HomeMy WebLinkAboutNRRCMinutes-20071009
City of Hastings
Natural Resources and Recreation Commission Minutes
City Hall Volunteer Room
October 9, 2007 – 6:00 pm
1) Roll Call at 6 pm: Commissioners Miller, Nelson, Popp, Rohloff, Schommer, Vandehoef and Vaughan, Parks and
Recreation Director Bernstein, Superintendent Smith.
2) Approved August meeting minutes. Motion by Popp. Seconded by Vandehoef. Passed unanimously.
3) Setting Agenda: Bernstein added “Levee Park Construction” and “Trail Request” under New Business, and “Trail Lights”
under Old Business. The agenda item, “Freitag Property” was moved to Old Business. Motion to approve revised agenda
by Popp. Seconded by Schommer. Passed unanimously.
4) Departmental updates were passed out to the commissioners. A question was raised about the new sign at the Civic Arena
and its placement. The new sign will be moved so that it is higher and closer to the front, and therefore more visible. The
existing shrubs will be trimmed back and staff is talking to the city electrician about the possibility of lighting.
5) Joint Powers/Budget: A copy of the Joint Powers Agreement and the latest budget was distributed to the NRRC for their
review. The agreement was originally approved in 1973, with the latest revision having taken place in 2001. The agreement
includes all youth and adult recreational programs, including the Senior Center. Bernstein mentioned that Community
Education pays half of the cost of our warming house attendants, and that the school district recently agreed to pay 30% of
the cost of the new floor at the arena. Schommer referenced Article 7 regarding the 70/30 split of costs of capital
improvement projects, and asked if the school district paid 30% of the new bleachers at Vet’s Park that went in 2-3 years
ago. Bernstein didn’t remember for sure, but said that he doubted it. He doesn’t believe the school district has paid 30% for
any of the capital improvement projects the city has done since he has been here. Either party can say that the project is not
of benefit to them when approached by the other side for a project, and therefore not participate. Bernstein cited a couple
of examples of times he had approached the school district for projects and had been turned down, i.e., the tennis court
repairs and the Kennedy ice rink. He also mentioned that the school district has funded some of their own projects, not
billing the city for 30%. These projects were the athletic fields at the new high school and the irrigation project at the
middle school. Bernstein wondered if the agreement is still beneficial to both parties, as it seems that we are each tending
to fund our own projects. Nelson questioned whether the Joint Powers Agreement was being followed anymore. Bernstein
commented that he feels there is selective use of the agreement. Vaughan believes that this agreement has been of benefit
to both parties and to the community, although he does question the necessity of the city paying player fees for athletic
leagues to Community Ed. Bernstein agreed that cooperation between the school district and the city is vital, and that the
new Park Comp Plan reflects that. Vaughan recommended that the NRRC continue to review the agreement and discuss it
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further at a future meeting. Staff also mentioned that we have the 2 highest league fees in Dakota County due to the
necessity of paying $26 per player to Community Ed. Bernstein also commented on the issue of private organizations
making money using public facilities. Vaughan stated that the City of Eagan had just made a policy which charges fees to
private organizations using public facilities.
Schommer stated that although this agreement is clearly written down, it seems to be selectively used. He recommended
that the agreement be revisited to make sure it is still beneficial to both organizations. The NRRC requested that this topic
be added under “Old Business” at the November meeting so that the agreement can be reviewed further. Bernstein invited
any NRRC members who are interested to join the Joint Powers Board.
6) Park Dedication Fees: Staff developed a spreadsheet showing what other surrounding communities charge in the way of
park dedication fees. Bernstein mentioned that since we haven’t had any new development in town for quite a while, we
haven’t been collecting any new park dedication fees. He explained that when the original plat is approved, the developer
pays the park dedication fees. So even if we see new homes being built in Hastings, we could have already collected that
money quite some time ago. Schommer stated that we are one of the cheapest in the area in terms of park dedication fees,
and that maybe this could be a draw to get more development in town. Bernstein commented that City Council recently
asked the Planning Director to review the city’s park dedication fees for possible revision. He also mentioned that prior to
his arrival, the city was challenged by some local developers and actually lowered our park dedication fees. Vaughan
mentioned that Eagan does Park dedication and Trail dedication as two separate things, and that it works well. Bernstein
welcomes a discussion on separating our fees out like that. He stated that the Parks & Recreation Dept. maintains the trails
and that we are getting more involved with the development of new trails as well. Vaughan asked when the last time we
had a bond referendum for the parks was. There was a referendum for the pool, but it failed. So, park dedication money or
general revenue is what has been building new parks in the city. Bernstein commented that as our inventory ages, we may
have a difficult time maintaining the high standards which our residents have come to expect. He also mentioned that he
plans to hold quite a few more neighborhood park meetings next year to get residents involved. Vaughan emphasized the
need to look at future financing needs. Schommer mentioned that we may need to consider “naming rights” in order to
generate more revenue. Nelson agreed that we need to be creative with our funding and revenue options, but stressed the
need to look at long-term solutions. Once things are named, the revenue is gone. Vaughan agreed that we need to be
proactive rather than reactive. He asked how park facilities are doing in terms of maintenance. Smith commented that we
try to put maintenance items on a schedule and also plan for major items through the City’s Equipment Revolving Fund
which is similar to a savings account. Staff has a separate schedule that keeps track of the age and condition of playground
equipment. Park shelters are included with the annual Capital Improvement Plan. Vandehoef recommended sending out
short surveys to the community with the city’s utility billing. A possible question for the survey could be about funding for
parks, trails, and open spaces and how willing the community would be to pass a referendum.
7) Facility Priority Use: Jared Flewellen passed out some information on the field rentals that have occurred so far this year.
A few highlights of the report that he shared with the NRRC are that Wilson Park had the most rentals through the month
of June, and that Conzemius Park had the most rentals total due to the fact that both softball and soccer can be played there.
50% of our field use is taken up by the HYAA traveling baseball and soccer – this figure includes both practices and
games. In this report, Jared defined a “rental” as a reserved use of a field. (The amount of time per reservation could vary.)
67% of total reservations came from HYAA; 11% were from the Hastings Parks & Recreation Dept. As the population
grows, organizations such as the HYAA and the YMCA will be requesting more field time, and the available hours we
have to reserve fields is not getting any larger. Some groups are using fields, but not making a reservation first. The high
school is one group that has done this. When Jared hears of a group using a field, he marks it down under “individual
rentals.” Bernstein commented that one thing we could do to control that better is have the new soccer lights be on satellite
control. That way lights would only be on if the group had made a reservation. Smith mentioned that we also have a
problem sometimes with groups reserving the fields and then not actually using them. Jared also explained that groups
request specific fields based on their individual needs. This is helpful for our maintenance staff as it lessens the time spent
moving bases for different uses, etc. Use in August is low due to the fact that the summer season is ending, but the fall
season hasn’t really started. This report just focuses on athletic use of fields. Other programs like PITS were not included.
Conzemius has very high use due to the ability to have both baseball and soccer running simultaneously. It is also the area
where we receive the most complaints from the neighborhood, mostly due to parking issues. Due to the parking limitations,
staff decided not to run soccer and baseball at the same time there, and this has reduced the amount of complaints received.
HYAA does a nice job of trying to vary the fields they use as well.
The report shows a dramatic increase in field reservations this year. In 2005, there were 1,418, 2006 had 1,455, and in
2007, the estimated amount is currently at 2,105. Bernstein said that this increase could partly be due to the fact that we
have been able to track reservations better this year. Another contributing factor could be the fact that the middle school
facilities have been closed for maintenance. However, he doesn’t feel that we will be seeing a decrease in field use in the
future. Vaughan asked if we were resting fields. Smith explained that last year, we were able to rest one of the soccer
fields, but this year we haven’t been able to due to high use.
Vaughan asked the NRRC to think about revising our field priority use policy due to the high demands being placed on our
facilities, and the expectation that these demands will remain high. This issue will be tabled until the next NRRC meeting.
8) New Business
- Levee Park Construction: Bernstein has a meeting with Council, HRA, and the EDC to discuss downtown
development. He is planning to ask how viable the Levee Park master plan is now that blocks 1 & 2 aren’t selling.
For example, does the promenade need to go all the way down to Tyler St.? If we eliminate the performance area,
does the trail need to be moved as the plan indicates? Finally, should more attention be given to park entrances to
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really try to draw people from 2 and even 4 Streets? Miller asked if this park is still a priority – Maybe we need
to devote more attention to our athletic facilities? Bernstein said that this is a gateway park and affects visitors’ first
impressions of Hastings. Commissioner Vaughan recommended asking if the plans for Levee Park could be put into
the NRRC’s hands so that it can be prioritized with other park requests and the system as a whole.
- Trail Request: Diana Anderson, a resident who lives near Sunny Acres Park, emailed a request to staff for a trail
extension through the park. She requested that the current trail be extended from Malcolm Ave. to Cory Ln. to
provide handicapped accessibility to the park. Smith believes the department can target this request next year when
we plan to make the playground ADA compliant as well by adding new curbing and playground fall protection.
Vaughan asked if there are any grade issues and was told that the area is fairly flat. Nelson questioned the wisdom of
adding many short trails to the city’s system, although he added that this trail does have a destination and seems to
make sense. Smith mentioned that we have already requested budget dollars next year to make more of our parks
ADA compliant, and that this trail could possibly be done in-house to minimize cost. The NRRC decided to revisit
this topic in November where the request will be prioritized using the NRRC’s evaluation form.
9) Old Business
- Eagle Bluff: Bernstein reviewed the actions taken regarding the Eagle Bluff neighborhood’s request for a basketball
court. The NRRC agreed to not move forward until the association completes the Park Improvement Request form
and evidence is submitted that this is a project that is supported by the majority of the neighborhood. Staff will
attempt to verify this request and will bring it forward again when a response is received.
- Construction Updates: Bernstein mentioned that the City received a Supplemental Environmental Program grant of
$50,000 to remove the old fueling dock station on the Mississippi River and replace it with an overlook. The paint is
currently being tested to see if it contains lead and structural engineers have been consulted. We have a preliminary
drawing of the project which was done by Hoisington Koegler Group a few years ago. Before the project moves
forward, the architect and engineer would meet with the NRRC.
- Trail Lights: The trail lights along the Levee trail are being replaced by Public Works. Initially, we thought that the
poles were going to be made out of wood. But staff has found a better alternative – a steel pole with a marine-type
lens. The lights are similar to the ones on Lock & Dam Rd. The cost is about the same as the other style and they
should be installed this fall.
- Freitag Property: The City received a $75,000 SEP grant for the purchase/maintenance of the Freitag property.
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Director Bernstein is meeting with the Parks & Recreation Committee of Council on Monday the 15 to discuss this
project further. Commissioner Rohloff asked about hunting on the property. Director Bernstein replied that this will
be the major topic at his meeting on Monday due to the ordinance that there is no discharge of firearms within city
limits. A modification may be possible however. There is also a possible land swap with the sand coulee area. Staff
is not able to give the sand coulee the attention it deserves. If this area is designated a WMA, there are to be no hard-
surface trails. Director Bernstein feels trail access is necessary in order to get our residents to support the project.
Commissioner Popp stated that the proposal now states that ½ of the area would be designated an Aquatic
Management Area, and that we can put trails in that area. Director Bernstein invited any interested NRRC members
to attend the meeting on Monday.
- Park Comp Plan: The NRRC was mailed disks of the proposed Park Comp Plan. Natural preservation is a main
focus in the plan. There will be one final Open House at City Hall on Wednesday, 10/24 from 6:00-7:30 pm before
this plan goes before City Council. The attendance at the last open house was poor, so staff wants to give the public
one more chance to give input. Director Bernstein encouraged the NRRC to attend to show citizens that the plan has
the NRRC’s support. Commissioner Popp felt that the plan was very well done – it is very comprehensive and
focuses on goals and demographics well. He also appreciated the use of trails, green space, and more passive
recreational areas.
Commissioner Miller asked if the Freitag property has City Council support and was told that Council is very
supportive of this project. Director Bernstein also mentioned that the current WMA is fairly small and with the
development surrounding it, it isn’t ideal. Commissioner Vaughan asked if this area would be a destination. Director
Bernstein explained that it is a potential trail corridor that would connect to the Hastings to Red Wing trail.
Commissioner Schommer asked about putting a dog park on this property? Director Bernstein explained that the
proposed plan would put a dog park at C.P. Adams Park.
Commissioner Vaughan recommended asking HYAA to send out an email to their participants inviting them to the
open house.
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Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, November 13, 2007 at City Hall.
Adjourned at 8:11 p.m.
Minutes submitted by: Kristin Behrens