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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSeptember 13, 200416200 Eagle Creek Avenue S.E. Prior Lake, MN 55372-1714 PARK ADVISORY COMMI EE MEETING MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2004 MAINTENANCE CENTER 6:00 p.m. 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of Meeting Minutes a. Approval of August 9, 2004 Meeting Minutes 3. Old Business , , a. Comprehensive Park Plan Update b. Downtown Grand Reopening & Autumn Gathering - October 16, 2004 c. Skate Park Update d. Prior Lake-Savage Hockey Association - Zamboni Storage Building e. Athletic Field Advertising f. New Business a. Dutch Elm Disease and Oak Wilt Outbreaks b. Sandpoint Beach and Ponds Park Concession/Restroom Facilities Improvements c. Shoreland Restoration Grant for Lakefront Park Future Meeting Date a. October 11, 2004 6. Adjournment www. cityofpriorlake, com Phone 952.447.4230 / Fax 952.447.4245 PARKS ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES FOR AUGUST 9, 2004 The meeting was called to order at 6:05 pm, on Monday, August 9, 2004, at the Maintenance Facility. Members present were Pat McFadden, Tom Borger, Mike Feriancek, Lori Helgestad, and Ruth Harris. Also in attendance were Council Liaison Chad LeMair, Assistant City Manager Susan Walsh, Public Works Director Bud Osmundson, Parks and Fleet Supervisor Al Friedges, Recreation Supervisor Chris Esser and guests Kevin Six and Lonnie Stein representing Prior Lake Athletics for Youth (P.L.A.Y.) and consultant Greg Ingraham of Ingraham & Associates. Approval of the May 107 2004 Meetin.q Minutes: Motion by Borger to approve the May 10, 2004 Meeting Minutes. Second by Helgestad. Ayes: 5. Nays: 0. P.L.A.Y. Presentation: Lonnie Stein and Kevin Six from the P.L.A.Y. Board of Directors were present to share 2004 participation numbers and give an overview of P.L.A.Y.'s anticipated growth. P.L.A.Y. has experienced a 16-20% growth in participation overall the past six years. Due to the growth, P.L.A.Y. is experiencing field scheduling difficulties. The average sport teams are able to get on the fields only once or twice a week and usually for games only, no practices. Accounting for both neighborhood and community parks, P.L.A.Y. is currently utilizing 35 playfields in Prior Lake. The average summer season for all P.L.A.Y. teams is May 1 - Mid-July. Some traveling teams have a "second season" in the fall. The P.L.A.Y. representatives distributed a list of questions for the Parks Advisory Committee (PAC) and staff to answer including: the plans for a new athletic complex, advertising on outfield fences, and concession stand construction and operation at Thomas Ryan Memorial Park. At the conclusion of the discussion the PAC requested that staff research the estimated costs involved in field lighting at Thomas Ryan Memorial Park and research the policies other athletic complexes have regarding advertising on athletic field fencing. Staff will present both findings at a future PAC meeting. Lakefront Days: Recreation Supervisor Esser provided an update regarding the success of Lakefront Days primarily focusing on the success of the city-sponsored events. On Wednesday, August 4 the Recreation Department sponsored the first Lakefront Days Family Fishing event at the new FiN pond located at Lakefront Park. Staff members from the MinnAqua program brought fishing poles and educational materials to hand out at the free event and the DNR staff was also on hand providing a live fish display. About 90 participants took part in the free two-hour event. Thursday, August 5 was the annual Ice Cream social. Another record setting crowd was on hand to enjoy free ice cream and entertainment. On Saturday, August 7 the annual Lakefront Pacer fun run took place with 93 runners participating in the 4-mile and 55 runners participating in the l-mile. The Recreation Department was also represented in the Lakefront Days parade and distributed candy, flyers for upcoming programs, and City of Prior Lake bags to the public. Summer Programs: Recreation Supervisor Esser reviewed the success of the many summer recreation programs offered. Programs included the Family Beach Days, Mini- Sport Camps, Safety Camp, Coin Carnival, Tennis program, 3rd Lair Skate Camps, Roller Hockey Camps, Lacrosse Camps, Wilderness Day Camps, and the Tot-Lot and Playground programs. Registration numbers are at an all-time high and program offerings will be expanded next summer due to demand, especially in the 3-5 year old age category. Comprehensive Park Plan Update: Greg Ingraham from Ingraham & Associates presented the preliminary Comprehensive Park and Trail Plan Update. The plan has been updated to reflect future needs for athletic facilities, the annexation areas, and overall future park and trail planning. Ingraham & Associates created an inventory and evaluation of city and school district facilities based on service area standards. The evaluation outlined existing and future needs for parks, trails, and athletic facilities. The evaluation indicates that most existing recreation needs are met by City and school facilities. Future needs include an adult athletic complex, 10 new neighborhood parks and one additional community park within the annexation areas. Greg Ingraham advised that land acquisition is key to the implementation of the updated Comprehensive Park and Trail Plan and mentioned a possible future need for a park land acquisition referendum. Prior Lake-Savage Hockey Association: Public Works Director Osmundson provided an update regarding the Prior Lake-Savage Hockey Association'S (PLSHA) plans for the upcoming winter season. City representatives recently met with the PLSHA to discuss options for outdoor ice use, maintenance, and the storage of the Association's equipment. Osmundson stated that five options were presented to the PLSHA, one of which included an addition onto the Lakefront Park Pavilion building. The PLSHA is now in discussions with the City of Savage regarding other options in that city. Grand Reopening of Downtown: Assistant City Manager Walsh announced that plans are in the works for the Grand Reopening Celebration of DOwntown to take place Saturday, October 16. The Autumn Gathering family special event will be woven into the celebration along with a Chamber of Commerce sponsored chili cook-off. All activities are scheduled to take place along Main Avenue downtown. Other Business: PAC members inquired about the status of on-( the forest and vegetation restoration at Lakefront Park, the Bo~ renovation, and the Public Boat slips to be install adjacent to Wa1 Borger announced that a group of Skate Park users have plans at the next City Council open forum to request improvements Park. MOTION by Harris to adjourn. Second by McFadden. Ayes: 5. Ioing projects including ~t Ramp/Public Access :zl's Point Beach. Tom o make a presentation :o the Lakefront Skate Nays: 0. Respectfully submitted, Christopher J. Esser Prior Lake Shoreline Restoration Project Proposal City of Prior Lake Grants are administered on a reimbursement basis. This means that that designated grantee is responsible for paying for all project costs, and the DNR will reimbUrse the designated grantee for approved expenditures. If this project is funded, who will be the designated grantee (usually a local unit of government)? City of Prior Lake Contributions to Project Cost: Project Partner Activit¥11tem Amount Amount Amount City of Prior Lake Project Fundincj $1,050.00 $6,779.60 City of Prior Lake Education/Maintenance $1,300.00 DNR Fisheries Shoreline/Education $1,000.00 Gregg Thompson Education Seminars · $!,000.00 Jim Hucjhs Shoreline Students Steve Nielsen Project Fundincj Donation $200.00 Sub Total $1,250.00 $3,300.00 $6,779.60 Grand Total $11,329.60 , [ Plant List: See attachment #2 Project Site Design: See attachment #1 Maintenance Plan: The City of Prior Lake will be responsible for maintaining the site once the initial construction is completed. The City will initiate watering schedule for plants, shrubs and seeded areas during the summer. The eradication of the reed canary grass will be completed prior to the start of the project and all costs will be borne by the City. Short-term maintenance will be performed by the City of Prior Lake and the local middle schools. Maintenance will consist of periodic weeding of problematic/invasive plant species and inspection for erosion problems. Long-term maintenance will be performed by the City of Prior Lake and will consist of periodic weeding of problematic/invasive plant species and re-planting areas if necessary. Additionally, the City hopes the partnership with the local middle schools will continue in future years. MAP PAGE: See attachment #1 PHOTO PAGE: See attachment #3 Page 4 of 4 Date of Confirmation: DISEASED TREE NOTICE What is it? When the fungus invades the tree's water and nutrient carrying system, the tree's vessels become partially clogged. Eventually, this causes the tree to wilt and die. How is it spread? Dutch elm disease spreads quickly. Elm bark beetles spread it when they fly from infected elms to healthy elms. It is also spread through roots con- necting a diseased elm to an adjacent healthy elm. Visual symptoms · Wiltingof one or more of the upper branches. Leaves on these branches turn dull green, then yellow, wilt and eventually fall off. · Brown staining of the wood immediately under the bark. (In healthy trees, the sapwood is milky white.) Disease protection If you have a healthy American elm, you can pro- tect it by injecting it with a fungicide that protects it from Dutch elm disease for three seasons. On the date written above, the Prior Lake Parks Department confirmed that you have diseased elm or oak trees on your property. In accordance with state law and our ordinance, we have marked each diseased tree with a red ring. Under our ordinance, you have 30 days from the date written above to remove and dispose of diseased trees. Diseased tree parts may be retained only if they have been chipped or all bark is removed. We understand the time, expense and environmental hardship created by tree removal. But prompt removal and disposal is the only way to protect our urban forest. As a gesture of our gratitude for promptly dealing with this problem, we will provide a young, bare-root tree as a replacement for you at no charge next spring. See additional details on the backside of this notice. Thank you for your attention in this matter. We all have the same goal -- to ensure that Prior Lake continues to be a wonderful place to call home, live and work! If you still have questions after reading this notice, please give me a call at (952) 447-9892. A1 Friedges Parks Supervisor and City Forester What is it?. Although oak wilt hasn't reached the epidemic propor- tions that Dutch elm disease has, it still threatens many trees in Prior Lake. A fungus that invades the tree's water conducting vessels causes oak wilt. As the tree tries to protect itself from the invading fungus, it produces substances that plug these vessels. That cuts off its water supply and kills the tree. How is it spread? Mainly root grafts connect- ing diseased oaks to healthy oaks spread oak wilt. Oak wilt also is spread when people transport infected wood to uninfected oak stands or when insects fly from an infected oak to a healthy oak. Visual Symptoms · Leaf discoloration begins at the outer leaf edge and progresses inward. Leaves turn a dull green, bronze or tan; eventually, the leaves turn brown and shrivel. Visual Symptoms If you spot a tree with disease symptoms, call the City Forester at (952) 447-9892. A certified tree inspector will be sent to check the tree. Here are some other ways to control oak wilt and Dutch elm disease: · Don"( store elm or oak firewood. It attracts the insects that spread the disease. · Call the City Forester, (952) 447-9892, to report piles of dead elm or oak wood. · Prune elms and oaks of dead or dying branches. · If at all possible, don't trim elms and oaks in the summer, Trim them in the winter when insects won't be attracted to the cuts. · Water all species of trees during prolonged dry periods. Once a week, place a hose on the ground under the outer edges of the branches (drip line), and let it run very slowly for an hour. Trees infected with Dutch elm dis- ease or oak wilt must be removed promptly so they don't infect healthy trees. If the diseased tree is on the boulevard or public right-of-way, the City of Prior Lake will remove the dis- eased tree. If the diseased elm or oak is on pri- vate property, the homeowner is responsible for lO0 percent of the removal and disposal cost for trees on private property. Homeowners contracting for tree removal must also make sure their con- tractor removes the tree by the Cites deadline and removes the stump. Our City Parks crew works to pre- serve our public property trees by dis- ease management, regular tree prun- ing and replacement planting. The City of Prior Lake will be offer- ing a free tree (one per household) if a diseased oak or elm has been identified on your property. A notice will be sent in March 2005 with the date and location for pick-up. What does city code say? The Prior Lake City Council has set forth city codes that dictate specific proce- dures to be followed. Code 602.100: Declaration of Policy The City Council has determined that the health of the elm trees and oak trees within the city limits is threatened by fatal diseases known as dutch elm disease and oak wilt disease. It is further determined that the loss of elm trees and oak trees growing upon public and private property would substantially depreciate the value of property within the city and impair the safety, good order, general welfare and convenience of the public. It is declared to be the intention of the council to control and prevent the spread of these diseases and this section is enacted for this purpose. It is to be understood that throughout the remainder of this section, any reference which is made to dutch elm disease refers and applies equally to oak wilt disease. Code 602.200: Gty Forester Code 602.202: Duties It is the duty of the Forester to coordi- nate under the direction of the council all activities of the city relating to the control and prevention of dutch elm disease, oak wilt disease and other epidemic diseases of shade trees. He shall recommend to the council the details of a program for the control of said diseases and shall perform the duties incident to such a program adopted by the council. Code 602.300: Epidemic Disease Program It is the intention of the council to con- duct a program of plant pest control pur- suant to the authority granted by Minnesota Statutes, section 18.022, as amended. This program is directed specifi- cally at the control and elimination of dutch elm disease fungus, and it is under- taken at the recommendation of the Commissioner of Agriculture for the State of Minnesota. The City Forester shall act as coordinator between the Commissioner of Agriculture and the council in the con- duct of this program. Diseased trees by city code are classified as public nuisances and need to be taken care of in a specific manner. Code 602.400: Public Nuisances The following conditions are public nui- sances whenever found within the city: 1. Any living or standing elm tree or part thereof infected to any degree with the dutch elm disease fungus, Ceratocystis Ulmi (Buisman) Moreau, or which harbors any of the elm bark beetles, Scolytus Multistriatus (Eichh) or Hylurgopinus Rufipes (Marsh). Removal of diseased trees, which includes cutting down the diseased trees and removing all parts, branches, stumps and brush, needs to be done within 30 days (city code calls for removal within 20 days, but the City Forester has extended this to 30 days) of the date of this notice. At that time another inspection will be done by the city Parks Department; if the diseased tree is not taken care of, thc city or a licensed contractor, will do the removal and any cost of removal will be assessed against your property. Code 602.501 (1) c. Those untreated diseased trees which have not been removed within the 30-day limit shall be cited and, absent and agreement to the contrary with the city, shall be removed either by contract parties or by city employees. The cost of removal shall be assessed against the property in the case of removal at city expense.