9.0 PRSR 06-08-2022 Memorandum
To: Parks and Recreation Commission
From: Michael Hecker, Parks and Recreation Director
Date: June 8, 2022
Subject: Director’s Report
This report is a monthly highlight of department activities related to recent collaborations, strategic
planning, staff changes/developments, and park operations.
Active Elk River - Orono Park & YAC
The YAC buildings were completed in time for the Ice Breaker tournament. This project is mostly
complete except for the punch list items. Orono Park is making satisfactory progress, except for the
splash pad and pickleball courts. The park will remain closed until the final lift is completed. The latest
information on the pickleball courts is attached.
YAC athletic fields #4, #5, #6
YAC fields 4-6 are currently closed due to severe turf dieback. Staff is continuing to investigate
determining the cause of the turf damage. The likely scenarios are detailed in the attached memo.
Tonya Love Farewell
Tonya Love resigned after 18-years with the city taking a new job in the private sector. Her farewell was
on May 25. We will miss the unofficial department historian. Ali will fill in as the Parks Commission
Secretary and other administrative duties until the position vacancy is filled.
WTRP Nature Play Area and Shelter Project
The electrical subcontractor failed to install proper grounding underneath the water feature.
Unfortunately, this means the water feature is inoperable and in violation of the state-adopted electrical
code. Also, the nearby pavilion has not had a final inspection by the state and is also not code compliant.
A letter from our attorney to the contractor addressing these issues is attached. Both features will be
closed until further notice.
Trott Brook Park Tennis Court Project
Excavation work started on this project May 19. All work should be substantially completed before Friday,
July 1.
Item: 9
Rivers Edge Commons Park Dock
Our consultant verified that the permanent portion of the upper dock/ramps/walkway (lower part is
removed each fall) doesn’t increase the flood stage for the Mississippi River. The city is the Local
Government Unit for these no-rise certificates, but we had our consultant sign this one to create some
separation. It was sent to the DNR for review last week for their approval/OK. The operation plan was
also sent to the DNR for their review. Now we have to wait for the river to go down a couple of feet so
public works can safely remove the trees that are in the way which will likely take a week to complete.
Fireworks on Independence Day
Our Fireworks company, RES PRO, has committed to shooting this year’s show on Independence Day.
The shooting location will be the Oak Knoll Athletic Complex following concerns from ISD #728. We
plan to have the same fireworks show as 2021, but it will look different to some residents because of its
changed location. RES PRO does all the fireworks shows for the Twins, Vikings, and Saints.
Summer Programming & Events
Summer youth sports and enrichments camps are set to start June 13. We have two, new youth
summer leagues of t-ball and soccer, all of which are full! We also have kayak and paddle boarding
classes and are hosting a Minnesota Twins Playball clinic on June 25 at the John Bath Fields at Lions
John Weicht Park. We had to cancel some of our programs due to the lack of seasonal staff.
Towards the end of summer, we will be doing movies in the park as well, more details to come.
The Farmers Market has a new high for sponsor participation as well as a fantastic lineup of vendors
with a healthy waitlist. Opening day is June 16 with limited edition 2022 insulated tote bags to the
first 500 shoppers. Both the Riverfront Concert Series and Entertainment in the Park start on June
16 with a fantastic line up of performers. Story Strolls return to Woodland Trails after a successful
first year in 2021. The first story will be set up for June 6 with four rotating stories until August 6.
Memorandum
To: City Council
From: Justin Femrite & Tim Sevcik
Date: May 27, 2022
Subject: Update on Youth Athletic Field Conditions
YAC fields 4-6 are currently closed due to severe turf dieback. Staff is still looking into determining
the cause the turf damage which is likely the result of one of three scenarios: 1) Improper mixing of
herbicides used in treatment of crabgrass, dandelions and clover; 2) a combination of turf related
disease and stress from herbicide treatment; or 3) a batch of chemical that was improperly
manufactured.
Public works has been conducting herbicide treatments on athletic fields for 12-years. All herbicide
applications are conducted by Minnesota Department of Agriculture licensed pesticide applicators of
which we have 3 on staff. The chemicals used in this treatment have been utilized for at least 6-
years and are standard commercial grade herbicides utilized for treatment of athletic fields. Staff has
never previously had an issue utilizing these, or any other herbicide treatments thus making us feel
like scenario 1 is unlikely (but not off our list of possibilities).
Staff has had the fields inspected by a turf specialist from Reinders who found signs of an
unspecified turf disease present however based on the patterns of dieback it is not believed scenario
2 is the likely culprit. Samples of the turf, soil and herbicide from the containers used in treating the
fields were collected by Nutrien Ag Solutions this week and sent off for laboratory analysis to see if
a chemical related cause can be determined.
Additionally, staff reviewed GPS data from the tractor that conducted the herbicide applications on
the fields and inspected containers of chemical to determine if a mixing error had occurred. Based
on GPS data, we are able to determine the sequence of spraying of fields at OKAC and
YAC. OKAC fields 1-2 and the infield of YAC 5 along with 3 passes along the warning track of
field 5 were treated with the first tank of herbicide spray. The remainder of field 5, all of fields 6
and 4, and one pass along the warning track of fields 2-3 were applied with the second tank
mix. Fields 1-3 were treated with the third tank mix. No impacts to the turf were observed from
tanks 1 and 3. While looking at the containers of herbicide purchased from Nutrien Ag Solutions, it
was determined that two different manufacturer lots of chemical were used; two containers utilized
in tanks 1 and 3 from the same lot, and 1 container from a second lot used in tank 2 which
ultimately was used on YAC 4-6. Nutrien Ag Solutions informed staff that they have heard of bad
lots of Mec-Amine-d, the broadleaf herbicide utilized in the treatment, in the past but were not
aware of any currently.
While it is likely the Mec-Amine-d herbicide caused the dieback of the turf, the second chemical
utilized for crab grass treatment is the greater hurdle going forward. Dimension herbicide is a pre-
emergent crabgrass preventer applied to the turf which creates a barrier on the soil surface inhibiting
seed germination. This chemical has a residual effect for up to four months which means reseeding
is not likely to be successful. Staff is currently running a number of test plots on YAC 6 to
determine the viability of reseeding to include different seed types, different seeding techniques, and
resodding of the fields. We will observe these test plots over the next several weeks to determine
which, if any will be successful for reestablishing turf.
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ISGInc.com
CAD FILE NAME
Architecture + Engineering + Environmental + Planning
26553 CONCEPT
FILE LOCATION: S:\PROJECTS\26000 PROJ\26500-26599\26553 FOSTER PROPERTY-ELK RIVER MN\26553 CIVIL-SURVEY\CIVIL_NON PRODUCTION DRAWINGS\26553 CONCEPT.DWG
ISG PROJECT NO. 22-26553
FOSTER PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT
ELK RIVER, MINNESOTA - 2022/05/05
CONCEPTUAL LAYOUT - PARK N0
SCALE IN FEET
200 400
PUBLIC OUTLOT
APPROXIMATELY 88 ACRES
5
43
2
1
1
2
3
4
5
POTENTIAL ACCESS LOCATION / PICNIC AREA
POTENTIAL PICNIC / RESTING AREA
POTENTIAL PICNIC / RESTING AREA
POTENTIAL PICNIC / RESTING AREA
POTENTIAL TRAIL CROSSING / RESTING AREA
6
6 POTENTIAL WOOD DUCK HOUSE AREA
7
8
7 POTENTIAL TRAIL CROSSING
8 POTENTIAL PARKING AREA
PUBLIC OUTLOT
APPROXIMATELY 13 ACRES