Loading...
10-28-2024 HOPKINS PARK BOARD AGENDA Monday, October 28, 2024 6:00 pm THIS AGENDA IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE UNTIL THE START OF THE PARK BOARD MEETING The public may attend this meeting in-person. I.CALL TO ORDER II.ADOPT AGENDA III.COMMUNITY COMMENT 1.At this time, any interested resident may come to speak about an item not on the agenda this evening. IV.CONSENT AGENDA 1.Minutes of the August 26, 2024, Park Board Meeting V.GENERAL PARK UPDATE 1.Recreation Update; Davy 2.Public works Update; Pavek VI.GENERAL BUSINESS 1.Hopkins Sustainable Building Policy; Howard 2.Buckthorn and Raspberry Park Events; Imihy 3.2025 Park Board Work Plan; Imihy 4.Park Area Assignments and Member Updates; Imihy 5.November and December Meeting Schedule; Imihy VII.PARK BOARD MEMBER UPDATES 1.Wendy Woodfill 2.Kimberly Stiele 3.Kristin Hanneman 4.Callie Flynn 5.Matthew Miller 6.Carsyn Johnson 7.Elizabeth Boor 8.Jon Lyksett VIII.ANNOUCEMENTS 1.Next Meeting: November 25, 2024 – at Hopkins City Hall, 1010 1st St S. IX.ADJOURN HOPKINS PARK BOARD REGULAR MEETING PROCEEDINGS AUGUST 26, 2024 CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a regular meeting of the Hopkins Park Board was held on Monday, August 26, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 1010 1st Street South. Chair Hanneman called the meeting to order with Vice Chair Lyksett and Members Boor, Flynn, Miller, Stiele, Woodfill, and Youth Member Johnson attending. Others in attendance included Special Projects and Initiatives Manager Imihy , Deputy City Clerk Baker. ADOPT AGENDA Motion by Stiele Second by Boor Motion to Adopt the Agenda. Ayes: Boor, Flynn, Hanneman, Lyksett, Miller, Stiele Nays: None. Motion carried. COMMUNITY COMMENT CONSENT AGENDA Motion by Stiele Second by Lyksett Motion to Approve the Consent Agenda. 1. Minutes of the June 24, 2024 Park Board Meeting Ayes: Boor, Flynn, Hanneman, Lyksett, Miller, Stiele Nays: None. Motion carried. GENERAL BUSINESS V.1. Current Planning Projects Update; Imihy Special Projects and Initiatives Manager Imihy introduced new Park Board member Elizabeth Boor and provided updates on current planning projects, including Nine Mile Creek Watershed District’s involvement in the Central Park project, award of the planning contract for Central Park to Bolton & Menk, and future community engagement sessions planned for Oakes Park. V.2. Buckthorn Event; Imihy Motion by Stiele Second by Miller Motion to Table Remaining Agenda Items until September Meeting. Ayes: Boor, Flynn, Hanneman, Lyksett, Miller, Stiele Nays: None. Motion carried. GENERAL PARK UPDATE HOPKINS PARK BOARD REGULAR MEETING PROCEEDINGS AUGUST 26, 2024 PARK AREA ASSIGNMENT REPORTS VII.1. Burnes, Buffer; Woodfill VII.2. Park Valley, Oakes; Stiele VII.3. Maetzold, Valley; Hanneman VII.4. Harley, Elmo; Flynn VII.5. Downtown, Central; Miller VII.6. Cottageville, Minnehaha Creek Preserve; Johnson VII.7. Interlachen, Hiawatha; OPEN VII.8. Shady Oak Beach, Hilltop; Lyksett ANNOUNCEMENTS ADJOURNMENT Due to inclement weather, and upon a motion by Stiele, second by Woodfill, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, David Baker, Deputy City Clerk CITY OF HOPKINS Memorandum To: Park Board Chair and Members of the Park Board From: Kurt Howard, Planner Date: October 28, 2024 Subject: Hopkins Sustainable Building Policy _____________________________________________________________________ PURPOSE The purpose of this item is to present information to the Park Board on staff’s progress towards developing a Hopkins Sustainable Building Policy and seek feedback on the proposed content of the policy, with a particular focus on how the policy could affect future capital improvements within Hopkins parks. INFORMATION Over the past year, the City has been developing a Hopkins Sustainable Building Policy. This work is being completed pursuant to direction contained in the 2040 Comprehensive Plan, the Hopkins Energy Action Plan, and the City Council’s Strategic Action Plan. In general, sustainable building policies are tools that enable local jurisdictions to increase the degree to which new development contributes to improvements in public health, environmental justice, and environmental and economic sustainability. This is accomplished by requiring, incentivizing, or encouraging development to occur in ways that contribute to sustainability goals, such as reductions in carbon emissions, protection of natural areas, mitigation of stormwater, and incentivizing the use of renewable energy sources. At its meeting on December 19, 2023, the City Council was presented with a general policy framework based on several other Minnesota cities that have adopted formal sustainable building policies, as well as resources and guidance provided by the Center for Energy and Environment (CEE). The key components of this policy framework involve: • Establishing policy triggers that control which types of development the policy does and does not apply to • Leveraging existing third-party rating systems by requiring applicable developments to receive certification from at least one of the following: LEED, Minnesota B3 Benchmarking, MN GreenStar Home, or Enterprise Green Communities green building program • Developing a city-specific list of sustainability standards or “universal requirements” that must be met by all developments to which the sustainable building policy applies The City Council expressed support for this general policy framework and staff has since been partnering directly with subject matter experts at CEE to further develop Planning & Economic Development detail on the various components of a Hopkins Sustainable Building Policy, as outlined below. An update on the development of the policy and a preview of a proposed stakeholder engagement plan were presented to the City Council at its meeting on October 1, 2024. The Council generally expressed support for the proposed content of the policy and directed staff to begin conducting stakeholder engagement regarding the proposed content. Policy Triggers Policy triggers enable to cities to determine what scales and types of development a sustainable building policy should apply to in order to help strike an effective balance that both delivers on the sustainability goals of the policy but also maintains the financial feasibility of new development. The triggers for a Hopkins Sustainable Building Policy that are currently under consideration would have the policy apply to developments that have occupiable building space above 5,000 square feet and meet one or more of the following conditions: • Publicly owned • Requesting discretionary land use approvals (e.g. Planned Unit Development (PUD), Rezoning, Comprehensive Plan amendment) • Requesting over $300,000 in City financial assistance (e.g. Tax Increment Financing, grant dollars from other organizations that pass through the City) Compliance with the policy would be voluntary for projects that do no meet these criteria. Third-Party Rating Systems Incorporating existing third-party rating systems into the policy helps establish a level of standardization across the policies of different cities in Minnesota, reduces the administrative costs of implementing the policy, and covers many of the fundamental bases of sustainable building design, including energy efficiency, greenhouse gas reduction, use of renewable energy, stormwater mitigation, and electric vehicle infrastructure. The third-party rating systems that are currently under consideration include: • U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) • Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines (B3) • Enterprise Green Communities • Green Communities - MN Overlay Universal Requirements The city-specific universal requirements component of a sustainable building policy gives cities the ability customize their policy to reflect the unique sustainability goals of the community, helps fill any gaps not covered by the third-party rating systems, and also ensures that certain priorities are advanced with every project to which the policy applies. The universal requirements currently under consideration for a Hopkins Sustainable Building Policy include: • Greenhouse gas emission reduction • Renewable energy • Cool roofs and passive cooling • Resilience and backup energy • Waste management • Electric vehicle charging • Low salt design Based on an initial analysis of the practicality of developing and administering standards related to each of these topics, the universal requirements under consideration to be included in a first draft of a Hopkins Sustainable Building Policy are greenhouse gas reduction, renewable energy, electric vehicle charging, and low salt design. These universal requirements will be a key topic for stakeholder engagement and can be modified with future revisions and evolutions of the policy. Stakeholder Engagement Plan At the City Council’s direction, staff has commenced a stakeholder engagement process over the next several weeks. The stakeholder engagement plan includes presentations to both the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Park Board, in-person community engagement to collect input at the Hopkins Fire Department Open House, one -on-one meetings as requested, and an in-person open house. The feedback gathered will be incorporated into a draft policy that will be brought to the Planning & Zoning Commission for a Public Hearing before subsequently going back to the City Council for proposed adoption. FUTURE ACTION The feedback gathered throughout the stakeholder engagement process will be incorporated into a draft policy to be proposed for adoption before the end of 2024. HIAWATHA-OAKS BUCKTHORN BUST SAT. NOV 2ND10AM - 2PM This year’s city Buckthorn Bust is at Hiawatha-Oaks Preserve. Sign up to volunteer with this park clean up! We provide: training, tools, snacks, water You bring: work clothes and gloves (if you have them) Sign up to volunteer with the QR code below or this link: https://qrco.de/bfTbuQ Hiawatha-Oaks Preserve, Hopkins MN Park Board 2024 Annual Work Plan Initiative ☒ New Initiative ☐ Continued Initiative ☐ On-Going Initiative Target Completion Date Budget Required Staff Support Required Council Approval Develop a master plan for Central Park which includes a feasibility study for an expansion of the Pavilion Winter 2024 $100,000 Staff support from Planning, Public Works + Minnetonka Parks and Recreation would be needed. Information/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 will be complete in Winter 2023, and the next step is to begin implementation of the plan. Initiative ☒ New Initiative ☐ Continued Initiative ☐ On-Going Initiative Target Completion Date Budget Required Staff Support Required Council Approval Tour Hopkins and Minnetonka Recreation Facilities Winter 2024 None Support from Public Works and Minnetonka Parks and Recreation staff would be needed. Information/Progress Report: With many new commissioners onboarded in the past year, as well as Minnetonka’s acquisition of the Marsh, it would be useful to the Park Board to tour some of the Park facilities and spaces as the board implements the Park System Master Plan. Park Board 2024 Annual Work Plan Initiative ☐ New Initiative ☒ Continued Initiative ☐ On-Going Initiative Target Completion Date Budget Required Staff Support Required Council Approval Continue Tabling at or Creating Events related to the Parks (Arbor Day, Garden Plot Kick Off, Buckthorn Removal, Earth Day) Fall 2024 $500 Support from Hopkins Public Works Information/Progress Report: The Park Board will continue to table at events to promote use of the parks, sustainability within the parks and to promote keeping the parks clean and safe. Initiative ☒ New Initiative ☐ Continued Initiative ☐ On-Going Initiative Target Completion Date Budget Required Staff Support Required Council Approval Park Policy Review for Racial Equity Winter 2024 None Support from Minnetonka Recreation Information/Progress Report: The Park Board will form a working group to review the City’s policies related to the parks for alignment with the City’s overall equity goals. Park Board 2024 Annual Work Plan 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 Staff Comments: Council Comments: Park Board 2025 Annual Work Plan Initiative ☐ New Initiative ☒ Continued Initiative ☐ On-Going Initiative Target Completion Date Budget Required Staff Support Required Council Approval Develop a master plan for Central Park which includes a feasibility study for an expansion of the Pavilion Fall 2025 $300,000 Staff support from Planning, Public Works + Minnetonka Parks and Recreation would be needed. Yes Information/Progress Report: In 2022, the Park Board selected Landscape Architecture firm, Confluence, as the contractor for the Master Park System Plan. This plan was completed in 2024 and in fall 2024 the Park Board and City Council approved consultant Bolton and Menk to carry out this work. Staff expect there to be a significant amount of engagement and review for the park board in 2025. Initiative ☐ New Initiative ☐ Continued Initiative ☒ On-Going Initiative Target Completion Date Budget Required Staff Support Required Council Approval Continue Tabling at or Creating Events related to the Parks (Arbor Day, Garden Plot Kick Off, Buckthorn Removal, Earth Day) $500 Support from Hopkins Public Works Information/Progress Report: The Park Board will continue to table at events to promote use of the parks, sustainability within the parks and to promote keeping the parks clean and safe. Ongoing Responsibilities Park Board 2025 Annual Work Plan • 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: December Staff Comments: Council Comments: CITY OF HOPKINS Memorandum To: Park Board Chair and Members of the Park Board From: PeggySue Imihy, AICP, Special Projects and Initiatives Manager Date: October 28, 2024 Subject: Park Area Assignments _____________________________________________________________________ INFORMATION Over the past year, the Park Board has had several conversations regarding the efficacy of the Park Area Assignments system. The current system, in which each Park Board member draws two parks to be assigned to them to check in on and report back on for one year seemingly causes frustration as parks are not all the same size or level of usage or may only be open seasonally. This frequently leaves members with northing to report, and does not provide space for the members to share updates or observations on other parks, especially those which they visit often in the regular course of a month such as the park near their home. Staff requested the Park Board provide feedback on this process, and several members expressed an interest in being able to report on all the parks, or having a more generic space for updates. Moving forward, Staff recommends that the agenda no longer list park assignments but rather only the Park Board Members’ names will appear, and each member will have the opportunity to share what they’ve observed across the park system in the past month. All members are encouraged to visit a variety of parks each month and to offer some feedback if possible. Tonight, Staff seeks feedback on if this method would be amenable to the Park Board. REQUESTED ACTION: None Administration