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12-08-2021 PRM Meeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission Held at the Elk River City Hall Wednesday, December 8, 2021 Members Present: Chair Williams, Commission members Anderson, Holmgren, Loidolt, Niziolek, Rathbun and Soltvedt Members Absent: None Council Liaison: Ms. Wagner Staff Present: Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hecker, Street and Park Superintendent Tim Sevcik, Recreation Sports Coordinator Warren Ellingworth, and Recreation Assistant Ali Wallace 1. Call Meeting to Order Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the meeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission was called to order at 6:31 p.m. by Chair Williams. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Consider 12/08/2021 Agenda Moved by Commissioner Loidolt and seconded by Commissioner Soltvedt to approve the December 8, 2021 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting agenda. Motion carried 7-0. 4.1 Consider 11/10/2021 Regular PRC Minutes Commissioner Loidolt stated on page three to change the pricing for County Road 33 to $1,500,000 and County Road 44 to $250,000. Moved by Commissioner Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Loidolt to approve the following November 10, 2021 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes with changes. Motion carried 7-0. 5. Open Forum No one appeared for Open Forum. 6. Presentations - None 7. Discussion Items Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 2 December 8, 2021 ----------------------------- 7.1 Buckthorn Removal Mr. Hecker presented the staff report. He asked Mr. Sevcik to attend the meeting to help answer questions since he has a background in natural resources and buckthorn removal. Chair Williams asked if Mr. Hecker was looking for feedback to share with the council since they referred it back to us? Mr. Hecker stated we didn’t have all the information from Friends of the Mississippi River (FMR) that includes City properties William H Houlton Conservation Area and Bailey Point Nature Preserve. He would like to recognize FMR at a future City Council meeting for their partnership efforts. Commissioner Anderson stated that the council has asked that we prioritize City areas. He thinks prioritizing William H Houlton Conservation Area as 1 and Bailey Point Nature Preserve as 2 because of the potential funding in place. Then it is up to a discussion between staff and the commission as to what we would consider other priorities realizing that we probably can’t get rid of buckthorn in every park. We could prioritize Woodland Trails Regional Park as 3 and Hillside Park as 4, or they could be equal priority. Commissioner Anderson asked who the other partners would be. Mr. Sevcik stated there are organizations that do different types of restoration grants. Buckthorn is not something that is highly sought after. If we went to the DNR and asked for $50,000 or $100,000 for buckthorn and we have $25,000 to match it, they would mostly likely say no because they can spend their money on things of higher priority. According to the US Department of Agriculture, buckthorn is fully colonized in this area of the United States. Unless you can clear all the buckthorn of the adjacent properties and beyond, you will always have a buckthorn issue. At the Council discussion he was asked what level he thinks we need to fund, and he asked the Council what level we are comfortable funding. It could be an open-ended check book for generations to come if our goal is eradication, which is probably impossible at this point. As far as priorities go, we looked at William H Houlton Conservation Area and Bailey Point Nature Preserve being the two highest priorities. We have an established partnership with Friends of the Mississippi River with $300,000 towards buckthorn mitigation on those properties and are to the point where almost all of the mature buckthorn has been removed. We’ve done full scale habitat restoration largely funded by FMR through the Lessard Sams Outdoor Heritage Council grants. Other properties within the city wouldn’t qualify for Lessard Sams dollars because they aren’t open to public hunting and fishing. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 3 December 8, 2021 ----------------------------- Chair Williams asked if the commission has a recommendation for the council. Mr. Sevcik recommends continuing partnership with FMR and leverage those dollars with FMR. Commissioner Niziolek asked if we’ve looked into Carbon Credit Marketing. Chair Williams asked if the commission would like to go with Mr. Sevcik’s suggestions to continue the partnership with FMR. Council member Wagner asked to clarify that the payments of $6,250 per year for 2022 to 2026 will be paid from the Park Improvement Fund. All Commissioners agreed. 8. Action Items 8.1 Elk River Youth Lacrosse Association Field Lighting Payment Deferment Request Mr. Ellingworth presented the staff report. Chair Williams, Mr. Hecker and Mr. Ellingworth met with the new president and treasurer on November 29, 2021 to discuss deferring the payments. Finance said they can extend the payments for five years but no longer and there will not be late fees for this year. Chair Williams thinks it is worth giving them a chance to get back on their feet. Moved by Commissioner Loidolt and seconded by Commissioner Anderson to recommend to City Council to accept staff recommendations to amend the agreement with Elk River Youth Lacrosse to repay their remaining balance for Oak Knoll Athletic Complex field lighting in five annual payments of $4,449.60 due September 30, 2021 to 2025. Motion carried 7-0. 8.2 Athletic Field Use Fees Mr. Ellingworth presented the staff report. The items highlighted in yellow were discussed at the work session in November. The items highlighted in green are changes that were added today. Mr. Ellingworth explained the spreadsheet shows what the city is charged to operate the lights. The Monthly Demand Charge is a set fee and what we pay if the lights are Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 4 December 8, 2021 ----------------------------- turned on for fifteen minutes over the course of a month, plus the Energy Charge per hour. Chair Williams suggests increasing the rate for groups that have below 60% participant residency to $45 per day for lights and 60-69% participant residency to $35 per day for lights and keep the rates lower for groups that have 70% and above participant residency at $25 per day for lights to keep the cost down for tax paying citizens. Commissioner Holmgren asked what percentage would be subsidized with the additional rate of $4 per hour of use. Are we asking the user groups to pay 100% of the what’s being used? Mr. Ellingworth explained as an example if we charged a group $25 per day, and they had 10 uses then we are only getting $250 of the $750 monthly demand fee. Commissioner Holmgren asked how much of the light usage are we asking the user groups to pay? Mr. Ellingworth shared that if the lights were turned on all 30 days of the month, we would be receiving 100% of the cost for lighting. We don’t have the exact number, but we are estimating the user groups are covering about 15% to 20% of the cost right now. Commissioner Loidolt asked if there is a savings for LED lights? Mr. Sevcik shared if you look at the spreadsheet for Lions you can see the cost difference. Chair Williams asked what the price would be for LED lighting versus the older style? Mr. Sevcik shared the cost difference for LED lights at the Youth Athletic Complex was $70,000 total for all 6 fields of the complex. Commissioner Rathbun asked Mr. Sevcik if he’s aware of any day light sensing equipment that can prevent the lights from turning on during a cloudy day but will turn on if it is truly dark? Mr. Sevcik explained the way it is designed with a remote system you can set them up with a sunrise and sunset schedule manually but then you must go into the program every day and adjust the sunset and sunrise schedule. The technology isn’t Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 5 December 8, 2021 ----------------------------- there yet with these systems. Commissioner Soltvedt asked if we can look at the average hours of use and come up with a flat rate instead of charging $4 per hour? There is more administrative time when we have to track the hours. Chair Williams suggests coming up with a total, such as $15, and add that to the daily per field per day for lights, instead of adding $4 per hour. That would cover almost 4 hours of usage. Council member Wagner mentioned what she heard in the beginning is you are wanting accountability for the light usage by charging an hourly rate but then mentioned charging a flat rate. If a group is paying a flat rate, they may be more likely to leave them on longer. Chair Williams shared he understands where Commissioner Soltvedt is coming from an administrative standpoint and asked Mr. Ellingworth if he’s okay with tracking the light usage. Mr. Ellingworth explained if we charged a flat fee, it would be a little quicker entering the charge versus looking at the actual hours that the lights were used, but he’s fine doing it either way. Council member Wagner thinks this information would be good to have for monthly reporting if we have the capability to track it. Commissioner Loidolt suggests sending the reports to the organizations so they can see their lighting usage and the fees. Mr. Ellingworth said he can send the reports. Council member Wagner asked for clarification on the concession stand pricing and why it’s more to rent the concession stand at Lion John Weicht Park. Mr. Ellingworth explained that at Lion John Weicht Park the rate includes renting the pavilion. Council member Wagner asked what was charged for the concessions at Youth Athletic Complex and Dave Anderson Athletic Complex prior to the Active Elk River project. Mr. Ellingworth shared there was not a fee in the past. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 6 December 8, 2021 ----------------------------- Council member Wagner asked why is there a fee now? Mr. Ellingworth shared it is more for the accountability and hoping that renters will take care of the space. Council member Wagner asked Commissioner Loidolt, a past Baseball Commissioner, if he thinks the fees are reasonable. Commissioner Loidolt feels like you’re getting something for your money at the Youth Athletic Complex versus Dave Anderson Athletic Complex since there is not running water and they can only sell prepackaged food. He feels like $50 per day at DAAC is too much since there are no amenities. Council member Wagner wants to make sure the fees do not prohibit associations from using the concessions due to the daily cost. Mr. Ellingworth suggests removing the per day charge for this proposal and still require them to get the temporary food stand license. He suggests the fee for Lion John Weicht Park stay for tournament use or add it as a tournament fee. Commissioner Loidolt suggests offering a discount to associations if they pay up front for the cost of tournaments you can take off $50 from the tournament fee. Council member Wagner would like to see the concessions being used for games during the week as well as tournaments. Moved by Chair Williams and seconded by Commissioner Anderson to recommend to City Council to accept staff recommendations to approve athletic field use fees for 2022 with the following modifications added below. Motion carried 7-0. • In the top rate - $45 per field per day for lights + $4 per hour of use • Elk River Association (Group 3B) - $35 per field per day for lights + $4 per hour of use • Concession Stand Use for tournament use - $75 per day 8.3 Park Facility Use Fees Mr. Ellingworth presented the staff report. Commissioner Soltvedt asked if the non-profit rates are going away. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 7 December 8, 2021 ----------------------------- Commissioner Anderson asked if non-profit groups would pay resident or non- resident rates. Chair Williams clarified if they are a resident, they will pay the resident fee and non- residents will pay the non-resident fee. Moved by Commissioner Soltvedt and seconded by Commissioner Holmgren to recommend to City Council to accept staff recommendations to approve the park pavilion, shelter, and facility fees for 2022. Motion carried 7-0. 8.4 Park Dedication Funds for County Road 33 and 44 Trails Mr. Hecker presented the staff report. Chair Williams shared the park improvement fund is for fixing and rebuilding. Park dedication fund is for new projects. Commissioner Anderson shared the original master trails plan was planned to connect with Viking Blvd. We talk about opportunities to put in trails and need to provide safe pedestrian transportation. $1,500,000 is a hard pill to swallow. Is it possible to do the design with the trail and build it later? Mr. Hecker shared he asked Mr. Femrite for the cost break down and if we could do partial or just the design but he said it’s either $1,500,000 or not at all. Bituminous is very minimal part of the cost. The majority of the cost is acquisition, right of way and grading which is about 89% of the cost. Commissioner Niziolek asked what the proposed shoulder width is on County Road 33. Commissioner Loidolt asked how long the stretch of road is. Commissioners asked if the trail would go along the whole 1.7 miles of the construction project and connect to Hwy 169? Commissioner Soltvedt shared a $1,500,000 section that goes to nowhere means nothing at this point. If Mr. Femrite is saying it won’t qualify for funding because there’s not population density for 20 years, we’re basically saying we need this 20 years from now and by then we will be replacing it. Based on past issues we had with the Hillside issue, he is not okay with committing until we have it all in writing. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 8 December 8, 2021 ----------------------------- Commissioner Anderson would like to know if the trail will be an 8, 10 or 12 foot detached trail and where the trail is going to begin and end. The roadway design would be extremely helpful. Chair Williams asked if everyone agrees to wait and get more information for County Road 33. Commissioners all agree that County Road 44 is important to have, and it also connects other trails. Commissioner Anderson shared there should be continuing negotiations with the county for the cost share. Moved by Commissioner Loidolt and seconded by Commissioner Rathbun to recommend to City Council to accept staff recommendations to approve allocation of park dedication funds, not to exceed $250,000 as a local cost share, for the County Road 44 trail in conjunction with the rebuilding of the road. Motion carried 7-0. Commissioner Soltvedt requested that a member of the Sherburne County engineering team attend the January meeting. Council member Wagner suggests being very specific about what information you are requesting. Hopefully the information can be shared prior to the next meeting. Mr. Hecker shared the information the commission is requesting is if the trail is 10 feet and detached, will the trail go from Brook Road to County Road 13, what is the width of the shoulder, and the road design. He will also invite one of the County members to attend the January meeting. Mr. Hecker shared that he was told by Mr. Femrite there is no option to do partial, it’s either zero or $1,500,000. Commissioners requested that Mr. Hecker ask the engineers again. Council member Wagner asked if this trail is built who will maintain and plow the trail, and do we have enough staff and equipment to maintain the 1.7 miles of trail. Commissioner Soltvedt stated that should be formalized in the agreement with Sherburne County, as to who maintains it. If there is a cost share in the acquisition, then there should be a cost share in the maintenance. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 9 December 8, 2021 ----------------------------- Moved by Commissioner Soltvedt and seconded by Commissioner Anderson to table the allocation of funds for the County Road 33 project until more information is received at the January 12, 2022 commission meeting. Motion carried 7-0. 8.5 2022 Commission Meeting Calendar Mr. Hecker presented the staff report. Moved by Commissioner Holmgren and seconded by Commissioner Rathbun to approve a Parks and Recreation Commission schedule change to meet the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in 2022, except for October which will be held Wednesday, October 5, 2022. Motion carried 7-0. 9. Parks and Recreation Director Update Mr. Hecker shared his staff report. 10. Announcements Chair Williams shared he would like staff to find out who designed and built the pickleball courts in Otsego and St. Michael. 11. Adjournment There being no further business, Chair Williams adjourned the meeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission at 8:38 p.m. Minutes prepared by Ali Wallace. ___________________ David Williams, Chair _____________________ Tina Allard, City Clerk