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PRC 1969 03 20 .-J '- ~ ..:.. ~ ,..... ,.,.... \ PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING March 20, 1969, at 8:00 p.m. The following members were present: Ed Seim, Sally deLancey, Gladys McCary, and Harvey Will. Berk Rodgers, Merv Eisel, and Steve Wolf were absent. MINUTES: The minutes of the March 6 meeting were approved as submitted. PLAN A - OAKMONT: Mr. Lybeck's plat was discussed at great length. The Park and Recreation Commission will again attempt to contact Mr. Lybeck to discuss the park plan. A motion was made by Gladys McCary and seconded by Harvey Will that the Park and Recreation Commission wishes to express to the Council that it endorses fully the statements made by Chairman Ed Seim at the public hearing on the Oakmont preliminary plat. A copy of the statement is attached. The Park and Recreation Commission recommends that the Council tak~ expedient action in approving the proposed Generalized Guide Plan and the Chanhassen Park Study (Plan A). Motion carried. STREET NAMING: The Park and Recreation Commission will request that Mrs. Neils present the street naming plan to the Park and Recreation Commission so that it may be reviewed and approved. . AGENDA: The Park and Recreation will request the Village Administrator to distribute the Park and Recreation agenda to the Cou~ci~' and other commissions. RECREATION: A motion was made by Harvey will and seconded by Gladys McCary that the Park and Recreation hire Mrs. Eleanor . Winters for the guitar program for a fee of $250.00 for 2~ hours per Saturday for eight weeks beginning April 12th. Advanced students from 2:00 to 3:00 for $12.50 and beginners from 3:0Q to 4:30 for $10.00. Motion carried. The Park and Recreation Commission approved the hiring of Ron Mielke as a Summer Recreational Director for a salary of $900.00 for a period of eight weeks, plus planning sessions. A motion was made by Sally deLancey and seconded by Harvey Will that the Park and Recreation Commission hire Larry Meuw~ssen for our Teen Center Supervisor at a salary of $2.00 per hour for approximately 18 hours a week. Motion carried. The coke machine for the Teen Center was delivered March 17th. The proceeds from the coke machine will go to the Park and Recreation Commission to defray expenses for running the Teen Center. Meeti~g adjourned 10:30 p.m. Rosemary Will Secretary ~.". , i Mr. Chairman, Memb';'D'/~f th,;, Council, Fellow Citizen~~~ Chanhassen: I am Ed SeJ.m, a resJ.dent of the western part of ;the Village, and I am here tonight as a private citizen and a ~ember of the Park and Recreation Commission. ...." I should like to ask the permission for time to speak to the suitability of the ~roposed plat on two levels: (1) the flaws in the plat as it stands and (2) the place of this plat in the overall development of the community. But first if I may, allow me to document the importance of the task which we are about here tonight. Most of us live in Chanhassen because we like the tone and character of our community as it now stands and weare now confronted with a burgeoning development that will,in a short time completely obliterate the natural beauty and spaciousness of our community unless that development compliments rather than destroys the environment. Jacob I. Bregman, the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water Pollution Control has said recently, "Economic growth and environmental quality go together. In the long run, economic growth and life itself depend on environmental quality. And, in the short run, of what use is economic growth if, in promoting economic growth, we create an environment in which it is not a joy to live?" Gordon Harrison, a program officer for the Ford Foundation. spoke as follows of "Space for people." ( Being a soil scientist by training, I became interested in the soil capabilities of the area under q~estion. A new soil survey of Carver County has been completed within the.East two years and l1as been recently published. I hurriedly'inad~ an overlay of the soil building capabilities as listed in that publicatiori. The conclusion from this type of study must be that the plat does not adequately take soil building capabilities into consideration. Many future homeowners in the proposed development would almost certainly face difficulties with drainage, septic systems, silting and possibly flooding. ...." I am sure that the natural beauty of this piece of land under discussion and its proximity to two lakes was one of the things which attracted the developer, and yet this plat which is being submitted tends to destroy those very features. The clean unspoiled beauty of the lakeshore will be replaced by a row of houses. Drainage will require considerable cutting and filling, further changing the landscape. The development of septic systems, even of limited number in soils with high water tables and with little absorption capacity coupled with increased erosion and sediment from the development of upper areas will lead to rapid aging of the two lakes to a point where algaw growth and sanitary pollution will make them undesirable for recreation or fishing. These lakes are relatively small in comparison with Lake Minnetonka. We have all become aware of the sad state of th~t great lake and -' are hopeful that it may not be too late to effect a cure ~or the ills man has imposed on it. Being small and having less water volume to dilute pollutants, the rate of aging of Ann and Lucy Lakes is likely to be much more rapid than a larger lake for the same volume of efflu~nt, sediment and pollution levels. L 1 One example of what can occur is shown by the development of the land around a lake named Lake Varcroft, near Falls Church, Va. ~ Development first occured arounq the shores of the lake. Later development upslope has unleashed a flood of pollution and sediment that threatens the lower hom~s and the very existenoe of the lake. The community has now organized a massive dredging and reclamation effort to right the earlier wrongs at a fantastic cost. fttI"'. ".... In addition to the pollution possibility which the plat represents to the lakes, the plan indioates the closure of a natural channel leading from Lake Lucy to Lake Ann. This is a small creek like channel which cannot be navigated by motorboat but which does provide access to each of the other lakes for a canoest. I have not had time to check but I feel that the planned closure of the channel would represent a violation of Minnesota Law regulating the flow of natural waters. In that respect however, Ordinance No. 22 of the Village of Chanhassen defining nuisances, etc. states i~ Section 3, the following are hereby declared to be nuisances affecting health. No. 15. The pollution of any public wekk, stream, eiver, lake or body of water, by sewage, creamery or industrial waste or other substance. Gentlemen, I believe any qualified environmental scientists would have to concur that the proposed development as planned would necessarily contribute to the pollution of Lake Ann and Lake Lucy. . In addition, our Senator to tpe State of Minnesota, the Honorable John Metcalf, introduced into the Legislature on January 22, 1969, a bill #159 which if enacted would prohibit the construction of any building other than boathouse or marine storage facilities within 50.~eet of the high water mark of any lake ~Qthe.~tate and 2.-no septic system or cesspool shall be construtted within 125 feet of the high water mark. This law if passed would make development of the lakeshore lots on the p~oposed plat very difficult. The septic system woulq necessarily have to be in the front yards or street side ot the homes. Wells would then be difficult to locate withput incurring contamination from seepage from the uphill drainage systems. The placement of the homes on the lots would be severely restricted by the set-back requirements on the street side and the set back from the high watet line on the .lake side. . Certainly one question which the Council shopld ask the developer is that he present an overlay indicating the high water line. I am sure such an overlay would indicate that some of the proposed lots would require substantial fill if they were to be put above the safe drainage and floOd levels. There are additional points of the plat which could be criticized, bu~ for the Council and the citizens assembled here ~hShO~l~ now llke to speak to the 2nd level on which l oppose e p a. From the standpoint of the community Lake ~nn and ~~~e Lu~y are two major resources of the community. The question be nf~~ls~S as to wh~ther that resource will be developed for the ne 1 ,0 a few or for the good of all. Park planners and re~reatlon ~pecial~s~s,will tell you that one of the finest park ~n lr~creatlon facl1ltles which can be developed is one which lnc u es access to an entire lakeshore. Lake Ann is the only " c Nor do i see why he should want to. Mr. Leon H. Weiner, President of the National Association of Home Builders in Wilmington, Delaware, presented the developers viewpoint at a conference on Soil, Water and Suburbia in 1967. He speaks of cluster zoning and planned unit development and says the problem' has been one of educating' the community fathers at the local level. -' Mr. Counc~l~en, I should like to have you ask Mr. Lyqe.~~ ~o challenge your educational level on this matter rather than present in the words of Mr. Weiner, another cooky cutter sprawl typ~ of development. The Park and Recreation Commission at the direction of the Council has had a study made by acquired the services of Brauer and Associates to review and develop the overall park system plan which will serve as a guide to the future park and recreational needs of the community. Mr. Brauer, who is one of the foremost authorities in the country in the area of park planning and community development has said that Lake Ann and the adjoining lakeshore is one of the major assets of the community and that its development as a community lake is vital not only to the park and recreational needs of the projected populus of the community but to the long term economic ~ell-being and,growth. Parts of the proposed plat are included ~n bpth the pr~mary and alternate park plans which have been approved by the Park ~ndt . 1 Recreation Commission, the Planning Commission, and the In.~s r~a Commission and which are now pending approval by the Counc~ . In view of the criticism made against the plat, I ~s ~ private citizen and as a member of the Park and Recreation Comm~ss~on should like to recommend that the Council ask th7 developer to review his plat and (1) either make such alterat~ons as seem., necessary to guarantee the preservation of t~e natural resour~es in this area or (2) to meet with represent~t~ves of ~he Counc~l to agree upon a fair and equitable comprom~se that w~ll guaranree that the public interest, and the future economic growth of th~s community are not being sacrificed.