11-20-2024 PR MIN - SPECIAL - Laserfiche WebLink

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Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes Page 2 November 20, 2024 Anderson compared his sheet and the sheet provided by staff. On the blue lined handout there is a lot more money listed for the 2025 estimate. The $100,000 coming out of park dedication and the $125,000 for coming out of park dedication for the Trott Brook barn playground was not subtracted from the sheet. He said now it is up to the commission to make recommendations to council for the 2025 park improvement fund and the park dedication fund going line item by item. The total in the $390,000 minus $225,000 is the total beginning balance in the upper right-hand corner. Mr. Stremcha is not 100% sure of the sponsorship amount for 2025. $35,000 of the sponsorship comes from PT complex agreement. Chair Anderson asked about where the other amount came from. Mr Stremcha said that money would be from ballfield banner sponsorships which can go towards funding anything in parks. The additional money coming in would come from the liquor store fund transfer. Chair Anderson would like discussion on each expenditure line item on the green sheet. Mr. Stremcha said in addition to these items listed the parcels of land that the commission discussed at the previous meeting could be purchased using Park dedication funds, but that fund has more limitations and strings attached. Commissioner Goodwin clarified that depending upon which fund they use to purchase the land there are different rules tied to the land such as use. Commissioner Stewart asked what the money for a master plan would be used for. Mr. Stremcha explained that much of the original master plan has been completed mostly through the active elk river projects. Chair Anderson said this is the fourth master plan he has been a part of. The first two were done in-house and the third was a consultant. He said that he has always been disappointed by the results when a consultant was involved. Chair Anderson said that doing a master plan allows the commission and staff to get into the weeds and spend a lot of time getting to know their parks system and analyze things in detail. Commissioner Goodwin said that she is wondering if waiting a year would give the commissioners and Mr. Shelby, the new Parks and Recreation Manager, more time to get used to the process and gather information. Commissioner Varty asked if Chair Anderson thinks that staff could get the project done in house with a little outside help. Mr. Stremcha said that it is hard to tell at this time. He suggested approving a smaller budget to start the project in fall of 2025 and then approve more for 2026. Mr. Stremcha said that if more things could be done with internal staff, then consultants' money could be saved. Commissioner Stewart said it would be nice to know the Parks and Recreation and Planning department calendar ahead of time so the commission could plan ahead and know when things go through the process from one meeting to another. I.e., when things go to planning commission, council, etc. vs when the Parks and Recreation is first introduced to a discussion or action item. Commissioner Loidolt said that it is important to know what the people want not just the commission. They do not just want playgrounds and land but actual recreation. It is better to be initiative -taking than reactive. He added that if the parks and recreation department does not get any additional funding, they will not be able to do any new things. Commissioner Niziolek said if they look at the Ridgewood basketball courts and did an evaluation they would know if it was needed or not. He feels they need more data before making decisions including a staff evaluation of current resources. I0 9 1 8 1 0 81 NATURE