Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 01/11/2024

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$6,000 and also had an installation fee of $5,800. He commented that he was going to see if staff could install the material in-house to save on that cost. Councilmember Musgrove noted that in the past the City was able to reuse equipment from other communities and asked if that is something that would be considered with this project. She agreed that the playground equipment at Alpine Park needs to be replaced. Parks & Assistant Public Works Director Riverblood replied that typically equipment is demolished and not resold. He stated that they were able to do that at Peltzer but that was a unique opportunity that arose. He stated that for Alpine Park the city likely wants something befitting the stature of the park, which would be newer and larger and typically something like that would not be removed from another location. 5.02: The Waterfront — Water Play Area Planning Parks & Assistant Public Works Director Riverblood provided background information on the Waterfront, which will be a main feature of the parks system. He stated that they have engaged the community many times over the years to gather input on the desired features for the park. He stated that waterplay continues to rank high on the list. He reviewed the updated concept for the park and its proposed features. He narrowed to one area of the park that would be discussed tonight and noted the proposed program elements within that area. He provided details on the different water elements to consider including a wading pool, splash pad, and architectural water play. He stated that there were case studies which helped to inform the planning process including Central Park in Maple Grove, Wabun Park wading pool in Minneapolis, Elephant Park in London, and Madrid Rio Park in Madrid. He then highlighted different elements from the case studies which could be good to think about as they further plan the water play features for this park. He then presented three different concepts that have been developed and reviewed the different features within each concept. He stated that concept three seems to have the most versatility and features that seem to make sense. He asked for input from the Commission on the different elements and concepts. He stated that he received an email from a resident on this topic and read that letter for the Commission. Parks & Assistant Public Works Director Riverblood read the following letter into the record: "I'm glad to see we are continuing to work on this even though it will be challenging from a funding standpoint. I think this is a critical area for Ramsey from a development standpoint because it creates another part of the community puzzle. "t'oday we lack an amenity that: brings families together and brings people to Ramsey„ Instead we are forced to go to other cities to experience things that I have outlined below. l think Maple Grove"s Central ][park. is a very good example of what we need to create with a bit of their community center sprinkled in.. And, relative to specifics on the splash pad, my perspective is very rnna;uch a far nily with young kids looking for things to do, My kids absolutely love these and the more natural they are the better. We have spent time in quite a few that are designed more like a natural river where they can move logs and play in sand. rThe traditional cement pads with fountains are still nice but tine nnore natural design aspect creates something that other cities don't have. On Indoor Play .- Glad to see this on the list. Again, what do families do in the winter in our city`? An indoor play area like Maple Grove will brink; not only revenue but truly create something that can be used year round. An indoor climbing area would be nice for kids but maybe a 2 story indoor climbing wall would draw in additional people?" Park and Recreation Commission/December 14, 2023 Page 3 of 6