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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRNRC Minutes 01-23-19 DRAFT CITY OF LAKEVILLE PARKS, RECREATION & NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES January 23, 2019 Committee Chair Swan called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Lake Marion Conference Room. Members Present: Bob Swan, Jeanne Peterson, Lori Bovitz, Holly Weberg, Patty Zuzek, Jim Storms, Tom Goodwin, Tony Wotzka Staff Present: Parks and Recreation Director John Hennen, Environmental Resources Manager Mac Cafferty, City Forester Emily Ball, Recording Secretary Stella Eskelson Representatives from Youth Athletic Associations: Thane Hathaway, Lakeville Baseball Association and Chris Beumer, Lakeville Baseball Association 1. Approval of January 9, 2018 minutes Minutes approved as written. 2. Citizen comments No citizens present 3. Review Buckthorn Policy City Forester Emily Ball was in attendance to present a Buckthorn Removal Policy, City Staff recognizes that buckthorn is a significant issue and has outlined a plan outlining various goals around managing this invasive species and restoring areas that have been overgrown with it. Staff has already implemented management efforts at East Community and Casperson Parks, these areas were chosen as they are somewhat contained making them good candidates to try management options. Staff has also implemented controlled burns in some areas that have proven effective but as residential areas continue to grow, this is not an ideal management option. Buckthorn pullers are also available to residents who want to manage buckthorn on their own property but currently, there is not a large- scale plan in place to manage buckthorn. Ball shared some of the issues that buckthorn presents to native vegetation and how disruptive it can be to the structure of woodland growth when left unmanaged. She also covered several ways to treat buckthorn and the process for removal. The policy outlines a phased, long-term management approach and guidance for residents who are interested in volunteering to remove buckthorn on City Property. Volunteer efforts would be closely monitored by City Staff, volunteers would be provided basic training and asked to commit to a 3-year volunteer stint. Committee Member Storms: Have volunteers been effective at managing buckthorn removal? Staff: No, volunteer efforts while ambitious have not proven effective at managing buckthorn. The process to manage this species involves not only the removal but also Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Committee Meeting Minutes, January 23, 2019 Page 2 restoration of the land to native vegetation. The physical labor that is required for a large- scale removal effort can exceed what volunteers were expecting. Committee Member Swan indicated the committee will continue to discuss and review the policy at a future meeting. 4. Discuss Seasonal Sports Dome Facility Proposal – Public/Private Sponsorship City Staff and the Lakeville Area Public Schools received a proposal from Dome Partners, LLC to build a seasonal sports dome in Lakeville. This group would be responsible for the initial construction as well as all maintenance and operation costs. While the dome is up from November through April the group will be responsible for scheduling the use of the facility. The school district and/or City would be responsible for scheduling the use of the facility from May through October. The proposal includes three possible locations for the placement of the dome, but the North Side of Hasse Arena would be the most preferred location. The school district would be asked to contribute land to accommodate the facility. This proposal will be discussed at the upcoming City Council Work Session. Staff has taken the steps to submit a Letter of Intent to ensure that all parties are committed to the completion of this project. Committee Member Storms: Was this proposal primarily developed by the school district? Staff: Dome Partners, LLC was the primary developer of the proposal. Committee Member Weberg: If the project moves forward, what language would be included to ensure equitable usage for athletic association and school programs? Weberg expressed concern that a privately-operated facility could result in the same limited usage that Life Time offers to residents and wouldn’t prove beneficial to the community if an agreement didn’t include specific parameters. Staff: The proposal is still in high level discussion with a usage agreement yet to be developed but anticipated this being part of future discussions. The proposal indicates the current market pricing is $300-$350 per hour/per field which seems high to committee members, LBA representatives and Staff. Staff: Further research would be completed. Committee Member Goodwin: If this proposal was accepted, would the dome no longer be included in the proposed Park Bond Referendum? Staff: The cost of the dome would be removed from the projects included in the referendum. 5. Review Proposed Park Amenity Reductions Associated with Park Referendum Projects As follow up from the last meeting, Staff came prepared with a list of park amenity reductions, Staff was asked to trim costs from $33,675,000 for major park projects to $27 million for a potential Park Bond Referendum. Staff identified what amenities garnered less interest from the survey respondents to make these reductions. Some of the reductions Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Committee Meeting Minutes, January 23, 2019 Page 3 included; a building, shade umbrellas, shelters and adventure challenge area at Antlers Park, East Community Park improvements and some amenities associated with the baseball field at Avonlea. Staff asked for committee input on the proposed reductions. Committee Member Storms: Given the current participation and usage of baseball fields in Lakeville he is concerned about the addition of another field. He also stated that the survey results indicated that there was less community support for the proposed field and if this was the best use of potential funding from a Park Bond Referendum. Storms asked the Lakeville Baseball Association representatives and Staff to consider options to restore/improve current fields and utilize them more efficiently or leave opportunity for the field to be installed at a later time with funding from future Park Dedication fees. Chris Beumer: A field at the Avonlea location would be heavily utilized for tournaments and league play that isn’t currently supported by the facilities within Lakeville. A Park Bond Referendum and Avonlea being Lakeville’s last major athletic complex provides an opportunity that would not be available at a later date. Renovating existing fields would be a costly endeavor. Committee Member Goodwin: What was the community support for this baseball field from the survey results? Staff: 40% of those surveyed were more likely to support a bond referendum that included this amenity. Chris Beumer: How was the field presented to survey participants, could the initial cost of $1.6 million be a deterring factor? Staff: The cost was not a part of the survey question, but a number of amenities associated with the field were. With the cost of the new baseball field being reduced from $1.6 million to $1 million, most of the committee members were in support of its construction and felt like it was a reasonable compromise. Committee Member Peterson: What is the committee’s role in the cost reduction conversation? Staff: Staff is asking for a motion to recommend approval of the proposed reductions as presented by Staff. Committee Member Goodwin: Advised Staff to build the best possible facilities with the potential bond referendum funds and not cheaper amenities that wouldn’t benefit the community in the long run. Also asked if there were any reductions to the prairie/wetland areas that had been proposed. Staff: No, there had not been reductions to these amenities. Motion made by Swan, seconded by Goodwin to recommend approval of the reductions to the park projects proposed as part of the park bond referendum by City Staff. Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Committee Meeting Minutes, January 23, 2019 Page 4 Ayes: Unanimous. Motion made by Goodwin, seconded by Peterson to recommend that if private funding for a dome is secured, the proposed reductions would be rescinded up to the dome funding amount that was cut. Ayes: Unanimous. 7. Other Business: Ritter Fest is scheduled for January 26 at Ritter Farm Park, volunteer opportunities are still available. Park Maintenance Staff is accepting bids for the King Park irrigation project that is slated to begin this summer. Active Adults membership has hit 1,200, Heritage Center Staff has been working hard to achieve this goal for some time. Arts Center Staff is busy completing their Strategic Plan. Committee Members were asked to attend the upcoming City Council Work Session on January 28. 8. Announcements: The next PRNRC meeting is set for February 6th. 9. Adjourn: Meeting adjourned at 7:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Stella Eskelson, Recording Secretary