Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 11/04/1993

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APPROVE PARK Case #1 PLAN AND TIMELINE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD PARK IN THE RIVENWICK SUBDIVISION By: Mark Boos, Parks/Utilities Coordinator Background: As pan of the platting for thc 103 acre subdivision known as Rivenwick, the City received a 2.8 acre park. in addition, the City owns, or has perpetual use of, an adjoining trail corridor from the park south to the Mississippi and west to the County Park line. Improvements completed in the park thus far include: grading and approved turf establishment, landscaping by way of Minnesota ReLeaf Grant, trail paving and restoration. While only 54 lots of Rivenwick's 94 total residential lots are available now, it is expected that lots in the first phase will continue to sell with the addition of 43 lots becoming available soon. After land was dedicated, the cash value, per lot, equated to approximately $220. In part, due to Rivenwick's lot sales, the City has several thousand in Park Trust Fund dollars to allocate to the Mississippi district. The most prudent expenditure of these dollars will be in the development of the above mentioned park. The masons are: it is in keeping with the Cities goal of developing park concurrent with subdivision completion, it is the only City park within this district, and because Rivenwick is in a Tax Increment Financing District, the City has a vested interest in early lot sales. As you will recall, the Commission's Five Year CIP shows $58,800 in Park Trust and TIF funds slated for the park in the Rivenwick subdivision during 1993-1994. The attached park plan shows a ball.field, which is graded and seeded with a bluegrass/perennial rye grass mixture. The trail is, of course, complete. The other two items shown are a playground area and a tennis court. The tennis court outlined on the plan would need to be cut into the berm on at least one side. The playground will certainly take precedence over the tennis court, however, a future tennis court has the advantage of providing adult recreation in this district beyond the "passive" activities associated with the trail and future Mississippi West park. The ballfield was aligned to minimize the occurrence of outfield bails into areas outside of the field proper. In addition, the fence surrounding the tennis courts will act as a shield for the playground area from individuals inappropriately using baseballs on the 250-foot field. The playground should have a hedge, or similar, to the north to provide a casual barrier similar to the berm. This may deter inattentive young people from wandering near the roadway. Play equipment will consist of a back hoe digger, other independent apparatus, and a modular play structure, and certainly a two or three place swing. In addition to adopting a Park Plan and Development Schedule, the Commission should recommend a name for this park. The subdivision name may be suitable for a park name, however, the park is a gateway to the Mississippi River and it fronts onto Riverdale Drive N.W. The park will also serve existing and future residents east and west on Riverdale Drive N.W. Riverdale Park may be a more geographically descriptive name and would seem to make the park more easier to locate and more inviting to non-Rivenwick residents. It is quite possible the developers of Rivenwick may be adverse to a park name other than Rivenwick. Enclosed for your information: Site location map Proposed Park Plan