Loading...
8.3.B. SR 06-06-2005 Item 8.3.B. MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and Council FROM: Bill Maertz, Director of Park$ and Recreation DATE: June 2, 2005 SUBJECT: Parks and Recreation Update Lions Park Teen Programming Lions Park is exceptionally well located to provide'programming for teens. Its proximity to the schools, central location and the high density of rental housing nearby, combine to make Lions Park a gathering spot for teenagers in Elk River. The addition of the skate park in 2004 added to the popularity of Lions Park with tt1ens. Staff is exploring options for recreational programming at Lions Park in order to provide alternatives to "hanging out" in an unsupervised eJ!lvironment. One option is the creation of a new staff position titled Teen Programmer. This position would work under the supervision of the Recreation Coordinator, Ross Demant, to provide supervision at the skate park, supervise teen intramural sports, and organizie special events and field trips involving teens. Another option is the potential of creating indoor jtecreation space for teens at Lions Park Center. Staff is examining options for enclosing th~ picnic pavilion attached to Lions Park Center and creating a teen center/ warming house. This space could be staffed by the Teen Coordinator and along with the skate park becomtt the beginning of Elk Rivers teen outreach infrastructure. Additional concepts include an outdoor climbing rock and a towrope for snowboarding. Staff believes that every avenue for involving and valuing teenagers in Elk River needs to be explored .The potential of Lions Park Center to plflY a role in teen development is phenomenal and needs to be enhanced as much as possible. Trail Master Plan Amendment The Parks and Recreation Commission will be clOidering making a recommendation to amend the trail master plan on June 8, 2005. The urrent trail master plan specifies future widened shoulder along County Roads 1, 77, 35, 3 ,40, 13,21 and 33. In addition, the plan specifies future widened shoulder along the follo . g city roads, Jarvis St, Upland St., Lander St. and 221st Ave. I I The Park Commission has discussed the merits of!future widened shoulder vs. detached trail and the consensus was that detached trails were mbre desirable for several reasons. . Safety - Trail provides separation from tra~fic . Winter use - Trail can be plowed and sanqed with parks trail maintenance equipment. . Aesthetics - Trail provides opportunity to ,plant boulevard trees and create a more aesthetically pleasing pedestrian experience. There are approximately 30 miles of roads designaFed future widened shoulder. Amending the trail plan to. designate these to detached trails will cost $3,200,000 in 2005 dollars. Park dedication funds will not be sufficient to fund this I level of trail development. Staff will explore various grants and partnerships as funding sources, however, it is clear that a referendum will be needed to fully fund trail development if the plan is changed. If this recommendation is made, the Parks and ReCreation Commission will be acknowledging that a referendum for trail development will be needed in the near future. 2005 Parks Capital Improvement Project Upd~te. YAC Soccer/Football Field Grading, irrigation and electrical work are substantially done. The light poles will be installed in June. Delays due to the rainy spring prevented a spring seeding therefore seeding will be done in mid August. Park Trails Trails in TroutBook Park, West Oaks Park, Highlands East and West Parks and I(liever Point Park have been staked and grading and pavij.g begins the third week in June. Park Shelters Installation of park shelters begins June 6, and should take approximately two weeks. Shelters are being installed in Troutbrook Park. YAC, West Oaks Park, Windsor Park and Lions Park. Orono Rain Garden Installation of the Orono Rain Garden was sched~led for the first week in June. Volunteers who will help plant the garden include Girl Scouts land Master Gardeners. This project will aid in improving water quality in Lake Orono I Recreation Managers Report Special Events We held our annual End of the School Year Band~hell Concert on Friday, May 27tn. This event has become a tradition, taking place on the l~st Friday of school. Local bands put together the music. This year we had four bands Maying. Additionally, this year we added food and 3rd Lair came out to do demos on the skate park, both of which were a big hit. We had over 300 teens here throughout the night. May Programs The programs running during the month included! adult fitness classes, Girl Power, Parent and Tot Tumbling, Preschool Tumbling, Parent atild Tot Open Playtime, Cheer America, Young Americans Self Defense, Eager Elks Soccet, Eager Elks Golf, Eager Elks T -Ball, Eager Elks Tumbling, Parenti Child Yoga, Kids Cardia, The Shoppes at Lions Park Center, and the Community Wide Garage Sale. Special Marketing Efforts We held our annual summer kickoff on May 25th. It was a rainy night and was not as well attended as in the past, however, all who attended had a great time and we were able to share Facility Use We reserved a total of 537.25 hours of city faciliti~s in May. 271 hours was ball field use, 67.25 hours was shelter use, 81 hours was Lions P~rk and Trott Brook Barn, 77 hours was soccer field use and the rest was miscellaneous pa~k use.