22-02 Approved Commission MinutesCrystal Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes
February 2, 2022
Crystal Community Center
The Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by
Commission Chair Jesse McCaffrey.
Commission members in attendance: Jesse McCaffrey (Chair), Tony Sumnicht (Vice-Chair), Dave
Anderson, Forest Eidbo, and Lynn Haney. Also present were John Elholm, Brad Fortin, and Scott
Berggren from the City Staff.
Commission members absent: Shaz Ahmadi (Secretary), Joyce Cooper, and Erin Kolb
Guests in attendance: Kelly Grissman and Danny McCullough from Three Rivers Park District
There was no public comment.
Mr. Sumnicht made a motion to approve the January Park and Recreation Commission minutes;
Mr. McCaffrey seconded the motion. The Park and Recreation Commission minutes for January
were approved as written.
Mr. McCaffrey gave the chairperson’s report. He enjoyed the conversation at the joint work
session with the City Council in January. He appreciated the commission members who showed
up to provide their input and contribute to the Crystal Cove Aquatic Center discussion. Mr.
McCaffrey felt the opinions expressed in the meeting would allow the city to make the best
decision possible.
Ms. Grissman and Mr. McCullough from Three Rivers Park District presented information on the
CP Rail Regional Trail Master Plan. The master plan will be reviewing a search corridor of
roughly 20 miles to locate a regional trail. The search corridor runs from the Crystal Lake
Reginal Trail near Becker Park to the Luce Line Trail in Golden Valley. Three Rivers Park District
will be seeking public input through various outreach methods in 2022.
The commission spent much of the meeting discussing the Crystal Cove Aquatic Center and the
joint Council/Commission work session held on January 19, 2022. Key topics included:
• Review of why communities offer swimming services. The CDC reports that swimming is
the second leading cause of unintentional death among children in the United States. In
addition, National Recreation and Park Association research (2019) indicates that 95% of
Americans believe it is important for children to learn how to swim.
• Review of different ways communities can provide these services; from natural beaches
to indoor pools. The commission looked at the feasibility of using Twin Lake for
swimming.
Crystal Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes – Page 2 February 2, 2022
However, Twin Lake is an impaired water; and does not have a sand beach, restrooms,
parking and other amenities needed to make the lake a viable option. With the majority
of the Crystal Cove facility in good condition, staying with this option seemed the most
cost-effective if the city continues to provide swimming services.
• Discussion on whether a 10 or 11-week season was better than no season. The PRC
discussed that in 2004, voters approved a referendum for the pool, knowing it was a 10
or 11-week season. New Hope recently built a $12 million pool knowing it is a 10 or 11-
week season. Members also noted that Crystal Cove serves over 26,000 people with this
schedule. Other outdoor pools typically have the same 10 or 11-week season.
• Review of the pool hours offered at Crystal Cove and compared them to 7 similar
outdoor pool facilities. In 2021, our summer brochure indicated short open swim
sessions with a designated cleaning time (closed) between these sessions. The variable
hours were due to COVID-19 restrictions still being in place at the time of publication.
Hours for 2022 are similar to other outdoor pools around the metro area.
• Discussion on the importance of having lower cost, close to home services like this for
residents. They reviewed origin data for annual pool pass holders and swim lesson
participants. Most Crystal Cove use comes from the Crystal/Robbinsdale area. They also
reviewed fees charged to use the pool and how they compare to other outdoor pools.
They noted that Crystal Cove’s prices are lower than several others, which helps
encourage our community members to swim. Even with the lower fees, the pool
regularly covers program costs.
• Recent capital improvements at the pool were discussed, along with the 2021 study
indicating that most of the pool facility is in great condition. Recognizing the relatively
high dollar value of the existing pool investments; they discussed the benefits of adding
to these investments as opposed to doing something else. One member noted that
adding $3.45 million to the existing facility would result in an even higher value facility.
Doing something else would result in a project less than a $3.45 million value, as
demolition of the existing facility would reduce the funds available for construction.
• Options for moving forward were presented by City staff. The commission talked about
hiring a market and research firm to determine whether citizens would like to see
improvements made at the pool. They also discussed that if polling says the pool is no
longer desired, a public master planning process would be needed to determine what
other type of facility should be considered. This would be a similar, but possibly smaller
scale, project to the parks system master plan completed 5 years ago. The master plan
took approximately 1 year to complete, and determined types of recreation facilities
that should be offered in Crystal. No changes were proposed for Grogan Park at that
time.
• After a thorough discussion of these topics, commission members felt that continuing to
invest in the existing pool would be the best way to use the proposed capital funds.
Crystal Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission Minutes – Page 3 February 2, 2022
Ms. Haney made a motion to recommend the city move forward with proposed phase 2
improvements at the Crystal Cove Aquatic Center. Mr. Eidbo seconded the motion. The Park and
Recreation Commission approved the motion as presented.
Mr. Elholm provided an update on park projects for 2022. The park building at Twin Oaks will be
removed in the coming months. At the MAC Wildlife Area, the parks maintenance staff have
prepared the boardwalk site so contractors can begin the installation.
There was no Council report.
Mr. Fortin gave reports for park maintenance and Mr. Berggren for recreation
programming. They both referred to the information presented in the commission packet.
Mr. Elholm gave the Director's report. The City of Crystal is accepting nominations for the
Neighbors Recognizing Neighbors Award. The commission will pick the winners during their
March meeting. To diversify their seasonal staff, the Crystal Recreation Department is doing
outreach in the community. We are placing posters and flyers around Crystal in popular local
businesses such as Almsteads Fresh Market and the Mexican bakery, Panaderia Santiaguito.
Ms. Haney gave a Crystal Frolics report. At the last meeting, the committee finalized the 2022
sponsorship levels.
Mr. Elholm gave a Crystal Fund report. February 3 will be the next date for the Crystal fund
meeting.
Ms. Haney made a motion to adjourn the meeting; Mr. Sumnicht seconded the motion.
The commission adjourned the meeting at 9:23 pm.
John Elholm, Recorder