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PRMIN 3-14-2024 Meeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission Held at the Elk River City Hall March 13, 2024 Members Present: Vice Chair Loidolt, Commissioners Dave Anderson, Mike Brown, Mike Niziolek, Jill Varty, and Harold Stewart Members Absent: Ryan Holmgren Council Liaison: Councilmember Mike Beyer Staff Present: Parks and Recreation Manager Michael Hecker, Senior Administrative Assistant Dawn Larson, Assistant City Administrator/Business Services Director Joe Stremcha 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 6:30 p.m. by Vice Chair Loidolt. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Consider Agenda Moved by Commissioner Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Brown to approve the December 13, 2023, agenda. carried 6-0. 4. Consider Minutes Moved by Commissioner Brown and seconded by Commissioner Niziolek to approve the December 13, 2023, Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes. Motion carried 6-0. 5. Election of Chair and Vice Chair Moved by Vice Chair Loidolt to nominate Commissioner Brown, for Chair. Commissioner Niziolek moved to nominate Commissioner Anderson for Chair. There were no seconds to the nominations. Commissioners Stewart, Anderson, Varty, and Niziolek voted for Commissioner Anderson. Commissioners Loidolt and Brown voted for Brown. Motion for Commissioner Anderson to become Chair passed 4-2. Commissioner Varty nominated Commissioner Niziolek for Vice-Chair. There was not a second. Motion carried 6-0. Chair positions switched immediately, and Commissioner Anderson took over the meeting as Chair. 6. Open Forum Wyatt Galinski, 13115 192nd ½ Lane Elk River, MN shared that he is very enthusiastic about Elk River and has lived here his whole life. He is very appreciative of the work that has been done at the skate park and Woodland Trails. He is an avid skateboarder, skier, and hiker. He has concerns about Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 2 March 13, 2024 the length of time the trails have been closed this spring at Woodland Trails. He has some suggestions about how to keep the trails open year-round for all to use. He suggested mulch in hilly areas to help keep dirt from moving around. He said the Superior Hiking Trail uses short footbridges that help to get around muddy areas. He is interested in volunteering in the parks. At the skate park, he would like to see the lights set on an automatic timer from sundown to 10:00 pm. He considers the current system to be dangerous due to the lights just shutting off causing a safety hazard since many riders are still in the air. Mr. Galinski also pointed out that the hackberry loop at Woodland Trails Regional Park was open while he was hiking the previous day, and the golf course was open as well. He said it was scary to not have a warning sign. Chair Anderson said the Commission will discuss the concerns and invite Mr. Galinski back for an update. Vern Iverson, 14415 145th Court Elk River, MN. He thanked the commission for their time. He is on the City of Elk River Energy City Commission. Mr. Iverson shared that when he joined the Energy City Commission four years ago, he became aware of a solar picnic table project initially started by St. Thomas engineers. The original picnic table for that project was in the basement of City Hall but did not fit the needs of the project any longer. An Eagle Scout picked up the project and chose to use a manufactured table like the one in the City of Buffalo. The cost of the project was $16,950. The Energy City Commission is now interested in placing another solar picnic table in one of the parks. They see it as an educational station that provides a clean energy solution. The tables are wi-fi capable and handicap accessible. He explained that Suzanne Fischer, City of Elk River Environmental Services and Special Projects Director is applying for a DNR Grant that would help with half of the cost of the new table and that the Energy City Commission would look for donations for the second half. Cory Grupa, Elk River City Council Member spoke in support of Mr. Iverson. He explained that if the City of Elk River has “Powered by Nature” on its water towers and part of its slogan, the City should be doing things to support that goal. Mr. Grupa is also on the Energy City Commission and would like the Parks and Recreation Commission's input before bringing the subject to the City Council. Chair Anderson confirmed with Mr. Iverson and Mr. Grupa that what they wanted from the Commission was confirmation of interest, location, and the funding source if there was a shortfall. Mr. Stremcha pointed out that the grant is due at the end of March so if the group could discuss again and produce a decision during the Managers report at the end of the meeting that would be appreciated. 7.1 Thompson 3rd Addition Park Dedication Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 3 March 13, 2024 Mr. Hecker shared that the map included in the packet with the red dot was incorrect. He provided a current map in the PowerPoint while he presented his report. Chair Anderson asked the Commissioners if they had any questions. Commissioner Niziolek asked Mr. Hecker to explain the trail easement with respect to the road. Mr. Hecker explained that it is a 30- foot easement from the road with ten feet on either side of the trail and ten feet for the trail itself. Chair Anderson and Commissioner Niziolek asked for further confirmation that it would be 30 feet additional easement outside the roadway. Mr. Hecker confirmed that is what is recommended per Justin Femrite, City of Elk River Public Works Director/Chief Engineer. Chair Anderson asked what the blue dotted line on the Thompson simple plat was. Mr. Hecker explained that it was the boundary between the two properties. Moved by Commissioner Brown and seconded by Commissioner Stewart to add a trail easement of 30 feet from the right of way along 221st Avenue for a future trail. 6-0 Chair Anderson asked if the park dedication is on the larger or smaller parcel. Mr. Hecker said it is on the bigger one. Chair Anderson asked if park dedication would be collected on future lots if the larger parcel was divided. Mr. Hecker said he believed it would. Chair Anderson asked if there was a house on the smaller lot and to confirm for which block, they were asking park dedication. Chair Anderson asked if Mr. Hecker could contact someone from planning to confirm. Councilmember Beyer said that it was not clear if it is for one lot or two. The Commissioners continued to debate which lot it was for a few minutes. Councilmember Beyer suggested that they may have to move this to the next meeting if they cannot confirm which lot. Chair Anderson said that they need someone from planning at the meetings when they have park dedication items like this to clarify details. Moved by Commissioner Loidolt and seconded by Commissioner Niziolek to accept park dedication for the Thompson 3rd addition Lot 2 to be paid in cash, at the applicable rate of the time of recording for one dwelling unit. Motion carried 6-0. 7.2 Athletic Facilities Master Plan Kevin Clark with HKGi Planning and Landscape Architecture gave his PowerPoint presentation on the Athletic Fields Master Plan based on a previous utilization study that they had done. (the presentation has been included in Laserfiche with the meeting packet for reference) A major component of the study was to look at the needs of the growing community, aging facilities, costs, and phasing options. Their goal is to provide a long-term vision to provide great recreation opportunities for youth and families. Mr. Clark reviewed the current layout of the Dave Anderson Athletic Complex first pointing out safety concerns including foul balls and deteriorating buildings. He reviewed the budget numbers for the potential improvements. He explained that parking lots drive a lot of the expense, the project is Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 4 March 13, 2024 priced at a contractor level and includes a contingency. He also explained that he wanted to include the plans with all the bells and whistles because it is easier to remove items than add them later. He then highlighted Oak Knoll, with a goal of shifting from a multisport facility to primarily a baseball focused facility. It would have the ability to have players of all ages to play at the same time as well as a miracle field for kids of all abilities. The new layout would also pull some of the traffic off Proctor Road, easing safety concerns at the current field. It would remove Ivan Sand Community School and the Education Technology Center. This is part of a long-term planning partnership with the school district. Mr. Clark then reviewed the plans for Plants and Things Recreation Complex. A major goal would be to create dedicated homes for each sport. He reviewed costs for the northwest section, softball, and south section (rectangles). Suggested phasing would include the rectangle fields at PT Complex, then the softball fields, then baseball at Oak Knoll Athletic Complex and then removal of the softball fields at DAAC. A key point of the design is to be able to host larger tournaments in one location. Chair Anderson said he would like to hear from the other Commissioners. Commissioner Brown said that he was involved with the initial study. He would like to see a clearer comparison of how many fields we have now and how many we would have after this. Mr. Clark also confirmed that the fields would have lights. Commissioner Brown pointed out that there is not anywhere for kids to warm up and with games stacked on top of each other it is important to have that space. Commissioner Brown would like to see the trail next to the fields as close as possible for easier access to the fields directly from the parking lot. He also said he would like to see things like trails, picnic tables, and elevation changes etc. for the spectators vs. just trees on the plans. Commissioner Loidolt shared that designing the fields to maximize the space is good, but he is concerned about the angle of the one of the fields on Hales field due to the sunset. He likes the idea of a miracle field for kids with accessibility issues. He is concerned that the plan for Oak Knoll might be too busy and that there may need to be buffers to help reduce sound coming from the train tracks. He thinks that the plan needs to be completed sooner than 10 to 15 years. Other things to consider are bathrooms at DAAC instead of portable bathrooms. He said he thinks the plan needs tweaking. Commission Niziolek said he thinks that the plan should be discussed in a work session due to the amount of money and work that needs to be done right. Chair Anderson has concerns about where the money will come from for the project and thinks it may need to be trimmed down and the Commission will have to do a lot more with a lot less than was presented. Chair Anderson said he cannot approve the plan it as stands. He said it is a great concept but needs more discussion. Looking at the concept for baseball at Oak Knoll right now all the fields are set by parking lots so that foul balls would be hitting cars. Chair Anderson gathered a consensus from the Commission to move this to a future workshop and not act tonight. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 5 March 13, 2024 7.3 Trott Brook Farms Playground Mr. Hecker presented his report. He pointed out that on the website survey participants could see multiple photos of each playground option. Mr. Hecker shared that all three playground options were within the $125,000 budget. Chair Anderson encouraged everyone to share their opinions. Commissioner Brown wanted to confirm that Tim Sevcik, the City Street and Park Superintendent was okay with this. Mr. Hecker confirmed that Mr. Sevcik has been involved in the project and approves. Chair Anderson expressed his concern about the number of things the commission will have to consider about the future with the playgrounds in the city. Commissioner Loidolt suggested that we do this type of community engagement more often when we replace playgrounds. Moved by Commissioner Loidolt and seconded by Commissioner Niziolek to accept playground concept #3 to replace the playground at Trott Brook Park. Motion carried 6-0. 8.1 Camp Cozy Park Natural Resources Management Plan Mr. Hecker presented his report. He shared that he could bring a map back in April showing the results of tonight’s discussion. Chair Anderson agreed to decommission the secondary trail. He also clarified that the grant is only for the first portion of the prairie, which is 16 acres. Mr. Hecker confirmed. Commissioner Brown asked where the location of a potential parking lot would be. Commissioner Niziolek said there is a paved road leading to a cul-de-sac up by the finger part of the map in the northwest corner and then there is another dirt one further down. Commissioner Varty asked how many spots would be available and if it would be feasible. Mr. Hecker said the size would be something like Bailey Point Nature Preserve. Commissioner Stewart pointed out that there is not current access to the suggested boat launch on the map from where the current road access is to the park. Commissioner Stewart asked if an ADA accessible path to the boat launch would be required. Mr. Hecker said he did not think so and believed it would be like the William H. Houlton Conservation Area where it is primarily natural. Commissioner Niziolek said he did not think the lower area on the west side of the map suggested for a boat launch is a good idea. Mr. Hecker said that Justin Femrite and Tim Sevcik prefer the location of the boat launch to be along the river trail which is the blue dashed area on the map to the east. The commissioners agreed that a better location would be there as well. Chair Anderson said that the river trail would be the only way to logically get to the boat launch and could be like the river walk at Woodland Trails Regional Park but is for a discussion another time. Commissioner Niziolek said he is wondering if they could simply state that the trail would access the river somewhere on the east side Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 6 March 13, 2024 and if some of the property became available adjacent to it higher up, they would want to make the trail closer to the road and parking area and shorten the trail in the future. Commissioner Stewart asked if there was any public open house besides the one the FMR had. Mr. Hecker confirmed there was not. Once the commission makes their decision on some of the items then the actual final resource plan will go to the City Council for approval. Chair Anderson asked if they could survive with on street parking and not add any additional. Commissioner Niziolek said this is feasible. The commissioners agreed not to add off street parking. Mr. Hecker asked if the commission thought people would like to add picnic tables. The commissioners said there already are two. Commissioner Niziolek said that there should be verbiage for a future shelter and place it at the end of the gravel road at the lower west side where the three trails meet like an X spaghetti junction. Mr. Hecker will follow up next month with the changes suggested tonight. 8.2 Disc Golf Open House Mr. Hecker presented his staff report. Mr. Stremcha asked if there was any input from the Commission about what they would like at the disc golf open house. Chair Anderson said the questions he has are if we have an active disc golf community, do we need a course at all, should it be 9 or 18 holes, and how many acres would be needed for each size of course. Chair Anderson asks that alternate locations are not explored at that meeting that information gathered from the open house come back to the commission and then locations discussed, design, costs. He wants to then discuss all the park locations they have and start taking control of the process that way. Mr. Stremcha asked if Chair Anderson wanted to include in the open house the question of where people would like it to be. Chair Anderson said that he would like to know where in the community they would like it to be located. Commissioner Brown shared that it would be good to know what amenities they want around it. For example, do the golfers want the course to have trees, prairie, water? Also, what type of topography and size of parking lot? Commissioner Niziolek suggested that it could be a private venture or joint with the city if there was someone with land. Commissioner Brown suggested that there could be a joint venture like the associations and City fields. Councilmember Beyer shared his concerns about building a course without knowing what kind of usage it would get. Chair Anderson said that we will gather information from the open house and bring it back to discuss. Chair Anderson said it would be nice to have a core group of disc golfers that would work with the commission on the details such as site visits etc. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 7 March 13, 2024 Tim Mackey, the designer of the original disc golf course at Lion John Weicht Park said that there will be a lot of people at the meeting with energy and input at the meeting, so he suggests having it earlier and going up until right before the Commission meeting. Mr. Mackey continued to share current stats and patterns of the growth of the game for example, Minnesota is in the top six of disc golf growth in the United States. The City of Princeton is also adding a new facility. Mr. Mackey also shared that having a destination course will bring money to the city. He described a variety of levels of disc golf and provided a stack of handouts that he gave to Mr. Hecker to give to the Commission. Eighty-nine percent of the courses are free. Shorter courses lead the way and getting youth and new people to play is the focus to gain a grassroots movement of new people into the sport. There are currently nine baskets at Lion John Weicht Park. Mr. Hecker purchased nine more so we should have them stored somewhere. He recommends that we sell the older baskets to put that money towards the new course. Chair Anderson asked about advertising for the open house. Mr. Hecker confirmed that advertising will be through social media and emailing former contacts. Mr. Mackey said he can provide us with some links to his social media contacts. Parks and Recreation staff will send invites to current contacts and can provide the commission members with fliers. The Commission agreed that the disc golf meeting would go from 4:30pm to 6:00pm. 8.3 Install Tennis/Pickleball Nets for the Winter Chair Anderson recommended that since the pickleball nets are already up we move this item to the next meeting, and they can discuss if they want to change the policy for next year. 8. 4 Parks and Recreation Commission Ordinance Duties Chair Anderson wanted to move this item to the next meeting, but Mr. Stremcha said that the City Council wants to make decisions on it at their next meeting, so he suggested at least touching on it at this meeting. He suggested to review 8, 9, 11 but Chair Anderson said they should go through them all. In the membership category Chair Anderson confirmed that they should have a chair and vice chair, but they do not have a secretary. Plan and implement city trail plans. Add parks, trails, and recreation facilities to 1-4. The Commission agreed to remove number 5. Change Number 6 to “Development of a comprehensive city park, trail, and recreation plan and making recommendations on the implementation of the plan”. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 8 March 13, 2024 Add a new number after number 6. Collaborate with staff and local experts to create a comprehensive natural resources management plan. Number 8: Commission Brown suggested “Providing feedback on existing situations and making recommendations on improvements of city parks and recreation programs. Remove number 9. Commissioner Niziolek said that he believes that they should discourage vandalism as citizens not as a quorum of commissioners. Change number 11 and 12 to state “collaborate” with City staff instead of work. Commissioner Niziolek suggested adding collaboration with landowners and developers to develop park and recreation resources for our community. Commissioner Brown disagrees with this and does not think this is part of the commission’s job. Commissioner Niziolek said that the commission would create dialog with the community to potentially identify land that could be acquired for park purposes. Mr. Stremcha said that point is included in numbers 1 and 4 so it is not necessary to add it again. Add parks, trails, and recreation facilities to the end of numbers 10-13. Commissioner Brown commented regarding City staffing changes since 1982. Commissioner Brown said the scope of what the Commission used to do and what it does now has changed. There are staff now that do many of the things that the Commission used to have to do. Commissioner Brown sees the current job of the Commission as more of an advisory role. Years previous the commission did the work of what staff do now. Commissioner Brown said that the commission does not have to agree with staff recommendations, but they do not need to do the work like it was done in the past. Chair Anderson said that he believes the purpose of the commission has not changed. Mr. Stremcha brought up the meetings and rules of procedure, which need to be replaced with the current rules regarding special meetings regarding a quorum. Councilmember Beyer clarified the rules about having a meeting as far as attendance and a quorum. Unless there is a quorum a meeting cannot occur. If it is known that there is not a quorum before a meeting, then the meeting must be canceled. Councilmember Beyer explained to Commissioner Niziolek the current rules about absences per City Council as well as the fact that to hold a meeting you must have a quorum. Commissioner Niziolek asked about the schedule changing to accommodate him missing one meeting per year. Chair Anderson said this could be discussed in the future. Mr. Stremcha said that staff had enough direction to make the changes to the ordinances to those below: 1 Land acquisition for parks, trails, and recreational purposes. 2. Plans for and major improvements in city parks, trails, and recreational facilities. 3. Rules and requirements for conducting of and in parks, on trails and in recreational facilities. 4. Plans and programs relating to the design and programming of city parks, trails, and recreational facilities. 5. Remove Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 9 March 13, 2024 6. Development of a comprehensive city park, trail and recreation plan and making recommendations for the implementation of this plan Add a new number: Collaborate with staff and local experts to create a comprehensive natural resources management plan. 7. Assisting in the promotion of city parks, trails, and recreational facilities. 8. Providing feedback on existing situations and making recommendations on improvements of city parks and recreation programs. 9. Remove 10. Collaborate with a variety of organizations in ensuring the offering of an appropriate array of recreation opportunities for the youth and adults of the city. 11. Collaborate with City staff to ensure that the proper maintenance and development of city parks and park facilities. 12. Collaborate with city staff ensuring that appropriate park properties are obtained by the city during the city development platting process. 13. Any other plans and programs as may be assigned by the City Council from time to time. 9. Parks and Recreation Manager Update Mr. Hecker presented his report and clarified that the money is not coming out of parks and recreation for the Rivers Edge Commons rock replacement. Mr. Hecker and Mr. Stremcha asked for a consensus on the solar picnic table status. Mr. Hecker pointed out that it is not in the current master plan. Chair Anderson said he needs more information before he can decide. Commissioner Niziolek said he does not think that we can discuss it at this meeting since it is not an agenda item. Mr. Stremcha explained that staff are provided with an opportunity to apply for a grant, and those staff are looking for Commission approval. Chair Anderson gave directions to staff to apply for the grant and the commission will talk about its next meeting. This does not necessarily mean that the Commission will give direction to accept the grant money if selected though. Commissioner Brown asked about the possibility of making more videos for parks and recreation including the trails. He asked about having the drones do this. Secretary Dawn Larson shared that Jake Pace, the City of Elk River Multimedia Specialist, is producing more videos per month including one with a drone that can go over trails to promote the youth park races program this summer. 10. Announcements 11. Adjourn Regular Meeting Moved by Commissioner Niziolek and seconded by Commissioner Loidolt to adjourn the regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission at 9:36 p.m. Motion carried 6-0. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 10 March 13, 2024 Minutes prepared by Dawn Larson. ___________________ Dave Anderson, Chair ___________________ Tina Allard, City Clerk