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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-06-14 WSCITY OF LAKEVILLE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES Wednesday, August 6, 2014 Mayor Little called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. in the Marion Conference Room at City Hall. 1. Roll Call: Members Present: Council Members Swecker, LaBeau, Anderson, and Davis, and Mayor Little Staff Present: Allyn Kuennen, Interim City Administrator; Brenda Visnovec, Liquor Manager; Brett Altergott, Parks and Recreation Director; Judi Hawkins, Deputy City Clerk 2. Citizen Comments There were no citizen comments. 3. Chemical Prevention Specialist Agreement with ISD194 Council reviewed and discussed the Chemical Prevention Specialist Agreement with School District 194 at their June 23, 2014 Work Session and directed staff to obtain more details regarding the accuracy and basis of the increased costs within the agreement. The City's increased cost is mainly due to a benefit package which is being extended to the employee. The Liquor Manager and the Police Chief strongly support the substance abuse program and believe it should continue to be funded. Staff is suggesting that the program be funded at a specific amount rather than a percentage of the cost, which would protect the City from unforeseen increases in the employee's health care benefit package provided by the School District. Staff recommends a fixed annual amount of $25,000. The school district is requesting $24,000 for 2014; however, the cost to the City for 2013 was $18,660, which is the amount budgeted for 2014. Due to the large disparity it was suggested that annual funding be increased incrementally over the life of the proposed agreement which is 2014-2019. Council Members LaBeau and Anderson stated that they believe it is important to continue support of the program with liquor proceeds and believe that the level of funding can be adjusted upward each year until the $25,000 recommended fixed amount is reached. Following discussions, Council concurred with funding of $20,000 in 2014,$21,500 in 2015; $23,000 in 2016, and $25,000 each year from 2017 through 2019. Council directed staff to place the revised contract on the next regular Council agenda. 4. Update of 2014 Parks, Trails and Open Space Plan The draft of the 2014 Comprehensive Parks, Trails & Open Space Plan was reviewed by the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Committee at their July 30 meeting. Council is being asked to provide input and direction for completion of the final plan. City Council Work Session August 6, 2014 Page -2- Brett Altergott introduced Dan Licht, The Planning Company (TPC), who presented an overview of the document. In 2000 the Comprehensive Parks Plan and the Comprehensive Trails Plan were merged into one document. The plan was update in 2006. Another revision was initiated in 2012 but was deferred in order to incorporate community input gained through the Envision Lakeville process. Lakeville continues to have one of the fastest growth rates in the Metro area. Although the recession slowed growth by several years, there is a large amount of undeveloped land remaining and there is pressure to expand the MUSA expansion areas and Urban Reserve Area, such as for the Mattamy project. The 2006 Park Plan anticipated infilling existing neighborhoods and gaps in the service areas. As the City began to develop in the 1970s a three to five acre neighborhood park was built in conjunction with each subdivision. In the 1980s and 90s park service areas were defined by physical barriers as well as distances. In the 2000s focus shifted to greenway corridor development as part of the 2006 Parks, Trails and Open Space Plan Update. These corridors provide recreational opportunities for play as well as a means of active non -motorized transportation. A greenway corridor through the Mattamy Homes development will be classified as an east/west lineal park. This change in park planning policy adds amenities to the park system without adding typical neighborhood parks and creates opportunities to fill needs in the park system as a whole. Anderson agrees with the concept of greenways and believes it will present opportunities to work with the county on several levels, including funding; however, he believes there is an inconsistent theme of continuing to build neighborhood parks. Licht stated that redevelopment of existing parks will continue to provide a range of amenities and is an important part of the park system. The updated plan redefines what a neighborhood park is or consists of and recommends moving towards more unique amenities in existing or new parks to create destination parks spread across the system. As parks are moved up on the CIP list for redevelopment, each park's facilities will be reviewed to determine how it can complement other parks while providing balance in the system. Altergott added that the corridors will provide destinations for specific amenities. In some cases, a park amenity could be removed or replaced with a different amenity to reflect changes in demographics or as local or regional trends change. LaBeau stated that she continues to see parks being underutilized. She believes that a park bond referendum would give the community a voice in future park and trail development and would help people visualize the actual cost. Altergott stated that the play systems that people have in their own backyards also have an impact on how much the parks are used. LaBeau stated that in communities with fewer parks, the parks are more heavily used. City Council Work Session August 6, 2014 Page -3- Anderson would like to find a way to collect data on how heavily the parks are actually used. This information could help validate whether or not additional parks are needed in a particular area of the City. He believes Council has a responsibility to be efficient with resources and being aware of the level of use would help to determine system- wide needs and wishes. Altergott stated that the Parks Dept. also needs to continually promote and market the existing system. Parks and Rec. Committee Chair Scott Kelly recently completed a research project regarding park use which will be reviewed by the committee. In order to take advantage of park development opportunities staff needs to be aware of ongoing growth and discuss with developers what their product will be and to what age group they will market their products. Licht stated that the proposed plan has been revised from earlier versions and does not repeat the pattern of parks in close proximity to one another, but highlights the need for community parks. Council Member Swecker suggested that based on the city's demographics and type of housing, especially in senior -focused neighborhoods, amenities such as exercise stations might be well received. Altergott added that neighborhood meetings could be held to better engage the community and give them an opportunity to provide input. Davis stated that in his experience trails and connectivity are amenities that endure through the years. Mayor Little stated that there are other low -maintenance features that add to the interest of parks and green spaces and create unstructured play areas. He stated that the parks must also keep up with technology and use creativity to offer interactive challenges. Requests have come from the community for dog parks, a skate park, splash -park, etc. Many people drive or bike to the parks and specific features and amenities become destinations. Council members suggested amenities and types of parks they believe would engage people in the park system including a dog park, fitness/exercise stations or training route, water features, and challenges that can be done in conjunction with Wads, such as geocaching. Swecker stated that the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Committee should also be creative with new ideas to encourage people to use the parks. Corporate and civic groups could partner to educate people and offer competitions to get people of all ages into the parks. It was suggested that an online survey of the parents of school-age children might be a cost effective way to determine what they would like to see offered. LaBeau suggested reaching out to Chamber and CVB members for their opinions. Staff will also look into having used bikes available at local hotels so guests can explore the trails. Anderson asked what are the next steps and how does the plan move forward. Licht stated that this is the policy document and the framework and not an actual plan or timeline. A public hearing will be held prior to Council adoption. The Parks Dept. will then need to initiate programs that promote use of the parks. Anderson clarified that the plan is descriptive not prescriptive and wants to ensure that people do not take this as an actual plan with a timeline for completion. Council agreed that the plan should not be perceived as a continuation of the same guidelines and standards. Licht stated City Council Work Session August 6, 2014 Page -4- that the plan informs developers of how the park system will grow in relation to growth in the City. The plan will be revised using input from the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Committee and the City Council. It was also suggested that a school district representative act as a liaison to the PRNR to help with coordination of facilities. Anderson if an Executive Summary could be included at the beginning to highlight goals and objectives of the document. There has not been a parks bond referendum in 20 years and he believes the time is right to consider that as a funding source for acquisitions and other capital items. An increase in maintenance funding will also need to be considered. Altergott stated that decisions such as playground replacements will need to be made in the next 12 months and in the next few years. Before decisions can be made, demographic data will need to be obtained and a plan for financing implementation will need to be adopted. As an example, ISD 194 provided information for an upcoming decision related to ice rinks and staff learned that there are over 900 school -aged children in the Rolling Oaks Park neighborhood. LaBeau asked if staff could get this information for all the parks. Staff will work with all three school districts to obtain this quantifiable data for all 36 neighborhood parks in order to give Council a better basis for their decisions. Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Committee Chair Scott Kelly was present to answer questions on behalf of the committee. He stated that the committee advocates for parks, but is not necessarily attached to neighborhood parks. The committee is interested in working with the Council and is open to any input and suggestions; they would welcome a brainstorming session with the Council. As part of his recent Master's degree he worked on a project for obtaining quantified data. Swecker suggested a joint work session to seek feedback from the PRNR. Kelly believes the Committee needs direction and suggested Council provide parameters for creativity in scope, cost, interest, etc., in order to make their work most acceptable and valuable. Davis believes setting parameters could be detrimental by putting restrictions on imagination and inspiration. Swecker stated that developers need to be challenged to come up with new ideas also in order to move away from doing what has always been done. Council expressed appreciation to the Parks and Recreation Committee for all their work on the Update. 5. Other Kuennen stated that improvements to 190th Street have begun and the road is closed as of today. Residents have been provided with alternate accesses during the construction project which should be completed within the next eight to 10 weeks. The west end of 190th Street will remain closed until Dodd Boulevard is upgraded in 2016. • LaBeau stated that at the Night to Unite picnics several people commented on seeking volunteer opportunities within the community. Churches want to serve local people in need. The Civil Air Patrol is a good example of a group that has great City Council Work Session August 6, 2014 Page -5- potential but is underutilized. It might be beneficial for the community to have a coordinator for churches and other volunteer groups. Kuennen updated the Council on the complaints that have been received from Farmington residents regarding the grading permit to stockpile dirt/clay within the proposed Pheasant Run development. Staff has contacted the developer regarding the work they have done that was beyond what was allowed under the grading permit and are working with the developer to address the issues. 6. Adjourn Mayor Little adjourned the meeting at 7:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, J d Hawkins, Deputy Clerk Matt Lit1W, Mayor 71