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PRSR 03-12-2025 Parks and Recreation Commission Regular Meeting Agenda Wednesday, March 12, 2025 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 Minutes 02-12-2025 5. ELECTION OF CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR 5.1 Annual Election of Commission Chair and Vice Chair 6. 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. 7. ACTION ITEMS 7.1 P25-01 & 0A 25-01 Villas at Fillmore 3rd Addition - Park Dedication 7.2 P25-04 Ridgewood Hills 2nd Addition - Park Dedication 7.3 P25-07 Elk Hills 2nd Addition - Park Dedication 7.4 Oakwater Ridge/Specht Farm - Park Dedication 8. DISCUSSION ITEMS 8.1 Parks and Recreation Commission By-Laws 9. RECREATION MANAGER UPDATE 9.1 Recreation Manager Update 10. ANNOUNCEMENTS 11. MOTION TO ADJOURN Page 1 of 35 Meeting of the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission Held at the Elk River City Hall February 12, 2025 Members Present: Chair Dave Anderson, Commissioners Mike Niziolek, Joy Goodwin, Greg Loidolt, Hal Stewart, Jill Varty, Melissa Fermoyle Members Absent: Council Liaison: Councilmember Cory Grupa 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 Fermoyle and seconded by Commissioner Varty to approve the January 8, 2025, agenda. Motion carried 7-0. 4. Consider Minutes 4.1 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes 1-8-2025 Moved by Commissioner Loidolt and seconded by Commissioner Stewart to approve the January 8, 2025, Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes. Motion carried 7-0. 5. Open Forum 6 Presentations, Awards, and Recognition 7. Action Items 7.1 Free Grace Easter Event Karli Phelps with Free Grace United Church presented her slideshow for the Easter egg hunt proposal for Lion John Weicht Park. It would be a bilingual event with their Spanish speaking congregation. Page 2 of 35 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 2 February 12, 2025 The main event would take place at their building, but the eggs would be hidden along the trail in the park. The eggs would be plastic and not have candy in them. Participants would be able to turn in the eggs for prizes at Free Grace United. The Church would provide signage by the Boys and Girls Club entrance to the park as well as the entrance on their side off School Street. The event would be two to three hours and participants would park at the Church location and walk to the park for the egg hunt portion. They do have a backup plan for the weather. The Church had a hay wagon ride event in the park last fall and it went well. Moved by Commissioner Fermoyle and seconded by Commissioner Varty to approve the Free Grace United Easter Egg Hunt at Lion John Weicht Park on Saturday, April 12, 2025. Motion carried 7-0 7.2 Athletic Fields Framework Plan Kevin Clarke with HKGi presented his slideshow showing the changes requested by the Commission from previous meetings. He explained that a framework plan will require additional design refinements as the projects are built out over time and things change. One of the goals of this plan was to move specific sport types into central locations versus being spread out amongst different complexes. Elements of consideration included grouping facilities, improving the quality of facilities, and looking at how maintenance and programming would fit into the complexes. Mr. Clarke explained the tournament capacity included the details in the graph in the slideshow. There are some wetland delineations that still need to be finalized. Those must be done within 5 years so it would be good to wait on those until closer to construction. Oak knoll would have a goal of having all ages able to play at the same time. He reviewed the DAAC changes from a 4-way pinwheel to a two field and another programmable field space for Parks and Recreation. Overall, the complex would become an extension of Orono Park. He then reviewed the PT Complex changes primarily with the lower south side of the complex being developed. He stressed that there were foul ball concerns by the commission and those details have been addressed in the design. Funding for the projects would come from various methods including partnerships, grants, relationships with the school district. Commissioner Niziolek asked if an agreement has been signed with ISD 728 as far as Oak Knoll. Mr. Stremcha said no but they are in good faith and waiting for the plan from the City before they would commit and make their plans known. Page 3 of 35 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 3 February 12, 2025 Commissioner Niziolek said that he is nervous to decide without having a commitment from the school district. Mr. Stremcha said once the Commission makes their recommendation the City Council and Independent School District 728 would discuss future options. Commissioner Loidolt said he likes the ideas, but the Oak Knoll project has a lot of amenities in the plans. He is concerned about foul balls and parking etc. in such a small space. He wants to make sure that HKGI is doing their due diligence to make sure this would work. Mr. Clarke said that the foul ball issues are factored into the plan. Commissioner Loidolt said that he is placing his trust into the designers that they are making the right choices to keep fans safe from foul balls. Otherwise, he is happy with the plan. He said that they just need find the money and finalize the agreement with ISD 728. Commissioner Niziolek asked if the Commission would see a financial plan of how the plan would be achieved and if so, how soon. Mr. Stremcha said that the idea is to bring the plan to the City Council to incorporate it into the CIP and budget plans followed by additional discussions for ideas of how to fund the other larger portions of the project. Chair Anderson said that the plan would be easier to support if they had a plan to pay as they go. He is not in favor of borrowing money and cannot see this project happening with the current budget in place. Mr. Stremcha confirmed that right now there is not currently a funding stream through Parks and Recreation that is sufficient. Mr. Stremcha said that they would not be able to bond for this project like the FT Center. These are more like bite size bonds i.e.; an option would be doing a10-million-dollar referendum once the FT Center is done. Another option would be to build up the parks fund and then pay for portions as they go. He also said that a sales tax referendum around 2030 could be an option to discuss. Chair Anderson is concerned about the high amount of money being discussed. He is cautious because he has seen the rise and fall of the park fund by building it up and then having regret for spending so much so quickly. Mr. Clarke shared that the prices in the slideshow are 2025 numbers. Mr. Stremcha reiterated to the commission that this is more of a 20-year plan. Commissioner Goodwin said that she is concerned about doing a referendum since the last one has left a salty taste in people’s mouths. She said that she likes the plans, but she is not sure about saying yes when they do not have a funding plan at this time. Commissioner Stewart is concerned about how close together the fields and amenities are to each other. He agrees with the other Commissioners that it is hard to recommend the plan without having a funding source. Commissioner Varty stated that she agrees with Commissioners Goodwin and Stewart. Page 4 of 35 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 4 February 12, 2025 Mr. Stremcha said that he wanted to be clear that this is just a recommendation for the plan, and implementation wouldn’t occur until funding became available and then it would be discussed before phase 1 could begin. Each phase would also go through its own architectural plan, site plan review, etc. and things could change. Commissioner Loidolt reiterated that tonight they are just approving the plan and he wants to get it moving before they fall further behind. Chair Anderson said that he agrees with Commissioner Loidolt about needing the plan but reiterated that they do not have a funding source to make it go. Councilmember Cory Grupa asked if the phases presented in the plan are in the order, they want to complete the project. Mr. Stremcha said that some of the phases could be moved around, if necessary, based on funding opportunities as they arise. They also may have to adjust things as they go through construction due to issues that may arise that were unforeseen. Chair Anderson said that he can vote for the plan if they have a funding source and have the money in the bank before they start. Commissioner Loidolt asked if the expectation is that Parks and Recreation would pay for this or not. Mr. Stremcha said it would be a heavy council retreat topic in the spring. Commissioner Niziolek asked if there is school property and building that will be part of the discussion with Hales field. Mr. Stremcha said that the building would be demolished and be part of the land swap agreement similar to Lion John Weicht Park. Commissioner Niziolek said he sees an urgency right now for Oak Knoll, but Mr. Stremcha explained that the PT Complex must have the extra fields added so that the fields at Oak Knoll must be able to be taken offline during construction. Chair Anderson explained again that he cannot approve the plan without having a funding source. Mr. Stremcha explained that this plan is like the Parks and Recreation Parks Master plan and the Trails Plan. Funding was not figured out when the plan was made. It was visionary in 2015 and then came to fruition as the timeline moved along and funding became available. Moved by Commissioner Loidolt and seconded by Chair Anderson to recommend the Athletic Fields Framework Plan to the City Council for adoption. Motion carried 7-0. 7.3 Specht Family Farm Residential Development Park Dedication Mr. Shelby presented his report and reviewed four additional slides, three from Capstone Homes and one from the City Planning department. He then read the three staff recommended action options in the handout for the meeting. Matt Barker and Stephen Bona from Capstone were in attendance for questions. Chair Anderson said he would like to hear from the applicant. Page 5 of 35 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 5 February 12, 2025 Mr. Barker shared that he has walked the property over the past couple of weeks with the different commissioners and thanked the commissioners for their time. He reiterated that there about 42 acres set aside for park dedication that they presented at the last Commission meeting. This amount of acreage is about 20% of the total development. He then reiterated that Capstone is also adding 15 acres with the landscape berm along the highway that is not included in the park dedication. Mr. Barker stated that the commercial portion of the map are not part of this discussion. Commissioner Niziolek is asked if there will be sperate park dedication for the commercial portion. Mr. Stremcha and Mr. Shelby confirmed that the commercial park dedication will come in front of the commission later. Commissioner Goodwin asked for an explanation of why the wetlands would not be accepted and Chair Anderson said the commission has not typically accepted wetlands. Mr. Barker said that they have not seen the recommendations presented tonight prior to the meeting. Chair Anderson said that the options presented as a handout tonight are all options for the Commission to consider. Mr. Barker said that he does not see the Capstone Park dedication proposal on the recommendations in the three options on the handout. They had not planned on anything other than land as park dedication. Chair Anderson explained again that the Commission can make the recommendations as they see fit. Chair Anderson said this is a unique piece of property being by the Mississippi River with unique topography. He has been down on the property and walked it several times. He said as a Commission they will talk about each of the proposed elements and then make their recommendation. Chair Anderson said that the 14.51 acres of greenway is not worthy of park dedication, and he does not see it as usable. It is storm water retention, and he would recommend not giving any park dedication for it. Commission Goodwin asked about the trail portion of that piece that would meet up with the other trails. Chair Anderson said that an easement takes care of the trail connection if it is in storm water areas as they usually end up owned and maintained by the city as well. Chair Anderson explained that trails are the last part of the recommendation. The first part is identifying land for dedication and then cash. Commissioner Niziolek said that he does not see a nice place for a picnic or playground in this area in the 14.51-acre greenway. He sees it as the backyard of people’s homes with a trail, stormwater ponds and landscaping. He feels like they could serve the community better if they had a different space. The other Commissioners all agreed. Page 6 of 35 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 6 February 12, 2025 Mr. Bona from Capstone said that they have removed a lot of lots to create the linear trail but if they cannot get the park dedication for the 14.51-acre greenway, they would remove this and remove the trail as planned to gain the lots back. They thought it was a feature of the Mississippi River Trail the trail down to the river. They would move storm water basins into the back yards. Chair Anderson then moved on to discussing the 28.07-acre parcel in the low land area by the Mississippi. Commissioner Loidolt said he did not get to walk the property, so he must go with the recommendations of the other Commissioners. Commissioner Niziolek said that this property is in the flood plain so they cannot build a structure there. He said there are portions of the land that are not but based upon past practice they have not accepted wetland flood plain for park dedication, but he said that they should consider taking the portion above the 10-year flood plain as park dedication because he does see the value of the land being by the Mississippi River. Staff is not sure how much acreage that would be. Mr. Barker said that they do have the areas split out showing that the non-wetland area in their plan which would be 16 acres. Commissioner Niziolek clarified that wetland and land above the 10-year water mark are different. Mr. Stremcha said that staff can calculate the acreage above the 10-year water mark for park dedication credit. Commissioner Goodwin said that Commissioner Niziolek’s compromise sounds good. Commissioner Varty said she is not sure how accepting a dry area in the middle of a wetland can be accepted. Chair Anderson said houses cannot be built down there, so it does not have a lot of their typical park amenity options. He said it looks like it might be about ten acres. Councilmember Grupa asked for clarification as to whether they would accept anything down along the river and Chair Anderson said no. Capstone staff confirmed that they could make that private area. Commissioner Goodwin asked the other Commissioners where they would put the other amenities for the development if they would not build them down by the river. She said that this is right on the river, and it is beautiful land. She stated concern for where the amenities are going to go for the other people on the other side of the neighborhood. She also has concerns about taking on the responsibility and maintenance of more playground equipment. Chair Anderson said that this neighborhood needs to be like Trott Brook Park. It should be a showcase park in a showcase neighborhood. Chair Anderson described the ideal location for a park, such as the Burr Oak area, is right up on the bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. It should be a 7-acre rectangular high ground park with five hundred feet of frontage on the western boundary of the park on the bluff line going through Yale all the way to Xavier St. on the map. Mr. Stremcha drew a layout on the map provided to give an idea of the size and location. Commissioner Niziolek said that it would not having a parking lot. It would be roadside parking like Trott Brook. He thinks it would be fabulous for our city and the kids. He also thinks that the trail would also be very important running through the neighborhood so the people can get to the park and down to the river. Page 7 of 35 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 7 February 12, 2025 Commissioner Niziolek said the trail would ideally be eighty feet from the backyard of the homes and go all the way up and through to the Oliver Kelley Farm. The ultimate trail alignment would look like what is presented tonight. He also clarified that it would be ideal to have a road on either side of the park and have roadside parking versus a parking lot. It would be like Trott Brook Park. Having the park up top would provide a safer environment for kids to play in compared to a lower area by the river. Councilmember Grupa asked the Commission what land they wanted to delegate for park dedication. Chair Anderson said the primary piece is the seven-acre park on the top, park dedication for lower space in the amount of land above the 10-year high water mark minus the wetlands, and the remainder in cash at the applicational rate at the time of platting and the trail should be installed by the developer with trail access easements across any trails not located on public property. Mr. Shelby said planning would be able to determine the amount of land in the lower space minus the wetlands. Councilmember Grupa questioned if the developer makes the final park location decision. Mr. Stremcha said City Council and the developer make the final decision. Mr. Bona shared that they appreciate the comments from the Commission, but he feels like it needs to be more of a two-way street about the parks. He said that the things the commission is describing may not be financially able to work for them as the developer. He is concerned that they put a year into this plan, and this is the first time they are hearing about this. He said if they recommend, and they cannot financially do it then it could be waste of time. Chair Anderson pointed out that he had sent notes to the last meeting because he could not be present. He said the Capstone plan has stayed the same since day one and they do not seem to be hearing the Commission’s recommendations. He does not feel that the Commissioners comments and recommendations are being heard by the developer. Chair Anderson pointed out that they think they are compromising. He wants to make sure they are serving the people in the neighborhood and making sure they have a park and programable space. Mr. Bona said they could not do a bluff line trail because they financially need to have homes on that bluff. He feels like the property that they proposed for park dedication is the crown jewel of the property because everyone wants to get down to the river. He said that they thought of it as more of a passive park and originally, they thought it was going to be an HOA park for the neighborhood. As they got into more discussions with the city, they thought the city would want it as a park themselves. Now they are having a financial issue if they cannot do it this way. Elk River is the only City they have ever worked with that requires 20% park dedication. Mr. Bona said that they are trying to accommodate many different things to get to the 20%. While designing this plan they set aside so much open space, more than they ever have before. They wanted to create a big berm and landscape it which will also cost them a lot of money. Page 8 of 35 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 8 February 12, 2025 He asked the Commission to reconsider because he feels that the recommendations being put forth are not something that Capstone can financially do. Chair Anderson said that they are talking about usable programmable park space as park dedication, and he thinks Commissioner Niziolek’s suggestion of compromise about the lower space is a good idea. Mr. Bona said that he really needs the full park dedication credit for the lower park space to move forward. He feels like they are giving away their shoreland and it is very valuable. Chair Anderson said that Capstone would need to discuss these concerns with City Council then. Commissioner Loidolt asked if the lower space by the river is buildable. Mr. Bona said not for homes, but it would be for other amenities if that was made a private park, and discussions were had with the DNR. Mr. Stremcha suggested the potential compromise of a 7-acre park on the upland paired with the 7-acres space down below above high-water mark, then 7-acres of park dedication money as the remainder up to 15% instead of 20%. 45 acres of park dedication was the original 20% so 32.5 acres would be about 15%. Chair Anderson confirmed it would end up being about half cash and half land. He also clarified that it was City Council that produced the formula of the 20% so he is trying to follow the rules. Chair Anderson said because it is a planned unit development it has some flexibility. He said he could consider this suggestion. Mr. Bona asked for clarification on this compromise. Mr. Stremcha explained that the green strip would no longer be included in the park dedication. He also said that when the ordinance was created it would not have taken into a property like this. He said the lower field is still the most important part. Mr. Bona said that he does believe the City could put a playground and all the regular park amenities in that lower area by working with the DNR. Mr. Barker said they had an extensive conversation with the Kelly Farm about not having the trail come through their property via the bluff line. He also said there is nine acres that could be programmed on the green space corridor where the trail is currently shown. Chair Anderson said that he knows they lost the bluff line trail. The overall intent is getting from the northwest to the southeast part of the property. Commissioner Fermoyle said she is concerned about amending the dedication fee to 15% and how that might affect future park dedication decisions. Commissioner Niziolek said that all the park dedication fees will be going back into this community via the building of a playground and a pavilion in the park in their community. He shared they are not doing this to be selfish but to look out for the community and make it as grand as they can. Mr. Stremcha said they could ear mark the park dedication money for this specific park and property. Chair Anderson clarified that someone would have to do the math later since they do not know the calculations for the land right now. Mr. Stremcha confirmed this could be done. Page 9 of 35 Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 9 February 12, 2025 A recommendation that instead of 20% park dedication a reduction to 15%, 32.4 acres. The upland overlook area is estimated to be eight acres, the lowland minus the high flood mark is estimated to be eight acres, and then sixteen acres in cash which would be earmarked for the development of the upland park. Moved by Commissioner Niziolek and seconded by Commissioner Stewart to recommend that the required 20% of park dedication be reduced to 15% which is 32 acres allocating 8 acres for Upland overlook park, 8 acres above the 10-year flood line and the other 16 acres paid in cash which would be 50% in land and 50% in cash with the cash to be used for projects specifically within this development. Motion carried 7-0 Moved by Chair Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Goodwin for the trail to be installed by developer with trail access easements access across any land not located on public property and that it is in the alignment shown in the presentation exhibit. Motion carried 7-0 8 Discussion Items 9. Recreation Manager Update Mr. Shelby presented his report. 10. Announcements 11. Adjourn Meeting Moved by Commissioner Melissa and seconded by Commissioner Varty to adjourn the regular meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission at 9:12pm. Motion carried 7-0. Minutes prepared by Dawn Larson. ___________________ Dave Anderson, Chair ___________________ Tina Allard, City Clerk Page 10 of 35 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 5.1 Meeting Date March 12, 2025 Prepared By Jeff Shelby, Recreation Manager Item Description Annual Election of Commission Chair and Vice Chair Reviewed by Jeff Shelby Joe Stremcha Action Requested Elect Chair and Vice Chair to lead the commission. Background/Discussion City code requires that the commission elect a chair and vice chair on an annual basis. This is done by a vote of the membership. Nominations for these positions will be done from the floor. Financial Impact None Mission/Policy/Goal Work with citizens to achieve goals. Attachments None Page 11 of 35 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 March 12, 2025 Prepared By Jeff Shelby, Recreation Manager Item Description P25-01 & 0A 25-01 Villas at Fillmore 3rd Addition - Park Dedication Reviewed by Jeff Shelby Joe Stremcha Action Requested Recommend, by motion, park dedication for The Villas at Fillmore Third Addition be paid in cash, at the applicable rate at the time of recording, for six single-family parcels. Background/Discussion The property is zoned Planned Unit Development (PUD). The applicant is requesting approval of the third and final plat for this development. The 7.95-acre Outlot is proposed to be subdivided into six parcels, with access from Fillmore Street via a private street. All six parcels qualify for park dedication, as the existing lot is designated as an Outlot. Additionally, a trail along Fillmore Street was installed as part of the previous plats. Financial Impact Cash to be paid into the Park Dedication Fund Mission/Policy/Goal Opportunity to live, work, and play. Attachments 1. Location Map 2. P-2135.36 FINAL PLAT 1-22-25 3. Trail Master Plan Template Page 12 of 35 Page 13 of 35 NRRLSESITENRRLSERLUMRIVERANDSURVEYORSENGINEERS505 First Street, Princeton, MN 55371O - 763.389.4476 RRLSE.comPage 14 of 35 Page 15 of 35 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 7.2 Meeting Date March 12, 2025 Prepared By Jeff Shelby, Recreation Manager Item Description P25-04 Ridgewood Hills 2nd Addition - Park Dedication Reviewed by Jeff Shelby Joe Stremcha Action Requested Recommend, by motion, park dedication for Ridgewood Hills Second Addition be paid in cash, at the applicable rate at the time of recording, for one single family parcel. 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 15.85-acre property into two parcels. Lot 1 will be 3.24± acres in size and Lot 2 will be 12.32± acres. Access to lots 1 and 2 will be from 215th Avenue. One parcel is eligible for park dedication. Financial Impact Cash will be paid into the Park Dedication Fund. Mission/Policy/Goal Support the growth and development of the community. Attachments 1. P 25-04 Location Map 2. Preliminary Plat 3. Trail Master Plan Page 16 of 35 Page 17 of 35 540730B730B730B1260C204B204B3461253B1253C1253C∆∆Lot 2Lot 1Block 1215th Ave. NW∆ Sherburne County, MNVICINITY MAPSec. 12, Twp. 33, Rng. 2623SITEYsPage 18 of 35 Page 19 of 35 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 7.3 Meeting Date March 12, 2025 Prepared By Jeff Shelby, Recreation Manager Item Description P25-07 Elk Hills 2nd Addition - Park Dedication Reviewed by Jeff Shelby Joe Stremcha Action Requested Recommend, by motion, park dedication for Elk Hills Second Addition be paid in cash, at the applicable rate at the time of recording, for one single family parcel. Background/Discussion The property is zoned Single Family Residential (R1c) with minimum lot sizes of 10 acres, if non-sewered. The applicant is requesting a preliminary and final plat to subdivide their 40.00-acre property into two parcels. Lot 1 will be 29± acres in size and Lot 2 will be 10.00 acres. Access to lots 1 and 2 will be from Elk Hills Drive and dedicated Line Avenue right-of-way. One parcel is eligible for park dedication. Financial Impact Cash will be paid into the Park Dedication Fund. Mission/Policy/Goal Support the growth and development of the community. Attachments 1. P 25-07 Location Map 2. P 25-07 Elk Hills_Preliminary Plat-COS 24x36 H (1) 3. Trail Master Plan (1) Page 20 of 35 Page 21 of 35 AUBURNE DRIVE PRIVATE DRIVE NW CORNER SEC. 35, T33N, R26WSHERBURNE COUNTY CAST IRONRLS 15223RLS 20595RLS 20595RLS 20595RLS 21753NO. 4 REBARNO. 4 REBARNO. 4 REBARNO. 4 REBARELK HILLS SECOND ADDITION DEDICATION OF AUBURNE DRIVE LEGAL DESCRIPTIONLEGEND’SURVEYOR NOTESSITEPage 22 of 35 Page 23 of 35 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 7.4 Meeting Date March 12, 2025 Prepared By Jeff Shelby, Recreation Manager Item Description Oakwater Ridge/Specht Farm - Park Dedication Reviewed by Jeff Shelby Joe Stremcha Action Requested Recommend, by motion, park dedication for the Oakwater Ridge (previously referred to as the Specht Family Farm) development be paid in cash, land, or a combination thereof, at the applicable rate at the time of recording. Recommend, by motion, a trail be installed by the developer with trail access easements across any land not located on public property. Background/Discussion At the February Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting, the commission made two recommendations regarding park dedication for this property: 1. For the trail to be installed by the developer with trail access easements across any land not located on public property and that it is in the alignment showing in the presentation exhibit. 2. That the required 20% of park dedication be reduced to 15% which is 32 acres allocating 8 acres for upland overlook park, 8 acres above the 10-year flood line and the other 16 acres paid in cash which would be 50% in land and 50% in cash with the cash to be used for projects specifically within this development. The developer of the property, Capstone Homes, met with City Council on February 18th and March 3rd to discuss their plans. City Council seeks additional feedback from the Parks and Recreation Commission based on those discussions and staff will provide an update for the commission to revise their recommendation should they so choose. Financial Impact None Mission/Policy/Goal Responsible for every dollar - good stewards. Support the growth and development of the community. Opportunity to live, work, and play. Page 24 of 35 Attachments None Page 25 of 35 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 8.1 Meeting Date March 12, 2025 Prepared By Jeff Shelby, Recreation Manager Item Description Parks and Recreation Commission By-Laws Reviewed by Jeff Shelby Joe Stremcha Action Requested Discuss updates to the Elk River Parks and Recreation By-Laws for 2025. Background/Discussion City code requires that all commissions review and update their by-laws on an annual basis so that all members are familiar with their roles and responsibilities as commission members. This is also an opportunity to update the by-laws if the commission sees a need. Staff will update the by-laws with the commissions suggested updates and bring them back for approval next month. Consider the following updates: 1. The language in Sec. 2-233 ("Purpose") in the city ordinance as it relates to the Park and Recreation Commission differs slightly from the language in Article II, Paragraph 1 ("Purpose and Function") of the Parks and Recreation Commission By-Laws. The city ordinance was most recently updated in March 2024. Staff suggest updating the language in the by-laws to match that of the ordinance in this particular section for the sake of consistency. 2. The language in Sec. 2-234 ("Powers and duties") in the city ordinance as it relates to the Park and Recreation Commission differs slightly from the language in Article II, Paragraph 2 ("Function") of the Parks and Recreation Commission By-Laws. The city ordinance was most recently updated in March 2024. Staff suggest updating the language in the by-laws to match that of the ordinance in this particular section for the sake of consistency. 3. City ordinance requires that commissioners must have served on the commission for at least one year in order to be elected chair of the commission. The current by-laws do not reflect this. Staff suggests adding this requirement to Article V ("Officers and Duties"0, Paragraph 1A ("Officers") to reflect the ordinance standard. 4. Staff suggest changing the language in Article IX ("Staff Support"), Paragraph 3 ("Parks and Recreation Management") to reflect the current staff titles within the department. Page 26 of 35 5. The current ordinance requires that the by-laws be reviewed and updated annually at either the first meeting of the calendar of the year (January) or the first meeting with any newly elected or appointed members (March). The by-laws do not currently reflect this. Staff suggests adding this language to Article X ("Amendments to Bylaws"), Paragraph 1. 6. While the city clerk's office recommends rotating the holders of the chair and vice-chair positions, there is nothing currently in the by-laws or an ordinance that requires it. The commission could discuss and potentially update the by-laws to include such a requirement if it sees fit. Financial Impact None. Mission/Policy/Goal Work with citizens to achieve goals. Attachments 1. Bylaws revised 2018 Page 27 of 35 Page 1 of 6 BY-LAWS OF THE ELK RIVER PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION ARTICLE I - NAME AND AUTHORITY 1. Name The name of this organization shall be the Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission. 2. Authority This commission is established under the authorization of Elk River Code of Ordinances Chapter 2, Article 5, Division 3 Parks and Recreation Commission. ARTICLE II - PURPOSE AND FUNCTION 1. Purpose The Parks and Recreation Commission is a commission established to review and make recommendations to the city council on the development and organization of the city parks and the city recreation programs. The scope of the commission shall consist of advising the city council regarding matters relevant to the park and recreation functions of the city. The commission shall participate in the planning for development and acquisition of park land, including in its definition nature preserves, rain gardens, trails, river corridors and conservation areas, facilities and recreational programs. 2. Function A. The Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission shall hold hearings, solicit public input and recommend to the city council such plans, programs and policies as it deems necessary to carry out the purposes of the parks and recreation department. Such powers shall include, but not be limited to, the study of and recommendation to the city council on the following: i. Land acquisition for park and recreation purposes. ii. Plans for major improvements in city parks. iii. Rules and requirements for conduct of and in parks and recreation facilities. iv. Plans and programs relating to the design and programming of city parks and facilities. v. Propose amendments in the recreation section of the city growth management plan. vi. Development of a comprehensive city parks and recreation plan and make recommendations on the implementation of this plan. vii. Assist in the promotion of city parks. viii. Conduct periodic inspections of city parks and review existing situations and make recommendations on improvements of city parks and recreation programs. Page 28 of 35 Page 2 of 6 ix. Discouragement of vandalism in city parks. x. Work with a variety of organizations in ensuring the offering of any appropriate array of recreation opportunities for the youth and adults of the city. xi. Work with the parks superintendent to ensure the proper maintenance and development of city parks and park facilities. xii. Work with the city administrative staff in ensuring that appropriate park properties in the city are obtained by the city during the city development platting process. xiii. Any other plans and programs as may be assigned by the city council from time to time. xiv. Continued vision of growth and improvement to all city parks, athletic fields and trails to ensure our parks and recreation system continues to stay on pace with the growth of the Elk River community and its needs. xv. Strive for a sustainable parks and recreational system. xvi. Develop and/or maintain a management plan for the natural areas within our parks. The focus of the management efforts should be on a functional ecological system which supports biodiversity. xvii. Work with the community to protect our natural resources through collaboration with adjacent landowners. xviii. Work with the community to enhance our parks and recreation system through collaborative efforts such as: financial support, volunteer services, management of adjacent properties and recreational corridors. B. The commission shall not be considered a park board under state law and shall have no powers to acquire or lease land, employ personnel, or enter into contracts or leases, or any similar powers authorized for a park board by state law. C. Commissioners shall be familiar with the Parks and Recreation Master Plan and the city Comprehensive Plan as it relates to parks and recreation. ARTICLE III – MEMBERSHIP, COMPENSATION AND TRAINING 1. Membership A. The Commission shall consist of seven members appointed by the city council. An appointment to city residents shall be given preference, but residency by itself shall not be a disqualification for appointment. B. A member of city council shall be a non-voting member of the commission and will act as a liaison between the Parks and Recreation Commission and city council. 2. Compensation Commissioners shall serve without pay but may be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred while performing duties as a parks and recreation commissioner. Page 29 of 35 Page 3 of 6 3. Training Commissioners are encouraged to take training courses offered by the city, state, and other governmental units and agencies, and the city council shall budget for the reimbursement of expenses incurred in training each year. ARTICLE IV – TERMS AND VACANCIES 1.Terms Terms of office are for three years and all terms shall end on the last day of February; however, commissioners shall hold office until their successor has been appointed. The terms of commissioners shall be staggered so that no more than three terms of office expire at one time. 2.Vacancies A.Vacancies shall be filled by the city council for the remainder of the term. B.The chair shall immediately, upon receipt of a resignation or when advised of a vacancy, notify city council. C.Should a resignation be submitted to staff, they will immediately notify the chair and city council. ARTICLE V – OFFICERS AND DUTIES 1.Officers A. Officers of the Parks and Recreation Commission shall consist of a chair, vice-chair and secretary which are voted in by a majority vote at the commission’s first regular meeting in March of each year. B. If a vacancy occurs in the chair office, the vice-chair shall assume the chair’s duties for the remainder of the year and a new vice-chair shall be elected by the commission at the next scheduled commission meeting. C. A vacancy occurring in the vice-chair or secretary office shall result in an election by the commission at the next scheduled commission meeting. 2.Duties A. Chair i. Preside and preserve order at all meetings of the commission. ii. Calls special meetings of the commission in accordance with the Section 2-235 of the city’s Code of Ordinances. Page 30 of 35 Page 4 of 6 iii. Sign documents of the commission. iv. See that all actions of the commission are properly taken. v. Work with city staff to set monthly meeting agendas. vi. Provide orientation to all new commissioners as soon as possible. vii. Perform all other duties and functions assigned by the commission or the city council. viii. Be familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order and Minnesota Open Meeting law. B. Vice-Chair i. Assume the duties of the chair in their absence. C. Secretary i. Assume the duties of the chair in the absence of both the chair and vice-chair. ARTICLE VI - ATTENDANCE A commission member shall be expected to maintain a suitable attendance record. Attendance is vital to board service and city council expectations. Because attendance is important, city council has adopted the following attendance policy: Regularly scheduled monthly commissions – missing three (3) regularly scheduled meetings during a calendar year. All other commissions – missing two (2) regularly scheduled meetings during a calendar year. Participation for less than three-fourths of a meeting shall be the same as a failure to attend a meeting. Members removed pursuant to this paragraph shall not continue to serve on the board and such removal shall create a vacancy. A member may appeal the termination by requesting a hearing before the City Council within 10 days of notice of termination. A standard commission attendance form shall be used by all commissions for the staff liaison to record attendance. The Office of the City Clerk shall forward the attendance record to the City Council at the end of each June and December for the Council to review. Commissioners shall notify the staff liaison of planned absences 72 hours prior to the meeting missed. ARTICLE VII – QUORUM AND CONFLICTS OF INTEREST 1. Quorum A quorum shall consist of a majority of the sitting members. 2. Conflict of Interest Commissioners shall comply with the city Conflict of Interest policy. Any commissioner who feels that he or she may appear to have, or in fact has, a conflict of interest on any Page 31 of 35 Page 5 of 6 matter that is on the Parks and Recreation Commission agenda shall voluntarily excuse himself or herself, vacate their seat and refrain from discussing and voting on said item(s). ARTICLE VIII – MEETINGS 1.Regular Meetings Regular meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month at 6:30 pm at Elk River City Hall unless otherwise posted. 2.Special Meetings Special meetings may be called by the chair as needed. Notice of the time and place of any special meeting shall be communicated to the members and publicly noticed at least three business days prior to the meeting. Special meetings may or may not have actionable items. 3.Work Sessions Work Sessions may be called by the chair as needed and will be before or following a regular meeting. Work sessions do not have actionable items and are open to the public. 4.Public Hearings Public hearings are very infrequent and are posted as part of a regular meeting. They follow specific protocol different than the Open Forum agenda item. 5.Protocol A.All meetings follow Minnesota statutes on open meeting law. B.Robert’s Rules of Order, latest revised edition, governs the parliamentary procedure. C.Meetings are open to the public. D.In addition to providing the agenda packet to commissioners, the staff liaison will provide copies of the agenda, minutes from the previous meeting and backup documentation to the city administrator, city clerk, park planner, ice arena manager, parks superintendent and meeting support staff. ARTICLE IX – STAFF SUPPORT 1.Staff Liaison A. A city appointed staff liaison will record attendance and minutes of each meeting and make a permanent file of all minutes which shall be available to the public on the City of Elk River website. Page 32 of 35 Page 6 of 6 B. The staff liaison will provide materials pertinent to a commission meeting in advance of the meeting to allow commissioners time to review and prepare. 2.Videographer A videographer will film the meeting which shall be made available to the public on the City of Elk River website. 3.Parks and Recreation Management The Parks and Recreation Director and/or the Recreation Manager will attend the meetings to update the commission on department activities and provide answers to any questions discussed during the meeting. ARTICLE X - AMENDMENTS TO BYLAWS 1.Any changes to the Bylaws will be reviewed and approved by the Parks and Recreation Commission and filed with the City Clerk’s office. 2.These bylaws shall become effective upon adoption by the Parks and Recreation Commission. 3.These bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting by a majority vote of the membership provided that the amendment(s) has (have) been submitted in writing at the previous regular meeting. Adopted on this 9th day of March 2017. Chair, Dave Anderson Elk River Parks and Recreation Commission Page 33 of 35 Memorandum To: Parks and Recreation Commission From: Jeff Shelby, Parks and Recreation Manager Date: March 12, 2025 Subject: Parks and Recreation Staff Report Events Registration We have had a great response to the community garden plots. 11 of the 18 available plots have been reserved as of March 6. Winter Walks The winter walks are completed for the season. Staff was pleased with the attendance and the feedback we received from participants. Senior Activity Center As of February 28, we have 455 members. Average daily attendance for February was 73 people per day. Last February, the average was 59 visitors per day. Our February trip and events were well attended and filled up fast. Winter Sports The warming houses closed for the season on March 23. The Handke warming house was open 50 days for a total of 240 hours. During staffed times, there were 3,776 participants who used the rink and/or warming house. Spectrum was open 37 days for a total of 176 hours and had 294 users during staffed times. Winter adult leagues are running well, and playoffs will begin soon. Summer field use applications are coming in and will be processed prior to April 1 for spring/summer field use. We already have a full slate of tournaments scheduled for the season. Elk Riverfest Communications has been building a separate website for the event. Activities are added as they are confirmed. The website can be viewed at www.elkriverfest.com. Karen and Jeff also met with public safety officials to begin preparations for the event. Athletic Fields Framework Plan The framework plan was presented during the work session at the March 3 City Council meeting. The feedback was positive and will be presented for formal approval and adoption at the March 17 meeting. Page 34 of 35 Camp Cozy Adjacent Property Acquisition The city is moving ahead with the acquisition of an adjacent parcel. The property owner has accepted the offer made by the city and will enter into a purchase agreement with the city at the City Council meeting on March 17. Park Steward Policy Manual Update Staff worked to make some minor updates to our Park Steward Policy Manual and the updates were approved at the City Council meeting on March 3. Page 35 of 35