HomeMy Public PortalAbout02-16-2011 Park Commission MinutesMedina Park Commission Meeting Minutes
February 16, 2011
Medina City Hall
Page 1 of 4
The Park Commission of Medina, Minnesota met in regular session on February 16, 2011 at 7:00
p.m. in the Medina City Hall. Park Commission Chair Janet White presided.
1) Call to Order
Commissioners present: Janet White, Paul Jaeb, Jean Beaupre, Ben Benson,
Madeleine Linck and Bill Waytas (arrived at 7:03 p.m.)
Commissioners absent: Ann Thies
Also present: Assistant to City Administrator Jodi Gallup, Public Works
Superintendent Steve Scherer and City Council member
Melissa Martinson
2) Additions to the Agenda: None.
3) Approval of the Minutes
• January 19, 2011 Regular Meeting Minutes
o Page 3: 6th Paragraph: Thies Jaeb stated that the Eagle Scout Master...
o Page 3: 6th Paragraph: She Thies stated is it should be the Eagle Scout's job
to research...
o Page 4: 4th Paragraph: ...building nesting boxes, bat houses and chimneys
Chimney Swift nesting structures.
A motion was made by Benson and seconded by Linck to approve the minutes with the
noted changes. Motion passed unanimously.
4) Public Comments (on items not on the agenda): None.
5) City Council Update:
Martinson gave an update that the City Council:
• Continues to look at the Lennar project and negotiate with the builder.
• Discussed future public facilities planning at a special session and have directed
staff to solicit 6-8 people for a focus group to get residents' feedback on the
possible options.
6) 2011 Capital Improvement Plan Prioritization List
White introduced the topic stating that prioritizing the park projects on the 2011 CIP was
a goal of the Park Commissions. She stated that the Park Commission should focus on
prioritizing the funded CIP items, create a timeline and start discussing the details.
Jaeb asked for clarification on what park CIP items were fully funded by Park Dedication
dollars that we could spend today.
The Park Commission and staff reviewed the CIP list and determined there were three
main projects that were funded solely by Park Dedication dollars:
Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes
February 16, 2011
Medina City Hall
Page 2 of 4
• Hamel Legion Park - general landscaping - $1,000
• Hamel Community Building - shading of south side of building and landscaping -
$ 8,000
• Medina Morningside Park — North side landscaping - $5,000
White asked each Park Commissioner to prioritize the projects.
Benson: Priority # 1: Hamel Community Building; Priority # 2: Medina
Morningside.
Jaeb: Priority # 1: Medina Morningside; Priority # 2: Hamel Community
Building, but thought both should be done concurrently.
Beaupre: Thought all projects were important, but did not know enough details to
prioritize them.
Waytas: Both Hamel Community Building and Medina Morningside should be the
number one priority.
Linck: Priority # 1: Hamel Community Building; Priority # 2: Medina
Morningside.
There was a general consensus that the Hamel Community Building and Medina
Morningside projects were both important and should be done early this year.
Jaeb questioned what the next step would be to get approval to go forward with the
projects.
Gallup said a plan should be put together and staff may need to get quotes from
contractors if the projects could not be done by the Public Works Department or
volunteers. The City Council would need to authorize the final plan and approve a
contract with any contractors that would be used to complete the work.
Beaupre volunteered to work with Scherer to look at Medina Morningside to come up
with a plan for the east side of the park by the power line.
The Park Commissioners were directed to look at the Master Landscape Plan for Hamel
Legion Park and bring ideas back to finalize the plans at the March Park Commission
meeting.
Linck stated that she wanted staff to reconnect with Orono on the Willow Drive Trail.
Scherer stated that he would follow up with Orono to see if the trail is on their plan. He
stated the hardest part of this project would be to get the landowners consent for the
easements to build the trail.
Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes
February 16, 2011
Medina City Hall
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7) Staff Report
a) 2011 Park Commission Goals: Gallup reported that the 2011 goal list had been
updated per the Park Commission's direction.
Linck stated that she wanted to organize a wild life walk again in May. She will work
with Gallup to schedule a date. It was suggested that the wild life walk should take
place in Tomann Preserve again since it got cut short last year due to rain and
lightning.
Linck asked if she could write more articles for the website on the value of dead trees
and wild life people could find in each park.
Scherer thought it would be a good idea to educate people on the value of dead trees,
especially in Medina Lake Preserve, so people stop complaining that the city has not
removed the dead trees.
It was suggested that the public could also be educated on the value of dead trees
through interpretive signs at some of the parks.
The Park Commission agreed to further look at the possibility of adding
interpretive/nature signs at some of the parks.
b) General Items:
• Uptown Hamel Library: Gallup reported that the Uptown Hamel Business
Group needs to relocate the Uptown Hamel Library because it is on private
property. Their first option is to try to work with the Church of St. Anne's to
locate it to their property. If their first option fails, they plan to come to the
Park Commission to request that the library be relocated into Hamel Legion
Park.
• Electronic Packets: Gallup asked the Park Commission what they thought of
receiving their packets electronically. There was a general consensus that it
was okay if it was a small packet as long as there were no large plans or maps
that would need to be printed.
• Future Agenda Items: Gallup reported that an Eagle Scout is planning on
bringing a request to the next meeting to build natural benches in some of our
parks. She also stated that there are a number of possible planning projects
that may be coming forward in the next few months for the Park Commission
to review in regards to Park Dedication. The park tour and nature walk will
need to be scheduled at the next meeting.
8) Adjourn
A motion was made by Jaeb, seconded by Linck and passed unanimously, to adjourn the
meeting.
Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes
February 16, 2011
Medina City Hall
Page 4 of 4
The meeting was adjourned at 8:09 p.m.
Minutes prepared by Jodi Gallup.