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HomeMy Public PortalAbout11.18.2015 Park Commission MinutesMedina Park Commission Meeting Minutes November 18, 2015 Medina City Hall Page 1 of 3 The Park Commission of Medina, Minnesota met in regular session on November 18, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at Medina City Hall. Park Commission Chair Steve Lee presided. 1) Call to Order Commissioners Present: Steve Lee, Madeleine Linck, Lori Meehan, Robin Reid, John Jacob, Nate Pearson, and Dino DesLauriers Commissioners Absent: None Also Present: City Council member Lorie Cousineau, Assistant to City Administrator Jodi Gallup, and Public Works Director Steve Scherer 2) Additions to the Agenda: Linck requested adding "Chemical Use in Parks" to the agenda. A motion was made by Reid and seconded by Pearson to add "Chemical Use in Parks" to the agenda after the staff report. Motion passed unanimously. 3) Approval of Minutes: • September 23, 2015 Regular Meeting A motion was made by Linck and seconded by Reid to approve the minutes from September 23, 2015 as presented. Motion passed unanimously. 4) Public Comments (on items not on the agenda): None. 5) City Council Update Lorie Cousineau updated the Park Commission on recent City Council actions. She also stated that Mayor Mitchell questioned if the Park Commission had plans to add any regulation soccer fields to the City of Medina. The subject was briefly discussed noting that soccer nets had been purchased for Medina Morningside Park and the city planned to buy additional soccer nets for the Park at Fields of Medina. The Park Commission had seen no interest in adding regulation fields, but is currently pursuing recreational soccer fields in existing city parks. 6) Recreational Field Use Policy & Fee Schedule Gallup reported that the Ball Field Subcommittee has held two meetings to review the recreational field use policy and fee schedule. The committee is recommending updating the City's contract with the Hamel Athletic Club (HAC) to conduct all grounds services at the ball fields to make sure the fields are being maintained consistently. The committee is also recommending to increase the ball field rental fees substantially to cover these costs. She noted that the increased fees are in line with what surrounding cities currently charge. The proposed 2016 fee schedule will charge ball field users $50 for practice and $100 for games. Half of the fee will go to HAC and the City is proposing to put the Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes November 18, 2015 Medina City Hall Page 2 of 3 second half in a separate fund to help pay for future capital ball field projects and maintenance. Gallup stated that she had sent a draft copy of the proposed recreational field use policy and fee schedule to all the organizations that rented ball fields in Medina this last year. She received feedback from the Hamel Hawks, Hamel Athletic Club, and Providence Academy all stating that they would still rent the fields under the new rate structure. The Park Commissioners reviewed the updated proposed contract between the City of Medina and HAC and provided the following suggestions: • Add penalty for non-performance of field maintenance. The penalty should be the full rental cost that the organization had to pay to reserve the fields. • Under contract termination, the city should be allowed to terminate the contract, but the contractor should not be allowed to terminate. • 3.16 under city's responsibility to mow should specify that it excludes infields as HAC will be mowing the infields. • 4.01 allowing the sign program should require HAC to show revenues to the city to make sure it is being spent on ball field improvements as stated in the contract. • The insurance section was questioned if the coverage would need to be increased. Gallup will update the contract language based on the provided suggestions and bring it back to the Park Commission for a final review. A motion was made by Reid and seconded by Jacob to recommend the increased fees for ball field rental in the city fee schedule. Motion passed unanimously. 7) Staff Report • Park Commission Vacancies — Gallup stated that Lee and Linck's seats are up to expire at the end of 2015. Linck has reached her term limit and is moving out of state. Lee has indicated that he will re -apply for another term. • 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update — Lee provided an update to the Park Commission on the 2040 Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee's meetings and the community visioning event. • General Items — Scherer stated that he had discussed with staff about approaching the owners of the property that borders the back corner of Tomann Preserve. 8) Chemical Use in Parks Linck stated that she provided Scherer with articles on the negative effects and health risks of Roundup and questioned if that chemical was used in the parks. Scherer stated Medina Park Commission Meeting Minutes November 18, 2015 Medina City Hall Page 3 of 3 that a version of Roundup is sprayed on cracks in the roads before sealcoating, but it is not sprayed in the parks. Linck noted that after the movie in the park event, someone suggested spraying the parks before future movies to minimize mosquitos, but she stated that kind of spraying would kill all wildlife and beneficial insects not just mosquitos. She suggested giving everyone cans of bug spray to use instead of spraying the entire park. 9) Adjourn A motion was made by DeSLauriers, seconded by Pearson and passed unanimously, to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:28 p.m. Minutes prepared by Jodi Gallup.