8. PRSR 05-08-2013 Item: 8
Elk MEMORANDUM
River
TO: Parks and Recreation Commission
FROM: Michael Hecker, Parks and Recreation Director
DATE: May 8, 2013
SUBJECT: Director's Report
This report is a monthly highlight of our Department's activities informing the Commission on
items related to collaborations, strategic planning,staff changes/ development, and park operations.
Summer Concert Series
We are very pleased to report that the first concert of the summer concert series will be on
Thursday,June 6. The first band to kick off the concert series will be the Arch Allies - a tribute
band to Journey, REO and Styx.
Recreation Coordinator Vacancy
A total of 99 applications have been received for this vacancy in late March. Phone interviews were
completed this week with the top 19 scoring applicants. Eight have been chosen to return for in
person interview on either May 8 or May 9. We hope to have a final applicant chosen by the end of
this month.
Orono Park Playground
We should know soon when the "Powered By Nature" themed Elk River playground will be on the
assembly line at the Landscape Structures plant in Delano so that interested staff and
Commissioners may view the manufacturing process. The shipping date has been moved up to the
week of May 20th so that we have more time for installing the playground. The grand opening date
is planned for Tuesday,June 25 at 7:30 pm. The ceremony will include a ribbon cutting, children's
entertainment,free giveaways and other events to be determined. City Council and Commission
members are encouraged to attend.
Playground Equipment Donation
City Council authorized on April 15 the removal and donation of the playgrounds at Orono and
Baldwin to a nonprofit organization, KIDS Around the World. They will clean and fix the old
playgrounds and then assemble them in a third world country for underprivileged children. A
newspaper article on the playground donation is attached to this report.
Pinewood Golf Course
We are not pleased to report that the Pinewood Golf Couse had a late season opening finally on
Saturday April 27.
Skate Park Committee
A meeting of the skate park committee will he held on Wednesday,May 8 at 5:30 pm. Staff will be
curious to see the interest of the skaters. Some of the discussion items will be a new skate park
location.
Archaeological Dig and History Day
The City of Elk River is seeking volunteers to participate mid-June in the excavation of a Native
American site. A flyer for the archaeological Dig is attached to this report. The Dig is required by
the DNR grant for the acquisition of Bailey Point. It is being financially supported through a
$11,000 grant that was recently approved by the Minnesota Historical Society.
Also, during the same time frame,the City's Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC) is planning a
"History Day" celebration on June 15 in conjunction with Art Soup. Some of the activities being
planned are a Fashion Show, Archeological dig at Bailey Point and an Old Town Ball game. The
ball game is planned for the Handke Pit. Parks maintenance staff will need to remove the hockey
boards in time for this event and the Hockey Day Minnesota event planned for early next year.
Q erst arnews.com http://erstarnews.co m/2013/04/25/a Id-playgrounds-to-bring-new-life-elsewhere/
Old playgrounds get new life overseas
By Joni Astrup on April 25, 2013 at 422 pm
by Joni Astrup
Associate editor
Two aging playgrounds in Elk River will see new life in a foreign land.
The Elk River City Council donated the playground
equipment at Orono Park and Baldwin Park to the
nonprof it KIDS Around the World. Part of the
organization's mission is to build playgrounds for children a,
in underprivileged locations outside the United States.
Volunteers from Wayzata Free Church dismantled and <; ,
removed the playground equipment at the two Elk River *.. -°
parks recently in just a few hours.
WPM
"In Minnesota, this is our 28th playground we've taken out
in three years," Paul Bierhaus said as the crew took apart
the Baldwin Park playground on April 17. "Many of these
guys have been on all of them. Some are new."
Jon McCollum !left}and Joe Miller carried a part of the
The playground equipment will be sent to Rockford, III., Baldwin Park playground to a waiting truck. Photo byJoni
Astrup
where it will be cleaned and refurbished for use in another
country, likely Haiti, according to Bierhaus.
Donated playgrounds from Woodbury and Plymouth ended up in Poland,
according to Elk River Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hecker.
Bierhaus has been volunteering with KIDS Around the World since 2000 and is ^ `
on the organization's board. He traveled internationally for 3M for many years •
and now travels with KIDS Around the World. He has helped install playgrounds
in about 30 countries.
"Many, many places where we build playgrounds, they've never seen a
playground," Bierhaus said.
k" •
He said its fun to take the playgrounds apart and then to rebuild them in S .,
another country and see the joy kids experience playing on a playground for the F
first time.
"One of the things you never have to teach a child is how to play on a
toN
playground.They instinctively want to do that," he said.
John Hannus tried out a piece
Bierhaus said KIDS Around the World is a faith-based organization and has ofcqurprnent at Baldwin Park.
Photo by Joni Astrup
been in existence since 1995. j
Hecker found out about the organization from his
colleagues at the Minnesota Recreation and Park
Association state conferences that he attends.
k 14 j 1i
ti e'_ l,t Y A
"I found out that the city of Plymouth had a good
s
experience with KIDS," Hecker said
He was surprised when he was told Elk River's two
playgrounds would qualify because they are small and
have been found to be unsafe and obsolete under the s ,°
United States American Society of Testing and Materials +c," '.
s.
playground industry standards. .:;4‘
"I was very pleased to find out that we could participate in
the program and provide something for underprivileged The church crew that dismantled the playground included,
left to right:Phil Falconer, Brent Morrow,John Hannus,Joe
children," Hecker said. Miller, Les Reid,Jon McCollum. Paul Birhaus.Torn
McConn, Rick Watkins, Bob Groetsch and Jerry Borsheid.
The playground equipment removed from Orono and F Photo by Michael Hecker
Baldwin parks is more than 20 years old.
Anew"destination" playground will be built this year at Orono Park.The playground at Baldwin Park will not be
replaced.Aswing set at that park that will remain.Alarger and newer playground is located at Barrington Park,
which Hecker said is only a few blocks away.
Tags: Elk River parks, KIDS Around the World
t -r �m n . mx t Ft " 1 ff* F, fp � 1 ' 't
! �.i a l's tq °!(� t vt t I" r' "k 't rG { .- ;'-u f
Fr '�4- }. e f m: Pt' 0.full eh.,S i t it 'fi f i 4 IN4 34 +dv rypy t�
7duy f ! l
7t r�f?p,t,tr t(M1U k r t i 6d
k
;P':„ d. � y
• �
tF
V l arc: 0
e ..
g y y
• i. F } LM ylij
wGn6���
[ yx lit ~1
t :r'
A f
r. 14. ,.11!, f , ,::::
F
fr
l r rchaeological � 3I al'g .' ::
Bailey Point Park, Elk River
The Elk River Heritage Preservation Commission invites you to join them for an archaeological dig. The City of Elk
River is seeking volunteers to participate in the excavation of a Native American site (potentially a prehistoric village).
Observers of all ages are welcome to tour the site each day at 3:00 p.m. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
June 14-16 and June 21-23
8am-5pm
Sign up to dig, call the City of Elk River at 763.635.1068
Must be 15 years of age or older to participate
City of
Elk
t Funding for this event provided by the Minnesota Historical Society It'1ver
s. >