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11-09-2022 PRMINMeeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission Held at the Elk River City Hall Wednesday, November 9, 2022 Members Present: Chair Williams, Commission members Anderson, Holmgren, Loidolt, Niziolek, Rathbun, and Soltvedt Members Absent: None Council Liaison: Ms. Wagner (absent) Staff Present: Superintendent of Furniture and Things Community Event Center Tim Dalton, Recreation Coordinator Warren Ellingworth, Senior Administrative Assistant Dawn Larson 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 6:30p.m. by Chair Williams. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Consider 11/09/2022 Agenda Moved by Chair Williams and seconded by Commissioner Loidolt to approve the November 9, 2022, Parks and Recreation Commission meeting agenda with the modification of moving the three action items to the December or January meeting due to Councilmember Wagner being absent. Motion carried 7-0. 4.1 Consider 10/05/2022 Regular PRC Minutes Moved by Commissioner Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Soltvedt to approve the following October 5, 2022, Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes with the modification of the motions on items 3 and 4 being approved 5-0 instead of 7-0. Motion carried 7-0. 5. Open Forum - None 6. Presentations 6.1 Eagle Scout Presentation – Isabel Dahlheimer Ms. Dahlheimer presented her Woodland Trails Park Boardwalk project slideshow. The boardwalk will be ADA accessible and have a viewing platform. She also plans to add viewing binoculars for kids to see wildlife and insects. She pointed out key Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 2 November 9, 2022 ----------------------------- benefits for the city and scouts by doing eagle scout projects. The approximate cost for the project is $5,380.10 in materials. Commissioner Anderson explained that Scouts also do fundraising to cover the bulk of their projects. He added that Mr. Sevcik, City of Elk River Street and Park Superintendent, told him that the city may also be able to contribute $4,000 to the project. The height of the boardwalk platform will be over thirty inches and over water so there will be rails installed for safety. Commissioner Niziolek commented that keeping the boardwalk close to the water level gives kids access to a better view of wildlife. Commissioner Anderson explained to Ms. Dahlheimer that there will be community and commissioner input on the height of the boardwalk as the projects progresses. 6.2 Eagle Scout Presentation – Bjorn Pederson Mr. Pederson presented his completed Woodland Trails Erosion Control presentation. The project was completed two months ago. Mr. Pederson and other volunteers dug trenches and installed wood chips. The total length of all trenches was 2344 ft and 6.2 miles of trail. The approximate weight of total dirt moved was 8.2 tons. They had to go under trees and move rocks. Total wood chips spread was 20 yards and six truckloads delivered. Approximate weight of wood chips 8 tons. The areas they worked in were the Top of the World Trail and the Great Northern Trail. There were twenty-three volunteers, 88.35 trench hours, 41.27 wood chip hours. Total project hours 129. Mr. Pederson thanked Commissioner Anderson for helping him with the project. 7. Discussion Items 7.1 Athletic Field Analysis HKGi-Athletic Field Analysis, Kevin Clark. HKGi has been working on the project through most of Spring and Summer to Fall. Mr. Clark presented the report that was included in the packet. Commissioner Holmgren asked what fields were being discussed because there were inconsistencies between the numbers in the report and the actual number of fields. He said there are eleven fields listed on page 14 of the report and Mr. Clark said it should be eight fields. It was a typo on the report. Commissioner Holmgren said he Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 3 November 9, 2022 ----------------------------- counts only six full size baseball fields that he knows of. He asked Mr. Clark to verify this. Chair Williams questioned where the two remaining full size square fields are. Mr. Clark said he would check on those numbers as well. He also said we are still ahead on baseball fields compared to our neighboring communities but that does not take into consideration conditions. Chair Williams asked what the next step is. Mr. Clark said he would verify the field numbers that were asked about above. If anyone wants to ask tonight or bring their questions to staff, there are still changes that can be made if necessary to report. Mr. Ellingworth asked the Commission if they had questions based off what Mr. Clark shared. If they do, Mr. Clark could take those questions and feedback to his team and tailor the information specifically to what the city and commission would like to see. Chair Williams asked Mr. Clark and Mr. Ellingworth when they would be planning to bring the information back to the commission and then to council. Mr. Clark shared there is not a defined timeline. Chair Williams asked if they should take it home and then email Mr. Ellingworth questions/suggestions that can be given to Mr. Clark. Mr. Ellingworth suggested the date of December 1st for the commissioners to turn in their questions and comments and all agreed. Mr. Ellingworth will then pass that information on to the Parks and Recreation Director and Mr. Clark. Commissioner Rathbun said that they should jump on the things suggested in the 0– 3-year timeline especially if it can be accomplished at zero to little cost. Chair Williams said some things could be tweaked with the master plan that is coming up next year. Mr. Clark said that this study will show up in that master plan in the future and create phases for years. December 1st is the goal to turn in to Mr. Ellingworth. Mr. Loidolt asked for a list of all the fields so they can go through each one with Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 4 November 9, 2022 ----------------------------- feedback. He is concerned that the field numbers are off. Commissioner Anderson commented that the implementation is based on the findings so the data from the findings must be accurate. He stated they need to make sure that they are all on the same page as to what are fields and what they’re used for. 7.2 County Road 44 Improvement Dave Roedel, Deputy County Engineer of Sherburne County presented an update on the 2024 County Road 44 project. There was an open house held for the public on September 20, 2022, with 40 people in attendance. The plans are currently set for the trail to follow the master plan with the trail to the east and north side of the road. Most people were in favor of this even though it meant crossing the roadway. People were more concerned about the intersection points on the south side for safety. There was also a distinct request for crossing light. Mr. Roedel highlighted the project goals listed on the Sherburne County website. The main priority of the project includes connecting two major roads that 4,200 cars travel on per day while adding a detached pedestrian trail along the entire corridor. One of the biggest concerns is for pedestrian safety including mobility and trail access. On the website there is a community engagement link with an interactive map. Mr. Roedel met with Commissioner Anderson two or three years ago about tree loss during the project. There was concern about light pollution on neighboring properties if the trees were removed. Mr. Roedel asked his consultant to try to save all the trees if possible. Cell phone data was used to collect data on left turn traffic. The county is open to the idea of shifting the trail to the other side of the road if requested by the Parks and Recreation Commission. He mentioned a future trail connection in the trees back on the south side neighborhood that is in the master plan providing a possible exit from the neighborhood if it was completed. Mr. Roedel asked his consultant to investigate the rapid flashing beacon to see if that would be helpful or cause a traffic delay. Improvements are necessary for the safety of traffic with a sharp curve at the CSAH 1 intersection. They are doing an ICE report on that intersection to figure out what to do with the pedestrians there. Commissioner Rathbun stated he lives in that area and the traffic is extremely high and has gotten worse. There are a lot of people turning at the same time. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 5 November 9, 2022 ----------------------------- Mr. Roedel said if the speed is more than forty-five it is recommended not to promote a crossing. Commissioner Niziolek is genuinely concerned about the pedestrians. He stated there have been several incidents involving pedestrians and cars already on School Street. He is not sure that crossing that road can be done safely without stoplights. He pointed out that if the trail was moved to the other side, then most of the users could get to the trail without crossing. He also asked if some of the roads could be closed. Mr. Roedel said that York and Vale are being proposed to be closed already. There are people from ERMU and engineering reviewing the project as well. He stated there are a lot of things that go in to closing a road. Commissioner Niziolek asked about the Lake Orono trail that has 100-foot segment that does not have a trail and only one crossing. He said it would be nice to be able to start at Orono and continue to the right all the way around with only one crossing and then connect to Upland via Tipton. He pointed out that the trail connectivity would be a great community amenity. Commissioner Holmgren stated the changes are needed. Many of the commissioners have concerns about the speed on the road. Commissioner Anderson said he appreciates the consideration for the trees. Safety is the number one priority, then trees and clear zone. It is an urban section from one end to the other. There will have to be ponding locations. He likes the trail on the side it is shown currently and thinks there are too many intersections and driveways on the other side. He suggested access at the corner of Upland and the drainage. Commissioner Soltvedt asked about the city’s financial investment on this project. It was presented last year and the city’s contribution is $250,000. He stated that would still be reasonable with the current budget and asked the commission what side they want to see the trail on. Commissioner Loidolt said it is tough either way. Commissioner Niziolek said he believes there would need to be at least two crossings for safety. Mr. Roedel said he envisioned one crossing at Zumbro and another at 193 or 192 ½ . Commissioner Niziolek questioned a stop sign for a trail. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 6 November 9, 2022 ----------------------------- Mr. Roedel said he could visit the stop sign concern, but the sight line for the trail is not good. 8. Action Items 8.1 Park Facility Use Fees Action item moved to December or January meeting. 8.2 Concession Stand Use Fees Action item moved to December or January meeting. 8.3 Elk River Area Special Olympics Season Field Use Fees Action item moved to December or January meeting. 9. Parks and Recreation Director Update 10. Announcement 11. Adjournment There being no further business, Chair Williams adjourned the meeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission work session at 8:13 p.m. Minutes prepared by Dawn Larson. ___________________ David Williams, Chair _____________________ Tina Allard, City Clerk