Minutes - Parks and Recreation Commission - 11/18/2021

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Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood replied that he was pretty confident that it would not qualify as a standalone project. He noted that perhaps if it were combined with a stormwater project it could be a project eligible for a match. He noted that Sunfish Lake is unique because it is ground water without an inlet or outlet. He stated that only a very small portion of stormwater goes into Sunfish Lake. He commented that he would follow up with the appropriate City staff to determine if it would be a possibility. Councilmember Musgrove asked if this is adopted and action is taken on the off-leash item tonight, would that impact the approval of the CIP. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood explained that the CIP is meant to be a fluid document and it is not uncommon for a project to move up or down based on opportunity. Commissioner Walker returned. Motion by Commissioner Leistico, seconded by Commissioner Olson, to recommend a 2022-2031 Parks Capital Improvement Plan to the City Council as presented. Motion carried. Voting Yes: Acting Chair Sis; Commissioners Leistico, Olson, Barten, Loss, and Olson. Voting No: Commissioner Walker. Absent: Chair Bennett. 5.02: Recommend 2022 Park Development Fees Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood presented that the rates and charges were discussed in great detail at the October meeting, at which time the consensus was to continue the discussion tonight. He stated that he included the requested information showing comparison Park Dedication and Trail Fees from other communities. Commissioner Walker commented that he believes that Ramsey fits more with Andover, Blaine and Champlin more than some of the other cities. He noted that fees have not been increased since 2018. He asked where these funds are collected. Parks & Assistant Public Works Superintendent Riverblood replied that these funds go into the Park Trust Fund, which funds the parks' capital improvements. He stated that there are about $30,000,000 in potential projects listed within the CIP and currently the Park Trust Fund has a balance of about $5,000,000. He explained that each municipality charges park dedication in different ways. He noted that Elk River previously had higher Park Dedication Fees but also the city uses the revenue from its municipal liquor stores to fund park improvements. He stated that Elk River additionally uses franchise fees to fund road improvements and will also use its franchise fees to fund sidewalk and trail pavement improvements. He explained that the City cannot set its Park Dedication based on the rates of other communities and must set it accordingly to its planned park and trail improvements and projects. Acting Chair Sis asked if the current fee structure would fund the projects included in the CIP with an estimated balance of$30,000,000. Park and Recreation Commission/November 18, 2021 Page 6 of 12