Loading...
Parks Commission Minutes 11-15-2001 . . . MIN UTES REGULAR MEETING -PARKS COMMISSION Thursday, November 15,2001 - 4:30 p.m. Members Present: Larry Nolan, Fran Fair, Nancy McCaffrey and Earl Smith. Members Absent: Stall: Rick Traver and Council Liaison, Roger Carlson. Tom Grossnickle and John Simola I. Call to Order. Chair Larry Nolan called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. and declared a quorum present. 2. Approval of minutes of the October 18, 2001 regular meeting. 3. 4. FRAN FAIR MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES or THE OCTOBER 18.2001 REGULAR MEETING AS PRESEN'TT~D. EARL SMITII SECONDED TI IE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSL Y. Consideration of add in!:! items to the a!:!enda. None. Citizens Requests. Michelle Engle, representing Monticello Youth Hockey was present to discuss the 4th Street Hockey Rink and who will be responsible for Hooding of the rink and maintenance. Public Works Director John Simola stated that they will be meeting with the hockey association and find out what is expected and determine who should responsible for what items. Michelle Engle indicated that the hockey association does the painting of the boards. John Simola also noted that they have not been able to get rink attendants to work at the 4th Street site. The rink attendants returning from last year stated they did not want to work there because of problems with some of those individuals using the site. Gregg Engle will contact John SimoIa as br as meeting with the Executive Board of the hockey association. Initially the parents of the hockey players had flooded the rink but because the City had the appropriate equipment and also because of liability issues, the Parks Department took on the responsibility of flooding the rinks. The hockey association would like to see that continued. Earl Smith suggested that a subcommittee be set up on this and volunteered to serve on the committee. Larry Nolan will serve as well. The Parks Commission asked to see what written agreement, if any, the City had with the hockey association. Michelle Englcindicated that the Parks Commission will be receiving the newsletter from the Monticello Y o lith Hockey Association and she urged that the lines of communication be kept . . . Parks Conllnission Minutes - 11/15/01 open bctween the City, the Park Department and the various organizations who use the City fllcilities. 5. West Hrid2;e Park - Pr02ress Report. Tom Cirossnickle reported that drain tile had been installed at West Bridge Parle The old playground structure has been removed. Next spring the Park Department will either sod or seed the disrupted area. They would like to see some plantings for around the trees. Fran Fair and Naney McCamey said they would see if their group could do something with that. The skating rink will be located in the same place as previous years but will a little bit smaller. Larry Nolan suggested that maybe next year as part of Walk and Roll, they could feature the playground structure in some fashion like ehristening the ship or highlighting it in some way. Another suggestion was to have a flag with the City logo placed on the ship. 6. Pionccr Park - Progrcss Report. John Simola reported on the progress ofthe Lions shelter at the park noting that three trees had to be removed and some additional work was needed in the area of the building pad. The roof structure is up and High Tech Roofing will be doing the roofing work, possibly starting next week. They are looking at using steel cupolas instcad of cedar. The cupolas will be installcd at the same time the roof is. John Simola stated that the park building was discussed at the budget workshop held by the City Council. Because of the addition of the restrooms to the structure, the cost of the facility would increase. The Couneil questioned whether it was necessary to have this used as a food preparation hlcility since that use required that restrooms be included. If the use changed and it was just an open air structure, the plans would need to be reviewed and revised if necessary. It was felt that this should come back to the Parks Commission for review. Earl Sn1ith felt that the Parks Commissions had eommitted to the Lions Club that the facility would have food preparation done there. The Lions had discussed having not only Lion functions held out there but other events as well that would utilize the food preparation facilities. Larry Nolan suggested that the Parks Commission talk to the Lions Club and get their views. Earl Smith will eontacl the Lions. "lhe Parks Comlnission diseussed how adding the restrooll1S will impact the eost of construction. John SinlOla indicated that it depends on the number of fixtures. lie suggested that after talking to the Lions to see if they want to proeeed with it, then the Park Department will get prices for the restrooms. TOln Grossnickle, who is also a Lion member. said the Lions had emphasized their desire to have some vending facilities as part of the building. If the restrooms are added the question is where will the funds needed f()r the restroolllS come fron1. John Simola noted that the City had been budgeting for a backhoe and there was an opportunity to pursue getting a used backhoe. If that happened then some of the funds budgeted f()r that could be used towards the restrooms. I t was also suggested that when Earl Smith talked to the Lions he ask if they could provide any financial support to help with the cost of the restrooms. The Lions had pledged $40,000 ft)r the shelter but it was not clear whether this was all materials and labor ? . . . Parks Commission M i nutcs - 11/15/01 donation or if any of it would be cash. j':arl Smith will chcck this out with the Lions. John Simola also stated that the Parks Department was going to start opening up the restrooms again and see ifthey could be used instead of satellitcs. Thc City had gone to satellites because of problems with vandalism. In further discussion of the park budget. John Simola rcportcd that the Council had deferred the 2002 expenditure for the Community Center Park and that was the only change to the park budget. The Parks Commission felt the MCC park was not a priority for park devclopment. John Simola prcsentcd a Inap which showed the residential developmcnt around Pioneer Park and thc eascmcnts in place to provide access to the park. The Park COlnmission felt that at least rough grading of any trai Is should be done immediately as this providcs a visual landmark for the propcrty owner so that thcy arc aware therc is a trail and where it runs. Thcre is some question on thc eascment for Lot 10, Block 8, Klein Farms 4th. John Simola will contact the property owner and Inakc sure the property owner is aware of the trail cascment. 7. Park Maintenance Items. Tom Grossnickle submittcd a list of the work completed by thc park staff in October. Earl Smith asked about the cemetery. It was noted that maintenancc of IJillside Cemetery is included in the Park Department budget and Riversidc Cemctcry is an enterprise fund which is Incant to bc sclf supporting. The Parks Commission discusscd the cleanup of debris fh)m thc fcncc and hcdgc around Hillside Cemetery. Sincc much of the debris comes from nearby restaurants it was questioned what could be donc so that those who generate the debris hclp defray the cost of cleaning it up. The contractor has not yet removed the trees on the east side of the trail by Otter Creck. Thc trcc removal was contracted out bccausc ofthc powcr line and the proximity to thc roadway. Tom (lrossnieklc will contact the finn to see how soon they will be able to rcmove the trees. Earl Smith asked about thc gatcs by the bridge at Otter Creck and whether it wouldn't be possible to Icavc thcm opcn at least until it snows otherwise it is difficult to maneuver across on a bike. The Parks Commission also asked whether all the trails had been signcd as br a snowmobile use including thc new eOlnpletcd trail in Meadow Oaks. John Simola stated that the new pathway is in the City's Snow Plowing and Removal Policy so it will be cleared. 8. Review of park and trailwav system for Grovcland Addition. A map showing thc proposcd trails and park land for the Grovcland development was submitted to the Parks COIlHnission. Jeff 0' N EI LL stated that there was no cash park dedication since the development would be dedicating 1 O(j(J of the land area. The map showed a 5+ acre park and the lincar area around the various wetlands. Again the Parks COllllnission requested that the trail be rough graded in at this point so that those buying lots know wherc the trail is going to run. There \vas some discussion on what portions of the trail were actually eonstructcd and whether the trail '1 . . . Parks Commission Minutes - 11/15/01 whether the trail had been signed. Larry Nolan felt the Parks Commission should look at the Groveland area and make a determination on how the park land should be developed. Earl Smith stated that thcre are a number of new developments ane! the Parks Commission needs to prioritize the ordcr these parks will be developed. When the Parks Commission considers the Groveland Park area, John Simola will bring in a grading plan so they can see the topography they have to deal with. The Parks Commission asked that a listing of the parks for new developments be placed on the next agenda. 9. Park Superintendent Replacement - Update. A copy of the revised job description for the Park Superintcndent position was sent to the Parks ConHnission members. John Simola went over the changes in the job description. Most of the changes were minor and did not change the scope or nature of the position. One area that was discussed was inspection of the parks. Currently inspections are done and documented but the frequency of inspections and f()llowup on items notee! in inspections needs to be looked at. It was leJt that weekly inspections should be done. Larry Nolan asked if maintenance manuals wcre supplied with each new play structure. Tom Grossnickle indicated generally they arc. Tom Grossnickle will provide an inspection report form with next agenda so that the Parks Comrnission sees what is being covered in the inspections. Another item that the parks staff will give attention to is the wood chips by thc structures Inaking sure they are in sufficient quantity and periodically fluffed. Also changed in the job description was that a basic knowledge of computers was included. John Simola also reported that a half-tinle person is going to be hired by the Public Works Department to assist the Public Works Secretary and work with the ballfield scheduling. The Parks Commission discussed the use of the ballfields, how the scheduling was handled, use of the fields for fiJotball and what field maintenance should be done by the park staff and what should be done by the groups using the ficld. The Parks Department will look at the agrcements with the various groups and IT-assess what has been done. They will also look at the use of the fields for football. Earl Smith felt that it was the Parks Commission's responsibility to make their existing facilities as good as possible but not create facilities in order to meet a perceived need. The deadline f(Jr submitting applications for the Park Superintendent position is December ]Ih. It is anticipated that a week or two will be needed to review the applications and interview the candidates. It is hoped to have someone in place around the first of the year. Earl Smith stated he hoped the applicant hired had compassion and sensitivity towards park. Nancy McCaffrey would like to see an individual with organizational skills and the ability to keep the ball rolling on various projects and Larry Nolan felt that long range planning ability was important in this position. During the interim until a new Park Superintendent is hired. Torn Grossnickle was designatcd as acting superintended by John Simola, Public Works Director. John Simola felt this provided better continuity than rotating the supervisory duties among the stall. 4 . . . Parks Commission M inutes ~ 11/15/01 10. Report on Minnesota Recreation ~llld Park Association Conference. Larry Nolan and Nancy McCaffrey had attended this conference in Duluth and reported back on the sessions they attended. Nancy McCaffrey attended a scssion on grant writing and brought back some information will bc copied Jor each of the Parks Commission members and a copy will also be given to John Glomski who is working on grant applications Jor the City. The Parks ConHnission asked if John (i-Iomski could attend a meeting to discuss the grant applications. The Parks Cor11lnission would also like to review grant applications prior to submittal. John Simola indicated that he will also have various members of the park staff attend a meeting. Nancy McCaffrey at one of the sessions talked with a Paul Kangas, a landscape architect who works with entrance signs design. He indicated he would be willing to Ineet with the Parks Commission and discuss what is available. It was noted that there are certain regulations governing signage on state highways that would have to be considered in selecting entrance signs. The Chamber of Commerce has in1ormation on what other communities have done. Nancy McCafJi-ey will have Mr. Kangas attend the next meeting or whatever meeting date works into his schedule. Another session dealt with birdwatching and the interest in that. Since Monticello has a good number of species. including trumpeter swans and suitable habitat for watching. was it possiblc for something to be done to promote this. Larry Nolan attended scssion on ADA requirements tor playground structures. He notcd that the City of Duluth set up revitalization program that scheduled replaccment of old equipment. Another session dealt with a walking program implclnented by thc I-Icnnepin County Parks system. It was suggested that this could be a joint venture with the hospital district. Another scssion dealt with bicycle communities where pedestrian and bicycle travel were the main forms of transportation. The Parks Commission discussed the trail system in Monticello and also options for the trail segment from Gillard to County Road 39. They also discussed the use of sidewalks by bicycles. Although sidewalks are generally meant for pedestrian trame, moving the bicycles off the roadway offered some advantages as J~u as safety. Earl Slnith questioned how much of the Battle Rapids area was the City going to maintain and also whether there wercn 'tlimitations on what individuals could do on park lanel. He felt the clearing of the area was rather extensive and questioned whether the City would be able to maintain that arca. John Simola suggested putting together a document that would spell out what individuals could do in the Battle Rapids area. If these individuals wantcd to adopt that park then they should f(Jllow the procedures of the adopt a park program. There was also concern that removal of so nHlch of the natural vegetation in this area could creatc an erosion problem. 5 . . . Parks Conllnission Minutes - 11/15/0 I II. Adjourn. EARL SMITH MOVED TO ADJOURN AT 6:30 P.M. NANCY MCCAFFREY SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSL Y. ~_~S>~~~_._._._ Recording Secretary 6