HomeMy WebLinkAboutPRMinutes_2020_08_03Parks and Recreation Advisory Board Minutes
Monday, August 3, 2020 5:30 PM
Call to Order
Brittany Kleinsasser called meeting to order at 5:32 PM at Larson Ice Center. Present: Steve Berseth, Carson Cody,
Andrea Hogie, Brittany Kleinsasser, Jay Larsen, John Maynes, Erika Saunders, Doug Smith, and City Staff – Dusty
Rodiek, Darren Hoff, Stacy Claussen, Al Kruse. Board Member Isaac Schulte and City Staff Ronda May and Paul
Briseno not present.
Approval of Agenda and Minutes
Approval of agenda - motion by Steve Berseth, second by Jay Larsen. All voted in favor. Approval of June 8th
minutes - motion by Jay Larsen, second by Doug Smith. All voted in favor.
Staff Highlights
• Dusty referenced typed report.
• Discussion regarding the hydrant parties. Went well with minimum staff needs.
• Activity Center is still closed, board meeting tomorrow to consider when to open.
• John asked regarding maintenance at Dakota Nature Park (DNP). Maintenance at the DNP was due to
thistle issues.
• Al discussed maintenance of the wall at DNP. A gazebo being built, which will be an additional shelter to
rent, at Hillcrest.
• Arrowhead Park spillway - installing a catch basin and landscaping should be complete within the
following week.
• Soccer complex light bulbs replaced. Will research new harnesses next year. Doug: Are they LED? Al:
Energy efficient but not LED.
• Steve curious about new water detention at Moriarty. Reviewed after 2-3 inches of rain and it was almost
dry. Brittany: is that going to be gated? Dusty: it isn’t supposed to hold water. Supposed to slow the water
down, like the airport. John: where does it drain? Al: Storm drains. Tree trimming and trimming the trail
nearly complete. John: trail located where? Al: Medary and the trail going east and west just north of the
softball complex. Then to the golf course. Some diseased elms and some stumps to take out. Down one
FTE manpower. Doug: How big is the graffiti at Pioneer? Al: Some in the bathroom. Can’t put cameras in
there. Little bit at Arrowhead and the skatepark. Doug: Sprinklers at Camelot, who is responsible? Al: The
school.
• Ice is ready to go at the Ice Arena. Darren: first group is Thursday on the ice. Team SD girls in there all
weekend and a camp for BISA next week. Then two straight weeks of lacrosse in the blue rink. BISA will
have preseason. Team SD has some weekends scheduled this fall. Looking to reserve ice in Oct for a
tournament that was cancelled out of Chicago. We filled ice really fast this year. Booked nearly every
weekend.
• Al: With changes in Bob Shelden, sub varsity football cannot play in that area. Parks to relocate track
features so they can use the field area inside the track. John asked why. Steve: Formal agreement between
the Parks and the school. Dusty: looking over the formal agreement with the schools for areas to possibly
revisit. Steve: knows that some cities have to rent gym space if they didn’t have agreement.
Old Business: Reported by Dusty Rodiek unless otherwise noted
A. Bob Shelden Update: close to being on schedule. Most drainage is done. Will haul in subbase for synthetic
turf. Progressing as it is supposed to. John: Completion date? Dusty: Sod on the field at least by mid-Oct.
All the effort is on the playing field. Part of that is parking lot. Some of that contract is through next spring
for the parking area. John: looks like many days when nothing is going on. Dusty: might be since Clark
Drew is on several City projects. They do have a contract, deadline, and liquidated damages. John: Who
negotiates the contract? Dusty: Our engineer and City Engineering. Status meetings every two weeks.
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B. 2021 Budget and CIP Review: Dusty reviewed the typed report. Full budget detail will be available on the
City website. Slightly below what we were budgeted for 2020. About ¾ of a percent from the previous
(2020) budget. Capital budget is higher than recent history. Last year there was a facility assessment. City
Council directed to incorporate the facility assessment recommendations into the upcoming budgets.
Brittany asks where the Olympia will go when the Ice Area gets a Zamboni. Dusty states it will be a trade-
in. Dusty awaiting feedback on funds and planned activities that were frozen due to Covid-19. Jay: Under
park facility renovation there is pickleball at Edgebrook. Dusty: That is a placeholder idea. Jay: why isn’t
there more emphasis on generating more revenue? Grants? Dusty: I had in the budget this year $50k set
aside for grant matching funds. This came to a standstill this year. Washington did fund the Land and Water
Fund that can be approached. Will continue pursuing grants.
Jay: Bob Shelden Field, is there some sponsorship? Soccer complex? Dusty: Friends of Baseball are
fundraising for the turf and have taken a loan out as an organization to fund the turf. John: Where you
involved with the decision-making on the S Main indoor soccer complex? Dusty: We had made some plans
with a variety of groups. We had a potential solution, got approval from City Manager to move forward,
looking to concreting the floor in the holding barn at the Ice Arena. Soccer was pursing the S Main facility.
Indoor soccer found the S Main location at the same time and are paying for it. Steve: was baseball
interested in the holding barn? Dusty: they committed themselves to the turf on Bob Shelden. City had
originally set aside 1.5M for indoor turf. Doesn’t look like it will be needed in the near-term. Within our
budget, we are getting reimbursed 20k annually for work we are doing for storm-water work. John:
Fencing for ponds, has the City addressed the possible liability? Dusty: City ponds do not have the liners
that could make for a liability.
C. Activity Center Update – covered during staff highlights.
New Business: Reported by Dusty Rodiek unless otherwise noted
A. Upcoming Events
• September Meeting: Monday, Sept 14 – location TBD
• Cycle Cross: had an event last year in Pioneer Park. Asked to do it again, looking to host it at the go-
kart track north of town. Awaiting a map from Cycle Cross and will then go to the go-kart organization.
Doug: is the go-kart land City land? Dusty: yes, they have a lease.
• Lined up a hay contractor to hay areas that are intentionally being non-mowed (e.g. soccer complex).
• Marathon scheduled for Saturday, Sept 12th.
B. Fall/Winter Programming
• Parks is a nonessential group for using school facilities. Still attempting to determine when Parks can
use the facilities. Submitted to use 5th St Gym with similar schedule to that in the past, and high school
gym on Sundays. Do not plan to schedule the high school pool since school doesn’t want people in the
locker rooms. Willing to shift to any other school gyms the school will allow the Parks to use. Parks
sent the school the extra Covid-19 plans to review. If we do City league basketball will it still be at the
high school, a different facility, or a different day/time?
• Ice arena is scheduled through the regular season start date. Open skates are tentatively scheduled to
start this month but has not been advertised yet. Waiting a little on the learn-to-skate program. Most
activities at the rink can happen as they have in the past. In wait-and-see mode on the use of school
facilities. Waiting on the use agreement with BISA to be solidified to include language regarding
sanitation responsibilities.
C. Fall/Winter Projects
• DNP pollinator areas to be mowed. Tree planting as usual.
• Building doors in the shop.
• Rotary Park - will take out some trees and then replace them with pines and others.
• Contract out to replace some of the areas at DNP where roots are coming up.
• Rubber mat/flooring at Ice Arena – hallways, etc.
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D. Master Plan RFP Selection
• Funds have not been released. Plans were submitted in the spring. Erika, Jay, and Doug were going to
be a subcommittee to review the proposals.
• In talks with BISA to put in an addition at the Ice Arena to house a junior team. BISA would fundraise
to add an addition for offices, workout room, locker rooms, etc. John: how did the Blizzard do financially
in St. Cloud? Darren: Team changed their name. Attendance was significantly worse.
• Jay: any status on the old armory? Dusty: there was a selected investor group. There was an agreement
that would need to be signed. Still awaiting the agreement to be finalized.
• Doug: anything new on 20th St Overpass? Dusty: Nothing new. John: City funds for the overpass, is that
in the City fund? Dusty: haven’t seen it.
Adjournment:
Motion to adjourn at 6:48 PM by John Maynes, seconded by Andrea Hogie. All in favor.
Submitted,
Erika Saunders
Erika Saunders, Park & Rec Board member in absence of Parks & Rec Office Manager Ronda May