NRRC Minutes 08-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Commissioner Schommer requested one NRRC member to accompany him to the next meeting regarding SCORE. Commissioner Rohloff volunteered. Director Bernstein would like to see a refined proposal at the next NRRC meeting. th 8) Tuttle Park Neighborhood Meeting Recap: The meeting held on July 18 was well attended and resulted in a quite lengthy list of requests from the neighborhood. Director Bernstein mentioned that the restroom will be placed earlier in the season. Superintendent Smith said that the pea gravel will be swept from the trail once a week. The intent of the meeting was to give the residents an opportunity to be heard – no promises were made. Commissioner Vaughan feels that these requests need to be in the Capital Improvement Plan and should be prioritized along with the other park needs/requests in the City. Commissioner Schommer felt that the neighborhood is comparing their park with South Pines Park. Commissioner Christenson brought out that the playground equipment in the park was originally picked out by a neighborhood committee. Director Bernstein mentioned that he explained to the residents that irrigation is given priority in more active areas, like ball fields. Superintendent Smith thought it would be good to forward any ideas the NRRC feels are appropriate to the master planner so that they can be included in the master park plan study. Director Bernstein has requested $10,000 in the 2007 budget for possible improvements. The NRRC requested that staff develop recommendations for the NRRC to discuss at the next meeting. 9) Field Rental Application: Director Bernstein showed the NRRC a new Field Rental Application Form that will be used to tighten up our reservation process. Eventually this form, along with other park forms, will be available on-line at the Parks & Recreation website. The NRRC felt that this form was appropriate and looked good. 10) NRRC Park Improvement Request Evaluation: The NRRC reviewed the evaluation form and requested that the rating scale be adjusted and that total points be added. Director Bernstein stated that it is important to have a process in place for park requests and that he believes people will respect the process. Changes will be made to the form and it will be reviewed again at the next NRRC meeting. 11) New Business - Tax Forfeit Property: There is a tax forfeit property available on the southwest side of Lake Isabel if the NRRC is interested. After some discussion, the NRRC concluded that this property would be of minimal benefit and therefore it will not be pursued. - 2007 Budget Items: The City’s Finance Director asked Director Bernstein if any of the 2007 budget requests could come out of park dedication funds. A list of about seven items was discussed. Commissioner Schommer suggested dividing some of the costs between park dedication and general funds, perhaps 50/50. The NRRC recommended advising the Finance Department on which items could possibly come out of Park Dedication, but requesting that the decision process be shared regarding whether or not they actually will be. - Lake Isabel: Director Bernstein presented 3 options that Barr Engineering has come up with to improve access to the lake. He is cautiously optimistic that we received the fishing pier grant from the DNR due to comments from Representative McNamara, but has yet to receive anything in writing. Concerns were raised about the water quality. A dike could be built at the cost of around $1.2 million, but as Commissioner Christenson explained, major flooding could still leave us with water quality problems. The current plan is to dredge about an acre of the lake. Commissioner Vaughan was unsure that this project is the best way to spend our money – the access for the City is still not ideal. Commissioner Schommer mentioned that there is a possibility of receiving State or Federal money to assist in the construction of the dike. Director Bernstein is waiting to receive a recommendation from the East Hastings Improvement Association, which he believes will be to go ahead with option #1 and allow for expansion th on option #2, and needs to go before Council on September 5. His recommendation to City Council is to educate, and get Council direction on which option would best suit our purpose, if they even want to continue pursuing it at all. - Bike Trail Crosswalks: Commissioner Christenson informed the NRRC that a crosswalk for the bike trail by Madison & Lincoln on Cty Rd 42 was requested. The DOT did put up a “bike” sign, although the placement was in between the two crossing areas. Other crossing areas of concern are on Cty Rd 47/48. The Public Works Director, Tom Montgomery, has stated that the City has no control in these areas and that the County will not place crosswalks here due the 45mph speed limit. Superintendent Smith also mentioned that Tom has been informed of all City requests for crosswalks. MOTION to Adjourn. th Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 19, 2006. Adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Minutes submitted by: Kristin Behrens