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10.03.2022 PRC Minutes City of Scandia Parks and Recreation Committee Monday, October 3, 2022 A meeting of the Scandia Parks & Recreation Committee was held on the above date at the Community Center and via Zoom. Attended by Terry Gorham (Chair), Greg Zauner (Vice-Chair), Tom Hinz (via Zoom), Kimberly Johnson (via Zoom) Dustin Hegland, Ken Cammilleri (City Administrator), Patti Ray (Council Representative), Charles Fischer (Public Works Director) and Brenda “Bee” Stignani (Office Assistant). Gorham called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m., a quorum was present. PUBLIC FORUM None APPROVAL OF AGENDA Gorham requested to reorder the agenda, and move item 6.e MSA update in front of item 6.a in the new business section to accommodate MSA’s representative Emily Herold who joined via Zoom. Motion to approve the agenda as amended by Hegland, seconded by Zauner. Motion carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Gorham called for any additions or corrections to the September 8, 2022 minutes. No additions or corrections were submitted. The minutes stand approved. REPORTS Chair Report Gorham stated his comments will be later in the meeting on topics. Public Works Report Fischer provided a written report, adding in response to questions that the Carnelian Marine Watershed district is donating the design preparation for the raingarden as part of the playground upgrade project, but the city is required to purchase the supplies. Staff Report Stignani provided a written report, adding Your Home Café anticipates entering an agreement to post their sign in the rink. Winter recreation publicity for the approved Ice-Skating program will begin in late November or early December. Ray requested an update regarding Memorial Park Benches. A flurry of interaction on the initial media posts, but Fischer reports no official inquiries have been submitted. OLD BUSINESS MSA Update MSA representative Emily Herold provided a written report and facilitated a discussion. MSA requests city staff provide email contacts of 5-15 stakeholders for them to follow up with 25-minute conversations about parks and recreation. Preferred to complete these conversations prior to the October 19th Open House event as these may help shape the direction of the activities planned. Herold will provide city staff with the results of the community survey to distribute to PRC members and the template they use to schedule conversations with stakeholders. Tentatively this list will include a representative of Friends of Scandia Parks & Trails, Scandia Marine Lions Club, Bone Lake Association, Cycling Scandia, Scandia Elementary School – Administration, and Scandia Heritage Alliance. Staff clarified projects in the planning stages now by Washington County to update the Village Center and the overall project goal of the Water Tower Barn by the Scandia Heritage Alliance. Staff to forward the site plan for the Water Tower Barn to MSA staff. Cammilleri outlined some recent projects to improve the overall accessibility of park features. Gorham identified current amenities provide skating (ice and skateboards), pickleball, tennis, trails, and cycling, but there is concern for lack of amenities to appeal to teens. Herold requested individual feedback for project priorities. October 3, 2022 Scandia Parks and Recreation Committee Page 2 of 3 • Zauner – Lilleskogen Park Pavilion • Gorham – Pickleball and the area around the community center • Hegland – Lilleskogen Park Pavilion, Hockey, Pickleball, and a Dog Park • Johnson – Dog Park, Trails, and Archery • Hinz – all of the ideas, supports Pickleball, but not at the expense of losing the tennis courts, trail connectivity, soccer field, and disc gold course • Fischer – for infrastructure perspective – hockey boards and Wayne Erickson Memorial Ball Field playground and leveling the field are reaching critical need levels • Ray – Bocce Ball and a dream about an ice-skating loop around Lilleskogen Park Playground Updates Donation update: Cammilleri reports submitting a grant request to Midwest One Bank and investigating other grant opportunities. Cammilleri expressed concerned about city staff following up on donation requests to businesses contracted for city services or other businesses regulated by the city or in industries where the city has active RFPs. Cammilleri suggested PRC members reach out to a Kiwanis Club or local healthcare providers. Ray suggested Wal-Mart and Target. Stignani confirmed PRC members are able to access a shared spreadsheet to monitor contacts to avoid duplication. Playground Dedication Ceremony Discussion: Ray suggests using the oversized scissors for a ribbon cutting ceremony and inviting a Scandia children’s choir with something like an ice cream social event. A PRC member will be needed to coordinate this event. Fischer will provide updates, but anticipates completing this project when school ends in June. Dedication ceremony could be planned for June or July. Zauner will contact the Lions Club to find out the cost of providing hot dogs at the National Night Out event last August. Midco Day Winner & Runner Up Ray highlighted these Midco Day winners to encourage families to write creative stories that do not center on families consumed by the internet. Stories centered on internet use is not a requirement. Tomte Stones by Local Artists for Park Programs Ray displayed another painted rock, in addition to the photo in the meeting packet, to be used in the parks. Ray suggested a monthly schedule of social media posts and a press release with information on the highlighted artist and a picture of their rock to be hidden in a park as a way to encourage residents to use the parks and trails. These rocks would be the prize to the person who finds the rock. Scandia Elementary School students painted a number of rocks at their annual carnival which Ray has been dispersing in Lilleskogen Park on the Children’s Story Path. The supply of these rocks is almost exhausted. Hegland suggested contacting the Forest Lake High School’s art department to see if students could participate in creating donated rocks to be released. Taco Daze Recap Volunteers at the table reported positive interactions with the public. Future considerations to include an interactive component – ice cream give away or game to play. Volunteers filled an “information booth” role. Gorham reported 10 teams competed in Pickleball, the Lions donated the t-shirts and some invoices have not been processed for a final accounting of the event. Lilleskogen Park Dinner Event Johnson requests assistance in submitting a request to the Scandia Marine Lions club to partner in this proposed event. Johnson will contact potential caters to begin forming a potential budget. October 3, 2022 Scandia Parks and Recreation Committee Page 3 of 3 Vinterfest Planning Zauner facilitated discussion and updates. Three food trucks are secured for the new date of February 4, 2023. New event of CorkiCurl does not have a location nor does it seem practical to add in 2023. The Bone Lake Association will discuss a fishing contest at their next meeting. Vinterfest 2022 offered a child bracket for Vinterbeans that did not fill, but Gorham is willing to try again. Staff will order 3 new Vinterfest signs, Fischer will approve final proofs before printing. Gorham will reach out for graphic designers to provide a changeable template for staff to use for Vinterfest posters, and Johnson may be able to suggest graphic designers also. Park Ambassadors’ Reports Gorham spent time at Tomteskogen Park – Ray reports the regular use of trails there by the Bone Lake Running Club. The trail will need maintenance soon as some sections are difficult to identify the trail. Committee members continue to use the online forms process to report to Public Works maintenance needs. PRC Operational Calendar No Changes NEW BUSINESS Metropolitan Council 2022 System Statement: Scandia Cammilleri requested PRC members to review this report and bring back to a future meeting only if there are questions or concerns to be raised before the Met Council acts in 3 months to finalize this report. A copy of this report has been provided to MSA. Cammilleri confirmed that Met Council only provides financial support to parks identified in their plan. Scandia’s city parks are not identified in the Met Council plan. AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING The proposed agenda for the Monday, November 7, 2022 meeting: 1. Outings Coordinator 2. Park Dedication Coordinator & Donations 3. Dinner in the Park 4. Vinterfest 5. MSA Follow Up 6. Ambassadors Update 7. Operational Calendar ADJOURNMENT Motion by Zauner, seconded by Hegland, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:04 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Brenda “Bee” Stignani, Office Assistant/Parks and Recreation Coordinator