17-11 Approved Commission Minutes
Crystal Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes
November 1, 2017
Crystal Community Center
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting was called to order at 7:01 pm by
Commission Vice Chair Lynn Haney.
Commission members in attendance were: Guy Mueller, Lynn Haney, Meredith Torres‐Walsh,
Erin Kolb, Lori Merriam, David Pascoe and Mark Novak. Also present were Olga Parsons,
Council Liaison; John Elholm, Brad Fortin and Scott Berggren from the City Staff.
There was no public comment.
Ms. Merriam made a motion to approve the October Park and Recreation Commission minutes;
Ms. Torres‐Walsh seconded the motion. The Park and Recreation Commission minutes for
October were approved as written.
There was no chairperson’s report.
Mr. Elholm provided the commission with an update of the MAC Park project. The City received
the 90% plans, which shows more detailed information on the scope of the project. Three
Rivers Park District will be advertising the bid for this project in early November, with the
anticipated completion date of the project being June 2018. As mentioned previously,
construction is dependent on the weather being cold enough.
The gavel was passed to Commission Chair Mueller.
Mr. Elholm provided an update on the Parks System Master Plan. The commission reviewed
the master plan document on the monitor where the different sections of the document were
explained. The park system master plan document will be brought to the City Council during a
work session on November 21. In addition, Mr. Elholm described the proposed work to be
done at Welcome Park in 2018.
Mr. Mueller made a motion to recommend the proposed development plan for Welcome Park in
2018 that includes an improved softball field, removal of Welcome Avenue through the park to
accommodate the improved field, and adjustments to the basketball court and hockey rink; Ms.
Haney seconded the motion. The Park and Recreation Commission unanimously recommend
the 2018 Welcome Park development plan.
Mr. Elholm informed the Commission about an initiative through NRPA and the Trust for Public
Land, called “10 Minute Walk”. This initiative discusses the importance of having a 10 minute
walk to a park from where you live. We reviewed a map of Crystal, which showed the majority
of the city has a park within a 10 minute walk.
Ms. Parsons presented the council report. The City of Crystal will slowly be rolling out an
updated logo, which will incorporate the star from the city flag. The council will also be focusing
on the upcoming projects that are a result of the Parks System Master Plan.
Mr. Mueller gave a Crystal Fund report. The Crystal Fund made a connection with organizers of
“Pour for Parks” event in Roseville. They may be interested in helping the Crystal Fund organize
a similar event. Mr. Pascoe has recently joined the Crystal Fund.
Reports were given by Mr. Fortin for park maintenance and Mr. Berggren for recreation
programming. They both made reference to information presented in the commission packet.
Mr. Elholm gave the Director’s report. He is working with neighboring directors to create a
regional approach to larger amenities within each city. For instance, Crystal residents will
receive resident rate at the Golden Valley indoor playground, while Golden Valley residents will
receive resident rate on season passes for the Crystal Cove. He also discussed possible changes
to our alcohol policy, and reviewed a few possible projects in the 2018 PIR budget.
Ms. Haney gave a Crystal Frolics report. The live music line‐up for the 2018 Frolics was
determined at the October meeting.
Upcoming community events in November include; Crime Prevention Board Steak Fry and the
Light of Crystal Halfway Happy Hour.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:11 pm.
John Elholm, Recorder