The focus of the meeting will be to update the commissioners on current and upcoming park projects and recreation programs.

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1 City of Oakdale, Minnesota -established Department of Recreation 4444 Hadley Avenue North Oakdale, MN (651) May 11, 2018 Dear Parks and Recreation Commissioners: Enclosed is your packet of information for the regular Parks and Recreation Commission meeting to be held on Tuesday, May 15. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Oakdale City Hall Council Chambers, 1584 Hadley Avenue. The focus of the meeting will be to update the commissioners on current and upcoming park projects and recreation programs. Should you have any questions regarding the upcoming meeting, or are unable to attend, please feel free to contact me directly at (651) Sincerely, Julie Williams Julie Williams Recreation Superintendent

2 Oakdale Parks and Recreation Commission Agenda Tuesday, May 11, :00 pm, Council Chambers Oakdale City Hall 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Pledge of Allegiance 4. Approval of Minutes April 17, Council Update Bill Rasmussen 6. Public Works Update - Jeff Koesling 7. Recreation Update Julie Williams 8. Commissioners Comments 9. Adjournment The next regular Parks and Recreation Commission meeting will be held June 19, 7:00 P.M. in the Council Chambers

3 REGULAR MEETING PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION City of Oakdale April 17, 2018 CALL TO ORDER A regular meeting of the Oakdale Parks and Recreation Commission was held on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, at Oakdale City Hall, 1584 Hadley Avenue, Oakdale, Minnesota. The meeting was called to order by Chair Bethke at 7:00 p.m. CALL OF ROLL On a call of roll, the following were present: Chair: Commissioners: Also Present: Absent (Excused): Maxine Bethke Colleen Swedberg Jane Klein Janet Cunningham Paul Lockhart Jason Kuchenmeister James Roettger Julie Williams, Recreation Superintendent Bill Rasmussen, City Council Brian Bachmeier, Public Works Director Jeff Koesling, Parks Superintendent PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Regular Meeting, March 20, 2018 A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER SWEDBERG, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER KUCHENMEISTER TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE REGULAR PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION MEETING OF MARCH 20, 2018 AS PRESENTED. 7 AYES 0 NAYS INTRODUCE NEW COMMISSIONER Maxine Bethke Chair Bethke introduced Jim Roettger, the new member joining the Parks and Recreation Commission tonight. There are now seven commissioners, a varied group, with great ideas to look forward to.

4 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION April 17, 2018 Page 2 RECREATION UPDATE Julie Williams Welcome New Commissioners Mrs. Williams welcomed the new commissioners. It is good to see everybody and have the seven spots filled. Early Summer Program Guide The new guide for youth summer programs is now available online and in-house. A condensed flyer has been sent to schools. The early version is focused on kids programs for the youth summer program registration that begins April 26. The full summer newsletter is mailed to residents in mid-may with all activities for both adult and youth in the full brochure. Mystery Egg Hunt The event was early this year, taking place on Saturday, March 31. There were four inches of new snow that morning. Still, everyone was happy and had a great time. New this year, Larry and Vickey Eberhard of Keller Williams Realty supplied donuts and raffled off two brand new kids bikes. The event has typically featured ten door prizes, and it was nice to add the two really great grand prize bikes given away during the event. Best Snow Sculpture of Oakdale Contest Contest submissions have been posted on Facebook. There was plenty of snow this year and it was a tough choice with the great entries. Congratulations to the Brown Family for submitting the winning sculpture and receiving the $100 gift certificate to Marcus Theaters. The family was recognized at the last City Council meeting. Community Walk Residents are rewarded for recording their mileage walked in the Oakdale Nature Preserve. The popular program is limited to that park. Mileage rewards are reached at 25, 50, 100, and 200 miles. Rewards are gift cards to Hy-Vee, Kwik Trip, Fleet Farm, or Target and are given at the end of the season. The program runs until October 31. The mileage rewards have been tweaked from last year. Due to the popularity of the program, rewards had to be scaled back to stay affordable and within budget. The program is still popular, with around 100 walkers signed up already. Summer Concerts From June 13 through August 15 there will be nine acts performing a variety of music at the Walton Park Bandshell. Country, brass, rock, bluegrass, folk, and kids music will all be included. The Summerfest lineup includes Gravel Roads, Uncle Chunk, and the Rockin Hollywoods. Artist of the Month April s artist of the month is Oakdale resident and floral photographer, Debra Allen Norum. Her business, B tanical Prints participated at the Discovery Center Art Fair. She takes her photos using her cell phone and has interesting work. Debra will have another display in August featuring pen, pencil, and marker artwork. New Oakdale Nature Preserve Trail Maps The new trail maps allow visitors to scan a QR code to download a map that finds your location while walking through the park. Updated Picnic Shelter Rental Guide The new guide follows the City of Oakdale s new branding standards. The standards of branding maintain consistency across departments with matching fonts and colors.

5 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION April 17, 2018 Page 3 Park Cleanup Week Currently ten groups are signed up to volunteer next week. Group sizes range from two to 20 volunteers; 150 volunteers are estimated to participate. Trash bags and thank you gifts are provided. This year the thank you gifts are seed bombs. New Park N Play Program Wahoo Adventures, ISD 622, and Oakdale Recreation have partnered to bring a new program in May for adults. The all-day programming includes art, recreation, education, and nature classes. Adults can choose one or multiple classes. Classes are filling already. Oakdale Wellness 50+ A speaker event on Alzheimer s Disease: New Approaches to Treatment and Prevention will be held on Monday, May 14 at HealthPartners Neuroscience Center from 4 to 6 PM. Registration is required through Oakdale Recreation. Mother s Day Kayaking Events Fingers crossed that the ice will be out for the kayaking events to run on Saturday, May 12. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS 3M Property Discussion Chair Bethke plans to have Bob Streeter from City of Oakdale Community Development present the 3M Property plan to the Oakdale Parks and Recreation Commission. Superintendent Williams will coordinate with Superintendent Koesling to determine the date of the discussion; either at the May or June Parks and Recreation Commission meeting. Park Tours Chair Bethke recommended the commissioners visit both Oakfield Park and Titan Park to consider alternate uses than what has been listed in the City of Oakdale Capital Improvement Plan. Oakfield Park is slated to receive a $125,000 tennis court in Could that money be squirreled away? Titan Park is slated to receive a tot lot. The location is a wooded area with big hills with a small area currently being mowed. Commissioner Klein recalled considering pickleball at Oakfield instead of tennis courts. If tennis is not viable at Oakfield Park, we need to find out as soon as possible and consider alternate uses. At Titan Park, neighborhood demographics will be an important deciding factor to determine if a tot lot is appropriate. Chair Bethke informed that Tower, Horseshoe, Tanners, and Guthrie Parks are all in the same area as Titan Park and provide the neighborhood with a variety of park uses. Commissioner Klein added that perhaps instead of adding a commercial tot lot at Titan Park, a nature use would be more fitting, such as a low ground tree house, logs, a yurt; a use that keeps with the landscape and vegetation. Does the park need to be paved and commercialized? Commissioner Swedberg proposed Saturday, June 2, at 2:00 PM and Tuesday, June 5, at 6:00 PM as times for the commission to meet for the park tours. Chair Bethke asked commissioners to let her know what date they plan to do the park tour, and if necessary, she will post a quorum.

6 PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION April 17, 2018 Page 4 Oakdale Garden Club Plant Sale Commissioner Klein informed that tentatively, the sale will take place on May 19 at Eberle Park from 1:00 3:00 PM. It is still to be determined what will be available for sale or if they will sell bare root Pete Graske Arbor Day Commissioner Klein invited Oakdale residents to participate in the tree giveaway on the last Saturday in April. The event is tentative, based on the weather. Oakfield Community Planting Commissioner Klein invited Oakdale residents to sign up to volunteer for the planting event, taking place the first Saturday in May. Loren, the City Forester, can be contacted to sign up. Donuts are served in the morning and lunch is after. No-mow grass seed has been planted. There will be trees added and native plants will be tied into the beautifully renovated neighborhood park. Ted Bearth Memorial Scoreboard Commissioner Lockhart reported that the Oakdale Athletic Association Board decided to donate $4,000 toward the scoreboard. This was approved on Wednesday. Now the project can be pushed forward. ADJOURNMENT A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER SWEDBERG, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER LOCKHART TO ADJOURN THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION, DATED APRIL 17, 2018, AT 7:37 P.M. 7 AYES 0 NAYS Respectfully submitted, Laura Heimkes

7 M E M O R A N D U M TO: Bart Fischer, City Administrator FROM: Julie Williams, Recreation Superintendent DATE: May 11, 2018 SUBJECT: Monthly Update May, 2018 The following information is provided to the City Administrator and Parks and Recreation Commissioners as information only. There is no need for any official commission, council, or administrative action; but rather, this is an effort by staff to keep you informed of the Department s day-to-day operations. 1. Summer Programs - The full summer newsletter has been mailed to residents and is available online. 2. Summer Staff - Summer program instructors have been selected and training will begin the second week in June. 3. Artist of the Month The Oakdale Discovery Center Art Gallery is featuring artist Tom Florey the month of May. Tom specializes in black and white film photography. During his career in photojournalism, he had shot sports, current events, fashion, rodeos, and whatever needed to be covered for Central St. Croix News and Lake Shore Weekly. His display in the gallery is just as varied; with shots of lifestyles, pets, parks, and streetscapes. 4. Summerfest Parade - The 35 th Annual Ted Bearth Summerfest Grand Parade will take place on Thursday, June 21 with a start time of 6:00 PM. Frank Orsello, the cable show host of the Oakdale Update, will lead the parade as this year s grand marshal. Returning favorites include performers such as the Twin Cities Unicycle Club, Saint Paul Clown Club, OACC s Dueling Pianos, and the Twin Cities Metro Pipe Band. New 2018 applicants include the Zuhrah Legion of Honor and Cub Foods. After the parade, catch live music by Gravel Roads at 7:30 PM at the Walton Park bandshell. 5. Summerfest 5K Walk/Run & 10K Run - The annual 5/10K race will be held on Saturday, June 23. The race will begin at 8 AM with registration opening at 7 AM. Citizens Community Federal Bank will once again sponsor the event. Hope Church will partner with the department to help raise funds for their local youth group. In return, they will supply the snacks and water. Cash prizes will be awarded. 6. Summerfest 3 rd Lair Summer Skate Jam Contest - 3 rd Lair will bring their new skateboard contest Skate Jam to the Walton Skatepark. The contest is again sponsored by Amy Brown at State Farm and Oakdale Collision Center. The competition will take place on Friday, June 22. Registration begins at 4:00 PM with the contest beginning at 5:00 PM. 7. Amped Up Entertainment - Our always popular outdoor amphitheater series will kick off on June 28. The free, fun, and kid friendly program is held on Thursday mornings at 10:00. The Raptor Center, Snake Discovery, Bruce the Bug Guy, and magician Brian Richards will all make a stop at the Discovery Center Amphitheater. 8. Farmers Market - The Oakdale Farmers Market returns on Wednesdays this summer beginning June 6, from 2 to 6 PM. Along with the local & fresh produce offered, the market will see the return of many customer favorites including, Bitmad Bakery, Angela s Sweet Treats, Bearwoods Sugurbush, Clara s Comfort Food and Drogo Joe Coffee Roaster s. The market will also welcome a group of new vendors this season, including; Dad s Kick Butt BBQ, Chicken Opera (fresh eggs), and Suzy-Q s Dang Good Western Dressing! The market will begin accepting EBT/SNAP benefits through a group effort with Washington County s Statewide Health Improvement Partnership, which brings healthy, sustainable living into the community. Oakdale has the largest amount of EBT users in Washington County, and the opportunity will not only help EBT users, but help expand the awareness of the market to the surrounding community.

8 9. Oakdale Wellness 50+ Power Up Walking Club The Oakdale Wellness 50+ group has formed a walking club that meets on Wednesday mornings from 9 to 10 AM at the Oakdale Discovery Center. Residents who would are interested in getting a bit of exercise while socializing are encouraged to stop by for a walk. No registration is required! 10. Oakdale Library Partnership Our partnership with the Oakdale Library will continue this summer. The Washington County library staff will visit the Discovery Center on three Wednesdays from 10:30 to 11:30 AM for Preschool Story Time programs. 11. Pop-Up Play Parks Pop-Up Play Parks will return this summer! This is our new program for kids to enjoy access to recreation programming in their own neighborhoods. Our summer staff will pop in to preselected sites and provide games, activities, sports equipment, special events, arts and crafts, and more. This is a free, drop-in program. 12. AARP Tax Assistance The Oakdale Discovery Center was once again a site for AARP tax assistance. They had a very productive season as over 270 were served between February 8 and April Naturalist Notes Every Spring, former Parks and Recreation Commissioner, Jill Sadler sends the department her weekly Naturalist Notes. The notes consist of a one page flyer that identifies the birds in the Oakdale Nature Preserve that have been seen migrating through the area. Also included are notes on critter behavior in the park. The notes are typically posted every week in the outdoor kiosk. 14. Park Clean Up Park Clean up participants were given seed balls (thank you gifts) consisting of native MN wildflowers. Castle Elementary students shared a photo of their emerging seed balls. See photo!

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12 Naturalist Notes Monday, April 30 Ice was officially off Mud Lake on 4/28 and more species of ducks are being seen. Bird migration continues. Watch for warblers a small very active bird. Yellow-rumped Warbler Nashville Warbler White-throated sparrows showed up in numbers today. Listen for them singing Old Sam Peabody, Peabody, Peabody. Mourning Cloaks are being seen in the preserve. They are widely distributed in the northern hemisphere. White-throated Sparrow Mourning Cloak Butterfly Listen for Western Chorus Frogs, Minnesota s smallest frog, that sound like a fingernail being dragged across a comb and Wood Frogs whose short chuckle is a harsh racket racket racket. Western Chorus Frog Wood Frog Minnesota Master Naturalist Volunteer