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Posted: Tue Sep 05, 2006 12:30 am

APPLE VALLEY PARK BOARD MEETING

SCHEDULED TO DISCUSS DISC GOLF COURSE

TUESDAY, SEPT 19, 2006

6:30 PM

APPLE VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER

VOICE YOUR POSITIVE EXPERIENCES

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR DISC GOLF

LET THE PARK DEPARTMENT KNOW YOU WANT THE COURSE TO REMAIN 12-HOLES.

CAN’T MAKE THE MEETING:

EMAIL YOUR COMMENTS TO APPLE VALLEY PARK DIRECTOR: RJohnson@ci.apple-valley.mn.us

EMAIL CITY COUNCIL: www.cityofapplevalley.org

OR CALL COMMUNITY CENTER: 952-953-2300

Posted: Sat Sep 16, 2006 12:51 am

PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO HEAR TWO SIDES OF DISC GOLF IN APPLE VALLEY

BY ERICA CHRISTOFFER - SUN NEWSPAPERS
(Created: Thursday, September 14, 2006 9:28 AM CDT)

A little over a year ago, disc golf came to Alimagnet Park in Apple Valley - to the delight of enthusiasts, yet, also to the dismay of some neighbors.

Now, the Apple Valley Park and Recreation Advisory Board plans to examine the pros and cons of the park's new use and whether changes should be made to the disc golf course, or keep it as it is.

The public is invited to attend a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19, at the Apple Valley Community Center, 14603 Hayes Road.

"We're going to let the public process take its course," said Randy Johnson, Apple Valley's Parks and Recreation director.

Disc golf, also known as Frisbee golf, uses flying discs, which are thrown toward a basket known as a hole. The rules are similar to that of golf.

In June 2005, 12 holes were developed and installed with disc catchers at Alimagnet Park.

"We'd been looking for a number of years for some activity to bring into Alimagnet Park to make it more of a recreational park," Johnson said.

Alimagnet Park, at Ridgeview Drive and Walnut Lane, is a heavily wooded 85-acre park with lake frontage, canoe launch access, and nature trails. It also has playground equipment, outdoor volleyball courts, picnic shelters and a park building.

Johnson said that before disc golf came to Alimagnet, the seclusion of the park served as a haven for teens who were looking for trouble. The activity of the disc golf course, he said, has brought in more adults, children and families. That, coupled with increased patrol from the Apple Valley Police Department has deterred much of the misbehavior.

"I've seen a real variety of age groups," he said. "I think it's a good thing for the community and a good thing for the park."

The addition of disc golf also spurred the opening of the security gate at the park's main parking lot. The gate had been closed about seven years ago with the goal of ending teen loitering, but it also made regular park users go elsewhere, Johnson said.

"We don't have any gates on any of our other parks," he said.

But not everyone agrees that disc golf is the best use for Alimagnet Park, including Corinne Johnson whose yard abuts the park.

"I'm not against disc golf," she said. "You can tell they are enjoying themselves."

Corinne Johnson said the trees are being damaged by the flying discs, and players walking through the park and off paths are damaging undergrowth and creating erosion.

"We want them to use the park - but we don't want them to destroy the natural resources," she said.

She also takes issue with the increase in traffic the disc golf course has brought to the park and people trespassing into neighboring yards to retrieve runaway discs.

Her suggestion is to turn Alimagnet Park into a nature center, which would be used by the school district, and move the disc golf course to the new park Apple Valley is developing at 160th Street and Pilot Knob Road.

Randy Johnson said he is apprehensive to the idea of a nature center due to the cost and the park's close vicinity to the Minnesota Zoo and Lebanon Hills Regional Park.

"It's owned by the public and should be used by the public," he said.

One such group getting much use out of the new disc golf course at Alimagnet is Bill Ashton's amateur disc golf league. Throughout the summer he headed up a group that played every Monday.

"I think Randy Johnson has done an excellent job at recapturing this park," Ashton said. "It's a real gem."

Ashton worked with Randy Johnson and the Park Advisory Board in designing and constructing the disc golf course.

"I try to do about one a year," he said. "It's getting more popular and eventually every city will have one - I hope."

Other communities south of the river with disc golf courses include Eagan, Burnsville, South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Shakopee and Hastings. Farmington and Lakeville are currently working on plans.

Cameron Anderson of Burnsville said he plays at the Apple Valley course every week. "We take care of everything; we pick up after ourselves," he said.

Elliott Grier and MacGregor Grier, brothers who live across the street from hole seven, said they have seen an increase in foot traffic through the park since the disc golf course was installed, but see that as a good thing.

"When we grew up, the park was always open, then they closed it down for a long time," Elliotte Grier said. "It's good to see it open again."

Apple Valley Police Chief Scott Johnson, Public Works Director Neal Heuer and Natural Resources Coordinator Jeff Kehrer will all be on hand at the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meeting Sept. 19, to give their take on the disc golf course.

If the advisory committee makes a recommendation for changes to the course, it will be brought before the City Council.

Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 173 Location: Minneapolis, MN

That aught to be an interesting meeting. Are you attending, Bill? If so, let us know how it goes.

Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 5:14 am

The Apple Valley Park Board on Tuesday, September 19 voted in favor
of keeping the course intact as 12-holes throughout the 2007
season. Another review meeting will be addressed again next
September to look at the courses progress. It was determined to
look at making some minor adjustments in regards to relocating the
current pin placements on hole #3 and #11. With hole #3, their was
concerns addressed by the neighbors that discs were landing in yards
and kids were crossing through those yards to take a short cut
through that small wooded section to get to the course. With hole
#11, it was mentioned to relocate the hole away from the wetland
area and the walking path. So it's possible the hole will be moved
to the other side of the trail. It appears hole #10 could need to
either be totally redesigned or build stairs to help minimize
erosion.

Thanks to all that came to show support on behalf of disc golf. The
neighbors put up quite a fight to get rid of the course all
together, but the park department likes the fact that disc golf has
brought some life back to Alimagnet Park, has lowered vandalism and
has been a definite positive contribution to the community of Apple
Valley. It was estimated by the neighborhood that 700-1000 people
play a week.

The park board has agreed to make strides in limiting erosion and
continue to make upgrades and improvements to the course and park
itself. The park board has also agreed to look at addressing the
neighborhood concerns in regards to the course by reviewing and
addressing issues that still exist next September.

As the course continues to become popular thoughts of a second
course have been brought up to help with course traffic flow.
Issues that weighed heavily on the minds of the neighbors were
increased traffic to the park, driving to fast in and out of the
course and on the local streets, erosion and damage to the
underbrush, discs in yards, litter, drinking in the park without
permits, neighbors hearing the use of fowl language due to a bad
shot or missed putt.

I was glad to see that the park department voted in favor to keep
the course as is with looking to make some minor course changes.
However, we need to keep working to find ways to help improve the
park area. So there is some work to do. As long as players act
respectful to the environment and others around them, hopefully
we'll be able to continue to enjoy disc golf at Alimagnet for many
more years. If we stay pro active and take care of it, we should be
fine. Just remember that litter is definitely an eye sore and
certainly one of the neighborhoods concerns. Nobody wants a dirty
or trashed looking park, so if players can just take the time to
chip in once in a while to pick up a piece of litter as they see it,
that alone would help out a great deal.

The neighborhood presented a strong case and I sat through most of
the meeting thinking that we were going to loose all the holes in
the woods for sure. Since the popularity of the course has had such
a strong interest with people playing it, the park department is
very pleased with the course. So it was decided that the park
department would continue to make improvements and to minimize
erosion in problem areas.

So for now, we've won, but let's not screw it up. It's such a
perfect park for disc golf. The neighbors will not go away and they
will continue to complain if the issues remain or get worse. So
things could change down the road very easily. Let's just be smart
about it and not give the neighbors an opportunity to take things
away. The park boards support was definitely on the side of
recreation and disc golf. So I'd hate to see that change. Chip in
when you can, it'll be worth it in the long run.

Bill Ashton
AV Course Pro
Alimagnet Park

Posted: Sun Sep 24, 2006 5:26 am

We won the first meeting, so lets continue to show our presence!

I'm forwarding you an email I received from Randy Johnson the Apple
Valley Park Director Yesterday. Randy's requesting disc golf supporters to be present for the next city council meeting scheduled this Thursday,
September 28 at 8 pm. The meeting will be held at the Apple Valley Municipal Center, 7100 West 147th Street. For more information, please call (952) 953-2500.

I'm thinking Corrine Johnson's next move will be to present herself at the next AV City Council meeting to continue her terror on dismantling the course, since the park advisory board voted to keep the course.

So I believe Randy wants additional supporters there in case she continues to press the negative issues with the course at Alimagnet to the city council meeting. I'm not sure I can make the meeting, but I'm putting the word out so others will know about it in case the Johnson's show up.

Bill Ashton
952-215-7046

CITY COUNCIL MEETING ANNOUCEMENT
FROM RANDY JOHNSON - APPLE VALLEY PARK DIRECTOR

Hey Bill,
Are you able to get several disc golf supporters to attend the city
council meeting on Thursday September 28th at 8pm? We may need one
final show of support for the city council approval of the Park &
Recreation committees recomendation.

Thanks Randy

PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON TO ANY OTHER APPLE VALLEY DISC GOLF COURSE PLAYERS YOU MAY KNOW. LET'S FILL THE ROOM WITH DISC GOLFERS...

Posted: Tue Sep 26, 2006 10:39 am

The Apple Valley City Council Meeting scheduled for this Thursday, September 28 to discuss the AV Disc Golf Course has been canceled due to a death in the Mayors family. Randy Johnson the Apple Valley Park Director has mentioned he will contact me to keep me posted when the meeting will be rescheduled. I'll post additional information about the meeting once I hear back from the park director.

Thanks everyone!

Bill Ashton

Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2006 7:59 am

Apple Valley Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee approves disc golf course compromise

BY ERICA CHRISTOFFER - SUN NEWSPAPERS
(Created: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 8:42 PM CDT)

The distinct concepts of parks vs. recreation, which are often thought of as complementary, can sometimes be seen at odds.

As in the situation at Apple Valley's Alimagnet Park, west of Gardenview Drive, north of Walnut Lane.

Residents gathered at the Sept. 19 Apple Valley Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee meeting to voice both concerns and support for the 12-hole disc golf course.

"The problem we've run into is we have a big success here," said Charlie Maus, committee member.

The issue at hand - whether disc golf is appropriate at Alimagnet Park - unfolded during the three-and-a-half hour meeting, which ended with a compromise.

Corinne Johnson, a resident who lives near the park, made a 20-minute presentation sighting her opposition to the disc golf course.

"We believe this is the wrong environment," she said.

Johnson said that when disc golf was originally proposed for the park more than a year ago, residents were promised a low-impact sport. However, today she estimates between 700 and 1,000 players walking the course every week.

Disc golf, also known as Frisbee golf, uses flying discs, which are thrown towards a basket known as a hole. The rules are similar to that of golf.

Johnson contacted Dakota County Soil and Water District Urban Conservationist Mikael Isensee to review the area of the park where disc golf is played. The district's findings included worn grass and vegetation, compacted soil areas and damage to trees.

Isensee recommended that disc golf be removed from the forested areas of Alimagnet Park.

Yet other residents drew attention to the positive impacts disc golf has brought to the park and the community.

Angela Prehn, a mother of two, said that before disc golf was set up in Alimagnet, groups of people congregated in the park who she didn't feel comfortable having her children around.

"Since the disc golf course has come into the park, I'm not scared of the people using the park anymore," Prehn said. "I don't want it to go back to the way it was."

According Apple Valley Parks and Recreation Director Randy Johnson and Police Chief Scott Johnson, Alimagnet Park had trouble with teens loitering, drinking and causing other problems in the past.

The disc golf course has brought in more adults, children and families into the park. That, coupled with increased patrols from the Apple Valley Police Department has deterred much of the deviant behavior.

Chief Scott Johnson said that the increased police calls to the park are a direct result of more people using the park, noticing suspicious behavior and calling the police.

"Anytime you have more use of a public facility, calls will increase," he said.

Park neighbor Richard Johnson said that he's had disc golf players stomp through his gardens.

"I could call the police at least every day," he said, referring to drinking, trespassing, swearing and traffic issues.

However, other residents testified that they've never seen such behavior from disc golfers.

James Wagner, a senior at Eastview High School, said that he has seen good students playing, and they value the park and the trees.

Louise Anderson, a parent of three sons, including one who is developmentally disabled, said that it is difficult finding a low-cost activity for a variety of ages and a variety of abilities.

"It's really a nice activity that you can do with all those abilities," she said.

Other communities south of the river with disc golf courses include Eagan, Burnsville, South St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, Shakopee and Hastings. Farmington and Lakeville are currently working on plans.

Resident Andrea Rivers pointed out that disc golf has changed the personality of Alimagnet Park.

"It gives up natural preserve aspects for more people using the park," she said. "There is a trade off."

The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee tried to make another trade off, satisfying both residents adjacent to the park and disc golf players.

The committee recommended changes such as creating a catch barrier to help keep flyaway discs out of neighbors' yards at hole two, and posting more signage to deter trespassing. The target at hole three would be moved farther away from residents' yards. The path at hole seven would be made permanent. Holes eight and nine would receive fresh chipping of pathways. The approach to hole 10 would be relocated down the hillside and to the west. The basket target at hole 11 would be moved away from the wetlands by clearing an area of dead trees. And the approach to hole 12 would be shortened up to narrow the throwing range and distance.

Advisory Committee Chair Russell Defauw said that as the panel looks to build up the city's new park at 160th Street and Pilot Knob Road, the committee will consider adding disc golf. However, the success at Alimagnet cannot be denied and the committee has no plans to remove the course for another year.

Defauw told the residents, "Living near a park is not easy sometimes." But he also told the disc golf players, "Police your own."

The committee voted 6-1, approving the changes to the Alimagnet Park disc golf course. The Apple Valley City Council is expected to consider the committee's recommendations at an upcoming meeting.