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City Council Minutes <br />March 4, 2019 <br />Page 3 <br />The steering committee thinks costs could be reduced if they receive donations of <br />natural materials such as sand, trees, boulders, or other items used to construct the <br />natural play area. <br />Councilmember Ovall stated it was an interesting concept but he had questions <br />about the ongoing expenses and maintenance. Would the proposed water feature be <br />potentially expensive? What was the useful life of natural materials? Because it is an <br />alternative playground, would there be greater liability or risk of injury? <br />Mr. Hecker responded the liability may actually be less because the structures mimic <br />nature and don't fall under the same standards of playground inspections. Elk River <br />Park and Recreation has certified playground inspectors on staff and current <br />playgrounds are inspected more extensively because of manufactured pieces. There <br />are always risks, but there may be fewer risks than other playgrounds. Staff visited <br />similar nature playgrounds in Minnesota and found some water feature items require <br />less maintenance than others. <br />Ms. Amberg added that natural products are subject to degrading. <br />Councilmember Westgaard addressed the question of where funding would come <br />from since the Park and Recreation Commission did not want to use the Park <br />Improvement Funds for the additional costs accrued due to the change in location. <br />What is the overall cost to implement this Master Plan? <br />Mr. Hecker stated they were only dealing with ballpark price estimates currently. <br />Councilmember Westgaard continued stating he wanted to know all of the costs <br />associated with the Master Plan before supporting it. He didn't have an issue with <br />moving it, but stated the city has to live within the budget and timeline. He <br />recommended structuring the bid so they can later pick and choose alternate and <br />donated items to keep the project on budget. <br />Councilmember Wagner added she also wondered where the funds would come <br />from. She had heard the nature center addition is a very long way in the future, <br />perhaps more than 10 years, so they may not need to factor it into their decision that <br />evening. <br />Mayor Dietz felt if the nature center addition was more than 10 years away there was <br />time for the council to determine a way to fund it. Hopefully a better revenue source <br />than liquor store funds could be discovered in the next 10 years. <br />Councilmember Wagner added that perhaps additional grants could be sourced for <br />items such as the elevator or other items. <br />Mayor Dietz asked Mr. Portner if there was any other place the requested $19,000 <br />could come from besides the Park Improvement Fund. <br />IAY'EAfI er <br />r ATURE <br />