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Memo to the Park and Recreation Commission
<br /> Park System Vision Discussion
<br /> October 9,2002
<br /> Page 3
<br /> In 2000,the Commission evaluated the City's remaining vacant land to determine where land
<br /> should be acquired, either through dedication or purchase. The results of this evaluation
<br /> include the parks in developing east Elk River: Kliever Lake Fields, Eagles Marsh, Park
<br /> Pointe, and the recent purchase of land from Grace Assembly of God Church. A list of
<br /> parcels outside of the Urban Service District was also identified and prioritized(Future Park
<br /> Property Matrix). Commissioner Kuester and staff spoke with the Bloomdahls regarding
<br /> possible purchase of their property for a regional park facility. The City has now received 26
<br /> acres for a future park north of County Road 33 from the plat of Windsor Park 3rd Addition,
<br /> the cluster subdivision on a portion of the Bloomdahl property.
<br /> Striking a Balance Between Land Acquisition. Park Development, and
<br /> Future Replacement of Improvements
<br /> With the City's acquisition of 826.9 acres of land for parks,investments have been made in
<br /> equipment,buildings,and other improvements. As with land acquisition,the City has been
<br /> able to develop its parks through the use of donations(money,time,materials),grants,and
<br /> the park dedication fund. These items are tracked by the Finance Department as fixed
<br /> assets. The total value of these investments is as follows:
<br /> Land Equipment Buildings Improvements
<br /> $3,746,804.45 $246,313.00 $169,317.00 $1,264,157.00
<br /> Does not include Playgrounds, swing Shelters, barn, Trails, basketball
<br /> $215,000 spent for sets, slides gazebo courts, field
<br /> Grace acquisition development,fences,
<br /> parking lots,
<br /> landscaping,
<br /> irrigation, lighting
<br /> Of the expenditures listed under improvements, the largest ones are:
<br /> YAC field construction: $300,360.00
<br /> Woodland Trails Parking Lot:$122,700.00
<br /> Great Northern Trail: $117,000.00
<br /> The total value of equipment,buildings,and improvements is$1,679,787.00. Some monies
<br /> can be subtracted for improvements such as grading for field development,as this will not
<br /> have to be redone or replaced. However,the bulk of the items noted above will need to be
<br /> replaced at some point in the future. There are some playgrounds that were installed in the
<br /> late 1980s, and will require replacement either due to age or safety issues. Most of the
<br /> equipment has been installed in the late 1990s, so there are a few years (10-15?) prior to
<br /> replacement occurring.
<br /> The park dedication fund's current balance is$830,000.00. It is clear that a balance needs to
<br /> be found between land acquisition,park development,and future replacement if the only
<br /> source of funds available is the park dedication fund. If a park levy or bond were to occur,
<br /> the need to balance these three items would still be important, but not as dire.
<br /> S:\PLANNING\MICHMC\PARKNREC\168 Spec Mtg memo.doc
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