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Administrative Report CITY OF CHANHASSEN 7700 Market 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 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: 952.227.1310 Senior Center Phone: 952,227.1125 Fax: 952.227.1110 Web Site www.ci.chanhassen.mn.us I MEMORANDUM TO: Park and Recreation Commission tI FROM: Todd Hoffman, Park and Recreation Director DATE: December 202, 2005 SUBJ: 2005 Year End Review The business of providing quality park and recreation services to our community is constantly evolving. This past twelve months proved no different. Our environment is changing, demographics are changing and the number of service providers involved in the business of providing recreation services is changing. Here are some thoughts from my perspective on our operations in 2005. PARKS The quality and accessibility of our outdoor park spaces continues to be a flagship in our community. The vast majority of our residents moved to Chanhassen valuing its open spaces. As these very open spaces continue to be consumed for roadways, industry and housing, permanent open space including parks and other public lands will play an even more important role in our future. The 2005 playground improvement project will go down as the single most aggressive playground building endeavor in our history. This team effort between residents, elected and appointed officials and staff was very satisfying for all involved. The community would benefit from an additional covered picnic shelter, most likely to be located at Lake Ann Park. The acquisition of a neighborhood park in the 2005 MUSA area remains one of our greatest challenges in the short term. TRAILS No other single feature of the community's recreation system receives more attention than our trails. At 44 miles and growing, residents appreciate and value their trails. The best time to build a trail is concurrent with an adjacent road project but, without question, the trails people value most are the ones that run through the woods, meadows and various greenways throughout the city. Big plans are in store for trail development in the 2005 MUSA area, but big plans require big efforts by all involved. Suburban communities are often maligned for their non- pedestrian ways - in Chanhassen we continue to buck that trend! RECREA TION PROGRAMMING Humans are social creatures and recreation rrogramming at all levels is based upon this attribute. Chanhassen's annual4t of July Celebration, a special event organized by the City and jointly sponsored with local civic groups, is the The City 01 Chanhassen · A growing community with clean lakes, quality schools, a charming downtown, thriving businesses, winding trails, and beautiful parks. A great place to live, work, and play. Park and Recreation Commission 2005 Year End Review December 20, 2005 Page 2 highlight of the year for many of our citizens. Look for plans to accommodate an ever- expanding crowd at the next year's celebration. The remainder of our special event calendar continues to be popular with our residents. The senior center fills the growing need for recreation programming for older adults. These past few years the center has been enjoying record high attendance. Youth, family and adult programming are staples of the department annual offering and are scheduled to coincide with quarterly brochure publications. Look for more programs that focus on our outdoor and natural areas in the future. RECREA TION CENTER The Chanhassen Recreation Center is alive and well and will continue to be an essential part of our operations - even with Lifetime Fitness (among other new service providers) moving in next door. In the office we focus on the customer and their needs. We welcome Lifetime Fitness to the community and understand that many of our residents enjoy and benefit from the services they provide. At the Recreation Center we offer another set of services that in many instances other service providers are unable or unwilling to provide. I hear the rumor from time to time that the City is going to sell the Recreation Center to the school district. In a scenario where the City would have opened its own "community center" this certainly would have been an option. In today's environment the Recreation Center is here to stay. As you are aware, Tom Knowles has recently been promoted to the position of manager at the center. Look for some new and exciting modifications to the schedule under Tom's leadership. PARK AND TRAIL MAINTENANCE The best way I can describe it is to ask you to consider the amount of time, hard work, supplies and equipment it takes to maintain the driveway, sidewalks, lawn, trees and shrubbery at your home. Now multiply that by one thousand times and you can begin to understand the challenge that we put before our park maintenance staff on a daily basis. Many people are not aware that our responsibilities include the care and maintenance of the city's downtown area including boulevards, trees, planting, sidewalks, the Old Village Hall courtyard and City Center Park. Spring, summer, fall and winter we rely on a full-time staff of one' Superintendent, one Foreman, one Heavy Equipment Operator and four Park Keepers, assisted by summer seasonal staff to fulfill the expectations of our residents for maintaining 32 parks, 44 miles of trail and our downtown. Some days it hard to know where to start but with a lot of good planning, hard work and dedication they get the job done year after year. I cannot count the number of times citizens have told me what a good group of people we have working in park maintenance and how much they appreciate the quality job they do. THE FUTURE The Park and Recreation Department is excited about the future here in Chanhassen. We are guided by the principles of exceeding our customer's expectations, doing every job well and actively seeking out the involvement of our citizens. I would like to thank the Commission for the important role that you play in advising the City Council on the operations of the department and for continually seeking to make things better for our citizens. Please enjoy a safe and joyous holiday season and hurry back soon after the first of the year. We have a lot of work to do!