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7.0. PRSR 06-10-2015 City of Elk ....,.....„ Memorandum River` To: Parks and Recreation Commission From: Michael Hecker,Parks and Recreation Director Date: June 10,2015 Subject: Director's Report This report is a monthly highlight of department activities related to collaboration, strategic planning, staff changes/development, and park operations Rodney Schreifels Resignation Park Maintenance Supervisor Rodney Schreifels resigned effective June 5. His wife was offered a job in Oklahoma that she could not refuse. Rodney started with the city 10 years ago on May 20, 2005. He became the Parks Supervisor on November 7,2007. Rodney did an excellent job and will be missed. As we go to market for a replacement, Steve Stoffers will act as interim Supervisor and Josh Baas as the temporary Lead, effective June 6. We wish Rodney well in his new endeavors. Aubra Podolske Resignation Aubra also provided her resignation, effective June 5. She will also be taking on new opportunities in Oklahoma. She has been working as a Recreation Assistant for our department since April 2009. Her position will soon be posted. Parks and Recreation Master Plan The Parks and Recreation Master Plan was unanimously adopted by City Council on June 1, 2015, after a review and discussion at the May 18 City Council Work Session. Councilmembers expressed appreciation for the time the Commission and staff dedicated to the plan. A hard copy of the plan will be available by the end of this month. The plan will be available on the city website next week. Park Dedication will be presented to City Council at a work session on June 15. This was first presented to the Parks and Recreation Commission on March 16. Riverfront Concert Series Begins Thursday,June 11 Maiden Dixie is the opening act. The broke into the music scene in 2011 with country rock music. They have played every A-list club in the state,have opened for several national acts, and are well- suited for the outdoor stage. The concert is the first of five that will be televised this summer. I P O I E R E I 11 N:\Departments\Parks and Recreation\Commission\Packets\2015\06-10-15 PRC Packet\1-Director's Report 6-10- NATURE 15.docx Rivers Edge Commons Park Phase One RFP The RFP for Rivers Edge Commons Park Phase I is currently posted. This is for a consultant to fully design and administer the construction/ expansion. The deadline for proposals is June 22. The design will occur this summer with construction as early as September. The Council will approve the consultant on July 6. Construction costs will be refined with the completed design. Dave Anderson Athletic Complex Dedication Over 50 people attended the June 1 dedication and paid tribute to Dave for his efforts to build the complex. Pictures of the event are attached. Major Park Use and Facilities Policies At the May meeting,a Commissioner recommended to waive the rental fee for a major park use application. Staff and Commissioners need to be aware that the fee schedule is approved by City Council and cannot be waived by the Commission. The policy,including fee schedules and the requirement Commission review and recommendation of facility use requests will be reviewed by staff this summer. The current policy is over seven years old. Houlton Farm Property Hunting Plan The Committee presented a draft hunting plan for Council review on June 1. A copy of the plan is attached. The Council recommended sending the plan to the DNR for approval. Deer Herd Reduction in the Parks An outline of a deer herd reduction plan for the parks was also presented to the Council on June 1. A volunteer group continues to work on this plan. Members of this group include Commissioners Mike Niziolek and Dave Anderson, MNDNR Conservation officer Mitch Sladek, Council member Matt Westgaard, Steve Engelmeyer who manages the local Cargill hunt and Elk River Police Reserve Kelly Hinrichs and ERPD Sergeant Dave Dummer has also attended meetings. An outline of the proposed deer herd reduction plan is attached. N:\Departments\Parks and Recreation\Commission\Packets\2015\06-10-15 PRC Packet\1-Director's Report 6-10-15.docx Parks&Recreation Commission Minutes Page 4 May 13,2015 Moved by Commissioner Kallemeyn and seconded by Commissioner Sagan to recommend to City Council to approve the Parks and Recreation Master Plan with the following changes. 1. Grammar changes shared by Mr. Hecker on page 79-81. 2. Adding back statement on page 65; Place 50'natural riparian buffers between lawns and water on all appropriate public land and parks. 3. Change the word patch to parcel on page 84. 4. Change Reduction of chemicals to Minimization of chemicals on page 65. Motion carried 6-0. .:' ;, .lam :, , "9,,,,f, , Ae , ,,,,- 4,1,„Iiirto t '' P / 11E1E1 11' NATURE , .. .. Dave Anderson Athletic Complex Dedication June 1, 2015 , 1 L. ,0:. ; • f`" ' Vii , ... . - f - ' ° • - ... - • -. ' , , ___ , , . ,,, ,, ,oiit, z er '''. t lg, t -I r." e ' i,7., • : : 0 r I ' . k i „.. L._ ,i, _ ki kur kk‘k• . _ ' < , ' '' ""--- '3-- 0 a' D ve Anderson r../0”. ;I .• • , 4, ,, :fiR Athletic ' Illirl•' z t., A. k, ' ' ‘ , • wr- Complex , I t / +, 1 . . To ... - e i ! ' - - ' ..... _ . --k, ■ ' i tits ill . i -- .• } 4 •- .. -1,',, i'',',.°'°,.'-'-'" , - f--11 AO*"# `-et-,11,, ,, •„, -- t k u. ,4 ------ -... . . Th06;Q- 10471-)0 (fon, do. fl-)o6cz who e,on do MOrC7, '1/4301C11')tC'7-C1'- Houlton Farm Property Hunting Plan Background The Houlton Farm property was acquired by the Trust for Public Lands with funds from the Outdoor Heritage Fund and then donated to the City for the express purpose of being managed for high quality native habitat for wildlife. The property is currently closed to the public and will remain so until the anticipated opening in the fall of 2016. Once opened, it will be open to the public year round for passive,non-motorized recreational uses such as hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing,bird watching, fishing, and hunting. Hunting opportunities will follow MN DNR seasons and be additionally regulated in adherence with a hunting plan approved by the DNR specifically tailored to this unique property. Since the property was acquired,the details of the hunting plan have drawn the most interest from the public, City staff, the Park and Recreation Commission and the City Council. The primary concern relates to the safety of the surrounding neighbors and the non-hunting recreating public using the property. In response to these concerns,the city has embarked on a systematic and cautious planning process in the development of the hunting plan. This process started with a public open house on September 24th, 2014, where interested neighbors were able to share their concerns. On February 5th, 2015, MN DNR Area Wildlife Manager Tim Marion, local MN DNR conservation officer Mitch Sladek, and Bob McGillivray with the Trust For Public Lands toured the property. Later that same day,they met with Stewart Wilson and Dave Anderson of the Houlton Farm Property planning committee, and Michael Hecker to begin discussion of a hunting plan. On February 19th, Tim, Mitch, and Bob met with MN DNR Area Wildlife Manager Fred Bengtson and Deputy MN DNR Commissioner David Schad. The outcome of this meeting was the proposed framework of a hunting plan for the Houlton Farm Property that would fulfill the requirements associated with the funding,while being sensitive to community concerns for safety. On March 30th, Tim and Fred presented the framework for the hunting plan to the Houlton Farm Property planning committee. The planning committee met again on April 13th to discuss the hunting plan in detail and to refine the MN DNR framework. The Committee met again on May 11 to discuss the plan recommendation for City Council to review. That recommendation is included as Attachment 1 and Exhibit 1. Once this Hunting Plan is reviewed by City Council, it will be sent to the MN DNR for their approval. It will then return to City Council for final approval. Following this process,there are many specific details that will need to be worked out in the coming year. Once implemented, it is expected that the plan will undergo periodic review and modification if circumstances at the time require it. The DNR hopes that the Houlton Farm Property will become a model for future hunting opportunities in areas adjacent to residential areas in other parts of the state. Attachment 1 Houlton Farm Property Hunting Plan 1. All hunting will follow the current year MN DNR Hunting Regulations,with the following additional restrictions. 2. Archery hunting of small game,waterfowl,turkey and deer throughout the property will be allowed. Firearms are prohibited throughout the property for the hunting of small game,turkey and deer, except during special hunts discussed in#4 below. This follows the DNR recommendation without change. We were very pleased to see that their recommendation excluded the firearms for the hunting of small game, turkeys and deer throughout the property. This will provide for both a unique and safe hunting opportunity. It is expected that there will be only limited hunting of small game and waterfowl with bow and arrow. 3. Migratory waterfowl shotgun hunting will be allowed along the Mississippi River in the area highlighted on the attached map. This also follows the DNR recommendation with a slight modification to the designated hunting area. The Houlton Farm Property planning committee recommends that the designated waterfowl hunting area along the Mississippi River be shortened by 500 feet on both the east and west ends to move the hunting a safe distance from adjacent neighbors and public uses. Also, to clarify the DNR map,Houlton Farm Property Islands will be included in this area. 4. Allow for the possibility of mentored youth and handicap shotgun hunts for turkeys and deer. This follows the DNR recommendation and in an important component of the unique hunting opportunities allowed on this property. These hunts are already held at various locations throughout the state and are managed by experienced volunteer organization such as the National Wild Turkey Federation and Capable Partners. The details of these hunts will be worked out well in advance of the hunts. Each hunt will require city approval and the number of these hunts per year will be limited to a yet to be determined number. 5. Trapping is closed on the entire property. Nuisance animals may be trapped by permit only. This follows the DNR recommendation. 6. Small game,turkey, deer and waterfowl hunting will be on a first come basis and will be limited by parking space availability. The city will build a parking lot capable of holding only 12 cars and after the lot is full,hunters will have to wait for available parking space prior to entering the property. This follows the DNR recommendation. In addition, the committee recommends that the parking lot be next to Main Street for maximum visibility. This plan also reserves the maximum amount of space for habitat and is similar to parking lots on MN DNR Wildlife Management Areas and the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. 7. No internal boat access. Accordingly,there will not be a road leading from the parking lot down to the river for motor vehicles to bring watercraft to the river. Access from the site for watercraft will be carry in only. While this is not a hunting issue, the DNR included the boat access on their list because it was a part of our original concept for the property. In out meeting with them, they did point out several potential issues with control of an internal access. In separate action, the committee also discussed and recommended no internal boat access for similar reason. . Q 0 Z m• y 0 J Q a �'H Q O Z Q d o (7 Z 4 • gam`/ r 9 E L s } ale rg Deer Herd Reduction Efforts in Elk River The goal of this program is to reduce the deer herd and achieve a healthy population of deer for the urban and natural landscape of our community. While deer are in short supply in some areas of the state, the deer herd in much of Elk River, like many other urban areas, has grown too large. Urban and other protected areas offer deer a refuge of sorts from predators, both two and four legged, and a relatively abundant food supply. When deer densities get too high, in addition to the obvious car/deer collisions and the damage to home owners landscaping, their quest for food harms natural forest regeneration as the deer feed on young trees, killing them before they have a chance to mature. This environmental damage is evident in most of our parks. Aggravating the problem and often a significant cause of the increasing deer numbers is back yard deer feeding. This is part of the abundant food supply that brings deer into urban areas. Well-meaning homeowners, who enjoy watching the deer that they feed, can create unnatural travel patterns increasing car/deer collisions and increase the chances for the spread of disease. The best and only method to control deer in much of the city is the current "back tag" program, where hunters can take deer on private property, with land owner permission, within the cities no discharge zone. One limiting factor in the ability of this effort was the 2014 "hunter choice" category which limits hunters to a single deer. While likely inappropriate in many areas, there are areas within the city that could benefit by more liberal limits. MNDNR deer hunting Zone 601, which encompasses much of greater Minneapolis/Saint Paul metropolitan area and includes a small portion of Elk River, has no individual limit of antlerless deer. Expansion of this zone further into Elk River would greatly benefit the deer herd reduction effort. In response to the damage that deer are causing in city parks, the Park and Recreation commission has discussed and supported the possibility of allowing limited archery deer hunting in select city parks to help reduce deer numbers. A volunteer group has been organized and has been meeting monthly since February to discuss possible rules and details of the hunts. Members of this group include Commissioners Mike Niziolek and Dave Anderson, MNDNR Conservation officer Mitch Sladek, Council member Matt Westgaard, Steve Engelmeyer who manages the local Cargill hunt and Elk River Police Reserve Kelly Hinrichs. ERPD Sargent Dave Dummer is participating when he can. Outline of the discussion to date 1. Controlled archery hunts following MN hunting seasons and rules with many additional restrictions. 2. Antlerless deer only. 3. Hunt will be patterned after successful hunts such as Cargill in Elk River, St. John's Arboretum, City of Anoka, City of Red Wing, and the St. Cloud Regional Airport. 4. Rules of the hunt are being developed by a volunteer group. They include hunter qualification, hunter selection, hunter safety and hunter educate. 5. Management of many details of the hunt will be done by volunteers. 6. Six city parks have been identified as possible candidates for deer herd reduction. They are; Woodlands, Sedge Meadow, Birch Meadow, Camp Cozy, Big Tooth Ridge and Harris Island. With the exception of Woodlands all are very low use parks. 7. The first year will be a trial year where only two or three parks will be hunted. 8. Parks will need informational signage announcing the hunts. 9. The MN 2015 archery season runs September 12th thru December 31St. For parks except for Woodlands, the hunts will occur the first 9 days of the season and then Monday thru Wednesday of each week starting the fourth week of the season for the remainder of the season. The portion of Woodlands (east of the GNT) will be closed during the hunts that are proposed to occur Monday thru Wednesday of the 4th 6th 9th and 11th week of the archery season. In Woodlands as in other parks, there will be restriction on hunting location to insure public safety. 10. Hunter selection will be by lottery. The first year it is proposed that hunters be hand selected to help insure a successful first year hunt. It is hoped that some of these hunters will help manage future hunts.