Minutes - Parks and Recreation Commission - 04/13/2000

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Commissioner Droegemueller noted the Commission came up with another "districf' and a 50/50% park dedication fee to satisfy big projects in other parts of the City. He stated he does not know if the Commission has given that system an opportunity to work and unless the City Council or another group can explain why that plan should be changed, he is not in favor of changing the district boundaries. He stated the number of districts could be reduced but the idea was to set up districts to service neighborhoods and the basic makeup of Ramsey has not changed in the last five years in its need to serve neighborhoods with small area parks. Commissioner Droegemueller stated he does not understand the reason for changing the districts. Commissioner Johns stated she has always agreed with the 17 recreation districts since it better serves the individual neighborhoods. However, she does not object to looking at the district lines, which are seven to eight years old, to assure the boundaries are set along busy roads and that there is a park within each area neighborhood. Commissioner Rolfe asked if there is a benefit to changing the district boundaries. Parks/Utility Supervisor Boos stated there may be nothing driving a change but that it should be looked at to assure the best possible job is being done. He stated he supports moving the Autumn Heights/Trott Brook boundary down to 153rd Avenue. Commissioner Rolfe stated he has toured each of the parks in Rarnsey and is unsure of the purpose served by redistricting. Commissioner Asfahl agreed this plan has worked well so maybe there are just some minor adjustments that could be considered. She noted that this is just a functional plan and the district lines on this plan do not prohibit park users from crossing "lines." Commissioner Rolfe stated he would not support taking park funds from one district to develop a park in another district. He noted the need for an annual capital dedication of funds toward the park fund. Commissioner Ostrum stated he thinks the neighborhoods would lose "ownership" of their parks if the districts became too large. Chairperson Cook stated the current plan was designed to allow for ease of planning and a lot of thought went into the original design and boundaries to assure the needs of each area has been served. Thus, moving the lines does not address the purpose of the plan. Rather, he suggested that each district be looked at to see if the needs are being met. He commented on the great consideration and discussion that went into the development of this plan and the resulting park dedication to assure recreational availability. Chairperson Cook cautioned about having too large of focus area with combined districts. Commissioner Johns agreed that the City should not ignore the input of its residents. Discussion occurred regarding possible boundary changes. Park and Recreation Commission/April 13, 2000 Page 3 of 8