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08-10-2022 PRMINMeeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission Held at the Elk River City Hall Wednesday, August 10, 2022 Members Present: Chair Williams, Commission members Anderson, Holmgren, Loidolt, Niziolek, Rathbun, and Soltvedt Members Absent: None Staff Present: Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hecker, 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 6:32 p.m. by Chair Williams. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Consider 08/10/2022 Agenda Moved by Commissioner Loidolt and seconded by Commissioner Soltvedt to approve the August 10, 2022, Parks and Recreation Commission meeting agenda. Motion carried 7-0. 4.1 Consider 07/13/2022 Regular PRC Minutes Moved by Commissioner Soltvedt and seconded by Commissioner Rathbun to approve the following July 13, 2022, Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes. Motion carried 7-0. 5. Open Forum - None 6. Presentations 6.1 Eagle Scout Presentation Andy Schumacher, Troop 90, shared his plan to revamp the Welcome to Elk River sign near Highway 10 and Orono Park. Commissioner Anderson is happy the city is not tearing the sign down and thinks it is a great idea to repurpose the sign. Mr. Hecker shared a year ago he and the city administrator discussed keeping the sign and putting Orono Park on it to identify the park. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 2 August 10, 2022 ----------------------------- Commissioner Niziolek shared he prefers the logo going vertically on one line versus two. Commissioner Anderson said that is the layout they are leaning towards. 7. Action Items 7.1 Park Dedication – Olson Acres Mr. Hecker shared the staff report. Commissioner Anderson stated it appears that the property is on both sides of Meadowvale Road and the trail is pertinent. Commissioner Soltvedt shared that according to the plat map the outlots are shown therefore they are not part of the parcel. Commissioner Niziolek shared there needs to be adequate space for the trail. Moved by Commissioner Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Niziolek to recommend to City Council to accept cash for park dedication, at the applicable rate, for one dwelling unit with the addition of needing accommodations for a trail that is shown in the master trail plan on the east side of Meadowvale Road NW. Motion carried 7-0. 7.2 Villas at Fillmore Trail Extensions Mr. Hecker shared the staff report. Commissioners agreed that the trail extensions are a great idea. Mr. Hecker stated the trail extension estimate is $42,000. Chair Williams share he agrees to remove monies due to city from developer. Marly Glines, 19230 Evans St, Riverside Development, shared the construction should be done all at the same time as the quarter mile trail that he’s required to put in. Commissioner Soltvedt asked if the trail will connect to existing sidewalks and if it is a continuous trail from 181st Ave to 175th Ave. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 3 August 10, 2022 ----------------------------- Mr. Glines shared the trail will connect 179th Ave, north of the trial, to 176th Lane, south of the trail, and it will be constructed the same time as his trail section. Commissioner Soltvedt asked for clarification regarding the park dedication amount. The two proposed trails are estimated at $42,000 and the park dedication amount is $61,314. Will the remaining amount be put into park dedication? Mr. Hecker stated it will go to park dedication. Moved by Commissioner Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Rathbun to recommend to City Council the trail extensions from The Villas at Fillmore plat north to 179th Ave and south to 176th Lane. Motion carried 7-0. 8.1 Discussion Items - None 9. Parks and Recreation Director Update Mr. Hecker shared his staff report.  Youth Athletic Complex fields will be playable by Spring.  Elk RiverFest was very successful. Sips on Main revenue was over $11,000. Previous years have been between $6,000 and $8,000. 10. Announcements 11. Adjournment to Work Session There being no further business, Chair Williams adjourned the meeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission at 7:13 p.m. 12. Work Session The work session meeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission was called to order at 7:18 p.m. by Chair Williams. 12.1 Lennar Foster Property Concept Mr. Hecker introduced Rebecca Haug, from WSB, and Paul Tabone, from Lennar. Mr. Tabone shared Lennar would like more clarification on potential parks and open space dedication requirements. The way the ordinance is written, water is not developable land. The question to be asked is if the water is an amenity that is Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 4 August 10, 2022 ----------------------------- desirable to the city. If so, could this be part of the open space dedication within the PUD? The second thing is figuring out the wetland mitigation. Commissioner Anderson recommends looking at the park master plan in detail to make sure the things we want will fit in the park and compliment the needs of the neighborhood. It will need a shelter, fire pit, play structure, natural or other. We need a strong park component, large enough to accommodate the people. Mr. Hecker shared the agenda is to discuss park dedication and wetland mitigation. Commissioner Soltvedt asked who would own the water feature. Would it be the homeowner’s association or developer? Mr. Tabone shared it is not public and will need to be discussed. There are a few options to how it could be potentially privately maintained. It is not a public waterway. They are working toward a concept to put pocket parks, picnic tables, and gathering areas around the waterway. The idea is that through the land and water dedication the city would be able to do whatever they would like with the area. Commissioner Niziolek was looking at the big picture and feels it has grand potential. He thinks there is an opportunity to utilize the clean water and create a swimming amenity. Since this isn’t a lake, we can do the excavation around the body of water to create a swimming beach. This could be one of the grand parks on the east side of town and we need to think big because this opportunity may not present itself again. Mr. Tabone shared the storm water modeling is proving to be complicated. They are trying to pin down the water table. He is not sure if the water will be good for swimming area. The point of asking about the water feature is we all recognize it a unique feature. But based on the design constraints, water modeling and construction what are the amenities that make the most sense there. Commissioner Soltvedt asked if we want to have control over recreation on the water? Is the city wanting to commit to using and programming it or are we happy having it as a natural feature that you can walk around? Mr. Hecker shared staff has talked about the potential of using the water amenity. Chair Williams shared if we are committing then we commit to maintaining it. Commissioner Loidolt shared if we make it a feature of the city there will a lot more traffic. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 5 August 10, 2022 ----------------------------- Commissioner Soltvedt shared if we had a swimming beach it may cause issues with neighbors. Commissioner Anderson shared planning was adamant that it would not be included in park dedication. If it ends up being a storm water pond instead of pristine water, then it’s uses are very limited. Commissioner Soltvedt shared there could be issues with mixed use. Personally, he is concerned with parking and trying to have too many things in the park. Highlighting the natural amenities and having picnic bump outs and nodes would be a great idea. He is concerned we may have the same issues as Trott Brook and Kliever Lake with a great amenity and limited parking available. Commissioner Anderson asked if we should have park amenities for 1500 people. Commissioner Soltvedt shared we should do the trails and a small play area but doesn’t think we should have a swimming beach. The real amenity is the trail system. Mr. Hecker clarified what he’s hearing they would like is a picnic area, trails, playground or play feature, and parking. Chair Williams stated if we give park dedication for the water feature, then we have set a precedent that we have never done before, which he is not in favor of. Mr. Hecker stated that state statue says it needs to be buildable land. Commissioner Anderson stated the dedication ordinance is clear and we have always followed it. We need to make sure the usable park space is big enough. Our shelters are the hottest ticket in town. Chair Williams asked commission members if they approve accepting water as a park dedication. All Commissioners agree they cannot accept it due to past precedents. They are a recommending body and council has the final decision. Mr. Tabone asked if it’s possible to receive partial credit for the water, would the commission want it. Do you think the water amenity is a programmable space if you are using it for recreational activities. If the commission does not want the water that will change the site design and how it’s set up for future maintenance or future ownership. The initial feedback they received was that the city was very interested. Is the commission interested in Lennar providing the opportunity for that in exchange of receiving partial park credits? Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 6 August 10, 2022 ----------------------------- Commissioner Niziolek said that is beyond the control of the parks and recreation commission. Commissioner Soltvedt asked if the staff have a preference in owning or not owning it since staff will be responsible for maintaining and programming it. Mr. Heckers shared it goes both ways and ultimately comes down to the city council’s decisions. Staff thinks there are a lot of good ideas and the discussion of the city taking ownership is very valid. Commissioners agreed they are not willing to give credit for park dedication. Mr. Tabone explained wetland mitigation procedures, either buying credits or on-site mitigation. They have looked at the amount of wetland that will need to be mitigated and the amount of wetland credits that will need to be purchased and they haven’t found a bank big enough to handle it. The other option they are looking at is on-site mitigation which they’ve done for other projects. Rather than purchasing credits they are looking into doing on-site mitigation or another area in the city that has been degraded. This area would require about 10 acres of mitigation. Mrs. Hauge shared the wetlands to the south are very degraded. If they are going to do on-site mitigation, they will need to have a very robust plan to make sure it is successful. Long term maintenance will need to be built into the plan. The state can require you to buy credits if it is not successful. Another option is if the city has another location with degraded wetlands. Commissioner Niziolek asked what the going rate is for the mitigation credits. Mr. Tabone shared it depends on bank service area and type of credit. On the low end it’s about $2 per square foot and high end is $3 or more per square foot. Commissioner Niziolek stated he would like to see restoration done at Woodland Trails Regional Park. Chair Williams prefers to keep the mitigation local instead of buying credits. Mrs. Hauge shared the state of Minnesota is the most restrictive in the country when it comes to the wetland regulation act. The big thing with on-site mitigation is making sure it will be successful. Commissioner Soltvedt asked if the developer is responsible for the maintenance for the first 5 years. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 7 August 10, 2022 ----------------------------- Mrs. Hauge recommends that and after 5 years the city will need to continue maintenance. Chair Williams asked for consensus from the commission. Commissioner Anderson doesn’t think we can be successful on this site because we can’t sustain the maintenance. Commissioner Niziolek is worried the space is too small. Commissioners are in favor of the mitigation if it can be done in a different location. 12.2 Park Improvement Fund and Park Dedication Projects Mr. Hecker asked what projects the commission would like to move forward with and stated we will need updated estimates. Chair Williams would not like the Ninja Play System at Lion John Weicht Park. He feels the existing playground at LJWP should be replaced, especially with plans for more apartments in the area. Commissioner Loidolt agreed and suggested making LJWP playground larger. Commissioners suggested not replacing Kliever basketball court next year and apply the $50,000 towards the garage at Woodland Trails Regional Park. Commissioners requested another quote for netting at YAC since the cost went up over the last year and we need more than one quote. Commissioners agree to move Ninja Play System to 2024 and see if there is a different location for it instead of Lion John Weicht Park. Mr. Hecker shared the cost for two light poles at the Skate Park is $15,000 and the conduit is already in place. Chair Williams suggests if we’re going to do lighting for the skate park then we also need to have it for the pickleball courts. Commissioner Anderson thinks we can wait for lights at pickleball and thinks it will be a while before there are enough pickleball players. Mr. Hecker asked if they would like the skate park lighting done this year. All Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 8 August 10, 2022 ----------------------------- Commissioners agreed it should be in 2022. Commissioner Soltvedt suggested looking into shade structures over the playground at YAC as an alternative to the netting. Would like to see the cost difference between the netting and shade structures. Commissioner Niziolek shared there have been many requests for dog waste stations at Woodland Trails Regional Park. Mr. Hecker said he will bring that pricing information back next month. Commissioner Anderson inquired if there is still a discretionary amount in the budget. Mr. Hecker shared the amount is $10,000 for miscellaneous items and will get it added to the spreadsheet. 13. Adjournment There being no further business, Chair Williams adjourned the meeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission work session at 8:45 p.m. Minutes prepared by Ali Wallace. ___________________ David Williams, Chair _____________________ Tina Allard, City Clerk