Parks Commission Minutes 09-08-1993MINUTES
SPECIAL MEETING - MONTICELLO PARKS COMMISSION
CWednesday, September 8,1993 - 4 p.m.
Members Present: Dick Frie, Fran Fair, Larry Nolan
Members Absent: Bruce Thiclen, Roger Carlson
3. Consideration of approval of minutes of the special meeting held in lieu of
regular August meeting. August 11. 1993.
After discussion, a motion was made by Fran Fair and seconded by Larry
Nolan to approve the meeting minutes as submitted. Motion carried
unanimously with Bruce Thiclen and Roger Carlson absent.
4. Review winter recreation facilities operation plan.
Mark Holmes of the Monticello Hockey Association was in attendance to
discuss the winter operation of the 4th Street Park with the Parks
Commission. O'Neill noted that the current operation calls for the Hockey
Association being responsible for flooding both the hockey rink and open
skating area and is also responsible for clearing snow from both ice
surfaces. The Hockey Association also owns the hockey rink boards. The
6 City is responsible for clearing snow in the event of a large snowfall and
also hires and pays a warming house attendant from mid-December through
early February. The City also pays for the lighting of the rink.
O'Neill and Roger Mack explained that the current method for maintaining
the ice surface has not worked that well. The main problem has been
inadequate regular snow removal by the Hockey Association and some
confusion as to when the City is responsible for assisting the Hockey
Association with snow removal. The Hockey Association does not have
equipment to remove even a moderate snow and expects the City to remove
the snow even when only an inch or two falls. The agreement between the
City and the Hockey Association states the City will remove snow after a
heavy snow. Often times, the warming house is open with an attendant but
the ice is unskatable or very bad. Mack and O Neill noted that we need to
set up an arrangement for flooding the rinks and clearing snow on a timely
basis or consider banning the use of the park for skating. Mack noted that
removal of snow by City crews is a low priority relative to getting streets
open. Generally the rink is done after all streets are plowed, which could
occur many hours after the end of a snowfall event. Mack also noted that
on occasion, the Hockey Association has left. the warming house open after
late night practices.
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Parks Commission Minutes - 9/8/93
CThe Parks Commission reviewed the problems in more detail with Mark
Holmes of the Hockey Association. Following is the general consensus as to
a potential management plan for operating 4th Street Park during winter
months.
1. Flooding. The Hockey Association would continue to be responsible
for flooding both the hockey rink and the open skating area. Both
skating areas should receive equal priority in terms of flooding.
2. Snow Removal. The Hockey Association would be responsible for
sweeping ice shavings from the surface only. The City will be
responsible for removing any appreciable snowfall. City crews will
continue to make streets the number one priority; however, the ice
rink will be cleared before the snow removal crews quit.
The City recognizes that during certain light snowfall events, it may
not be necessary to remove snow _from the streets; however, it will be
necessary to remove snow from the ice rink.
3. Hockev Rink Boards. The Hockey Association will be replacing
portions of the boards that are in disrepair or broken. It is
recognized that the overall condition of the rink is very poor and that
complete replacement may be necessary in the near future. This is
an item for the Parks Commission to consider in the 1995 budget.
4. Rink Attendant, The City will continue to provide a rink attendant
during the specified hours of operation.
5. Hours of Operation. The warming house will be open Monday
through Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday from 3:30 p.m. to
10 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Christmas/holidays
from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The warming house attendant will be given
explicit instructions to lock the facility after closing hours. No use of
the facility will be allowed by the Hockey Association after closing.
Only flooding activity will.be allowed to occur with the lights on after
closing. The Hockey Association will be given a limited number of
keys to operate the lights to he used in conjunction with after-hours
flooding.
6. Security. The Wright County Sheriffs Department will be directed to
enforce the parks schedule. No one will be allowed to use the facility
after hours.
7. Vending Machine. A vending machine will be installed at the 4th
Street Park if a vending company is willing to expose the machine to
possible damage that could occur.
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Parks Commission Minutes - 9/8/93
It was the consensus of the Parks Commission to summarize the conclusions
with regard to operation of the 4th Street Park and submit the conclusions
to the Hockey Association for review and subsequent comment at the next
meeting of the Parks Commission.
5. Review status of comprehensive plan development.
Assistant Administrator O'Neill indicated that further work on the
comprehensive plan has been delayed due to other pressing duties. He
noted that major aspects of the plan have been completed through
establishment of the trail system plan done in conjunction with the ISTEA
program, and he noted that the park system inventory and needs
assessment has also been essentially completed. The next step is to pull the
existing data together into a plan document. He noted that he has not been
able to find the time necessary to complete this important project.
It was the consensus of the group to request that O'Neill continue to work
on the document and attempt to present it to the Parks Commission at their
next regular meeting scheduled for October 20, 1993.
6. Review status of American Legion Park pmpoS91.
O'Neill presented the Parks Commission with a letter sent to the American
Legion outlining Parks Commission interest in development of the memorial
park. He indicated that he is waiting for word from the Legion as to
establishment of a meeting date to discuss the concept further.
7. Review status of 1994 budget request.
Assistant Administrator O'Neill informed the Parks Commission that the
1994 budget request will be presented to the City Council at a special
meeting of the City Council scheduled for Thursday, September 9, at
4:30 p.m. Dick Frie indicated that he would attend this meeting to support
Parks Commission requests for funds for 1994.
8. Other.
A. Roger Mack indicated that Ken Schwartz informed him that the
Battle Rapids Townhome Association requests that the City trim
some of the trees in Outlot A of the Battle Rapids subdivision in
order to provide a better view of the river. The group discussed the
function of the park in general.
It was the consensus that Dick Frie should review the situation with
Roger Mack and deveiop a pian for conduciing minor maintenance to
the area to allow better access to the site and an improved view of
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Parks Commission Minutes - 9/8/93
the river. O'Neill noted that the City is still holding $3,500, which
was to be used to supplement the park dedication requirement. He
noted that this letter of credit had not been cashed and that perhaps
we should cash the letter of credit before completing any work on the
property. It was the general agreement of the group that the work
shouldn't be done until the developer provided the City with $3,500
as required by the development agreement.
B. ISTEA Update. Dick Frie indicated that he had received numerous
requests from the public wondering about the status of the trail
system development. He also noted that the Mayor had received
similar questions. O'Neill also informed the group that he had
received similar requests. O'Neill reiterated that it was not possible
to complete the project this year due to the long review process. He
noted the importance of getting all reviews completed this winter
with ground breaking to occur as soon as it's possible in the spring of
1994.
After discussion, a motion was made by Larry Nolan and seconded by
Fran Fair to request that the City Engineer provide an update on the
status of the engineering of the pathway and to provide the City with
!` a time line showing all steps of the review process. The time line
should indicate May 1 as the date for the ground breaking. The
report to the Parks Commission should be provided by the City
Engineer at the October 20 meeting of the Parks Commission.
Motion carried unanimously with Bruce Thielen and Roger Carlson
absent.
C. Roger Mack presented a concept submitted by the Softball Association
for development of an open shelter adjoining the concession area.
Under the proposal, the Softball Association would finance and install
the structure.
After discussion, a motion was made by Larry Nolan and seconded by
Fran Fair to approve the concept of developing an open shelter
attached to the concession area subject to review and approval of the
design of the structure by Roger Mack. Motion carried unanimously
with Bruce Thielen and Roger Carlson absent.
There being no further discussion, a motion was made by Larry Nolan and
seconded
by Fran Fair to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously.
Jeff &Neill
Assistant Administrator
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