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01-08-2008 WSJanuary 8, 2008 Page 1 MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION -- January 8, 2008 A work session of the Hopkins City Council was called to order by Mayor Gene Maxwell at 6:30 p.m. on January 8, 2008, at the Hopkins City Hall. Council members Rick Brausen, Kristi Halverson, Bruce Rowan and Cheryl Youakim were present. City personnel present were City Manager Rick Getschow and Public Works Director Steve Stadler. Also present were Park Board members Molly Cummings, Doug Datta, Aaron Kuzma and Sharon Paulson. Joint Meeting with Park Board Park System Improvement Plan Public Works Director Stadler said the Board did a survey of Hopkins residents concerning what they wanted from the park system and conducted a survey of what is in the parks. Using this data, they have developed a Park System Improvement Plan for neighborhood parks. Many of the items in this plan are minor ones such as benches and water fountains. They used 20 years as a reasonable life span for playground equipment. If every item on the plan was completed, the total cost would be $465,000, of which $325,000 would be for playground equipment. The Park Fund will have only $230,000 available. Therefore, at present the plan is a "wish list" and there is a need for more sources of funding for the CIP. Ways this shortfall might be met are the passing of a referendum to issue bonds to cover the costs; increased building fees, franchise fees, etc. Ms. Cummings noted residents responded passionately to the park survey. The city must also keep in mind the upcoming costs for our share of the Shady Oak Beach upgrade. Mr. Stadler said $50,000 is in the CIP for tennis court resurfacing. He noted Central Parlc is not in the plan as it is not a neighborhood park. At present all playground equipment does meet safety requirements. Mr. Rowan noted the plan is a replacement plan for equipment; it is not an immediate need. Mr. Getschow said $200,000-$300,000 is an impressive amount to work with, especially considering the only source of revenue to date has been park dedication fees. Funding may be difficult as road work, etc. is using up many available funds. Answering Ms. Youakim, Mr. Stadler said wood picnic shelters cost about $12,000 if the labor is donated. Ms. Youakim suggested looking into Kaboom as a funding source for equipment for Cottageville Park, noting they would not install it. Mr. Stadler noted he does not know the prices for equipment alone as bids have always included labor. Mr. Getschow said he does not see increased park dedication fees as a source as we are already at the usual rate for those ($800 for a condo), but dedicated franchise fees or permit fees are possible. He suggested staff do a survey of surrounding communities. Mr. Stadler added he suggested a referendum because the response to the resident survey was so strongly supportive of the parks. Mr. Rowan noted that any such bonding would need to be very specific about what would be done with the money. He would like to see the various components of the plan prioritized. Ms. Youakim noted some items were minor and very much needed, such as portable toilets. Mr. Stadler said most of the minor items are included in the regular budget. Mayor Maxwell said some neighborhoods don't° want improvements in their parks, feeling that would bring more people. Mr. Stadler said the plan does not cause major changes to any park. Mayor Maxwell noted adding picnic shelters might change parking needs. Mr. Stadler noted the proposed shelters would be small ones, not like those at Burnes Park. Mr. Brausen said S~auhull, _-__- ;~ ~.v.,.a , *'~~'.L...o~«~a~e-na~i..~,~~&e~.,-.~5: _.....:s.`~;e....,.~Y_rt_,.v~~,.;~«~r...~.~.~~k~'vt ~~. s-~~a .~.at _ -.,...,~ .. n,,,., s_ , - .. ,. -. -. ._..x» _ - , _ -.a- ~ ..;-:%~..-r>.a,..~ -.:-ov~..ywi..,t..n~.~. vaw~..W.. w~~~' January 8, 2008 Page 2 . parking spilling over to residential areas is a real concern. Mr. Stadler noted usage for some parks; sixch as Oakes, has greatly changed over the years. Ms. Youakim said she felt the "Other: improve safety" under Burnes and Valley Parks should be removed from the plan. Mr. Stadler said those were put in due to residents there repeatedly expressing that as a concern. Mr. Getschow suggested these concerns be taken up with the police department. Ms. Youakim suggested the new funding from the County for the new JCPP program might be used to raise awareness of safety issues. Mayor Maxwell said police records seem to show that certain parks have problems for a time, then the situation changes as population changes. He asked if the Board might consider including the Pavilion, Art Center or Depot in their park plans, or if they prefer to work only on outdoor areas. Mr. Datta said they do include the trails, and Three Rivers is helping with the Depot as a trailhead. Mr. Getschow gave a specific example of additional rinks at the Pavilion as a possible Park Board project. Mr. Stadler noted he has brought those facilities up to previous Park Boards without success. He added that the present funding cannot cover even what is needed for the parks. Mr. Getschow said there have been discussions with Minnetonka on how much of the capital improvements for Shady Oak Beach could be financed by fees. Mr. Datta noted this season the Beach will charge a per person season fee of $12 for the first three members of a family, then $6 each. Mr. Brausen said the idea of a referendum does not scare him; his concern is about funding in general as he feels finances will continue to get tighter for the city. He added the Board might consider seeing how much actual use equipment gets in each park; some useful lifetimes might be longer than that proposed. He is not saying the Board should include the other entities; his personal concern is with the Depot because of the age group involved. Answering Ms. Cummings, he said if the Board did expand to the Depot, he would suggest going to them for suggestions and working with Three Rivers. Outdoor benches might be a possibility. Ms. Youakim suggested holding a Park Board meeting at the Depot. Answering Mayor Maxwell, Mr. Stadler said equipment for Central Park is not in the plan as school district equipment can be used there, and it is a community park. Mayor Maxwell suggested the Board consider expanding Central Park field 4 for adult sports. Then Maetzold could be reserved for youth programs. If changes were needed at Maetzold to implement this, Little League would be willing to help. Concensus of the Park Board was to look at this idea; Mr. Stadler said he would talk to Recreation. Later Mayor Maxwell suggested playground equipment be power washed each spring to clean it up for usage in the spring. Dogs in the Parks Mr. Stadler said the Board is still discussing this issue and wanted feedback from the Council. A dog park had been suggested earlier, but residents in that area were highly unfavorable and the idea has been dropped. Present discussion is not for a dog park, but for rules about leashed dogs in parks. Ms. Cummings said the issue came up often on the survey, with residents very strongly for and against dogs in the parks. Later she added she favors allowing leashed dogs on the trails and in 2 or 3 of the largest parks as a compromise. Mr. Rowan said his concern is dogs running loose. Ms. Youakim said she felt dogs should not be at Maetzold Park as it is too busy. Mr. Stadler noted that Mr. Helgeson, the absent Board member, is against allowing dogs. Mr. Brausen suggested oil&v`3.~INx~•••r+~wa~MxaY>titA~'" - - -- - - -- _'_'a.~.:a.h.ir~;.Ih~3u:=M __ ".~t'~...~ ~ _ ~., .. ~.. a,,~v&.~;..,:,.~..,~.~.~~, x.«,~,.:~,r=~-{....a~<.~,.S~.ns.~rx~:ix~u~.....~~,~a.M1„~.t,r.:r~a.~,~ta„~,.~-,u~,~~ < January 8, 2008 Page 3 talking to neighboring cities about their policies. General Consensus supported Ms. Cummings' suggestion. Mayor Maxwell invited Park Board members to participate in the budget process in June and July. Mr. Stadler noted the park survey results are on the city website. Other Ms. Halverson brought up a letter received on rental licensing. Mr. Getschow said Chris Kearney will research the issue and it will be on the agenda for the next Council meeting. Mr. Brausen asked about the Walser property. Mr. Getschow said Walser gave up their lease on the north side of Excelsior Blvd. so that now Walser will be on the south side and Luther on the north side. There have been discussions with Ms. ,A.nderson on zoning. Mr. Getschow said Mayon Plastics will be covered in the update. He told Council members to "save" February 9 on their calendars for the annual fire gala. Xcel has notified residents about tree trimming. A Spanish Immersion School open house will be held January 14 at Cross of Glory Church. He said staff would like to see AED's put in more city buildings and is working on a plan to approach service organizations for donations to cover the $1800 per machine cost. Ms. Youakim suggested approaching Sams Club, SuperValu and other businesses. Staff is looking at reverse 911. There was a short discussion. Getschow will soon receive new and current information on IRV which he will pass on to the Council. On motion by Mr. Brausen and second by Ms. Halverson, the meeting adjourned at 8:40 p.m. on a vote of 5-0. Kasey Kester, Secretary kit _ __.m.,A`i.. - _ w`.bra.::..twt:SCSI.ief~vvww+:a~buL_nR+t.~h+a€sk.._ __ _'w~ _ _,~~~,~.. .. _..s<, _ 3`r m„ _- ~ _, .. ,.( ~ T__. , ,., _ ... ~, u^4'~<.. .. m« ., ...u ^~Y~n~~ .~°,~ _ r +C h'. COUNCIL MEMBERS: