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BCOL Advisory Council Minutes 09-01-2017DRAFT MINUTES BERTRAM CHAIN OF LAKES REGIONAL PARK ADVISORY COUNCIL Friday, September 1, 2017,8:00 a.m. Bertram Lakes Chalet Members Present: Martyn Dibben, Bill Fair, Jim Hayes, Jim Lindberg, Larry Nolan, Scott Peterson, Darek Vetsch, Tom Jahnke, Wes Olson, Beth Green Members Absent: Mark Daleiden, Jessica Pederson, Brian Stumpf, Sandra Theros Staff Present: Brad Harrington, Marc Mattice, Ann Mosack, Tom Pawelk, Angela Schumann 1. Call to Order Martyn Dibben called the meeting to order at 8:01 a.m. and declared a quorum present. 2. Consideration of approving minutes from July 14 meeting. In the absence of minutes, approval was held until next meeting. 3. Consideration of adding to and approving the agenda. No agenda additions; agenda accepted by all. 4. Consideration of a Potential Land Acquisition Marc Mattice presented a map with the location of the Brad Larson property. Brad has approached park about willingness to sell the property to the park system. The property includes 150 feet of lake shore and is not developable land. There is a possibility the board could look into applying for grants to fund at least a portion of the purchase, however appraisal must be done to apply for a grant, which could be a considerable cost. Suggestions were made to approach Brad about the purchase prior to an appraisal. In previous potential land acquisition situations, the board appointed a committee to facilitate the negotiations. Committee members for this acquisition were discussed and it was decided members of this negation committee will include: Marc Mattice, Derek Vetsch, and Bill Fair. Larry Nolan moved to form a negotiation committee for the purchase of the property. Scott Peterson seconded and the motion carried with all in favor. 5. Beach House Construction Update The County Board passed the contract for the beach house construction and they will be breaking ground Tuesday. The septic system will be installed September 18th. It is estimated that project completion will be by December. BCOL Regional Park Advisory Council Meeting Minutes: September 1, 2017 Construction bids were high for this project. Instead of sacrificing integral parts of the project, or decreasing size, the County Board opted to employ several "value engineering" options to reduce costs such as installing manual flush valves instead of automatic, using alternative materials for framing of interior foundation walls, using steel vs. drywall, and selecting colored block rather than burnished block. By making slight changes they were able to reduce the costs by about $60,000. 6. Spotted Knapweed Infestation NE Portion of the Park A handout was distributed with information on the invasive species Spotted Knapweed. Marc Mattice discovered an infestation of Spotted Knapweed in the park when scoping out the area for the new mountain bike trails. He identified the area affected for the committee on a map that was distributed. Marc anticipates that this small infestation can be managed in-house as long as it is contained this coming spring. It's too late for this year to employ any controls but the Parks Department will try to get the infestation under control next spring through the use of chemical applications or burns if necessary. 7. Direct Hardwood Seeding The County board has funded direct hardwood seeding in a couple of areas of Bertram Park; the old horse pasture, and along the west border of the future campground. The plan covers approximately 18 acres total. The trees grow fairly quickly and have good root establishment. The process includes disking, seeding, and spraying for weeds. On the southwest corner Boxelder and Siberian Elm trees will be treated and killed within 60 feet of the seeding area. Germination occurs in the first year and within three years the seedlings are typically two feet tall and the area develops a good forest growth. The cost of the seed mix is $524, which is only about $80 more than previous plantings at Ney Park. Marc anticipates the process will come in under budget. Tom Jahnke has also been collecting seed to augment the seed mix. 8. Bur Oak Blight Concerns A handout was distributed with information about Bur Oak Blight. Tom Jahnke explained that Bur Oak Blight is a fungus that affects the leaves of Bur Oak trees. Oak Wilt works very slowly, Anthracnose curls leaves in the margins, Bur Oak Blight on the other hand, starts at the bottom of the tree and works its way up; fungus spores attach to the leaves and prevent hardening off of the leaves, which causes leaves to die, but stay on the tree during the winter seasonal transition. It's difficult to anticipate how the fungus spores will spread. Disease spread was likely intensified due to a wet spring. Tom Jahnke, explained that Bur Oak acorns in Minnesota are a premier food supply for many wildlife, so a blight could be devastating. Tom estimated that 20-30% of the trees in Bertram Park are made up of the species affected by this disease; making this is a dominant species of 2 BCOL Regional Park Advisory Council Meeting Minutes: September 1, 2017 tree for the park. Many of the shade trees around the beach areas are Bur Oak. Zumbro Valley Forestry reported the blight has only wiped out approximately 6-7% of Oak Trees in their experience, but others in Iowa have experienced total loss. Tom Jahnke has researched several treatment options being tried, none of which have been found to work very well at this time. Chemicals used for Oak Wilt have been experimented with. Another option that's been tried is clearing the turf area around the tree, applying mulch, and a fungicide, but the success rate is under 40%. Subspecies affected are the small acorn species, which are the predominant species in MN. The larger acorn species are not affected so hybridization might be an option to look into. Plant pathologists will likely be able to develop a management technique over time. Tom will continue to monitor the park and keep the board up to date on any affects and possible solutions as they develop. 9. Athletic Park Partnership Group Update/Athletic Park Phase 1 Report (Angela) Tom Pawelk. and Angela Schumann will be working on revising the initial concept for the first phase of the Athletic Park project, considering interim fields didn't hold up well without water. They believe it would be beneficial to alter the plan, to better encapsulate storm water management, install a well, and add more parking. They would like to stay within the existing budget, which might be possible by partnering with other groups. This concept will need to be reviewed by the City Council. Tom Pawelk and Angela Schumann are also working with the with BCOLAP Partnership Committee on outlining partnership expectations and aligning the board's priorities with those of partners. Six types of partnerships such as small donations, concession contracts, etc. have been established. It is hoped that a partnership plan will be brought back to board for review by the end of the year. In terms of athletic park timeline, it is anticipated that plans and permitting should be complete in 2018. Construction will begin in 2019. They anticipate the area will be playable in 2020, with project completion potentially in 2023. 11. Outdoor Recreation Program Update Brad Harrington reported that summer programs have been very successful. Only one or two programs have been canceled due to weather or low participation. The Big Canoe Programs filled quickly. A full report will follow at the next meeting about partnership with Clearwater Outfitting. BCOL Regional Park Advisory Council Meeting Minutes: September 1, 2017 Wedding and other rentals have been going well despite limited advertising. Most weekends have been booked for various types of events at the Chalet. They are finding that the Chalet has been utilized more often as an area for changing or prepping for weddings than for receptions. There has been some wear and tear on trails from events (Bertram Blast, mountain bikes), but limited work was needed to repair. Upcoming Events: • The Parks and Recreation Department is looking at putting on a fall program and has commitment from partners such as the Friends Group, YMCA, and Extension. The event would be held at the park on October 28. It will be a fun family -friendly event with five to six stations lasting about four hours. Some ideas for activities included hay rides, YMCA facility use, and games such as pumpkin bowling or apple in a haystack. This event will be a quick turnaround. Brad is still looking for businesses and organizations to take on a piece of the event. • Monticello Cross Country will be holding an event September 9th. There is also a soccer event that same day with 800 players, so parking will be an issue. Brad is working with Dave Wick on ideas to manage the parking. • Timber Dash will be held October 7th and there is also an upcoming Fungus Among Us class taught by Martin. 12. Friends of Bertram Update At the meeting last week they discussed at Eagle Scout project. It has been evident that a changing shelter was needed at the south end entrance (people have been changing in the parking lot; a scout took on building one on as a project. The shelter will be installed tomorrow. Funds of $210 were provided by the Friends. The Blazin' thru Bertram Lavallee Memorial Run will be held on the 16th (an event in memory of Phillip Lavallee who was hit by a distracted driver). Registration will be in the chalet this year. Funds raised from this event are donated to the Friends Group to provide programming. There was a request for the installation of two red maple trees at the starting line. Friends will help with the Parks and Recreation Department in organizing a Fall event on October 28th. They are still discussing which activity they would like to cover, but possibly would like to provide a hay ride to take participants between the activities. Friends provided up to $1500 for a refrigerator for the chalet; anticipating a fridge will be beneficial to have for many of the weddings held in the park. The purchase has not been made yet. 2 BCOL Regional Park Advisory Council Meeting Minutes: September 1, 2017 Tom Jahnke. suggested Friends might work on a project to collect pictures of the park and activities to hang in the Chalet noting the acoustics of the building may be improved with the addition of wall hangings. A business cardibrochure holder was added to the counter in the Chalet to advertise programs. 13. Discussion of Added Items No additions were made. 14. Schedule Next Meeting Derek Vetsch recommended meeting in October to discuss construction and program updates. The next meeting was set for October 6' at 8:00 a.m. at the Chalet. 15. Adjourn Derek Vetch motioned to adjourn and the meeting was adjourned at 9:06 a.m. Recorder: 'Mrah C! usto ? Approval Date: Attest: Administrative Assistant, Extension Martyn Dibben, BCOLAC Chairman 5