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Park & Recreation Commission Minutes August 8, 2001 Page 2 . 6. Hearings/Neighborhood Discussions: None scheduled. 7. Area Recreation Update Michele Bergh was absent at this meeting due to a death in the family, but will attend the September meeting to bring a full update. The Commission sends their full condolences. 8. Park Development Progress Report Terry Bye reported that they have had a busy summer with many parks being completed this year. Riverplace Park is up and running with the exception of a few swings which were not erected due to lack of wood chips. The City has not had a chance to see how busy it actually is, but anticipated usage will be high. Picnic tables have been placed at Orono Park on top of the cement slabs that were poured last year. Some of these tables now have trails that lead up from bituminous trails, which make them handicap accessible. Six tables were done last year, and two concrete slabs were finished this year. This year with the W ork- T o-Leam Program through Commissioner Dave Anderson some kids were enlisted, along with the city crew and adult helpers, to install concrete pads for park benches at various parks. There are four in Orono Park and four in Lions Park, with one additional concrete slab to be added to Orono Park. A park bench will be installed behind City Hall overlooking Lake Orono. . This month Kuss irrigation is up and running and things are nice and green. The irrigation system at the Elk River Arena is also up and running. Terry Bye introduced Sarah Hopko who has been a summer helper for several years and is responsible for maintaining the many flower gardens throughout the city. She presented a proposal for an upgrade to the landscaping around the city sign by Lake Orono. She suggested adding some color to the sign by planting Stella d'Oro, feather grasses, and possibly some annuals to offer color from late May to September. The cost for this project would be very minimal as there are Stella d'Oro throughout the city that need to be divided at zero cost, and approximately $50 (or less) would be needed for the feather grasses and annuals to complete this project. Ms. Hopko's second proposal was for the Country Crossing memorial garden. This garden is approximately 27' in diameter and will consist of an all white garden as one-color gardens have become very popular and it is tranquil, as well. Most of these flowers would be perennial with a few annual flowers for fill. She presented many white perennials that would nicely accent this garden. She also proposed cleaning up the site from the road as the natural tall grass has grown up to the rock garden making it difficult to see. She proposed possibly planting some low-maintenance grasses to accent the garden. The estimated cost for this project is approximately $250-$300. The consensus of the Commissioners was for Sarah to complete these two projects. .