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09-09-2026 PRMIN2) Meeting of the Parks and Recreation Commission Held at the Elk River City Hall Wednesday, September 9, 2026 Members Present: Chair Stewart, Commissioners Anderson, Niziolek, Loidolt, Goodwin, Varty, and Councilmember Grupa Members Absent: None Staff Present: Assistant City Administrator/Business Services Director Joe Stremcha, Parks and Recreation Manager Jeff Shelby, Senior Administrative Assistant Dawn Larson, and Recreation Supervisor Warren Ellingworth 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 Stewart. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 3. CONSIDER AGENDA Mr. Shelby said the Planning Department requested the addition of a Park Dedication item under action items creating agenda item number 7.3. He said it was a simple dedication piece that needed to be presented tonight to fit the timeline to go to the next City Council meeting. Moved by Commissioner Loidolt and seconded by Commissioner Niziolek to approve the September 9, 2026, agenda with the addition of item 7.3 Solors Park Dedication. Motion carried 6-0. 4. CONSIDER MINUTES 4.1 08-12-2026 Parks and Recreation Commission Meeting Minutes Moved by Commissioner Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Loidolt to approve August 12, 2026, Parks and Recreation Commission minutes. Motion carried 6-0. 5. OPEN FORUM 6. PRESENTATIONS, AWARDS, AND RECOGNITION 6.1 Youth and Sports Program Review - 2026 Warren Ellingworth, Recreation Supervisor, presented information recapping his programs for the year so far. He shared winter program participation numbers, including 4,700 Handke ice rink users during staffed hours and 31 teams signed up for adult sports leagues. Mr. Ellingworth said they could do more, but gym space is limited. He said that the spring Breakaway youth hockey league had 281 players. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes September 9, 2026 --------- Page 2 of 6 Mr. Ellingworth shared that during the spring there were five tournaments at the field complexes, over summer, 14 teams played adult softball. He started the NFL Flag Football League in partnership with Elk River Youth Football and in the first season they had 192 kids registered from pre-k to grade 8. He shared that summer was busy with nine tournaments at the field complexes, kayak rentals at Orono Park, the yearly Twin’s Clinic, and Vikings Camp for the first time which over 300 kids attended even though it got moved indoors due to heat. He also shared Elk River Youth Baseball sponsored the concessions for the Twins Clinic. Mr. Ellingworth was excited to share that youth soccer and summer camps were maxed out this year with waiting lists. He said they are unable to add more since they use the Trott Brook Barn, and it was at capacity for the rainy days. He said other summer programs included partnering with the Elk River Golf Course for golf camp and Elk River track coaches for track and field camp. He said fall programs include nine teams for fall softball and 109 kids for breakaway. Mr. Ellingworth said he and Mr. Shelby will be attending the Minnesota Parks and Recreation conference in October to prepare for programming in 2027. He shared that he will not be offering the breakaway program in 2027 due to lower participation and limited ice time. He said this will give him more time to work on additional programming, including field trips for the summer enrichment programs. He is also considering adding an adult flag football league, another age level for soccer, using the YMCA gym more and potentially the Boys and Girls Club gym. He shared that future goals for fields would include adding AEDs to Oak Knoll and the Plants and Things Recreation Complex soccer and football fields. He said they do have them at the Dave Anerson Athletic Comple and at Lion John Weicht Park concession stands. 7. ACTION ITEMS 7.1 Plants and Things Recreation Complex - Protective Netting Mr. Shelby presented his report. He reviewed added slides not originally included in the packet. Commissioner Niziolek noted a significant difference between the two bid amounts and wants to know why there is such a discrepancy between them. Mr. Stremcha said the company with the higher bid added more money to their budget to compensate for unknown risks related to utilities, potential infrastructure issues such as irrigation, lighting, sewer, etc. Commissioner Varty asked if the higher bidding company included costs for things that would need to be done even if they went with the lower bidder. She is concerned if they choose the company with the lower bid, they could run into issues costing them the difference anyway. Mr. Stremcha said both companies are reputable; one company chose to include potential additional costs and the other chose to take some risk. He also suggested it may be more cost effective to move the playground and save on the netting. He pointed out that the cost of the netting is significantly larger than what was expected. Mr. Shelby said the initial intention was to pay for the new netting with the reimbursed dollars from the shade structure failure and the original engineer’s estimate was under $100,000. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes September 9, 2026 --------- Page 3 of 6 Chair Stewart asked if the first company left out items that would have to be addressed. Mr. Stremcha said the whole point of the engineers mitigating the original shade structure failures was to reduce that risk. Commissioner Anderson asked how many bidders the RFP went out to. Mr. Stremcha said that there is no way to tell how many views there were of the public post. Commissioner Niziolek asked what the life expectancy is of the structure. Mr. Stremcha said the netting will probably last 3 to 5 years depending upon how well they are maintained and taken down and stored. He said the poles would last longer. Commissioner Niziolek said that would be a significant ongoing cost. Mr. Stremcha agreed and asked if the playground should be moved or should they wait to go back out to bid next year. He said the other choice is to just get it done and have the safety of the netting in place for the long term. Commissioner Varty asked if they knew how much it would cost to move the playground. Mr. Stremcha said no but they could get a quote. He said he would imagine the $200,000 would have to go towards relocation and a new container. Commissioner Anderson said that has been discussed before. Commissioner Loidolt said he doesn’t think they should move the playground at this time. He said he thinks if they wait until next year to get it done the price will continue to go up. He said this is for public safety and for the kids. Commissioner Goodwin asked if the playground was used this summer. Mr. Shelby said the playground remained open all summer after the netting and poles were removed on April 1 and there weren’t any reports or complaints. Commissioner Anderson asked what the size of the playground was. Mr. Stremcha said it is 90 feet by 54 feet. Chair Stewart asked if the $118,000 refund was a precondition of the original contract for non- conformance. Mr. Shelby said no, the city negotiated with LSI after two years were spent trying to find a solution to the issue, and it was determined there wasn’t a way to fix it. Commissioner Niziolek asked what the cost of just the netting was so they knew what the ongoing cost would be for regular replacement. Mr. Stremcha said there isn’t a material breakdown in the bid document. Commissioner Niziolek said he is concerned it is a high amount. Commissioner Anderson said it would be a long-time strain on the budget. Chair Stewart said he is concerned because it is an unexpected cost and one they will have to carry forward and maintain. Mr. Shelby said it is hard to know how long the nets will last, even with diligent care, such as taking them down and storing them every season. Commissioner Loidolt thinks the nets will last longer than the fabric shades that were up there. He said that if we take them down every season, he thinks we could get ten years out of them. Commissioner Loidolt thinks they should move forward with it because he thinks the price will just go up. Commissioner Anderson confirmed this would come out of the park improvement fund. Mr. Shelby said yes and the little over $117,000 refund would apply as well. Commissioner Anderson said without a source for funding he doesn’t think he can move forward. Chair Stewart confirmed the amount they have to pay is $78,000 and Commissioners Varty and Anderson agreed. Commissioner Loidolt asked if they could split the cost between two years. Mr. Stremcha said yes, they would just have to time things differently and shuffle things. Chair Stewart asked when the date is that they need to respond. Mr. Stremcha said a day or two after the next council meeting. Chair Stewart said he feels like if they wait it will only get worse. He Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes September 9, 2026 --------- Page 4 of 6 reminded them that they need to pick one of the three options and if they choose to do it, they will need to find out where they are going to get the money from and start juggling things. Commissioner Niziolek asked if discussing options is even an alternative. Commissioner Goodwin asked if there is any other way they can protect the playground because this is such a huge expense. She thinks safety is important but would like to see other engineering options. Commissioner Loidolt said that he thinks avoiding this is doing a disservice when the cost is only $78,000. He said it is a safety issue that protects not only our kids but the kids that come and visit from other communities. Moved by Commissioner Loidolt to approve the Peterson Companies bid to install protective netting on the Plants and Things Recreation Complex. Motion died due to lack of a second. Commissioner Varty asked if they could discuss options or if they are out of time. Mr. Stremcha said if they want to lock in these prices, they need to decide now. Commissioner Varty asked if the funding could come from somewhere other than the parks budget. Commissioner Niziolek pointed out that they are suffering from sticker shock. Commissioner Goodwin suggested exploring partnerships. Mr. Stremcha said they could explore grant funding over the next twelve months. He said it is not what they had hoped for, and it wasn’t an easy decision to make. Commissioner Varty said she agrees with Commissioner Loidolt that they need to do something. Chair Stewart said that while $78,000 seems like a drop in the bucket, there are a lot of drops in the bucket that are adding up. He is worried all these little amounts are eating up the money they have left. Commissioner Niziolek said they want the amenity protected, but they are short on cash so they will ask the city council to help them out. Moved by Commissioner Niziolek and seconded by Commissioner Varty to recommend that City Council approve the Peterson Companies bid to install protective netting at the Plants and Things Recreation Complex and ask City Council to find an alternative funding source for approximately $78,000. Motion carried 5-1. Commissioner Anderson voted no. 7.2 Eagle Scout Project - Woodland Trails Regional Park Isaac Harings presented a slideshow about his project. Commissioner Anderson said it was an excellent presentation. He also suggested that he make the width of the bench seats wider, using 10-to-12-inch boards. Mr. Harings said he will take that into consideration. Commissioner Niziolek said he is concerned because the seats face a mowed area that is used for the Nordic ski groups start and finish area in the winter. He is concerned because on the slide show the stage is shown in the ski race start area, meaning the proposed improvements would also be made there. Commissioner Anderson said that he doesn’t think it will conflict since the benches will be on an unusable slope. Mr. Shelby said the photos of the stage, etc. are just ideas for the future and don’t necessarily have to be built. Chair Stewart asked what he needed from the Commission and what the timeline is for completion. Mr. Harings said he will work on the paperwork this winter and then build it next year, May through June. Mr. Harings said the benches could also be used by skiers in the winter. Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes September 9, 2026 --------- Page 5 of 6 Moved by Commissioner Anderson and seconded by Commissioner Goodwin to approve the proposed Eagle Scout project of an outdoor amphitheater at Woodland Trails Regional Park. Motion carried 6-0. 7.3 Solors Park Dedication Mr. Shelby presented his report, including a power point not originally included in the packet or agenda. Commissioner Niziolek said there is a conceptual trail connection through this parcel, and he asked what the protocol is since all the parcels in that area will come up for approval one at a time as development progresses. He wants to look at the properties to the west to see how they fit into the trail plan. He said they need to have a way in the future to review this, so they don’t lose the trail when the land is developed in pieces. Mr. Shelby said some of those trail pieces will be identified in the framework plan in terms of future trail buildout, taking the current master trail plan into consideration. He said that they need to stay focused on this park dedication piece and discuss the trail system as a separate agenda item in the future. Commissioner Niziolek said they need to discuss this though, so they don’t lose their options to have a trail through that area in the future. Commissioner Anderson said they need to take the trail from the conceptual stage to an actual alignment, but he said they can’t tonight since they didn’t have time to prepare it. He also said that some of the conceptual trails will disappear in the future because they won’t be able to build and maintain all of them. Mr. Shelby agreed. Moved by Commissioner Loidolt and seconded by Commissioner Anderson to approve park dedication for Solors lot split be paid in cash for one single family parcel, at the applicable rate at the time of recording. Motion carried 6-0. 8. DISCUSSION ITEMS 8.1 Parks and Recreation Framework Plan - Update Mr. Shelby presented his report and a PowerPoint that was not included in the packet. Mr. Shelby said the community engagements have gone well so far, and the online survey has picked up a little bit since the communications department started pushing it on social media last week. Mr. Shelby said he should have an update soon when the subcommittees are meeting the Consultants. Chair Stewart said he is looking forward to those meetings. 8.2 Master Fee Schedule for 2027 Mr. Shelby presented his report. He also reviewed a PowerPoint with the specific changes to the fees that were not in the original packet. He pointed out that field use fees haven’t increased since 2021. Commissioner Anderson asked if the senior center fees are producing enough revenue to be significant. Mr. Shelby said that the programming for the senior center is robust, so this helps cover Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes September 9, 2026 --------- Page 6 of 6 those costs for supplies and is not a profit. He said he will bring back clean rate sheets at the October meeting to be voted on. 9. PARKS AND RECREATION MANAGER UPDATE 9.1 Parks and Recreation Manager Update Mr. Shelby presented his report. Mr. Shelby pointed out that the 4th of July Fireworks will be on a Sunday next year and the company that launches them has suggested some alternative options to reduce the cost. He said if they moved them to Saturday, July 3 or to the night of Elk Riverfest there could be a discount or more fireworks for the same price. Mr. Shelby asked if they would like to keep it on that date or explore other options. Commissioner Anderson suggested asking Mayor Dietz. Commissioner Goodwin said she thinks people would enjoy either date, but she doesn’t have a preference. Chair Stewart asked how much the discount was. Mr. Shelby said falling on a Sunday night changes the logistics a bit. 10. ANNOUNCEMENTS Commissioner Loidolt said he has a neighbor who rides her bike in Woodland Trails Regional Park, and she has continuously run into the grass clippings being blown on the trail creating a slippery situation. Mr. Shelby said he will pass that along to parks maintenance. Commissioner Niziolek said the same night as the commission meeting in October they will be hosting the conference championship at the Elk River Golf Club with about 900 participants and 1000 spectators. 11. MOTION TO ADJOURN Moved by Commissioner Goodwin and seconded by Commissioner Loidolt to adjourn the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting at 8:13 pm. Motion carried 6-0. __________________ Harold Stewart, Chair ____________________ Justin Dunford, City Clerk Protective Netting Proposal The original shade structure at the Plants and Things Recreation Complex was installed in 2023 at a total cost of just over $146,000. The installation failed over the next two years. The city was refunded 80% of the total cost due to the failure of the structure, which amounted to approximately $117,000. The city worked with Bolton & Menk to arrive at an engineered solution to the project and Bolton & Menk took the project out for bids on August 25. The bidding process closed today and the bids were opened this afternoon. Two bids were received: Peterson Companies - $197, 225 Urban Companies - $278,000 Staff are seeking a Parks and Recreation Commission recommendation to bring to the City Council: - Award the project to the low bidder - Reject all bids - Discuss alternatives Lot Split Solors Location Map Background §Zoned R1-a §2.5 minimum lot size §70.42 acres overall §Split to create one new 10-acre parcel §One lot eligible for park dedication §Future subdividing will be reviewed Trail Master Plan §Does not identify any trails connections on the subject parcel Action Requested §Recommend, by motion, park dedication for Solors lot split be paid in cash for one single family parcel, at the applicable rate at the time of recording. (currently $3,065.73) Action Requested Recommend, by motion, park dedication for Solors lot split be paid in cash for one single family parcel, at the applicable rate at the time of recording. (currently $3,065.73) Background/Discussion The subject property is zoned Single Family Residential (R1a), which establishes a minimum lot size requirement of 2.5 acres. The applicant is proposing to develop one existing 70.42-acre parcel into two parcels. One lot will contain the existing home, and the second lot (10-acres) will be a new vacant buildable lot, eligible for park dedication. The Parks and Recreation Trail Master Plan does not identify any trails connections on the subject parcel. Framework Plan Framework Plan Progress §ISG began work on the City of Elk River’s Park and Recreation Framework Plan in July. §Engagement events have been held at: §Elk River Farmers Market §Elk Riverfest §Orono Evening in the Park §Engagement events remaining: §Woodland Trails Regional Park – September 11 §Hobby Day at Senior Activity Center – September 16 §Downtown Trick or Treat – October 23 Framework Plan Progress §City Council and Commission Workshop §Engagement Survey §Promotion §Park Signs §City Website §Social Media §Surveys at Senior Activity Center §In Progress: §Field usage analysis §Park classification/mapping §Program analysis Framework Plan Progress §Next Steps §Staff workshops §Commission Meeting §Draft recommendations §Open House for public (Spring) Proposed Fee Changes Athletic Fields §Combine Elk River Association Groups A and B into single group §Increase Elk River Association $25.00 to $27.50 per field per day §Increase light fee from $25.00 to $27.50 ($4 per hour of use) §Increase Non-Elk River Association $45 to $50 per field per day §Increase light fee from $45 to $50 ($4 per hour of use) §Change in Tournament Fee Structure §$300 fee for use of one complex §$400 fee for use of more than one complex §Fee includes use of concession stand Lion John Weicht Pavilion §Elimination of Servery and Concessions option §Increase Resident rate from $75 to $85 for 2 hour minimum §Increase additional hour rate from $20 to $30 §Increase Non-Resident rate from $105 to $115 for 2 hour minimum §Increase additional hour rate from $25 to $35 Orono Park - Shelters §Shelter 1 §Increase Resident rate from $55 to $65 per day §Increase Non-Resident rate from $75 to $85 per day §Shelter 2 §Increase Resident rate from $65 to $75 per day §Increase Non-Resident rate from $85 to $95 per day §Shelter 3 §Increase Resident rate from $100 to $110 per day §Increase Non-Resident rate from $130 to $140 per day §Shelter 4 (NEW) §Resident rate - $65 per day §Non-Resident rate - $85 per day Orono Park - Pavilion §Increase Resident rate from $90 to $100 for 2 hour minimum §Increase additional hour rate from $20 to $30 §Increase Non-Resident rate from $125 to $135 for 2 hour minimum §Increase additional hour rate from $25 to $35 §Damage Deposit for all users (NEW) - $100 Senior Center Membership §Increase Individual Elk River resident rate from $33 to $35 annually §Increase Dual Elk River resident rate from $48 to $50 §Increase Individual non-resident rate from $50 to $53 annually §Increase Dual non-resident rate from $65 to $68 annually Additional Rate Changes §Increase Memorial Tree purchase from $500 to $600 §Eliminate Special Event Park Deposit §Establish Park Event Deposit of $500 due at booking §Establish Organized Use Fees for Businesses and Organizations §Resident: $20 per hour §Non-Resident: $40 per hour