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City Council Minutes Page 7 <br />September 21, 2015 <br />8.3 Youth Athletic Complex Field Dugouts <br />Mr. Benoit presented the staff report and a presentation. <br />Dave Lodermeier, 13492 181 st Circle — Wanted to note for the Council that the <br />association also completed improvements, such as electrical upgrades, to the Youth <br />Athletic Complex (YAC) because they thought it would be fair to the other <br />associations who did not respond to the city's request for needs. He stated he has <br />been on the baseball board for two years and he is starting to see change and a need <br />for improvements. He stated the dugouts are needed for safety because they are very <br />hot and a lot of foul balls fly toward them. He stated the community deserves the <br />new dugouts and it would mean a lot to the association. He stated these are the city's <br />premier fields and the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which states that YAC <br />should be considered as a high quality youth athletic complex. He stated the <br />proposed dugouts are considered high quality and would set Elk River apart from <br />other communities. He noted people from all over the state come to YAC and they <br />generate revenue in the community. <br />Dave Anderson, Parks and Recreation Commissioner — Stated the Commission <br />questioned this expenditure because it used one-fourth of their budget and there are <br />many needs within the parks and recreation system. He expressed concerns with <br />setting a standard for future expendtures of similar magnitude. He suggested waiting <br />until spring 2016 to get new bids, which may come in lower. <br />Mr. Lodermeier stated he works in the construction industry and generally costs <br />don't go down. He stated by doing this project now they can show the <br />improvements to their membership, which would help fundraising and putting more <br />dollars into a phase II to do the same thing in Oak Knoll Park. He referred to the <br />City of Rogers example and how they were able to build off of local companies. <br />Mayor Dietz questioned how costs would change if volunteers did the project. <br />Mr. Benoit noted limited city resources for managing the project. <br />Mayor Dietz expressed concern with setting a standard that would be expected in all <br />other city parks. He thought it may look funny if the dugouts are designed <br />differently. He stated he is unsure about which way to vote. <br />Councilmember Wagner stated her concern was that the city originally only received <br />one bid. <br />Mr. Lodermeier stated it was difficult and frustrating with trying to get contractors to <br />respond. <br />Councilmember Wagner stated it is her desire to get the dugouts installed. She stated <br />she is not against the project but wants to make sure they get done at a reasonable <br />1R/ERII 1 <br />frfATUR/ <br />