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Home My Public Portal About01.16.2008 Park Commission MinutesMedina Park Commission Meeting Minutes January 16, 2008 Medina City Hall Page 1 of 5 The Park Commission of Medina, Minnesota met in regular session on January 16, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. in the Medina City Hall. Park Commission Chair Ann Thies presided. I. Call to Order Commissioners present: Commissioners absent: Also present: Ann Thies, Brian Kingsley, Ben Benson, Bob Pastor, Madeleine Linck and Beth Nielsen Galen Bruer Jodi Wunsch, Steve Scherer, and Carolyn Smith II. Additions to the Agenda: 1.) Move Appointment of Officers to after Approval of Minutes 2.) County Road 101 Crosswalk (add after appointment of officers) 3.) Comprehensive Plan Trail Additions (add after Co. Rd. 101 Crosswalk) A motion was made by Ben Benson and seconded by Madeleine Linck to approve the additions/changes to the agenda. Motion passed unanimously. III. Approval of the Minutes from December 19, 2007: A motion was made by Ben Benson and seconded by Madeleine Linck to approve the minutes changing a few grammatical errors. Motion passed unanimously. IV. Public Comments (on items not on the agenda): None V. Appointment of Officers Madeleine Linck and Ben Benson nominated Ann Thies as Chair. Bob Pastor nominated Ben Benson as Vice Chair. It was then decided to appoint all officers in one motion. A motion was made by Madeleine Linck and seconded by Bob Pastor to nominate and appoint Ann Thies as Chair, Ben Benson as Vice Chair, and Beth Nielsen as Secretary. Motion passed unanimously. VI. County Road 101 Crosswalk Scherer updated the Park Commission on his meeting with Jim Grube from Hennepin County regarding petitioning with the county to add a crosswalk. The first question Grube asked was how far Medina's residents would be willing to walk to get to their destination. He also questioned whether this crosswalk would serve as a destination crossing or for recreational walking. There was a general consensus that it was a destination because of the retail. Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes January 16, 2008 Medina City Hall Page 2 of 5 Nielsen questioned whether Gramercy residents would walk to the North to cross; others stated they would. It was mentioned that it is a high density area and many other homes would benefit from a crosswalk, including Gramercy residents. Linck questioned the distance from one side of the road to the other and if they would have to cross over a median. Steve Scherer thought the proposed crosswalk would be right where the median ended. Linck also was concerned with the high speed limit along County Road 101. Susan Seeland suggested to the Park Commission to consider an underpass. Smith said that option had already been considered and it would not be possible due to the steep slope and ADA grade guidelines. A motion was made by Ben Benson, seconded by Beth Nielsen to recommend to the council a maximum % mile destination distance and to consider including flashers at the proposed pedestrian crossing. VII. Comprehensive Plan Trail Additions At the January 15, 2008 Council meeting, the Council requested that the comprehensive plan trail map be revisited by the Park Commission to include a few missing links in the community. Holy Name — Hunter Trail: This trail would create a north south trail connection starting at Medina Road going south along Holy Name Drive, continuing west along County Road 24 to Holy Name Park and then heading south down Hunter Drive to the edge of the city. A spur trail was also proposed to come off of Holy Name Drive along Cheyenne Trail, which would ultimately connect to the proposed north south trail along Pinto Drive up to Medina Road. This spur trail would potentially create a nice small circle connection. Mohawk Trail: This trail would run along Mohawk Drive from Highway 55 to the city's north border. East Chippewa: This trail would run along Chippewa Road from Willow Drive heading east to Mohawk Drive. A trail connection could also be made by adding a trail along Willow Drive from Chippewa Road south to the railroad tracks to connect to existing proposed trail. West Chippewa: This trail would run along Chippewa Road from Pioneer Trail heading west to County Road 19. Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes January 16, 2008 Medina City Hall Page 3 of 5 Parkview: This trail would run along Parkview Drive from County Road 24 to Hamel Road/County Road 115. Blackfoot Chestnut Loop: This trail would run west from Blackfoot Trail along the wetland and cut back to the proposed trail on Chestnut Road. Prairie Drive Trail: This trail would run along Prairie Drive, down DMJ's property line to Pioneer Trail. Susan Seeland brought up a concern about putting a trail on Homestead because the Orono Track team currently runs along the road and it is very dangerous. Benson questioned why the track team does not use the trail in Baker Park. Smith suggested that the Park Commission should encourage the County to have a County Roadside trail along Homestead. Thies was concerned that this proposed trail would count as part of Baker Park's percentage of developed acreage. Homestead & Parkview Trail: The Park Commission proposed a "recommended roadside county trail" along Homestead and Parkview. A motion was made by Madeleine Linck, seconded by Brian Kingsley to recommend to the City Council the Trail Changes as discussed above. Motion passed unanimously. The Park Commission briefly discussed a public trail that would go around School Lake, but came to the conclusion that there presently was no public access to a trail. VIII. Rainwater Nature Area Update Scherer updated the Park Commission on some of the issues with Rainwater Nature Area that need to get corrected before the City can go out for RFP on a natural planting/landscape design, such as sealing the pond, installing a weir at outlet structure, lowering the berm, and identifying a parking lot area. Thies suggested planting native trees along the north property line to buffer the Ryan Companies development and Highway 55. Scherer commented that the plantings could be part of the design RFP. Nielsen inquired on the number of parking spots at the park. Scherer said the city was only planning on having six to nine spots. IX. 2008 Goal Setting Session Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes January 16, 2008 Medina City Hall Page 4 of 5 The Park Commission set a number of goals that they would like to see accomplished in the coming year. 1) Park Signs at all the Parks 2) Install nesting structures at Holy Name Park, Medina Lake Preserve, and Hunter Lions Park 3) Tomann Parcel — city acquire in 2008 4) Finish updating the trail plan 5) Install horseshoe pits at Lakeshore Park 6) Install fountain at Hamel Legion Park (early spring) 7) Construct and conduct a rain garden demonstration project 8) Create more educational pieces on the environment such as wetlands 9) Schedule an Open House for the public 10) Have a booth at the City Clean Up Day in April X. Comprehensive Plan Update Thies updated everyone that the City Council was planning on adopting the comprehensive plan at the February 6th meeting. The council directed the Park Commission to revisit the trail map and report any additional trail possibilities. XI. Staff Report a) Hamel Legion Park Improvements — Bruer was not present to bring cost estimates on the proposed fountain at Hamel Legion Park. This item will be moved to the February meeting. b) Concession Stand— Scherer updated everyone that city staff has been meeting with representatives from the Hamel Athletic Association to start discussing options and a timeline for a concession stand at Hamel Legion Park. The City Council has moved this item from the 2008 to 2009 CIP based on operational and program resource needs. c) Hamel Athletic Association Contract — Scherer updated everyone that city staff has also been meeting with the Hamel Athletic Association to negotiate a contract for field use at Hamel Legion Park. Nothing has been finalized at this point in time. d) Park Commission Training and Orientation Manual — The Park Commission reviewed the proposed changes to the manual. Nielsen pointed out one correction on page nine in reference to the Open Meeting Law State Statute. It should be 13D.01 et.seq., not 471.705. e) Park Commission Representation at Council Meetings - Wunsch updated the 2008 Park Commission Representation Roster and reminded the Park Commissioners to trade dates if they had any conflicts. f) County Road 116 Trail — Wunsch updated the Park Commission that city staff is working with Hennepin County to secure up to $100,000 in funds to complete the trail along the west side of CR 116 (between Clydesdale Trail and Hackamore Road). Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes January 16, 2008 Medina City Hall Page 5 of 5 VIII. Adjournment A motion was made by Ben Benson, seconded by Bob Pastor and passed unanimously to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 9:31 p.m. Minutes prepared by Jodi Wunsch