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9-23-1991OPEN SPACE & RECREATION COMMISSION September 23, 1991 Members present: Jim Johnson, Rich Krahulec, Tom Zins, Chuck Burmeister, Pat Borchert. Also Barbara Bailey, Tom Klatt, Rick Jacobson and Sharyl Thompson. present were There were no agenda changes or additions. MINUTES A motion was made by Chuck Burmeister and seconded by Rich Krahulec to accept the minutes of August 26, 1991. Motion carried. PARK MAINTENANCE UPDATE - TOM KLATT Tom Klatt, Park and Street Superintendent, gave an update on the park maintenance department. Additional moisture this summer required more hours of mowing. Between May 1st and September 1st, 2000 hours of mowing had been done. Ballfields also required more work because of wet conditions. Pat Borchert inquired about condition of the Breck soccer field. Rick Jacobson responded that there had been discussions with Breck over the years about field conditions. At the time of those discussions, Breck had no plan to upgrade fields. If the field were to be upgraded, the City would have to do it. Currently, there are no funds available for this upgrade, and some agreement would have to be made with Breck School. Tom further reported that a Tree Trust crew worked from mid-June through mid-August. They did an excellent job working on projects in the area by Bassetts Creek, Briarwood, Laurel Avenue pond observation decks, and the planting of 100 spruce trees at Mary Hills. Presently, work is being done to raise the level of a low area in Brookview Park that has sunk over the years and now holds water. Fill is being brought in and a swale created to reduce the impact of water damage in the park. New playground equipment is in at Lions and North Tyrol Parks. Bids are being opened to plant additional trees in various parks and on the golf course. Some funding for this project has come from a grant given by the Small Business Administration. The lighting project at Lions Park is nearing completion, and the tennis courts at Medley Park are being reconstructed. Chuck Burmeister asked why the park maintenance crew should be chalking the fields for Little League and Babe Ruth. He felt these organizations could do this themselves, thereby saving the City staff time and money. Rick Jacobson said this could possibly change in the future. "ADOPT A PARK" PROGRAM Rick Jacobson and Tom Klatt talked briefly about an "Adopt A Park" program to help with litter pick-up. The discussion with the Commission centered on how beneficial a program would be and on what level it should be implemented. We have been fortunate in our parks to the extent that litter has not been a major time consuming problem. However, it was discussed that in nature areas and along trails, this program could be helpful, especially in the spring. Pat Borchert and the rest of the Commission commended Tom Klatt and his crew on the fine work they do for the City of Golden Valley. CAPITAL I117PROVEMENTS Rick Jacobson reviewed the 1991 schedule of park improvement under the capital improvements budget. The Commission commented that the Park and Recreation Department absorbed a substantial percentage of the overall budget cuts this past year. Some discussion was held regarding replacing playground equipment. Chuck Burmeister suggested using volunteer labor through a civic organization to help defray some of the costs. He pointed out that this had been done recently in Maple Lake, with great success. Chuck further stated that he preferred that if choices had to be made for capital improvement projects, he would rather have a trail built or tennis courts upgraded than spend the money on park signage. A motion was made by Pat Borchert and seconded by Rich Krahulec that Brookview Park be high on the priority list for replacing playground equipment. There was some discussion on how to work this in with the master plan for Brookview Park. Motion carried. There was some discussion on whether to leave the Valle D'Or trail project in the 1992 CIP budget. A motion was made by Chuck Burmeister and seconded by Jim Johnson to leave the Valle D Or trail project in the 1992 CIP budget. Discussion followed. Pat Borchert wondered if it was worthwhile to budget money for a "stub" trail rather than a loop trail. Rick Jacobson reviewed the plans proposed last year for the trail in the Valle D'Or area and reviewed the feedback from the public hearings held on the project. Tom Zins wondered if this was a good time to resurrect this project given the budget constraints and the controversy with the residents regarding the issue. A motion was made by Tom Zins and seconded by Rich Krahulec to table the previous motion until the next meeting. It was decided that the CIP budget would be on the agenda for the October meeting. SENIOR CITIZENS REPORT - BARBARA BAILEY Barbara Bailey handed out copies of the annual report. She showed slides depicting many of the activities in which the seniors had been involved over the past year. Various programs were highlighted, including the Spelling Bee, the new Variety Club and the growth in the Hiking Group. Chuck Burmeister expressed appreciation to Barbara on the excellent program she coordinates. The number of participants is indicative of her excellent leadership. SOUTH TYROL CORRESPONDENCE The Commission members had been given copies of a letter from the South Tyrol Association asking for a playground program in their neighborhood park next summer. Rick Jacobson reported that he had talked with Rick Birno about the possibility of a "roving" program. The question was raised in regard to the other neighborhood parks. It was the consensus of the Commission that some demographics should be known of the area before a decision is made. Rick Jacobson said that staff would contact the school district regarding the number of children in the South Tyrol Park area. NEW BUSINESS Rick Jacobson reported that staff had been approached by a private businessman who is considering developing land by the Red Lobster restaurant. One of their considerations is for a golf dome. They asked if the City would be interested in a joint effort. Chuck Burmeister requested a summary of golf operations for this year. Rick Jacobson explained that he had already planned to have Kris Tovson attend the next meeting to give a report. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Jim Johnson and seconded by Rich Krahulec to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 9:45 PM. 1 1