{"id":1863,"date":"2024-11-19T15:29:18","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T21:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elyminnesota.com\/blog\/?p=1863"},"modified":"2024-12-17T00:21:29","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T06:21:29","slug":"park-rec-nov-19-2024-mtg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/elyminnesota.com\/blog\/park-rec-nov-19-2024-mtg\/","title":{"rendered":"Park & Rec Nov 18 2024 mtg"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Another jam-packed 2-hour meeting of the Ely Park and Recreation Board meeting. So many exciting projects and discussions – as usual. Not everything will be addressed here in this post. This is a quick draft of what happened, this draft needs to be reviewed and additional info added. Time is important, so the public can see what happened. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Park & Rec meeting is once again proof that the agendas and documents should be posted online for the whole community to read BEFORE the meetings. <\/strong><\/mark> And all meetings should be broadcast\/streamed live and available free-of-charge 24\/7\/365 to the public. All of Park & Rec activities involve the community. Park & Rec wants to engage the community. They are the spirit of Ely. They are the commission that matches up with our quality of life and the reasons why we moved here. It should NOT be the task of Citizens for Transparency to post videos of meetings or the important documents. That is the responsibility of a City where truly open, transparent and welcoming government in all its glory is supposed to be actively promoted.<\/em> Why do we pay taxes?? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On the left: The red items were last minute additions to the Park & Rec agenda. This one “additions-to-agenda packet” is 26 pages long. https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#inbox\/FMfcgzQXKMzhZRXNPnQNrFSfmftSXNfq?projector=1&messagePartId=0.1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notice the City Calendar shows the Park & Rec meetings last 1 hour. The meetings should be posted as 2 hours long. Meetings are run efficiently by the Chair Morgan Sauls, always considerate, organic and welcoming. These meetings should be observed by the Mayor and City Council some of whose members don’t seem to want questions, deep discussions, or interaction with the public. Surprise! After chastising Park & Rec at the last Nov 12th Council meeting, Mayor Omerza sat with the audience tonight. Two members had to leave early due to other obligations. The rest stayed, tired but enthusiastic in their mission. Council’s goal is to leave ASAP and rubber stamp. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Right at the beginning of the meeting, time was spent rewording some sections of the previously submitted-to-Council unapproved minutes from the last Park & Rec meeting on October 21st. At the Nov 12th Council meeting, Mayor Heidi Omerza publicly chastised Council Member Adam Bisbee and the Park & Recreation Board for some of the sentences. As Citizens for Transparency pointed out many times, there have been issues with bullying, single-source purchasing, and mistakes and concerns in other minutes from and\/or meetings of other commissions that the Mayor never publicly addressed. Teachers, Mayors and Council Members should not selectively reprimand in public those they don’t like (?) and ignore those they like (?). Tactful correcting is not the same as reprimanding. That is above all the role of Mayor. See post and video from the Nov 12th City Council meeting: https:\/\/elyminnesota.com\/blog\/city-council-nov-12-not-welcome\/<\/a>. Read the unapproved minutes in the Nov 12th Council packet<\/a> or the original agenda+packet<\/a> sent out to Park & Rec for tonight’s meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NEW BUSINESS: Extensive discussion about the dog-friendly park by the baseball fields. <\/strong><\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n

36:30 minutes into the video. “Dog-friendly” means dogs are to be leashed, not running free. The designation to “dog park” will change when the organizing group has their non-profit status approved. City dog\/animal licensing and regulation laws still apply. Watch the video. Read the email from Bruce Wheelwright who has been doing a lot of work <\/strong>preparing the field. They are still working on getting non-profit status. People are not using the designated area, because the signs are still not posted. The signs are here but they are not posted. Dog owners are still bringing their dogs to play on the baseball fields. Dog poop isn’t being picked up. Harold Langowski pointed out that the dog-friendly park has NOT yet been officially approved by Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NEW BUSINESS: There was extensive discussion about trails for mountain biking and hiking.<\/mark><\/strong> Approximately 53 minutes into the video, the MOA (Memo of Agreement) with North Country Trails This time actual maps were shown. Check the additions-to-agenda packet for LOTS of details as you watch the video. https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#inbox\/FMfcgzQXKMzhZRXNPnQNrFSfmftSXNfq?projector=1&messagePartId=0.1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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STAFF REPORTS AND UPDATES<\/strong><\/mark> and OLD BUSINESS<\/strong><\/mark> at the beginning of tonight’s meeting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was discussion re: finances & fundraising, probably in response to the unapproved minutes<\/strong>.<\/mark> The City Administrator\/Clerk Harold Langowski attended tonight’s meeting to explain and answer questions. He was also in attendance to answer many questions previously posed via email by the Park and Chair after their last meeting. Topics included Pickleball, new trail head, Ely Nodic Bike and Ski Club, multiple uses of courts and facilities, and proposed Park & Rec staffing. ETC. Watch video. Check the original agenda+packet sent out to Park & Rec Members https:\/\/mail.google.com\/mail\/u\/0\/#inbox\/FMfcgzQXKMzhZRXNPnQNrFSfmftSXNfq?projector=1&messagePartId=0.2<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Approximately, 56 minutes into the video, OLD BUSINESS and COMP PLAN<\/strong><\/mark>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harold Langowski and Scott Kochendorfer presented a schedule<\/mark> of Park and Rec projects. These are specific projects that happen quarterly, usually every year. They are not “plans.”<\/mark> Most are not really “goals.” There is a difference. Having a schedule of projects and events is very helpful. However, “Weekly\/Daily Park Maintenance” during the 3rd\/4th quarter should not really be considered as something that should be listed as a City Vision or placed within the Land Use and Comprehensive Plan. Otherwise, the Comp Plan would be filled with each City employee’s job responsibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There was discussion about the schedule and annual “tasks” listed in these 3 pages. These would supposedly be the Park and Recreation Board’s short-term comp plan. “Short-term plan” means for the next one year. Harold Langowski suggested considering “mid-term plans” as completion in the next 5 years and “long-term plans” as within 10 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only in the last 10 minutes or so of the meeting were words such as “gardens” and “open spaces” voiced, almost as an afterthought.<\/strong><\/mark> Everything up to those last minutes in the 2-hour meeting was basically about sports and human entertainment. It was as if if the previous discussions about pollinator gardens and open spaces didn’t happen. If was as if Park and Representatives never attended the Planning & Zoning meeting to discuss zoning, etc. to help set up goals and objectives to protect open spaces and the environment (Page 27 in the 2016 Comp Plan). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps Park and Recreation Members are confused about the difference between daily tasks and projects<\/em> versus<\/strong> goals and objectives<\/em> is because City Staff is confused? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Confusion is perhaps why City Staff suddenly presented a St. Louis Park (MN) de-paving initiative to Planning & Zoning at their last meeting instead of to Park & Rec? (De-pave driveways and sidewalks to put in plants.). P&Z recommended the initiative to Council instead of referring to Park & Rec. Park and Rec really shouldn’t have anything to do with city-wide<\/strong> pollinator gardens?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At recent previous Park & Rec meetings, Members came up with great ideas for projects, plans and visions for use of designated-to-be and current open spaces for pollinators, kids, and the public. NONE of these were mentioned on the 3 pages of “plans.” <\/strong><\/mark> Did City Hall not listen? Citizens for Transparency sent them links to the videos. The minutes whether approved or not do not include everything discussed. Not that the minutes are to include everything, but these ideas were\/are important. What happened to those ideas expressed during animated discussions?? Did the Members forget? Did the 3-page list presented by City Staff distract them? Intentionally? Why not at least list some initial steps in 2025 for mid- and long-range goals and objectives for pollinator gardens, open spaces and protecting the environment<\/strong><\/mark>? Hopefully, when Park & Rec Member Abby Dare types up the 3-page list of daily-quarterly-annual projects for the group, she can review previous minutes and videos and cover some of those previously voiced ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last but not least, there was absolutely no mention of the Green Team sub-committee approved by City Council on Nov 12th. <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Green Team is not Green.<\/mark> The City Council dissed the importance, purpose and knowledge of the Park and Recreation Board Members as well as Mother Nature. Apparently, there is no Climate Change impact on plant or animal habitats, on migration, on fishing, hunting, etc. Besides, who cares? City Council and City Hall are only interested is appearances, paperwork, to get a higher ranking with GreenSteps Cities<\/a>. Many of the 29 best steps are what Park and Rec can best handle. The “Good Old Boys’ Clubs” don’t want to share power. GreenSteps Cities are not about power; they are about community. See post and video of Nov 12th City Council meeting: https:\/\/elyminnesota.com\/blog\/city-council-nov-12-not-welcome\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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