensive to those using such facilities; and WHEREAS, the City of Chanhassen has a unique opportunity to create and sustain an environment that supports a non-tobacco norm through a tobacco- flee policy, rule enforcement, and adult-peer role modeling on City owned outdoor recreational facilities; and WHEREAS, cigarettes, once consumed in public spaces, are often discarded on the ground requiring additional maintenance expenses, diminish the beauty of the City's recreational facilities, and pose a risk to toddlers due to ingestion; and WHEREAS, the City of Chanhassen determines that the prohibition of tobacco use at the City's recreational facilities serves to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the Chanhassen. Section l: Tobacco use prohibited in outdoor facilities No person shall use tobacco products at or on any city owned or operated facility. These facilities include: playgrounds, beaches, aquatic areas and the skate park. Section 2: l. 2. 3. 4. Enforcement Appropriate signs shall be posted in the above-specified areas. The community, especially facility users, will be notified about the policy. Staff will make periodic observations of the recreational facilities to monitor for compliance. Any persons found violating this policy may be subject to immediate ejection from the recreation facility for the remainder of the event if they choose not to comply. Section 3: Effective Date This policy statement i's effective immediately upon the date of adoption. Mayor Of Chanhassen Date G:\park\jerry\tobaccofi'eepolicy The City of Chanhassen, A gro',','ing communilt' with clean iai:es, qua!i y schools, a charming dov,,ntown, thriving businesses, winding Irails, and beautiful parks. A great place to live, work, and play. CITYOF CHANHASSEN 7700 Market Boulevard PO Box 147 Chanhassen, MN 55317 Adminislration Phone: 952.227.110D Fax: 952.227.1110 Building Inspections Phone: 952.227.1180 Fax: 952.227.1190 Engineering Phone: 952.227.1160 Fax: 952.227.1170 Finance Phone: 952.227.1140 Fax: 952227.1110 Park & RecTealion Pho~e: 952.227.1120 Fa*:: 952 227.1110 R<r~ai[on Cen!eT 2310 D~lter Bculevard Phon~: 952.227.1400 Fz×: 952227.i40,: Planning & Ralural Resources Pn.'~ne: 952.227.1130 Fzx: 952.227.1110 Public 1,gorks 1591 Park Road Phone: 952.227.1300 Fa×: 952.227.1310 Senior Cenler Phone: 952.227.1125 Fa~:: 952.227.1110 Web Site MEMORANq) UM TO: Todd Hoffman, Park and Recreation Dir FROM: Jerry Ruegemer, Recreation Superintendent DATE: December 3, 2002 SUB J: Tobacco Free Policy for Outdoor Settings Many cities and school districts in the State of Minnesota have developed tobacco free policies for their outdoor facilities. Statistics show that many. middle school and high school students use tobacco. Since park and recreation is a field that promotes health and wellness, it is time that we take steps to develop a tobacco free policy. In reviewing policies from other cities, I find that many focus on educating the public about the policy through letters to youth organizations and facility users and signage. Staff believes that this policy should focus on public facilities where youth activities are taking place. Parents, spectators, and facility users would voluntarily refrain from tobacco use during softball, baseball, soccer games, skate park activities, and other youth activities. Some cities have established a requirement that no tobacco use is pmTnitted within 500 feet of a youth activity. Such a policy would present enforcement challenges at locations such as Lake Ann Park where youth and adult activities are scheduled at the same time. Beach areas would also be difficult to enforce. Signs could be posted notifying facility users of the tobacco free policy in all locations. The cost of the sides is approximately $15 per sign. By adopting this policy, our youth will view parents, spectators, coaches, and officials as role models. It is our hope that by refi'aining from tobacco use during youth activities, these role models will have a positive effect on the lifestyle choices young people make. RECOh~{ENrDATION Staff recommends that the Park and Recreation Commission review the draft Tobacco Free Policy and the sample policies fi'om other cities. After review, staff should be directed to make any changes and forward it to the City Council for consideration. G:~'xtrkXjem..',Tobacco Free I','~]~c.'.' M~:nx~ Tobacco Free Policy For Outdoor Settings (Draft) WHEREAS, the City of Chanhassen believes that tobacco use in the proximity of children and adults engaging in or watching outdoor recreational activities at City-owned or operated facilities is detrimental to their health and can be offensive to those using such facilities; and WHEREAS, the City of Chanhassen has a unique opportunity to create and sustain an environment that supports a non-tobacco norm through a tobacco- free policy, rule enforcement, and adult-peer role modeling on City owned outdoor recreational facilities; and WHEREAS, cigarettes, once consumed in public spaces, are often discarded on tile ground requiring additional maintenance expenses, diminish the beauty of the City's recreational facilities, and pose a risk to toddlers due to ingestion; and WHEREAS, tile City of Chanhassen determines that tile prohibition of tobacco use at the City's recreational facilities serves to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the Chanhassen. Section 1: Tobacco use prohibited in outdoor faciIities No person shall use tobacco products at or on any city owned or operated outdoor recreational facilities, including their spectator areas, restroom and concession areas during youth activities. These facilities include: playgrounds, beaches, aquatic areas, parks and athletic fields, and the skate park when youth activities are being played, Section 2: 1. 9 Enforcement Appropriate signs shall be posted in the above-specified areas. The community, especially facility users, will be notified about the policy. Staff will make periodic observations of tile recreational facilities to monitor for compliance. Any persons found violating this policy may be subject to immediate ejection from the recreation facility for the remainder of the event if they choose not to comply. Section 3: Effective Date This policy statement is effective immediately upon tile date of adoption. Mayor Of Chanhassen Date G :\park\j erry\tobaccofreepolicy OCT 2002 3:3SPM HP LRSERJET 3200 Roseville Parks and Recreation Department 1910 West County Road B - Roseviile, Minnesota 55113 651/415-2'100 OPERATING POLICY # 38 DATE: December 2001 POLICY TITLE: PARK REGULATION- Prohibition of the Use of Tobacco PrOducts in Youth Activity Areas PURPOSE: In order to protect the health and welfare of our children, Roseville Parks and Recreation prohibits the I,-~ nf all tnh~r:cn pmrh,cf.~ in.youth activity areas. DESCRIPTION: · The process for obtaining compliance with this regulation is as follows: 1) All youth activity areas will be signed with the requirement (see below.) 2) All youth activity organizations affiliated with Roseville Parks and Recreation will be given flyers to pass out to their leaders, coaches and parents. 3) Parks and Recreation staff will make periodic'observations of youth activity sites to monitor for compliance. 4) Although the emphasis is on Voluntary compliance, failure 'to comply with park regulations is a misdemeanor and carries a $25 fine. SEVILLE Pcrks& RecrE~li~n Oe~x:~rlmenl For Information on This Regulation Call Roseville Parks and Recreation:651-415-2100 in order to protect the health and welfare of our children, Roseville Parks and Recreation requests that there be no 'use of tobacco products in this youth activity area when children are present. This includes all playing spaces, spectator viewing areas and parent/supervisor resting areas. Thank You for Your Cooperation ROCHESTER PARKAND RECREATION DEPARTMENT :' '"J"":' '-' ';'?" REQUEST FOR ACTION BY. BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS SUBJECT: SMOKING BAN iTEM DEscRIPTION; ON PLAYGROUNDS AND YOUTH ATHLETIC FIELDS DATE: NOVEMBER 7, 2000 PREPARED BY: ROY SUTHERLAND A group of concerned citizens has asked the Park Board to consider a ban on smoking at all Rochester playgrounds and youth athletic fields. If a rule is adopted, it would be by Board action and not a City ordinance. The police and park em.. ployees would have the right to ask people not to smoke, the two major concerns related to smoking at these facilities are secondhand smoke and the message we are sending to our kids. At the present time, smoking is prohibited in all public buildings, It is also banned on all school property. Extending the ban to these areas that are used by children and families would send a positive message. ACT]ON REQUESTED OF THE BOARD: ENACT A 'PARK RULE THAT PROHIBITS SMOKING WITHIN 100 FEET OF A PLAYGROUND OR YOUTH ATHLETIC FIELD. , DCT-24-2002..&4=09 .ROCHESTER PARK AN]) AEC NO Smokin~ within .. 0/"~ ~o u th Athletic Field ~y order o£ Board o? ?ark $ommissioners 281 6165 P. 02/03 AC Io. ITEMS SMOKING BAN Al' P~AYGROUND$ AND YOUI'H ATHLETIC FIELDS ROCHESTER PARK AND REC MAYO CIVIC cENTER SOUND SYSTEM BID~ MAYO CZVIC CENTER ~HEATR~-' ROOF BIDS 587 281 6165 · ROCHESTER PARK AND RECREAT:ic~N' DEPARTMENT · BOARD OF PARK COMMISSIONERS ',.. MINUTES FROM MEETING ON NOVEMBER 7t'200~" PAGE 2 does '.w.'i't~ the .A. daptive Recreation progLam.. ..... Dr, Thomas Kot'~ke - a member of Cardiovision 2020 - spoke to the Board abo'ut the request, Mr, Toomey had some reservations about the request, particularly in the area of enforcement, One exa.mple he spoke of was at HcQuillan Field, where the adult ~oftball program is located and there is also a playground in close proximity to the athletic fields, He was concerned that the adults would not abide by the rule around the playground. Hr, Withers said that with the policy, he felt that the citizens would be the ones to police the areas. Hr. Lyons asked if the city.would provide additional receptacles for people to dispose of their smoking materials. Hr. Engethart asked if signage would be put up letting the public know of the policy. Mrs. Amundsen wanted to know if this would ever become a City Ordinance. Hr. Withers indicated that it could in the. future, Mr, Crowley asked if the police department has been notified about the policy, Mr. Lyons said that the staff should get the Rochester Soft:bail Association involved so that they can inform the people.who play ball at McQuillan. With no further questions, a motion was made by Mr. Lyons, seconded by Mr. Perkins, to approve the request to ban smoking within 100 feet of playgrounds and youth athletic fields. Motion passed. Donna Drews told the board that only on~ bid was received, which came in above the estimated figure. She indicated that there are some very strong concerns about getting the expansion completed if we reject the bid and rebid, thus setting the expansion project back. There is money in the contingency fund to cover the overage. A motion was made by Hr. Toomey, seconded by Mr. Crowley, to approve the bid from Impulse Group in the amount of $269,441 plus Alternate 1 in the amount of $14,409 for a total of $283,850. Motion passed. A motion was-made by Mr. Lyons, seconded by Mrs:"- Amundsen, to approve the bid from Winona Heating and Ventilation in the amount o[$121,792, ..H_pti_o.n passed. ....;:.~: '7' P, 03/03 ~.S O~ O:~:OSp OtdRTOblr, IR PRRK RECRERTIOM 444-4R09 Draft OWATONNA PARK AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT POLICY STATEM]E~ SUBJECT: Use of tobacco Products at Owatonna Park and Recreation Department and Owatonna Youth Athletic Association Youth events using Owatonna Park and Recreation Department outdoor facilities. Back~round: The Owatonna Park and Recreation Department believes that tobacco use in the proximity of children and adults engaging or watching youth sports at City of Owatonna owned or operated fac. i.lities is detrimental to their health aud can be offensive to those using such facilities. Furthermore the Owatonna Park and Recreation Department believes parents, leaders, coaches, and officials are role models for youth and can have a positive effect on the lifestyle choices they make. Also cigarettes once consumed in public spaces are often discarded on the ground thus posing a risk to toddlers due to ingestion. Section 1: Tobacco use prohibited at outdoor youth recreation facilities owned by the City of Owatonna to include Warsinski Outdoor skating facility, soccer fields, football fields, baseball/softball fields, Lake Kohlmier beach, and playgrounds. Tobacco products shall also be prohibited at the spectator areas, restrooms, and concession areas ofthcse facilities. Appropriate signage will be posted in ali these areas by the Owatonna Park and Recreation Department. Section 2: Effective Date This policy statement is effective immediately upon the date of adoption. Effccfive Date Oct 25; 02 03:06p ~e~ by: EARL F. ANDERSEN O~RTOHHR PRRK RECRERTIOH ~44-42S9 952 884 5619; 04/11/02 10:52; ]~[~_a,~_#195;Page 2/2 P~ e~ qty. 12 -E.FA' .. proof: .Tobacco Free DOuDle ~ ,: 'bi'ack/red on White -. rod Circle a'nd slash .. '" ..,..~ Dlack cigarette and toxt " '.- .. qty27 (total) .12.00 in TOBACCO · FREE: Z0NElj USE" OF m~ACC0 · PRODUCTS ARE. ~ PROHii~.D'~' T~" FAC'I~Y' DuRiNG" .. 0CT-24-2002 13:53 BLM COMMUNITY SERU 9525~3@?15 P.02704 ORDI~A.NC'~ NO. 2001- _!9_.__ AN ORDINANCE A/VIENDING CHAPTER 5 OF ~ CITY CODE AN IT .RELATES TO TOBACCO USE IN ~ PARKS AND RECREATION AREAS The City Council of the City of BIoo,~S~gt~n hereby ordainz: Section 1. That Chapter 5 of thc City Code [~ hereby ~m. endcd to read as follows: CHAPTEK $ PUBLIC FACILITIES AND PROPERTY ARTICLE ]~. PAR~S AND PLAYGROUNDS SEC. 5.2_0. [ PA.gXS.DEF!NED] DEFINITIONS, The following words_ or terms when used in this Article, shall have the following meanings, unless the conten~t olearly indlcate~ otherwise: Parks - A park, conservation area, playground, beach, recreation center or other area in the City owner, leased or used, wholly or in part by the City for such purposes or wh/ch is designated by the City Council as a patti Tob_aceo pro.duct- Ci~ar~_. es, cigars, cherpo .tS_, s°ro~ies, periaue, granulated, vlu¢ cut, crivo._ pt cut. ready, rugged_~d other smo~ng tobacco: snuff,.smrff flow-re'; cavendislz nlug and twiat, t0ba.coo: fine cut and 6'ther chewing.tobaooos; ~ho_rts,_r_eftme scripts, clkming.s, cuttings, and..sweet~in~s'oftobacco: and' other kinds and forms oftobacc, o, p .repared in such a m~nn_er as to b_e suit.able for c..hewin~, sni_.ffin~, pr .s .m. okin¢ in a pipe: ,rollin~ paper or oth_e.r tqbacco-related devices. Tobacco. u_se - Smo. king, chewing, sn.uffing _or. qth¢ _rygi.'se inb~!;ng o_r inzestlmz a.nv tobacco product.. SEC. 5.21. REGLrLATIONS:. The following reg~l~tiorm shall apply to ali City parks: (7) Beaches and. r>ublic waters - 0CT-24-2002 13:53 BLM COMMUNITY SERU 9525638715 P.03×04 (E) No uerson s_h,aIl use tobacco uroduets at any o£~e .C~ty~s designated beach areas, or other desimaated pool and ulav ~e. as at Ciw-owned swimm~g uools an.d _aouatie. facilities... The~. e....mT_e .as_ shall be pegted by app. ro~priate slims ~ markers ~. directed by the P~rk Dixector, (16) Ad/petsoaz ~ obey all reasonable orders or directions of the ?ark Director or the Park_Director's des_~gne_e. [2 I) No pe~on shaH_u_s.e._tobacco pxoducts.on _Ci~-owned_athlc-tic vla'~ fields, including their ~p_e_ctator area~, while th_e..fieI, d.s are behng used for or~arfized youth ehl.~c..eve, n_t.s. These areas sha~] _b..e. t~osted bv appro, pH.'.~te ~i~,ns .~. ~_rn_.ar. kers as ctireeted _by the..Park D~recto% SEC. 5,22, PENALTY. Amy person v~olating [delete: any provision oftk[s Article] subsections (9) or (14) shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, ali.0ther v~olations of this_ .Alfi, 'ele..shall.be punishabI.e, as a ~)et'ty m~sdemeanor, SEC:_ 5.22.0][. SEVERAJ~/L]~TY. I.f tony se. ction,.s.ubsecfion, sentenc_e, qlause._or_p, krase of thls Azdcle is for mnv reason held to be ~nvalid, su..ch decis~'on shall not affect the vaI~d¢ .ty oft.he remaining p_o_rdon pfthe Article. The City Council hereby declaz'es .that.it would have adooted this Article and each section, subs_ect[6(t,l.sentence, clause or ~ ._hzas.e ther.eof, i~_esp_ecl:iye o.f .the fact that may one or mqre.¢.ection~, su.~s_e, pfiqns, se.ntences, clauses, or 1~_.1~...es be. ..declared invalid. ' 1 ~~'~~ Passed and adopted this lgth day oflune, 200 - Mayor APPROVED: City Attorney BCT-24-2002 13:54 BLM COMMUNITY SERU 95256-38715 CITY OF BLOOMINGTON Tobacco Use Prohibited on Athletic Fields and in Spectator Areas During.- Organized Youth Athletic Events CITY ORD. NO. 5.21 P. 04/04 CITYOF CHANHASSEN 7700 Markel Boulevard PO Box 147 Chanhassen, MN 55317 Administration Phone: 952.227.1100 Fax: 952.227.1110 Building Inspeclions Phone: 952.227.1180 Fax: 952.227.1190 Engineering Phone: 952.227.1160 Fax: 952.227.1170 Finance Phone: 952.227.1140 Fa:,:: 952.227.1110 Park & Recrealion Phone: 952.227.1120 Fax: 952.227.11~0 Recreation Center 2310 Coulter Bc. ulevard Phorle: 952.227.1400 Fax: 952.227.140,1 Planning & Nalui'al Resources Phone: 952.227.1130 Fax: 952.227.1110 Public Works 1591 Park Road Phone: 952.227.1300 Fax: 952.227.1310 Senior Center Phone: 952.227.1125 Fax: 952.227.1110 Web Sile v,ww. ci.chanhassen.mn.us MEMORANDUM TO: Jen'y Ruegemer, Recreation Superintendent FROM: Corey Hoen, Recreation Supervisor(f,' DATE: January 21, 2003 SUB J: 2003 February Festival The City of Chanhassen's tenth annual February Festival is rapidly approaching. The logistics of the event will be similar to last year. Norma, Gina, Vicki, and Karen processed the schedule of events brochure in- house again this year. I am very appreciative for their efficient coordination of this process. Information and event brochures have been sent to past participants. Our advertising schedule will consist of three display ads (2-Villager, 1-Herald) and two schedule of events inserts in the Villager. The fishing contest has many great prizes again this year! The fishing contest prize layout will be similar to last year's with prizes given out for the 20 largest fish. The fish prizes will total $2,000 in value and the door p14zes, featuring a trip to Las Vegas will be valued at $3,500. Youth and adult fishing tickets are being sold at $4.00 each. Tickets are being sold at City Hall, County Market, Byerly's, Chanhassen Chamber of Commerce, Chanhassen Recreation Center, and Cabin Fever Sporting Goods. The City of Chenhassen, A growing community wilh clean lakes, quality, schools, a charming downlo~ n, thriving businesses, winding trails, and beautiful parks. A great p ace to live, work, and play. CITYOF 7700 Market Boulevard PO Box 147 Chanhassen, MN 55317 Adminislration Phone: 952.227.1100 Fax: 952.227.1110 Building Inspections Phone: 952.227.1180 Fax: 952.227.1190 Engineering Phone: 952.227.1160 Fax: 952.227.1170 Finance Phone: 952.227.1140 Fax: 952.227.1110 Park & Recreation Phone: 952.227.1120 Fax: 952.227.1110 Recreation Centel 2310 Coulter Boulevard Phone: 952.227.1400 Fax: 952.227.1404 Planning & Natural Resources Phone: 952.227.1130 Fax: 952.227.1110 Public Works 1591 Park Road Phone: 952.227.1300 Fax: 952227.1310 Senior Cenler Phone: 952.227.1125 Fax: 952.227.1110 Web Site ~,,v,,,,,,.ci.chaflhassefl.mn.us MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: Jerry Ruegemer, Recreation Superintendent Corey Hoen, Recreation Supervisor (_~ DATE: January 21,2003 SUB J: 2003 Entertainment Contract, Annual 4th of July Celebration The City of Chanhassen was very pleased with the entertainment provided by Casablanca Orchestra at last year's Fourth of July Celebration. Per the Park & Recreation Commission's direction, I have tentatively spoken with CBC to reserve their services for Thursday, July 3. I was also pleased with last year's show and feel that CBC would provide us with another highly entertaining show this year. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Park & Recreation Commission approve the contract for Casablanca Orchestra. The show will take place on Thursday, July 3, 2003, from 7:00-11:00 p.m. at City Center Park. The cost of the show is included in Fund 1600 of the 2003 recreation program budget. The City of Chantlassen · A gro~:'ing community [;'ith clear] takes, quatitt, schools, a charming downtown, thriving businesses, winding trails, and beaulilul parks. A great place to live, work, and play. HOFFMAN TALENT AGENCY PO Box 26037 Minneapolis, MN 55426 952-541-1600 Fax:952-541-9543 ENGAGEMENT CONTRACT 1. This agreement made this day of: 8/5/2002 , by and between: Casablanca Orchestra herein referred to as ARTIST providing the services of the Entertainment, and the Purchaser: City of Chanhassen c/o: Corey Hoen 2. PLACE OF ENGAGEMENT: City Park, 690 City Center, Chanhassen, Minnesota 3. ENGAGEMENT DATE(S): July03, 2003 TICKET PRICE: $0,00 CAPACITY: GROSS POTENTIAL: $0.00 4. ENGAGEMENT HOURS: Three 60 minute sets between 7:00 PM and 11:00 PM Outdoor? y Private? n 5. COMPENSATION AND TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT: It is agreed as full compensation for the services, as set forth above, Purchaser will pay Adist in United States currency, certified check or accepted(pre-approved bank draft) the sum of $500,00 is required. It is due on: 9/1/2002 A second deposit of .~hould be paid to the Artist: prior to performance. $4,000.00 A Deposit (payable to HOFFMAN TALENT AGENCY) in the amounl~f: $0.00 is due: . The balance: $3,500.0~ 6. ACCOMODATIQNS: Purchaser to provide at no cost to Adist-NA 7. ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS: Artist to provide sound and lights. Persuant to the KEY PERSONNEL PROVISIONS, the Leader: Melanie Mikkelson , shall at all times have complete supervision, direction and control over services of his personnel on his engagement and expressly reserves the right to control the manner, means and details of the performance of services to fulfill the entertainment requirements of the Purchaser.. Responsibility for appropriate payment of payroll taxes and charges under applicable federal and local law will be assumed by the Adist. Adist is an independant contractor. 9. na as PRODUCER has contracted with na seperate from this contract. This contract is binding only to the extent that na honor their individual contract with na 10. DO NOT ADVERTISE WITH ENGAGEMENT UNTIL CONTRACT HAS BEEN SIGNED BY BOTH PARTIES.(Unless Approved by Hoffman Talent Agency) 11. This contract may be cancelled by either party with written notice of cancellation of at least 365 days prior to engagement date. Notification of cancellafion to be given at ihe address listed on this contract. 12. ANY AND ALL RIDERS ATTACHED ARE MADE A PART HEREOF. Technical specifications are also deemed a part of this contract. 13. We acknowledge and confirm that we have read and approved the terms and conditions set fodh in this contract, including terms on reverse side, as deemed by our signalures below. ~urchaser Sign 'ature Purchaser: Corey Hoen Representing: City of Chanhassen Address: 7700 Market Blvd. City/: Chanhassen Phone #: 952-227-1122 St: MN Zip/: 55317 Artist: Melanie Mikkelson c/o Hoffman Talent BKG AGENT: dnh PO Box 26037 Minneapolis, MN 55426 Artist' SS# or Fed. ID#: 476-80-1740 epidemic, inc~n in or deby of transpor~cion services, war cond~ons, or emer~ndes, or any c]use beyond the control of the Arasc. k ~s understood and a~eed ~ dore ~ be no for dam~ees by e~er party to this contact. ~nd Artist's ob~tJon ~s to such performance shall be deened v~ived. In the event of such non-pe~on-rm~.e for tn), ~the reasons ~ in Ftra~, the men,es (if any) advanced to the Arr~t hereu~er, sh~ be returned on a pro rata buis. : ~.~,..~ 8, Inclement wearier renderi~ performance ~nposside or i~feasible shaJl not be deemed an ornery, ney and payment of the a~reed upon I:~:e shall be made notwidm:andk~: ~, that Artec is ready, willing mm:l ~ to perform In the event of k~clement weather which might interfere with d~ performance of Artist named bereunder, the parties ~ mut~ whether or not the performance should proceed, However, in any event, if d~e performance is not held by r~uon of any such we.u~er conditions, Purchuer ~ to pay Artist the full provided for in the comract~ Incase of rain or inclement weatber .m .aki~ an outdoor pet(ormance impossi~ and an insloor fac~ is provided, tbe decbion to be made wior m Artist semn~ up sound, li~4ua, and sm~e equ~p~em, ou~doom. Notke of rte probabilK'y of an iedoor faci~ky be~n~ peovided mot be an d~e fate of l~is taetm:t.. c Artist reserves the right to cancel this en~le ment Prior to I~Y d~te for $cbed.u~ d ,Ne':Ir'type en~[ement- major motion pkture, tetevbion I:m:~ducdon, liYe the~'k:aJ prod uctJolL coq:xarate endorsement or major concert prior to enlagement by written notice tO eddress 8iron on face of co,'m-~t.. · . · D. ^r~ s~ have ~e r~t to se, so~e,~ ~o~ma. ~to~r~. ~qes ~ook~ ~ re~,me,U~om~t d~=..on ~ ~-m ~es of m, ~ace(s) of ~,r~;~:e w~u~ ~ mnx~,uon proceeds by Purchuer. However. concession~re's requirements, if any, will be honored wkh prior E. Ar~t~ a~ent, rnan~er or their representatives sh~] have free access to I~ce of performance, includin~ bm::~t~ 2 Purda~er Dudes A. Pm'chaser a~-ees to employ the Ar~t for profession~ services u a musician/musical ~q"oup or entertainS). ~ lc is the Purchuer's req:~nsib~ to i~'orm Artist in wrking. ~ to tickets ;oi~ on sale or prior to performance, of any local or s~te admission or income or entertainment tm.xes which may be assessed on Ard~t for monies earned from this en~gernent~ Purchaser wilJ be responsible for any 'ssJes' ~x in connection w~ tile conce~ except for Ar~t'~ concession ~des. A statement or copy of the tax .bw is to be at~ched to the con~s~ct prior to t~ Artist C. Any f'ore~n or Canadian dates con~cted must be accompanied by 'a{:~icarJon for entry for ensertaJner" from d~t government. D. Purchaser wa'~nu ~ represents that be/sbe is at t~e presens ~ne: or w~l be. the owner or operator of. ~r has or will have a valid le~e up<~. the idace(s) of performance coverk~ the date or dates of this agre~nent. Ix-eof of which vdll be liven to Ar~t or his des i~ee upon request~ E. Purchaser a[rees to furnish at ks sole cost and expense at ~ Pl~ce(s) of performance on the date(s) and at the time(s) above menrJoned, a properly heated, ventihted. I~hted comfor~ble dres:in~ room near the stye for tJ~ Artist a~l Arc~t's company union pre-approved by Artist or ~ represemat/ve. 3. Pm-..huer Wa'ramies A Purch~er warrants there will be no recordin8. reproduction or tmmm~ion from the place of the er~gement in any manner or by any mesns whatsoever withou~ the prior written comen~ of the Arc~t and HTA. Arr~t's name and likeness may not be used u an endorsement of any product or service or in connection wkh any commercial tie-up widmut Artist'~ or HTA's written ¢ollsent. R. Tbe Purchaser shall nec sell or discrtaute any pictures, likeness, sor~ book~ con~imr~ lyrics andior music by the e~ployed Ard~ souvenirs or programs or books containi~ any of dm ~:)ove-mentioned and other tour merchandise and t~t any monies received from the saJe of those items becomes the sole Ix'operty of the Artist. C. If. before the date of any scheduled concert, or any live performance. Purchaser h~ ~led. ne~lecsed or refused to perform ~ny corru~ct with any performer for ~ny earlier en~emen~ or if the financial standir~ or credit of the Purchaser has been ~nPmred or is tmsatbfactory. Ar'mt sha~l have the right to demand the payment of the guaranteed con~ forthwith, if Purchaser ~il~ or refu~es to make such payment forthwith. Artist shaJI have the right to cancel this en~ement by not~:e to Purchaser co dut effec~ and in such event Artist ~ retzin any am ou~.~ theret~are paid to Artist by Purchaser. In d~ event Purchaser refuses or nellecu to provide any of the items herein $~tnd, or faib or refuses to mal~e any of the payments as provided bere~n orto Im'oceed with the e~a~emen~. Arust shall have the r~ht to rotan any and all monies Faid in zdvance to Arr~t .fi~rn Purchaser, and Purchaser shaft remain liab/m to Arr~t for the entire contract price berein set forth. 4 Arust Duties A. Arast agrees to provKJe professional servicea u a musician/musical [roup or entertainer(s) and to perform the en~a~ment accordin~ to the terms ~ conditions as set forth in d~ coecracr. B After shall have ~ sole and exclusive control over the production, presentation, and performance of the en~a[emenc he. rounder, indudi,~, but not limited to, the detaib, means, and merJ~xls of the performances of the performirt~ Artist hereunder, and Arr~t shaU have the sole r~ as Artist ma), see tm, to designate and cha~e at an), ti'ne the performin% personrmL Art~t's oblivions hereunder are sub~.t to detent]on or prevenrJon by sickne~, inability to perform, accident, means of transportation, acts of God, rio:. strikes, bbor di~ncu~es, epidemics, any act or order ofzny pu~ic authority or any other cause, simLbr or d~imibr, beyond Artist's control S After Wa'rarities A. Artist/leader warmn~ d'mc the mdividu~l band/:roup member3 worldn: th~s e~a~rner;t have ~iven him/her the power to b~nd them to the terms and conditions <~f tJ~s co~u-~ct. Each mu- sician may e~orce this er~agement contract~ B. Both the P,rchaser and the Artist asree thac HTA may, zt ks discretion, collect any ~ all commissions and/or monies due I-ITA from the ArdsL directly from the Purchaser. HTA w~ll deduct the monies due ~c from the Artist from the zmounc due the ~mist from the Purch~er and then pay the A,~J~t any remainin~ monies. The Pm'ch=er alrees t~t they w~l[ foUOw th~s provision wrJ~out reaewac,on or restriction, if requested by HTA upon bein[ notif-md by a.n aud~orized ~sent of HTA. a. Purchaser a~roes to indemnify, defend ~d hold HTA and Artist bartok, s from and a~nst a~y and all cla~ns, cosu or Ib~ity for damage or injury to any person or property dutinee Artist's en~sernent~ including t~ne o( set up ~cl take down HTA acts herein only ~s ~ent or man.~er for the Art. s) and assomes no E~blrmy hereunder. It is expressly ~ the HTA act3 herein as a:ency for musicians and is not responsible for any act of comm~ion on d~ part of either musician or purchaser. In fi~berance, z~e. reof ~ for the benefit of HTA, k is agreed t~t neidmr purchaser nor muse:an wdl name or loin HTA a party in any crvil actmn or suit a~ir~ out of, in connection wkh or. rebted to ~ny act~ of commi~ion or ombsio~ pursuant to th~ a~.~men~ by either purckuer or musician 7. A[ent Provisions A. ~ bookin~ a[ent is ,~ck~owted~ed to have fully performed upon the acceptance of tJ~s contract by all parties hereto. The Artist and the purcha.~r a~-ee to indemn~y and to hoid harmless che Booking A~enc and it~ representative a~inst all losses, claims, demands, costs, 3nd expenses that the Booldn~ A~ent and ks representative may su~ain or incur by rouen of any infrin~emens or viobt]on of any copyr~ht or pro~rieury right in tl~ performance thereunder, by rouen of def~uk by the Artist or ~ Purchuer in performin~ any of their oblations under this contract:, or by re=on of any d~ma[es to peraom or property a~isir~ out of the Art~t's performance under this contract. 8. Book I~ck A. Arr~t znd Purch~er a~ree d~t future en~sements by the Ar~t named hereunder in this esuJalishment or an)' established owned or con~ by Purchaser, sha~ be booked through Hoffman Talent A~ency for a period or twelve (121 months from the dace of this en~em~qt. The book.back term of those future engagement corr.~:ts witt be twdve (12) montks to run from the end of the en:a~ement. Artist and Purchaser sh~l be jointly and severally ti~ble to Hoffman T~lent A[ency for paymen~ of dm fee ~ on by tile Artist and Hell. an TaJent A:enc), and recorded on the booldn[ slip kept for each enl,ra~ement by Hoffman T~ent A~ency. 9 Arb~cra.~ n A. An)' controversy or cbim ar~ir~ out of'this contract shall be settled by arbkration in accordance wkh the latest tutes of the American Arbkmt]on Associaz~n. Judgment upon the award rendered in arbitration may be entered in any court havin: jurisdiction. B. Thb a[reement may not be chan~, modified, or ~kered, exce~x by.an instrument ~i~ned in wr~ by the pas'des. This a~reement sh~l be ¢onsl:rund in accord~ce the isws of the State of I'lJnnesou. Nothin~ in this a[re~nent s~l require the commission of any act contr-a7 to hw or to any ru~e or re~dazion of any UmOn, guild, or si~la' body havin~ ~sdiction over d~e performances hereunder or ~n), element thereof and wherever or whenever 'J~e re is any confdct between any provision of this ~'eeme~ ~ any such law, rub or re~tion, ~uch law. rule or re~ubtion ~hall prevail and this a[reernens shall be cure.ed, modifmd or {~nitnd on~/to the extem r~:essa~ to eliminate such r. or~ict. C. Th~ con.ct cover~ pemoral af~:~-~'.nce services in conjunction with th~ contract only. An), radio, TV. ~ im:erview$ o.r aR:marances for w{~r. ever reason vdm:maever must be ~ by HTA Prmr to show date and performance. ~0. Cona~¢c~ CITYOF 7700 Market Boulevard PO Box 147 Chanhassen, MN 55317 Adminislration Phone: 952.227.1100 Fax: 952.227.1110 Building Inspections Phone: 952.227.1180 Fax: 952.227.1190 Engineering Phone: 952227.1160 Fax: 952.227.1170 Finance P;~o~' 952.227.1140 Fax 952.227.1110 Park & Recrealion P!~one: 952227.!120 Fax. 952 227.1110 2319 Cs./let 8oJ!evard Phc:-.:.: !52227.1409 Fa.,:: 952227.1404 Planning a Nalural'Resources F~'~£,,-.3:952.227.1130 Fa'< 952 227.1110 Public Works !591 Park Road Phons: 952227.1300 Fi,:: 952.227.1310 Senior Center Phone: 952.227.1125 Fa:,:~ 952.227.1110 Web Site ,'.,'. :, ~i.chaohaSS~lq.~FLuS MEMORANDUM' TO: FROM: DATE: Jerry Ruegemer, Recreation Superintendent Corey Hoen, Recreation Supervisor (]~ ~ & January 21, 2003 SUB J: 2003 Fireworks Contract, Annual 4th of July Celebration The City of Chanhassen was pleased, with the fireworks show provided by Meh'ose Pyrotechnics at last year's Fourth of July Celebration. I have briefly spoken with Meh'ose Pyrotechnics about this year's show and have given them our $21,000 budget figure to work with for 2003. I was pleased with the show last year and I feel comfortable with Melrose's staff, their safety standards and their reputation of providing a quality show. RECOMMENDATION It is staff's recommendation that the City approve the contract for Melrose Pyrotechnics in the amount of $21,000. The display will take place on Friday, July 4, 2003, at 10:00 p.m. at Lake Ann Park. The cost of the 2003 fireworks display is included in Fund 1600 of the recreation program budget. MELROSE NOR TH P YR 0 TECHNICS, INC. AGREEMENT This contract entered into this 6th Day of JANUARY AD 2003 by and between MELROSE NORTH PYROTECHNICS, INC. of Clear Lake, MN and CITY OF CItANHASSEN (Customer) of City CIIANItASSEN WITNESSETH: MELROSE NORTH PYROTECHNICS, INC. for and in consideration of the terms hereinafter mentioned, agrees to furnish to the CUSTOMER ONE Fireworks Display(s) as per agreement made and accepted and made a part hereof, including the services of our Operator to take charge of and fire display under the supervision and direction of the Customer, said display to be given on the evening of JULY 4, 2003 Customer Initial , weather permitting, it being understood that should inclement weather prevent the giving of this display on the date mentioned herein the parties shall agree to a mutually convenient alternate date, within six (6) months of the original display date. Customer shall remit to the first party an additional 15% of the total contract price for additional expenses in presenting the display on an alternate date. The determination to cancel the show because of inclement or unsafe weather conditions shall rest within the sole discretion of MELROSE NORTH PYROTECHNICS, INC. In the event the customer does not choose to reschedule another date or cannot agree to a mutually convenient date, MELROSE NORTH PYROTECHNICS, INC. shall be entitled to 40% of the contract price for costs, damages and expenses. If the fireworks exhibition is canceled by CUSTOMER prior to the display, CUSTOMER shall be responsible for and shall pay to MELROSE NORTH PYROTECHNICS, INC. on demand, all MELROSE NORTH PYROTECHNICS, INC.'s out of pocket expenses incurred in preparation for the show including but not limited to, material purchases, preparation and design costs, deposits, licenses and employee charges. MELROSE NORTH PYROTECHNICS, INC. agrees to furnish all necessary fireworks display materials and personnel for a firewor 'ks display in accordance with the program approved by the parties. It is further agreed and understood that the CUSTOMER is to pay MELROSE NORTH PYROTECHNICS, INC. the sum of $21,000.00 (TWENTY ONE THOUSAND AND NO/100 DOLLARS). A service fee of I ½ % per month shall be added, if account is not paid within 30 days of the show date. MELROSE NORTH PYROTECHNICS, INC. will obtain Public Liability and Property Damage and Workers Compensation Insurance. Customer will provide the following items: (a) Sufficient area for tile display, including a minimum spectator set back of 700 feet at all points fi'om the discharge area. (b) Protection of the display area by roping-off or similar facility. (c) Adequate police protection to prevent spectators from entering display area. (d) Search of the fallout area at first light following a nighttime display. It is further agreed and mutually understood that nothing in this contract shall be constructed or interpreted to mean a partnership, both parties being hereto responsible for their separate and individual debts and obligations and neither party shall be responsible for any agreements not stipulated in this contract. Customer agrees to pay reasonable attorneys fees incurred by MELROSE NORTH PYROTECHNICS, 1NC. in the collection or attempted collections of any amount due under this agreement and invoice. Tile parties hereto do mutually and severally guarantee terms, conditions, and payments of this contract, Ihese articles to be binding upon the parties, themselves, their heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns. MELROSE NORTH PYROTECHNICS, INC. Date Signed: January 6, 2003 Mark C. Ilanson 9405 County Road 8 Clear Lake, MN 55319 (800) 771-7976 CUSTOMER By Date Signed (PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT) Name Address Phone CITYOF 7700 Market Boulevard PO Box 147 Chanhassen, MN 55317 Administration Phone: 952.227.1100 Fa~:: 952.227.1110 Building Inspections Phone: 952.227.1180 Fax: 952.227.1 I90 Engineering Phone: 952.227.1160 Fax: 952.227.1170 Finance Pi~one: 952.227.1140 Fax: 952.227.1110 Park & Recreation Ph~;:e: 952.227.1120 Fax: 952.227.1110 Re;reation Center 2310 Coulter B,guievard Pi;:,ne: 952.227.1400 F~×: 952.227.1404 Planning& Natural Resources Pho;re: 952.227.1130 Fax: 952.227.1110 Public Works 1591 Park Road Phone: 952.227.1300 Fax: 952.227.1310 Senior Center Phone: 952.227.1125 Fax: 952.227.1110 Web Sile w¢,~,,,,.ci.chan hassen.mn.us MEMORANDUM TO: Park and Recreation Commission FROM: Todd Hoffman, Park and Recreation Director DATE: January 22, 2003 SUB J: 2003 Park and Recreation Commission Budget The 2003 budget process has been a particularly active one. I trust you have been keeping up to speed on the City Council's deliberations through the Villager newspaper. The attached three documents provide additional detail as to the status of the Park and Recreation Department budget. Attachment A describes staff's initial proposal to the City Manager regarding increased revenues and budget cuts. Attachment B is a schedule of additional 2003 Park and Recreation budget reductions in anticipation of potential future state aid cuts. Attachment C describes a variety of program registration and entrance fee increases and proposed changes to the rental policies at the Recreation Center. I will review these documents with the Commission at your January 28th meeting and answer any questions Commissioners may have. G :\park\th\budget~2003 BudgetMemo City of Cfl~nflassen ,, A growing cornrnunity '¢,'iffl c!can !a~:es, quality schools, a charming downtown, thriving businesses, winding trails, and beautiful parks. A great place to live, work, and play. ,A CITYOF CHANHASSEN 7700 Market Boulevard PO Box 147 Chanhassen, MN 55317 Administration Phone: 952.227.1100 Fax: 952.227.1110 Building Inspections Phone: 952.227.1100 Fax: 952.227.1190 Engineering ?hone: 952.227.1160 Fax: 952.227.1170 Finance Phone: ~c52.227.1149 Fa,~:: 952.227.1110 Park & Recrealioa , ,,ur,~. 952227.1120 F~.:,:: 952.227.1 ii0 R~creation Cer'!er 2310 Coul',er B.ou!evard ?i~z,, e: 952.227.1400 F::,: 952.227.140.,'. Planning & Natural Resources ?uone: ~52 227.1130 Fax: 952.227.!110 Public Works 1591 Par!', Road Phone: 952.2271390 Fa~:: %2.227.13~0 Senior Cenler Phew, e: 952.227.1125 Fax: 952227.1110 Web Sile ;,,',,;~v. ci chan hasseo.n~o.us MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: DATE: SUB J: Todd Gerhardt, City Manager Todd Hoffman, Park & Recreation Director December 3, 2002 2003 Park & Recreation Depamnent Budget The Park and Recreation Department prides itself on providing quality facilities and services to the community. Our desire to provide these services is based on the premise that parks and recreation is an essential service, one that positively impacts the health of our citizens, reduces crime activity, supports the local economy, and provides for a quality of life in a manner in which no other local service can. This being said, our department also always prides itself on being a team player. When times are tough, we respond by keeping costs down, investing our resources judicially, and being resourceful. The Park and Recreation Department currently generates approximately $360,000 annually in revenue (see attached itemization). I am proposing that we can increase this amount in 2003 by $40,000 without subjecting our citizenry to undue hardship. The department, with input from your office identified specific targets for this goal in a budget meeting held on December 4th. Increase Recreation Center punch card fees Increase all recreation program fees Charge a gate fee for 4th of July fireworks Charge more groups room rental at Recreation Center Initi ate a $10.00 per year membership for Senior Center $15 000 12 000 5 000 5 000 3 000 $40 000 Additional sources of new revenue being investigated include: · Raising ticket prices for special events · Charging for across the board gym use fee at the Recreation Center · Charge for brush days Picnic fee increase · City auction of excess equipment · Private rental of public facilities · Selling advertisement-connection, web, parks · Construction of public boat slips on city lakes The City of Cba nhassen ,, A gro,,ving co;;;mund~, ,,','ith clear, !s~:es. quality schools, a charming downtown, thriving businesses, winding trails, and beautiful parks. A great place lo live, work, and play. Mr. Todd Gerhardt December 3, 2002 Page 2 Outdoor athletic field use charges Charging for skate park use · Charge for outdoor ice time use In addition to increased revenue generation, I am proposing $60,000 in cuts to our general operations. This represents a significant reduction in costs in a time of rapid facility and programming growth. In addition to a variety of smaller items, these proposed cuts include: Salaries & Wages, Temporary Supplies--Equipment Fees for Service Maintenance Materials Repair & Maintenance of Buildings Rental Equipment S upplies--Equipment Overtime--Seasonal Promotion Total $24,000 $11,200 $7,000 $5,000 $5,000 $3,000 $2,ooo $1,ooo $1,ooo $59,200 This recommendation is made with some hesitancy knowing that additional cuts, due to state budget decreases, may be necessary later in 2003. C~ Susan Marek, Recreation Center Manager Jerry Ruegemer, Recreation Superintendent Dale Gregory, Park Superintendent Kara Wickenhauser, Senior Center Coordinator Bruce DeJong, Finance Director g:\park\th\budget cuts Park and Recreation Proposed 2003 Budget Reductions in Anticipation of State Aid Cuts Reduction from 2003 Budget 1510 Park and Recreation Commission 4300 Fees, Services 4340 Printing and Publishing $ 5OO $ 500 1520 Park and Recreation Administration 4300 Fees, Services 4340 Printing and Publishing 4370 Travel and Training $ 1,500 $ 1,500 $ 1 ,ooo 1530 Recreation 4010 4120 4130 Center Salaries and Wages - Temp $ 5,000 Supplies-Equipment $ 1,000 Supplies-Program $ 1,000 Close Rec Center from Aug. 15 - Sep. 1 1540 Lake Ann Operations 4020 Salaries and Wages - Temp 4120 Supplies-Equipment $ 1,000 $ 1,300 1550 Park Maintenance 4150 Maintenance Materials 4151 Irrigation Materials 4320 Utilities 4410 Rental-Equipment 4520 Repair and Maintenance-Vehicles 4705 Other Equipment 9,000 Cut back on fertilizer 1,000 5,000 Savings due to demolition of bank building 1,000 2,000 10,000 Postpone purchase of equipment 1560 Senior Citizens Center 4130 Supplies-Program 4300 Fees, Services 1,000 1,000 1600 Recreation Programs 4020 Salaries and Wages-Temp 4120 Supplies-Equipment 4300 Fees, Services 6,000 1,200 1,000 Elimination of summer intern TOTAL CUTS - PARK AND RECREATION 52,500 Community Development 1250 Code Enforcement 4020 Salaries and Wages-Temp 6,500 Elimination of summer temporary help in inspections t420 Planning Administration 4010 Salaries and Wages 30,000 Replace Planner I with Intern TOTAL CUTS - COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT $ 36,500 CITYOF C HAS EN 7700 Markel Boulevard PO Box 147 Chanhassen, MN 55317 Administration Phone: 952.227.1100 Fax: 952.227.1110 Building Inspections Phone: 952.227.1180 Fax: 952.227.1190 Engineering Phone: 952.227.1160 Fax: 952.227.1170 Finance Phone: 952.227.1140 Fax: 952.227.1110 Park & Recreation Phone: 952.227.1120 Fax: 952.227.1110 Recreation Center 2310 Couiler Boulevard Phone: 952.227.1400 Fax~ 952.227.1404 Plannin§ & Nalural Resources Pi~one: 952.227.1130 Fax: 952.227.1110 Public Works 1591 Park Road Phone: 952.227.1300 Fax: 952.227.1310 Senior Center Phone: 952.227.1125 Fax: 952.227.1110 Web Site v,,,',rw, ci.chanhassen.nm.us MEMORANDUM TO: Todd Gerhardt, City Manager FROM: Todd Hoffman, Director of Parks and Recreation DATE: January 22, 2003 SUB J: Approve Park and Recreation Department Fee Increases The following Park and Recreation Department program registration and entrance fee increases are being recommended for 2003. These fee increases are being proposed to generate an additional $32,000 in Park and Recreation revenues, above and beyond the $360,000 currently being generated. Increase Recreation Center punch card fees Increase all recreation program fees Charge more groups room rental at Recreation Center Revenue Generated By Increases $15,000 12,000 5,000 $32,000 Recreation Center punch cards for residents will increase from $2.00 to $2.50 per punch. Non-Resident punch cards will increase from $2.50 to $3.00 per punch. Aerobics classes cost two punches, the fitness room and open gym cost one punch. All other recreation program registrations will be increased generally 10% across the board. Room rental rates at the Recreation Center are proposed to increase according to the following schedule. Current Rate/Hour Proposed Rate/Hour Facility Resident Non-Resident Resident Non-Resident Gym $35 $45 $40 $50 Community Room w/kitchen $12.50 $15 $15 $20 Community Room w/carpet $10 $12.50 $15 $20 Conference Room $10 $12.50 $15 $20 In addition to the rate increases, staff is proposing the following changes to the FREE use policies currently in effect. The following groups will retain FREE use of meeting rooms: School District 112 and 276 Government Business The City of Chanhassen ,, A growing community with cl~,an lakes, quality schools, a charming downtown, Ihriving businesses, winding trails, and beautiful parks. A great place to live, work, and play. Memo to Todd Gerhardt January 22, 2003 Page 2 of 2 The following groups will NOT qualify for FREE use of meeting rooms: Private Business Scout Groups Church Business Homeowners Associations Nonprofit Agencies Youth Athletic Associations Home School Activities Recommendation It is recommended that the City Council approve the Park and Recreation Department program registration fee increases and Recreation Center room reservation policies as presented in this report effective April 1, 2003. G:\l~ark\t}~.tpprove fee 2003 SCHEDULE PARK & RECREATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE AT CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS An agenda and park and recreation items will be delivered to you the week prior to your assigned dates. If no items pertaining to Parks and Recreation are on the agenda, no packet will be delivered and you are not required to attend. Date Representative January 13 ........................................................................................ Rod Franks January 27 ......................................................................................... Tom Kelly February 10 ..................................................................................... Glenn Stolar February 2qt ..................................................................................... Paula Atkins March 10 ........................................................................................ Jack Spizale March 24 ....................................................................................... Amy O'Shea April 14 ......................................................................................... David Happe April 28 ........................................................................................... Rod Franks May 12 ............................................................................................. Tom Kelly May 27 .......................................................................................... Glenn Stolar June 9 ........................................................................................... Paula Atkins June 23 ........................................................................................... Jack Spizale July 14 .......................................................................................... Amy O'Shea July 28 .......................................................................................... David Happe August 11 .............................................................................. z ......... Rod Franks August 25 ......................................................................................... Tom Kelly September 8 .................................................................................... Glenn Stolar September 22 .................................................................................. Paula Atkins October 13 ....................................................................................... Jack Spizale October 27 ..................................................................................... Amy O'Shea November 10 ................................................................................... David Happe November 24 ..................................................................................... Rod Franks December 8 ........................................................................................ Tom Kelly Rod Franks Paula Atkins Amy O'Shea Home: 952-949-2903 Home: 952-934-0501 Home: 952-470-0870 Work: 612-348-3780 Work: 952-934-2301 Work: Same Jack Spizale David Happe Tom Kelly Home: 952-474-3312 Home: 952-233-2029 Home: 952-445-7417 Work: 612-791-1868 Work: 952-233-5750 Work: 612-766-5012 Glenn Stolar Todd Hoffman Home: 952-474-7671 Work: 952-227-1129 Work: 612-277-8158 ~. :Xpark~thkcschedulcO3doc © 0° 0 Administrative Section November 27, 2002 i~,:-' 2 21102 CITY OF Cm~,NHA,.,S=N Chanhassen City Council City of Chanhassen Administrative Offices 690 Coulter Drive Chanhassen, M2'4 55317 Dear Members o£the Chanhassen City Council: It is with great regret that I find it necessary to sublnit my resignation from tile position of Chanhassen City Representative on the Minnetonka Community Education and Services Advisory Council Board as of January 19, 2003. It has been my privilege to represent this city for close to twenty years on the MCES Board. My service to tile city and the school district in this way has lneant a great deal to me. I am pleased that during that time, I have had txvo opportunities to serve as the board's President and to serve on its Executive Board several times. I /~cl that the work do,~c by this board is important to both the citizens of Chm~mssen and thc,sc of the .Minnetonka School District. The vast scope o1' tiao services provided to our city iills a very unique and impo~xant need. I would therefore urge you to appoint a person to this position who cares strongly about what tho needs oF thc city alld the district arc. I have alerted t}~e staffoFMCES to the need tbr a replacement, and they bare been Iookin2 lbr an individual who could fill this need. ann grate£ul for the privilege of serving this city and hope th.'.~.t at some point in the htturo. I will be able to serve again. Ann S. Osborne President and Chanhassen Representative Minnetonka Community Education and Services Advisory Council 3815 'Red Cedar Point Excelsior, MN 55331 Engineering Finance Works SE:n Jot Ceiller VJ~h Sile MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: DATE: Todd Hoffman, Park and Recreation Director /Q..('""~ Jerry Ruegemer, Recreation Superintendent // January 10, 2003 SUB J: 2003 Community Special Events At the December l0th Park and Recreation Commission meeting, a few commissioners requested the dates for the city's community events for 2003. Our department will coordinate and sponsor the following events: FebruaO, Festivah The tenth Annual February Festival will be held Saturday, February Ist at Lake Ann Park. This special event includes open ice skating on a large rink on Lake Ann, a s'mores cookout on a flaming bon fire, dog sled rides, ice fishing contest, food concessions and more. This one-day event will draw 1000-1500 participants and spectators. Easwr Egg Candy Hunt: The Easter Egg Candy Hunt on Saturday, April 19, will celebrate its twentieth anniversary this spring. Over 900 children, ages 2- 10, and their parents attend this annual event. The program includes live entertainment, a coloring contest, and the candy hunt. This event will be held at the Chanhassen Recreation Center. Fourth of July Celebration: Chanhassen's premier community event. This annual celebration is a year-round topic of conversation in the community and is renowned throughout the state. Participation levels stop 3,000 people per day. This year's activities are scheduled for July 3rd and 4th. Highlights include a kiddie parade, carnival games, adult and children fishing festivals, beach games, the Chamber of Commerce Trade Fair, a street dance, and the spectacular fireworks display over Lake Ann. City Center Park (north of City Hall) and Lake Ann Community Park are the venues for this event, Halloween ParO,: The Halloween Party has provided children with Halloween fun and entertainment for seventeen years. The Halloween Party includes trick or treating, live entertainment, games, haunted room, an authentic horse-drawn hayride, and refreshments. A targeted service level of i .200 children and parents has been set for this year's celebration on Saturday, October 25. Todd Hoffman, Park and Recreation Director 1 / 10/2003 Page 2 Tree Lighting Ceremony: This annual event will be held on Saturday, December 6. The location will probably be at the Clock Tower Plaza (just east of the Medical Arts Building). The location will be determined by the progress of the new City Center Commons or the new park just east of the new library. You can enjoy the lighting of the holiday tree, refl'eshments and a visit fi'om Santa Claus. If you have questions regarding any of the events please stop by. g:\park\j cn'y\2OO3commu nity spcccvcnts Page 1 of 1 Hoffrnan, Todd From: Kristen Baldwin [Kristen.Baldwin @ NorthMemorial.com] Sent: Tuesday, January 07, 2003 11:53 AM To: thoffman @ci.chanhassen.mn.us Subject: RE: Refreezing of ice rink at Rice Marsh Lake park (Brookhill subdivision) Todd- Thanks for responding back and sending the attached article. I can understand why you cannot flood all the neighborhood parks with the warm temperatures we have been experiencing. I am glad to know the four other outdoor rinks in Chanhassen are still available for use and are being maintained. Hopefully, next year we will have colder temperatures early on and the cold temperatures will stay with us longer to allow lhe rink at Rice Marsh Lake Park to be made. Thanks again for getting back to me. Kristen Baldwin >>> "Hoffman, Todd" <thoffman@ci.chanhassen.mn.us> 01/06/03 03:14PM >>> Kristen Thanks for your note. I wish we could keep working on all our rinks. Unfortunately doing so does not make good sense. Please see attached article. Todd Hoflman ..... Original Hessage ..... From: Kristen Baldwin [mailto:Kristen. Baldwin@NorthMemorial.com] Sent: Friday, Januaw 03, 2003 12:30 PM To: thoffman@ci.chanhassen.mn.us Subject: Refreezing of ice rink at Rice Harsh Lake park (Brookhill subdivision) Mr. Hollman - A neighbor of mine gave me your name and number tO call and request that the city of Chanhassen Park and Recreation consider refreezing the ice rink thai is located on the baseball diamond in Rice Marsh Lake Park. When the city came and dumped water on the Baseball diamond in early December to form the rink, myself and a number of our neighbors were so appreciative. I was there on Sunday, December 8 with my daughter and there were appoximately 10 - 12 kids either skating or playing hockey on the rink. My neighbor said that her two kids, age 7 and 10 also went there on afternoons after school to practice as they are avid hockey players. Another neighbor who lives adjacent to the park has seen a car come alter dark and shine ifs headlights on the ice so that his kids can have a place to practice. So the rink is being well utilized Ibis year. I realize we have had some warm temperatures; however, there is still an ice base on the lake and with a couple more truckloads of water and the cool night temperatures we have been having, we could get the rink back to where it was. I would appreciate your consideration of this request. Minnesota is cold and one of the neat things about living here is the winter time sports that are available to us. My family in California were so impressed that we had an ice rink in our neighborhood for our kids to practice on. Thank you for your lime. Could you please email me or call me with what the outcome of this request will be. My work Ct is: (763) 520 - 1978 and my email address is: kris!¢.n.baldwin@nodhmemorjg!,_c_om. Thank you again. Krislen 1 I'-llnq ':' ,'":: , ' DECEMBER 2002 NEXT MEETING: 7:30PM Tuesday, December 12 2002 at the Chanhassen American Legion. Bring a friend! The snow is flying as I'm writing! Reminder: The club will be providing some appetizers for everyone attending the December meeting. November 12 Meeting Minutes Old Business · Reminder that member renewals are now due. Remember, you receive quite a bit for the dues that you pay: membership in this club, SWTA and MnUSA, newsletters from these organizations, and you help fund the trail marking that our volunteers do. Please renew your membership as soon as you can! There should be a i'or'n~ with Lhis i',ewsleL[er; i~/lot, dontact the editor. · Treasurer's report. The club has $521 in the bank account. ~' Secretary's report. Send newsletter ideas to Blayne Puklich at blayne@puklich.com. · MnUSA report. Doug Swanson talked about the MnUSA Open Houses that were held at area snowmobile dealers during this past fall. A lot of clubs worked with dealers on the effort, but we won't know how effective this was for some time. There was one positive impact: it brought clubs and dealers back together. It was a good start, and will probably happen again next year. Some dealers have already been inviting clubs back for other manufacturer's open houses they've had! · Local trail set-up is Sunday, November 17 beginning at 10:00 am. Folks should meet at Boyd Peterson's house. Volunteers have covered the various trail sections. All land · owners have been contacted and all is well for the year. Update: All trails have now been marked. , Some talk occurred about trying to get on the Chanhassen City Council agenda to introduce our club to the newly-elected members. · A reminder that SWTA meets the last Tuesday of every month (see information later in this newsletter). We're looking for people to help out by volunteering to attend these every once in a while to represent our club. New Business · We'll be discussing new club officers at the next meeting. The following are up for grabs: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Trail Coordinator. Some folks have already stepped forward for positions. Think about becoming an officer! It's good to have new folks in these positions to help keep the club alive. It's a really small time commitment on your part; you can ask the current officers what's involved at the December meeting. We'll make final decisions on the new officers at the January meeting. · There is a club day ride tentatively planned for Saturday, January 18 2003. Details will be ironed out in future meetings. Wednesday Night Rides Wednesday night rides are on once again this year when the snow flies! Interested folks should contact Scott Truempi at (952) 949-1372 for locations and meeting times. Random News Flakes Show your support for the Chanhassen Snowmobilers club and the work we do by becoming a current member!. Many may not realize this but we are the group responsible for all of the trails in Chanhassen, including the trails past and non-members use. Riders and the city both depend on us to mark the trails, and all of the work is done as a volunteer effort by the same few folks each year. This is your club, please support it. All that we ask is a small amount of time, or even just your membership. Heck, it's even fun! The future of snowmobiling in Chanhassen depends on it! Ed~tot: Blayne Puklich 2 Club Meeting Schedule ...... The Chanhassen Snowmobile Cluls~'e-~t~ ~t the Chanhassen Legion on the second Tues(~ay of every month at 7:30PM from October through March, Meeting dates for the 2002-2003 season are: Octobcr 8 2002 January 14 2003 Novcmbcr 12 2002 February 11 2003 December 10 2002 March 11 2003 SWTA, the Southwest Trails Association (the local trail grooming organization), meets at 8:00PM the last Tuesday of every month at Island View Golf Course in Waconia. Other Snowmobiling Events Dec 14-15 WSA District 1 Snocross, Wabasha, MN. (651) 565-2777 more information. Dec 29 French Lake 2nd Annual Radar Run & Swap Meet in French Lake, tvlN. (320) 286-6717. 4th Annual Canterbury Sno-Jam in Shakopee, MN. Contact Canterbury Park for more information. Jan 4-5 Club Club email Web site Scott Truempi Greg Havlik Blayne Puklich Contacts members @ chansnomo.org http://www.chansnomo, org (952) 949-1372 (952) 937-5678 gkart66 @ att.net (952) 474-3173 blayne @ puklich.com Brad Blomquist Leroy Biteler Charlie Littfin (952) 937-8760 wire @ wans.net (952) 474-7590 snosptz @ aol.com (952) 937-8392 Chanhassen Snowmobilers P.O. Box 28 Chanhassen, MN 55317 Todd Hoffman 7700 Market Boulevard Box 147 Chanhassen,MN 55317 Page 1 of 1 Ruegemer, Jerry From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Scott & Cindy [shanson76@mchsi.com] Wednesday, January 22, 2003 1:40 PM jruegemer @ ci.chanhassen.mn.us mayor@ ci.chanhassen.mn.us; council @ci.chanhassen.mn.us; thoffman @ci.chanhassen.mn.us; choen @ci.chanhassen.mn.us; kwickenhauser @ci.chanhassen.mn.us; smarek@ci.chanhassen.mn.us; tgerhardt@ci.chanhassen.mn.us; jmiller@ci.chanhassen.mn.us; Brandon & Shari Williams; Lonnie & Nancy Van Eps; Mike & Carol Reich; Dave & Mary Kae Schroeder; Scott & Dianne Schafer; Joe & Sara Plehal; Marvin & Pat Onken; Kyle & Tanya Logslett; Curtis & Jody Eischens; Tom & Randee Deidrich; Bill & Margaret Coldwell; Scott & Debbie Bak Minnewashta Heights Park Skating Rink Dear Mr. Ruegemer, This letter serves as an official complaint and follows-up a number of phone calls and e-mails from City of Chanhassen residents to the Chanhassen Park & Recreation Department in the months of November, December and January. Please present it at your administrative meeting at the end of this month. We are very concerned about what we consider very poor policy and decision making regarding ice rink flooding and upkeep. As you are well aware, after initial flooding of the Minnewashta Heights Park skating rink, warm weather occurred. Even though ice remained on this rink, a decision was made by the City of Chanhassen to discontinue flooding while other city rinks with less ice (specifically Roundhouse Park) were re-flooded. If the budget is what is driving these decisions, why re-flood an area that sits in full sun, has the extra cost of a warming house and a paid rink attendant while disregarding a rink located in partial shade that maintained a usable sheet of ice. By maintaining the Minnewashta Heights Park rink this park could be used by residents for a full 12 months a year instead of only nine. Based on what is written here and what you have received from other City of Chanhassen residents, we hope you would consider re-flooding Minnewashta Heights Park rink this season and maintaining it to its full potential next year and subsequent years. We would appreciate a timely written response to this letter. Thank you, Cindy Hanson, President of the Minnewashta Heights Association shanson76@ mchsi.com 6201 Dogwood Avenue Excelsior, MN 55331 Nancy van Eps, Resident of City of Chanhassen nancyvaneps @ prodigy.net 6251 Dogwood Avenue Excelsior, MN 55331 1/22/2003