Lake Elmo City Council — Transcript

Thursday, October 23, 2025

Pickleball Court Impacts and Management

Lions Park Playground Replacement

Parks Director Position and Service Levels

Votes (4)

Agenda Order Amendment (Parks Commission Meeting)

Motion carried (unanimous)

Dissent: None

Moved by Unknown [0:01:13] · Seconded by Unknown [0:01:21]

An amendment was proposed to reorder the agenda items, specifically moving the discussion on pickleball court issues to precede the Lions Park playground replacement. This change was swiftly approved to address the immediate and pressing concerns of the community regarding pickleball impacts.

Pickleball Court Impacts and Future Policy

Motion carried (unanimous)

Dissent: None

Moved by Commissioner Peter [0:51:24] · Seconded by Unknown [0:52:16]

Multiple residents voiced significant complaints about noise, light pollution, and parking issues from pickleball courts, particularly at Pebble and Ivywood Parks, claiming negative effects on health and property values. Staff presented the 2024 Parks Master Plan's 600-foot setback recommendation, noting current courts don't comply. Options for mitigation, including relocation, noise barriers, and adjusted hours, were reviewed. Commissioners discussed short-term solutions and consistency across parks, with a focus on implementing immediate changes while planning for long-term policy.

Lions Park Playground Replacement Recommendation

Motion carried (unanimous)

Dissent: None

Moved by Unknown [1:19:15] · Seconded by Unknown [1:20:00]

Staff presented five options for the Lions Park playground replacement, detailing features like tower structures, slides, climbing components, sensory elements, and ADA compliance, alongside their respective costs. Public feedback from a 'National Night Out' event showed a slight preference for Option 3, but commissioner discussion ultimately favored Option 4 for its unique 'crab tree climbing structure,' high capacity, and comprehensive ADA compliance, despite being slightly over the initial budget. The commission decided that the additional value justified the increased cost.

Parks Director Position and Service Level Prioritization (Discussion Only)

Discussion only; no formal vote taken

Dissent: None

Moved by null · Seconded by null

The commission held a discussion to prepare for an upcoming workshop with the City Council, focusing on the 'why' and necessity of a new Parks Director position. Members reiterated that current staffing is insufficient to implement the 2024 Parks Master Plan and manage growing park needs. Key areas identified for the director included recreational programming, grant writing and diversified funding, community engagement, long-range strategic planning, trail network development, and environmental stewardship, with an emphasis on how the position could bring sustainability and comprehensive oversight to the park system.

Notable Quotes (10)

When the hell is somebody going to look at my house with 60 people making noise like they're at a football game and say, 'This is the house I want. My house is unsellable.'

John Howie [0:05:40]
Pickleball Court Impacts and Future Policy

The staff report discusses the fact that the tested noise decibel levels were in compliance with the noise ordinance. But the issue is not the decibel level. It's not the level of the sound. It's the constancy of it.

Paul Bolton [0:23:25]
Pickleball Court Impacts and Future Policy

So our parks master plan was actually completed after the installation of our pickleball courts. So that recommendation in our parks master plan comes from the national park and rec association. So that wasn't a part of a of our previous recreation room plan.

Adam [0:34:10]
Pickleball Court Impacts and Future Policy

I'm in favor. I think I think low hanging fruit is a good way to put it. The as far as the time. I've long thought that pick um that Pebbles um time. There's only a couple other parks, maybe one other park that has that time past sunrise and sunset. I know that's probably not sufficient to some of the folks here, but it's at least in line with the rest of our parks, a sunlight, sunrise to sunset. That seems to make a lot of sense.

Commissioner Peter [0:47:43]
Pickleball Court Impacts and Future Policy

This structure here alone uh offers, you know, uh it can hold up to like 60some kids at one time. So, it does offer um almost a playground in itself, right?

Adam [1:13:30]
Lions Park Playground Replacement Recommendation

I like options three and four. four is only 11,000 more for parts, but um about 17,000 more for install. Um I I think it I don't know. It seems like it's worth the money to go to option four.

Unknown [1:15:35]
Lions Park Playground Replacement Recommendation

I think um I think no matter which park we pick, little kids are and everyone's basically going to use it and try it out. I think really for the teenage thing, I do think that the physical equipment is definitely it's going to attract them because they're going to be like, 'Oh, I can definitely do more pulp in here or something like that, ego, whatever.' But I don't think it can really retain people at the park very long. I think after a baseball game, kids might go over and be like, 'Let's play on this pull-up bar for some time.' But then after a while, I think what you were saying earlier about how like the building's taller, so it kind of like it's got like the sparkly aspect to it. I think that'd be better for like retaining older people at the park. Like there's almost like a challenge to the park with the height.

Unknown [1:16:32]
Lions Park Playground Replacement Recommendation

Again, this conversation comes up as more of a why, right? And the selling of this position to city council that it is needed, right? And again, the why why the parks commission is recommending this.

Adam [1:23:43]
Parks Director Position and Service Level Prioritization (Discussion Only)

This is nothing against you, Adam, but but I think parks would be a full-time job in order to to do a job of the city our size at this time. You know, we can't expect you to do all this stuff with the amount of time you have allowed allotted to the parks. I think it's it's really important that this position is um made and filled in short order.

Unknown [1:24:50]
Parks Director Position and Service Level Prioritization (Discussion Only)

I think one thing that's not captured in here um in the summary list like is that selling it part. I think we've had discussions as a commission um that one thing that you know we all see as important is to think about the sustainability of the funding for parks and various maintenance and things like that particularly as um parks dedication fees might you know they're not going to go on forever.

Unknown [1:25:52]
Parks Director Position and Service Level Prioritization (Discussion Only)

Ordinances & Resolutions (5)

2024 Lake Park system planPlan

The city's Parks Master Plan, completed after pickleball court installation, recommends a 600-foot setback for courts based on National Park and Rec Association guidelines.

National Association of Realtors websiteOther

Cited by a resident as estimating a 10-20% drop in home value when living next to a pickleball court.

City websiteOther

Used for posting meeting agendas and city updates; also previously used for community surveys on parks.

City flyerOther

Weekly publication for city updates, where Reed Park improvements were announced.

2026 through 2035 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)Plan

Outlines funding for the Lions Park playground replacement ($300,000 allotted) and other future park projects.

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