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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMEMO_11072018City of Lakeville Parks & Recreation Memorandum To: Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Committee Members From: John Hennen, Parks and Recreation Director Date: November 1, 2018 Subject: November 7, 2018 Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Committee Meeting Agenda Items Agenda Item 5: Review Proposed Master Plan for East Community Park Phase II On August 22, 2018 Staff and representatives of WSB & Associates held a neighborhood meeting at the Spirit of Brandtjen Farm barn to receive feedback from residents in the area regarding their thoughts and ideas on what they would like to see as part of the second phase of East Community Park. On September 19, the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Committee (PRNRC) reviewed two park concepts for the park providing Staff feedback on the concepts that were presented. From October 1 through October 14, residents were invited to participate in an online survey regarding the two concepts. A total of 363 individuals participated in the survey which provided feedback to Staff and the consultant on the proposed concepts. The results of those surveys are included in your packet material. As a result of the above-mentioned review process which includes the citizen survey, the attached proposed master plan has been developed which Staff and our consultant will be presenting to you at our meeting on November 7. At the meeting, Staff will also distribute the estimated cost of the proposed master plan which is currently being worked on. Agenda Item 6: NRPA Metrics Summary Review At previous PRNRC meetings, committee members and Staff discussed the NRPA Metrics Survey that was completed by City Staff. At these meetings, committee members reviewed NRPA metrics data comparing the City of Lakeville to other metro/regional communities along with comparable national communities in eight different categories. At the October 3 meeting, committee members discussed packaging up the metrics data analysis into something such as an executive summary that can be shared. At that meeting, Staff provided committee members a draft of that document. Staff and Committee Member Jim Storms will be meeting on Monday, November 5 to review and modify the document as discussed at our last meeting. Staff will send committee members the revised document prior to our meeting on November 7. If you have any questions regarding the above-mentioned items, please feel free to contact me. K:\012393-000\Cad\Exhibits\012393-00 Concept BoardsLakeville, Minnesota November 1, 2018 | WSB Project number: 012393-000 East Community Park Phase 2 MASTER PLAN 165th St W Pilot Knob RdEagl Evi EW dRE l a KE d REquEStRian tRailEnvoy WaynatuRal tRail MoWEd tRail ovERlooK oPEn laWn: 2-PRacticE laX FiEldS oR 1- youth SoccER FiEld East LakE FiShing PiER EXiSting boaRdWalK iMPRovEd ovERlooKS ShEltER natuRE Play ovERlooK With StonE ShoRElinE FiShing StonE ovERlooK PRaiRiE Pollination gaRdEnS PRaiRiE Pollination gaRdEnS EXiSting tRail EXiSting tRail EXiSting tRail EXiSting tRail EXiSting PaRK tRail hEad & ShEltER: • Picnic aREa • REStRooMS • KioSK/MaPS • biKE FiX-it Station • WatER Fountain **tRail lightS PRoPoSEd tRail canoE/KayaK boaRding docK & RacKS canoE/KayaK accESS tRail & RacKS PaRKing (40 StallS) SEE EnlaRgEMEnt Scale in Feet 100’50’0’200’ K:\012393-000\Cad\Exhibits\012393-00 Concept BoardsLakeville, Minnesota November 1, 2018 | WSB Project number: 012393-000 East Community Park Phase 2 ENLARGEMENT oPEn laWn laWn gaMES EXiSting tRail tRail lightS PRoPoSEd tRail canoE/KayaK RacKS REtaining Wall boaRding docK StEPS to boaRding docK dRoP-oFF aREa Graphic Scale 10’5’0’20’ tRail hEad & ShEltER: • Picnic aREa • REStRooMS • KioSK/MaPS • biKE FiX-it Station • WatER Fountain Parking lot location: Concept 1: Parking lot on north end of the park, close to the street 175 Concept 2: Parking lot placed further into the park site 179 Parking lot size: Concept 1: Parking lost with approximately 65 stalls with no drive-through option (dead end on either side)139 Concept 2: Parking lot with approximately 65 stalls that allows for vehicle drive-through option 211 Dog Park: Concept 1: No dog park run area 134 Concept 2: Small dog park run area 224 Open lawn areas: Concept 1: Large open lawn area suitable for athletic play and informal uses 166 Concept 2: Smaller dedicated open lawn area suitable for practice space and informal uses 186 Trail connection: Concept 1: Trail connection through northern wooded area to include additional link to parking lot and mowed lopp trail with overlook 253 Concept 2: One linear trail connection through the northern wooded area 101 Trailhead building: Concept 1: Trailhead building/picnic shelter with no fire pit 187 Concept 2: Trailhead building with fire pit on plaza 167 Picnic Shelter: Concept 1: No additional picnic shelters 120 Concept 2: One additional picnic shelter 230 Prairie Spaces: Concept 1: Less space dedicated for prairie pollination spaces 137 Concept 2: More space dedicated for prairie pollination space 217 Areas along trail: Concept 1: Workout stations along trail 114 Concept 2: Natural play spaces along trail 236 Overlooks: Concept 1: Improved overlooks on residential side of the lake 237 Concept 2: No improved overlooks 115 Lawn games: Concept 1: No lawn games 138 Concept 2: Lawn games, such as bocce ball 212 Fishing, canoe/kayak boarding dock: Concept 1: Fishing pier on north end of park and shoreline fishing on the park side of the lake 165 Concept 2: Added canoe/kayak boarding dock and shoreline fishing on the residential side of the lake 185 EAST COMMUNITY PARK SURVEY RESULTS Are there other amenities you would like to see included at East Community Park Phase II or do you have any other additional comments or feedback regarding the concepts? Love the bocce ball option! If there is a LAX or soccer field, the dead end parking would be a pain to deal with at practice time I am very interested in the dog park and more natural play areas for kids. I also loved the idea of the mowed lawn paths and nature paths. Not sure if there needs to be multiple access points for canoes etc, but one in addition to the fishing docks is great. Love the incorporation of natural prairie/pollinator areas too. Great job everyone! Very exciting! Lighting along the trail surrounding the lake to the east of the boardwalk/bridge. 1 acre is not enough space for a dog park as it would be to confined and may cause issues with fights, etc. would like to see more green space for kids to play or where we can walk dogs and having a nice sport field would be nice for city and neighborhood. 1 acre for a dog park is to small. This will cause many dog fights. Playground equipment for kids would be a better use of space. The supposed playground by the townhouses that are not part of Spirit are to far from our homes for the neighborhood kids to run over and use. No dog park. Playground for kids would make more sense. Small area for dogs lead to dog fights!! I would like to see the natural trails through the wooded area be paved instead of natural. All the other trails are paved and make it nice for walking with strollers in the family oriented community. I believe the paved trails will also serve to better keep wildlife like coyotes away whereas the natural trails may encourage those animals making it more dangerous for residents. Please pave the trails!!!! I walk by the open lawn space everyday and I rarely see it used. When it is being used, it's mostly by people giving their dogs a run. Is there a reason that the dog park couldn't take up more of the general lawn space? With the only other dog park in the area being Dakota woods, I have a feeling that a dog park in this location will be used by everyone over Dakota Woods. To avoid congestion, I would suggest making it larger and lowering the amount of open lawn space. I'm just afraid that you'll end up with a situation where it will be overrun by too many dogs/people for the size and just cause more issues than not having a dog park there at all. I like the concept of the dog park, but don't like it being limited to just one acre of such a huge space. To be honest, I would prefer that huge space to be used for anything (dog park, organized sports fields, wilderness area) vs left as an informal space. I feel that as an informal space right now, it's just going to waste. Otherwise, I like both concepts and welcome the new amenities. Thank you for detailing out the differences! There are so many slight differences I would have never even noticed. I would have liked a 3rd option of "no preferences as some of the things made no difference to me and I feel like having to choose might skew your results slightly. The steel equipment used at other parks is not user friendly and is more painful. Step boxes or pull up bars is fine, or the exercise gliders. Please please please a dog park A dog run would be amazing! Playground, amphitheater, excess parking and park lighting My biggest point of feedback is that if there is a fishing pier on the north/east end of the lake, there is little or no space for parking. I think it would raise an issue if people tried to park on the boulevard (eagleview) or if they park on the residential streets, there is really a long walk around to get to the pier (or stones) and it would be very tempting for others to trespass through yards to get to the fishing spots. Already, there are people who park on eagleview to ice fish or just to walk the trails and they park too close to where the grassy median begins and it is hazardous. My preference would be to have the fishing pier on the west side of the lake, near the existing park/playground. I like the canoe/kayak boarding options. i would take advantage of that. A community garden space would be nice.... Would love to see all new trails paved for ease of use with strollers, bikes. Thanks!! Very excited about a natural play area What ever happens cutting down much of the brush and weeds down on the residential side would be appreciated. Regardless of what plan is adopted, please include in the list of improvements clearing and cleaning up the residential side of the lakeshore and lake. Removing all the scrub trees and brush would greatly improve the beauty of the walking path. Our home backs up to this park area. We would like to preserve the privacy and natural open area as much as possible. It is important that we minimize the visible parking lot to the back of our homes. We appreciate your consideration and efforts to all nearby homeowners. Dog park run area is important ! Baby changing stations in the bathrooms. A natural amphitheater would be possible near the parking lot on the natural prairie hill is today. Setup a small permanent stage and residents would bring lawn chairs, no permanent lights would be necessary for summer evening concerts. A Sunday live music series in the park sponsored by local businesses such as HyVee would be a unique park experience for this end of Lakeville. Another option with so much open space is an outdoor hockey rink or warming house for use with the ice on the lake. A playground structure would be great. A splash pad option could be fun as well. Splash-pad and dog washing station would be nice. Dog waste bag stations. Could the roughly mowed trail on the North end of park through the woods be wood chipped or improved short of black topped? Could a selection of mature trees, that represent those found w/I the park be noted with a plastic tag or sign that identifies the tree with its characteristics ie type, life span, uses for both animals and humans, habitat, etc Would be helpful to many if the fish that are to be found w/I East lake are identified...we've caught perch, largemouth bass, sunfish, crappie, carp, sucker, and bullheads. Would it be possible to maintain an ice rink on lake or w/I open park space during the mid Dec to mid Feb time frame? You need more lights on trail throughout park and it appears you're almost ready to install lights on the Southeastern and Northeastern side of park and if not, they're needed for safety purposes. There are often bald eagles and less frequently Ospreys in the park area and it would be great to have a free or pay[ ie quarter] binoculars permanently placed w/I the park on one of the overlook sites. I didn't notice, but was a drinking fountain or fountains w/I the plan? Thanks, love being involved in the planning stage, keep up the good work and please continue to keep us all informed as you move forward on what's shaping up to be a wonderful park for all....Terry Dow A larger dog park with an indoor pet wash would be awesome. Public warming house with rental and lake access for skating. We'd really like a Dog Park, please. I would like to see a place for my chicken. Thank you. I would love to see both the natural play areas and the workout stations. As you can see I like portions of both. Having year round rest rooms or port a potties that are available 24 hrs are a must. I like the idea of a dog park AND fields for lacrosse/soccer. I think the growing communities would benefit from both of those options over prairie. Potentially put the dog park up into the natural wooded area to allow for the sports fields. Is it possible to instal an emergency call button near the lake. Water fountain or source of water to refill water bottles, etc. Bathrooms would be awesome, but I understand the high cost and upkeep. Water fountains, dog waste bag dispensers and more trash cans along the trail. Definitely like the idea of a small fenced in dog area, kids have plenty of places to play, I think it's time we add in a little something for the dogs. Parking lot too large. Should be trimmed to 40 maximum. Too many spaces will cause issues with neighborhood traffic and getting out to pilot is already an issue! No dog park!! PLEASE no natural trails!!!! They are not family friendly for those with strollers, wheelchairs, or for young ones on bikes/skates. The makeup of the surrounding neighborhood is predominantly families- please please please pave the pathways to allow all families to use and enjoy them. Tether Ball More garbage cans along walking trails!!! There are way way to few! New trails to be paved would be nice through the wooded area. I live on Envoy Way. And I am very excited for this project to be completed! A warming house for possible x-country skiiers in Winters Concept 1 includes more trails and loops, which provides options for walking and using the area. Having the Canoe/Kayak racks on the residential side feels like it's a benefit for those few residents. Are the canoes there available for anyone to rent? If so, that may be a long walk from the parking lot to access the equipment. Would really enjoy having a fenced dog park!! Thank you for allowing us to voice our preferences and give suggestions. My family and I highly suggest that the parking lot be reduced. There is no need for 65 spaces, especially since there's another parking lot just south off Pilot Knob. With so many young kids out and about in the neighborhood, I’d hate to see more cars entering/exiting. We'd like to keep this area quieter and less populated for all residents, especially those with children and for those who live right by the open space. Thank you! What happened to the original proposed band shelter? would have been nice to have concerts in the park during the summer. Please make all trails paved, they will not get used or be kept up left as woods. No DOG parks please, we have enough issues with the current people with dogs not picking up after them to have an entire area that will not be kept up as it is. Definitely bocce ball courts! Paved trails through wooded area and dog park area are great ideas! add a sign telling the history of the place and maybe a couple historical photos (adjacent dairy farm). Add a couple dispensers along the trail with bags for picking up dog poo. Overall, Concept 2 looks AMAZING! We would absolutely love a dog park run area too. Would love to see an overpass at Falkirk, to cross over Pilot Knob and directly to the park vs having to go to 165th or 170th to cross at the light. Would also love to see a wading pool, similar to the community pools in the Minneapolis parks system - small, free, available for the community to use in the summer time. Not just at East park, but other parks in the community as well. With the kayak/canoe racks will those be rentable through the city? I think that would be a great option! This is probably a long shot but I wish there was a different path for walkers vs bikers. Given how some of the trails have steep hills and blind spots, it can be scary to be a walker. Some bikers come flying around corners and down hills. People use this park all year round, it would be nice if the porta potties/bathrooms were there/available longer than September each year. Dog waste bag stations like Thompson County Park in case one forgets the bag. They also have a dog water fountain! :) Bigger dog park to include all sizes of dogs Number one priority: Natural Play Space! Splash pad (only assuming one doesn't go in at Antlers or Avonlea). I imagine this space to be the "East Side" version of Ritter Farm park. I'd like to see similar natural lands with space for informal uses and lower maintenance. Keep as much of the current natural vegetation, trees and shrubs as possible. Skatepark section. Also- an equestrian trail??? Fishing space and kayak area Frisbee golf if no official lax field. Hope the bike trail connects either way. My family already lives this park, so I love that you're going to add more amenities to it. Please no dog park. Ice rink Please make sure things are wheelchair accessible! A walking/pedestrian bridge so the Lakeville residents living on the west side of pilot knob can safely cross over pilot knob to get to the park. Reduce the speed limit on pilot knob so pedestrians can safely cross the street to the park. Have you looked at Central Park in Eagan? Over where they have the Scottish Festival there is an awesome play/workout park that uses a lot of telephone poles. It's pretty awesome and fun to climb on. Please include a Pedestrian bridge or tunnel to cross Pilot Knob Road between 165th and 170th. It's dangerous to cross the street as currently designed and adding more parking lots will add to the traffic. There really need to be a bridge or a tunnel under or over pilot knob to access the park. Many people with families use these parks and would like to use them more but crossing Pilot Knob is dangerous. I'm not too worried about Phase II at East Community Park. I'm more worried about the plan for 170th, between Flagstaff and Pilot Knob. Ot is one of the worst roads I've ever driven on and my wife and I have to drive on that road every day. The very sketchy patch job that was done was a nice gesture, but it might have made it worse. Is there a long term plan to fix that road??? Or is there a form we can fill out or another way to get reimbursed for repairs needed due to driving on that road (alignment, shocks/struts, etc)? Tullamore residents across pilot knob would love to cross without risking our lives . How about a tunnel is installed? Pedestrian overpass over pilot knob to falkirk Grade the lacrosse fields so that they are flat and professional looking. Pickle ball courts I wish we did not have a walking trail made. We already have very little space for the natural habitat here and it just cuts into their preserve. I like things as they are. Use current parking at existing park. It is never full. I would love to have the wooded portion loop around with a paved trail instead of simply connecting to the neighborhood. Like a combo of the two There NEEDS to be an overpass from the west side of Pilot Knob (ideally from the Tullamore development entrance). It is 100% NOT safe for kids and families to cross Pilot Knob and utilize the park and grounds. Also, the speed limit should be reduced near the park especially with North Trail Elementary just down the road. Thank you! Like the idea of dog park and more green space. Add a canoe/kayak boarding dock on the north end by the fishing pier. We need a place closer to the road to launch a canoe or kayak. Having to carry a canoe/kayak all the way around the lake to behind the residential houses is not very useful to most of the population in the community. It would be SO great if we could find a way to make crossing Pilot Knob at Falkirk to get to the park SAFER! A bridge? Crosswalk with lights? Something would be wonderful! Otherwise I'm so excited for these improvements! It's such a wonderful park and this will make it even more wonderful!! Thank you! We are absolutely against the dog park, as residents and homeowners in spirit we do not want the smells and what it brings...!! We are opposed to a dog park. The smell generated from a dog park is unbearable. The wind blows from the Northwest a majority of the time and this would carry the smell over to the residential area's. We have plenty of areas's to walk our dog's & don't need to create a park where dog's can congregate. Who will pick up the waste? We like this area of Lakeville just as it is. We are not looking or asking for any improvements to the area. Improvements will attract more people to the area, which we do not want. Spend your money in the heart of Lakeville where the majority of Lakeville residents can enjoy. Rosemount, Farmington & Apple Valley residents will enjoy these improvements and very few Lakeville residents, not good value for your dollar. Take care of Lakeville residents as best you can & this is not one of them. Remove all the carp to rebuild the panfish population. Lakeville needs a splash pad area for kids in the summer months. More basketball courts. Maybe a bandshell for outdoor concerts In the meantime, if I could mention here regarding East Lake park on pilot knob....I would like to suggest a walking bridge OVER pilot knob leading into the park would be very smart. With the area growing with businesses it gets more difficult for bikes, runners, walkers and family groups to reach the park. I would guess to say that your answer would be to go walk down to a stop and go light but for most who enjoy the beauty of walking in the park and fear the traffic that at times can be of inattentive drivers.....this is time taken off their day at the park. I can only imagine a walkover bridge would bring all a relief and enjoyment of reaching the park. Need to make it easier for residents to cross Pilot Knob to access the park with either a stop light or bridge. It's so dangerous for kids to cross Pilot Knob with how busy and the high speed limit. the more space for Mn native flora and fauna the better. Let be people work around the landscape and facilitate the rejuvenation of natural prairie biome. Let's make Lakeville a standout GREEN community! Please include proper/adequate recycling bins rather than just trash cans. Highest of priority would be a connection point that would bypass having to cross Pilot Knob to get to this area. Currently it is the equivalent of playing frogger, which is actually quite challenging to do with children, bikes, strollers, dogs etc. A pedestrian bridge or tunnel would be amazing and benefit all developments and users as it would connect and expand on many existing paths paths. Another really fun feature would be a splash pad and/or pool area. A splash pad!! We need something like this in Lakeville!! So many new young families! This would trump all the above It would be nice if there was parking or a drive up to one of the docks. in both options it looks like someone would have to carry a kayak or a canoe 400' - 500' to get to the water. Please, PLEASE either help to slow down Pilot Knob traffic or add pedestrian crossings. It is so difficult to get to the park space with the constant and excessively fast traffic that continues to become busier on Pilot Knob. Even when driving, it's extremely difficult to cross from Falkirk to the park. Thank you for the dog park and Bocce-- 2nd concept is what we had visualized A safe way to cross pilot knob esp with strollers kids bikes etc...bridge going over? Thanks!!! Prefer to have access thru the wooded area both directions so as to decrease traffic past homes in area. Dog park is a good idea however concern with who would patrol and maintain (cleanup) this area? Would general lakeville/ applevalley populations be allowed in dog park or only local residents of spirit. Will Lakeville bear cost of these improvements?? Or will there be assessments to homeowners? I love the idea of adding a dog park on the east side of Lakeville. Keep the park as natural as possible. Favorite amenities - the nature and grass tails, as well as natural play areas and small dog park. Concerned about parking lot location. Move it closer to Pilot Knob so the homes in that area don't overlook it. Place trees to hide the parking lot. A crosswalk on pilot knob and falkirk trail! so neighborhoods across the street can enjoy the park safely...also lower that speed limit Please include additional play options for small children. Bigger dog park, up to 3 acres. Add a geocaching option. Kayak and canoe rental sounds great but should be close to parking lot where people would access it. Dislike overlooks that take away the trees. I want to walk through a park to see pretty views not structures. 1 acre isn't big enough for a safe dog park. Please keep natural trails unpaved there are lots of paved trails nice to have a dirt path for a change. I would like to see a pedestrian crosswalk and/or stop light added at the Pilot Knob and Falkirk Trail (or 165th) intersection, allowing families safe access to East Community Park. We would LOVE to have a dog park since there are so many dogs in the neighborhood! Thank you for asking for our input. Especially I like the idea of a dog park. Definitely Kayak Racks. Please no public docks on the residential areas of the lake. Walking trails are fine but adding places to loiter is asking for trouble. Specifically when there is no way to monitor unless by the homes closest to the docks. Put o Great plans! Would be nice to have more dog parks and open space. Like more trails too! Thx for sharing and asking! I would like to include 2 RV parking pads with electricity. (1) Three concrete pads with electric for campers (2) skateboard park (3) monkey bars Please do not put in a small dog park. a small space will not be enough room for the number of dogs that may use this space and could lead to fights. We have other options that are much larger. A better use of money and space is adding some additional kids playground equipment for use by the city and neighborhood. Regarding parking, 65 spaces is too much for the location and access. We already have issues with cars entering and leaving the neighborhood from/to Pilot. A better number of spaces would be closer to 40. This is a smaller neighborhood and we should try to avoid having so much traffic that it could become a safety issue with the kids in the neighborhood. So, no dog park and smaller parking lot please!! IOther: i would like to see fountains in the ponds esp the one between East Lake Trail & East Lake Drive A skatepark please!!!!! This is Cody who went biking with you and the mayor. We'd like to see more trails for hiking/running/biking. We would prefer that all trails be paved. A splash pad would be excellent. The dog park is the most exciting possibility. I would use it often. Also, workout stations seem like a waste of space. I can’t imagine it being used. We love inclusive play areas - spaces that are paved and include ramps and walkways throughout are ideal for our wheelchair/gait trainer-bound child. I would like to have a skate park. I have three children that would use a skate park and the only options are all outside Lakeville. If there is a dog park, can that be separated into a large dog and small dog park? Can you add a dog drinking fountain too. What happened to the original East Lake Plans that were approved as part of the Spirit PUD? I remember seeing a much more elaborate park layout that what is now being proposed. The original plans were much nicer and while they may not be the same the proposed plans should be similar. Please provide option 3 that was already approved and more closely resembles that design. Reduce parking lot to half the size, seems excessive based on the proposed usage. Lakeville Lacrosse Association has used this field the last several years (3 out of 4) . 20 cars max park at gravel parking lot during this time (May to August) 2 fields, means roughly 40 cars, (practice 3-4 times a week for 17 weeks = 68 days (20%) we would have the current layout roughly 2/3 full) the remaining 297 days (80%) would mainly be empty or relatively light usage. There is also 42 parking stalls at the existing park, and on street parking is allowed on Envoy and Equestrian. Less parking would mean more open space to be utilized. Could the parking lot be softened a bit, add perhaps raingardens in the islands and pervious pavement to reduce runoff prior to discharge in pond and eventually the creek. As an added benefit this would be a great learning tool for the elementary school school to learn about our lakes and ponds less then a mile away from them. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE consider the home owners as you implement this plan. We purchased our home without a dock for kayaks and cannot imagine looking out at that. I highly encourage you to keep the space as natural as possible. The kayak docs and fishing located on the side of the lake where there are current homes feels like a huge disregard for those living here, when there is space on the opposite side of the lake without homes. PLEASE take this in to consideration. PLEASE no public use behind residential homes on East Lake! 1.) Could their be placed a handicap accessible Outhouse be placed on the north side of the park-- off of Eagleview Drive and the trail end juncture to the east. This allows for #emergency bathroom needs. 2.) Also would be appreciated 1 water fountain for humans and one lower one for animals. This area is very close to the street, so possible tap into existing water lines. 3.) Although I did not feel another Kayak landing was needed on the Residential side of the park, I believe a 3rd (Stone) Fishing site on the Residential side would be utilized frequently. Thanks for con't to get community input, I appreciate the ask. And yes I am willing to pay more tax dollars to provide citizens with good sustainable parks. Comments: oppose any new grass walking path thru woods on north side such as shown in Concept 1. Oppose any type of dog park and any restroom. Favor wide open lawn area such as currently exists. In general, favor minimal changes to existing park area so that natural areas are maintained and any development is minimal. There already exists a fully developed playground/park immediately to the west and there really doesn't seem a need for more development. Call me at 952-431-2914 if you would like to talk to me. My address is 16330 Equestrian Trail and my backyard abuts the north edge of wooded parkland. Thanks. Robert Milis I submitted a response a few minutes ago and now have a couple of more comments. I am opposed to a fire pit and any other proposed developments that would encourage a "hang out" atmosphere. As amenities are added, there is a concern that it could encourage people to hang out there in the night time hours, since parts of the park are not easy to patrol. Thanks again. Robert Milis We live in one of the homes along East Lake directly where you are proposing to put a fishing pier and kayak station. we have discussed with all of our neighbors that live on this side of the lake and we vehemently oppose to the pier and the kayak station on the residential side of the lake. This poses security risks as it would bring additional people behind our home who would not otherwise be there. It also poses a safety risk for all of us in these homes who have small children, I would fear the children would not be safe to play in our own back yard. We are all also opposing the installation of lights that are not included on your drawings. We all feel that they would take away from the natural beauty of the lake which is the reason why we bought this home on the East Lake. We love our view we were only hoping for some clean up of the dead brush and dead trees behind our house would be cleaned up with this project so we can see more of the lake. It would be nice if the new trails would be paved so folks with strollers are able to easily use them. Also, the parking lot size seems larger than needed. I like the idea of keeping the natural grasses and prairie restoration I like some of the ideas, but it would be great to keep the new park as natural as possible rather than overbuild it too much. Being able to walk through our neighborhood as peaceful as it is right now is such a privilege and would be disappointing to lose that. Both canoe and docking areas from Option one and two I have concerns about a dog park being directly across the street from homes on two sides.... concerns are barking/noise; safety especially of children who play in the yards of their own homes who may encounter random dogs; people using the dog run who do not pickup after their dogs. Lighting and trees will need to be screening for the homes bordering the parking lot. The parking lot as depicted seems to have too many spaces (65) for the park as designed. Can that number be reduced? Seems like a lot of water parking for the use of the park. Love the idea of the natural pollination gardens...perhaps also some milkweed for Monarchs if they can go-exist? As a canoe owner and Spirit resident I appreciate the inclusion of a canoe rack for East Lake. I currently have my canoe on a rack at Cobblestone Lake which has two canoe rack locations. I prefer the concept 2 with the added rack location as this would give more opportunity for canoe and kayak use. If the two location option is not possible i would suggest adding two racks at the one location. Thanks for developing this beautiful park. Jon and Nancy Rice pedestrian/bike access across Pilot Knob Road near Existing Park - overpass?