good evening welcome to the parks and rec Commission meeting on October 15 2024 we are in the Oakdale city council chambers um Julie can you take the role commissioner Cunningham here commissioner Jack aletto here commissioner gianini here commissioner Meer here commissioner Moore here commissioner Shore here commissioner berth is not here all right thank you everyone uh approval of minutes did everyone get a chance to approve the minutes of last month yes yes oh Pledge of Allegiance I skipped one my apologies pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic of which it stands nation under God indivisible and justice for all thank you now we'll get to the approval of the minutes youone to take a look at them questions or anything on there can I get a motion to approve so moved we have a motion and a second all in favor I pass approval of the agenda for this today everyone get a chance to look what we're going to talk about can I get a motion for the approval of the agenda they moved a second second passed thank you right now we have an open Forum this is for anyone to come up here and I do not see anyone in attendance at this point so we will move ahead to Old business 2024 work plan commission education any comments on that Julie yep thank you so we had um what I had written down in my notes we had commissioner Meyer doing the in market and so that won't happen until November um commissioner Shaw I had the flashlight pumpkin hunt so that'll be next week and commissioner gini was to be deter yeah I'll let you know after tonight okay I'll look at them and for out of time okay sounds good so we won't have any reports then until the November meeting unless someone attended anything else that I'm not aware of wa I could maybe attend the beginning of the pumpkin hunt I just can't attend the it just gets too late to bring my daughter that's okay you know what I would love to do okay that's just kind of a little past bedtime for her sure no that's that's fine you can change whatever yeah like I already have the art fair in my calendar art fair okay indoor market I mean and then not until winter but the winter wonderland and I saw there was a winter scavenger hunt y that would be fun okay sounds good we'll put you down for those can I add one sure well I don't know if this is but the um Grand Opening ribbing cutting ceremony for the Willow Brook um Park yep um yeah few of us for there sure and that was really a nice grand opening and um the park looks great and hope that gets lots of use and perfect okay thank you uh the 2025 work plan discussion Julie um so hopefully everybody um took a look at that and um like we talked about at the last meeting um everything pretty much remain the same I did have an additional one on the bottom there the Willowbrook Parks West and North so that was one addition I didn't hear from anybody else as far as ideas or anything they wanted me to add but if this looks good to everybody we can we can move ahead with this one we still have time to make additions if if you want to do that I think it looks pretty comprehensive okay I like it I'm fine with it okay work anybody else comments Jen you're good y all right do we need to make we NOP not not yet not at that point yet yeah looks great perfect thank you I'm just cruising along here okay I'll go to the staff um Julie you want to start does Jeff want to go Jeff want go follow our regular yeah that's fine good evening um don't have a lot to to go over tonight excuse me um I'll just Echo what uh commissioner Cunningham on Saturday we had the grand opening of our new park I'm not going to say a whole lot about it because I'm going to save that for our council member and the audience here so I don't want to steal his Thunder Soul um it was great and and it was something I've never been able to do since I've been here in 20 plus years we've never had a brand new park we've rededicated redone them but it was neat to see a a brand new park and and the team I worked with srf um and and City staff Andy Goff and Hannah Don and Julie and for two years and then to see that go from zero to to what it is now it's pretty neat to see it come to life so um really appreciated the everybody who showed up there and um the support from the council and and and the there was a current mayor former mayor ranki was there and uh our administrator was there it was just just all of our council members were there it was prettyy neat to see so kids had a blast was pretty neat so um I'll council member more come touch more on that I'm I'm sure um other than that crws we're getting ready we're starting to clean Parks up fall we got Sports coming to an end here I I just got a email from Mark yesterday and got end dates coming soccer's done this week and then football's a couple more weeks out and we'll be transitioning over to the winter stuff so sounds like we'll have ice this year which is sort of depressing no it's not it is but it isn't so yeah we're we're changing all of our equipment over and and things are starting to slow down we've had no rain so cutting grass has sort of come to a hold so we're winterizing all the irrigation systems and the buildings and fountains and everything so yeah pretty short and sweet but if you have any questions for me um that's all I really had so Commissioners I don't have a question Jeff but I learned something watching you at the willber Grand or Ribbon cutting I didn't know what those posts were for over side and I watched you and your team hanging up The Hammocks neither did I until I got there well we did so uh I'll share a funny story we were up there I didn't mean to interrupt you um this was about three weeks ago and like Hey we're getting closer we're getting closer and we were standing there and and one of the members from Vite says well you guys know what those posts are for and I said I think I do do you he goes yeah they're for The Hammocks and I said so are do we have any and they said no I said well we better get some who's going to do that so they looked all looked at me and I said okay I'll get some and put them on there and I said cuz if the council or anybody's up here looking at that they're going to wonder what the heck so and and again I'll let Andy share his story but um yeah they are they're cool so I found them on Amazon and they're pretty neat we have hammocks in our house and I didn't know that that's what those posts were for that we could just bring our hammock and hang out so I learned something watching you that morning yeah thank you it was probably entertaining to watch I I didn't pay that close of attention no I know there's a guy who doesn't know what he's doing over there so no but yeah it is pretty it's it's a great great Park and great setting and we just get the grass to grow in the spring and we'll be good so did you get any comments from the people a lot of yeah everybody loved it I mean it was from 50 60 year old people to three-year-old kids you know and it was just neat to see them everywhere on it so how's the parking situation it's going to be tight but you know what it it for the big crowd that we had up there on Saturday it didn't look over congested and I mean the weather it it wasn't bad but it wasn't you know maybe a little nicer day maybe more people would have came out but I think it'll be fine you know it's it's yeah they'll work with it I think there's plenty of parking uh there's we had laid out the lot on Friday there's 30 spots there and 30 32 total regular and then a couple handicapped and then there's really even if you parked around the park on the North or the south side or even the West there's a nice Trail around it you can cut through the center it's it's it's actually a nice I think at any given time there may not be as many as yeah yeah so yeah it was good great any other questions for good thanks J thank you Julie sure I've got the um October update so we wrapped up the Farmers Market on um last Wednesday October 9th um really great season uh Nath and Timmons always um does a really great job cord coordinating um our markets and now we're looking forward to the indoor market which is uh kicking off in just a few weeks on November 16th so that'll be here before we know it um we've got an upcoming Red Cross blood drive and that'll be um this Friday actually and that's um a coordination between the Oakdale Wellness 50 plus group and the map Oakdale Lions Club um I looked this morning and it looked like we had five openings still so that's great um if anybody wants to get in last minute go sign up you got to go sign up and and get those last spots hopefully they're still they're still there um our flashlight pumpkin hunt and that'll uh take place on Thursday October 24th and that's from 7:00 to 8:30 at the Discovery Center um this is an annual event we do kids hunt for pum pumpkins along the luminary lit Trail in the in the Nature Preserve um really popular event um we do have a few openings so if anybody knows anybody who's wanting to sign up I would recommend uh signing up as soon as possible because that event um will fill up and then we also to go along with the flashlight pumpkin hunt we've got our pumpkin carving contest and that will start um this Sunday um we accept pumpkins October 20th through the 24th and they're displayed at our event for the flash flashlight pumpkin hunt and um participants can vote on um their choices so also really fun we typically get 10 to 15 so we're always hoping to get a few more every year they bring them right to the Discovery Center yep and they drop them off yep absolutely um and you don't need to be registered for that pumpkin hunt to participant anybody can come and sign up and drop their pumpkins off okay um we've got our art discovery Fair coming up in November and that'll be on Saturday November 23rd that's from to three at the Discovery Center we are full with 21 artists so we've got a weit list started for vendors who would like to participate and uh some of the art for sale will include paintings we'll have cards jewelry there's fiber Creations um mandala rocks glass art Pottery Woodworking and more so come on out if you're interested take a look at uh what they have for sale um I mentioned our indor market like I said that'll be back at the Discovery Center on November 16th um we're currently working on finalizing all the vendors I was speaking with n Nathan today and um looking good with all the vendors and there's um quite a few that are looking to get into the market as well so hopefully we'll have some new uh faces uh participating in that as well um we are currently accepting applications for rink attendance so like Jeff was saying hopefully we do get some ice we do want ice right so um uh we are taking those applications um through November we'll continue to take more if we need those as well and that season hopefully runs mid December through February fingers crossed 16 plus yes yeah so no 15 year olds or anything no unfortunately not yeah um and then lastly our Discovery Center display room that U makeover is nearly complete so that is open we're waiting on a few more finalized um the F few more touches to finalize that got a few more things coming in but um stop by and see some of the new uh variety of um exhibits and Hands-On experiences that we have for kids it's been really busy this week so kids seem to be really happy to see all the new stuff good yeah so with that I will take any questions comments the mea break yeah amped up can you talk about that a little bit yeah that um actually that was the concert that we had that was rescheduled from this summer um they were rained out so we um slipped them into that um and actually it was last Friday so um that was held at the Discovery Center on Friday night well well is it turnout or um lower turnout than we normally get but typically we don't have that at the Discovery Center or on a Friday night so right um they seem to do better you know during the week or during the day for an event like that so yep I thought the other concert that they had uh rescheduled the Farmers Market at the farmers market was well too it was and that was really well attended too that and that's another idea that we're going to look at um for next summer too yeah it's nice to have music at the farmers market yeah that is neat then anything not really though no just uh no G um without taking uh council members uh things I just wanted to just put on note that everybody who had anything to do with the wber commons um creation and building and execution of the event just it was such a great job um it's a beautiful Park the event was wonderful and so thank you to all the people anything for well there's not much else to add about the park um it was a wonderful event beautiful Park I'm excited for lots more play dates there so thanks Julie you're welcome all right next on our is our commissioner updates just do that I was just wondering if you had questions for Julie now we're so sorry yeah you budged right in that's all right um oh I guess I do have um were we gonna throw out some dates for Park tours I was thinking about we're getting a little chillier now I might just wait to go on the ice arena tour so and now Willowbrook was an opening and I think that's uh we can all go check that out I think it's good I think all the other Parks will in the spring I think they'll be all right for that and give us time to alert the neighbors and everything on that all right anything else have any I was just going to comment that um last month when we had the outdoor meeting I thought that was really great to have our parks and re meeting outdoor and I think during the warmer summer months if we could try to do that more um yeah that's in the work plan too so we'll look at doing that and and do a different Park yeah yeah yeah definitely great I I had to walk Steve to his truck he was afraid of the dark I fell in a hole guess I was just curious though you know because since these meetings are televised and such is there any policy issue or anything with having or a meeting Outdoors or anything like that nope that it was that was fine and and we let um we let everybody know that it would not be taped but we you know obviously record um record it so we have the minutes for that yeah that was nice all right everybody good all right council member morham you're up welcome thanks for having me yeah how can we not talk about the park right it's a big deal and I'm glad everyone feels the same way so incredibly proud of how this thing turned out it's a big deal right and I'm fairly new to working with local government but Jeff and Julie have been here a number of years right and this is a milestone moment for you both right and I hope you both got a a piece of the uh ribbon right when they cut the ribbon it was a really cool touch um but a couple things I wanted to highlight with that Park besides it being absolutely beautiful and I love that was it crumb rubber is that what they call that Pon Place Pon place um it's so soft it's so safe it is not the childhood I grew up with but I love that our residents have it um but the amount of feedback that went into building that Park not just from staff and srf but from the community you know I remember we reached out to the principal of Castle Elementary and that's the Zone where all the kids would come from is that neighborhood to make sure we're building something that they're excited about that they want to use and the fact that it's wheelchair accessible during the grand opening we had a little kiddo with her family members that was in a wheelchair and to see her use the marry go around and the picnic tables that kind of cut off at the end so you can wheel right up to it uh even the uh the tower in the middle it's got this flat surface right where she came out of her wheelchair with her her parent and she was able to to crawl up and be a part of it in a way that you just can't uh with equipment that isn't accessible so it is so cool to have something that can really serve all of our resident's needs couldn't be happier with it so that's obviously a big update and I have not I mean I drive by there every day after work I do an extra Loop just to see I have not seen a day where it is not filled with people and kids which is what you want yeah the only other update I had is uh the Fourth Street bridge is finally going to be opening up here so in a couple of weeks on the 29th we've got a a little ribbon cutting with county commissioner Kwasi and actually I think they're trying to get uh state senator tuang out there and Leon Lily because of the funding that went into it but um having access back to all parts of our city is an exciting time of year when construction's done so we're happy to have that finished what date is that so uh The Cutting is going to be on October 29th there they're going to do some pictures and I believe it's a day or two after because they wanted to take the pictures and then use those pictures to share that road is open for service so about Halloween that's great news it is good any questions from the Commissioners everybody good no questions good well thank you all for your feedback and a part your part in the process for that Park too it really was a big team effort so appreciate it I can't keep my kid away from there he always wants to go every day can we go to the park yeah yeah I liked it that there was things for kids and adults of you know all different ages is I had my grandsons who are um going to be 13 here in another week they really enjoyed it um yeah it wasn't just like you know just for tiny kids it was all over absolutely so I can share I was up there Friday morning at 7:30 7 about 7:25 actually brought the cleaning lady up hey you need to clean this bathroom building tomorrow if we can have this ready to go for there were three families already there with kids can we be on here they were all scared said it's [Laughter] $10 it was they were and people my neighbors it's on Google it's come on go check this new park out nodale and it's pretty neat fabulous it's pretty cool to see that was fabulous yeah to be the talk of the Metro inside Metro wonderful wonderful well thank you very much thank you very much all right guess we're good um can I get an motion for adjournment motion a motion second I'll second all in favor I we are adjourned our next meeting is November 19th here at the Oakdale City Hall Happy Halloween good night e e