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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-13-2009 NRRC 02 Nov MinutesCity of Hastings Natural Resources and Recreation Commission Minutes Parks & Recreation Conference Room November 12, 2008 – 6:00 pm 1)Roll Call at 6 pm: Commissioners Nelson, Schommer, Smith, and Tessmer-Tuck, Parks and Recreation Director Bernstein, Superintendent Smith. Absent: Commissioners Miller, Rohloff, and Vandehoef. 2)Approved October meeting minutes. Motion by Smith. Seconded by Nelson. Passed unanimously. 3)NRRC Terms - Congratulations to Commissioner Nelson on being elected the new Councilmember for Ward 3. Staff will review the files to see if there are any previous candidates that may be interested in filling Commissioner Nelson’s spot. If not, staff will advertise for a replacement. Commissioners Vandehoef, Rohloff, and Miller all have terms that are ending on December 31, 2008. If they would like to renew for another term, staff just needs something in writing stating their intention. 4)Departmental updates were reviewed with NRRC members. Superintendent Smith mentioned that the dock on the Mississippi was being removed and placed into winter storage today. The department will be operating at full staff this winter. 5)Tier Two Skate Park – The City of Ladysmith bid on two pieces of equipment and the Council has approved the sale. Staff has just found out that Ladysmith is interested in the other two pieces as well. They will be going to their commission this evening and will let Darbie Johnson know if they are able to purchase everything. Ladysmith will be responsible for dismantling, moving, and re-setting up equipment. Commissioner Tessmer- Tuck asked where the money from the sale will go. Director Bernstein will be requesting our Finance Department to hold on to the money for possible future placement of the Tier One equipment. 6)Vet’s Park Baseball Plan – Commissioner Schommer passed out updated packets for the Vet’s Park Baseball Plan. There were a few changes made to the proposed budget – some of the cost estimates are believed to be too high. Director Bernstein cautioned that ADA compliance will have to be met in all of the plans. There was some discussion as to whether or not the press box was considered a public area. Director Bernstein will look into that and see if the press box requires ADA compliance as well. Commissioner Schommer also showed a concept plan with a proposed entrance gate. There would also be access included for an ambulance if needed. The Vet’s Park Baseball Committee would like to send this plan to City Council to get approval for naming rights. This is really the cornerstone donation of the whole proposal. Commissioner Schommer highlighted page 4, the fundraising plan, as this will determine whether or not beautification of the ballpark can occur. Some large organizations have already been approached about the possibility of contributing to this project, and positive feedback has been received. Commissioner Schommer felt that after the initial donations, any renewals could become a part of the Parks & Recreation’s proposed advertising/sponsorship program. Director Bernstein raised some questions including who owns & installs the signs, where would the donations be deposited, what happens if signs are vandalized, and what will the contractual arrangements be. Commissioner Schommer will work with staff to firm up some answers to those questions and any others that may be pertinent. Director Bernstein has a meeting scheduled with the Parks & Recreation Committee of Council on December 1. In the meantime, staff will work st with Commissioner Schommer to clean up the verbage of the plan to answer more of the raised questions and then the revised plan will be sent via email to the Commission. As long as the NRRC agrees with the concept, Director Bernstein will bring this before the Committee of Council. Commissioner Schommer also pointed out that some of these proposed can be lowered through volunteer labor of use of City Staff. 7)Advertising/Sponsorship Program – A revised brochure was shown to the Parks & Recreation Committee of Council and they seemed very excited by the concept. Comments received at the last NRRC meeting have been incorporated into the new draft. Director Bernstein would like to be able to roll this program out after the 1 of the st year. He mentioned that he is a little concerned about trying to introduce this program at the same time that the Vet’s Park Baseball Committee may be seeking donations. If it would prove beneficial to the baseball group to hold off on implementing this program for a while, staff can look into that. Commissioner Nelson asked if we may want to wait to see what happens with the proposed dog park and then add that to the brochure if approved. Director Bernstein said that is a possibility and that we could maybe even test the program by just approaching animal-related businesses for donations/sponsorship of the proposed dog park. 8)New Soccer Group – Director Bernstein mentioned that there is a new soccer group in town that is not affiliated with HYAA. This affects the department in terms of field scheduling. Our priority list states that the non-profit organization with the largest number of participants who live within the city limits (not the school district) is top priority. This is because only residents of the City of Hastings pay for those facilities, not those who live in the school district. The priority list also includes criteria involving who has the longest relationship with the City. 9)Off-Leash Dog Park Proposal – Director Bernstein related that staff has received a lot of inquiries about the possibility of a local dog park. Some property has recently become available that may be a good location for a local dog park. This property is the former Hastings Police Shooting Range and is city-owned property. The property is located right off of Spiral Blvd towards the edge of town. The Police Department supports the idea and would actually like to use the dog park to train Eis, the police dog. Having the park in this location would also act as controlled access for a road that runs into the property, something that Public Works would like to see. Other sites in the City were considered, however none proved feasible due to other amenities already located there or the City’s lack of ownership of the property. Staff toured other dog parks including Dakota County, Dundas, and Northfield. One of biggest items for a park is the fencing. Most parks utilize woven-wire fencing. The cost estimate included in the plan is for the more expensive chain link fence similar to the Dundas picture. Director Bernstein mentioned that because of the location of the park, we could probably use the cheaper woven- wire fencing for most of the park and possible only place the nicer chain-link fencing at the front of the property only. Staff only received one estimate for the fencing so far, but Superintendent Smith feels that it is on the high end, so the project shouldn’t cost more than projected. The rolling terrain in this location is excellent for this purpose. There are currently no trees inside the area that would be fences, but trees could easily be planted at a later date. Director Bernstein explained that a dog park would be beneficial to residents due to the fact that City Ordinance requires dogs to be kept on leash at all times. An off-leash dog park would allow residents a legal means to exercise their dog off-leash. Superintendent Smith reviewed the proposed amenities of the park including parking, the double-gate, and small dog area. Rules for the park can be copied from other cities who run dog parks and will be brought forward to the NRRC for review. This park would be self-patrolled and staff would only address issues if complaints were raised. Staff does not plan to issue permits as we have no one to enforce them. As part of the City’s contract with Waste Management, the lined dog waste containers would be emptied by them. The City would provide dog waste bag stations similar to the ones used on the trail in Levee Park. This is a non-budgeted item, but the land just became available and so it is an unforeseen expense. Staff believes the park can be completed for no more than $10,000. Commissioner Schommer stated that he feels the park would get a lot of use. He also liked the idea of giving local businesses and organizations the opportunity to sponsor or donate items to the park. Commissioner Smith stated that this would be one more needed amenity that the City is currently lacking. The size of the park would be approximately three acres. MOTION: Commissioner Tessmer-Tuck recommended bringing the proposal for a dog park forward to City Council. Seconded by Commissioner Smith. Passed unanimously. MOTION to adjourn. Next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 9 at the Parks & Recreation Office. th Adjourned at 7:29 p.m. Minutes submitted by Kristin Behrens