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Home My WebLink About10F - Canoe Rental at Sand Point Beach MEETING DATE: AGENDA #: PREPARED BY: AGENDA ITEM: DISCUSSION: ISSUES: CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT APRIL 21,2008 10F KELLY MEYER, ASST. CITY MANAGER ANGELA BARSTAD, RECREATION COORDINATOR CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A REPORT REGARDING CANOE RENTAL PROGRAM AT SAND POINT BEACH Historv In February 2007, the City Council directed staff to research two items: 1. The feasibility of providing canoe/sailboat slips or rack rental space at Sand Point Beach; and 2. The possibility of renting canoes for use from Sand Point Beach. In July 2007, we accomplished the first directive and put the first rack in place pro- viding rental space for canoes to be stored during the summer/fall season at Sand Point Beach. The purpose of this agenda item is to discuss the second directive -renting City- owned or leased canoes from Sand Point Beach as an additional park amenity. Current Circumstances City staff has outlined below the issues considered by the staff and Parks Advisory Committee related to any canoe rental program. In large part, staff utilized information provided by Three Rivers Park District in outlining a potential program. Three Rivers currently operates canoe rentals at Clearly Lake Regional Park, among some others throughout the metro area. Conclusion The City Council should consider each of the issues identified below, accept the report, and provide staff with direction regarding how the Council wishes to pro- ceed. The Parks Advisory Committee discussed 5 items identified by staff as issues that would need to be addressed in order to implement a canoe rental program: 1. Proaram Ooeration: In order to rent canoes on a "walk up" basis, the City would need to provide staff support at the park locations. Staff would be responsible for collecting fees, acquiring completed liability waivers, explaining rules, and providing safety equipment. Because we currently provide staff at Sand Point to manage parking and conces- sions, we would propose that this staff could also handle any canoe rentals. In that manner there would be no additional costs for staffing initially. If the program was popular, an additional staff person would be needed. A "walk-up" service appears to be the most customer friendly and most likely to be utilized. K:\CC Canoe Rental agenda 4-21.DOC www.cityofpriorlake.com Phone 952.447.9800 / Fax 952.447.4245 We also considered an off-site rental system where canoes, paddles and safety equipment would be reserved in advance, and users would need to pick up equipment and a key to unlock the canoe from City Hall. This type of off-site rental system would provide more flexibility to use other parks that may not have on-site staff. However, additional racks and canoes would be needed to provide the amenity at any park other than Sand Point. 2. Location/Safetv: From a staff and PAC perspective, the biggest concern was where this type of amenity could be best utilized in a safe manner. Sand Point Beach poses a number of problems in this regard: · Parking. There continues to be on-going competition for the parking spaces at Sand Point Park. There was some hesitation by staff and the PAC that adding uses to this park will further ex- acerbate any parking issues. · Multiple I Competing Uses. Sand Point is currently host to our most popular swimming beach, a DNR public boat access, City- operated boat slips, a fishing pier, and a popular playground and picnic shelter. These multiple uses of the shoreline in that loca- tion might make launching and beaching canoes safely very diffi- cult without competing with fisherpersons, boaters and swim- mers. Three Rivers, for example, would also require that an area be marked with buoys to identify a perimeter within which canoes could operate. Setting up this type of perimeter would add to the congestion on both the shoreline and the open water. · Boat Traffic. As Council members are aware, Prior Lake contin- ues to be a very popular destination every day during our short summer, and is used heavily by boats and jet-skis. Adding ca- noes into water traffic that travels at much higher speeds with at- tendant waves poses safety concerns. · Safety Equipment. Currently the lifeguard staff does not have a means to reach canoe users who may require assistance or res- cue. We would have to rely upon the Fire Department for such emergencies. 3. Liabilitv and Fees: The staff believes issues related to liability could be appropriately addressed by having users sign a liability waiver. We util- ize a similar practice at the skate park. Three Rivers requires a waiver for their canoe rental program as well. With respect to rates, staff would propose to charge the same as Three Rivers at $3.00 per half hour. 4, Hours of Ooeration. Staff is assuming that a "walk up" program was the intent of the Council's directive and is the most desirable. In that case, staff would be needed to operate the program. The proposed hours and dates of operation would run with the beach hours currently offered which is approximately the second week of June through mid August; Monday - Sunday from Noon - 7pm. Canoe rentals would be available beginning at Noon through 6pm. This would allow ample time for a staff K:\CC Canoe Rental agenda 4-21.DOC RECOMMENDED ACTION ALTERNATIVES: RECOMMENDED MOTION: person to open/close the concession stand and to ensure that lifeguards were on duty. With these hours of operation, we could run an initial program with no additional costs for staffing. 5. Costs. The upfront costs to run a piloUtrial program at Sand Point Beach could be minimal. The City currently has 2 canoes is storage that could be utilized. The City would need to purchase paddles and life jackets in a suitable array of sizes. To purchase appropriate paddles and life jackets there would be $500.00 in upfront costs. These funds are currently not budgeted. There would be no additional staffing costs initially unless the program was operated outside the current hours of the beach. Staff and the Parks Advisory Committee concluded that a program of this type could be a nice addition to the amenities offered at our Prior Lake parks. However, after considering each of the issues, the staff and PAC agreed that where Sand Point beach is attractive because of its high use, the location may not be the safest one for canoes. Instead. the PAC and staff believe that this tv De of amenitv is more aoorooriate for a non-motorized or natural area lake and recommend that it be con- sidered at a future date as an amenitv for Jeffers Pond. Pike Lake. or CamDbelJ. Lake. No motorized traffic is permitted on these lakes, and in the case of Pike' Lake at least, the depth is much shallower. The PAC also suggested that the Council may wish to consider moving the existing canoe rental rack from Sand Point to one of these lakes as well when the timing is such that the parks are accessible to the public. Implementing a canoe rental pro- gram at these locations does increase the costs because an additional seasonal staff person would need to be hired, and a canoe rack and potentially a small shel- ter constructed. If the Council concurs with the PAC recommendation to consider this program at a non-motorized lake at a future date, staff is seeking additional direction on the type of program envisioned, including what location, hours of operation, type of opera- tion, and shelter or other amenities to be provided. These items can then be incor- porated into the Master Park plan and budgeting process for 2009 or such other date as the desired lake becomes accessible to the public. 1. Motion and Second to accept the report and recommendation as proposed and provide the staff with additional input. 2, Motion and Second to accept the report and provide alternative direction to staff. Alternative # 1 . ReVierd by: .J} Frank BOYlerity 111 K.\CC COO" ~"d' 4-21 DOC