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Parks Commission Minutes 05-23-2013PARKS COMMISSION MINUTES I May 23, 2013 MINUTES PARKS COMMISSION THURSDAY MAY 239 2013 - 8 A.M. "To enhance community pride through developing and maintaining Cityparks with a high standard of quality. " Members Present: Larry Nolan, Alan Heidemann, Jack Gregor Members Absent: Nancy McCaffrey, Tim Stalpes Others Present: Tom Pawelk, Park Superintendent Angela Schumann, Community Development Director Bob Paschke, Public Works Director Kevin Sorenson, Riverwood Bank Barb Ryder Alicen Gorecki 1. Call to Order. Chair Larry Nolan called the meeting to order at 8 a.m. and declared a quorum present. 2. Approve Minutes of the March 4, 2013 Special Parks Commission Meeting. LARRY NOLAN MOVED TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL PARKS COMMISSION MEETING ON MARCH 4, 2013. MOTION SECONDED BY ALAN HEIDEMANN. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 3. Consideration of adding items to the agenda. A. Hunters Crossing Park Request B. Hoglund Transportation Canoe /Kayak Rental C. Sidewalk on TH 25 D. Mississippi River Trail 4. Citizens requests and comments. Larry Nolan said that the East Bridge Park Gardeners appreciate all the help from the Parks Department employees. Larry said that with a couple more days of good weather they'll be able to finish the planting in East Bridge Park. Page 1 of 5 PARKS COMMISSION MINUTES I May 23, 2013 5. Monte Club Hill; discussion of private development working within public use area. Tom Pawelk indicated that the City Council is looking for a recommendation from the Parks Commission on the direction of the development of the Monte Club Hill property. Tom shared an aerial map indicating the areas around the property being the water tower park and the natural area which is planning to be developed for disc golf sometime in the future. There is a private farmstead on to the east of the property and an undeveloped field to the south which is planned for an upscale single family home development. Angela Schumann informed the Parks Commission that a private developer had approached the City Council recently about developing a multi - family (100 unit apartment) type structure on the hill. Angela called in the private developers, IRET Properties, on a conference call and they provided a summary of what they found in looking at the feasibility of the site. It was indicated that with the various constraints of the hill that only a small portion of the property would be buildable. The other issues they indicated were the expense of the infrastructure to bring in sewer and water from the current terminus points and issues with water pressure. The costs were extremely high for the infrastructure at over $1 million and the company indicated that it just wasn't feasible to develop from a cost standpoint. They stated that it would be over double the normal cost of developing. Larry Nolan indicated that some years ago there was a development proposal on the property for a townhome style development. Larry also said that he was aware of a petition recently signed by residents to keep the hill preserved as parkland. IRET said that extending services to individual homes or townhomes /condos would significantly alter the terrain and tree cover. The developers agreed that it seemed like a very nice fit for a park development with the historical value of the site and the wonderful views. Tom Pawelk said this is a beautiful natural area in Monticello with a panoramic view of the whole city and would make for a wonderful scenic overlook and future trail connections along Fenning Avenue. Kevin Sorenson from Riverwood Bank introduced himself and said that he wanted to speak about not developing the Monte Club Hill into private development but for it to remain natural parkland. He is an avid biking enthusiast and said he feels that the recreation aspect in Monticello is a huge piece as it relates to the Mississippi River, biking, hiking and pathways. He said he feels the Monte Club Hill is the "crown jewel" of Monticello and lends itself extremely well to natural biking and hiking trails and those recreational types of activities, as well as it being a perfect spot to have a picnic with the view and being able to look out over the entire town. ALAN HEIDEMANN MOVED TO DESIGNATE THE MONTE CLUB HILL AS PARKLAND DUE TO THE HIGH COST OF DEVELOPMENT AND TO MAINTAIN THE NATURAL AREA; AND FURTHER, AFTER COUNCIL APPROVAL, TO Page 2 of 5 PARKS COMMISSION MINUTES I May 23, 2013 PROCEED WITH PLANNING AND USES TO UTILIZE THE PARK. MOTION SECONDED BY JACK GREGOR. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 6. Motion to approve library book pods in designated parks. Alicen Gorecki introduced herself and her grandmother, Barb Ryder. Alicen said she grew up in the Monticello area and graduated from Monticello High School in 2012. She said she sees a need to promote sharing, reading and book discussions within the park setting. She is proposing to build and pay for a mini book booth to be placed in one of Monticello's main parks on the Mississippi River. She said this is a way to move old books to new hands and would be made available to all ages from toddlers to adults. The synopsis is a mini free library where a user takes a book and replaces it with another book or returns the book when done reading. An example would be the Little Free Library and information can be found online at www.littlefreelibrary.org Some cities that have mini book booths in Minnesota are Burnsville and St. Paul and Barb said that she will do some research to see if other towns have them and how they are running. The Little Free Library has mini book booths worldwide. It's a great way to promote the parks and promote interaction and a sense of community with reading and discussions. Alicen said that initially she will stock the book booth and will request book donations from her church and other groups. The book booth should be replenished on its own from users as they become familiar with the process. Alicen said that she will monitor the booth twice weekly to make sure everything is going smoothly. There was discussion about vandalism and Tom Pawelk felt that it would be best to start with a small book both as a trial and then if it grows from that they could be expanded into other parks within the Monticello Park System. Larry Nolan agreed that the first book booth should be simple and inexpensive and he suggested for the trial booth to be placed in West Bridge Park near the play structure. Alicen said that she would like to get the book booth up and running this summer. ALAN HEIDEMANN MOVED TO IMPLEMENT A MINI BOOK BOOTH IN THE PARK SYSTEM AND FOR VOLUNTEER ALICEN GORECKI TO COORDINATE WITH THE PARK SUPERINTENDENT TO APPROVE THE DESIGN, FINAL STRUCTURE AND LOCATION OF THE BOOTH. MOTION SECONDED BY JACK GREGOR. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 7. Discussion of Timber Ridge Town Home Association park request. Tom Pawelk said that the Timber Ridge Town Home Association has once again approached him with a request to give the city land in exchange for the city developing it into a neighborhood park with a play structure with the city maintaining it. Tom said they had come forward with this request a couple years ago and it was denied at that time. Tom said that with the new Monticello Comprehensive Park Plan the plan is to provide for larger public park land and go away from the private development parks. Tom said that there is no history of the city owning and maintaining a park within a private development. Tom indicated that there are two (2) city parks and Montissippi Regional Park within a mile of the Timber Ridge Development. Furthermore, with the budget Page 3 of 5 PARKS COMMISSION MINUTES I May 23, 2013 constraints, there are no funds for this future park development. The discussion was that there isn't a need for the park at this time and there could be maintenance and liability issues for the city. This may be re- looked at in a few years for development. ALAN HEIDEMANN MOVED TO DENY THE CITY PARK REQUEST FROM TIMER RIDGE TOWN HOME ASSOCIATION AT THIS TIME. MOTION SECONDED BY JACK GREGOR. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. 8. Discussion of Walk -n -Roll Parks Commission booth. Tom Pawelk asked the Parks Commission members to volunteer to work the parks booth at the Walk -n -Roll event on June 15th from 8 a.m. to 12 -noon. Jack Gregor and Larry Nolan indicated that they will plan to work at the event. Alan Heidemann indicated he's unable to work the event due to a family commitment 9. Great River Trail Head protect update. Tom Pawelk said that they held the groundbreaking ceremony for the Great River Trail Head project on Monday, May 20th. The project is temporarily on hold until the contractor's bond clears. Both Segments 1 and 2 need to be completed by the end of June for the grant funding so the contractor may request to work extra to complete the job. 10. Discussion of added items. A. Hunters Crossing Park Request. Tom Pawelk said that a resident living in the Hunters Crossing Development has a made a request for the City to put in a play structure and a pathway in the development's park. Tom said that the development of this parkland does not currently meet the criteria in the Comprehensive Parks Plan. Tom's recommendation is to install the pathway for the necessity of pedestrian travel to and from and school. This was one of the areas proposed in the Safe Routes to School Grant for a pathway connection from Fallon Avenue to Hunter's Crossing. JACK GREGOR MOVED TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE CITY COUNCIL TO PUT THE PATHWAY CONNECTION IN FOR HUNTER'S CROSSING IN THE 2014 BUDGET DUE TO THE SAFETY ISSUE FOR CHILDREN. MOTION SECONDED BY ALAN HEIDEMANN. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. B. Hoglund Transportation Canoe /Kayak Rental. Tom Pawelk said that Joe and Kari Kounkel of Hoglund Transportation have approached the city about providing canoe/kayak and bike rentals near West Bridge Park. The proposal will be brought to the City Council for the approved business use of the parking lot on Block 52 across from West Bridge Park. Tom said their business is being named Paddle, Pedal & Play, and they are anticipating a start date for service as early as mid -June. Page 4 of 5 PARKS COMMISSION MINUTES I May 23, 2013 C. Sidewalk on TH 25. Angela Schumann informed the commission that Mn/DOT will placing new sidewalk on the west side of TH 25 next summer from Oakwood Drive to Chelsea Road. Mn/DOT is planning acceleration lanes and a 4 lane expansion on TH 25 to Kjellberg's and with that project they'll be doing a mill and overlay between the interchange and where the expansion starts, including ped ramp improvements along the corridor. Angela approached them about putting in the new sidewalk and was happy to report that they agreed to put that portion in as part of the project with no additional expense to the city. D. Mississippi River Trail. Angela Schumann informed the commission that Mn/DOT was supposed to come in and sign the designated Mississippi River Trail route this summer but it has been postponed to next summer. This trail segment is in the area designated as the "Wild and Scenic River" 10. Next meeting scheduled for July 25, 2013. The Next regular Parks Commission Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, July 25, 2013 at 8 a.m. in the Public Works conference room. Tom Pawelk said that he will email the commission if any issues come up that would require a special meeting prior to that date. 10. Adiourn. ALAN HEIDEMANN MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 9:25 A.M. MOTION SECONDED BY JACK GREGOR. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. RECORDED BY: �Bth &wn Administrative Assistant DATE APPROVED: 07 -25 -2013 --7 ATTEST:" �- Page 5 of 5