2025-03-24 - OSRC Agenda7800 Golden Valley Road I Golden Valley, MN 55427
763-512-2347 1 TTY 763-593-3968 1 763-512-2344 (fax) I www.goldenvalleymn.gov
Open Space & Recreation
Commission
REGULAR MEETING AGENDA
city of
golde01n
valle,r
J
March 24, 2025 — 6:30 p.m.
Brookview Valley North Room
Remote Attendance: Members of the public may attend this meeting via Webex at ittps://Iogis.webex.com/logis,
or by calling 1-415-655-0001, entering access code 2862 086 6811, and PIN 6210.
Questions/Comments: Members of the public who have questions about the commission or any items on the
agenda should contact the staff commission liaison Greg Simmons, Parks and Recreation Assistant Director,
gsimmons@goldenvalleymn.gov or 763-512-2367.
1. Call to Order
2. Land Acknowledgment Statement
We acknowledge and honor the Dakota nation, on whose ancestral land the City of Golden Valley is built, and
whose land resources we use. We commit to counteracting the erasure of the cultural practices and presence of
the Dakota people through education and by amplifying a wide range of indigenous voices.
3. Roll Call
Roger Bergman —John Cornelius _ Bill Delaney _ Matt Olson _ Matt Sanders
Scott Seys _ Dawn Speltz, Chair _ Brian Wright, Vice -chair _ vacant
4. Approval of Agenda
5. Approval of January 27, 2025, Regular Meeting Minutes
6. Staffing Update
7. 2025 Annual Deer Survey
8. 2025 Summer Field Distribution and Discussion
9. 2025 State of the City
10. Initial Discussion of 2026 Parks Capital Improvement Projects
a. Seeman Tennis Courts
b. Stockman Playground
c. Strategic Parks Plan
11. Commission and Staff Updates
a. Commissioner updates
b. Winter rinks closed as scheduled on February 23rd
C. Puzzle pursuit events
d. Golf course opened on Friday, March 21"
e. Summer program registrations update
f. Adult escape room at Brookview
This document is available in alternate formats upon a 72-hour request. Please call
763-593-8006 (TTY: 763-593-3968) to make a request. Examples of alternate formats
may include large print, electronic, Braille, audiocassette, etc.
City of Golden Valley Open Space & Recreation Commission Regular Meeting 2
January 23, 2023 — 6:30 pm
12. 2025 Future Meeting Dates and Agenda Items
a. April 28, May 19, June 23, July 28, September 22, October 20 (Third Monday), November 24
b. Strategic parks plan
c. Golf cart storage building
d. Parks tour in summer months
e. 2026 sun shelter CIP funds allocation
f. Alterative park amenity discussion
13. Adjournment
lThis document is available in alternate formats upon a 72-hour request. Please call
763-593-8006 (TTY: 763-593-3968) to make a request. Examples of alternate formats
J may include large print, electronic, Braille, audiocassette, etc. 0
7800 Golden Valley Road I Golden Valley, MN 55427
763-512-2347 1 TTY 763-593-3968 1 763-512-2344 (fax) I www.goldenvalleymn.gov
Open Space & Recreation
Commission
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
Call to Order
Vice -chair Wright called the meeting at 6:30 pm.
2. Roll Call
city of
goldenoi.��
Y
January 27, 2025 — 6:30 pm
Brookview Valley North Room
Commissioners present: Roger Bergman, John Cornelius, Bill Delaney, Matthew Olson, Matthew
Sanders, Scott Seys, Brian Wright
Commissioners absent: Dawn Speltz
Council Members: Gillian Rosenquist
Staff present: Janelle Crossfield, Parks and Recreation Director; Greg Simmons, Parks and
Recreation Assistant Director; Kevin Martinez Del Arca, Recreation Coordinator;
Sheila Van Sloun, Administrative Assistant
3. Land Acknowledgment Statement
4. Approval of January 27, 2025 Agenda
Commissioner Cornelius added an update from Crossfield on her first year, along with her goals and
visions for the future and how she sees the OSRC fitting into those.
MOTION by Commissioner Bergman, seconded by Commissioner Sanders to approve the agenda with
the addition. Motion carried.
5. Approval of October 28, 2024 and November 25, 2024 Meeting Minutes
Commissioner Bergman asked that the October 28, 2024 minutes section seven, Brookview Golf Year
in Review, reflect that the potential new driving range building will accommodate the need for
additional golf cart storage and will include the addition of golf simulators.
MOTION by Commissioner Bergman, seconded by Commissioner Sanders to approve the October 28,
2024 meeting minutes as amended, and the motion carried.
MOTION by Commissioner Bergman, seconded by Commissioner Seys to approve the November 25,
2024 meeting minutes as submitted, and the motion carried.
6. Review and Recommend to Approve Recognized Golden Valley Youth Athletic Associations for 2025
Simmons said Hopkins Youth Boys Basketball has moved off the list and Hopkins Fastpitch has reached out
to be added as a recognized association. He also said no other associations have approached the city.
1 This document is available in alternate formats upon a 72-hour request. Please call
763-593-8006 (TTY: 763-593-3968) to make a request. Examples of alternate formats
J may include large print, electronic, Braille, audiocassette, etc.
City of Golden Valley Open Space & Recreation Commission Regular Meeting Minutes 2
January 27, 2025 — 6:30 pm
Discussion then focused on association field use, locations, and any interference with an additional
association. Simmons added that being on the approved list grants associations field space, a field
maintenance fee per player, and access to a Brookview conference room once a month for a board
meeting.
The following are considered recognized youth athletic associations in Golden Valley:
Golden Valley Little League, Armstrong -Cooper Youth Baseball, Armstrong -Cooper Youth Lacrosse,
Golden Valley Girls' Softball, Armstrong -Cooper Youth Hockey, Hopkins Girls Basketball Association,
Park Valley United FC, Armstrong -Cooper Girls Fastpitch, and the addition of Hopkins Fastpitch.
MOTION by Commissioner Cornelius, seconded by Commissioner Bergman to approve the recognized
youth athletic associations as listed above and the motion carried.
7. 2025 Park Projects
Simmons shared the 2025 upcoming park projects and answered questions. Projects are as follows:
a. Natchez Park Playground and Sun Shelter— Selected via community input. To be installed by May
30. Commissioners shared concerns on the benches being installed in the mulch, then sinking and
not meeting code for height.
b. Scheid Park Building Remodel — This project will mirror the building remodel project at Wesley Park
two years ago. Expected bid release in late March. Commissioner Cornelius asked about cameras in
the park buildings. Simmons said Wi-Fi is installed and functional in all the park buildings. He added
that cameras are on the list, but electronic access will be coming first.
c. Gearty Hockey Rink — Gearty is the fifth or six full hockey rink replacements in the city, which will
take place before the 2025-26 skating season. Commissioner Cornelius said the new hockey rink
bases are holding water so much better. Simmons added that the Doodleboards will be located at
Gearty as well.
d. Seeman Park Playground — Community engagement for this project will take place in early spring,
before staff sends out request for proposals.
e. Brookview Pickleball Courts — The far west courts will be resurfaced and striped for five pickleball
courts in 2025, with space for a few picnic tables or a potential sixth court. Commissioner Sanders
suggested adding benches instead of picnic tables. He also shared concerns with parking at that
location. Commissioner Cornelius shared concerns on picnic tables sitting on courts and suggested
padding be added to the tables to protect the court in the event a sixth court is added.
8. Shifted Park Tour Date to Spring to Align with CIP Budgeting
Simmons suggested the annual park tour takes place in the spring to align better with CIP budgeting.
After discussion, commissioners and staff agreed to shift to a May or June date.
9. Commissioner and Staff Updates
a. Commissioner updates — Commissioner Cornelius said he is proud of the park system and
maintenance crew. Both Cornelius and Sanders praised the maintenance crew for their great
job with ice this season.
b. Blizzard Bash Update — Martinez Del Arca said approximately 1,000 people participated in the
event. He then shared details and answered questions. Commissioner Cornelius said the event
City of Golden Valley Open Space & Recreation Commission Regular Meeting Minutes
January 27, 2025 — 6:30 pm
was fabulous and would enjoy seeing an occasional free night at the Backyard going forward to
help get the word out. Cornelius asked how much the event cost. Martinez Del Arca said $6,500,
with the bulk of the cost being food and entertainers. Cornelius suggested adding more time to
the event to spread it out to help with parking, as well as scaling back on all the food.
c. Winter Rink season update — Martinez Del Arca shared warming house participation numbers.
He said it was a very busy and successful season with Gearty having the lowest utilization of all
the parks. He added that 600 people utilized skating rinks on the first day of winter break.
Commissioner Sanders asked how they keep track of the numbers. Martinez Del Arca said every
hour warming house staff takes a tally at each park. Sanders said seeing the numbers helps
justify all the work throughout the season.
d. Winter Fest update — Martinez Del Arca shared details on the event and said they had 350-400
participants. He said the newly added medallion hunt was a big hit. Commissioner Cornelius said
it was a great event. He suggested hosting the event earlier in the season to get people out in
the parks, with the hopes of creating repeat park users throughout the winter season.
e. Community Gardens — Martinez Del Arca said 55 people applied for garden plots for the 2025
season, which is up from last year's 48. He shared highlights from the 2024 survey, which
include: most people use the garden as a hobby, subsistence, and therapy; many people saw a
reduction in their grocery budget; and many people were able to grow 4-14 pounds of produce
throughout the season. Commissioner Cornelius suggested a system for the gardeners to share
their contact information with other gardeners. Council member Rosenquist thanked the
commission for their efforts on the community garden and said their efforts have been
beneficial to the community.
f. Janelle Crossfield Year in Review — Crossfield said she has spent the past year getting
acclimated. She said city leadership, city council, and the commission have been very
supportive. She then shared brief department accomplishments from 2024 which included:
• Fully staffing the department with new hires including herself, Kong Moua, Recreation
Supervisor, Kevin Martinez Del Arca, Recreation Coordinator, and Justin Norcutt, Golf
Staff Coordinator;
• Reimagining Supper with Santa to Blizzard Bash;
• Three staff completing the NRPA Equity In Practice certificate program;
• Brookview Golf remains one of the top five heaviest played courses in the state;
• Brookview Golf Maintenance finished installing driving range irrigation system; and
• Implementation of a departmental culture team.
Crossfield also said she is part of the city-wide culture team where she has had the opportunity
to get to know people in other departments. She has also played pickleball with pickleball
residents and did pub curling at Brookview for her birthday.
Commissioner Cornelius asked if Crossfield plans to participate in the OSRC meetings each
month going forward. Crossfield said she plans to be supportive and have a presence.
Commissioner Cornelius said he's been on the commission for 14 years, and it's been a joy, but
said he has been disappointed with the past year. He explained that in prior years, the Parks and
Recreation Director brought a lot of potential projects and events to the OSRC for discussion
City of Golden Valley Open Space & Recreation Commission Regular Meeting Minutes 4
January 27, 2025 — 6:30 pm
and feedback and there has been much less of that over the past year. He shared the example
of finding out about the Blizzard Bash at the November meeting after the decision was made
and with no input from the OSRC. He also said the agendas have been thin.
Cornelius went on to ask Crossfield what she expects from the commission and what she wants
the commission's role to be. Crossfield said it was a year of transition and agreed the agendas
felt thin.
Cornelius then shared his disappointment in Crossfield shifting the staff liaison responsibilities
to Greg Simmons, Parks and Recreation Assistant Director, now that she's been here a year and
has acclimated. He hopes she will be more involved in the next year and present more
initiatives to the OSRC.
Commissioner Sanders acknowledged they knew it would be a year of transition and added that
the commission has taken on some challenges and believes that is the best use of their time and
would like to be involved before things are decided and done. Crossfield said her previous
commissions did not weigh in on planning programs and events so this is a new aspect.
10. 2025 Future Meeting Dates and Agenda Items
Simmons shared the 2025 future meeting dates, adding that the May meeting will take place on the
third Monday due to the holiday landing on the normal meeting night.
Simmons said going forward, he will add an ongoing list to the agendas that will include items in talks
and for future agendas.
11. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned by Vice -chair Wright at 8:03 pm.
Dawn Speltz, Chair
Greg Simmons, Parks and Recreation Assistant Director
Current Year Data crystal City of Golden Valley
Robbinsdate
•
Medicine
lake
MedIdne
Lake
City of Golden Valley, Metropolitan Council, MetroG IS. Three Rivers Park District, Esn, To mTom, Garmin, SafeGraph, GeoTech... Powered by Es ri
Historic Deer Counts
11
40
34
25
20
14
8
■
31,835
Acres Surveyed
44
Deer in Selected Area
2025 Aerial Deer Survey Dashboard online at
https://trpd.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/f9b9ad4397664aOaa73da8edOb93f1 de.
**Note boundary areas have changed in 2025 and survey completed later in the year than normal
due to lack of snowpack.
Golden Valley Little League Youth Baseball
Isaacson 1,2 & 3...................April 1-September 30
Seeman ............................................April 1-June 30
Scheid Major & Minor.....................April 1-June 30
Scheid Major & Minor (except Tues)
............... June 10-July 29
Stockman ......................................... April 1-June 30
Gearty............................................ April 1-June 30
North Tyrol ......................................April 1-June 30
Yosemite ..........................................April 1-June 30
Armstrong Cooper Youth Baseball
Sutton ......................................April 1-October 15
Tapper ....................................April 1-October 15
Park Valley Soccer Club
MN Arts School ........................ April 1-October 15
Sandburg....................................April 1-October 15
South Wesley .............................April 1—October 15
Golden Valley Girls Slowpitch Softball
Wesley 1, 2, 3................................... April 1-July 30
Lions 1, 2, 3 & 4 .............................. April 1-July 30
Schaper ................................Tournament Weekends
Cooper/Armstrong Fastpitch
Hampshire 1
Fields at Lions, Wesley, Seeman, Scheid, Schaper, Hampshire, North Tyrol, MN Arts School, Isaacson,
Gearty, Yosemite and Stockman assigned to associations for use Monday— Friday from 4:30 p.m. — 10:00
p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. —10:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted
Fields at Sandburg, Sutton, and Tapper assigned to associations for use Monday — Friday from 5:30 p.m. —
10:00 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. —10:00 p.m. unless otherwise noted
Parks
Bleacher, Soccer Goal, Team Sewli & Picnk
Tables
Park Trail and Parking Lot Improvement
Play Structure Replacelnen t
Outdoor Hard Surface Replacement
Sun Shelter Replacementsand
Addktons Peaoca[e
Tennis & Picklehall Court Resurfacing
LlghtAlmp
Tennis & PlckleballCourt Constructldn
Community Gardens
Off -Leash Pet €xerclse area
Dugout, Fence and Balk/Soccer Field
Replacement
5C0rerward UpaaCe6lReplaCemen[
Sand Volleyball Courts
Hatur[fOpen Spare Reuoration
Park LED Light Replacements
Outdwe Hockey Rink Replacement
Artillci it Turf Replacement-TRPD Partnership
Strategic Park plan
Pd101
20,000
30.000
20,000
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30.DOO
20.000
20.ODO
20.ODO
60.000
111000
P-003
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90,000
90,000
90.0t10
95,000
375,Oao
P-075
25.000
20,000
20.00
20.000
30,000
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40.000
40,000
40.ODO
40.000
40,000
P-018
20,000
30,000
P-020
275,000
P•025
P-OA
150.000
P-027
30,000
30,000
30.000
40.000
70,000
P-07e
25,000
25.000
"32
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25,000
25A00
25,000
25.000
25,000
25,000
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100,D00
25,000
30.0DO
80.000
60,000
P-039
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45A00
P•"
15.000
p-0;2
4o,000
160,000
30,000
30,000
130,000
30.DOO
20,000
30.000
20,D00
260,000
95, DDO
K000
190,000
95.00U
1,305,t100
25,DOO
10,000
20.000
20,D00
200.0130
80,000
40,000
45.000
45000
410,000
30,000
sD,000
mom
550.000
50,0010
50,000
150.000
2500
50,000
WAD
5, D!]C
350.000
50.0aa
i0,000
20,060
25,000
25,000
25,OOD
25,00C
250,000
60,000
50.000
30.000
30.000
465,000
170,000
15,000
200,000
Pwk■ Total 475,000 935AM 475,000 345,000 380.000 440.DDO 655.000 370.000 390,000 290,000 4,655,000