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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-03 • CITY OF LAKEVILLE PARI~,S AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES NOVEMBER 3,1993 ITEM 1. -Call to order. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Chairman Illa. ITEM 2. -Roll call. Present were H. Lovelace, L. Lulf, C. Wanless-Sobel, K. Ilia, A. Raymond, G. Grenz and P. Messinger. Also present were Park Director Steve Michaud and Recording Secretary Judi Ryan. ITEM 3. -Minutes of October 20, 1993. The minutes of the October 20, 1993 Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meeting were discussed. Under Item 7 concerning Kabot Cove, Motion 93-35 should have included the statement that a gravel base should be installed on the trail in addition to the rough grading. Minutes were approved as amended. ITEM 4. -Citizen comments. Citizens from the Brackett's Estates and Lake Villa Golf Estates neighborhoods were present to .discuss the playyground at the Brackett's Crossing Park which is now being installed. Dr. Darel Hulsing, 17759 Layton Path, stated that he had purchased his home in Brackett's Estates in the s ring .of 1993 and was not aware of the future park at that • time. He is dismayed at the colors of the playground equipment and has expressed his disappointment to Bob Erickson and Steve Michaud. Dr. Hulsing has also surveyed his neighbors on Layton Path who shared his concerns that the covenants of the neighborhood would not allow this type of a structure in their back yards as rt is not consistent with the character of the neighborhood. He stated that the sole issue is aesthetics and how the play equipment conflicts with the quality and use of natural materials in these neighborhoods. Steven Kersting, 17751 Layton Path, agrees with Dr. Hulsing. He said he was not informed of the public hearing but was aware of the future park. He thought the people should have been given some choices of colors for the equipment. Michael Gaydeski, acting president of the Lake Villa Homeowners Association, stated that the subject of color was discussed at the public hearing and .those present agreed to a bright color scheme. He stated the association. distributed flyers throughout the neighborhood concerning the public .hearing. He also acknowledged receiving written notification from the City. John Wilhelm, 17697 Lake Oak Circle, recalled considerable discussion at the public meeting concerning colors and also supports the original decision and recommendations. • Mr. Kersting discussed the issue of the pond being in close proximity to the playground and said he hoped the City had taken this into consideration. Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Minutes • November 3, 1993 Page -2- Chairman Ills stated it is the committee's goal to have as many citizens as possible at public meetings in order to get the maximum input. He believed that all affected residents had been informed of the public meetings. Committee member Messinger recalled the meeting having over 20 people representing both neighborhoods present. Prior to that meeting she had attended a playground seminar and shared the information she learned with the group ,present. Brightly colored equipment stimulates more creative play, increases depth perception and helps in learning to judge distance, which improves safety. ~Viessinger was asked if she planned to replace other structures m the city with brightlyy colored ones and she stated that when they needed to be replaced s-he would recommend other brightly colored structures be installed. Committee member Lulf had driven past the park in order to visualize distances and sight lines. He thought the distance from the house to the equipment was at least 200 feet, including the width of the pond. Committee member Lovelace asked about possible tree plantings that could be used to screen the view from the house to the equipment. Steve Michaud responded that trees are proposed to be planted in the springg, however, possibly a larger, more dense variety of tree could be substituted to further screen the affected homes. This would not be feasible along the roadside as plantings are kept on a lower grade to aid police security of the parks. Chairman Ilia said he had driven to the neighborhood and talked to some passersby about the park. He did not hear any negative comments about the color of the structure, only that the park was too small. He sees three alternatives. The first would be to remove the park. This is not reasonable as the neighbors had come to the city with a petition to have the park installed and their needs are being met. The second alterna- tive would be to remove the vinyl parts and send them back to the factory to be redipped in a different color. In addition, the metal parts would also need to be removed and painted with a special electro- static paint process. This alternative would be extremely expensive and funds are not available. The third alternative is screening, which is already planned for next year. Additional arborvitae and coniferous trees can be planted in strategic locations and when allowed to grow to full height and width would provide excellent visual screening. Dr. Hulsing requested that the three families who are most affected the Evenson's, the Zimmer's and themselves be allowed to participate in the landscape design process. Staff asked permission to come mto their yards to check elevations m order to maximize the planning. They will work with the City Forester on a landscape design which will be • suitable to the resolution of this situation. Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Minutes . November 3, 1993 Page -3- .ITEM 5. -Staff reports. * Staff discussed the progress at H ointe Crossing Park. Committee member Lulf stated he had visited the site and was very pleased with -the finished product. Staff stated that damaged., .unsafe trees will be marked for removal on Thursday, with crews coming in on Friday to actually take the trees down and the STS crews coming in on Saturday and Sunday to remove the deadfalls from the park area. This will greatly enhance the looks of the park area. In addition, the STS will remove the remaining debris on the site. * Sodding is complete on the four fields at the 1994 Elementary School. Staff is looking forward to these fields being ready for play by spring. * A report on the 1993 Haunted Forest was given. to the committee. Approximatelyy 2 200 people attended the event, which was an increase of 300 people from last year. After ex enses, a profit of $1,700 was realized. 1-1/4 tons of food was donated and 115 volunteers made the event possible. Suggestions were made by committee members for next year. ITEM 6. -Discuss possibility of extending 1994 beach hours. Staff informed committee members that Recreation Supervisor Renee Brekken is surveying members of the SORR group on beach salaries. Each year an attempt is made to offer competitive salaries so good employees are not lost to neighboring beaches. When bad weather does not permit the beaches. to open, lifeguards .have the option of working .other tasks for additional hours. Even with these extra hours, historically there is a fund balance at the end of the year. Higher than average. rainfall the past two summers has contributed to the fund balance, which then goes back into the general fund. The last couple of summers have seen increased public pressures to keep the beaches open later in the evening, at least during July typically the hottest month of the year. Many people in the area get home from work later and are not able to use the beach due to the present closing time. Ilia felt it was important to have set hours for the beaches and not allow lifeguards to determine if patronage is low enough to close if the weather is conducive to swimming. ITEM 7. -Discuss Dakota Count Trail Plan. At a recent meeting with Dakota ~ounty concerning maintenance and sign standardization, staff was informed of the update to the Dakota County Trails Plan. Staff had received a copy. shortly before the meeting to approve the document and had very little time to respond or make comments. Areas which are of particular interest to the City of Lakeville involve such things as maintenance agreements and cost sharing of repairs and reconstruction. Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Minutes • November 3, 1993 Page -4- Staff suggested that a Dakota County bicycle advisory committee be established, possibly as part of the SORB group. He also suggested that the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee actively endorse and promote the use of bike helmets and become involved in more biking events such as a bike rodeo, or a poker ride possibly as a Pan-O-Prog event. Staff stated that the biggest complaint. he hears of the Dakota County bike~syystem is the lack of linear trails connecting to such places as Lake Syllesby and other regional park facilities. ITEM -Unfinished business. There was no unfinished business at this time. ITEM 9. -New business. Committee members received a copy of a letter from a resident who frequently hikes on the trails at Ritter Farm Park. The hiker voiced his concerns about horses being ridden on hiking trails, leaving manure on the trails, and damaging trails and turf. Committee member Wanless-Sobel said she is an ,equestrian and knows that there .are responsible and irresponsible riders. Since the time the equestrian trails were approved and designated at Ritter Farm Park, many original supporters who lived along Judicial Road have moved away, with new residents taking their places. It was suggested that the equestrian group be invited to a meeting to discuss and hopefully improve upon the present situation. Staff mentioned that one of the seminars he attended at the National Congress addressed the sub'ect of multi-purpose trails and conflicts of hiking, mountain biking an~ equestrian use. With the increased uses being proposed for Ritter Farm Park it will become more and more important for all groups to harmoniously use the facilities. Staff has begun to draft a capital improvement program for each park to be used as a starting point for park bond referendum discussions. ITEM 10. -Announcements. The next meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee is scheduled for November 17, 1993, 7:00 PM, at the City Hall Council Chambers. ITEM 11. -Adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 9:15 PM. Respectfully submitted, `c~~...% J i ~ yan, eco ng Secretary ~~~4. Kevin Illa, Chair