Part 2 of 4
6:05 ** Recess Regular Meeting
** Reconvene Planning Committee
* Study / Report Item: Calhoun Yacht Club
* Several members of the Calhoun Yacht Club, including Bill Coppage, give a presentation regarding their history and activities, and their concerns about the increasing crowding and density of use at the north east corner of Lake Calhoun -- present location of bouys, dock, boat ramp, refectory, Tin Fish, etc. The Yacht Club would like to build a "sailing center" in the southeast corner of Lake Calhoun. They have engaged the Barbour/LaDouceur Architects firm to develop a concept and plan. It contains 3 buildings, with much more space than the Yacht Club needs for its uses, the idea being that concessions/vendors would occupy the other portions. The concept is presented by John Barbour and Janis LaDouceur.
The Yacht Club proposes that the Park Board fund the construction, act as general contractor and would own the sailing center once completed. The Yacht Club proposes to donate $150,000 to $200,000 towards construction costs over 5 years. Retail tenants rent and a percentage of revenue would pay off the remaining construction costs [and eventually become an income stream for the Park Board?].
* Commissioner Young asks a number of questions: (1) How much does sailing cost? Is this something that has a wide enough audience among park users? (2) How much will the buildings cost to build? (3) Has the Yacht Club made any official neighborhood contact? (4) In future neighborhood contact, be sure to include people of color and the numbers of same.
Answers from Club and Barbour: (1) sailing can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars for the type of sailing they do on Lake Calhoun. (2) Building will cost about $1.5 million. (3) No contact yet with neighbors.
* Erwin asks about multiuse of the buildings, e.g. rollerblade rental. Also the possibility of building decking for use by diners out over the water, as the location has a great view of the city, and such an amenity does not exist in Minneapolis.
* Fine answers Erwin's questions and appears to already know all about this project, though it is the first presentation to the board. He says the Park Board will own the buildings and rent them out.
* Commissioner Berry Graves has done some sailing herself and wonders if Lake Calhoun is not the best place for a "sailing center" in the park system. It is a narrow lake and has more wind obstructions near shore. She suggests that perhaps Lake Nokomis, which is larger and has more wind, might not be a better location. She asks the size of the proposed structures. Answer is 150 feet outside dimension of the 3 buildings and decking.
* Fine points out that this is just a study / report item. It will go to the Park Board planning department before any action is taken on it.
* Commissioner Kummer asks about the height of the buildings and mentions the shoreline ordinance which limits heights to 35 feet. Answer: around 35 to 40 feet, like the Lake Harriet band shell.
6:35pm
* Olson is in favor and thinks it is a wonderful opportunity.
* Fine refers it to staff and asks for a motion to adjourn, but then realizes there is a large crowd of wind surfers in the audience who thought they would have a chance to speak. He gives them a couple minutes.
* Windsurfer Marissa Lasky of Edmund Place and a member of the Minneapolis Zoning Board speaks on their behalf. She is seriously perturbed. The windsurfer contingent complains of just learning about this development and would like to know in advance about Park Board plans that would affect them, even though they consider themselves to be the poor step-child of the parks. They have a number of concerns, and are adamantly opposed to the proposed sailing center being built in the location they presently use for launching and sailing. She explains the nature of their sport -- no place to do formal training due to park liability concerns, no ability to adjust the sheet while sailing like boats thus necessitating frequent equipment changs which are not practical to do if one must hike across a busy road carrying a sail board, etc. Bouys in the water for the sailboats pose a serious hazard to windsurfers, who don't have rudders and keels designed for that kind of tight maneuvering, etc. Lake Calhoun is the only lake in the chain of lakes that they can practically sail on now. If this project goes through, they will have no place to go in the city.
* Fine points out that the board is not voting on anything. It's just a proposal.
6:45pm
** Planning Committee Adjourns
** Admininistration & Finance Committee called to order by chair Marie Hauser
* Item 7.1 is moved and passes.
* Dziedzic moves Item 7.2, authorize staff to negotiate sale of former Fuji Ya site to Columbia Development LP (formerly Lucky Club LLC).
Staff reviews how the Park Board came into possession of the Fuji Ya property.
Young asks if this site is on top of a mill ruin? Staff answer: Yes, the Columbia Mill.
Erwin asks counsel Rice if selling this land will undermine the Park Board's position with respect to Crown Hydro's use of eminent domain to take part of Mill Ruins Park, directly across the street from this site.
Rice says he does not think so.
[It occurs to me as I write this, why doesn't Crown Hydro just cut a deal with Columbia Development / Lucky Club to build their hydro power plant in the basement of their new development on this site?]
Dziedzic asks how much parking does the Park Board get, how much money does the board get, and can get they get restaurant in that space. Answers: about 60 spaces, $2.5 million minus $750,000 for the parking facility [then why not just call it $1.75 million net?], and No Restaurant.
Kummer asks about the height of the building, shoreland ordinance, view of other buildings, etc.
Jeff Arandel of Columbia Development / Lucky Club mentions that there is a restuarant at the Mill City Museum. He then says that they are limiting the height of their proposed structure to as much as 30 feet lower than what zoning allows.
Kummer says State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is not going to like the ruin removal. She's nervous about "it." [the sale? SHPO?]
Assistant superintendent Siggelkow says that SHPO has much less authority over private parties like Columbia than they do over government entities like the Park Board and City.
Someone else mentions that historic preservation involves preserving examples of kinds of structures and uses, such that removing Columbia's ruins, just one of several such examples, some of which are already preserved, is not usually a problem for preservation regulations.
Mason mentions that the Park Board's land acquisition fund has been depleted to a balance of about $6,000 [thanks to the Taj Mahal HQ and the White Elephant Neiman Sports Complex?], and would like to see the proceeds from this sale get placed back into that fund.
Young is concerned about the parking loss at Mill Ruins Park, being replaced by parking in Columbia Development's building across the street [problem for handicapped parkers, for one] and the parking ramp rates versus the surface lot rates. She is also concerned about Crown Hydro using this sale as a reason to file a lawsuit.
Counsel Rice reiterates this question is like Erwin's and that he is "very confident" it will not pose a risk.
7.2 passes to full board.
Young moves 7.3 and 7.4, which spend an additional $150,000 plus $525,000 (respectively) for additional stump grinding and equipment rental.
Assistant superintendent or general manager Mike Schmidt says the money is needed to grind 9,000 stumps [the number was 8,000 last meeting], and needed to pay the vendors so that work can continue.
Motion passes. [and just like that the Park Board spends another $675,000 that was not in this year's budget -- where will they get it from?]
7:15pm
-- Chris Johnson - Fulton
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