Wirth Park Adventure and Welcome Center

Transcription

1 Wirth Park Adventure and Welcome Center Project Management Team Meeting #1 October 9, :00 11:30 Wirth Chalet PMT Attendees: Sara Ackmann, Willie Anderson, Adam Arvidson, Piotr Bednarski, Dave Bryan, Mike Erickson, Dana Murdoch, Anthony Taylor, Troy Tschida Consultant Attendees: Nancy Blankfard, Steven Dwyer, Ross Altheimer (HGA); Jon Schmenk (Herfort Norby Golf Course Architects) M E E T I N G N O T E S Adam Arvidson led introductions of the PMT and described the general project process and schedule. The project will be led by the PMT working closely with the architecture/landscape architecture consultant HGA. The work of HGA and the PMT will be further informed by a Project Advisory Committee (currently being established) and the community in general through a variety of potential engagement strategies. The PMT will also be involved in reviewing the work of the golf course architects as they develop plans to revise some of the back nine. This work will proceed on a slightly different schedule from the AWC project, but community engagement will be coordinated between the two. In general terms, the project schedule is as follows: Golf Course Revision Concept Design October 2014 February 2015 October 2014 November 2014 Schematic Design February 2015 April/May 2015 November 2014 February 2015 Construction Plans April/May 2015 December 2015 February 2015 April 2015 Bidding and Construction January 2016 October 2016 April 2015 October 2015 Open for use Winter season Spring 2016 Adam noted that careful coordination will be required to manage golf use during construction of both the golf and AWC portions of the project. Major community engagement events will take place likely in January/February of 2015 and in May of PMT #1 Meeting Notes 1 10/20/2014

2 Nancy Blankfard (HGA) led a discussion on the project vision, based on a brief questionnaire sent to the PMT prior to the meeting. The majority of the discussion centered on completing the statement: This project will be successful if it. Responses included: Is a focal point, a launching point into the facilities within the park Hosts regional, national and international events Is busy Provides an introduction to novices Meets visitors basic needs for parking and access Has well-designed staging area for skiing and other events Has good flow of traffic Is available to all users: Skier, teenager, family, walker and jogger Has strong operations, including: o Building open to outdoors year-round, both visually and physically o Efficiently run building o Mechanical systems that work o Building that fits the landscape o Works every day and event day Serves as a bridging facility between novices and experts; mitigates the potential use conflict between international events and novice use Mitigates the chaos of multiple activities at once, which is more complicated in winter (skiing, snowboarding, tubing, winter biking, grooming, shoveling, plowing) Allows for efficient staffing and maintenance; provides good sight lines for staff and easy maintenance; the welcome desk is critical Becomes a golf AND ski destination Understands the importance of this historic golf course, even while introducing new uses to the area All elements work in harmony Has high environmental performance: ideally 70% better than existing buildings, per the state s B3 program. Is a welcoming and approachable place: not so intense and professional-looking anyone can walk up, sit down, and hang out Builds on the assets of the community to create a true place In general, the discussion centered on the building being just one aspect of a well-organized and wellcoordinated site that hosts a variety of activities and events year round. Adam led a discussion about some project protocols and expectations of the PMT. Though the main vehicle of discussion around the AWC will be PMT meetings. It is understood that members may meet as small groups or may share information with each other and/or the consultant between meetings. Please follow these protocols, to ensure the project is open and honest: Copy Adam on all correspondence outside the PMT, so a record can be kept and important information disseminated to the group Save most detailed design discussions for PMT meetings, so they can be hashed out as a group with the design consultant present Communicate openly with the group; we all may have different focuses of our interest, but we must balance these in order to create a unified project. PMT #1 Meeting Notes 2 10/20/2014

3 Assume positive intent in comments made within the PMT and elsewhere; assume everyone is in this for the good of the project and wants to find the best way to accomplish this complex program Trust the process; we won t get to a final answer in the first few meetings but we ll get there. The PMT did not get into a detailed discussion about the site and building program prior to visiting the site, so it was suggested that we schedule a 2 nd PMT meeting in 2 or 3 weeks, rather than waiting a month, and that PMT members spend time thinking about program in that intervening time. Adam said he planned to meet with HGA to finalize the project schedule and would take that into account. The PMT spent the remainder of the meeting visiting the site. N E X T M E E T I N G PMT #2 Wednesday, October 29 11:00 1:00 HGA s offices: Ford Center 420 5th Street North, Suite 100 Minneapolis A T T A C H M E N T S Responses to vision and program questionnaire from Piotr Bednarski, including from David Zink of Steamboat Springs Sports Club PMT #1 Meeting Notes 3 10/20/2014

4 From: To: Subject: Date: Piotr Bednarski Arvidson, Adam R.; Third Level; Willie Anderson Re: Wirth Adventure and Welcome Center kick-off Thursday, October 09, :44:40 AM Adam- a few notes for tomorrow. piotr 1. Attached is a preliminary building and site program. Please review, compile notes/clarifications by space and be prepared to share any issues/concerns with the group. Thoughts: a) define xc stadium, and tubing area first, then site the building b) use natural features to enhance xc stadium c) 2. Are there other facilities like this that inspire you? What precedents could we review that will bring our team in quick alignment with your vision? For set up of trails, stadium, and variety of activities (Nordic, mtb, trail running, ) - Canmore Nordic Center, Canmore, Alberta - Steamboat Spring Winter Sports Center For Looks: -Silverwood Park- Three Rivers Project -Goosberry Falls Visitor Center 3. Answer this question: This project will be successful if it. Can host events in all seasons Serve diverse populations Provide a focal point for outdoor adventure Generates excitement in the community thru programs, events, and easy access to trails Be a focal point in the Twin Cities and in the Midwest for Outdoor endurance sport Encourages gives youth of the Twin Cities a place to gather and enjoy the trails of Wirth Park Provides a launching point for Summer Camps focused on outdoor adventure Can host regional, national and international xc ski events, with all the requisite trails, grooming, stadium, and indoor faclities to support events organizationally Can host regional mtb events- trails, stadium, indoor facilities Can be busy year round Can introduce lots of novices to outdoor summer and winter sports- mtb, xc skiing, trail running, orienteering, etc Be an appropriate training site for beginner xc skiers, as well as World Class training site for competitive xc skiers during all seasons, Provide a welcoming atmosphere for recreational and competitive uses

5 4. Notes on strength training area, I think we may need something more like sq ft indoor and 1500 sq feet that is covered outdoors, rubber flooring. See note below from David Zink, Strength Coach from Steamboat Springs Winter Sports program. They have excellent programs, though in all we will have more people using our facilities, so I think that the size of our strength room needs to be fairly comparable. Hello Piotr, A few thoughts: Our space is 28' x 45' with very good storage efficiency (now). With that, we can handle about athletes at once, when coached in a group workout. It serves about 8-10 athletes at once if they are just in there doing their own thing. This is an important point: You can do a lot more when you are doing organized training. The space is designed to serve all of our disciplines, from XC, Nordic Combined, Alpine, Freestyle, etc. I don't think it would look much different, however, if it were only serving XC. The main changes we made in our remodel was to "clear the floor" of any machines, platforms, etc, that limited our functionality. Then, we spent money on equipment and storage that allowed us to do everything we wanted without compromising floor space. The only machines that take up space are spin bikes, which I suppose you could eliminate in an XC only program. Our jumpers, alpine and freestyle kids hop on the bikes before and after training on the hill, which is right out the door from the gym. The endurance athletes use them much less often, but having a couple is still important for rehab of injured athletes. Storage for equipment is on warehouse shelving in one corner, and we go floor to ceiling with it. We have a 100' long by 16' wide rubber pad right out the front door. I am going to try to keep it clear of snow and hopefully take advantage of our rocky mountain sunshine all winter, but ask me next spring how that goes. We can drag pretty much anything in the gym out to the pad, so we will have multiple teams or groups using the facility at once. You mentioned dedicating space to equipment for testing, as in a running or roller ski treadmill. I personally wouldn't do this because the space is so valuable. We mostly test outside on dedicated courses (same have been used for running and roller ski for many years so we have lots of data). I think for XC this includes a 10 minute moderate uphill double pole TT, a skate TT on same course, a 3000m run on the track, and a minute steep uphill climb run. I figure that, at very most, our kids test 3-4 times per year, and only that often as they get older. Of course, we also use local 5k runs, etc, for markers from year to year. Anyway, we can use the floor space under a big expensive treadmill every day of the week (5-6 kids doing core, for example). Instead of doing our own stationary testing like lactate and VO2, we sub it out (with help from a

6 willing local sports med sponsor). They own the very best stuff and do a great job. Anything we owned or did ourselves would be second rate in comparison. I will make a short iphone tour video of our new facility. It may take a day- there is an excavator working right up next to the building today, making us a spot for an outdoor equipment storage shed. I can't hear myself think, so I doubt you would hear me today on a video. Talk to you soon, Dave David Zink Director of Strength and Conditioning Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club dzink@sswsc.org c On Mon, Oct 6, 2014 at 12:19 PM, Arvidson, Adam R. <AArvidson@minneapolisparks.org> wrote: Greetings, Project Management Team: Below are a few questions that our consultant HGA would like the PMT to think about in advance of our kick off meeting this Thursday. In order to hit the ground running with design ideas, the team would like to understand drivers of the building size and function. 1. Attached is a preliminary building and site program. Please review, compile notes/clarifications by space and be prepared to share any issues/concerns with the group. 2. Are there other facilities like this that inspire you? What precedents could we review that will bring our team in quick alignment with your vision? 3. Answer this question: This project will be successful if it. We will begin the meeting in the Wirth chalet. HGA has a brief presentation, and we will discuss these questions. I will also provide some background on the project process and schedule. After that, we ll take a walk around the site.

7 I am looking forward to a great kick off! See you Thursday at 10:00 AM. Adam. Adam Regn Arvidson, PLA, FASLA Design Project Manager Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board 2117 West River Road Minneapolis MN Piotr Bednarski Head Coach Loppet Nordic Racing Loppet Foundation