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12-14-2022 PRMINMeeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission Held at the Elk River City Hall Wednesday, December 14, 2022 Members Present: Chair Williams, Commission members Anderson, Loidolt, Niziolek, Rathbun, and Soltvedt Members Absent: Holmgren Council Liaison: Ms. Wagner 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 6:30p.m. by Chair Williams. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Consider 12/14/2022 Agenda Moved by Commissioner Rathbun and seconded by Commissioner Loidolt to approve the December 14, 2022, Parks and Recreation Commission meeting agenda. Motion carried 6-0. 4.1 Consider 11/9/2022 Regular PRC Minutes Moved by Commissioner Soltvedt and seconded by Commissioner Rathbun to approve the following November 9, 2022, Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes. Motion carried 6-0. 5. Open Forum - None 6. Presentations 6.1 Eagle Scout Presentation – Andy Schumacher Mr. Schumacher presented his project which was turning the Welcome to Elk River sign into the Orono Park sign. He had a team of 6 scouts help with the project. The old letters and elk head logo were removed, and the stone was cleaned and repainted. The elk head logo was then sandblasted, and powder coated. The overgrown plants were removed and replaced with edging and river rocks. After painting the sign, the letters and elk head logo were installed. The lights were replaced with LED bulbs to illuminate the sign at night. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 2 December 14, 2022 ----------------------------- Commissioner Anderson thanked Mr. Schumacher for doing the project and stated it’s the most visible Eagle Scout project ever. 6.2 Eagle Scout Presentation – Brycen Jones Mr. Jones presented his solar panel picnic table project. The project was originally started by students at University of St. Thomas in 2017 and some components may need to be upgraded. The project is being funded by the Energy City budget. Mr. Jones will do the structural design and make it handicap accessible, he will work with the Parks Superintendent to coordinate the picnic table with the existing park features and install the table and solar panels. The anticipated completion will be summer of 2023 and it will be located at Orono Park. The community benefits will be an outdoor workspace, a new way to enjoy Orono Park, powered by clean energy and can be an inspiration for potential Eagle Scouts. Commissioner Soltvedt asked what size the structure will be. It was discussed among the commissioners and said it will be 10x10. Commissioner Rathbun asked if there are batteries in the storage box. Mr. Jones said that might be one of the components that needs to be upgraded and if there are batteries they may need to be removed in the winter. 7. Action Items 7.1 2023 Commission Meeting Calendar Mr. Hecker shared the staff report and stated the October meeting will need to be moved to the third week. Commissioners discussed the options and decided on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. Moved by Commissioner Soltvedt and seconded by Commissioner Niziolek to meet the second Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in 2023, except for October which will be held Tuesday, October 17, 2023. Motion carried 6-0. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 3 December 14, 2022 ----------------------------- 7.2 Vacate Park Property Mr. Hecker shared the staff report. The parks master plan recommends vacating four properties; North Terrace, Elk Hills Green Space, Baldwin Park and Meadow Park. Since North Terrace and Elk Hills Green Space were acquired by park dedication, we are not able to vacate these two properties. The properties staff is recommending vacating are Baldwin Park and Meadow Park. Baldwin Park does not have public access and staff must go through private property to access it. Mr. Hecker shared if the commission decides to move forward, the next step is the planning commission and then the city attorney to do a title search to make sure the properties have no restrictions. Then it will go to city council. Commissioner Loidolt asked if we sell the properties where would the money go. Mr. Hecker stated it will be up to the city council, but the commission can request it goes to the park improvement fund. Commission Anderson asked if we need to have a public hearing as part of the process. Mr. Hecker stated we may need to have a public hearing and will contact the city attorney to get their advice. The commission does not recommend to have a public hearing. Commissioner Niziolek thinks we need to let the homeowners adjacent to the properties and have a public hearing. Councilmember Wagner shared the public hearing could be done at the planning commission meeting and suggests making that part of the motion. She also shared if you put in a motion where you would like the money to go, it is a request and is not final. Moved by Commissioner Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Niziolek to recommend to City Council to vacate and sell the two park properties, Baldwin and Meadow, and recommend the City Council consider the proceeds from the sales go to the park improvement fund and recommends holding a public hearing. Motion carried 6-0. Commissioner Anderson stated he’s glad there are laws to protect the disposal of Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 4 December 14, 2022 ----------------------------- park land that was dedicated. He asked if there could be an easement of the properties granted to the public without creating a liability. Mr. Hecker shared the neighbors to the park properties have been great and haven’t encroached on the properties. Commissioner Anderson asked if staff mows the properties. Mr. Hecker stated we have a contractor mow these properties. The maintenance costs for North Terrace and Elk Hills Green Space are very low, around $1,500 for the year. The other two properties, Baldwin and Meadow, are around $5,000 a year per property. 8. Discussion Items 8.1 Lion John Weicht Park Playground Scope Mr. Hecker shared the staff report and showed the concepts for the proposed apartment buildings that may be built near Lion John Weicht Park. Does the commission want a larger scope playground now that there’s a future development coming in? It is a signature park. The commission recommended $200,000 in the park improvement fund. Councilmember Wagner shared at a previous city council meeting it was discussed that the apartments will add a significant amount of users to the park. She said she would bring it up with the commission to see if they still feel the $200,000 concept will be able to fulfill the needs of the added users, should the three apartment buildings be built. There is no timeline on when the apartment building will be built but it was brought to city council for concept review. Commissioner Soltvedt asked where the additional funds will come from. Mr. Hecker said most likely the park improvement fund. Councilmember Wager stated she is not recommending the commission do anything different, she wanted to make sure it was brought to everyone’s attention before final decisions were made. Commissioner Anderson shared since it is a signature park he doesn’t think $200,000 is enough. Commissioner Niziolek asked if the park should move next to the pavilion. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 5 December 14, 2022 ----------------------------- Mr. Hecker shared that he spoke with the Boys and Girls Club, and they would like to have the playground nearby. Commissioner Soltvedt clarified that the construction will not begin until fall of 2023. Mr. Hecker confirmed yes it would be fall of 2023 at the earliest. Commissioner Rathbun asked if we can get a design for $200,000, which is budgeted now, and then a design for a future expansion so we can budget for it. Commissioner Loidolt asked to get more concepts for $200,000, $250,000 and $300,000. Mr. Hecker will get more quotes. He shared Mr. Sevcik feels that we can get more playground if we use more wood chips versus pour in place rubber. 9. Parks and Recreation Director Update Mr. Hecker shared his staff report. Councilmember Wagner shared she is on Downtown Elk River Business Association and it takes many months of collaboration with DERBA and Parks and Recreation to make these events successful. The community looks forward to this and it gets better every year. Commissioner Anderson asked if there is an update on the water feature at Woodland Trails Regional Park. Mr. Hecker will report on that next month. 10. Announcement Commissioners and Mr. Hecker thanked Councilmember Wagner for serving 6 years as the council liaison. 11. Adjournment There being no further business, Chair Williams adjourned the meeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission work session at 7:18 p.m. Parks & Recreation Commission Minutes Page 6 December 14, 2022 ----------------------------- Minutes prepared by Ali Wallace. ___________________ David Williams, Chair _____________________ Tina Allard, City Clerk