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BCOL Advisory Council Minutes 10-07-2011MINUTES BERTRAM CHAIN OF LAKES REGIONAL PARK ADVISORY COUNCIL Friday, October 7th, 20118:05 a.m. Bridge Room, Monticello Community Center Advisory Council Members Present: Martyn Dibben, Jim Lindberg, Lyle Trunnel, Pat Sawatzke, Rose Thelen, Gene Emanuel, Wes Olson, Sandra Theros, Glen Posusta, Clint Herbst Advisory Council Members Absent: Pete Stupar, Janice Bergstrom, Larry Hance Staff Present: Jeff O'Neill, Marc Mattice, Kitty Baltos, Tom Pawelk, Graham Sones Staff Absent: Angela Schumann, Stacy Marquardt Others Present: Dustin Craig, Drew Sorenson 1) Cali to order Martyn Dibben called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m. 2) Approval of August 5, 2011 Meeting Minutes SANDRA THEROS MOVED TO APPROVE THE AUGUST 5, 2011 MEETING MINUTES. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY JIM LINDBERG. MOTION CARRIED 10 -0. 3) Consideration of addin$4 to and approving agenda None Action Items: 1. Presentation and request from Dustin Craig and Drew Sorenson representing the MN Chapter of Kicking Bear 1 -On -1 Volunteers representing Kicking Bear 1 -On -1 presented a request to use Bertram Park as a host site for their annual weekend camp event. They introduced a You Tube video and invited the committee to explore the Kicking Bear website ht : //kickin bear.org for more information about the program and its values. Kicking Bear is a not for profit group which provides opportunities to mentor youth and get them outdoors. The program exists in 20 states across the nation and is currently utilizing the Bald Eagle Sportsman's Club in Hugo for its initial MN camp site. The MN chapter hopes host a camp of 200 -300 kids ages 5 -15 initially and eventually offer camps for up to a thousand kids per weekend. Campers are accompanied by mentors. The camp is scheduled for June 8 -10, 2012. Advertising is targeted through schools, churches, and local organizations. The program is supported by sponsors such as Diamond Archery and Nikon and countless volunteers. All Bertram Advisory Council Minutes 10/07/11 camp expenses are paid through an annual fundraiser. Any money remaining is utilized to fund mentoring activities throughout the year. There was some discussion about the types of activities provided as well as how overnight, sanitation, and parking, and maintenance accommodations would be handled. A special use permit would also be required for use of sporting firearms such as pellet guns. After some consideration the committee decided to give further thought to establishing a policy to handle requests such as this in the future. Kicking Bear representatives understood that this request might be best revisited for the 2013 camping season. ROSE THELEN MOVED TO TABLE THE REQUEST TO UTILIZE BERTRAM PARK FOR THE PROPOSED 2012 KICKING BEAR 1 -ON -1 CAMPING EVENT UNTIL THE NOVEMBER MEETING WHEN MORE DETAILED INFORMATION WOULD BE PROVIDED. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY GENE EMANUEL. MOTION CARRIED 10 -0. 2. Lake George Regional Park/Guy Robinson Y Camp Tour Report Eight members of the Advisory Council attended the YMCA camp tour on September 25th. A written summary of the tour was provided with the meeting agenda and a photo slideshow was presented to highlight the discussion that followed. The purpose of the tour was to get a sense as to how Anoka County Parks handles a shared use agreement with the YMCA. There was discussion about the condition of the Y facilities and outdoor amenities as well as how the grounds and both interior and exterior maintenance issues are handled. Hosting 200 kids per week, the Guy Robinson camp is smaller than Camp Manitou at Bertram Park, but seemed to be ample space for the number of campers participating in programming. Anoka County has had a good experience with the shared use agreement and has added another Y site at their Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Park. Staff noted that most of the camp is completely separated from the general public which the exception of use of the lake. The Advisory Council seemed to agree that the shared use arrangement with the YMCA worked well in this situation. At this point the discussion moved to how this arrangement might work at the Bertram Park. There seemed to be general consensus that the Advisory Council would like to try to coexist with Camp Manitou but there were some significant concerns about the proposed northern location of the camp and the amount of space available at that location for the number of campers and activities proposed. There were also some concerns about retaining flexibility in the option to do programming in the park at some point in the future. In addition, it was suggested that the Y also market the camp to the local community. Marc Mattice stated that he had asked the Y to develop a proposal illustrating a potential layout and site use if the base YMCA day camp facilities were to be located on the north side of Bertram Lake for Advisory Council consideration. The plan will help the Advisory Council and negotiations team better define future shared use agreements. 2 Bertram Advisory Council Minutes 10/07/11 PAT SAWATZKE MOVED TO AUTHORIZE A NEGOTIATION COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS WITH THE YMCA TEAM THE POSSIBILITY OF USING THE NORTH SIDE OF BERTRAM LAKE FOR CAMP MANITOU PROVIDED CONCERNS RELATED TO THE SINGLE LOCATION AND SIZE OF THE CAMP ARE RESOLVED. USE OF THE NORTH SIDE OF BERTRAM LAKE WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO THE ADVISORY COUNCIL UPON SATISFACTORILY ADDRESSING RELATED CONCERNS. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY WES OLSON. MOTION CARRIED 10 -0. 3. Access use agreement, develop standards, ordinances and recommend approval There was considerable discussion about developing an access use agreement with the YMCA at this time. The Y would like to utilize two buildings for arts and crafts on City /County property and the City /County would like access to the beach currently owned by the Y. Marc Mattice noted the legal ramifications of leasing the beach should a safety incident arise. He suggested that it may be an option to reenact the agreement with the DNR to provide public beach and boat access. Access could be provided outside of the hours of camp operation. There was much discussion about the definition of "non- motorized" restrictions within the park and whether or not that should or does include restricting electric motors. The survey results indicated that users would prefer to retain more of a "heritage" park undisturbed by motors. The negotiations team is expected to address and clarify these issues. JIM LINDBERG MOVED NOT TO PURSUE AN ACCESS AGREEMENT WITH THE YMCA UNTIL SPRING OF 2012. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY GENE EMANUEL. MOTION FAILED 3 -7 WITH ROSE THELEN, LYLE TRUNNEL, WES OLSON, PAT SAWATZKE, SANDRA THEROS, GLEN POSUSTA, AND CLINT HERBST VOTING IN OPPOSITION. There was some discussion about how it might be more appropriate to come to some decision so that the Y could make plans to advertise next year's camp activities. PAT SAWATZKE MOVED TO TABLE ACTION ON PURSUING AN ACCESS AGREEMENT UNTIL THE NOVEMBER MEETING. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY WES OLSON. MOTION CARRIED 10 -0. 4. Natural Resource Restoration Plan for Parcel 5, Review TimeLine, process, and costs. Recommend action and developing agreement Marc Mattice reviewed the components of the Natural Resource Restoration Plan for Parcel 5 with the Advisory Council. The Natural Resources subcommittee is in support of moving forward with this action. The plan involves preparing for oak savannah restoration utilizing the funds donated by Cargill. The farming agreement for the parcel would be replaced with a maintenance agreement for 2012 and a cover crop would be planted. Herbicide and seeds will be purchased at a cost of $4,500 and the work of prairie establishment will begin in 2013. There will be two burn cycles three years apart. The oaks will be hand planted in 2019. When the oaks are about 2 -3 inches in diameter 3 Bertram Advisory Council Minutes 10/07/11 it will be burned once again before being finally established. Staff will work to try to partner with NRCS for cost sharing purposes. ROSE THELEN MOVED TO PROCEED WITH THE NATURAL RESOURCE RESTORATION PLAN FOR PARCEL 5 AT BERTRAM PARK WHICH INCLUDES APPROVING USE OF THE CARGILL DONATION FUNDS FOR OAK SAVANNAH RESTORATION; ESTABLISHING A MAINTENANCE AGREEMENT FOR THE PARCEL FOR 2012; AND PROCEEDING WITH THE MANAGEMENT OF THE AREA IN 2013. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY JIM LINDBERG. MOTION CARRIED 10 -0. 5. Take action to establish an Executive Committee to report to City Council and County Board, relating to topics such as; expenses, operations, responsibilities, and improvements PAT SAWATZKE MOVED TO TABLE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE UNTIL THE NOVEMBER MEETING. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY ROSE THELEN. MOTION CARRIED 10 -0. 6. Formal adoption of concept plan, as prepared by Graham Sones There was some discussion about whether or not it was necessary to take the concept plan to the public for a third time before the formal adoption due to concern that not enough people know about the park or the plan. It was noted that, although there hadn't been significant attendance at park plan development public meetings, the issue had been given its due diligence. It was suggested that Advisory Council members continue to make efforts to get the word out about the park plan at community events and venues. It was decided that information disseminated about the park plan should summarize how the plan was developed so that the public would be confident that ample opportunity for input had been provided. GENE EMANUEL MOVED TO FORMALLY ADOPT THE BERTRAM PARK CONCEPT PLAN. MOTION WAS SECONDED BY WES OLSON. MOTION CARRIED 10 -0. Marc Mattice thanked Graham Sones for all of his work in preparing the concept plan. 4) Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 AM. Recorder: Kerry T. Burri Approved: November 4, 2011 i Attest: nge a Sc ma ertram Advisory Council 2