Park Board 2023 Work Plan; Imihy Bean
CITY OF HOPKINS
Memorandum
To: Honorable Mayor and Council Members
Mike Mornson, City Manager
From: PeggySue Imihy Bean, AICP, Management Analyst
Date: November 9, 2022
Subject: Park Board 2023 Work Plan
_____________________________________________________________________
PURPOSE
To provide the City Council with an update on the 2022 Park Board Work Plan and to see
feedback on the 2023 Park Board Work Plan.
INFORMATION
In 2022, the Park Board has made great progress on the approved work plan for the year.
Tonight, the Park Board Chair Meg Slindee, will provide insight on some of the board’s
accomplishments such as:
• Developing a Park System Master Plan: In Spring 2022, the City entered into a
contract with local consultant Confluence and its team of subcontractors to provide
the City with a Park System Master Plan. This plan will be the first comprehensive
master plan for the park system in Hopkins’ history and will help the City plan for
future growth associated with development along the light rail. On November 28,
the Park Board will host Confluence at their regularly scheduled Park Board
meeting to discuss outcomes of the community engagement and set goals and
priorities for the plan. The City Council is invited to attend this meeting and be apart
of the discussion. Tonight, Staff will present an update on the progress of the plan
and a timeline for the remainder of the planning process including:
o An updated timeline of the project
o A summary of engagement totals and events, including high level themes
from the engagement:
▪ More natural resources
▪ Focus on quality
▪ Park access
▪ Winter recreation
o Level of service – How well are Hopkins’ parks serving the residents
compared to national standards and selected benchmark communities
o Next Steps and Key Issues Emerging
▪ Engagement notes lack of variety and interest in parks as well as
feeling that spaces are outdated or have low-quality equipment
▪ Parks need physical improvements to update and adapt to
recreation trends
Administration
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▪ Parks are underfunded and require creative solutions for to improve
parks and keep up with projected population growth
▪ Major opportunities for redevelopment and integration with
downtown that could strengthen both the downtown and adjacent
facilities
• Study and develop a recommendation on how sustainability does or does
not fit within the scope of the Park Board: The board spent several meetings
researching and discussing where sustainability fit within their existing work. While
maintaining a high level of sustainability within the parks was an important focus
for the board, they ultimately felt that City wide sustainability was outside of their
expertise. Their recommendation to the City Council on this issue is that a separate
board be formed for sustainability and environmental issues.
• Develop a document outlining the decision -making abilities of the park
board, policies, and identifying best practices for working with partners
within the parks system. The document will serve to help transition future
park boards – With an expansion of the board from 5 member to 7 members,
many of the new members felt that time spent understanding the role of the board
more clearly and meeting with staff from Hopkins -Minnetonka Recreation and
Public Works would help them more clearly understand their role on the board.
Many meetings over the past year focused on the role of this board and how it
interacts with the staff liaisons from the aforementioned departments. It was
decided not to make a document, as the City Clerk Amy Domeier, recently made
a very helpful Board and Commissions Handbook, and this year hosted a training
session for new members. The board feels that at this time they have a much
clearer understanding of what they do.
For 2023, the board has the following work plan items they are seeking the City
Council’s feedback on:
• Developing a Park System Master Plan : The Board continues to work on the
Park System Master Plan and will likely carry related implementation steps from
this item over into the 2024 Plan.
• Review and recommend changes to staff on the Adopt-a-Park Program: The
Park Board is continuously seeking opportunities for the community to be more
involved in the park system, including revisiting the Adopt-a-Park program and
seeing the ways in which the program might become more robust. The board
proposes to work with staff on ideas related to engaging participants more and
possible expansion of the program.
• Work with partners such as Minnetonka Recreation, Hopkins Public Works,
Hopkins Public School, and other partners to receive more communication
and updates regarding ongoing efforts – As programming and maintenance of
the parks is spread between the City and many partners, the park board in
interested in having more regular communication and involvement with
organizations and their ongoing efforts. The board proposed developing a more
regularly schedule for staff and organizations to bring forward updates and
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develop a better feedback loop with Hopkins-Minnetonka Recreation on
programming.
The board seeks the Council’s feedback on these items and to know if there are any
other items they should work on in the upcoming year.
FUTURE ACTION
The Park Board will return to the City Council in Fall 2023 to provide updates on this plan.
The Council is also invited to the November 28th Park Board meeting to hear from
consultant, Confluence, on the Park System Master Plan.
Park Board
2023 Annual Work Plan
Initiative ☐ New Initiative
☐ Continued Initiative
☒ On-Going Initiative
Target
Completion Date
Budget
Required
Staff Support Required
Council
Approval
Develop a Master Parks Plan
Summer 2023
$150,000
Staff support from
Planning, Public Works +
Minnetonka Parks and
recreation would be
needed.
12/14/2021
Progress Report: In 2022, the Park Board selected Landscape Architecture firm, Confluence as the contractor for the Master Park
System Plan. The work on this plan is ongoing and updates are planned consistent with the proposal. The project is currently
running on time and on budget.
Initiative ☒ New Initiative
☐ Continued Initiative
☐ On-Going Initiative
Target
Completion Date
Budget
Required
Staff Support Required
Council
Approval
Review and recommend changes to staff on
the Adopt-a-Park Program
Fall 2023
None
Staff support from Staff
Liaison & Solid Waste
Coordinator
Progress Report:
Park Board
2023 Annual Work Plan
Initiative ☒ New Initiative
☐ Continued Initiative
☐ On-Going Initiative
Target
Completion Date
Budget
Required
Staff Support Required
Council
Approval
Work with partners such as Minnetonka
Recreation, Hopkins Public Works, Hopkins
Public School and other partners to receive
more communication and updates regarding
ongoing efforts.
Ongoing
None
Staff liaison, Minnetonka
Parks and Recreation
and Hopkins Public
Works
Progress Report:
Ongoing Responsibilities
• Review of Park Dedication Funds
• Advise Council on operation and maintenance on parks
• Increase public understanding of park policies, practices, and ongoing projects
Other Work Plan Ideas Considered for Current Year or Future Years
• Revised Capital Improvement Plan which incorporates recommendations from Master Parks Plan
• System improvements consistent with Master Parks Plan
Proposed Month for Work Session: November
Park Board
2023 Annual Work Plan
Staff Comments: Staff is supportive of the above work plan. The proposed work plan continues to
build on efforts made in 2022 to increase communication amongst key partners as
well as effectively plan for future improvements to the park system.
Council Comments: