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Parks and Recreation Commission Packet 12-11-2024 (1) Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting Agenda Wednesday, December 11, 2024 6:30 PM Elk River City Hall ▪ Regular meeting in Council Chambers 1. CALL MEETING TO ORDER 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. CONSIDER AGENDA 4. CONSIDER MINUTES 4.1 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes 11-13-2024 4.2 Parks and Recreation Special Meeting Minutes 11-20-2024 5. OPEN FORUM An opportunity to provide comments and feedback regarding items not on the agenda. Information provided in Open Forum will not be discussed at this meeting; rather, the information will be referred to staff and/or scheduled for discussion at a future meeting. 6. ACTION ITEMS 6.1 Park Dedication for Norrgard Wooded Acres 6.2 PID 75-00128-4200 6.3 PID 75-00131-2100 7. DISCUSSION ITEMS 7.1 Horse Ordinance 8. RECREATION MANAGER UPDATE 8.1 Parks and Recreation Manager Update 9. ANNOUNCEMENTS 10. MOTION TO ADJOURN Page 1 of 33 Meeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission Held at the Elk River City Hall November 13, 2024 Members Present: Chair Dave Anderson, Commissioners Melissa Fermoyle, Greg Loidolt, Hal Stewart, Joy Goodwin Members Absent: Jill Varty, Councilmember Mike Beyer Council Liaison: Staff Present: Assistant City Administrator/Business Services Director Joe Stremcha, Parks and Recreation Manager Jeff Shelby, 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 6:30 p.m. by Chair Anderson. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Consider Agenda Moved by Commissioner Loidolt and seconded by Commissioner Stewart to approve the November 13, 2024, Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Agenda. Motion carried 5-0. 4. Consider Minutes 4.1 October 9, 2024, Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Moved by Commissioner Fermoyle and seconded by Commissioner Goodwin to approve the October 9, 2024, Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes. Motion carried 5-0. 5. Open Forum 6. Action Items 6.1 2025 Rental Fees Mr. Shelby presented his report. Secretary Larson provided a handout showing the shelter rental total comparisons between 2023 and 2024. Commissioner Goodwin asked if staff did comparison research with other cities and Mr. Shelby confirmed we did. Mr. Shelby shared that he believed last time the rates were raised was at the end of 2022. Moved by Commissioner Fermoyle and seconded by Commissioner Loidolt to approve the recommendation to the City Council to set shelter/pavilion rental fees for 2025 as presented. Motion carried 5-0. Page 2 of 33 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 2 November 13, 2024 7. Discussion Items 7.1 Maher Property Mr. Shelby presented his report. Chair Anderson explained that anytime the Commission and City of Elk River consider adding park land to the system it is a process. He shared that the process should start with being brought before the commission and then be discussed in future meetings. He also brought up that it is hard to foresee opportunities of adding park land during master plan creation process since the potential park land may not be available at that time. Chair Anderson pointed out that John Maher, the owner of the potential park property being discussed currently accessed his property via a gated off dirt path at the end of the cul de sac within Camp Cozy. He pointed out that the current owner is looking to sell the property so potentially move south. Commissioner Fermoyle asked what would happen to the house. Chair Anderson said it would most likely be demolished. He shared that the house sits about thirty inches above the river and does not flood unless there is an ice damn. Commissioners Stewart and Loidolt said they have walked the property before. Commissioner Niziolek said that anytime there is riverfront property that becomes available it is very important for the commission to take a look at it. Commissioner Niziolek said that this property would provide good canoe access to the river. Chair Anderson said he has canoed by the property many times and said it is very doable and there is even some little whitewater upstream. He said it would be a good area for a picnic spot with a potential reservable shelter. Commissioner Loidolt asked where the funds for this would come from. Mr. Stremcha said that the money could come from either park improvement or park dedication. Chair Anderson said the owner is talking about $80,000 and the demolition of the house would be an additional cost. Commissioner Stewart asked when the sale would take place. Chair Anderson said the owner would prefer that the city purchase it so he would be willing to wait a bit. He is the unofficial park steward of Camp Cozy and has been mowing the trails on his own with his own trailer for years. Commissioner Goodwin pointed out that we will be losing a good amenity in what the owner provides. Mr. Shelby asked if the commissioners would like staff to go to the Council to discuss adding this land to the master plan and then have further discussions of purchase. It was a consensus of the commission to recommend to the council to include this property in the master plan for possible purchase. 7.2 Nystrom Property Mr. Shelby presented his report. The total property available is about 20 acres. Mr. Shelby reviewed the trails on the sides of the property via the trail master plan slide included in the packet. Chair Anderson said the current owners would be interested in having a portion of the property be used for potential future park use. The property could potentially be sold as one piece or split into three. Chair Anderson said he and staff are looking for input from the commission on whether there would be any interest to purchase it. The City of Elk River could potentially purchase 3 to 5 acres instead of the whole piece. Commissioner Fermoyle asked if Page 3 of 33 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 3 November 13, 2024 there is a current trail going through the property or just a potential trail connection. Chair Anderson shared that one potential use of the land would be to create a trail head for the great northern trail. Commissioner Loidolt suggested a potential disc golf course if they do the whole 20 acres. He shared that he feels they need more recreational areas in parks and not just park land. He feels it is important to consider the disc golfers requests that came forward with suggestions. Chair Anderson said that the land still needs to be appraised. Mr. Stremcha said according to beacon the land was showing a value of around half a million. Commissioner Niziolek said that he does think they need a trail head, and that Meadowvale is not appropriate, so this could be an opportunity. He also thinks the Nystrom property has safer access to the GNT vs options south of County Rd. 1. Mr. Stremcha asked for pros and cons of having the trailhead at the Nystrom property location it here vs. Woodland Trails Regional Park. Commissioner Niziolek said that most people want to start at the beginning of a trail which in this case would either be closer to downtown Elk River or Zimmerman vs. Woodland Trails. Commissioner Niziolek shared that he thinks Woodland Trails Regional Park will continue to be a busy place and parking will reach capacity within the next 10 years. Chair Anderson said it is a complex discussion and there are pros and cons. Commissioner Goodwin said that she thinks that they should be clear and specific about why they would acquire the property it. i.e., if it was for disc golf or a trail head and what portion they would be looking at. She thinks that the price tag for the whole parcel is quite high to just make it a disc golf course. She said that she would be more interested in considering purchasing a smaller portion for a trailhead. Commissioner Goodwin would like to know more about what those details would look like such as how much land they would need and how much of the woods would have to be cleared. Commissioner Loidolt said that they could do both at the same time. Commissioner Stewart asked if any of the commissioner have walked through the property. Chair Anderson said that the family would let them walk through the property if they wanted to. Chair Anderson said it should be an action item in the future for this property to be potentially added to the master plan as well as the other property. He is a little concerned as to why they must be added to the master plan. Chair Anderson recommends that the entire commission go down to the two properties before any further recommendations. He also thinks they should bring the disc golfers to tour the Nystrom property. Chair Anderson shared that he believes the Maher family would like the entire property to be sold at once. He would like to bring both topics back to a commission meeting as an action time before they make a recommendation to council. Commissioner Fermoyle asked if they have concerns about the Maher property selling first. Chair Anderson said he just spoke with the owner, and he said he would wait for now to see what the City of Elk River will decide. Chair Anderson said that he believes it should be an action item in the future. Mr. Stremcha confirmed that following the tours it the topic would be brought back as an action item to the commission and then carry on to council for master plan amendment and potential purchase. He asked the commission if they would like to get together to take a tour before December or January. The Commissioners decided that December 8th at 1:00pm would work for the majority of them, meeting at the Nystrom property first and then the Maher property. The commissioners requested that staff could reach out to disc golf groups to invite them on the Nystrom property tour. Page 4 of 33 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 4 November 13, 2024 8. Presentations, Awards, and Recognition 8.1 Play My Way Mr. Shelby Presented his report. Secretary Larson explained the engagement pieces and summarized the results in a measurable manner for the commission to use when planning playground replacements in the CIP budgeting process. 9. Recreation Manager Update 9.1 Recreation Manager Update Mr. Shelby presented his report. 10. Announcements 11. Motion to Adjourn Regular Meeting Moved by Commissioner Fermoyle and seconded by Commissioner Stewart to adjourn the special meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission at 7:43 pm. Motion carried 5-0. 12. Work Session 12.1 2025 Capital Improvement The Commission reconvened for the work session at 7:50pm. Mr. Stremcha explained that grants could affect the budget projections by reducing the amount funded by the City and push out projects to fit the timeline of a larger project. Commissioner Stewart asked if there was anything listed that they had already approved. Mr. Stremcha used the PT Complex sponsorship money and welcome plaza discussion at the previous meeting as an example. Chair Anderson said it is confusing what money is coming in vs. what is going out. Chair Anderson asked why a summary of 2024 wasn’t included to show how the beginning budget for 2025 was determined. Mr. Stremcha said we do not have 2024 with us tonight but can bring to a future discussion. Chair Anderson said he would like to see that. Commissioner Loidolt pointed out that the ending balance of this year is at the top of the column for 2025 on each page. Mr. Stremcha said based on the commissions feedback tonight the goal would be to determine which of these projects is still a priority for 2025 or if anything should be pushed back. Commissioner Loidolt asked about the Jackson Street Water Tower Park and why that was a line item in the parks and recreation budget since the commission had not heard about it before. Mr. Shelby explained that the topic had just come to staff recently as a historical landmark and there are potential grants to offset costs. Mr. Stremcha explained that there is more information to come on that project. Page 5 of 33 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 5 November 13, 2024 Chair Anderson explained to the group the difference between the capital improvement fund and capital improvement projects. Mr. Stremcha explained that the question on the table for discussion is whether the items listed are still priorities or does the commission recommend, they be postponed to future budget years etc. One example of this would be the parks and recreation framework plan. Mr. Stremcha continued to explain that on one page is park improvements fund revenue and expenses, and the second page is park dedication fund and expenses. Ideally the commission could rank the expenditures and if not a priority, postpone the other items to future years. They are not currently in order of priority. Commissioner Goodwin asked if the items listed are set in stone and Chair Anderson said they are not. The Commission can give recommendations to avoid going into a negative balance. Chair Anderson confirmed that the liquor store transfer is the only additional income they will have going forward. Chair Anderson would like staff to give their own recommendations for expenditures ranked by priority then the commission could have a clearer discussion. Commissioner Niziolek said that Ridgewood East Park basketball court may not need to be replaced so soon since the school nearby has several courts. He also suggested that since the Lion John Weicht Park shelters are used the least out of the parks maybe their replacement could be delayed. Chair Anderson brought up whether a master plan is needed and is concerned about the amount of money currently in the budget for it. Commissioner Niziolek agreed. Chair Anderson and Commissioner Loidolt said that they need Mr. Baas, the Park Maintenance Foreman to be present to confirm if items need to be replaced or not. Commissioner Goodwin asked if these replacement projections are absolute. Mr. Stremcha said that not necessarily- projects could be stretched out if they are not failing quite yet. Chair Anderson said that typically this input would come from staff but right now that is not available with recent staff changes but he feels the commission can still make a recommendation based on what they know. Commissioner Loidolt said that these are placeholders that have been put in the schedule based on maintenance schedules and previous conversations, but it does not necessarily need to be done. There are items can be reevaluated by staff and pushed out. Commissioner Goodwin said it would be helpful to have Mr. Baas present. Mr. Stremcha said that Mr. Baas would be the one to determine if maintenance things can be pushed out or not. Commissioner Loidolt shared that he thinks the commission and staff could use the Play my Way data to help determine the priorities in a master framework plan. The commissioners agreed that the line items of $325,000 needs to be broken down into smaller categories so it is clear what the money would go for. Mr. Stremcha explained that with recent staff changes it has been hard to prepare the details. Chair Anderson said they have never had a line item with such a high number without details of the cost. Chair Anderson would like to have seen these numbers sooner. Once staff have had a chance to look this over with Mr. Baas the commission would like to see what is in that $325,000 total to be able to make clear choices on what could be taken out. Chair Anderson asked if any of the commissioners have any projects in mind that are not currently on the list that they would like to add. Mr. Stremcha asked if the current items listed are a priority to the commissioners and if their goal is to be revenue neutral. Commissioner Stewart asked what the park dedication estimates comes from. Mr. Stremcha said Zach Carlton with the City of Elk River Planning department can provide Page 6 of 33 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 6 November 13, 2024 that information based on development projections i.e., Bradford Park and the Specht property that have recently been discussed. Chair Anderson asked for confirmation that park dedication is paid out at final plat not when homes are built. Mr. Stremcha confirmed. The commission would like to see the details of the $325,000 broken down before they give recommendations. It would be foolish the put the budget a million dollars in the hole by 2028 otherwise they have to ask the council for more money and that would mean money would come out of taxpayer’s pockets. The choice is to either fill the gap or do less. They must collectively decide what they are not going to do. Playgrounds could be its own work session project in 2025, the current playground schedule it not sustainable and there here are too many small playgrounds. Commissioner Loidolt asked Mr. Stremcha if the commissioner could ask City Council for an increase in funds from the liquor store profits. Mr. Stremcha shared that the city is considering more income through the liquor stores including cannabis sales that could increase the revenue. Mr. Stremcha said the council is looking for recommendations for the first December meeting. It could be something as simple as to not spend more than a certain amount of dollars but the details of what the money/line-item details are spent on can be determined later. Chair Anderson suggested holding a special meeting sometime between now and December 2nd meeting to make these decisions. Commissioner Fermoyle suggested to make a recommendation on dropping the $325, 000 to $125,000 to save $200,000. Chair Anderson said he feels that they would not be doing their job to do it that way. Chair Anderson agreed with the following budget line items $6,250 would be good, $10,000 would be good, he needs more information about the $35,000, would like Mr. Baas input on the Ridgewood basketball court, $100,000 framework plan could be pushed out, he would like details of what the $325,000 in park projects are and then work to balance the budget. Commissioner Loidolt said that Council needs to understand that playgrounds will be not getting replaced based on the current budget with a goal to have a have a balanced budget. Chair Anderson called a special meeting for Wednesday the 20th at 6:30pm to discuss the budget. Secretary Larson clarified that there would not be any data to provide ahead of time if the meeting is next wed. Commissioner Fermoyle said she cannot make the meeting next wed. Commissioner Stewart asked about the Hillside parking lot budget line item. The Commissioners agreed that could be pushed out. Commissioner Niziolek suggested that we get out of the parking lot business and focus on recreation. Chair Anderson agree to keep pushing parking lots out as far as they can and let the City Council make those decision. Commissioner Niziolek mentioned that they have not discussed the Jackson Street Water Tower Park at all. Commissioner Stewart said that this would be an opportunity for a civic private partnership since it is downtown. It was the consensus of the Commission hold a special meeting touring the following properties with permission of the landowners on Sunday, December 8, at 1:00pm at the Nystrom Property located at 19232 Proctor Rd. Elk River, MN 55330 and the Maher Property located near Camp Cozy Sec:31 Twp:33.0 Rg:26 Lot: Blk: Acres 2.67 W 1-2 OF NE 1-4 LYING S &W OF ELK RIVER EX N 950 FT. 13. Motion to Adjourn Meeting Page 7 of 33 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 7 November 13, 2024 Moved by Commissioner Loidolt and seconded by Commissioner Goodwin to adjourn the meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission at 8:59pm. Motion carried 5-0. Minutes prepared by Dawn Larson. ___________________ Dave Anderson, Chair ___________________ Tina Allard, City Clerk, Page 8 of 33 Special Meeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission Held at the Elk River City Hall November 20, 2024 Members Present: Chair Dave Anderson, Commissioners, Greg Loidolt, Hal Stewart, Jill Varty, Joy Goodwin Members Absent: Melissa Fermoyle, Councilmember Mike Beyer Council Liaison: Staff Present: Assistant City Administrator/Business Services Director Joe Stremcha, Senior Administrative Assistant Dawn Larson 1. Call Meeting to Order Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the special meeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Chair Anderson. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Consider Agenda Since it was a special meeting, a consideration of the agenda was not necessary. 4. Action Items 4.1 2025 Capital Improvement Plan Mr. Stremcha, Mr. Baas, Mr. Shelby, and Chair Anderson met prior to this meeting to discuss the breakdown of the budget items that the commission discussed at the November 13th meeting. Several items were recommended to be postponed via the green lined spreadsheet handed out at the meeting. Chair Anderson said that since there are several new commissioners, he made a copy of the budget the commission approved in November 2023 which he provided as a handout. On the second page of the handout in 2024 they began with a budget of $120,000 and had revenues close to $300,00 and then recommended the four items that were on the list. Chair Anderson reviewed the completed projects listed in expenditures of 2024. That should leave us with $180,000 to start for 2025. Chair Anderson asked Mr. Stremcha if he was able to get the actual amount of Park dedication received. Mr. Stremcha said no because of software issues in the finance department they were not able to get at this time. Chair Anderson said it is not critical to have the number tonight, but it would be important to have for future decisions. Chair Anderson went on to compare monetary amounts on both sheets, his and the one that staff put together for tonight’s meeting with their recommendations. This is the list from $325,000 with detail from the spreadsheet that the commission had asked for at the last meeting. Items of concern are listed in blue. Chair Anderson compared his sheet and the sheet provided by staff. On the blue lined handout there is a lot more money listed for the 2025 estimate. The $100,000 coming out of park dedication and the $125,000 for coming Page 9 of 33 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 2 November 20, 2024 out of park dedication for the Trott Brook barn playground was not subtracted from the sheet. He said now it is up to the commission to make recommendations to council for the 2025 park improvement fund and the park dedication fund going line item by item. The total in the $390,000 minus $225,000 is the total beginning balance in the upper right-hand corner. Mr. Stremcha is not 100% sure of the sponsorship amount for 2025. $35,000 of the sponsorship comes from PT complex agreement. Chair Anderson asked about where the other amount came from. Mr Stremcha said that money would be from ballfield banner sponsorships which can go towards funding anything in parks. The additional money coming in would come from the liquor store fund transfer. Chair Anderson would like discussion on each expenditure line item on the green sheet. Mr. Stremcha said in addition to these items listed the parcels of land that the commission discussed at the previous meeting could be purchased using Park dedication funds, but that fund has more limitations and strings attached. Commissioner Goodwin clarified that depending upon which fund they use to purchase the land there are different rules tied to the land such as use. Commissioner Stewart asked what the money for a master plan would be used for. Mr. Stremcha explained that much of the original master plan has been completed mostly through the active elk river projects. Chair Anderson said this is the fourth master plan he has been a part of. The first two were done in-house and the third was a consultant. He said that he has always been disappointed by the results when a consultant was involved. Chair Anderson said that doing a master plan allows the commission and staff to get into the weeds and spend a lot of time getting to know their parks system and analyze things in detail. Commissioner Goodwin said that she is wondering if waiting a year would give the commissioners and Mr. Shelby, the new Parks and Recreation Manager, more time to get used to the process and gather information. Commissioner Varty asked if Chair Anderson thinks that staff could get the project done in house with a little outside help. Mr. Stremcha said that it is hard to tell at this time. He suggested approving a smaller budget to start the project in fall of 2025 and then approve more for 2026. Mr. Stremcha said that if more things could be done with internal staff, then consultants’ money could be saved. Commissioner Stewart said it would be nice to know the Parks and Recreation and Planning department calendar ahead of time so the commission could plan ahead and know when things go through the process from one meeting to another. I.e., when things go to planning commission, council, etc. vs when the Parks and Recreation is first introduced to a discussion or action item. Commissioner Loidolt said that it is important to know what the people want not just the commission. They do not just want playgrounds and land but actual recreation. It is better to be initiative-taking than reactive. He added that if the parks and recreation department does not get any additional funding, they will not be able to do any new things. Commissioner Niziolek said if they look at the Ridgewood basketball courts and did an evaluation they would know if it was needed or not. He feels they need more data before making decisions including a staff evaluation of current resources. Commissioner Niziolek pointed out that Trott Brook Park has a basketball court one mile away from Kliever Lake fields. He thinks it is something to consider since they are so close to each other. Commissioner Loidolt Page 10 of 33 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 3 November 20, 2024 and Commissioner Goodwin questioned if the Kliever Lakes neighborhood should be polled to see if they want a basketball court. Commissioner Niziolek pointed out that Bradford Park is close as well so it would be a good idea to have each park focus on one main amenity rather than have the same in all of them. Chair Anderson pointed out that there is not enough money to have all the amenities in each park with the costs rising. Chair Anderson asked if they need to leave this in as a placeholder in the budget for now and they can have further discussion. Commissioner Niziolek said they need to have future discussions on what they keep. Commissioner Loidolt suggested they leave the basketball court in as a placeholder and poll the residents for what they want. Chair Anderson shared that Mr. Baas said Country Crossings Playground is heavily used and needs to be removed. Chair Anderson supports because of Mr. Baas’s opinion. Chair Anderson thinks there should be five playgrounds and not twenty-five. The commissioners discussed the current habits of park goers such as going to destination parks with multiple amenities, so the different age groups of kids have multiple things to do. Chair Anderson believes there needs to be more input from the community members on what they have in their neighborhood. Commissioner Niziolek said he thinks they should remove the playground and wait until they get feedback from the community to make a decision. Commissioners Goodwin, Varty, and Loidolt agreed. Commissioner Loidolt pointed out that Highlands Park has lots of amenities and is close to Deerfield Park. Commissioner Niziolek said that he would like to spend more money on larger things vs. a bunch of smaller things. Community engagement is part of the master plan process and would be helpful with these decisions. Commissioner Varty said that it sounds like they are making a case for the need of a framework plan. Chair Anderson said right now they do not want to spend any money because they are worried about how they are going to spend. Commissioner Niziolek is concerned that the basketball courts are too close together and they are setting a precedent of having multiple courts in too many neighborhoods. Commissioner Niziolek asked Mr. Stremcha if the water tower park is technically park land yet. Mr. Stremcha said it is not yet but there is more to come on that project. Beginning budget on the one spreadsheet in the upper left-hand corner that starts with $390,000 should be reduced by $225,000 to reflect the $125,000 for the Trott Brook Barn and $100,000 for Lions. Below are the commissions agreed upon itemized review of the budget: Park Improvement Fund  Master Plan- Add $50,000 in 2025 and $50,000 in 2026  WHHC FMR Partnership - Keep at $6,250  Pt Complex-Keep at $35,000  Ridgewood Basketball Court- remove 0.00.  Kliever Lake Ballfields basketball court -Keep $50,000 but change to Kliever Lake Ballfields "improvements" and take out basketball court. Page 11 of 33 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 4 November 20, 2024  Misc. Projects-Keep at $10,000  Country Crossings Playground- remove. 0.00 (remove the equipment as staff recommend, do not take action this year, wait for community response in future for replacement options)  Deerfield Basketball Court -keep $50,000.  Ridgewood Basketball Court- remove 0.00.  Trott Brook Farms Park Parking lot- remove.0.00  Woodland Trails Nature Play area-remove 0.00 Park Dedication Fund  County Projects Cost Share- $275,000  Hillside parking lot-remove 0.00  Hwy 10 Trail-remove 0.00  Jackson Street Water Tower Park - keep $25,000 but they want to request that there be discussion with Parks and Recreation Commission before the money is spent. The Commission would like to add a line item of $100,000 for the purchase of the Maher property to come from the same fund that the original Camp Cozy property was purchased from. Commissioner Loidolt moved and Commissioner Stewart seconded to recommend City Council approve the 2025 budget recommendations that the commission has discussed, and Secretary Larson has recorded in the minutes. Approved 5-0 Chair Anderson asked about the parcel property acquisitions being added to this list. Commissioner Niziolek shared about the importance of having a recreational water way from camp cozy to Orono Park. He said they should focus on the Camp Cozy parcel as an acquisition as a priority of the two properties. Chair Anderson pointed out that having a willing seller, identifying the land purchase in the budget, and having it go to City Council could make it a reality. Mr. Stremcha shared that priority should focus on purchase of the lot and then amenities etc. could be discussed in 2026 and beyond as well as grant opportunities. Mr. Stremcha said that he recommends that they put the Camp Cozy lot in whatever fund the rest of the land came from. Chair Anderson said that the Camp Cozy land will sell this year so this should be in 2025 or they could lose it. Commissioner Niziolek suggested that they set aside $250,000 for a GNT trailhead so that it is not specific, and it could be the Nystrom property or anything else. Chair Anderson said that the Nystrom property is not moving fast so he thinks they should wait on that. He is concerned that Commissioner Niziolek suggested putting a placeholder for the property purchase would cloud the budget. Mr. Stremcha said he recommends waiting on it. The commission agreed to wait on the Nystrom property being added to the budget. Chair Anderson said that the community and staff and the commissioners are all stake holders in this process of creating a framework plan. Page 12 of 33 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 5 November 20, 2024 9. Motion to Adjourn Meeting Moved by Commissioner Niziolek and seconded by Commissioner Goodwin to adjourn the special meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission at 6:57pm. Motion carried 5-0. Minutes prepared by Dawn Larson. ___________________ Dave Anderson, Chair ___________________ Tina Allard, City Clerk Page 13 of 33 The Elk River Vision A welcoming community with revolutionary and spirited resourcefulness, exceptional service, and community engagement that encourages and inspires prosperity Request for Action To Parks and Recreation Commission Item Number 6.1 Meeting Date December 11, 2024 Prepared By Jeff Shelby, Recreation Manager Item Description Park Dedication for Norrgard Wooded Acres Reviewed by Jeff Shelby Joe Stremcha Action Requested Recommend, by motion, park dedication for the Norrgard Wooded Acres be paid in cash, at the applicable rate at the time of recording, for two dwelling units. Background/Discussion The property is zoned Single Family Residential (R1a) with minimum lot sizes of 2 ½ acres. The applicant is requesting a preliminary and final plat to subdivide their 55.07-acre property into three parcels. Lot 3 will be 50.07 acres in size and Lots 1 and 2 will be 2.50 acres. Access to lots 1 and 2 will be from Jarvis Street. Two parcels are eligible for park dedication. The Parks and Recreation Trails Master Plan identifies a proposed trail on the west side of Jarvis Street, in front of the property, as shown in the attached trail plan. The design and construction details for the trail will be determined when future road and trail improvements are planned. There appears to be sufficient space within the right-of-way to accommodate a future trail. However, if the commission deems it necessary, they may recommend a 30-foot-wide trail easement along Jarvis Street. It is important to note that imposing an easement on a property significantly limits the property owner's ability to use that portion of the land, restricting it primarily to landscaping purposes. Financial Impact None Mission/Policy/Goal Opportunity to live, work, and play. Attachments 1. Aerial Overlay 2. Location Map Norrgard 3. Preliminary Plat Page 14 of 33 4. Master Trail Plan Page 15 of 33 Page 16 of 33 Page 17 of 33 54412541260B34654054032B54032C34654034632C32B32C32C32C54032B346346W32B32B32B54432C32B346540Lot 1Lot 2Lot 3Block 1ΔSherburne County, MNVICINITY MAPSec. 1, Twp. 33, Rng. 261SITEYsPage 18 of 33 Page 19 of 33 The Elk River Vision A welcoming community with revolutionary and spirited resourcefulness, exceptional service, and community engagement that encourages and inspires prosperity Request for Action To Parks and Recreation Commission Item Number 6.2 Meeting Date December 11, 2024 Prepared By Jeff Shelby, Recreation Manager Item Description PID 75-00128-4200 Reviewed by Jeff Shelby Joe Stremcha Action Requested Approve, by motion, a recommendation to the city council to amend the Parks and Recreation Master Plan to include PID 75-00128-4200 for future purchase. Background/Discussion At the November Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, PID 75-00128-4200 was discussed as a potential park property. The commission toured the property on December 8th to assess interest. Financial Impact The parcel acquisition cost is unknown. Mission/Policy/Goal Responsibly grow. Attachments 1. Nystrom Property Parcel 2. Commission Notes about Nystrom Property 3. TRAIL PLAN 2018 Page 20 of 33 Page 21 of 33 Page 22 of 33 Page 23 of 33 Page 24 of 33 Page 25 of 33 The Elk River Vision A welcoming community with revolutionary and spirited resourcefulness, exceptional service, and community engagement that encourages and inspires prosperity Request for Action To Parks and Recreation Commission Item Number 6.3 Meeting Date December 11, 2024 Prepared By Jeff Shelby, Recreation Manager Item Description PID 75-00131-2100 Reviewed by Jeff Shelby Joe Stremcha Action Requested Approve, by motion, a recommendation to the city council to amend the Parks and Recreation Master Plan to include PID 75-00131-2100 for future purchase. Background/Discussion At the November Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, PID 75-00131-2100 was discussed as a potential park property. At the November 20th Special Meeting to review the Parks and Recreation CIP for 2025, the commission recommended allocating money for the future purchase of the property. The commission toured the property on December 8th to assess interest. Financial Impact The parcel acquisition cost is unknown. Mission/Policy/Goal Responsibly grow. Attachments 1. Mahr Property Parcel 2. Camp Cozy NRMP Amenities Page 26 of 33 Project Location Map For Discussion Only Page 27 of 33 Page 28 of 33 Page 29 of 33 Page 30 of 33 Page 31 of 33 The Elk River Vision A welcoming community with revolutionary and spirited resourcefulness, exceptional service, and community engagement that encourages and inspires prosperity Request for Action To Parks and Recreation Commission Item Number 7.1 Meeting Date December 11, 2024 Prepared By Jeff Shelby, Recreation Manager Item Description Horse Ordinance Reviewed by Jeff Shelby Joe Stremcha Action Requested Discuss a potential ordinance prohibiting horses in city parks. Background/Discussion Chair Anderson requests that the commission consider a recommendation to council adopting a future ordinance prohibiting horses in city parks for the safety of all users. Financial Impact None Mission/Policy/Goal Appropriately govern in an ever-changing environment. Attachments None Page 32 of 33 Memorandum To: Parks and Recreation Commission From: Jeff Shelby, Parks and Recreation Manager Date: December 11, 2024 Subject: Parks and Recreation Staff Report This report is a monthly highlight of department activities related to recent collaborations, strategic planning, staff changes/developments, and park operations. Farmers Market The two winter indoor markets have been well attended and we’ve received positive feedback as it continues to grow. We’ve had a variety of vendors selling food items and handmade goods. Downtown Holiday Decorations The downtown tree lighting was well attended, and we appreciate DERBA in their collaboration for decorating and sponsoring the tree. We encourage all residents and visitors to visit our wonderful down shops and restaurants and take a photo by the tree. Senior Activity Center 2025 membership sales are under way, and we’ve already sold 100 for the coming year. Our senior member drive/open house was on Tuesday, December 10. The new Senior Activity Center Assistant, Callie Draper started on December 2 and is doing an excellent job and will be a great asset to the team. Kayak Rentals Warren received the final report for the 2024 kayak rental kiosk at Orono Park. We had 272 rentals and after the 50% revenue split with the rental provider, the city received $2405. We believe that a renewed focus on marketing the rental kiosk in 2025 will help increase usage. Rivers Edge Commons Park The construction project at Rivers Edge continues to progress nicely. The new concrete blocks were delivered on time and nearly all have been installed to increase seating capacity. The contractor anticipates being able to finish on time this spring. Fall Sports Adult volleyball concluded on December 9th with 14 teams competing over the course of the season. Trott Brook Barn We experienced a minor issue related to the cold, but door has been repaired. Page 33 of 33