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Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes 07-26-2018PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES I JULY 26, 2018 MINUTES PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING THURSDAY JULY 26, 2018 - 9:15 A.M. "To enhance community pride through developing and maintaining City parks with a high standard of quality. " Members Present: Lynn Anderson, Bill Fair, Julie Jelen, Nancy McCaffrey, Brian Stoll Members Absent: Anna Bohanon, Jack Gregor, Karen Vetsch Staff Present: Sara Cahill, Beth Green, Matt Leonard, Tom Pawelk, Sue Seeger, Others Present: Eva Kelly, WSB & Associates 1. Call to Order. Chair Brian Stoll called the meeting called to order at 9:18 a.m. and declared a quorum. 2. Approve Minutes of Regular Parks & Recreation Commission Meeting from May 24, 2018. NANCY MCCAFFREY MOVED TO APPROVE THE MAY 24, 2018 REGULAR PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES. MOTION SECONDED BY JULIE JELEN. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY, 4-0. 3. Consideration of adding items to the agenda. A. Signage at Mississippi River Parks. 4. Citizens requests and comments. Nancy McCaffrey said the center island by the middle school is a weedy mess, along with many of the islands going west on Broadway. Pawelk said staff talked about it and will propose to council to concrete the medians and place above ground planters, like those along Cedar Street & School Boulevard. The irrigation stubs are already in place. Lynn Anderson said she took a group of bikers around Monticello and they were very impressed. She said their final stop was at Montiview Park and she suggested installing a watering station up there for the cyclists. Page 1 of 7 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES I JULY 26, 2018 5. Mississippi River Trail Connection. Tom Pawelk reviewed the area behind the hospital and Presbyterian Homes, adjoining Ellison Park. Currently the trail dead ends and the city is looking at putting in a trail connection and a bridge. Public Works is currently working with the hospital and Presbyterian Homes to make the section adjacent to their buildings an ADA trail. An amount of $75,000 is being proposed for next year. The hospital is on board and excited about the project but they still need to present it to the board to determine their financial participation. Bill Fair mentioned extending an invitation to Mrs. Bondhus to attend a meeting so she can understand that the intention is to connect the trail and potentially bring up the idea about an easement through her property to complete the connection. Pawelk said this will go to council review for the budget process on August 13, and the meeting with the hospital is on August 23. If any commission members want to be a part of that meeting they should coordinate with Pawelk on the meeting time. 6. Great River Trail Extension. Tom Pawelk said that there are plans to extend the Great River Trail through Xcel Energy property. This is a regional trail plan with Wright County, Clearwater, and Otsego. The goal is to keep the trail along the river as much as possible. The barrier at the Xcel Energy property is that anything beyond the 3 -strand security fence is off limits to the public. The leadership at Xcel will provide us with options for the trail extensions. The goal is to make the trail connection all the way to Clearwater next year. This will also require a railroad crossing from BNSF which the county is working on. Grant funds will be needed for the project. 7. Pedestrian Improvement Proiects. Tom Pawelk said that he is has been working on pathway connections (for dead ends and/or unfinished projects) for pedestrian safety, and City Council requested staff to obtain quotes for the project. The project estimate was $200,000 and the quotes came in extremely high at $600,000, so the project was denied at this time. Matt Leonard explained that it's a timing issue because it's late in the season and contractors are already booked out. Staff will look at reposting the project in the fall or winter before the contractors are booked for the year, and then the bids should hopefully come in on budget. Proposed connections include: • Intersection of Walnut Street and Broadway Street • 6t' Street between Walnut Street and TH 25 • 7th Street from Cedar Street to the east • Oakwood Drive from TH 25 to Cedar Street • Bakken Street between Garvey Court and Rolling Woods Park • CSAH 39 between Mississippi Drive and Broadway Street Page 2 of 7 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES I JULY 26, 2018 8. Riverside Cemetery. a. Cremation Grave Foundation Maximum Width Change: Tom Pawelk noted the current size regulations for marker foundations in the cremation section are 48", which is too large as the foundations end up encroaching upon one another because the lot size is 48" x 48". The proposal is to reduce the maximum size to a 44" base and a 36" stone for the cremation section. This will aesthetically look better and will also allow for mowing and trimming between stones. NANCY MCCAFFREY MOVED TO APPROVE THE FOUNDATION SIZE CHANGE REQUIREMENT IN THE CREMATION SECTION TO A MAXIMM 44" BASE WITH A MAXIMUM 36" MONUMENT AT RIVERSIDE CEMETERY. MOTION SECONDED BY JULIE JELEN. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY, 4-0. b. Columbarium Project: Tom Pawelk said that he has placed $60,000 in the CIP Budget for 2019 for this project. The columbarium would be placed at the main entrance by the flag pole. The Hospital District has been in contact with the City to do a partnership as they are looking for burial places for stillborn and deceased babies. They have agreed to commit $20,000 towards the project and in return they will have 50 spots reserved. They are proposing to engrave the section with "Our Beloved Children". Pawelk said the complete cost including installation is $60,000. The potential of this will bring in a half million dollars revenue to the city over time. The benefit is being able to do burials year-round. Pawelk noted that the trend is moving towards cremation burials over traditional casket burials, and 65% of business at the cemetery is now in cremations. It should also be noted that staff is reaching out to the American Legion and VFW to replace the flagpoles after the installation of the columbarium. LYNN ANDERSON MOVED TO RECOMMEND PROCEEDING WITH THE COLUMBARIUM PROJECT AT RIVERSIDE CEMETERY. MOTION SECONDED BY NANCY MCCAFFREY. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY, 4-0. 9. 4tn Street Park All -Inclusive Playground Concept. Tom Pawelk said that upon researching the all-inclusive playground, it was determined that it is too high of a cost to undertake at this time. It would be approximately $115,000 for the surfacing of an 80 x 80 area plus $92,000 for the playground equipment and $35,000 for installation. Pawelk said that he and Matt Leonard reviewed the all-inclusive concept design to see about minimizing it to reduce the cost. As an alternative, an amount of $20,000 has been placed in the 2019 CIP Budget for this project, and Pawelk said they will include a couple of pieces of all-inclusive equipment. Brian Stoll asked about grant opportunities for a project such as this, and Leonard said they will look into the option of grants and what's available. Julie Jelen said she has seen the all-inclusive playgrounds in Page 3 of 7 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES I JULY 26, 2018 larger communities such as St. Cloud and Willmar. The commission agreed that putting in a few all-inclusive pieces in the park would be a good start to the park improvements. NANCY MCCAFFREY MOVED TO APPROVE THE ADDITION OF $20,000 IN THE 2019 PARKS BUDGET TO IMPROVE 4TH STREET PARK WITH PIECES OF ALL-INCLUSIVE EQUIPMENT. MOTION SECONDED BY LYNN ANDERSON. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY, 4-0. 10. Pioneer Park Splash Pad Study. Matt Leonard said that WSB completed the needs and feasibility study of Pioneer Park for the splash pad locations. Before they go any further, Leonard said it would be important for the commission to review the locations and speak with WSB regarding the study and any questions they may have. A conference call with WSB was initiated. The rep from WSB noted that four locations were analyzed based upon certain criteria such as distance to existing utilities, walking distance to the parking lot, distance to restrooms, etc. Based upon the criteria, the West site ranked 1St place (the old tot lot playground) and (a new) Central site ranked 2nd place. The commission expressed concerns about the study in that they had originally selected two sites, with one being the west site (old tot lot) and the other being at the sand volleyball court. Lynn Anderson inquired as to why the study didn't include that site. Other discussions included the restroom location and if there is a state requirement to have restrooms a certain distance from a splash pad. WSB said there is not a state requirement but that the rule of thumb is the closer the better to ensure that the public is happy. The commission asked WSB to go back and provide costs for expanding the parking lot to the west (where the current car show is held during Riverfest), and to have that entrance from the existing pad off of School Boulevard. Also, noting the first location choice is to place the pad over the existing sand volleyball area. WSB will go back and complete the study based upon the recommendations from the commission. JULIE JELEN MOVED TO REQUEST WSB TO COMPLETE THE STUDY FOR THE SPLASH PAD LOCATION AT THE EXISTING SAND VOLLEYBALL COURT AND TO INCLUDE COSTS FOR ADDING A NEW PARKING LOT TO THE WEST GRASSY AREA, INCLUDING AN ENTRANCE OFF OF SCHOOL BOULEVARD, ALONG WITH UTILITIES TO BE RUN FROM SCHOOL BOULEVARD. AND, ALSO, TO COMPARE WITH COSTS TO EXPAND THE EXISTING PARKING LOT AND RUN UTILITIES FROM THERE. MOTION SECONDED BY NANCY MCCAFFREY. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY, 4-0. 11. BCOL Proiect Status Update. Tom Pawelk said that he has been touring systems for irrigation at the park where lift stations are used to circulate and reuse water from the overflow pond. A video of this type of system was reviewed by the commission. Pawelk noted that the entire site will be draining back to the pond. Pawelk said he will go on more site tours with Parks and Page 4 of 7 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES I JULY 26, 2018 maintenance staff and will keep the commission in the loop if they want to attend. Julie Jelen and Bill Fair said they would be interested in the tours. Pawelk also informed the commission that the city council was presented a localized sales tax option that would have given us a 10 -year plan to pay for the complete build -out of the athletic complex. If approved, the option would have been included on the ballot at the general election in November for the public to vote on; however, the option did not pass at the council. Tom apologized that the commission didn't have a chance to review this prior to the council meeting. In two years, the sales tax option it could be considered again. At this time, the council has approved $2.5 million (liquor revenue) for the first phase of the project which will include the infrastructure, ponding, irrigation, parking, two premier soccer fields and rough graded baseball fields on the north section of the complex. Almost 60% plan review is done for the first phase. Once plans are closer to complete review, they will be brought to commission for review and recommendation to city council. The project will go out for bids as soon as plans are complete and approved. The goal is to start construction next spring, to get turf growing by August, and to have fields playable 2020. 12. Monticello Community Center Update. Sara Cahill gave an overview of the MCC operations and events for the season. The summer "Music on the Mississippi" has been very successful with around 550 in attendance at the first concert, and over 600 at the second concert. The expectation is that the third concert in the series will be the highest attended. Cahill said they are already looking at next year and how to continue that series and potentially grow it. One obstacle is that many other communities have summer concerts on Thursday nights so they may look at changing it to a Friday night for next year. They will apply for the arts grant again next year for the music events. Other issues included no -smoking in the park not being followed and next year they will ask the bands to make that announcement at the beginning of the concert and during if necessary. Bill Fair asked about the city looking into a portable band stand, potentially on a trailer that could be moved from park to park. Pawelk said that this would need to come out of the arts budget. Other MCC programming has been going well this summer, including the Farmer's Market, Friendship Island. The annual softball tournament during Riverfest went very well, with 15 teams competing, and there was a lot of beer sold. The new yoga studio at the West Prairie Building is working great and they have been holding 8 classes/week. Park rentals are being reviewed by staff. Currently, rentals are offered on 6 -hour increments, but there are suggestions to offer 2 -hour rentals and this could potentially increase the rental revenue. Bill Fair brought up the use of alcohol in the park. Staff will work with the city clerk on the language used in the Parks & Facility Use Policy so it is clear for renters. Page 5 of 7 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES I JULY 26, 2018 13. Creative Arts Consultant Update (Sue Seeger). a. August 25th Creative City Celebration: Sue Seeger said the event will take place from 2-5 p.m. in the greenspace off Walnut Street near Wells Fargo. The featured event will be public voting for the banner art contest. There will also be a dance performance, community theater, library, and writers are creating Monticello related pieces to be read or performed, along with two mini plays to be performed. Seeger said that artists can register for a free booth to display and sell their fine art work to the public. b. Grant Opportunities: Seeger noted that she has met with a consultant on additional grant funding programs and they have identified three specific grants for 2019. A grant request will be submitted to the Central Minnesota Arts Board for the bridge underpass. A 3-phase plan is being created for that area connecting East & West Bridge Parks, which would involve something on the wall, changing the fence to a more attractive railing out of the old bridge railing with a bar top so people could sit there and have their lunch looking over the river. The third phase of the underpass is a collaborative idea with school district and make it a contest to have motion sensors under there which could be sounds, projected art, lights, etc. Seeger noted that the shimmer wall was paid for with a Public Art Grant from the Central MN Arts Board. There is a 25% match on the grant but doesn't have to be a cash match, it can be an in-kind match. For 2019, it is still being determined what project we will approach to request this grant. The request will potentially be anywhere from $10,000 to $25,000 for public art, depending on the size of the project. There is also a Festival Grant available from the State Arts Board. This would likely be a larger amount, possibly for a street arts festival that would involve hiring a number of muralists to create work on the backs and sides of buildings adjoining parking areas. Seeger noted that if we make those off-street parking areas more interesting then perhaps it could draw -in the public to the downtown area. If that turns out to not be practical, they will look at having some kind of art related event to draw people downtown. The deadline for that grant was in March, and the new grant cycle hasn't been revealed yet. If that grant is applied for and received, the funds would be distributed in 2020. Other funding options could be from companies doing business in Monticello. Will look into approaching them with the opportunity to invest in Monticello. There are plans to beautify vacant areas down town. These companies could raise their public profile by sponsoring areas, events, public art, etc. Seeger explained that she really wants to make sure that the public feels very engaged in the process and that they think of it as their arts program. As soon as there is space available to operate out of (i.e., Fred's Auto), there will be an open house for the arts initiative, inviting in the public and will look at hosting public Page 6 of 7 PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES I JULY 26, 2018 work nights. Seeger said she is working with the school district and the library for arts programming. She has also been invited to join the Riverfest committee next year, and she may join the Monticello Lions. The old service station downtown may be used for the arts. Lynn Anderson brought up an idea of "poetry on demand". She will get information on creative writing group contacts in Monticello for Seeger, and Nancy McCaffrey said she will provide Monticello historian contacts. 14. Park Project Updates. a. Featherstone Park Playground and Shelter: The playground is in. The new shelter and sidewalk need to be done, along with landscaping and trees. b. Rolling Woods Park Shelter: This is the first prefab building that the city has put up and it has worked really well. c. East Bridge Park Work Project: Volunteers from the Riverside Church youth group were in for two days working on the hillside. They removed old vines and thistle and put in wood chips. Parks staff will be replacing three benches in the park and Larry Nolan's bench will be in next week. d. Pathway Maintenance: Contractor will be back in late August to finish job. e. Tree and Weed Inspections: All inspections will be done by September 1St f. Ellison House: House to be listed for sale. Money from sale will go into updating the log shelter at Ellison Park. A summary will be provided to the Ellison's. 15. Discussion of added items. a. Mississippi River Signage: The idea is to put up signage showing distance to the Mississippi headwaters and distance to the Gulf of Mexico. Potentially a sign on the bridge, which could be funded as an arts initiative project. 16. Next regular meeting scheduled for September 27, 2018. The next regular Parks Commission Meeting is scheduled for September 27, 2018, at 9:15 a.m. in the Public Works Conference Room. 14. Adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 11:40 a.m. RECORDED BY: C5�ea r C\qm-en DATE APPROVED: 9/ 18 ATTEST: Page 7 of 7