Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout9B - Sand Point Playground 16200 Eagle Creek Avenue S.E. Prior Lake, MN 55372-1714 MEETING DATE: AGENDA # PREPARED BY: REVIEWED BY: AGENDA ITEM: DISCUSSION: 12/14/2005 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT DECEMBER 19, 2005 9B AL FRIEDGES, PARKS SUPERVISOR STEVE ALBRECHT, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR/CITY ENGINEER CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A REPORT REGARDING THE STATUS OF THE SAND POINT BEACH AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT UPGRADE Introduction At the November 21 sl City Council forum, questions were raised by Tim Connors (14113 Ash Circle) with regards to the playground equipment upgrade underway at Sand Point Beach. The City Council directed staff to provide a report regarding the questions posed by Mr. Connors. History Sand Point Beach is one of Prior Lake's most heavily used community parks by all age groups. Teens enjoy the beach, volleyball, and other active park amenities. Seniors like the fishing pier, horseshoes, walking trails, and picnic shelters. Families of all ages use the playground equipment, picnic areas and beach. In 2003, the City identified the existing playground equipment, which had been in place since 1990, for upgrade. The purpose of the upgrade was to meet resident demands and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. The ADA requires Cities to have a "transition plan" to upgrade existing facilities to meet requirements. The City uses the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) to meet the "transition plan" requirements of the ADA. If the City fails to have a "transition plan" or to upgrade facilities to meet ADA, the City is in violation of the Act. The City takes ADA compliance very seriously. We have certified city staff who conduct compliance inspections on all playground equipment. Bi-weekly safety and ADA compliance inspections are conducted at all community parks and a minimum of monthly inspections are conducted at all neighborhood parks. The Sand Point Beach playground area has been identified for upgrade in the CIP since 2003. The CIP identified $115,000 for the upgrade of Sand Point Beach and Hawks Ridge Park. Due to development timelines, Wilds North Park was substituted for Hawks Ridge as that area has not developed as planned. At the April 18, 2005, City Council meeting, the City Council approved the plans and specifications and authorized the advertisement for bids for the installation www.cityofpriorlake.com Phone 952.447.4230 / Fax 952.447.4245 of playground equipment at Wilds North and Sand Point Beach parks. The proposed playground facilities will now provide ADA compliant equipment for 2- 12 year-old children. The City Council accepted bids and awarded the City's Standardized contract for the installation of playground equipment at Sand Point Beach Park and Wilds North at the June 6, 2005, meeting. Construction of the improvements began in September 2005 to minimize disturbance to residents utilizing the park during the summer peak time recreation period. Current Circumstances In November, city staff was contacted by Mr. Connors regarding concerns related to the expanded playground area at Sand Point Beach. AI Friedges, Park Supervisor, met with Mr. Connors on-site to discuss his concerns. Mr. Connors was invited to and attended the November 14, 2005, Parks Advisory Committee (PAC). At that meeting, the PAC recommended that Staff monitor open space and the volleyball court use next summer. The PAC would then review the information and make a recommendation to the City Council on whether to expand the green space into the volleyball courts. Mr. Connors was not satisfied with this course of action. At the November 21, 2005, City Council meeting, Mr. Connors requested additional information from the City Council regarding the following items: 1) costs and bidding, 2) why the park equipment is being upgraded, 3) whether the City needs to meet ADA requirements, 4) size and location, and 5) what is being done to preserve green space. Conclusion The information requested by Mr. Connors is set forth below. ISSUES: The following additional information regarding Sand Point Beach is provided to be responsive to Mr. Connor's requests: 1) This project has been part of the CIP since 2003. The City Council approved bids at the June 6,2005, meeting. Two bids were received with the low bid coming from St. Croix Recreation in the amount of $92,724 for both Sand Point Beach and Wilds North. The approval also includes $18,500 for materials needed for restoration and landscaping. 2) The existing equipment is 15 years old. It met neither current safety nor ADA standards. The new play structures meet the ADA and Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) guidelines. The new equipment will expand functionality from 5-12 year-olds to 2-12 year-olds. Not only does this help the City meet our ADA transition plan, but it expands use to a wider range of residents. It is our objective to provide 2-12 year-old use range equipment at our community parks. 3) All cities are required to meet ADA requirements. The City has utilized our CIP to identify needed upgrades to meet requirements. Failure to upgrade facilities can ultimately result in noncompliance with the law. 12/14/2005 ALTERNATIVES: RECOMMENDED MOTION: REVIEWED BY: 12/14/2005 4) The new playground equipment was installed in the same location as the existing equipment. The size of the play area approximately doubled (see attached exhibit) due primarily to the ADA accessibility, increase in equipment (about three times as many play events), required separation between age group equipment and mandated clear zones. The new play area also includes some area for expansion that will not require additional encroachment on the green space. When planning for the playground additions, city staff investigated several other locations in the park. All of the other possible locations that met the size requirement were inhibited by existing uses or had topographical issues. City staff determined that expansion of the existing area was the best alternative. 5) Staff considered the impact to green space very carefully prior to construction. Staff took several measures to limit the impact of the playground area to the rest of the park. Staff installed a retaining wall around the playground to greatly reduce the grading limits. The retaining wall is made of neutral block which blends in well with the rest of the park. Required safety railings will be installed in the spring. The impact to the rest of the park is minimal. There is significant green space to the southeast and between the playground and the beach. To maximize the green space area, city staff recommended monitoring the double volleyball court to the southeast for the usage during the summer. If there is not significant usage, city staff recommends changing the double volleyball court to one and using the additional court for increased green space. 1. Accept and file this report. 2. Request additional information. Alternative #1 anager Before the PAC will approve the recommended increases to the Lakefront Pavilion rentals they wanted Angie Barstad to do a feasibility study with cities around Prior Lake to see how much they charge for pavilion rentals. Angie Barstad will gather this information and bring it to the December PAC meeting. The PAC will vote on all increases at the December meeting. IL - 1 - A 1-IP . Community member, Tim Connors, explained to the PAC his issues with the new play structure being constructed at Sandpoint Beach. Tim Connors stated that he feels the play structure takes up too much "green space" at the beach, which causes Sandpoint Beach to lose its "flavor". Tim Connors feels the structure should never have been put in that area. Since the structure is almost complete and already paid for, he doesn't feel it should be taken out, rather we should allow for additional "green space" elsewhere at that location. Tim Connors suggested we take out the Volleyball courts and put grass in that area. Al Friedges presented the PAC with drawings and an aerial view of the Sandpoint Beach area, showing exactly how much space the new structure will occupy as well as photos of the structure under construction. Al Friedges explained that since Sandpoint Beach is a Community Park it attracts a larger volume and more diverse group of people then a neighborhood park. For that reason we offer playground equipment at Sandpoint Beach. The existing playground equipment was not ADA (American Disabilities Act) compliant. Al Friedges explained that all play structures must be updated per ADA requirements. This entails such items as: grade of land from the handicap parking area to the playground, wheel chair accessible ramp to the equipment, etc. In order to comply with ADA standards the playground area has been enlarged slightly. This play structure will be ADA compliant for young toddlers (ages 2 - 5) and older children (ages 5 -12). The PAC believes this is a great improvement to the Sandpoint Beach playground area, with minimal encroachment to the beach. If Tim Connors would like to remove a Volleyball court the PAC would have to do an evaluation on the use of that area and present the findings to the City Council before anything of that nature could be considered. Tim Connors felt the PAC was "fluffing"/putting him off on this. Angie Barstad explained that the playground and volleyball area are highly used in the summer by all families with children and that there would be a great number of people disappointed in the removal of the play structure or the Volleyball Courts. Tim Connors stated he is getting a petition together and will present his complaint to the new City Council members. He also stated he plans to write an editorial on this issue in the local paper. Tim Connors then left the meeting with no resolution. Al Friedges explained to the PAC why the play structure could not be put at any other area in Sandpoint Beach (i.e. more costly, too close to the busy parking lot, sewer drainage in the way, etc.). The PAC supports the Sandpoint Beach playground project. Ponds Concession Construction Update - Al Friedges stated the block work is done and everything is still running on schedule for this project. The Woods in the Wilds - Mike Feriancek stated he was concemed about how close the playground will be to the lake at this location and felt there should be a fence constructed between the lake and the playground area. Al Friedges recommended discussing this at the December PAC meeting so the PAC can come up with some criteria for putting fences around pond/park areas in the city for consistency. This item will be place on the December PAC agenda. Meeting adjoumed, 8:30 pm -'____-........-..-...~_.___"_w...~._,,_,~~_....._-.~-~."O-.....,...,,"~--~"_.,, CI) ~ ca ..J ~ o .- ~ a. .... .'Q) ~ Q) Ii LL. g 0 ~I to c '0 ll. ." Ii Vl i ll.1 ii ~ 0 -' c '0 ~I ~ ~ .. ~ c!i C cai f.:~~I~d~ iil ",.tij~.1Il C .!!llll.g ..c>5:amlSll. ~lR~s~;l; i~i~l~i5! ~ .-g~l!!1l,g~1 ~ 6j" ~~!~~ l!!lll tl~..~i~ ~i 'l!!ii~~= tg .. ~~- i - Gl,sJ 8 ,..~~ ...0. Iii ill. _s~ -)a.lI1! ~i~B'! Gigs c'l! ~ J!lll: ... Xl l!! .!l ~ '0 .. ol:! a.~ e il .nl~l!i ;1 -!5.l/l'l5.S1l:'O . "'E8"'-~i ~li8 .a!o'-, ~"5 ~""