Loading...
2009-04-09.,,ga COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION AGENDA Thursday, April 9, 2009 6:30 pm Richfield City Hall (6700 Portland Avenue) Executive Conference Room Commission Members staff Liaisons Reed Bornholdt Greg Mangold Joe Springer Jim Topitzhofer (Staff Liaison) Fred Wroge (Council) Gerry Charnitz (VC) Gary Ness (Chair) Sarah Till John Evans (Secretary) Rick Jabs (Planning Com) Mike Christian Rodney Schmidt Michele Thompson Arlan Nelson 1. Call to Order 2. CSC Member Update ❑ Joe Hoover resigned ❑ Arlan Nelson appointed 3. Public Comment ❑ Items not printed on the agenda 4. Approval of Minutes ❑ Regular Meeting: March 3, 2009 5. Action Items ❑ City Hall Parking Lot 6. Staff Reports ❑ Recreation Services (Topitzhofer) 7. Discussion Items ❑ Park Ordinances (Topitzhofer) 8. Committee Reports ❑ Transportation Commission (Ness/Charnitz) ❑ FOWL (Bornholdt) ❑ Honoring All Veterans Memorial, Inc (Schmidt/Topitzhofer) ❑ Lincoln Planning Team (Christian/Jabs/Topitzhofer) ❑ Planning Commission (Springer) ❑ Arts Commission Appoint new liaison 9. Next Meeting Tuesday, May 19, 2009, 7:00 pm Richfield Community Center (Fireside Room) 10. Adjourn DRAFT MINUTES UNTIL APPROVED BY THE CSC. March 3, 2009 dA ® RICHFIELD COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING Tuesday, March 3, 2009 Richfield Community Center (7000 Nicollet Ave) Staff I Jim ToQitzhofer, John Evans, Karen Shragg Planning Commission Rick Jabs of the Lincoln CSC Members I Joe Hoover, Council Liaison Fred Wroge I Call to Order I Ness called the meeting to order at 6:59 pm. I Approval of Minutes I Mangold moved, seconded by Springer to approve the February 17 minutes, with edits suggested by Mangold. Approved, ayes all. I Action Items Lincoln Athletic Complex Renovation Concept Plan Topitzhofer acknowledged Jabs, Chair of the Lincoln Task Force. Jabs acknowledged the other members of the Task Force in attendance, as well as architect Kevin Busch. Busch presented the renovation plan that was approved by the task force (they had considered at least five different options), which featured four fields, a concession building, and a playground in the middle. Busch said that four bathroom fixtures for women and three for men are proposed in the central building. Busch said that the group has discussed getting the cost estimate down to $1.5 million from the current estimate of approximately $1.7 million. Busch was asked about lighting; he said that the parking lot and some pedestrian -type areas are lit. Ness asked about the trees that would need removal; Busch said that it's possible that some of the trees along the west edge may need removal, but hopefully, it will only affect trees that may need removal anyway. He also said that some trees on the south end will need to be removed for the parking lot, as well as others for drainage purposes. Topitzhofer asked for the reaction of the group. Ness said that the plan appears to be a significant improvement to the park that will also affect the programming at the site. Bomhoidt asked about the locking policy; Topitzhofer said that the CSC will discuss that later in the meeting; he said that other fenced Richfield athletic fields are locked. Christian said that the playfeatures will be accessible at all times. Topitzhofer said that the group met prior to this meeting to discuss cutting costs; Christian said that the group hopes that bids will come in lower than expected. Topitzhofer was asked if there are any things in the project that staff or volunteers could do to save money; he said that there may be ways, but much of it needs to be done by a contractor who can provide a warranty to the City. Chamitz asked what kind of public comments were received on February 25; Jabs said that the comments were largely positive, with a few questions about parking, which, Jabs said, is an issue for which the athletic associations will need to take more responsibility. Topitzhofer said that enforcement of parking laws would be stepped up to prevent parking violations, especially at the beginning of each season. A member of the task force said that parents and coaches will need to communicate to determine ideal overflow parking situations and to promote carpooling. Another member said that, with this more efficient, structured parking plan, overflow, parking may not be as heavy as it currently is. Charnitz asked if the path from the north side of the complex could be scaled back to save money; Busch said that this path design was especially favored by the maintenance staff. Schmidt moved, seconded by Christian, to recommend Council approval of the Lincoln Renovation Plan as presented. Approved, ayes all. I Discussion Items I Athletic Complex Locking Policy White said that a survey was taken of several other municipal park and recreation departments. White said that 16 of Richfield's parks are accessible to the public for a baseball/softball-type use. White explained that parks and fields aren't always use as intended. He said that baseball/softball fields often need to be dragged after heavy usage, and are often used as off -leash dog facilities and leave dog waste behind. Chamitz asked if fields would be locked year-round, all week, etc. White said that fields are usually locked before, during, and after the season. Topitzhofer said that, at a minimum, the fields would be locked all the time during the season. Ness suggested trying to leave a field unlocked after the season; Jabs agreed that it could be tried. Chamitz said that it would be a shame to prevent any pickup players from being able to play. White said that the City is operating with minimal personnel and even maintenance issues that seem small can be very time- consuming. He said that seeding a field requires keeping people off the field. Topitzhofer asked Chamitz if he would be comfortable with locking the fields during the season; he said yes, adding that he's in favor of testing the results of unlocking fields after the season. Christian said that staff may need to be flexible because there isn't much extra green space outside of the fences at Lincoln. He said that staff may need to determine a way to leave at least one field unlocked some of the year. White agreed, saying that there is more space to play outside of the fences at Roosevelt and Donaldson. Christian said that there is a lot of summer left after the seasons end, so some access for pickup games would be great. Jabs suggested that testing an unlocked field could be tried at Roosevelt, rather than Lincoln because of the new turf. Charnitz asked about signage regarding dogs; Topitzhofer said that there is signage saying that dogs must be on a leash. Topitzhofer said that the group seems to be suggesting opening one field at Lincoln in the off-season next year; this year, the fields will not be locked at all. Staff Reports_ Recreation Services • Topitzhofer introduced Wood Lake Nature Center Manager Shragg to talk more about the bike trail being proposed in the arterial study to run alongside the east side of the Nature Center. Shragg explained that the Nature Center has three miles of walking trails fitted into 150 acres. She said that the mission of Wood Lake's trails are to provide encounters with the natural world; she said that bikes would be an incompatible usage. She said that fitting bike trails into the space would require tree removal, which is adverse to wildlife habitat; staff even converted a section of the park on the east side to forest that had previously been used by bikers. She said that Wood Lake March 3, 2009 promotes bike safety and use through their bike hikes, and any biking outside of the fence would be fine, but within the park boundaries, biking would not work in Wood Lake. Ness said that if the bike trail does run along Wood Lake's east side, down Lake Shore Drive, and up to the Richfield Lake area, it may even raise awareness about Wood Lake. • Topitzhofer announced that Joe Hoover has resigned from the CSC in order to focus more on work. • Shragg mentioned the 191" Annual FOWL Dinner on Friday, May 1. • Topitzhofer said that, in response to the State's budget deficit, a full-time staff person was cut in Recreation Services. 2010.2014 Capital Improvement Plan Topitzhofer said that the Council directed staff to postpone capital projects in 2009, concerned that the public may not approve of such projects in a year when budget cuts are being made. Topitzhofer said that several projects previously proposed for 2009 have been postponed, focusing on repaying the pool and Lincoln renovation projects. Christian asked about the park maintenance items being cut back to $50,000 for a few years; Topitzhofer said that this would be spent in case of emergency or a safety -related improvement. Christian moved, seconded by Schmidt, to recommend Council approval of the 2009-2014 capital improvement plan as presented. Approved, ayes all. Committee Reports j Transportation Commission: Charnitz provided the report. FOWL: Bomholdt provided the report. Honoring All Veterans Memorial, Inc: Schmidt and Topitzhofer provided the report. Planning Commission: Springer provided the report. Adjournment Schmidt moved, seconded by Mangold, to adjourn. Meeting adjourned at 8:32 pm. Next Meeting I Tuesday, April 21, 2009 Richfield Community Center RICHFIELD COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Meeting Date: April 9, 2009 Agenda Item Agenda Section City Hall Parking Lot Discussion Items Attachments Contact None (Heredia Park/City Hall Potential Site Plans will be presented by Jim Topitzhofer CHAT Chair Rick Jabs and architect Mike Klass) Community Services Commission Chair Gary Ness and City Hall Advisory Team (CHAT III) Chair Rick Jabs have requested that a special Commission meeting be scheduled for the purposes of discussing parking needs for the proposed City Hall facility. City Council has selected to build a new City Hall on the existing City Hall site which is adjacent to Heredia Park, 6710 Portland Avenue. CHAT III and the architect for the project have expressed urgency in resolving a parking issue with the new facility. There may be a need to include additional parking space in Heredia Park to accommodate the park and overflow parking for City Hall. Potential site plans of such a parking facility are attached. Rick and the project architect, Mike Klass will present further information at the meeting. Recommended Action: Respond to presentation from City Hall Advisory Team Chair Rick Jabs regarding parking challenges with the proposed City Hall facility. RICHFIELD COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Meeting Date: April 9, 2009 Agenda Item Agenda Section Richfield Park Ordinance Discussion Items Attachments Contact Current Richfield Park Ordinance — Section 840 Jim Topitzhofer Park Rules Sign Text Section 840 of the Richfield City Code is commonly referred as the 'Parks Ordinance' and is attached for your review. The Parks Ordinance a limited amount of regulations including park curfew, golfing in parks, consumption of beer in parks and Community Celebration License. Other references to park regulations in the City Code are in Section 835.09 which prohibits swimming, bathing, boating, ice fishing houses, and snowmobiling on public bodies of water in Richfield. Other references to park regulations are also found in Section 905.05 and 905.06 regarding dogs at large and immediate disposal of animal feces and in 905.40 regarding the feeding of deer and raccoons. A summary of all park regulations is found on the attached text of the signage that now appears in all Richfield Parks. Staff is recommending review of the Parks Ordinance and to consider the following additions: 1) Tobacco Regulation in Parks — Currently the City has a policy that prohibits the use of tobacco products in Richfield City Parks within 25 feet of any organized youth athletic activity or event. The Commission may want to consider taking this policy a step further by prohibiting tobacco in any public park where kids play and to include the policy as a park regulation. 2) Feeding of Wild Animals in Parks — The feeding of waterfowl has become a huge concern in some parks especially at Richfield Lake. Feeding animals can have detrimental effects on wild animals and the build up of feces can pose a sanitation issue. Staff is recommending the Commission consider a regulation that prohibits the feeding of any wild animal in Richfield Parks. 3) Driving and Parking Motorized Vehicles in Parks — Staff has observed the continual practice of people driving their vehicles in park in areas other than the designated parking lot. The main violators are coaches and parents that want to park close by an athletic field. Often when it is observed that one vehicle is parking in a park, others will follow. Staff is recommending including a motorized vehicle restriction as park of the enforceable Parks Ordinance. 4) Reference all Park -related Regulations in Section 840 — As described above, some of the regulations related to parks are found in various sections of the City Code, including dogs, feeding of animals, and activities restricted on public bodies of water. Staff is recommending including references for these items in Section 840 so that all park regulations can be found in one section. Staff is requesting an initial response on the above recommendations and will prepare a draft of an ordinance amendment to consider at a future meeting. Recommended Action: Provide feedback for the recommended changes to the Parks Ordinance. Richfield City Code Section 840 - Public narks 840.01 (Rev. 2000) 840.01. Reeulatine closine of public narks. Public parks of the city will close at 10:00 p.m. each day and shall remain closed to the public until 5:00 a.m. on the next day, except that the following parks will remain open until 11:00 p.m.: ? Augsburg Park ? Donaldson Park ? Taft Park ? Veterans Memorial Park ? Washington Park ? Wood Lake Nature Center Except as provided in subsection 840.03, no person may be in, remain in or enter any public park between the park's closing time and 5:00 am. and no person may drive into or remain in a public parking area within or immediately adjacent to a public park during the hours when the park is closed. For the purposes of this section that area of Augsburg Park belonging to and occupied by the Hennepin County branch library is included as a public park (Amended, Bill No. 2000-4) 840.03. Activities nennitted after closine. The following activities may continue in the public parks after the parks have closed: (a) use of the indoor ice arena and use of the miniature golf course; (Amended, Bill No. 1993-8) (b) city sponsored and supervised activities, which because of the nature of the activity, cannot be held during the time when the parks are open; (c) activities sponsored by any other group, association or organization which has applied for and received a permit for such activity pursuant to subsection 840.05; and (d) custodial or maintenance city and Hennepin County authorized personnel who must perform their services during the times when the parks are closed. 840.05. (Amended, Bill No. 1993-8) Permits. Subdivision 1. Prohibition No person may engage in an organized activity in a public park unless the group, association or organization sponsoring the activity has obtained a permit as provided in this subsection. For purposes of this subsection, an 'organized activity" means a planned recreational or sporting activity involving more than 10 persons that is sponsored by a group, association or organization, the time and location of which are advertised in advance of the activity to the group, association or organization members, and which activity makes exclusive use of a portion or all of a public park. Examples of organized activities include, without limitation, class reunions, sporting tournaments or league sporting events. Subd. la. Procedure. A group, association or organization wishing to sponsor any organized activity shall apply to the city manager or the manager's designee not less than two weeks before such organized activity for a permit to conduct the activity. The application shall be on forms prepared by the manager. Fees will be determined annually during the budget process. No permit may be issued unless the city manager determines: Richfield City Code 840.05, Subd. 2 (Rev. 2000) (a) if the organized activity is proposed to use the park between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., that the proposed activity could not be conducted during hours when the park is open to the public; (b) if the organized activity is proposed to use the park between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m., that the proposed activity will not be likely to disturb the residents of property surrounding the park; (c) that the proposed activity will not be likely to cause or create crowd control or traffic or park maintenance problems; and (d) that the proposed activity will not interfere with any other activities previously scheduled for the park. Subd. 2. Activity: bond. The manager may limit the time of the organized activity, the area in the park where the organized activity will occur and may impose other conditions upon the conduct of the proposed activity. The manager may also require as a condition for issuance of the permit an indemnity bond holding the city harmless from liability of any kind or character and reimbursing the city for any property damage or cleanup cost. (Amended, Bill No. 1993-8) Richfield City Code 840.07 840.07. Closing of narks by city manager. The manager may close any public park and any parking area within or immediately adjacent to such park, for such period as he shall deem necessary in order to protect or restore or terminate or prevent breaches of the peace and order. The order to close shall apply without exception to all activities conducted in the park. No person having been informed of an order closing the area may remain in the area longer than is reasonably necessary to leave. 840.09. Golf in public narks. Subdivision 1. Definitions. For purposes of this subsection, the term "golf ball" means a ball which is of the type used to play the game of golf and shall also include any projectile of solid construction capable of being struck or propelled by a golf club; and the term practice golf ball means a ball which is not of the type used to play the game of golf and is composed of a thin hollow sphere of plastic or other similar light weight material. Subd. 2. Hitting of golf balls prohibited No person may hit, drive, stroke or otherwise propel a golf ball upon, in, over or across any street, avenue, alley or other public place including public parks except within areas of public parks which have been designated for that activity. Subd. 3. Hitting of practice golf balls prohibited. No person may hit, drive, stroke or otherwise propel a practice golf ball upon; in, over or across any street, avenue, alley or other public place except public parks. Subd. 4. Hitting of practice golf balls in public narks. Unless the hitting of practice golf balls is specifically prohibited in a public park, any person may hit, drive, stroke, or otherwise propel such practice golf balls in accordance with the following restrictions: (a) the ball may not be hit from or to any location closer than 100 feet from the park boundary; (b) the ball may not be hit fiom or to any location closer than 100 feet from any area actually being used for any organized recreational activity such as softball, baseball, football or tennis; (c) the ball may not be hit from or into any location closer than 100 feet from any playground, tot lot, picnic area, walking or biking trail, parking lot, building, structure or lake within the park; and (d) balls may not be hit from or into the Woodlake Nature Center. Subd. 5. Violations: penalties. A person who violates any of the provisions of this subsection is guilty of a petty misdemeanor for the first violation. A second or subsequent violation without limitation as to time is a misdemeanor. Richfield City Cale 840.11 (Rev. 1999) 840.11. Sale and consumution of beer in narks. Subdivision 1. Definitions. For purposes of this subsection, terms defined in the subdivision have the meanings given them (a) "Sale" means all means of furnishing and includes but is not limited to the fiunishing for money or other consideration. (b) "Beer" means any beverage which is produced wholly or in part from the brewing of any grains or malt or malt substitute and containing more than one-half of one percent alcohol by volume. (c) "Organization" means any entity having religious, veteran, charitable or business activities as its principal purpose and which qualifies in all respects for the issuance of a license to sell the type of beer to be fiunished at the activity or event for which the permit is being sought. Subd. 2. Sale and consumption prohibited. The sale, possession with intent to consume, or consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited in the public parks of the city, except as expressly permitted by subdivision 3 of this subsection. (Amended, Bill No. 1999-6) (Subd. 3, 4 and 5 Repealed, Bill No. 1988-12) Subd. 3. Community Celebration. A nonprofit corporation that has obtained a community celebration license in accordance with subsection 850.09 of this code may sell 3.2 percent malt liquor in Veteran's Memorial Park in connection with the licensed community celebration, provided that the corporation also obtains a license under subsection 1210.07, subdivision 3 of this code and applicable state law. The community celebration license and temporary on -sale license must designate the area(s) of Veteran's Memorial Park where sales may be made. A person of legal age may possess with intent to consume or consume alcohol purchased pursuant to this subdivision within the areas designated in those licenses. (Added, Bill No. 1999-6) WELCOME TO RICHFIELD PARKS THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF RICHFIELD PARK RULES. FOR DETAILED PROVISIONS REFER TO SECTIONS 835, 840 & 905 OF THE RICHFIELD CITY CODE. PROHIBITED MOTOR VEHICLES AND SNOWMOBILES. GOLF PLAY. SWIMMING, ICE FISHING HOUSES OR USE OF BOATS ON BODIES OF WATER. PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO PARK PROPERTY OR PARK VEGETATION. POSSESSION OR CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES, BEER, & WINE. THIS IS A DRUG FREE ZONE. PETS DOGS MUST BE LEASHED AND FECES PICKED UP. CLOSING HOURS THIS PARK IS CLOSED FROM 10:00 P.M. TO 5:00 A.M. PARK PERMITS NO PERSON MAY ENGAGE IN AN ORGANIZED SPORTS LEAGUE ACTIVITY IN A PUBLIC PARK UNLESS THE GROUP SPONSORING THE ACTIVITY HAS OBTAINED A PERMIT. A PERMIT MUST ALSO BE OBTAINED TO RESERVE A PARK FACILITY. CALL 612-861-9385 FOR MORE INFORMATION. PLEASE ENJOY YOUR VISIT AND THANK YOU FOR HELPING TO KEEP THIS PARK CLEAN