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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-06 CITY OF LAKEVILLE PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES NOVEMBER 6, 1991 The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM by Chairman Lulf. Present were Raymond, Messinger, Grenz, Ills, Larson and Lulf. Committee member Lovelace was plowing snow. Also resent were Park Director Steve Michaud and Recording Secretary Judi ~yan. ITEM 3. The minutes of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meeting of October 23rd were approved as printed. ITEM 4. There were no citizens present to discuss items not on the agenda. ITEM 6. The chairman moved to Item 6 to accommodate the representatives of the Crryystal Lake Golf Course proposal. Chet Harrison of Maier Stewart, the go,If course engineerin__gg consultant, was present to discuss the project with the committee. He stated there would be 270 housing units in the protect with about 90 of them being cluster housing. The golf course will combine with North Park and Lac Lavon Park to form an extended greenspace corridor. The drainage patterns of the project were also explained to the committee. The design includes ponding areas, with • other drainage towards Crystal Lake. There was much discussion concerning the wetland areas which the committee felt was the most significant environmental issue. The designers stated that they are committed to preserving and enhancing .the wetlands areas. Dama ed areas will be restored to a wetland prairie state where necessary. ~he project will be completed in a manner which will have the minimal amount of impact on the wetland areas. Avery thorough Wetland System Impact Plan has been completed by biologists and hydrologists. Plans are to enhance the lower wetland area near North Park, known as Outlot D. Plantings will be done along the boundaries to act as safety screenings, especially along the west side of proposed hole #15 of the .course which abuts North Park. The final WSIP was recommended to the City Council for approval by the Environmental Affairs Committee and Planning Commission at their JJoint meeting. Committee members asked about what restrictions would be present to deter people from walking in the wetlands areas. It was stated that the wetlands would certainly be too wet for people to walk througgh them. Insect control will be addressed in the overall management pplan. Possibly by attracting birds .and bats to the area the problem can be minimized in a natural manner without the use of insecticides. The trails were discussed relative to the project. Trails throwggh the residential section will give residents access to major trailways, however no connecting trails are planned in the interior of the golf course due to safety hazards. The problem of crossing 165th Street to access the other portion of the course was discussed. Some type of pedestrian crossing will be constructed, most likely an overhead bridge. Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee minutes November 6, 1991 Page -2- It was the general consensus of the developers that an overpass is less of a safety hazard than an underground tunnel. Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee members had received a memo from Michael Sobota, Community and Economic Development Director, which stated the proposals as presented to .the developers. The committee discussed the propposals. It was suggested that the wetland area Outlot D be purchased by the City as opposed to being dedicated. A findings of Fact will be completed by staff and discussed at a future meeting. 91.39 Motion was made by Raymond, seconded by Messinger, to. recommend to City Council that 6.7 acres of property which is now a portion of North Park, be sold to the developers of the Crystal Lake Golf Course to enhance their project and preserve the wetlands. The purchase price will be negotiate by staff. Motion passed. 91.40 .Motion was made by Illa, seconded by Larson, to recommend City Council ppursue the direct acquisition of 22.7 acres of wetlands known as Outlot D at the negotiated price. 1V~otion passed. • 91.41 Motion was made by Grenz,. seconded by Messinger, to recommend to City Council that a cash contribution at the current rate be requested to satisfy the park dedication requirements for the project. It is also recommended that the trail dedication requirements be satisfied by the developer's construction of all trails and sidewalks in the development as identified in the concept plan. Motion passed. The committee is pleased with the negotiations which have been done by staff relative to the project. ITEM 5. In addition to the staff reports which were included in the narrative received by the committee, it was reported that most major construction projects had been completely shut down due to the mega-storm which hit the area last weekend. It was impossible to continue to plant trees as the equipment could no longer get . to the areas where the trees were to be planted. The Casperson Park project had been completely shut down.. The ossibilit of openin the skating rinks early was discussed. The roblem being faced is ghat the budget only allows for the warming houses to be staffed after December 15th. Committee asked staff to find out the daily cost of keeping them open. Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee minutes • November 6, 1991 Page -3- ITEM 7. The committee discussed possible expenditures for the 1992 Park Dedication fund. Meetings have been held with the Lakeville Athletic Association to try and determine what their baseball field needs will be for 1992. Additional backstops and infields could be laced at Antlers, Dodd Trail and the Meadows, and an upgrade of the facilities could be done at Jaycee Staff went through the 1992 proposals with the U~ committee and ame them some background as to the needs of each 0 project. The co tee was asked to prioritize the list and it will be discussed at another meeting. The pros and cons of lighting the trails around Oak Shores and Valley Lake were discussed. It is a matter of o inion whether this makes the trails safer for walking after dark or whether it is an attraction for crime. This project will also be discussed further at another meeting. It was suggested that a test patch of concrete be overlaid on the areas where willow trees are pushing through the blacktop of the trails to see if this would solve the problem. This may be tried next summer. Staff informed committee that Council had approved the appraisal of the Wetterlund property which is the exception area of Caspersen Park. . Wetterlund had requested a variance to build a garage on their property which was denied. After this, . discussions ensued on the possible purchase of the roppertyy~. Staff is of the opinion that if the purchase is approximately ~1t)O,ODU, the park dedication fund may not be capable of handling such a largge item unless some creative financing or other payment solution can be worked out. One benef t of purchasing the property would be to allow Juno Trail to be turned into a parkway, which has been desired for some time. The proposal instigated by Dan Bale for an Environmental Learning Center at Ritter Farm Park has been discussed at the school district and city staff meetings. It is the school district's opinion that since the budgets are already approved, the funds may not be available until another year, unless a grant is received. It may also be difficult to find a replacement teacher for Dan. Staff will keep committee informed as to any developments with this project. Staff commended Larry Lulf and the SnoTrackers for the work they have done on the trails already this year, with no warning of the early snowfall. It was suggested that the Parks and Recreation Committee, as other advisory committees are doing, take a holiday break during the third week in November. 91.42 Motion was made by Raymond, seconded by Illa, to cancel the November 20, 1991 Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meeting. Motion passed. Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee minutes November 6, 1991 Page -4- ITEM 8. The next meeting of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee will be December 4, 1991, 7:00 PM, at the City Council chambers. Since there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:30 PM. Respectfully submitted, ti~ Ju i yan, Record Secretary Larry Lul , Chairm n • jr •