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08.a 11.06.2023 PRC Minutes DRAFT City of Scandia Parks and Recreation Committee Monday, November 6, 2023 A meeting of the Parks & Recreation Committee was held on the above date at the Community Center and Zoom. Present: Terry Gorham (Chair), Greg Zauner (Vice-Chair), Dustin Hegland, and Tom Hinz. Zoom attendance: Kimberly Johnson. Also Present: Heather Benson (Council Representative,) Charles Fischer (Director of Public Works), Kyle Morell (City Administrator), Karen Schik (Friends of Scandia Parks & Trails) and Brenda “Bee” Stignani (Office Assistant.) Gorham called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m., a quorum was present. PUBLIC FORUM None APPROVAL OF AGENDA Zauner moved to approve the agenda, seconded by Hegland. Motion carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Gorham called for any additions or corrections to October 2, 2023 minutes. No additions or corrections were submitted. The minutes stand approved as documented. REPORTS Chair Report Gorham reported he did not have any item to comment on that is not already on the agenda. Zauner commented on the award presentation arranged for next week at Scandia Elementary School for the classroom winner of the Internet Story sponsored by Midco in August and the first place and classroom winner for the Tomte Story Contest in September. Public Works Report Fischer reported the rink board replacement project is behind schedule due to the installer waiting to order material until receiving the boards from Colorado. The order is in and installation is expected to be completed as expected prior to the ice rink season. Other Public Works activity is slowing down in parks as the season changes. Liten Park and Hay Lake Park signs arrived today and are being scheduled to be installed by staff. A trail will be mown by staff at Liten Park as required. Morell confirmed he has reached out to Washington County to take proactive steps to inform them of progress to fulfill the requirements of tax forfeited property for parks. OLD BUSINESS Liten Park Plan Proposal Gorham outlined the steps taken to collect a proposal for improvements at Liten Park by the Friends of Scandia Parks and Trails and encourage input from area residents. Staff confirmed that all survey respondents who had requested to be notified when Liten Park was on the PRC agenda were again notified this month. One person followed up to ask for meeting minutes from the October PRC meeting but was able to find the Boxcast recording instead. Karen Schik reported receiving a second bid on this project that was higher and responded that mobilizing equipment was most likely the largest contributing factor to the significantly higher bid over Prairie Restorations. Schik confirmed the FSPT will contribute to this project by removing the invasive woody plants . With Council’s approval, FSPT would prepare a state grant application that would require 10% matching funds by the City, and their efforts would qualify as In-Kind Donation towards this amount. A maximum of $2,000 would be required from the City in their proposed plan. Motion by Hegland to recommend to Council to approve the Friends of Scandia Parks and Trails to apply for a state grant on behalf of Scandia to implement their proposed plan, with the expectation that the City will provide up to $2,000 by Hegland, seconded by Zauner. Motion carried unanimously. MSA Park Plan Proposal Update November 6, 2023 Scandia Parks and Recreation Committee Page 2 of 3 Morell reported Council approved the proposal at the October regular meeting and it has been submitted to Met Council on October 24th. The proposal is in the 15-day review period by Met Council to determine if the application is complete. The next step is the 60-day process for adoption, plus possible extensions as needed. Morell confirmed that all activities with MSA have been wrapped up and will request a final copy of the Park Plan in an editable version per Gorham’s request. Star Gazing Party Hinz, Stignani, and Zauner contributed to reporting on the event as attendees. It was cold and some arrived late and some left early but the clear skies were beautiful. Lynch experienced some technical difficulties due to the mature trees at Hay Lake Park and equipment issues. Lynch also expressed surprise at the number of attendees; it was dark and no attendance was taken, but at least 50 attended. The viewing Saturn’s rings, the laser pointer outlines of constellations, and the telescope which took photos and “built” a clear image on a tablet were highlights. Lynch requested a future location to be away from a main road and perhaps in a field without tall trees. Discussion concluded this event was successful and, in a year, or two would be appropriate to consider hosting again. Vinterfest Planning Zauner reported that the Lions will continue to print the Vinterfest on the back side of their advertisement in the Country Messenger, but request the City cover the $45 additional fee for this service. The cloggers will perform on Friday night in connection with the Lions Bingo event due to a scheduling conflict on Saturday. The Peer Gynt Dancers have declined the invitation to preform due to a lack of interest by spectators in 2023. Zauner is communicating with representatives of Gammelgarden and the Scandia Heritage Alliance and working to fill the empty space in the schedule left by the cloggers. Considering something with the Lions’ Medallion Hunt. The 6th Grade students at Scandia Elementary School have the Button Contest information, to be collect ed at the end of the month. Zauner requested one fire pit instead of two with a “fire watcher” volunteer unless the weather dictates otherwise in an effort to slow down the use of the donated firewood. Zauner reported from past experience that The Minnesotan cup will be two days if the weather is warm to save on the ice, or one day if the weather is cold enough. There will be no fireworks, and Corey Roberts is exploring other options with a larger tent and live music. Barton Johnson Update Gorham reported Council approved the recommendation to approach Elim Church and discuss options to meet the needs in the tennis courts with the city’s involvement. Morell reported no new progress has occurred yet. PRC Operational Calendar No changes. NEW BUSINESS Review Changes to the Operations Calendar Gorham outlined a brief comparison of 2023 to 2024 Operational Calendar as changed by staff as requested. No additional corrections were noted. AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING The proposed agenda for Monday, December 4, 2023: 1. MSA Park Plan Proposal Update 2. Vinterfest Planning & Button Judging 3. Barton Johnson Update November 6, 2023 Scandia Parks and Recreation Committee Page 3 of 3 4. Liten Park Update 5. Operational Calendar ADJOURNMENT Motion to adjourn the meeting by Hinz, seconded by Hegland. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 7:33 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Brenda “Bee” Stignani, Office Assistant/Parks and Recreation Coordinator