HomeMy Public PortalAbout02.19.2014 Park Commission MinutesMedina Park Commission Meeting Minutes
February 19, 2014
Medina City Hall
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The Park Commission of Medina, Minnesota met in regular session on February 19, 2014 at 7:00
p.m. in the Medina City Hall. Park Commission Chair Ann Thies presided.
1) Call to Order
Commissioners Present:
Commissioners Absent:
Also Present:
Ann Thies, Paul Jaeb, Madeleine Linck, Steve Lee, and
Nate Pearson
Ellis Olkon and Dino DesLauriers
City Council member Melissa Martinson, Public Works
Director Steve Scherer and Assistant to City Administrator
Jodi Gallup
2) Introduce New Park Commission Member
Introductions were made. Nate Pearson was appointed to the Park Commission to fill a
vacant term expiring December 31, 2015.
3) Additions to the Agenda: None.
4) Approval of Minutes:
• January 15, 2014 Regular Meeting
Page 1: Thies abstained from the vote of the approval of the December 18, 2013 minutes.
A motion was made by Linck and seconded by Lee, to approve the minutes from January
15, 2014 with the noted change. Motion passed unanimously.
5) Public Comments (on items not on the agenda): None.
6) City Council Update
Martinson updated the Park Commission on recent City Council actions.
7) Master Plan Compliance with Comprehensive Plan
Thies stated that Mayor Weir had requested that the definitions for mini -parks and pocket
parks be included in the Master Plan since they are addressed in the Comprehensive Plan.
Thies further reviewed the entire document to make sure it was in compliance with the
Comprehensive Plan and Open Space Plan. She noted the following changes had been
made to the plan:
• Page 7: Park definition references the seven classifications of parks in the
Comprehensive Plan, which was added as Exhibit G to the Master Plan.
• Page 10: Removed specific parking requirements. Added definitions for mini -
parks and pocket parks.
• Page 11: Removed resident requirement under additional considerations.
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February 19, 2014
Medina City Hall
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• Page 15: Changed the typical width of an unpaved trail from 6 feet to 4-6 feet.
• Page 18: Added equestrian trails to the park system inventory.
Lee noted that on page 7, it stated that public parks are generally at least three acres in
size. He requested that sentence be removed since it was inconsistent with the plan. There
was a general consensus to remove that sentence.
Jaeb noted that when the Master Plan was first drafted the intent was to reduce the
amount of categories for parks to keep the plan concise. Mini -parks and pocket parks
should fit into the category of neighborhood parks.
There was a general consensus to remove the separate definitions of mini -parks and
pocket parks from page 10 and edit the second sentence of the main definition for
neighborhood parks to read, "They are small in size (up to ten acres), which would
include mini -parks and pocket parks as defined the by 2010-2030 Comprehensive Plan."
Jaeb questioned why we would remove the resident requirement under additional
considerations. He noted that the location of the dog park could affect the city's decision
on a resident requirement.
There was a general consensus to keep the resident requirement in the plan for additional
consideration. It was noted that this does not mean there will be a resident requirement. It
is just stating that it should be considered and discussed when the time comes to create a
dog park.
A motion was made by Jaeb and seconded by Lee to recommend approval of the Park
and Trail Master Plan to the City Council, noting that it will continue to be a working
document. Motion passed unanimously.
8) Study Northeast Corner of City for Future Park Land
Thies noted that the northeast corner of the city was developing at a rapid rate and
advised that the Park Commission look at each remaining parcel to determine if there is
any potential for a future park.
The Park Commissioners received two separate emails from residents on Shawnee
Woods Road requesting that the Park Commission further consider a park in this section
of the city.
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February 19, 2014
Medina City Hall
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When reviewing the parcels, it was noted that the remaining parcels along Hackamore
were too small and too wet to be able to get enough acreage for a park when and if they
developed. It was noted that if the four remaining parcels along Shawnee Woods
developed at the same time, the city could take a total of 1 /2 acres for park land. If the
parcels came in and developed individually, there would not be enough land on any one
parcel for a park.
The Park Commission briefly discussed the possibility of purchasing 435 Hackamore
Road, which would help the city align Hunter Drive in Corcoran through the new
developments in this neighborhood, instead of having an off -set road to the east of 435
Hackamore Road. If the city could negotiate a reasonable price for the property, after the
road alignment, there would potentially be three acres left for a park.
The Park Commission also briefly discussed acquiring land for a small park when the
golf course develops homes on its north boarder. It is unknown at this time if that will be
possible. It was also noted that in the future, if the golf course ever decided to develop its
entire property, a large park could be planned at that time.
The Park Commission recognized the need for a possible park on the east side of County
Road 116, but did not come up with a viable solution at this meeting. The Park
Commission will be prudent to look at future development applications to determine if
possible park land could be acquired.
9) Review Medina Morningside Park and Maple Park
It was determined that this agenda item should be postponed until the April or May
meeting when the ground is not covered in snow.
10) Review Hennepin County Bikeway Plan
The Park Commission reviewed the draft maps submitted by Hennepin County and Three
Rivers Park District.
The Three Rivers Park District map showed a proposed regional search corridor down
Arrowhead Drive to Blackfoot Trail, cutting over to Tamarack Drive and continuing
south on Tamarack Drive past the Medina boarder. The Park Commission was concerned
about the natural resources along this route. The Park Commission noted that they were
in full support of the regional trail corridor along Hamel Road.
The Hennepin County Bikeway System showed a future bikeway connecting the existing
County Road116 trail to create a north/south route through the city. The proposed trail
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February 19, 2014
Medina City Hall
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would run down County Road 116 south of Highway 55 to Hamel Road east and then
continue down Hunter Drive, Holy Name Drive, and back to Hunter Drive down to
County Road 6. The Park Commission was in support of this bikeway path, but noted that
the properties along Holy Name Drive have small front yards which would make it
difficult to acquire trail easements.
The Park Commission requested additional information on the surface type of these trails
and if they were to be located on road or off road.
11) Dog Park Update
Olkon was planning on giving an update and was not able to make it to the meeting. This
item has been moved to the March meeting.
12) Staff Report
a) 2014 Goals — The updated 2014 goals document was distributed at the meeting
for future reference. Jaeb and Scherer agreed to go through it prior to the next
meeting, to create a plan to make sure the 2014 projects get completed.
b) General Items:
o Scherer noted that staff was changing the process for the gate permit at
Lakeshore Park. He stated that currently the permit expires at the end of each
calendar year, which requires a lot of staff hours to re -issue these permits.
This year, staff will be issuing permits that do not expire. If there is a need to
change the gate code, a notice will be sent out to existing permit holders.
o Scherer mentioned that the Park at Fields of Medina has huge mounds of dirt
on it. He has requested that the builders stop dumping dirt on it and get the
city a grading plan so the park can be completed in 2014.
o The Park Commission questioned the status of the signs at Hamel Legion Park
and Hunter Lions Park. Gallup reported that she was having difficulty
working with the sign company on the design of the trail connection map
since the aerial data is outdated. The Park Commission requested that the
aerial data be removed and a final design be brought before them at the March
meeting.
13) Adjourn
A motion was made by Jaeb, seconded by Lee and passed unanimously, to adjourn the
meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 p.m.
Minutes prepared by Jodi Gallup.