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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1987 09-15 PRMMINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION 0 FOR THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA REGULAR SESSION SEPTEMBER 15, 1987 CITY HALL CALL TO ORDER Chairman Sorenson called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Chairman Sorenson, Commissioners Manson, Burnes, Krefting, and Peterson. Also present were Councilmember Bill Hawes, Director of Recreation Arnie Mavis, and Recording Secretary Geralyn Barone. Commissioner Propst arrived at 7:35 p.m. Commissioner Skeels was absent from this evening's meeting. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - MAY 26, 1987 Chairman Sorenson questioned the section of the minutes regarding the discussion of the trailway path at East Palmer Lake, noting there may not be enough detail for the minutes. Commissioner Krefting said he was concerned that the path would be rejected by the city council. However, he did not wish to clarify the minutes. There was a motion by Commissioner Burnes and seconded by commissioner Manson to approve the minutes of the May 26, 1987, Park and Recreation Commission meeting. The motion passed. DEDICATION OF CONSTITUTION HALL - SEPTEMBER 17. 1987 The Director of Recreation said Constitution Hail will be dedicated on Thursday, September 17, 1987, at 6:45 p.m. In addition to a dedication ceremony, there will be a slide show with a short program, and coffee and cake will be served. At 7:30 p.m. a barbershop group will perform, and there will be fireworks at 9 p.m. Commissioner Krefting asked what the plan is if it rains, and the Director of Recreation said the date will probably be changed. GOLF COURSE UPDATE The Director of Recreation said an inspection of the golf course is scheduled for Friday, September 18, 1987, to determine what needs to be finished. He noted the Golf Course Manager recently appeared on a cable television show, and the tape will be used as a promotion of the golf course. Commissioner Peterson asked if the grass is in yet, and the Director of Recreation responded affirmatively. The Recording Secretary distributed a brochure announcing the golf course's open house scheduled for Sunday, September 27, 1987, from 1 to 4 p.m. Commissioner Peterson asked if the chain-linked fence has been installed, and the Director of 9-15-87 -1- Recreation said it has been put up around the perimeter of the golf course. He added that vandalism at the golf course has been nil in the last two months. I~ The Director of Recreation said the proposed rates for admission to the golf course will be $5 for nine holes for adults during the week and $6 on weekends. Children under age 16 and senior citizens will be able to get a discount of $1 during the week. Commissioner Peterson asked if prices are competitive with the competition, and the Director of Recreation responded affirmatively. He added New Hope may be slightly less in price. The Director of Recreation said leagues will be set up and meetings are scheduled for this winter. Commissioner Krefting asked if special rates will be given to groups and schools. The Director of Recreation said the City will be working with schools to give special rates. Commissioner Propst said it is a good idea to encourage local schools to use the golf course. Commissioner Manson asked if the course is scheduled to open in May 1988, and the Director of Recreation said the City is looking at opening by April 1988. Commissioner Krefting asked if the course would be open at all this fall, and the Director of Recreation said the course will not be open to the public; however, there may be a few experimental rounds played. Councilmember Hawes asked how many golf carts there are, and the Director of Recreation said there will be two--one for handicapped persons and one for staff to use if there are problems out on the course. Councilmember Hawes asked what the police will use for patrolling the trail system, and the Director of Recreation said he did not know. Commissioner Krefting asked if clubs will be available for rental, and the Director of Recreation responded affirmatively. Councilmember Hawes asked if hand carts will be available also, and the Director of Recreation said they would be. Commissioner Krefting asked if the clubhouse will be available for use in the winter. The Director of Recreation said it will be, and one of the Park and Recreation Commission meetings will be held at the clubhouse this winter. He added the clubhouse will be rented out to small groups for a nominal fee. TELEVISING COMMISSION MEETINGS ON CABLE TELEVISION The Recording Secretary reported a budget proposal was presented to the city council for broadcasting public meetings on cable television. The proposal included funding requests to upgrade the lighting, ventilation, and sound system in the council chambers to allow for appropriate coverage of the meetings. The city council will be looking at approving funding for the upgrading of the ventilation and sound system in the council chambers in 1988. Further enhancements to the council chambers may not be completed until 1989. There was some discussion by the commission on the budget constraints for this proposal. Chairman Sorenson said this commission originally asked to have 9-15-87 -2- • commission meetings televised and now the proposal is to televise city council meetings. The Recording Secretary pointed out that there are fewer city council meetings than commission meetings, and it would be more feasible to start broadcasting with a few meetings at first. Commissioner Krefting asked if audio tapes are made of the meetings, and the Recording Secretary said this has not been done yet. Chairman Sorenson asked if the meetings are on cable television, will they be broadcast live. The Recording Secretary said most likely they would be. Chairman Sorenson said he would like to see the schedule to broadcast on cable television moved up faster. Commissioner Krefting asked if there are other locations elsewhere where the facilities are better and more adaptable for broadcasting meetings. Chairman Sorenson pointed out that public hearings should be held at City Hall. Commissioner Peterson said the only thing that seems to be preventing the completion of this project is the funding constraints. The Director of Recreation pointed out the city council is faced with strict levy limits this year and must keep expenditures down in all areas. Chairman Sorenson suggested the City implement a City sales tax. VANDALISM REPORT The Recording Secretary reported Kylawn Preserve did not have many vandalism problems over the summer. The Director of Recreation said a few weeks ago a satellite at Evergreen Park was burned to the ground. However, he said overall the vandalism problem has not been as bad as in past years. He added the instigators who blew up the satellite at West Palmer Lake Park have been caught. Commissioner Propst said there is a lot more traffic in Lions Park and the potential for vandalism there is great. He would like to see more police patrolling the area because of this. The Director of Recreation pointed out the police are patrolling the area because of the golf course, but Commissioner Propst said he does not see them much and would like to see more of them. Councilmember Hawes asked about any vandalism problems with drinking fountains and scoreboards in the parks, and the Director of Recreation said there have been no recent problems with this. Councilmember Hawes asked if there have been any problems in Central Park, and the Director of Recreation said there have not been. Councilmember Hawes asked how the geese population are doing in Central Park, and the Director of Recreation said there are hardly any there now. He added there is a three year plan to move the geese out of the park. The Director of Recreation said the geese have been a problem at the Twin Lake beach, but because of this there have not been as many problems with people there this summer. Commissioner Manson asked if there have been any problems at the Evergreen Park soccer and football fields. The Director of Recreation said there have not been, and the football field is in the best shape it has ever been. He added the field is being 0 9-15-87 -3- used by the Park Center High School junior varsity team. Chairman Sorenson said the City should be able to find a way to put a drinking fountain in a park that will work without problems. The Director of Recreation said certain parks get hit more than others with vandalism. Chairman Sorenson said it is annoying when a person is out using the bike paths, stops to get a drink of water, and the drinking fountain does not work. Commissioner Krefting asked if there were any complaints over the summer in the Twin Lake beach area. The Director of Recreation said there have not been because the geese have kept the people away from the park. Councilmember Hawes pointed out that in order to remove the geese from the lake area, the City will have to work with the cities of Crystal and Robbinsdale. REVIEW OF GENERAL ORDINANCES RELATED DIRECTLY TO PARKS, The commission agreed that this item will be further discussed at the next meeting. The Recording Secretary will send the entire packet prepared and dated April 21, 1987, to the commissioners and will include Phil Cohen's memorandum. Councilmember Hawes asked if there have been problems with broken glass in the parks, and the Director of Recreation said this has been one of the best summers for lack of this problem. He added he has not heard any complaints about the prohibition of alcohol and said the broken glass at the softball diamond backstops is at a minimum this year. Commissioner Propst asked what the fine is for drinking in the parks, and the Recording Secretary said the penalty can be up to $700. FACILITY NEEDS Chairman Sorenson said looking towards the future, the commission must discuss how it wants to approach discussion of facility needs. The Director of Recreation said if the City continues to have indoor winter activities such as volleyball, increasing demand will create a problem because the school space used now is less and less available. The City may want to look at having a gym or fieldhouse in the future for its activities. Chairman Sorenson asked if there was talk about closing Willow Lane or Garden City Schools, and the Director of Recreation said this is no longer being considered. Commissioner Propst asked if Robbinsdale High School is for sale and if it is feasible to purchase it. Commissioner Manson said it is too far away from the City and he is positive it is not for sale. The Director of Recreation agreed something is needed in Brooklyn Center. Commissioner Propst asked if there is any available site, and chairman Sorenson asked about the availability of the Earle Brown Farm, especially the hippodrome. The Director of Recreation said this will be a multipurpose building used for trade shows, banquets, weddings, and so on. Councilmember Hawes said there are also barns, and a variety of uses have been discussed for them. Chairman Sorenson pointed out there are facility needs 9-15-87 -4- is around Brooklyn Center for things other than physical sports. Councilmember Hawes asked about the availability of the European Health Spa building, and the Director of Recreation pointed out the cost of this may be too high. Councilmember Hawes said the European Health Spa building would be a good spot for senior adults' activities. The Director of Recreation noted the pool is in pretty good shape. Commissioner Propst asked what kind of activities the City is interested in sponsoring. Chairman Sorenson said he is not sure. He said there will be golf in the summertime, but there is a question about what to do in the winter months. Commissioner Propst said the City of Minneapolis utilizes some park facilities during the winter months for purposes such as senior citizen activities. He added this might be one utilization for the golf course's clubhouse. Commissioner Burnes said in Brooklyn Park, all the parks have some sort of shelter, either open or enclosed. There was some discussion on doing this in Brooklyn Center. The Director of Recreation said the City has either a warming house or sheltered buildings in almost every park, although the City has cut back on the number of parks with skating rinks. However, adding shelters may be something to do in the future. Commissioner Burnes said his Jaycee chapter uses the parks in Brooklyn Park for meetings because there are meeting rooms available at the parks. He added he sees a lot of people using these facilities. Commissioner Krefting asked if Brookdale is still available for walking and running, and Councilmember Hawes said it is for walking only. The Director of Recreation said the City had considered using Evergreen School for similar activities, but the cost for staff and liability insurance would be too high. Chairman Sorenson asked the Director of Recreation to prepare a report on what the needs are and what facilities are currently existing and being used. The Director of Recreation noted some of the new senior apartments are including some of their own recreational facilities in the buildings; however, there are still quite a few inactive people in the community. Commissioner Propst asked if the facilities in these apartments are available to people who do not live there, and Councilmember Hawes said he did not think so. The Director of Recreation said the cities of Bloomington and Richfield have large senior citizen centers. This item will be placed on discussion. Also, the commiss. work on in the next five years Commissioner Krefting said he facilities for the handicapped. about three years ago, the City parks are handicap accessible. the next agenda for further on will discuss what it should and also in the upcoming would also like to talk The Director of Recreation conducted a study to ensur He added the swimming po accessible and there are some special classes for year. about said e the of is the 0 9-15-87 -5- handicapped. He added there is a joint venture with the cities of Plymouth and Crystal for working with older mentally retarded citizens and said some things are being done, but more probably could be done. OTHER BUSINESS Councilmember Hawes asked if a decision has been made on which ice rinks will be open this winter. The Director of Recreation said the same ones as last year will be open, and he will report back to the commission next year on the usage of these rinks. There was some discussion on the use of rinks during 1986/1987, and the Director of Recreation said because last winter was not an average Minnesota winter, the City is waiting one more year to review the usage statistics. Chairman Sorenson referenced the letter he received from the city manager regarding the Twin Lake parking area.', He felt the City was very negative on the request. He added that it is a little late now to do any more, especially since a feasibility study will be conducted for the area next year. Commissioner Propst laid three baseballs on the table and announced that this is an example of what is happening in his neighborhood from the Little League Park; that is, baseballs are being hit out of the Little League field into his yard. He wondered if the city council talked about the problem, and Councilmember Hawes said the council did talk about it but took no action. Commissioner Propst said the traffic problem occurs mostly during the Little League games and a blind corner is created. He said a City monitor was out looking at the area after the Little League season was completed instead of during the season. The Recording Secretary said she will bring this to the attention of the Administrative Traffic Committee. The Director of Recreation said he knows the area was monitored during the Little League season. The Recording Secretary will ask the Administrative Traffic Committee to review the "Stop" sign request and the problem with baseballs. Chairman Sorenson asked if anything had been decided regarding 69th Avenue North, in particular, the issue of taking part of the Palmer Lake trail system when 69th Avenue North is reconstructed. The Recording Secretary said she will inform the Administrative Traffic Committee that the Park and Recreation Commission wishes to be consulted if and when 69th Avenue North is reconstructed, particulary in relation to what will happen with the southwest part of the Palmer Lake area and its trails. Chairman Sorenson referenced the action the city council took to amend the resolution and bylaws of the commission. He feels there still remains a direct conflict with subdivision 6 in the resolution regarding the chairperson and article VII of the bylaws. There was some discussion on the limits placed on the 9-15-87 -6- 0 commission by article VII and Commissioner Propst asked for clarification of the chairman's concern. Chairman Sorenson said he feels the bylaws restrict him as chairman. Commissioner Peterson said he agrees with the Chairman and feels the language should be more specific. Commissioner Propst again asked the Chairman to clarify what precisely the problem is and to prepare alternatives that would be more satisfactory. Chairman Sorenson said he feels if he is asked a question at a city council meeting while representing the commission, he would have to go back to the commission for an answer before responding to the council. The commission requested this item be placed on the next agenda. In the meantime, the commissioners should think of other proposals that would respond to Chairman Sorenson's concerns. Commissioner Peterson said the commission may need to get an attorney to say exactly what it wants to say. Councilmember Hawes said this is not necessarily true. Chairman Sorenson suggested the commission may wish to delete article VII completely, and Commissioner Propst said he would like to look at this more closely. This item will be further discussed at the next meeting. The Director of Recreation reported on the past year's activities for Entertainment in the Parks. He felt the program was a big success this year and reported the attendance doubled from the previous year. The City has obtained a grant for partial funding for 1988, although this will be the last year a grant will be available from the Metropolitan Council. The Director of Recreation added the Lions Club, the Rotary Club, and the city council have been very generous to the Entertainment in the Parks program. Chairman Sorenson said this has been a great program. ADJOURNMENT There was a motion by Commissioner Propst and seconded by Commissioner Peterson to adjourn the meeting. The motion passed. The Brooklyn Center Park and Recreation commission adjourned at 9:10 P.M. Chairman 0 9-15-87 -7-