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HomeMy Public PortalAbout01-19-2011 Park Commission MinutesMedina Park Commission Meeting Minutes January 19, 2011 Medina City Hall Page 1 of 5 The Park Commission of Medina, Minnesota met in regular session on January 19, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. in the Medina City Hall. Park Commission Chair Ben Benson presided. 1) Call to Order Commissioners present: Ben Benson, Ann Thies, Janet White, Paul Jaeb and Jean Beaupre Commissioners absent: Madeleine Linck and Bill Waytas Also present: Planning Consultant Nate Sparks, Assistant to City Administrator Jodi Gallup, Public Works Superintendent Steve Scherer and City Council member Melissa Martinson 2) Introduction of New Park Commissioner 3) Appointment of Officers: Chair, Vice Chair & Secretary Paul Jaeb nominated Janet White as Chair. Ann Thies nominated Paul Jaeb as Vice Chair. Ann Thies nominated Jean Beaupre as Secretary. A motion was made by Thies and seconded by Jaeb to appoint Janet White as Chair, Paul Jaeb as Vice Chair, and Jean Beaupre as Secretary. Motion passed unanimously. Park Commission Chair Janet White presided over the remainder of the meeting. 4) Additions to the Agenda: None. 5) Approval of the Minutes • December 15, 2010 Regular Meeting Minutes A motion was made by Benson and seconded by Jaeb to approve the minutes with no changes. Motion passed unanimously. 6) Public Comments (on items not on the agenda): None. 7) City Council Update: Martinson introduced herself to the Park Commission as their new City Council liaison and gave an update that since the last time the Park Commission met, the City Council: • Held their 2011 goal setting session. • Took a tour of the public works garage. • Discussed the Holasek-Nolan split. • Approved an amended version of the Friends of the Park Program. Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes January 19, 2011 Medina City Hall Page 2 of 5 • Discussed the German Liberal Cemetery. 8) Park Dedication for the Holasek-Nolan Lot Split and Rezoning Planning Consultant Nate Sparks provided the Park Commission with background on the lot split request. He stated that Lennar has made an application in conjunction with the Nolan and Holasek families to split the 33 acre parcel to the north of 3212 Hamel Road into two parcels. The proposed parcels are 4.6 acres and 29 acres in size. Sparks stated that since this application deals with two property owners and is intended to split the lots in order to allow for future development on both parcels, staff is recommending deferring dedication analysis until that time at which the property is developed. Sparks stated that both parcels are intended for future development; the 29 acre parcel is pending development with the Enclave project, but the 4.6 acre parcel does not have immediate plans to develop. Sparks stated that the Park Commission's recommendation for park dedication from the November 17, 2010 Park Commission meeting would apply to the 29 acre parcel when it develops, but the Park Commission needs to determine what to recommend for the 4.6 acre parcel since it has no immediate plans to develop. Sparks explained that a trail along the east side of Hunter Drive will be built along with the reconstruction of Hunter Drive. He further explained that there might be enough drainage and utility easement to construct the trail without obtaining an additional trail easement, but the City Engineer recommends that the City get an additional 10 feet of trail easement to be safe. Scherer noted that there might also be an issue with a culvert on the north end of the property where an additional trail easement would be necessary. Thies questioned if the City knew the timeline of when the 4.6 acre parcel would develop, because she did not want it to delay the development of the trail. White expressed concern that if the Park Commission took staffs recommendation to defer park dedication and an additional trail easement was needed to complete the trail, the City would have to wait for the property to develop or purchase the easement. Benson stated that if the city deferred the park dedication, the city would have one more property owner that they would have to purchase an easement from in order to complete the trail. Merrie Sjogren, with Nolan Company, stated that she is representing the Nolan brothers and wanted to clarify that part of what this lot split is trying to accomplish is what was supposed to happen back in 1977. Sjogren stated that the Nolan brothers want to cooperate so the Enclave development could go forward, but feel that easements and park Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes January 19, 2011 Medina City Hall Page 3 of 5 dedication would be harsh at this point because they are not developing the property right now. Jaeb stated that he was concerned that the city would begin building the trail and get to the northern piece and realize there is not enough room within the existing easement and will need to purchase an additional trail easement. A motion was made by Thies and seconded by Benson to recommend not collecting park dedication fees until the properties develop, but reserve the right to collect the minimum trail easement needed when the trail is constructed and then when the property is developed subtract whatever acreage used for the trail easement from the park dedication fee collected. Motion passed unanimously. Friends of the Park Program Gallup reported that the City Council approved the Friends of the Park Program amendments that the Park Commission recommended with a few wording changes and the addition of a policy statement. White stated that the Park Commission needed to finish drafting the approved project list for citizen generated project requests and recommend it to the City Council for approval. White stated that Councilmember Weir had requested she suggest building blue bird houses along with chimneys for chimney swifts and bat houses be added to the list. Benson noted that some of these items are structural items and will create more hardcover. He stated that he wanted to add building a picnic shelter in Holy Name Park back to the Capital Improvement Plan at their June Park Commission meeting. Martinson clarified that the City Council's concern with the picnic shelter also had to do with maintenance. Jaeb stated that the Eagle Scout Master Phil Zietlow was at the City Council meeting and he explained that the Eagle Scout projects require a lot of research and planning. Thies stated it should be the Eagle Scout's job to research where the best location for a bat house, nesting box, or chimney should be constructed within the park system. Jaeb stated that these Eagle Scout projects are huge projects and had requested that Phil Zietlow attend tonight's meeting to discuss it with the Park Commission. Scherer agreed that the Eagle Scout projects are large and require a lot of staff time to coordinate. Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes January 19, 2011 Medina City Hall Page 4 of 5 Benson noted that he did not like that the new Friends of the Park Program restricts people from bringing projects forward that are not on the approved project list. Martinson clarified that the City Council softened the language in the Friends of the Park Program to allow for projects to be brought forward that are not on the list. Scherer noted that staff would encourage people looking for projects to first review the approved project list. There was a general consensus that the Park Commission would review the approved project list quarterly to recommend any changes or additions. A motion was made by Jaeb and seconded by Thies to recommend approving the project list with the addition of building nesting boxes, bat houses and Chimney Swift nesting structures. Motion passed unanimously. 10) 2011 Goal Setting Session The Park Commission created the following goals for 2011: 1. List of annual items to review 2. Add the deadline dates of the grants to be reviewed annually 3. Continue studying the future park study areas 4. Update parks pages on the City website 5. Keep track of trail opportunities, specifically Willow Drive down to County Road 6 and the Three Rivers Park District trails. Steve Scherer will give a report on city trail maintenance at a future meeting. 6. Prioritize current year funded CIP items to make sure projects are getting done in a timely manner. This item will come back to the February meeting. A motion was made by Thies and seconded by Jaeb to approve the 2011 goal setting session. Motion passed unanimously. 11) Staff Report a) 2011 Park Commission Representation at Council Meetings: The 2011 roster was included in the Park Commission's packets. It was noted that Park Commissioners should contact Gallup if they are unable to attend a meeting. b) General Items: • Ball Field Grants: Scherer stated that the City applied for two grants to install two ball field lights in Hamel Legion Park this year, but the City only received funding from the smaller of the two grants in the amount of $25,000. The grant money needs to be spent in 2011, but it is not enough to install the lights, so the Council agreed to do the project in two phases. Phase one is planned to be completed this year and phase two would be completed before the spring 2012 season if the City receives the additional grant funding. Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes January 19, 2011 Medina City Hall Page 5 of 5 • Hamel Athletic Club Contract: Gallup gave an update that the City is in the process of negotiating the 2011-2012 Hamel Athletic Club (HAC) contract. HAC has requested that the City give them more of a guarantee of future use of the fields before they invest a lot of money and time in fund raising for the ball field lights and other capital improvement projects in the park. The City Council agreed to offer them a first right of offer for future contracts with the understanding that they would raise so much money each year for capital park improvements, starting with the ball field lights. The updated contract will come back to the February 1st Council meeting for approval. 12) Adjourn A motion was made by Jaeb, seconded by Thies and passed unanimously, to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m. Minutes prepared by Jodi Gallup.