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11-07-2011 PRCEMMINUTES Parks, Recreation & Community Education Advisory Board November 7, 2011 Members present were Elizabeth Hanninen, Mary Christensen, Mike Retterath, Eric Opland, Byron Bettenhausen and Troy Scotting. Also present were Dolf Moon and Karen McKay. The meeting was called to order at 5:15 pm. A motion was made by Mary Christensen and seconded by Mike Retterath to approve the minutes dated October 3, 2011. The board unanimously agreed. Dolf welcomed Troy Scotting to the Parks, Recreation and Community Education Advisory Board and thanked Byron Bettenhausen for his year of service. OLD BUSINESS Church Purchase - Historic Hutchinson and city staff met to identify structure issues and long term items such as heating and electric systems. Some features currently in the church include pews, baptismal font, stained glass windows and a kitchen. Historic Hutch will provide financial support, a written commitment of support will be drafted similar to the arrangement with the Harrington/Merrill House. A portion of rental fees collected will be used for on-going maintenance and operations. The Railroad Club may be interested in housing their club in the church.There may also be a wedding in January. If private rentals will be taken, ADA standards will have to be met. Public Art - The Arts Commission has tabled the River Horse project indefinitely. They will regroup to concentrate on a project less significant than the River Horse such as art displayed for a specific time similar to Edina. The Hutchinson Brothers statue is with the artist for repairs and maintenance. The agreement read that repairs will be made by the artist for the span of his life time. It is estimated that the statue will be back in the spring of 2012. Summer Projects – The parks list is not complete, Northwoods Park fencing is not done. Kwik Trip donated $1,000 to the Parks, Recreation and Community Education Department which will be used to replace playground equipment in Elks Park. The $15,000 tree planting project at the 3M site is complete. Deb Marcotte and Dolf applied for a grant. Hutchinson received one of seven $5,000 grants awarded to school Science Departments. Dolf reported that overall it was a good summer, the school project was completed with 35 acres of seed planted, but still waits for rain. NEW BUSINESS Park and Trails Council Presentation – A contingent group of Hutchinson citizens made a presentation to pave the Luce Line Trail for the bonding bill. MINUTES PRCE Advisory Board November 7, 2011 Page two Ice Resurfacer Update – The City’s 20 year old Zamboni failed an emission test during the summer. It was sent to Warroad, Minnesota to convert the propane system to electrical at a cost of $35,000. The gas powered ice edger is now electrical also. A new Zamboni would cost $120,000. The City needs to develop an action plan. The MN Department of Health will visit again in December or January. Comprehensive Plan – City Planner Dan Jochem is hoping to have a Comprehensive Plan ready by May, but will plan for September – December 2012. Strategies will be developed in areas including housing, economic development, parks and recreation and land use. It will be have a 20 and 30 year range. The last plan was done in 2002. Forestry Program – Forestry services will be delivered to the community by Mike Bahe, Natural Resources Coordinator in the Parks. He came to the city as an Arborist from the University of Minnesota. Public Works and Parks will share forestry responsibilities on private and public property. $28,000 will be used to hire part-time seasonal employees to implement the forestry operation such as the energy tree application. December Meeting – The December meeting is cancelled and the January meeting will be postponed th to January 9 due to the New Year’s holiday. BOARD MEMBER ITEMS Mike Retterath suggested that Dolf speak to Jan Johnson at 3M regarding funding for environmental projects such as the School’s Ecology Site. Byron Bettenhausen asked if the Ameresco effort was complete. Dolf reported that the $300,000 project was complete and that an analysis will be done to determine if the City achieved the energy savings that were projected. Mary Christensen has been contacted by citizens regarding a fenced-in dog park in the city. Dolf told the board that a survey was conducted in 2009. The consensus at that time was that people wanted a park with features such as a rest room, people/dog water fountain, small dog area, benches and lighting, but the majority of people did not want to pay for those services. Mary asked if the cost of such a facility could be calculated. Dolf said the park land along Second Avenue SE near Tartan Park could be a designated area for dogs. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:30 pm by a motion made by Byron Bettenhausen and seconded by Mary Christensen. The Board unanimously agreed.