Board of Commissioners Meetings

The agenda for the September 21, 2023, Regular Board Meeting is available here.

The Board Meeting will begin at 5:00 p.m. in the Board Room of the Three Rivers Park District Administrative Center, 3000 Xenium Lane N., Plymouth, MN.

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

NO ACTION REQUIRED; THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.

Background:

Commissioners and/or staff are encouraged to report any special matters, awards, recognitions, or other acknowledgements at this time.

Acknowledgement of Donations

The Board wishes to acknowledge the following donations to the Park District of $500 or more during August 2023.

Janet M. Everhart: $27,496.53 directed to the Three Rivers Park District through the estate of Janet M. Everhart

Martha Ho: $2,500 for a tribute bench at Bryant Lake Regional Park in memory of Fred Chung-Man Ho

Rebecca Aadland: $1,000 for a tribute bench on Medicine Lake Regional Trail in memory of Brian Tillotson

Ann Phillippi: $1,000 for a tribute bench at Mississippi Gateway Regional Park in memory of Thomas Phillippi

Carla Carlston: $1,000 for a tribute bench on the Medicine Lake Regional Trail in memory of Lary Carlston

Karen Schneider: $500 for a dedicated tree at Carver Park Reserve in memory of Genrose Schmid

Three Rivers Park District Foundation Conveyance

The Three Rivers Park District Foundation provides ongoing support to the Park District through partnerships and directed donations. Executive Director, Chris Boyer, and Board President, Don Winter, will give an update and convey funds raised at the 2023 Summerbration event held on August 10, 2023.

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

NO ACTION REQUIRED; THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.

Background:

• Reference 4B-1: 2023 Proposed Board Meeting and Study Session Calendar
• Reference 4B-2: Calendar of 2023 Meetings and Events
• Reference 4B-3: 2024 Proposed Board Meeting and Study Session Calendar

Update(s):

• 2024 Proposed Board Meeting and Study Session Calendar
• 2024 Special Park Districts Forum
• Drought Status

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

NO ACTION REQUIRED.

Background Information:

Any individual wishing to address the Board on subjects which are not part of the meeting agenda may do so at this time. Such items will typically be referred to staff for review, action and/or recommendation for future board action. The public will also be provided an opportunity to address the Board on items which are on the agenda at the appropriate time.

If you would like to submit written comments in advance of the Board Meeting that will be shared with the Board, you may post them below in the comment box under the agenda item you wish to address or under People Wishing to Address the Board if it's a topic not on the Board Meeting agenda. Comments received by 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday before the Board Meeting will be shared with Commissioners at the meeting.

All matters listed under Routine Business are considered to be standard items by the Board of Commissioners and will be enacted by one motion. For background information about any of the items listed below, visit this link.

Item 5A. Approve Consultant Agreement to TKDA for the Bassett Creek Regional Trail – Golden Valley Road Gap

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

MOTION TO ENTER INTO A CONSULTANT AGREEMENT WITH TKDA TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE BASSETT CREEK REGIONAL TRAIL – GOLDEN VALLEY ROAD GAP IN GOLDEN VALLEY, MN, WITH A TOTAL HOURLY NOT-TO-EXCEED FEE IN THE AMOUNT OF $901,331 INCLUDING REIMBURSABLE EXPENSES, AND TO ESTABLISH A TOTAL CONSULTANT FEE BUDGET IN THE AMOUNT OF $991,464.10 INCLUDING A 10% CONTINGENCY WITH FINANCING FROM THE 2023 ASSET MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.

Item 5B. Consultant Contract Agreement - Rush Creek Regional Trail - West River Road Underpass

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

MOTION TO ENTER INTO A CONSULTANT AGREEMENT WITH BOLTON & MENK INC. TO PROVIDE PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE RUSH CREEK REGIONAL TRAIL / WEST RIVER ROAD UNDERPASS IN BROOKLYN PARK, MN, WITH A TOTAL HOURLY NOT-TO-EXCEED FEE IN THE AMOUNT OF $126,068, INCLUDING REIMBURSABLE EXPENSES, AND TO ESTABLISH A TOTAL CONSULTANT FEE BUDGET IN THE AMOUNT OF $138,675, INCLUDING A 10% CONTINGENCY, WITH FINANCING FROM VARIOUS GRANTS.

Item 5C. Lake Minnetonka Regional Trail Local Trail Connection Agreement with the City of Tonka Bay

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

MOTION TO ENTER INTO A LOCAL TRAIL CONNECTION PERMIT AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF TONKA BAY FOR A LOCAL TRAIL CONNECTION AT MANITOU PARK ON THE LAKE MINNETONKA REGIONAL TRAIL.

Item 5D. West Mississippi River Regional Trail – 16590 Dayton River Road Purchase Agreement

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE A PURCHASE AGREEMENT IN THE AMOUNT OF $525,000 FOR THE ACQUISITION OF 16590 DAYTON RIVER ROAD LOCATED IN THE CITY OF DAYTON ALONG THE WEST MISSISSIPPI RIVER REGIONAL TRAIL; TO ENTER INTO AN ACQUISITION REIMBURSEMENT GRANT WITH THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL; AND TO ESTABLISH A PROJECT BUDGET IN THE AMOUNT OF $640,000 WITH LOCAL FUNDING FROM THE LAND ACQUISITION DEVELOPMENT AND BETTERMENT FUND.

Item 5E. Acceptance of Donation – Three Rivers Park District Foundation

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

MOTION TO ACCEPT A DONATION FROM THE THREE RIVERS PARK DISTRICT FOUNDATION IN THE AMOUNT OF $38,150 TO BE USED ON INTERACTIVE CHILDREN’S EXHIBITS in the GATEWAY CENTER AT MISSISSIPPI GATEWAY REGIONAL PARK AND TO EXPAND THE MISSISSIPPI GATEWAY PROJECT BUDGET BY THE SAME AMOUNT.

Item 5F. Acceptance of Donation – Undesignated Donation from the Estate of Janet Everhart

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

MOTION TO ACCEPT A DONATION FROM THE ESTATE OF JANET EVERHART IN THE AMOUNT OF $27,496.53.

Item 5G. Mississippi Gateway Regional Park Redevelopment Project Consultant Contract Award for Pending Contracts and Construction Progress Update

Superintendent's Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO THE CONSTRUCTION ADMINISTRATION CONSULTANT AGREEMENT WITH WSB & ASSOCIATES, INC. IN A TOTAL HOURLY NOT TO EXCEED FEE IN THE AMOUNT OF $56,507, INCLUDING REIMBURSABLE EXPENSES, AND TO ESTABLISH A TOTAL CONSULTANT FEE BUDGET INCREASE IN THE AMOUNT OF $60,180 INCLUDING CONTINGENCY, FROM THE PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED PROJECT BUDGET.

Item 5H. Approval of Hennepin County Grant Agreement for Gun Violence Prevention Program Efforts

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

MOTION TO ACCEPT $114,500 GRANT FROM HENNEPIN COUNTY AS PART OF THEIR COMMUNITY VIOLENCE PREVENTION SERVICES PROGRAM TO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PARTNERSHIP EFFORTS WITH INNOVATIVE SOULUTIONS AND GIVING IT A VOICE.

Item 5I. Minutes of the August 17, 2023, Regular Board Meeting

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE AUGUST 17, 2023, REGULAR BOARD MEETING.

Item 5J. Minutes of the September 6, 2023, Joint Board Meeting with Scott County

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 6, 2023, JOINT BOARD MEETING BETWEEN THREE RIVERS PARK DISTRICT AND SCOTT COUNTY.

Item 5K. Approval of Claims for the Period Ended September 14, 2023

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

MOTION TO APPROVE PAYMENT OF CLAIMS AS RECOMMENDED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT FOR THE PERIOD ENDED SEPTEMBER 14, 2023, IN THE AMOUNT OF $9,222,029.34.

Superintendent's Recommendation:

- ROLL CALL VOTE REQUIRED -

MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 23-10, A RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF A STATE BONDING REQUEST FOR THE GREATER MINNEAPOLIS ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION NETWORK: PHASE 1 REGIONAL TRAIL NETWORK SAFETY, STEWARDSHIP AND EXPANSION PROJECT.

The following information was prepared by Jason McGrew-King and Jonathan Vlaming.

Background:

The Minnesota Office of Management and Budget (MMB) released a call for 2024 State Bonding Projects this summer. State bonding can provide up to 50 percent of the total project cost. During the last call (2022) for State Bond Projects, Staff and the Board discussed and approved a resolution in support of a comprehensive grant that covers all of the known regional trail projects found in the CIP. The 2022 request was not successful. This new request is similar to the first request, but with updated regional trail projects as now found in the CIP.

The application recognizes that the Three Rivers’ Regional Trail Network serves dual roles – both as a recreational amenity and as the arterial non-motorized transportation network, and that funding of an arterial transportation network is beyond the scope, mission and ability of a natural-resources based park agency.

As proposed in the application, the project improves over 52 miles of the active transportation network through construction of 10.7 miles of new regional trails, reconstruction of 11.4 miles of existing regional trails, life-extension treatments of 30.2 miles of trails, and features that make the off-road regional trail system safe, comfortable and accessible for all regardless of skill and ability.

The application proposes State funding of up to $24.4 million, or fifty percent of the total combined costs of all projects related to the regional trail network. These funds could be used to augment already secured federal grants, serving as the local match to federal funding. In addition, they could replace tentatively scheduled use of Legacy, City of Golden Valley, Hennepin County and Three Rivers funds. The final award is entirely scalable to the Park District’s planned trail projects.

A requirement of the application is a resolution of support from the governing body making the request (Reference 6A-1).

Relationship to the System Plan

The Request for Action supports the following goals(s) of the System Plan:

• Goal 1: You Belong Here
• Goal 2: Parks Matter
• Goal 3: Lead by Example

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

MOTION TO ADOPT THE 2024 OPERATING BUDGET FOR GLEN LAKE GOLF AND PRACTICE CENTER AND AUTHORIZE THE SUPERINTENDENT TO SUBMIT THE PROPOSED BUDGET TO THE HENNEPIN COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS FOR ADOPTION.

The following information was prepared by Howard Koolick; Jeff May; Bill Vollbrecht, Doug Berens and Mark Hill.

Background:

Three Rivers operates the Glen Lake Golf and Practice Center under a cooperative agreement with Hennepin County, which is the owner of the facility. The agreement outlines responsibilities of the Park District and the County and creates the Glen Lake Golf Joint Operations Committee, which is composed of staff from the Park District and the County. This committee oversees the operations, maintenance and fiscal affairs of the facility. The agreement also includes a variety of financial issues including how any profits would be allocated between the County and the Park District.

The cooperative agreement calls for the Park District to develop an annual operating budget for the facility, including recommended fees. The annual operating budget is proposed by Park District staff, reviewed by the Glen Lake Golf Joint Operations Committee, recommended to the Park District Board of Commissioners for consideration and, once approved, is then submitted to the Hennepin County Board for adoption.

The Operations Committee reviewed the budget at the August 24, 2023, Operations Committee Meeting. The attached budget packet (Reference 6B-1) provides highlights and details of the Committee’s budget recommendations. If approved and authorized by the Park District Board, the proposed budget is then forwarded to the Hennepin County Board for consideration.

The proposed 2024 budget recommends revenues of $1,107,992 and expenditures of $1,107,992 with a contingency of $138,712 (net revenues). This compares to 2023 budgeted revenues of $1,052,685 and operating expenses of $1,052,685 with a contingency amount of $125,538.

The projected fund balance at the end of 2023 is $706,000. The fund balance goal was established by the Operations Committee at $150,000. As a condition of the Cooperative Agreement between Hennepin County and Three Rivers, the Park District retains 30% of the net profits after the minimum fund balance of $150,000 has been achieved. The Operations Committee has agreed it is in both parties’ best interest to create a capital replacement fund to begin accumulating funds for large capital needs in the next ten years. These needs would include replacement of the irrigation system, driving range nets and other needs identified in the future. The Park District CFO and County staff will be drafting a revision to the cooperative agreement for both organizations to review before the end of the year.

The attached budget for Glen Lake includes:

• 2024 budget summary and work plan highlights

• 2024 revenue and expense summaries

• Fee schedules and comparative rates

• 2024 position complement summary

Relationship to the System Plan

The request for Action supports the following goals of the System Plan:

• Goal 1: You Belong Here

• Goal 2: Parks Matter

Superintendent's Recommendation:

NO ACTION REQUIRED; THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION.

Background:

This item is a continuation of the discussion on the draft 2024-2028 Capital Improvement Program (CIP).

The discretionary project list contained 27 potential projects, totaling about $10.4 million in cost over the five-year window of the CIP.

Since the Study Session, the list has had two changes:

1. A project that provides an analysis of the needs and standards associated with education shelters has been added in 2025.
2. The Richardson and the Baker Outdoor Learning Center shelter projects originally slated for 2025 have been replaced with a district-wide placeholder for education shelters project proposed to occur in 2026.

CIP Next Steps:

At the October 5^th Study Session, staff would like to have a more refined discussion of the discretionary project list in order to match funding sources with projects. This will also set our bonding levels for 2024-2028, which will have an impact on future debt service levies.

Staff will bring back the CIP for consideration of approval in November and final adoption in December of 2023. Final adoption will dictate the 2024 Asset Management Program, which will be submitted for Board consideration of approval once the CIP has been adopted.

Relationship to the System Plan

The Request for Action supports the following goals(s) of the System Plan:

• Goal 1: You Belong Here
• Goal 2: Parks Matter
• Goal 3: Lead by Example

Superintendent’s Recommendation:

- ROLL CALL VOTE REQUIRED -

MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION NO. 23-11 CERTIFYING THE PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX LEVY AND ADOPTING A PRELIMINARY GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR 2024.

View the background information for Item 6D.