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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Parks Development Study for the Ciy of OPH 1987CITY PARKS DEVELOPMENT STUDY FOR �_ THE CITY OF y Y . OAK PARK HEIGHT; .� .r MINNESOTA 1987 {/y � v t y ry � FILE NO. 5578 SONESTROO, ROSENE, ANDERLIK A ASSOCIATES, INC. ENGINEERS A ARCHITECTS ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA 1� i y W. ` I J I Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderiik & Associates, Inc. 1 2335 W. Trunk Highway 36 St. Paul, MN 55113 612.636.4600 Engineers & Architects 1 I 1 I July 6, 1987 City of Oak Park Heights 14168 - 57th Street North Stillwater, MN 55082 Attn: Mr. Richard G. Seggelke Councilman - Parks Liaison Re: City Parks Development Study City of Oak Park Heights File No. 5578 Dear Mayor, Council and Park and Recreation Commission: 011. 0. Rain P.E. Rob-1 W. Roane, P.E. Juwyh C. AWWA. P.R. Rr IQ d A. INnbrrR. P.E. Rkkm E. Tarwrr, P.E. Janes C. 040., P.E. Gk.. R. Cook, P.E. Kwh A. Gordon, P.E. Thuano E. N.'.. Y.E. R."M W. Fwlrr. Y.E. Robert G. Srh.nirb. P.E. Marvin L. S.raola. P.E. D.Wd C. Ranwdl. P.E. JM, A. &. ., P.E. Mark A. H..m., P.E. Ted K. Fkld, P.E. Michel T. Rawman., P.E. Rubrrt R. Pfdferk, P.E'. M.WO. Lwkum. P.E. rhomm W. P .M. P.R. M.AM C. LP h. P. E. Karen L. WRIb, P.E. Jame R. Mala.d. P.E. h'ennah P. AM .., P.R. Knlh A. Rodman.. P.E. Mork R. R.1t, P.E. Robert C. Rwuk, A.LA. Thaw E. Ankw. P.E. &W$ L. Y." P.E. Chmkf A. Elk kwn Leo M. Ptah*, Hark. M. 0 Sown M. Eb ,. We have prepared this Development Study of the City Parks of Oak Park Heights covering development proposals and cost estimates necessary for the providing of planning and funding the parks to completion. This report should be carefully reviewed by the Park and Recreation Commission. Upon completion of this review we will plan to review the report with the members of the Parks Commission and City Council to answer any questions that may arise concerning the report. 1 I We want to express our appreciation for the opportunity of preparing this report and we want to thank the City staff and all others involved in gathering information for the report. We further wish to thank the Recreation Commission for their very comprehensive report on this subject. Respectfully Submitted, BONESTR00, ROSENE, ANDERLIK OCIATES, INC. Bradfor A. Lemberg, P. BAL /jo ' Enclosure ' 4864e CITY PARKS DEVELOPMENT STUDY OAK PARK HEIGHTS MINNESOTA File No. 5578 1987 TABLE OF CONTENTS i. Transmittal Letter ii. Table of Contents I Introduction II Parks Development Program A. Brekke Park B. Valley View C. Cover Park D. Swager Park E. Park Improvements III Improvement Cost Estimates IV Conclusions V Recommendations Appendix Page No. 1 2 3 4 5 13 14 18 19 22 24 27 I hereby certify that this report was prepared by me or under my direct supervision and that I am a duly Registered Professional E��B8,ineer under the laws oA the State of Minnesota./ F#adford A. LemlKerg , Date: June 26, 1987 Reg. No. 6231 4864e - 2 - PART I - INTRODUCTION Over the past years the City of Oak Park Heights has begun development of several park areas in the community. Parke such as Swager Park and Lower Park, now designated as Cover Park, have had some development for more than 15 years. Valley View Park and Brekke Park have been developed in the past ten years and still have potential for additional development. Various concepts have been used in the existing parks to provide the needs for the community. Most development has been aimed at providing active type park facilities. Valley View Park has been basically designated as a passive activity area. Both concepts are necessary in a community like Oak Park Heights to provide the activities and serrings desired by the residents of the City and their guests. This report or study deals with the desires and needs of the Community. The present City Park and Recreation Commission has done a very good job in reviewing the present parks and making recommendations for the park develop- ments. As a part of this report these facts have been reviewed and expanded upon to provide a comprehensive guide and cost estimates that can be used by the City over a period of time to complete these park developments. - 3 - OPH -4864e PART II - PARKS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM A thriving and growing community such as Oak Park Heights, must provide many and varied services for the benefit of its residents. These service needs include the essentials such as sanitary sewer, water supply, streets, fire, police and others that are the necessity of life for a community. In addition to the bare essential services a thriving and happy community re- quires additional or ancillary services to make it a well rounded place in which to live. In recent years there has been, throughout the United States, an ever increasing emphasis on exercise and health programs for maintaining physical fitness of the residents. It has also been found that passive areas are necessary wherein families and friends can experience and enjoy the natural amenities of our country. For these reasons it is extremely important that well designed and developed park areas are provided by the community. This section of the report reviews the existing designated park areas of Oak Park Heights to determine present and future needs of each, to provide the type of facilities deserved by the residents. Each of the following subsec- tions deals with the individual park and its needs. A later section provides preliminary coat estimates for construction of the features described in the individual park discussions. - 4 - OPH -4864e [1 ' PART II -A. - BREKKE PARK ' Brekke Park is a relatively new park area in the southwest section of Oak 1 Park Heights. The development on this park began at approximately the same time as the expansion of the adjacent residential area. A portion of this ' park is in an NSP powerline easement. The south edge of the park abuts land that is owned by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources thereby provid- ing a wild or natural area to the south of the park that will, most likely, 1 never be developed for any other purpose. The park is a long, narrow strip of area. The proposed tennis land that lies in an east -west orientation. courts and small children's playground facilities The first development of the park provided for softball /baseball fields. Due to the topography of the park the land is terraced to provide for the various uses. funding. Several items remain to be constructed or installed to complete the basic original park plan. These are as follows: 1. Construction of surfaced pathway for handicapped from the lower park access ramp that starts at the parking lot to the lower level of the park building. This could be bituminous, concrete, brick or other hard surface that would comply with the state handicapped codes. - OPH -4864e I In 1982 partial grading was done on the east end of the project, retaining ' walls and hockey dasherboards and skating lights were constructed to provide ice skating, general play area was layed out and a sand volleyball court was installed. In 1984 the park building was constructed providing a picnic shel- ter, warming house and public toilets for the park area. The proposed tennis courts and small children's playground facilities were put on hold pending I additional funding. Several items remain to be constructed or installed to complete the basic original park plan. These are as follows: 1. Construction of surfaced pathway for handicapped from the lower park access ramp that starts at the parking lot to the lower level of the park building. This could be bituminous, concrete, brick or other hard surface that would comply with the state handicapped codes. - OPH -4864e I 2. Two tennis courts were originally planned for construction on the east end of the park property and grading was completed. These courts were to be bituminous surfaces with the normal tennis court surface color coats. The courts were also planned with floodlighting which would be controlled by timing devices so that the lights were not necessarily on when no one was playing tennis. 3. The small childrens play area, including safety fencing and playground equipment, that is planned for the area adjacent to the tennis courts. This area was planned to provide a safe and visible small childrens play area so that parents who wished to play tennis could feel safe bringing their small children to the park with them. In addition to the items above, which were a part of the original Brekke Park Development Plan, the City Park and Recreation Committee has made recom- mendations concerning several items in the area. Each of these items is pre- sented in the following portion of this part of the report and each is discus- sed as to pro's and con's on the item. 1. It was suggested that a better access be provided from the ice rink level to the level of the warming house floor. The present situation is such that the pathway is quite steep and felt to be a safety hazard. Gradual concrete steps were proposed by citizens that were present at the Park and Recreation Commission meeting of April 6, 1987. There are pros and cons to the concrete step concept. On the positive side it - 6 - OPH -4864e would provide a more controlled access, if handrails were also pro- vided, then the steep slope, however, steps are difficult to negotiate for a non - experienced ice skater and in addition concrete is very detrimental to the skate blade. The best solutions to this question are the construction of a gradually sloped treated wood ramp with a rubberized, non -slip surface, an earth ramp, or long tread steps that are easily negotiated. In addition handrails should be provided on each side of the ramp. Another solution is to construct an earth ramp with at least a wood rail on one side. Care must be taken on the ramps to see that they are not coated with ice and further, in the case of the earth ramp, that no stones are present that could damage the edges of the skate blades. Either of these solutions are quite compatible with the usage of the area and are inexpensive to construct. 2. A question was raised by the Commission regarding a handicap ramp to access the lower level of the warming house building. The existing ramp that runs from the parking lot to the skating rink level was originally graded in for two purposes. First, to provide access to the lower level for maintenance equipment, and secondly, to provide the handicap access to the lower level. The City has recently surfaced the ramp with bituminous, therefore, it will only be necessary to provide a bituminous, or other material, walkway from this ramp to the warming house level. It would be advantageous to add additional lighting facilities that would illuminate the ramp and steps that lead to the lower area. 7 - OPH -4g64e I 3. Several items brought up by the Commission on other parks such as an emergency phone, music system, refuse containers and attendants sup- ' plies are important and should be considered by the City. These are all items that can be furnished and installed through the City staff rather than a contractor. Therefore, these items are not included herein in detail. A hose reel was originally a part of this building, however, it was determined by the City staff that a larger hose and a reel of larger capacity would be advantageous, therefore, the original hose reel was removed. It is recommended that the City purchase a reel and hose of their choice for this facility without going through a con- tractor. 4. Free or pleasure skating is an important part of a good recreation facility. The hockey rink in Brekke Park was carefully addressed a few years ago, but not as much attention was given to general skating. At the time of grading this area previously, the recreation committee at that time requested a 40' x 60' sand volleyball court. This was there- fore constructed as ordered. Consequently it has been noted that this feature has not had much use, therefore it may be prudent to remove the sand and refill the area with soil comparable to that which exists in the area. Other means are also available for flooding and developing a general skating area over the sand, if it is desired to retain the volleyball sand court. Many ice arenas that provide 11 to 12 month ice are on - 8 - OPH -4864e I sand floors. There is a technique that is quite simple whereby excel- lent ice can be obtained on sand with the use of this flooding method. Also another method is to cover the sand with a thin sheet of polyethe- lene prior to starting flooding operations. These methods are both time consuming and therefore more expensive. J The final decision on this matter is up to the City. Additional grad- ing can be accomplished, if desired to expand the general skating area, however, it may involve bringing in fill for the south east corner of the park area. This may be necessary to avoid damages to the ball fields or existing hockey rink area. It may also be necessary to ob- tain a permit from the DNR to allow a small amount of fill onto that property to the south. 5. The plans for Brekke Park, from first conception, have shown two tennis courts on the east end of the area with an adjoining, fenced, small childrens playground. The park building was planned such that the public toilet areas can be made available without permitting access to the remainder of the building. I OPH -4864e Sufficient usage of tennis courts in the Brekke Park area is antici- pated due to the nature of the families and the age and number of youngster's in the area. Tennis is an ever increasing sport that can be played through life by all ages. It is always recommended that two courts be built for two reasons. One, it allows more than 2 persons to I OPH -4864e play at a time and therefore courts are more accessible to the users, and secondly the cost per court is leas if more than one are built simultaneously. Courts should be constructed adjacent to adequate parking since re— search has shown that most users will not walk more than a very short distance to gain access to the courts. In addition to the subjects listed above, a few other items should be addres— sed in completing the development of Brekke Park. 1. Careful control of drainage is very important throughout the entire park. Poorly drained areas are not conducive to good playground activities whether it is a ball field or a general play area. Drainage across a skating area is very critical. If the area does not drain properly it will hold water and be difficult to use. If the area is too drastically sloped for drainage it is extremely difficult to obtain a good ice sheet. Therefore, all areas must be treated individually and carefully. ' OPH -4864e =tf= 2. It may be prudent to install higher fencing between home plate, and first base and between home plate and 3rd base on the ballfields to provide protection for spectator and adjacent fields and also to stop balls from leaving the fields. The upper field especially should be ' considered for this addition of fencing. ' OPH -4864e =tf= 3. Due to the partially earth sheltered park building and the small amount of usage in the summer seasons, thoughts should be given to maintaining a lower humidity level on the building. This should be done by instal- lation and operation of a dehumidifier and it will also be aided by frequent usage of the ventilating systems. The buildup of humidity within the building will cause deterioration of the paint surfaces and eventually the deterioration of the concrete block walls. Until this situation is addressed it is not too feasible to continue to repaint the interior since the block walls will retain moisture and cause paint failure. 4. Upon construction of future tennis courts and playground area, a path- way following normally used routes to the park building and the parking lot should be constructed to provide a hard surfaced walkway and there- by reduce the damage to grass areas. - 11 - OPH -4864e PART II -S - VALLEY VIEW PARK Valley View Park in Oak Park Heights is a beautiful area overlooking and including a large wooded valley that connects to the St. Croix River Valley area. The park is adjacent to the recently constructed state penal institu tion and thereby benefits from the large open space area created by the unique design of the new state prison. Valley View Park was established and has been developed as a passive park for hikers, picnics and quiet contemplation of nature. The entrance road to the park was constructed in 1975. In 1979 and 1980 the roadway, grading land- scaping and park shelter building with public toilets was constructed. In 1980 the fencing project was completed. The park contains minimal roadways, adequate parking, some childrens play- ground equipment, picnic tables and the aformentioned toilet /picnic shelter building. The only needs that remain to be completed in Valley View Park are the installation of two or three more picnic tables and a possible free - standing picnic shelter that would fill out the park needs. It is important that this park be kept in a neat, clean and natural condi- tion because it is an area that can be enjoyed by many people of all ages. - 12 - OPH -4864e PART II -C - COVER PARK Cover Park is probably the oldest park in Oak Park Heights and is located near the older section of the City, which is the lower section, in the St. Croix River Valley. The park has been recently named Cover Park because of significant historical reasons. John Cover was the first mayor of Oak Park Heights. Carrie Cover was a school teacher for over 60 years in this area and the actual park land area was donated to the City by Liz Cover. As a sugges- tion, the City may want to develop a celebration or some other public rela- tions publicity on naming the park as a part of the City's history. This park is the smallest in the City Park system, therefore, care must be taken in determining needs and layout. A small, cramped park is less condu- cive to a good atmosphere than is a well designed facility. Even if the park contains less amenities it will gain more usage if those amenities are proper- ly placed to avoid a crowded or cramped feeling. The existing park layout includes a warming house /restroom building that was constructed in 1969 -70, two tennis courts, a smaller than normal hockey rink and a small general skating area. There is basically no on -site parking. Some children's playground equipment exists, however, the majority of the equipment is at least 20 years old and in most cases in poor condition. The tennis courts were resurfaced in 1977 and the chainlink fencing was installed around the Park at that time. Since that time nothing has been done to main- tain the quality needed for good courts. All of these items combine to re- quire a major retrofit of this park. - 13 - OPH -4864e The Oak Park Heights Parks and Recreation Commission report addressed several of the problems as follows: 1. The existing warming house has no windows for observation of outside activities. This building is approximately 17 years old and was built without windows, at the request of the Village Council at that time. The Council then felt that windows would be a problem because of anticipated vandalism. Products are now available that are quite vandal resistant and therefore feasible for park building windows. 2. A new hockey rink is requested by the Commission. This rink, as re- quested by the Commission, should be 70' x 180' rather than a full 85' x 200' due to lack of sufficient space. Also, due to the poor condi- tion of the existing hockey boards, new and up to date hockey boards are needed. The installation of a new rink will require some regrading of the site and will also require a facilities rearrangement. This will in turn require removal of the existing tennis courts and related facilities. Rearrangement will also require revisions to the general skating and security lighting facilities. It may be prudent to also install hockey lights at this facility at the time the other lighting is being revised. Some arrangement for parking should be considered at alleviate present erosion problems. - 14 - OPH -4864e the time this park is re -done and, because of grading requirements ' needed for the new rink, it would be advantageous to construct parking facilities as a part of the project. During these operations it would 1 also be possible to make some changes in the drainage patterns to alleviate present erosion problems. - 14 - OPH -4864e 3. Other items requested by the Commission were such things as some new playground equipment, emergency phone, refuse containers, a music sys- tem and other items that could be better provided by the City rather than including them in a bid contract. Other items of need were noted upon field inspection of this park. Some doors of the warming house should be replaced. They have been damaged both by weather and vandalism. It would also help the aesthetics of the park if the building was repainted and some plantings were installed in strategic loca- tions to improve the landscaping of the area. It should be kept in mind that this park is very limited in space. A full size hockey rink would take up approximately 47% of the total available space. There would not be sufficient space remaining to allow construction of a regulation size - 60' x 120' tennis court. Also by placing a regulation size hockey rink on the side only a strip of property approximately 29' in width is available for general skating. From this it can be seen that very careful consideration, on the part of the City, must be made as to whether a full size or smaller size hockey rink is desired for this park. A full size rink would basically eliminate most other activities in this park. It may be desirable to make the skating area in this park as a general rink only and provide the good, full size hockey rink in Brekke Park, where sufficient space is avail- able. This, however, presents a problem in that no hockey rink would then be available to the youth that reside in the lower section of the City without going out onto the state highway to reach the hockey facilities. - 15 - OPH -4864e While consideration must be given to this problem, another point should be carefully studied. Since the area available is too small to support full size recreational facilities, should smaller than standard facilities be construc- ted? This also leads to problems, in that, as children that have played on less than standard size facilities, grow into the various sports programs, they will be at somewhat of a disadvantage when they go against others who have grown up on regulation sized facilities. This is the type of decision that must be made by the Parks and Recreation Commission.. One other item that has been discussed concerning Cover Park, is the possibility of the new bridge crossing the St. Croix River being placed near or over the park. It is felt that this should not be a concern at this time since the new bridge may be built far in the future and even then it should be possible to maintain the park under the bridge without detrimental affects. OPR -4864e - 16 - PART II -D - SWAGER PARK Swager Park is also one of the older park facilities in Oak Park Heights. It is located just to the west of a large commercial area and south of T.H. 36. It is also basically within the Northern States Power Company Electrical Transmission line right of way. This park contains a general skating area that is difficult to flood and maintain, a minimal quantity of older playground equipment, two tennis courts, and a warming house /restroom building. The building is in very poor condition with large cracks in some walls and rapidly deteriorating foundation and re- lated items. The park and recreation commission addressed the subject of the playground equipment. The recommendation from their report was for some new equipment and some retrofit of existing equipment. To provide the residents of this area with a pleasant and active park facility several items should be considered. In order to update the facility and to make it capable of providing pleasant and safe activities it is first necessary to retrofit the existing facilities. A portion of the area should be regraded to provide good playground and skating areas. The existing build- ing was apparently constructed on an old landfill that cannot support the structure. This building should be demolished and a new facility constructed in a different location. It may be that only a picnic shelter structure is necessary depending on final use determination. The orientation should be such that it can serve several purposes. New and better layed out lighting should be installed for the park for security and better recreational cover- age. Landscaping and other aesthetic amenities should be installed to make the park area attractive to potential users. - 17 - oPH -4864e PART E - PARK IMPROVEMENTS The preceding parts of Section II of this report provided descriptions and discussions on the four parks that are in Oak Park Heights. This part of the report is meant to draw together the various parks and the needs of each to provide the reader with a clear, concise understanding of the total needs of the proposed Parks Development Program. It is important for a community, such as Oak Park Heights, to look at their overall needs and desires when developing a park system. The parks should provide activities for all ages and all economic levels within the com- munity. It is important to provide active park areas for those that want and need physical exercise and play. It is also important to provide the quiet, passive areas for individuals that wish to observe and enjoy nature, for those that want the family picnic areas and for those who like to walk or hike in quiet safe environments. The park system of Oak Park Heights has been on the correct track with Valley View Park being the quiet, passive and natural area. Brekke Park, Cover Park and Swager Park were established to provide the physical or active needs of the community. In each of the parks certain items have been discussed in the preceding sections and those needs are reiterated and described in more detail in the following paragraphs. Many of the items of concern noted in the Parks and Recreation Commissions report can be accomplished by the City staff without a great expense or time. Items such as repairs to owing sets, bringing in sand cushion material for the - 18 - OPH -4864e ' playgrounds, repairs of some other equipment, general painting and the like can be done during aummer hours utilizing City staff and possibly by hiring ' part -time summer help. ' The major items should be carefully planned, designed and let out in bids for construction. The construction should take place only after careful thought and planning for the future is accomplished, to avoid expenditures for major items now that may not be utilized or desired later. ' The major items for consideration in each park are as follows: A. Brekke Park 1. Surfaced pathway from paved ramp to lower level of building. 2. Two tennis courts with appropriate fencing b lighting. 3. Small children's play area with fencing and playground equipment. 4. Ramp access from warming house to rinks. 5. Additional grading for general skating area. 6. Surfaced pathway from parking lot to tennis courts area. 7. Additional fencing on ball fields. 8. Landscaping B. Valley View Park 1. Additional Picnic Shelter 2. Possible additional walking paths 3. Landscaping C. Cover Park 1. Remodeling of park building to include installation of windows, some new doors and painting of exterior and interior. - 19 - oPH -4864e ' 2. Regrading of park area to include removal of tennis court area. 3. Construction of new hockey boards. items. The 4. Construction of some on -site parking, if possible. ' 5. Landscape plantings. 6. Revise security and skating lighting. ing major construction are included in D. Swager Park 1. Removal of existing building. 2. Construction of new park building or picnic shelter. ' 3. Regrading to provide general skating area. 4. Revise exterior lighting for security and skating. 5. Landscape plantings. 6. Bituminous paving of parking area /cul -de -sac. ' 7. Resurface existing tennis courts. ' Each of the above are fairly major items. The estimates of cost for these ' items are included in Section III - IMPROVEMENT COST ESTIMATES - following this section of the report. Preliminary layout sketches for the parks requir- ing major construction are included in the Appendix at the back of the report. 1 1 L ' -20 - OPH -4864e PART III - IMPROVEMENT COST ESTIMATES The following cost estimates are based on the descriptions of the various items in Part II of the report. It should be kept in mind that these are estimates only, based on experience from recent projects involving similar work. Costs may vary depending upon the time when bids are received, the amount of work being bid and the business climate at the time of bids. The coat estimates have also been broken down by year to provide a sequencing of the development on an annual budget basis rather than trying to do the entire development at one time. ' Future Items Should consider some time in the future, automatic irrigation sprinkler system. Costs to be determined at that time. 1 TOTAL BREKKE PARK DEVELOPMENT $48,430.00 - 21 - OPH -4864e A. BREKKE PARK 1 1987 Items Estimated Cost 1. Handicap path - ramp to building $ 230.00 ' 2. Access ramp or steps - building to rinks 1,000.00 3. Grading for general skating area 2,500.00 ' 4. Upper ballfield additional fencing 1,500.00 1987 Total $5,230.00 1988 Items Estimated Cost ' 1. Two tennis courts $24,000.00 2. Small children play area 4,200.00 3. Windbreak planting 6 landscape 5,000.00 1988 Total $33,200.00 ' 1989 Items Estimated Cost 1. Tennis court lighting $ 8,000.00 2. Additional lighting - east side of bldg. 2,000.00 ' 1989 Total $10,000.00 ' Future Items Should consider some time in the future, automatic irrigation sprinkler system. Costs to be determined at that time. 1 TOTAL BREKKE PARK DEVELOPMENT $48,430.00 - 21 - OPH -4864e B. VALLEY VIEW PARK 1987 Items - All by City Maintenance 1. New aluminum door 2. Paint picnic shelter ceiling 3. Repair rip rap washout at retaining wall 1988 Items - None 1989 Items 1. Additional picnic shelter 1990 Item 1. Walking paths 2. Landscaping addition 1990 Total TOTAL VALLEY VIEW PARK DEVELOPMENT C. COVER PARK 1987 Items 1. Park building retrofit 2. Tennis court removal, regrading 6 seeding 3. Construct 70'x120' hockey boards w /end fences 4. Revise security b skating lighting 5. Playground equipment - new 6. Gravel for auxiliary parking 7. Pea gravel for impact areas 1987 Total 1988 Items 1. Landscaping TOTAL COVER PARK DEVELOPMENT $4,600.00 $17,500.00 5,000.00 $22,500.00 $27,100.00 Estimated Cost $ 2,700.00 8,000.00 14,000.00 8,000.00 1,000.00 1,000.00 500.00 $38,700.00 Estimated Cost $1,000.00 $39,700.00 - 22- OPR -4864e D. SWAGER PARK 1987 Items 1. Playground equipment 2. Pea gravel 3. Repair walkway fence 1987 Total 1988 Items 1. Remove existing building 2. Regrading of site 3. Revise security b skating lighting 4. Pave cul -de -sac 6 1/2 basketball court 5. Resurface tennis courts 1988 Total 1989 Items 1. Landscaping 1990 Items 1. Build new building TOTAL SWAGER PARK DEVELOPMENT Estimated Cost $4,500.00 500.00 200.00 $5,200.00 Estimated Cost $ 3,000.00 2,000.00 5,000.00 4,700.00 5,000.00 $19,700.00 Estimated Cost $5,000.00 Estimated Cost $30,000.00 $59,900.00 -23- OPR -4864e PART DEVELOPMENT COST RECAPITULATION - 24 - OPH -4864e Park 1987 1988 1989 1990 Total A. Brekke $ 5,230 $33,200 $10,000 -- $ 48,430 B. Valley View -- -- 4,600 22,500 27,100 C. Cover 38,700 1,000 -- -- 39,700 D. Swager 5,200 19,700 5,000 30,000 59,900 TOTAL $49,130 $53,900 $19,600 $52,000 $175,130 - 24 - OPH -4864e PART IV - CONCLUSION The City of Oak Park Heights, for many years, has felt the need to provide parks and recreational facilities for the residents. Park development has been a major concern and past councils and recreation committees began the development of a park system using foresight or a vision that was of great benefit to future generations. As the community continues to grow it is important that an ongoing plan be developed whereby the park system can con- tinue to grow to provide the various needs of the Community. As was mentioned previously in the report, two basic concepts are necessary for a well rounded park program. The first is the continued development and maintenance of a pleasant passive park area. This is provided in Oak Park Heights by the Valley View Park area. It should always be kept in mind that overdevelopment of this area will destroy the quiet and serene nature of the area. The addition of one more park shelter /picnic area will round out the needs without crowding the park, if the facility is thoughtfully and strate- gically placed. The only other possible development needed in this park would be walking trails or paths that would provide a passive type of facility that would allow users to enjoy the natural beauty and environment of the area. Active recreational park areas are available with the facilities at Brekke Park, Cover Park and Swager Park. These three parks are located such that most parts or areas of the City are provided with recreational facilities. The only residential area in the City that does not have access to a City park, maintained by Oak Park Heights, is the area north of TH 36. The City - 25 - OPH-4864e may want to consider eventually obtaining a small area north of TH 36 that could be developed as a play area for the children in that vicinity. However, the school playground is available for this area. Additional development is needed in the three active parka to round out and complete the park system for future generations. Brekke Park appears to have the most potential for providing the varied needs of the community due to its size and location. By providing good tennis courts, by improving handicap access to the lower level and to the park build- ing restrooms and by improving the general skating /play area on the lower level this park can provide nearly all the desired needs. Swager Park and Cover Park are basically neighborhood parks that will pro- vide summer and winter activities for the residents in each location. By replacing the existing building in Swager Park the City would provide a more pleasant and usable facility and free up the area where the present building is located. Also by doing minimal grading and landscaping the play- ground/skating area can be greatly improved. Also the cul -de -sac parking area should be hard surfaced and marked such that it can be easily controlled and also cleaned. Finally the improvement of security and athletic lighting would set off this park as a very usable recreation area. Various questions must be answered on Cover Park prior to scheduling major renovations. Such things as installing the necessary new doors and windows in the existing building can be done immediately. Items such as removal of ten- nis courts, regrading and the construction of a new ice hockey rink must be carefully thought out prior to taking positive action. The City Council and the Parks and Recreation Commission must make the decision as to whether or - 26 - OPH -4864e ' not a full size rink or a reduced size rink is desired and if a single, regular size or reduced size tennis court is desired. Also thought should be given to the possibility of utilizing a part of the existing surfaced court ' area as a hard surface play area for basketball or other sports. It may be feasible to use this area only for general skating and concentrate the winter ' hockey at Brekke Park or possibly at Swager Park. Due to the restricted size of this park these questions should be considered carefully prior to starting ' retrofit of the park. The conclusion,, drawn from the study are that the City is in a very good ' position to complete the development of the parks due to the thought and plan- , ning that has been done over the last few years. The present Park and Recrea- tion Commission has done a considerable amount of study on this matter and is proceeding on a path that will allow the total development to be brought to fruition. 7 J I 1 1 1 1 r- I OPH -4864,, - 27 - 1 not a full size rink or a reduced size rink is desired and if a single, regular size or reduced size tennis court is desired. Also thought should be given to the possibility of utilizing a part of the existing surfaced court area as a hard surface play area for basketball or other sports. It may be feasible to use this area only for general skating and concentrate the winter hockey at Brekke Park or possibly at Swager Park. Due to the restricted size of this park these questions should be considered carefully prior to starting ■ retrofit of the park. The conclusions drawn from the study are that the City is in a very good ' position to complete the development of the parks due to the thought and plan- , ning that has been done over the last few years. The present Park and Recrea- tion Commission has done a considerable amount of study on this matter and is proceeding on a path that will allow the total development to be brought to fruition. d 1 u 1 1 OPH -4864e - 27 - I ' PART V - RECOMMENDATIONS ' Based on the preceding sections of this report and the information included in the Appendix the following recommendations have been prepared to provide the City Council and the Parks and Recreation Commission of the City of Oak Park Heights with the necessary information to make the decisions required to complete the parks developments. The following recommendations are submitted for consideration and action by the appropriate City Personnel: It is recommended that: ' 1. The City establish a schedule and priorities on the various park development items so that the development proceed on a rational basis. ' 2. The City Council establish a park development budget, by the fiscal year, to provide sufficient funds to accomplish the park development schedule. ' 3. The City do a mini - interest study at random throughout the City to determine the basic park desires of the residents. This can be done by ' sending out a brief, concise questionnaire that the residents need not sign. To determine the response area, the questionnaire can be printed ' for It be to have on different colors of paper each area. may possible this sent out with a water or sewer bill or an organization such as the Boy Scouts may deliver it door to door. Even a 10% return can provide a good statistical analysis of the study. 4. The various means of financing be investigated that may be available to 1 the City to aid in the park development program. 1 ' OPH -4864e CIN:M 1 - PROFtn6D NOCYWf RWK 1 Cl Cl ID 10 1 �1 I1 _ 12 �o -o' W 13 13 oz 16 E RR E A 14 L, SKATING 1 15 l5 tftAY6 COUP �tUIPi'IEIJ? A RIrA� Ib IG ' �cI�TiNI� PI1f�K I�uIWIN4 ' Sb'�' 6TKELrf' N. ' b 7 6 5 4 1 ' GOVEfZ Pb�K WOR6ED 6Ut-- M-5Ac. OI.E0E AvE. ouWuA AVE. Po 066, 6WA6,59' PARK SGAI,E I =� UE 0 V) ir- 0 PQoPoSED gU ILPIO la��lE2AL -6 IC A'f 10 6n AREA __ �x15TIrJ� TEUN Is GoUi�tS 17 f K 26 ZI 0 E