##VIDEO ID:09MoQyhepEs## meeting to order of the park commission November 20th 2024 Sarah can you do roll call please absolutely Lloyd grk here Laura Greenley karp here David andren here Ben Hansen absent inry kler yeah Sue springborn here Sarah zarka here and Cassidy schweer is absent okay we've got a quorum motion to approve adopt the agenda I make a motion they makes a motion second two seconds all in favor say I I all opposed approval of the minutes October 23rd I make a motion Sarah makes a motion Dave seconds all in favor say I I all opposed anybody from the public like to speak yep you'll have three minutes please come on up state your name John SCH 2750 Chisum Avenue nor St Paul reason I'm here this evening is to express my displeasure at the rudely interrupt the way I was interrupted the last time and I see that that person is not here this evening so I guess you are in charge uh Mr great Greek and uh I will not be rudely interrupted again that's 20 years I've been attending meetings it has never happened to me what happened at this last meeting anyway if youd haven't watched uh the uh council meeting none of you were there last night they finally did approve the $80,100 that was held back from the uh Park dedication fee it was a hell of a fight I can tell you that and it was a year of sending in uh data requests and getting no answers nothing just stonewalled but they finally did come forth with that so uh maybe you can put a park pinch up with my name and say uh this guy cost $80,100 to be properly dedicated to the fund that's it thank thank you thank you John thank you John anybody else all right uh HJ update trig you're on on woohoo I can plug in here correct yes maybe the TV's on they just pop up when you pop something in you think he's maybe looks like he's working on it well this one's working there we go oh there we go yep you got to get in the control room right going it was it was for while while that uh gets going I think uh I've got to know every one of you I'm PR Hansen with hga I am a uh senior landscape architect and we've been hga um uh uh with uh an association myself with a couple other uh design team members have been working with uh the city and the parks uh commission um kind of a rotate ating a cast of characters uh over the last several months um to do some design concept and planning for the three Parks um we're right near the end of the uh project we we just did a final kind of design concept uh presentation meeting right before this with um members of the committee and we will over the next month be pulling together kind of the final concept report and sharing it with uh the team and and I'm going to go through the highlights of uh or a quick rundown of the presentation once we get some uh visuals here if we do so anyhow um uh one uh one of the things I did we did our team was uh thanked everyone for all the work that we've been able to do with the city of North St Paul um I'm a Twin City resident St Paul resident um driven through North St Paul maybe not thousands but hundreds of times in my life but I never got to know the city until now and this Pro this opportunity this project to get to know individuals and the communities and it was really meaningful all I knew before was the city with the big snowman now I know why it's so meaningful um and the pride that the city has and you know this work this design concept work that we're putting together is just kind of uh an a first step for your community to um yeah hopefully um move some of these Pro this project work uh forward so this this report and this design work is a tool to help further those conversations within the city go we will stand by yeah always us used to work before at least in the past should I restart maybe no it's not it's on presentation test too I could talk through every one of these slides but it would be kind of no like it would be kind of uh yeah to so are you g to come back to North St Paul oh yeah for sure yeah I go through it a lot my folks or my in-laws live in Oakdale oh yeah off on CY they're on still water so and I'm at 280 in Como oh nice area yeah almost in Lauderdale got it for people St Anthony oh yeah oh yeah St Anthony's over not the city of St Anthony that area St stth no any good [Laughter] jokes nebor St Anthony Park yeah our first house was inale I I lived on Scutter for a while ages ago and that's in the St Anthony Park neighborhood when I was going to the UAM by the elementary school I went to elementary school oh really oh my gosh yeah thank you to the public for being patient we're working on little technical [Music] difficulty oh yeah I can see and a little background music while we're waiting Oh yay there we go thank you very much thank you you think it's just here we go now yep we got it all right well this will just force me to do a little bit more uh quick rundown so um uh not going to do that we're not going to do that um the this was this is the previous uh estimates for the projects that were uh shared um for the report we're going to be doing a final estimate now that we have kind of more Hardline drawing Design Concepts um to to refine me these and kind of what this goes let me see if I click again dang it I got to go here um is to uh talking about that you know really the initiative then for uh the PRC and the city is to how to move forward and potentially implement any one of these or all of these projects um you know we've learned that um what the city wants and what the parks require um is more funding than the city's Capital has right now um so there's a whole host of ways that the city can um help Implement these projects uh and this design concept conceptual design work that responds to the community and uh the engagement of stakeholders and the residents and the changing population um is a first step in that showing that there's a need and uh a want um and a desire uh for these improved Park spaces um so identified you know the opportunities for Capital Improvement planning um collaboration with the school district uh all kinds of program potential programming Partnerships um and you know a whole host of Grants um that uh through the development department and and whoever wants to spearhead them can start to initiate um in hga this document are are available for um as resources as well let's see so we started uh the three we'll walk through the downtown open the design of the downtown open space um the Third Street and then uh where we're at with mcnight um this is uh just kind of daylighting the uh the series and the engagement process resulted in this in general the the um front porch as option as the preferred design Direction um uh this is the way that the design plan has come uh into shape and just because we're kind of cruising through I'm going to go into some of the imagery to help uh design or discuss it um in general uh the way that the design has evolved uh there was a populated kind of with a lot of opportunities and really through the engagement process and the refinement with the committee has come up with a nice flexible plan for keeping a lot of open uh Green Space uh activating the corner uh for potential flexible events like uh small popup uh band performances or uh different um uh tenting at you know events and then a passage space along the I guess it's the West End um that gives an opportunity for um sitting Gathering um uh in a kind of a more short-term stopover type engagement one of the things that we learned and was um through proposing like Play Type uh spaces versus uh small uh passive PL Plaza spaces was that in general this the sentiment of the space wanted to be kind of more um an amenity for pedestrian activity um and a little bit less of a a high activity destination so that's kind of the direction that we've gone coupling a a sidewalk a small uh Plaza gathering for picnic and uh things like that one of the considerations has always been the uh town home Community that's directly adjacent and um we are uh working carefully to provide some buffering um and Landscape separation uh between the activity that might uh happen in the park in that um adjacency uh the one of the uh kind of design elements that came uh was endorsed through across the uh across across the engagement um uh events was some uh idea of these like large scale swings something that and you know uh sentiment of this front porch Gathering so one of the the features of this is these um uh not playground swings but think of glorified uh twers porch love seat swing you know that that could attract u a whole host of us users ships and just add some casual activity to the uh to the park so that's kind of the the fun feature and I'll go back I'm going to go back to this view one of the thing uh the other pieces is that um really wanted to leave potential for future flexibility if there was Initiative for implementing public art or some other types of gathering in the future that this park space still had adaptability and flexibility to engage that in the uh moving forward so the Third Street open space this is the site that um the design Direction became nature play and a placeholder of community garden along the corner of uh third and 7th uh community garden here um as a opportunity and a fun or a program that has been um uh readily asked for in the community uh as uh uh has um uh nature play and this the um the wooded area these Parcels here um have become a great opportunity for that uh so on the the corner lot um and the the uh thinking about the potential of these two discret programs is that combines the opportunity that these could be easily phased so you could do the nature play part separate from the community garden or vice versa um depending on funding programming um initiatives by the city you know as pictured um we're kind of envisioning as a very uh uh typical uh community garden um we know that in in conversations with Laura Sarah uh Sue David you know the upkeep the programming the operations of community garden would take partnership from the community and or another potential organization maybe above and beyond the city um so a lot of the design design Logistics would be worked out moving forward as some something like that is um uh engaged uh as we move into kind of the guess it's the north plan North Area the nature play um the primary uh improvements would be a uh sidewalk along the street to bring uh access and then a paved accessible path running through uh with a couple nature play uh uh openings kind of in general aligned with areas where there's already existing openings in the forested area and we would have the opportunity within those to figure a whole host of naturally inspired um engagement play opportunities Fallen logs embankment slides stones on the slope um these are all uh design features that were responded really strongly to by the public at the engagement events and so they've carried through into um the design the third Park site is um the mcnight Athletic Complex um and this is one where throughout the process we're learning more and more about the complexity um and the history of this uh park within the city and the the way that it uh interacts um and supports the uh School District um athletic programs um I might have to move up because there's some things I need to read so moving forward there are several um uh you know as we button up this conceptual design phase there are still several assumptions uh that we're um moving forward with one is that that additional programming of uh and uh adjusted programming of amenities potentially changing different types of uses will be in is in alignment with the comprehensive plan language which marks this as uh uh playfields and in support of um the athletic programming uh of the school district um but we don't see that as in conflict with the idea of this still being athletic and and play Fields um we also are under the assumption that the use agreement with uh the school district will continue um but that that is going to take further uh stakeholder uh engagement and collaboration um with between the city and the school district to implement any new um par planning and Design in there um there has been discussion how you know this is probably the right time for the city um The Parks Commission um and uh overall to assess and uh figure out how that that language and that use agreement um is best I don't know for a better term modernized or contemporized um with you know that it was put in place at at some time we're at a different time now um so that it's really doing what it was supposed to do um then now and continues to do um let's see uh that the contract with triple crown assumption is that the batting cage facility the contract is going to um stay uh in place as of now so phase one we're still allocating that the batting cage is there um we do have op options and thinking about future phases how if that changes There's an opportunity to reprogram that space maybe with a different Park Building um another assumption is that and this is a big driver within it is that the demand for field sports other than just baseball and softball um is growing um that doesn't uh you know and with the the idea of the flexible Fields um what we're showing is that they there's a marriage that um uh these spaces those same Sports programs that are currently provided can be still be provided in more Dynamic manners and over overlay other potential athletic activities like soccer football lacrosse that could be accomplished in flexible field under a flexible field um capacity um and then you know another kind of a final assumption as was carried in all those is that there that the next steps implementing this project will engage more um or or will involve continued engagement in stake and stakeholder um collaboration to to finalize what those what the the the final programs and um shape of this space uh becomes um in reaction to all the constituents and the residents and the programs that it will support support as your conversations um are more materialized more uh so as as I mentioned um thinking about you know the the uh preferred direction is thinking about it in two um conceptual phases one being improvs to the area that is not uh uh does not change the softball or baseball or Triple Crown batting cages program and phase two uh potentially thinking how about how it impacts those the programs that we are showing um in the preferred design concept are the programs that were um most heavily endorsed through the engagement process so the skate uh n BMX um area the flexible field the playground um and event and Gathering spaces those are all carried through um we we had we've had significant discussion about whether you know uh like that you know there's eight tennis courts there right now that are defunct um to what extent those could be reused restored for those uh for those as we look back as at a decis decision making prioritization those were not programs that were prioritized during the engagement process as heavily as other ones were so we moved forward with the U programs that were most U PRI prioritized through the engagement process um in what the design team the whole liaison uh engagement partnership um evolved through was a or um resulted in was uh preference for being able to have some flexible um just open Green Park space coupled with uh paav flexible event space a uh Dynamic kind of central playground opportunity and um you know pairing that with the skate and bike and turning the what is it now the the the existing t-ball area essentially that uh square footage into this uh a mini pitch flexible field start looking at in some Design Graphic or renderings uh we can kind of see how they're all kind of uh working together in a geometric uh Arrangement um having nice efficient connections uh between the spaces but once you start getting down at at um down to ground level what you start to seeing is the casual or the intersections of paths in place start making Gathering opportuni simple um uh places for people to connect and observe the different events that are going on um opportunities for benches that are facing both uh to kind of a park space and uh overlooking the baseball diamond one of the one of the the stadium one of the things we learned through the entire engagement process was the pride and the passion that this property um has had over time um and you know how that's Eed and flow over time kind of uh you know there's looking for that next spark on how to cap capitalize on this bringing uh additional programs near and in context to that baseball to the baseball field which we know is highly cherished by different programs and heavily utilized seems like a great opportunity to um have visibility across different programming so as you can see in this in this View um families could congregate at uh picnic tables um and be observing kids playing on the playground and overlooking a baseball game that's going on as we simplified and kind of right siiz some of the the play type activities that we've shown here we really focused on um athletic type and physically physical um oriented types of equipment whether Fitness or kind of uh more adventurous climbing um and engagement that way another uh thing that we heard not only from the committee itself but from the public is that this is a great opportunity to gear activity towards older kids provide uh places for the high schoolers or the kind of that middle-age youth to congregate there's a we heard that there was a lot of playgrounds for toddlers and all Community Park things but there's not that kind of more rigorous area that this might provide um as we move more to the west and the playground then is adjacent to the skate and bike park the skate and bike park moving forward on implementation you we would work you know with a consultant that specializes in Bike and Skate design that would hear the things that and the levels of um we'll just say adventure and risk that we want to provide in our partk and gear the design uh directly for that they could create a a bike park that has opportunities for new bike riders and toddlers all the way up to you know experience skateboards and integrate them um into whatever shape of space we have you know and so just then this visualizes how that phase one could be coupled with a phase two that provides a larger flexible Fields this is where um if you uh we taking the area right now that is the batting cage uh might be a great spot for a park scale building because you could have um uh seamless programming we'll say from either the east or the West you could have adjacency to the flexible Fields you could have for not only for Access for events and and bathroom connections but storage roll in roll out for um some of the portable fences or things you might need for adapting flexible field between baseball and softball and soccer or other typ programs and we have uh also in the report in here kind of provided just a little bit of a rundown of you know what are the considerations when you're talking about creating an artificial tur flexible field versus just your average lawn Green Space um you know the things that you get the things you have to considerate consider for maintenance and cost moving forward so um that's the end of it any questions yeah I was thrown for a little loop with the presentation I think I did okay you did great yeah you did great yeah that's impressive of uh the it's impressive yeah it's the designs look great thank you um and and I I think I can't stress enough how how much it's not the exact design the design like the exact lines and the exact design that is show here but it's the process of thinking about what these spaces could become and be can become for the community and the residents um because these are only repres ational of the requests that we've heard you know they're representational of a lot of information so we have to draw something that represents that um when we get down to hopefully the really exciting part of like making these reality then we get to make the next level of decisions which can actually even be a little bit harder because you have to like commit to things but it also gives you the opportunity to um uh Express the you know the care and the love that this community has for making any of these projects a reality so I look forward to that hga is here for resource we're still involved we're pulling the report together it's going to be shared with the the um project team um and the PRC at large I think we we have talked about how I'll probably come back um for the January meeting to uh um kind of share it in person and um answer any questions so it's wonderful any questions anybody no I think they that him and his team have done a wonderful job for us so nice job thanks to the subcommittee too I can't thank you guys for welcoming Us in selecting us to work on it working us collaborative collaboratively with HJ well done you're welcome thank you give you a second to clean up I don't know if it matters but the heading on the video is wrong we're not talking about fences but I don't know if that matters all right thanks again trig yeah thank you tri you on behalf of the park and wreck commission I'm going to let go around and have everybody put their little two cents in we'd like to thank you sue for all your time and effort and energy and star watching and and fall festivals and all your hard work not only with the park and rec commission but historical society and were you in the green garden the green yeah and you will be sorely missed but we hope the best for you thank you and good luck to you it's been an honor it really has been an honor I I I was telling uh Sarah that 25 years ago I tried to get on this commission and didn't happen yeah really Phil Sandberg I think he looked at me as a silly little girl that's the Imp truly that's the impression I got and little did he know little did he know so um yeah it's been an honor thank uh thank you very much for making me feel welcome and I've learned a lot and I wish I could stay on but reality is here we understand yeah ingred Sue it's I heard I heard of you long before I actually got to meet you and work with you here so I'm I'm very glad that you um that you've B on the park Parks Commission cuz I got to know you a little bit better when um way back when when the silver L Splash was happening uh my neighbor Lynette kept saying oh Sue springboard needs to help you know she's so helpful she's so wonderful you got to meet Sue springboard and you were always out of town on the same weekend as the splash so you and I had several conversations but it was always like oh well maybe someday um and uh so it was really uh I I know you've just been a such a hard worker for this city in so many different capacities um so hats off to you and whatever rest you're going to take right now break break you're going to take right now is well deserved so um so it's been it's been really fun getting to know you better David only know is since uh I'm coming back to the park commission so I mean I laughed and came back you'll probably do the same thing maybe not but way [Music] older but uh the short time I've had to work with you I really appreciate your Insight on a lot of the issues that have come up through this past year um I kind of was talking to one of my neighbors uh and he told me a lot about you Kim Kim so Kim and Greg so so um through them I got I felt I really got a connection with you I mean but yeah I was hoping to work more with you than just this one short year but like I said I I really have enjoyed your Insight on some of the issues that have come up through this past year and hopefully I can do just as well a job as you have oh my thank you and what you've done so and I appreciate it meeting you and I hope uh things go well for you Laura I'm having feelings and emotions that I'm trying to keep to myself um it's not really working so I appreciate you very much and I will write you a text of my thoughts and feelings so I don't have to get teary eyed on [Laughter] television Sarah thank you Sue I might do the same thing so oh my goodness I get to see you it's over sneakers at least so there's that but you've been such a refreshing light to this commission your Insight your experience um I actually ran into somebody at work today funny enough who told me um something about me they're like oh I actually didn't I only learned this because I met somebody they're like a nurse and they they were doing this thing and they were volunteering and I'm like a nurse I don't know a nurse and they're like rer they lived in North St Paul and I'm like oh my God that has to be Sue it has to be Sue and I'm like this woman does everything she's volunteering at the University she's running the historical commission she's on the Park Board and um I know that this isn't really rest for you because I don't I think you're one of these people like us who's got too much energy you're not going to be able to give you maybe give up the park board but you're not going to give up North St Paul and that's the important thing so thank you thank you well I have a new job I stepped down as president of the Historical Society now facility manager weren't you doing that anyway you were doing that anyway the toilet just Sarah well thank you Sarah um well from the city standpoint just your work with the commission the Historical Society the previous Commission on the environmental advisory committee was um much appreciated as well and I'm going to speak for the entire city hall staff that we love you and don't want you to go completely away please stay around um you since I've been here one of my first days working here I came to do a tour with you at the Historical Society and you have been one of the kindest people I've ever met and you're just such a light so I hope to still see you around and certainly appreciate everything you've done and as a note to everybody else she'll be formally recognized by the council at on December 17th oh oh yes they break giving out an award she will have a plaque certificate and a uh a little snowman little figurine thing so you will be there yes December 17th youry award yes exactly oh wow you're a hard act to follow oh my gosh you know Mike Lynch leaned over to me when he's goes wow I wish I still had all that energy oh yeah he loved having you there oh good we had a good time with everything we often say that at City Hall we wish we had Sue's energy because none of us do you're involved in everything so thank you thank you s I appreciate it very much uh staff reports anything no new updates uh angry at anything no uh when they when he started talking about swings we used to have a swing in in h Silver Lake Park one of those fun you know look at the lake and just kind of leisurely I I'd love to see that back but that's I'll just put a pin in that for now I'd love to see one of those someday again um but no other than that nothing David um all the trails are now open at uh Southwood AG preserve um when I talk to Public Works today they are going to continue throughout this winter as their time uh allows um to finish doing some of the ashb and some of the trees that have been falling over in the park so they're moving forward with that but um all the trails at this point are completely open and people can use them so the one that had all the Fallen trees that's all been it's not been removed from the park at this time um but it's been pushed off to the sides and the trails are all open so and as far as um mcnight fields we just kind of had that what we're going to do at mcnight Fields so uh that's all I have to report but I I was wondering was there any feedback on putting the lock a coded lock on housy Park yes um that has been very much expressed by public works that we need that it's being looked into there's a little issue with the Wi-Fi there because we do need Wi-Fi for that um so they're kind they're working on that but it is in progress okay instead of having a key okay all I get Laura I have nothing to report Sarah also nothing to report the only thing I got is the mayor and city manager and I have did an interview last week and we got two more tomorrow and it's my understanding we will be making a decision tomorrow with the mayor and I and um city manager and we will have somebody should be in place in January right y yes okay a new Park New Park okay yep yep got three three candidates we're good nice okay good you get to be last well I have nothing to report except thank you so much I'm embarrassed and but I I have to make it was the right decision but this has been a joy and I like I say I learned a [Music] lot we got to get you on record you want to make a motion to J I so move so second anybody second David seconds all in favor say I I I'll oppose do it oh meetings adjourned