HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-13-2010 PRC 02 May MinutesCity of Hastings
Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes
Parks & Recreation Conference Room
May 11, 2010 – 6:00 pm
1) Roll Call at 6 pm: Commissioners Flaten, Miller, Garrett, Vandehoef, Schommer, Rohloff, and Smith, Parks &
Recreation Director Bernstein, Maintenance Supervisor Likes
April Minutes:
2)
A correction was made to the April minutes under item #17, Open Mike. Jim Olson from Raider Nation was in
attendance, not Joe Larson.
Motion to approve minutes with correction by Commissioner Miller. Seconded by Commissioner Smith. Passed
unanimously.
Setting Agenda:
3) Miller would like to move item #8 to top of the agenda. Commissioner Rohloff requested to add
“Vets Baseball Complex” to Old Business and “Site of PRC Meeting” to New Business.
Welcome New Commissioner:
4) The PRC welcomed a new commissioner, Jennifer Garrett, to her first meeting.
Introductions were given around the table.
HHB Training Center:
5) Staff had a brief meeting with the HHB about a training facility that is proposed to be housed
on some property adjacent to the Civic Arena. Mark Chorney, Dustin Vogelgesang, and Russ Welch were present to
make the presentation. Presentation was given on Hastings Hockey Boosters program and desire to construct a dryland
training facility. Have seen a drop-off in performance in Hastings statewide. They feel one reason is that we are lacking
a place for athletes to train off the ice. Director Bernstein mentioned that HHB had come to us a few years ago about a
facility in the mezzanine of the Arena. Although helpful, the facility has proven to be too small. The number of
participants in the program stays fairly steady at around 500-600 kids. Showed the PRC some preliminary drawings and
ideas. The facility would be built and paid for by HHB and then City owned. Located behind East rink at the Arena. The
Arena manager, Sliv McGree, has been involved in choosing the proposed site location. There would be some type of
synthetic ice in the facility and it would be approximately 3,000-4,000 square feet. Anticipated budget is $400-500k,
depending on how fundraising efforts go. HHB is requesting approval to construct facility from the City. All funding
would be raised privately. High School ice time rental is slightly higher to cover maintenance of locker rooms. They
would envision the maintenance to this facility being handled in a similar manner.
Director Bernstein mentioned the energy efficiency at Arena with the current single door entry system. Wondering if
there is any way to put this facility closer to the front entrance and then have a vestibule going into each facility. This
was looked at, but would raise costs significantly (almost double.) Also, would lose some handicapped parking in the
front. A desire to use the current outdoor rink could more in the summer for various activities was mentioned. The City
had to put 2-3 inches of sand on the pavement in the rink in order to make good ice, due to epoxy surface for inline
skating. The epoxy paint would have to be sandblasted in order to get it off.
The proposed facility would be open year round. This facility could be rented out to other groups when not in use by
Hastings Hockey. The facility would primarily impact the Parks & Recreation budget in capital expenditures when
things start wearing out – plumbing, lighting, etc. There are facility costs like cleaning supplies, paper products, etc. The
division of expenses would need more discussion. The HHB would prefer to be at the Arena as opposed to using
another warehouse/facility in town. Bernstein mentioned the long-term capital costs are more of a concern to him than
the day-to-day operating costs.
Commissioner Rohloff questioned if there would be enough room to put the facility on the east side of the road/south
end of rink and eventually add a new warming shack onto it. It might be a tight fit or have grading issues, but it is worth
a look. If you put it on the south end of the rink, it would get hit with pucks. Would need to extend the fencing, etc.
Commissioner Smith asked about the length of time for the fundraising campaign. HHB would like to have it up and
ready to go by this winter. They are planning to speak with other communities to see if they would be interested in
renting the facility during down time. Bernstein asked the HHB what the general feeling would be if the City raised the
ice rental cost to cover maintenance. A small increase would be tolerable, but a larger increase would be difficult.
Commissioner Smith asked how many comparable suburban communities around this area have a facility like this.
There are comparable facilities, but not many are city owned. There are some private facilities and also some retrofit
facilities in arenas. Probably the closest are Hudson, Burnsville, Apple Valley. HHB feels that eventually most
communities will have one in order to keep up.
The PRC would like to discuss the matter more and have the entire financial picture as to the impact it will have on the
City’s budget. Rohloff would still like to look at putting the facility at the south end of the rink. Staff will review the
location and will be in contact with HHB regarding this. Director Bernstein asked if he should bring this forward to the
Parks & Recreation Committee in June.
MOTION:
Commissioner Smith motioned to endorse the concept of this proposal and send it to the Parks & Recreation
Committee of Council for further review. Seconded by Commissioner Rohloff. Passed unanimously.
Departmental Updates:
6) Department updates were passed out to the commissioners and reviewed. The department is
down 2 full-time staff and 3 seasonal employees currently, so we are doing our best to keep up with high-priority
maintenance.
New Business:
7)
Site of Meeting:
Commissioner Rohloff stated concern that the public isn’t aware of the PRC meetings and
wondered if there was a better way to get the word out. Currently, staff posts the meeting times on the electronic
message board, Facebook, City website, and the PRC listserv. The suggestion was made to hold our meetings in
the Council Chambers and have it televised on the local cable channel.
Commissioner Miller mentioned we should make sure our meeting procedures are correct before we televise.
Director Bernstein stated that since the PRC meetings are public, all members of the public and presenters have
the right to be present at the entire meeting. However, by changing the meeting to the Council Chambers where
the public and any presenters will be in the audience instead of sitting around the table, it might make
commissioner discussions more comfortable. The PRC needs to be very careful about closed meeting laws –
this is a public meeting. Commissioner Garrett commented that switching to Council Chambers may cause
presenters to be more formal in their presentations. We will also have a recording of the meeting in case any
questions come up at a later date. Bernstein will bring the request forward to the Parks & Recreation Committee
of Council.
MOTION:
Commissioner Rohloff motioned to move the PRC meetings to the City Hall Council Chambers and
have them televised. Seconded by Commissioner Smith. Passed unanimously.
Old Business:
8)
Alcohol Sales at Veterans Park:
Director Bernstein needs to meet with the Assistant City Administrator about
the ordinance changes for the vendor and alcohol permits. The Parks & Recreation Committee of Council asked
why the proposal only stated two businesses and it was explained that this is being addressed through a bid
process. Staff needs to get insurance requirements from the City Attorney as well. The Parks & Recreation
Committee was glad to see that the proposal was for 3.2 beer in accord with the current ordinance.
Neighborhood Meeting Schedule:
The Parks & Recreation Committee agreed with the PRC’s
recommendation to hold neighborhood meetings about the proposed improvements to Lions and Wallin by the
youth baseball organizations. The meetings will be held on June 16 and 23 at Wallin and Lions Parks,
respectively, at 6:30 PM. An email invitation will go out to the PRC and the P&R Committee of Council
regarding these meetings.
Vets Park Youth Complex
: Commissioner Rohloff has been seeing some grants available and also has been
checking on sponsorships for the proposed youth complex. Director Bernstein mentioned that the importance of
getting the design plan done was to be able to seek grants. Many of the grants out there are for urban rather than
suburban areas. Our median income is lower than some of our neighbors, which will help. Unfortunately, we
don’t have the funding to start the complex right now, but if any want to help raise funding, we are open to that.
There will have to be a significant contribution by the City of Hastings. The School District most likely
wouldn’t be interested in this based on the intended age range of use (9-12 year olds.) Rohloff asked if park
dedication money could be used for this. Although Council can authorize the use of funding from all wards for
community type projects, Bernstein cautioned that we have about 26 play structures in town that will need
replacement in the next 5-10 years. Play structures cost approximately $50,000 each. There is about $1 million
in park dedication right now. So, that isn’t a lot of money when we have to replace play structures after 20 years
(due to safety concerns). Until the City determines what they can contribute toward the project, it may be
difficult to seek sponsorships. Commissioner Schommer thought the PRC should develop a presentation for the
Youth Complex and work with staff to finalize it. Bernstein would then like to bring that presentation before
Council as an informational piece.
June Tour: Commissioner Vandehoef asked if the PRC would be doing its annual tour for the June meeting.
Since there is no more TRAC service, we’d have to carpool to the various sites. Director Bernstein will try to
arrange a tour for the June meeting.
MOTION to adjourn.
The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 8th at the Parks & Recreation Office.
Adjourned at 7:56 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Kristin Behrens