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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/21/2006 CITY OF APPLE VALLEY PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE November 21, 2006 Minutes of the November 21, 2006 Apple Valley Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee. PRESENT: Committee Chair Russ DeFauw, Committee Members Loren Hegland, Lee Strom, Patrick Sullivan, and Tina Rankin; Parks and Recreation Director Randy Johnson; Recreation Superintendent Scott Breuer; Valleywood Assistant Manger Jim Zinck; Natural Resources Coordinator Jeff Kehrer; Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderlik, Anderson, and Associates Representative Rich Brasch; Friends of Alimagnet Park Representative Bill Gossman; American Legion Representative Bruce Young; eleven members of the public. ABSENT: Charlie Maus ITEM #1. Chair Russ DeFauw called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. ITEM #2. Approval of Agenda MOTION: by Tina Rankin, seconded by Lee Strom to approve the agenda as presented. VOTE: Yes – 5, No – 0 ITEM #3. Approval of the September 2006 Meeting Minutes MOTION: by Lee Strom, seconded by Loren Hegland to approve the September 2006 meeting minutes with the typographical correction th on page 4, 5 paragraph, first line, change “year” to yard. VOTE: Yes – 5, No – 0, ITEM 4.A . Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Meeting Location/Cablecast/Frequency Parks and Recreation Director Johnson reviewed the memo and the surrounding communities’ survey report included in the agenda packet. A number one issue being the price/cost involved to cablecast meetings for Apple Valley. After review of past meetings, on average, three members of the public attend per meeting. - 1 - CITY OF APPLE VALLEY PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE November 21, 2006 Ms. Rankin noted that the Committee used to meet monthly when Apple Valley was growing and developing. That changed when meetings began to be cancelled due to lack of business. She likes to come to the Apple Valley Community Center for meetings to see what’s going on in the building. From experience, she feels the Committee doesn’t’ need to meet more often. Mr. Hegland suggested that “special” meetings be scheduled at City Hall, noting the parking issues experienced in September when fall youth sports teams were using the athletic fields as well as indoor adult league sports going on in the gym. Chair DeFauw agreed that if there is a meeting topic with a lot of interest, City Hall may not be a bad idea. He noted that those residents making the request were not in attendance at this meeting. MOTION: by Tina Rankin, seconded by Russ DeFauw recommending retaining the present venue and schedule of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meetings, with the exception of a meeting with a large amount of interest being scheduled in a larger facility. Committee would reserve the opportunity, if they see the need, to move to another venue. VOTE: Yes – 5 No – 0 ITEM 4.B. Friends of Alimagnet Park Neighborhood Community Group Mr. Gossman reviewed the Friends of Alimagnet (FOA) mission statement included in the agenda packet. He noted that his attendance at the meeting was not about disc golf, they’ll address that at another time. Friends of Alimagnet are a resident group made up primarily of neighbors of Alimagnet and others with similar interests in other park areas, Farquar Park as an example. He noted there can be reciprocity. The group has held one meeting to date and anticipate monthly meetings in the future. They are not focusing on disc golf; they like to believe it’s an open group. The focus is related to park issues, but goes beyond Parks and Recreation Department to include Public Works, Streets, and Police. Mr. Gossman said the FOA would like to work with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee and the employed staff to get the message to the Mayor. He became involved within the last three or four months. They have roughly sixty members and they’ve signed up for the Apple Valley Adopt-A-Park program. Ms. Rankin said it has to be remembered that this is a city park with taxpayer interest. It is the responsibility of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee to promote it as a public park. - 2 - CITY OF APPLE VALLEY PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE November 21, 2006 Mr. Strom stated that with 60 members, they have a lot of interest. He suggested they work with the Committee, as it is the voice to City Council. Mr. Hegland noted that the Committee has agreed to continue disc golf in the park for another year. He would expect FOA will be helpful in evaluating the program, but the Committee will continue to depend on the Parks and Recreation staff for their expertise and evaluation. Mr. Gossman envisions working not just in a formal setting, but in a work session with the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee members. They’re willing to put some effort into it, they have a lot of motivated volunteers. It’s a hot topic for them. Director Johnson stated that he, the Park Maintenance Superintendent, and the Natural Resources Coordinator have examined the concerns brought forth by Corinne Johnson. They’ve found no trees lost to disc golf in the park. Mr. Gossman mentioned that there is a vote coming up in nine months and there may be room for modification of the disc golf course and a compromise needed. He spoke of getting plans in place to “hit the ground running” in the spring. They’ll evaluate the following:  walk-ins vs. driving,  number of permits issued,  neighborhood satisfaction,  are they from Apple Valley or other areas?  would they be willing to drive to another site? Ms. Rankin noted there is not another disc golf venue in Apple Valley right now. The Committee has done the homework on that. Mr. Gossman stated that the groups is interested in being educated and learning, in the spirit of cooperation. Chair DeFauw placed the Friends of Alimagnet on the January 2007 Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee agenda. He asked that the group bring to the meeting their two or three primary objectives/goals for 2007. He also asked for the development of some criteria to measure progress, measure success, that falls short of complete removal of disc golf from Alimagnet Park. Mr. Gossman will take tonight’s information to the Friends of Alimagnet December 2006 meeting. - 3 - CITY OF APPLE VALLEY PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE November 21, 2006 ITEM 4.C. Apple Valley Legion Baseball Banner Signage Proposal Mr. Young, representing Apple Valley Legion Baseball, explained that the normal $30,000 budget they receive as support from the American Legion will be short in 2007. They are in search of ways to make up the lost revenue. They’ve determined that an option would be a major fundraising effort selling six to twelve advertising signs on Legion Field outfield fence. They’re also exploring other options such as a pancake breakfast. He suggested the signs would be made of steel with a wood backing secured to the fence, Eastview baseball fence signs as an example. They requested Committee approval to proceed. Director Johnson reviewed that the field was constructed and is maintained by the City of Apple Valley. The field is used as a home field for Legion Baseball, but belongs to the City. The name was changed five or six years ago in recognition of the American Legion’s donation. There is not precedence of the City allowing outside organizations to sell advertising in other city parks. The Arena advertising is handled by the Arena Manager as a city representative. Mr. Hegland mentioned that is depends on the quality of fence posts as to how much wind load they’ll handle. It’s common to see signage on athletic field fences. It seems like a good idea of the fence is strong enough. He suggested following the City’s public art policy. Director Johnson questioned the maximum wind load; responsibility of repair, maintenance, and replacement; precedence setting; and allowable signage content. Mr. Strom noted that it is a City owned fence and park. He questioned, “what if there are other groups interested, where does it end?” He doesn’t think the City wants signs on every fence/board around town. Mr. Sullivan stated that he likes fields with signs, but the trouble is starting to put signs on one field and everyone wants a sign. Chair DeFauw supported the sign proposal. He stated that if any organization needs our support, it’s the Legion. He recommended the Legion work with City staff regarding size, weight, aesthetics, spacing, etc. He also suggested they purchase private insurance to cover the project. Committee will review the agreement in two years. MOTION: by Russ DeFauw, seconded by Patrick Sullivan recommending acceptance of Legion Baseball’s proposal for sale of signage advertisement at Legion Field for the 2007 and 2008 seasons, subject to size, weight, etc. approval by Parks and Recreation staff. - 4 - CITY OF APPLE VALLEY PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE November 21, 2006 DISCUSSION: Mr. Strom doesn’t disagree with what the Legion has done, but is concerned with the precedence it sets. Chairman DeFauw stated that nobody has done more than the Legion, and they deserve this courtesy. 200 baseball games are played on this public field annually. VOTE: Yes – 3 (DeFauw, Hegland, Sullivan), No – 2 (Strom, Rankin) ITEM 4.D. Cobblestone Lake Management Study Rich Brasch made a power point presentation providing a summary of the lake study findings, insight on recommended management strategies to maintain and improve lake water quality, and seeking public input. This is the first of two meetings. At the 15% project completion meeting the organization has an idea as to which direction they want to proceed. At the 70% project completion meeting they’ll be looking for feedback on management issues. The next steps are to complete the data analysis, layout the goals, and develop draft management recommendations. Public Comments: Public: What are your thoughts on water level? Mr. Brasch: What you see is the water level. It’s controlled by the level of the pipe location. Sand is very porous. Normal level is two feet below where the pipes are set. Public: Earlier water levels were higher, when we began building. Are there means to get the water levels to where it used to be? Mr. Brasch: Ground level water affects the water level in the system, the entire system. Coordinator Kehrer: Vermillion is a trout designation, they want to have it run through the lake. If it had an outlet into the Vermillion, it would probably have more restrictions. - 5 - CITY OF APPLE VALLEY PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE November 21, 2006 ITEM 4.E. Valleywood Golf Course 2006 Financials Report/2007 Fee Proposal Assistant Manager Zinck reviewed with the Committee the annual report and proposed fee schedule. Valleywood maintained its 3 ½ Star rating from Golf Digest. Reports show 39% of the rounds of play in 2006 were resident rounds and 61% were non-residents. Season pass holders average about 1.1 rounds per week for the season. Nearly 250 kids play in the Jr. League. Staff is investigating options for including a link on the City’s website to TeeMaster for customer reservations ease of usage. 2006 shows 27,000 rounds of play. The highest number of rounds in past years was 41,000. Mr. Strom questioned whether the Committee and staff need to revisit the resident vs. non-resident season pass options. Chair DeFauw noted that in 1998, out of 30,000 rounds of play, 10,000 were season pass holders averaging $8.16 per round. They also received an additional day advance reservation tee time. The course grandfathered in the current season pass holders, raised the cost per round, and stopped selling new non-resident season passes. The price didn’t increase, but the average base cost is up to $18 in 2006. If we’re going to do it, we have to do it and stick with it, not just for a year. He questioned whether the course can afford to be patient for another year to see if other courses close. Assistant Manger Zinck stated that Valleywood has gotten through the storm, as an industry golf is on the uptrend. Director Johnson stated that is has been a changed industry. We need to get back to a breakeven business. Four things effect golf: over saturation, lack of time for people, economy fluctuation, and golf game difficulty. Mr. Hegland noted that Valleywood has eliminated the non-resident season passes to make the course more available for residents. We knew it was going to cost money, but it’s worked well, residents can go out and play. If the City is willing to keep up the capital improvements, we need to look for other ways to make revenue to break even. Further discussion included the option of non-resident passes, but that would lower the average cost per round. The effect of the number of courses vs. the number of rounds per course. The need to get Valleywood back into the black financially, how does the Committee justify the loss of revenue and ask City Council to allocate money for a clubhouse? Relaxing the restrictions on junior passes. Other courses such as Chaska and Braemar don’t sell season passes. Holding the number of rounds constant, implementing an increased fee structure, and holding expenses constant, equals financially in the black. Mr. Johnson stated that Valleywood Golf Course in not subsidized by the City. It is an enterprise fund. The cost of the buildings and construction of the course was a voter - 6 - CITY OF APPLE VALLEY PARKS AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE November 21, 2006 approved bond referendum. 2007 is the last year of any “nest egg” funds. Staff will be going to City Council for funding unless the course comes back into the black. MOTION: by Russ FeFauw, seconded by Loren Hegland accepting the fees as presented, with the exception of relaxing the junior non-resident season pass restrictions. DISCUSSION: Committee consensus – The Committee endorses staff follow through of 2007 Recommendation #4 re: Inform the Wednesday night Men’s Club League that bringing onto the premises their own beer and barbequing in the parking lot will not be allowed. Mr. Hegland recommended staying the course; wants to see what happens with the clubhouse. “If Council is going to build the course, make it the best deal possible for residents.” VOTE: Yes – 5, No – 0 ITEM 4.F. Hayes Park Arena and Sports Arena 2007 Fee Proposal Ice rates generate 90% of the Arena income. Staff reviewed the information included in the agenda packet. MOTION: by Lee Strom, seconded by Patrick Sullivan recommending approval of the Hayes Park Arena and Sports Arena 2007 fee schedule as presented. VOTE: Yes – 5, No – 0 ITEM 6. Adjourn There being no further business, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meeting was adjourned. MOTION: by Lee Strom, seconded by Tina Rankin to adjourn the meeting at 9:30 p.m. VOTE: Yes – 5, No – 0 - 7 -