This transcript is from the November 14 meeting of the Cottage Grove Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission. Based on the context provided and the internal dialogue, I have identified the following speakers: * **Chair Brown**: The Chairperson of the Commission (addressed by name near the end of the transcript). * **Zac Dockter**: Parks and Recreation Director (leads the staff presentations). * **Molly Petrozewski**: Recreation Services Manager (presents the 2022 program review and Shepherd Farm update). * **Councilmember Justin Olsen**: Identified as "Commissioner Olsen" in the text, providing the Washington County update. * **Commissioner Crabtree**: A member of the commission addressed by name by Zac Dockter. * **Jim (Staff)**: A staff member (likely from Parks/Public Works maintenance) called upon by Zac to discuss playground technicalities. * **Commissioner**: Unnamed members of the commission. *** **[00:00:00] Chair Brown:** Calling the November 14 meeting of the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Commission to order. The mission of the Cottage Grove Parks and Recreation Commission is to create and promote policies, programs, and places that enable active living for a more vibrant community. Among the items on our agenda tonight are a review of the 2022 Recreation program, continued discussion of a park naming request, natural resources management planning, and new playground equipment options. So let's get started. Roll call. Okay, has everyone had the opportunity to review the agenda? **[00:00:45] Commissioner:** Yep. **[00:00:46] Chair Brown:** Can I get a motion to approve? **[00:00:47] Commissioner:** Motion. **[00:00:48] Commissioner:** Second. **[00:00:49] Chair Brown:** Okay, any discussion? Okay, all in favor? **[00:00:52] Commission:** Aye. **[00:00:53] Chair Brown:** Any opposed? Okay, motion passes. Have you had the opportunity to review the minutes? Okay, can I get a motion to approve? **[00:01:00] Commissioner:** Motion. **[00:01:01] Commissioner:** Second. **[00:01:02] Chair Brown:** Okay, any discussion? Okay, all in favor? Any opposed? Motion passes. Any open forum this evening? None. Okay. Presentations. **[00:01:15] Zac Dockter:** Thank you, Chair, members of the Commission. We have a Recreation 2022 program review and warming house plan from our Recreation Services Manager, Molly Petrozewski. **[00:01:28] Molly Petrozewski:** Good evening, everyone. How's everybody doing? Good, ready for a first snowfall? So a little recap of our 2022 Recreation program and events. I just kind of wanted to start with this slide showing some staff pictures that we've had this year and just kind of remind everyone and take an opportunity to say that Recreation is just myself and Brad. Even though you see all these people, we could not do everything I'm about to show you without the help of Parks and Ice Arena and Public Works and staff at City Hall. So you see lots of things, and know that there's a much bigger picture behind just myself and Brad as we show up to things. **[00:02:10] Molly Petrozewski:** I'll start off with our community events, which seems to be a chunk of what we do that continues to expand every year. Anything from Fire and Ice, which is our outdoor bonfires and warming house events, getting down to Hamlet to egg hunts to things we've all done for a long time—the Mud Run, the Strawberry Fest 5K. We added this year partnering with Monique Garza to do movies in the park, continuing our Red Cross blood drive, and some other new fun things that are not new but continued things would be the third layer skateboard competition in the summer. We've been partnering with Woodbury to do a zombie apocalypse run every year. The Halloween Spooktacular was a success again, and then last week or the week before last week we had the pumpkin chunk at Peter Thompson after the Halloween season. **[00:03:00] Molly Petrozewski:** Facility reservations continue to be a big piece of our services. The use is just overwhelming some weekends, so we will be redoing our formats next year. We continue with kayak rentals, splash pads, and warming houses. New this year, we've started partnering with a group to help us manage disc golf. Coming new here in a few weeks will be Snowshoe rentals. We will be utilizing the kayak trailer to rent snowshoes out of it this winter, starting at Oakwood Park. The trailer is on wheels, so we could move it around based on user base. **[00:04:15] Molly Petrozewski:** Camps, clinics, and lessons were filled way in advance this year. Brad got a big matching grant for all brand new archery stuff. Our MEA break, winter break, and spring break programming continues to fill as soon as we open them. Still to come this year: we have "Hail to the Bird" on Thanksgiving morning. New this year, we have our "Hometown Holiday Celebration." It is going to be bigger and better than you can imagine—live reindeer, food trucks, and hayrides. We're anticipating probably 1,200 people. We are also doing the "Fill a Fire Truck" event for the food shelf. Warming houses will open December 26th. **[00:05:40] Molly Petrozewski:** Looking forward to 2023, we will start taking reservations for all of our park buildings on February 1st. We are moving to a new rental block format; you just rent them from 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM as one chunk of time. Supervised playgrounds registration opens February 14th. New this year, we are taking over the three-on-three hockey league, which will be called the "Grizzly League." By the end of next year, Glacial Valley room rentals will hopefully open. Brad has also been working on updating our park website pages to be more rental-friendly. That's all I've prepared; I’m open to any questions. **[00:06:50] Chair Brown:** I'm so excited about your Snowshoe rental program and really eager to see kind of how that's received. I think Camel's Hump would be another good location for that since we've got the natural trail there that's opened up for a longer trek on a natural surface. **[00:07:05] Molly Petrozewski:** Yeah, that's a good idea too. I'm curious how moving it around will work with rentals. We'll have to kind of see how it goes. **[00:07:15] Chair Brown:** Potentially you could use that same unit for other things to be rented too, like sleds by a sledding hill or baseball gear. That’s neat to see what possibilities could come from that. **[00:07:30] Molly Petrozewski:** Yeah, the trailer was bought through grants for the kayaks, so we’re still working with the company Paddle Port to provide the services. There's some service fees we’re balancing, but there’s definitely some options out there. **[00:07:50] Commissioner:** Are they still going to have the snowshoeing trails at the golf course too? **[00:07:55] Molly Petrozewski:** They will. They have a trail groomer out there and they post updates on their website. **[00:08:05] Commissioner:** And do we know what the cost of the rental for the snowshoes is? **[00:08:10] Molly Petrozewski:** I believe we're going to do $15 per unit for two hours. We did some market research and I think we're right in the middle, if not even a little bit more affordable. **[00:08:25] Chair Brown:** All right, moving on to action items. Our first is the park naming request from the Denzer family. **[00:08:32] Zac Dockter:** Thank you, Chair, members of the Commission. Before you is the fourth review of the Denzer naming request. Unfortunately, the family was unable to make it tonight, but they did make their desire known. Preferably the name is "Jack and Marlese Denzer Park," but they said a secondary option would be the "Denzer Family Park." The commission can make a recommendation tonight to the Council, who has final authorization. **[00:09:10] Chair Brown:** I feel like we've been talking about this one for a while. In our last discussion, we were hopeful for more clarity. Seeing the message from Randy, it seems their preference is for Jack and Marlese Denzer Park. I don't see a problem with moving forward with that. **[00:09:25] Commissioner:** I'll apologize, I missed the last couple meetings, but I was here for earlier discussions. I’d be inclined to go along with the family's preference if this doesn't deviate from past naming practices. **[00:09:40] Zac Dockter:** If I may, Chair. The question was whether they were comfortable with "Jack and Marlese Denzer" or an alternative like "Denzer Family Park," because historically we haven't used first names, though we do have Peter Thompson Park. The debate was whether two first names along with a last name is too much. The family's first preference is Jack and Marlese Denzer Park. **[00:10:15] Commissioner:** Where's this one going to be located again? **[00:10:18] Zac Dockter:** This is the future park off of 100th Street, just south of Hadley Avenue by that new North Point development. **[00:10:30] Commissioner:** And we talked about this park at the same time as we were talking about the Olson Family Park? **[00:10:35] Zac Dockter:** Yes, that item will most likely be back to you for the December meeting. I’ve been working with the family to try to come up with a spot they’re comfortable with. **[00:10:50] Chair Brown:** Since we haven't had a park with two first names before, it's possible this could result in future requests for multiple first names. However, we have names like "Hazen P. Moores Park." I think people shorten it colloquially anyway. I like the idea of including both names since it’s the family’s preference and they both made significant contributions. **[00:11:15] Commissioner:** I'd be in agreement with that. I would also make a motion that we recommend the park is named Jack and Marlese Denzer Park. **[00:11:25] Commissioner:** I'd make a second on that. **[00:11:27] Chair Brown:** Any further discussion? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Moving on to the Woodridge Park natural resources management plan. **[00:11:40] Zac Dockter:** Thank you, Chair. In front of you is the Woodridge Park natural resources management plan. There are significant ecological systems at the park, and these plans tell us what we should be concerned about and protect. We also use these for future grants with the Minnesota DNR. I’m looking for the commission to accept the report and place it on file. **[00:12:15] Councilmember Justin Olsen:** I'd make a motion to accept the report. **[00:12:18] Commissioner:** I'll second it. **[00:12:20] Councilmember Justin Olsen:** I thought these reports were excellent. I'd be interested in next steps. I assume it doesn't gather dust; do we actually begin to apply for the grants and maybe even start doing some of the mowing? **[00:12:35] Zac Dockter:** Thank you, Commissioner Olsen. These are active, living documents. We’ll start to chip away at them with internal services where possible. Right now, we’re pretty heavy into Camel's Hump, Kingston, and Settlers Island. Once those drop off from intensive management, we’ll be applying for funding for one of these two projects. **[00:13:10] Councilmember Justin Olsen:** Are there others, or just these two right now? **[00:13:14] Zac Dockter:** We’re looking at Pine Tree Valley, Mississippi Dunes, and the Cottage Grove Trailway corridor. But these two are very significant because of the old oak forest and concerns with Oak Wilt. **[00:13:40] Chair Brown:** All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. We also need a separate motion for the Oakwood Park management plan. **[00:13:50] Councilmember Justin Olsen:** Motion to place the Oakwood one on file as well. **[00:13:53] Commissioner:** Second. **[00:13:54] Chair Brown:** Any discussion? All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. **[00:14:05] Zac Dockter:** Next we have our park playground proposals. We have three playgrounds scheduled for replacement in 2023. We want to get the orders in before the January 1st price increases. We surveyed the community, and those results are here to guide you, but you do not have to follow them. I also added a second color chart with more natural color options. We need a recommendation on each for Peter Thompson, Ideal Park, and Pine Tree Pond Park. **[00:15:00] Chair Brown:** I really appreciate the inclusion of the survey data. Because Peter Thompson is a supervised playground site, it would be cool to get the input of the kids who might not have the same access to a computer survey. But in absence of that, it's nice to have the survey. **[00:15:20] Commissioner:** Zac, these are different manufacturers? **[00:15:24] Zac Dockter:** Yes, each design is a different manufacturer. All four currently have units in Cottage Grove. **[00:15:35] Commissioner:** What’s going to be the surface? **[00:15:37] Zac Dockter:** They will all be wood chips. Poured-in-place is just too expensive for these budgets. **[00:15:45] Chair Brown:** For Peter Thompson, it seemed like design two had a preference among respondents at 41%. **[00:15:55] Zac Dockter:** Design two and design four have the most swings, which is what we constantly hear about. **[00:16:05] Commissioner Crabtree:** Molly, is there one that stuck out in your mind for a supervised playground? Since you are involved with that? **[00:16:15] Molly Petrozewski:** I would probably say design three. I think there's lots of cool little hangout spots and it appeals to different ages. That's what we liked in the office. **[00:16:30] Commissioner Crabtree:** That was my choice as well, but with a different color scheme. I liked the "Treehouse" one Zach added—the greens and browns. **[00:16:45] Zac Dockter:** Samantha was on the playground task force, and if I had a dollar for every meeting we spent talking about playground colors, we could both retire. **[00:17:00] Chair Brown:** Something that's missing in design three for me is more shade cover. Those trees at Peter Thompson are still pretty young. **[00:17:10] Zac Dockter:** We can look at adding shade. I leave some money in the budget for specific requests as long as they’re nominal. **[00:17:20] Commissioner Crabtree:** It'd be nice to have a "friendship" style swing for a child with special needs. **[00:17:30] Jim (Staff):** I don't want to dash your hopes and dreams, but the only thing I want to talk about with swings is the space they take. You need a fall protection area one and a half times the height of the swing set. Because this already has concrete curbing, we don't have the luxury of pushing the playground back. **[00:17:55] Commissioner Crabtree:** I didn't even realize that was a spinner; I thought it was one of those speaker things. **[00:18:05] Zac Dockter:** Jim's right, they try to maximize the space, but we can look into it. An extra swing seems important, so we’ll see what we can do without sacrificing anything large. **[00:18:25] Councilmember Justin Olsen:** What I'm hearing is number three is preferred. See if we can get an additional swing, perhaps a friendship swing, look for additional shade, and examine what we have for diggers. **[00:18:40] Commissioner Crabtree:** I motion for design three with Zac's comments. **[00:18:45] Commissioner:** Second. **[00:18:46] Chair Brown:** All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Moving on to Pine Tree Pond. **[00:19:00] Zac Dockter:** One thing I would like to note is design two has a tubular slide. We have gone away from tubular slides because of graffiti and vandalism. We would put an open-face slide instead. **[00:19:15] Commissioner Crabtree:** My input on colors is that we pick a color that's not already at a playground. Something different. **[00:19:25] Commissioner:** What about "Sultan," the purple and blue one? **[00:19:30] Chair Brown:** Is it true that yellow equipment attracts more bees? **[00:19:35] Zac Dockter:** I've never heard that. I do know reds and purples fade faster. **[00:19:45] Commissioner:** One comment: the bench is not facing the playground. **[00:19:50] Zac Dockter:** The bench will face the playground. **[00:19:55] Councilmember Justin Olsen:** I like design two. My vote is for design two. **[00:20:00] Chair Brown:** Purple fades? **[00:20:02] Jim (Staff):** It fades into an off-pink after about five years. **[00:20:10] Commissioner Crabtree:** My vote's for Mardi Gras. I'll second that. **[00:20:20] Chair Brown:** All in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. We want Mardi Gras for design two. Now we're looking at Ideal Park. **[00:20:35] Commissioner Crabtree:** Someone mentioned there was a little kid in a wheelchair in that neighborhood. Is there a way to make it more accessible than just wood chips? **[00:20:45] Zac Dockter:** Good question, Commissioner Crabtree. We could look at a section or a trail of poured-in-place to get access to the equipment. **[00:21:00] Chair Brown:** There's a zip line in design four, but it didn't get a high preference in the survey. People are always asking for zip lines. **[00:21:15] Commissioner Crabtree:** I was a fan of design two also. It's for big kids and little kids. **[00:21:25] Chair Brown:** Could we see if we could make a larger poured path around this one to make it easier to roll to the stations? **[00:21:35] Zac Dockter:** We can look at that. I can't promise, because poured-in-place is expensive, but we’ll get as far as we can to get all the accessible components. **[00:21:50] Chair Brown:** My vote is for design two with the "Cool Blue" color scheme. Motion with those comments. **[00:22:00] Commissioner:** Second. **[00:22:01] Chair Brown:** All in favor? Aye. Motion carries. **[00:22:15] Zac Dockter:** Glacial Valley Park Building update. It’s in full construction right now. We’re looking at an early spring completion. Council authorized the bid for the park building. It's an enhanced design—larger spaces for weddings, family reunions, and business meetings. It will have a warming house area and a multi-purpose room for 100 people. It will be a near Net-Zero facility with solar on the roof and a geothermal system. **[00:23:45] Commissioner Crabtree:** Can it have Wi-Fi? **[00:23:48] Zac Dockter:** It will have really good Wi-Fi. The IT team has been involved from day one. **[00:24:00] Commissioner:** How large was that multi-purpose room? **[00:24:05] Zac Dockter:** It's a room for 100 people. **[00:24:15] Commissioner Crabtree:** Charlotte would like me to tell you that if the process could be sped up, that would be great. She wants to play softball there. **[00:24:30] Zac Dockter:** Reimagining Recreation survey results. We sent out a bunch of surveys after the community center vote. There was a pretty consistent message across the board for what people wanted. **[00:25:00] Chair Brown:** Was there a connection to their address or any kind of demographic information? I want to make sure we aren't missing any populations. **[00:25:10] Zac Dockter:** I don't think there was age data, but I have the raw data I can share with you. **[00:25:30] Zac Dockter:** River Oaks Golf Course irrigation replacement project. The original system from 1989 is failing. It’s a $2.5 million budget. We would start replacing it in 2023. There would be no course closure. **[00:26:45] Zac Dockter:** Parks improvement projects update. Hamlet park building is complete. Oakwood Park is complete. We are working on the purchase of Mississippi Dunes. **[00:27:30] Molly Petrozewski:** Shepherd Farm programming update. I attended the planning meeting out there. The new barn area is completed and very cool. The next steps will be a community greenhouse and a QR code system for historical storytelling. **[00:28:15] Zac Dockter:** I was at the Fall Festival there. There were over 1,300 people. We raised over a thousand dollars for a future turkey coop. **[00:28:40] Zac Dockter:** Commission comments. We have some information from Commissioner Olsen from the Washington County Parks and Open Spaces commission. **[00:28:55] Councilmember Justin Olsen:** The Washington County commission met last week. The Land and Water Legacy program is extremely popular, and there will be a ballot initiative in 2024 to renew it. We also reviewed utilization rates, which don't currently match demographics, so we are studying that. **[00:29:45] Chair Brown:** Was someone up for re-election on the Council? **[00:29:50] Zac Dockter:** We had three council members up for re-election; all ran unopposed, so they were all elected in. **[00:30:00] Chair Brown:** With our agenda complete, looking for a motion to adjourn. **[00:30:05] Commissioner:** Motion. **[00:30:06] Commissioner:** Second. **[00:30:07] Chair Brown:** All in favor? Aye. Motion carries. Meeting adjourned.