Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout5-11-20 Minutes ADVISORY PARK BOARD MAY 11, 2020 Present: Lauren Bartelt, Amy Davis, Tony Dirth, Scott Greuel, Devon Hudak, Becky Metz, Bill Miller, Lester Millette, Bob Poeschl Other: Kendra Arguello, Leadership Oshkosh Adjunct Member Staff: Ray Maurer, Parks Director; Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director; Stacy James, Recording Secretary CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL Chair Davis called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. A quorum was determined to be present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Miller for approval of the December 9, 2019 minutes. Seconded by Poeschl. Motion carried 9-0. Motion by Miller for approval of the February 10, 2020 minutes. Seconded by Hudak. Motion carried 9-0. NEW BUSINESS 1) DISCUSS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (CIP) 2021-2025 Mr. Maurer explained that this is an annual item for the Board wherein they review the listing and priority status and provide input about any changes or adjusting that needs to be made. Once approved by the Board the list is taken to Common Council for CIP consideration. . He noted that just because an item is on the list does not mean that it will ultimately be approved. In such cases the item is generally pushed back to another year. Mr. Maurer added that primary focus should be on 2021 and 2022 at this time. Next Mr. Maurer reviewed the project list for 2020 that was approved and gave a status update on each of the projects: 1. Congress Avenue Tot Lot. This project was ultimately funded by the Healthy Neighborhoods fund. This project is in progress currently with the perimeter sidewalk and concrete being completed. The equipment is scheduled to be installed next week and then site restoration will begin. The fencing is scheduled to be replaced later this summer. 2. Rainbow Memorial Park Improvements. The design services portion of this project has been placed on hold. This project was to include major improvements to the south end of the park including the boat launch and parking lot. Mr. Maurer met with the City Manager and Finance Director and decided to put this project on hold due to financial concerns with the COVID-19 situation. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE TWO MAY 11, 2020 3. Lakeshore Site Development. Utilizing proceeds from the sale of the property the city is working with archaeologists at the site. The initial site evaluation is complete and a report is being created. As the project moves forward further investigating will take place however the archaeologists feel that the site is outside the main area of concern. The next stop in this process is to put out a Request for Proposals for the four-season building and the site engineering in the designated area. 4. Westhaven Circle Park Ball Field Updates. This project is planned for late summer / early fall to allow for field usage. 5. Spanbauer Field Restrooms Renovation. Staff is trying to update one restroom a year and this is the one slated for 2020. The project will including demolition of the interior of the building to make it ADA compliant and more efficient. The project is planned to take place late summer / early fall to allow for field usage. The Parks Department Building Renovation – Phase 1 was not funded in 2020 CIP. Other requested projects that were unfunded for 2020 included: Westhaven Circle Park Play Equipment, Westhaven Circle Park Lighting, Stevens Park Lighting and Menominee Park Zoo Improvements. All of these requests have been moved to 2021. Mr. Maurer then reviewed the 2021 project list as prioritized by staff: 1. Parks Department Building Renovation is still top priority. The total cost of the project is expected to be between $5 and $6 Million and as such it is being proposed to break the project into two years. 2. South Park Tennis Courts Reconstruction. The courts are in poor condition. There are currently three courts at this location and when replaced, much like at Menominee Park, it will be replaced with a combination of tennis courts and pickle ball courts due to high demand. 3. Menominee Park Trail Improvements/drainage. The trail itself is not in bad shape but poor drainage causes water to pond on the trail. Staff has reviewed the site with Engineering Division and Storm Water to look at options to improve drainage at the site. 4. Westhaven Circle Park Play Equipment and Lighting. Previously the Board has stated a preference to complete work within an entire park before moving on to others. In 2019 the restrooms were renovated at this site, in 2020 the ball diamond will be renovated and the play equipment and lighting upgrades are being requested for 2021. 5. Roe Park Play Equipment and Surfacing. This is some of the oldest equipment in the park system having been installed in 2001. Equipment is recommended to be replaced every 15-17 years. After 20 years the equipment parts become obsolete and safety concerns come into play. 6. Riverwalk Light Bollards. The city has developed a lot of new Riverwalk sections over the years and upkeep and maintenance has been assigned to the Parks Department. There are many light bollards that need to be replaced. Staff is planning to keep this request on CIP on a regular basis to keep a stock of bollards for when replacements need to be made. The cost for the bollards is about $1,000 per unit. 7. Menominee Park Zoo Improvements. The zoo is in desperate need of improvements for the paths and fencing due to heavy use. 8. Riverside Cemetery Road Repaving. This is an item that has been on the list every other year since 2009. Staff works with the Streets Department to purchase the materials for repaving and the Streets Department completes the work. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE THREE MAY 11, 2020 Discussions were then held regarding the items slated for 2021. Mr. Millette inquired how many courts would be at South Park once the project is completed. There are currently 3 tennis courts and the existing base would be widened to allow for two tennis courts and four pickle ball courts similar to those at Menominee Park. Mr. Miller inquired how many of the Riverwalk light bollards need to be replaced. Mr. Maurer was unsure how many at that time but added that having the extra bollards in stock would afford the department the ability to replace them as needed when they are damaged or fail. Mr. Maurer added that there is not a Lakeshore Park Development item slated for 2021 because it is anticipated that work on the 2020 projects including the four-season building will continue into 2021. The 2022 project list as prioritized by staff is as follows: 1. Parks Department Building Renovation – Year 2 of 2 borrowing 2. Lakeshore Park Phase 1 Development Continued. The Master plan items include the building, parking, pathways and terrace areas. Staff is going through the DNR to apply for a National Park Grant which provides the potential for $1 Million to be received over two years. 3. 44th Parallel Park Play Equipment and Lighting. This park is on the rotation to be updated. 4. Abbey Park Play Equipment. On rotation to be updated. 5. Rainbow Memorial Park Play Equipment. On rotation to be updated. 6. Stevens Park Lighting and Fugleberg Park Lighting. It was discussed that park lighting will be replaced with LED lights that are similar to others used throughout the city for consistency and energy efficiency. There was then a brief review of staff prioritized projects for years 2023 thru 2025. Given that these items are farther out they were only briefly discussed. There are two new park sites slated to be developed in 2025. These sites were received as Parkland Dedication during recent subdivision approvals. Discussions were held regarding the Reetz Fields and parking lot reconstruction at Menominee Park. It was stated that the maintenance building and volleyball courts at that location would be moved to allow more room for the reconstruction. It has been discussed that this would become the primary youth baseball/softball complex in the city. Motion by Miller to recommend approval of the 2021-2025 Capital Improvement Program to be presented to Common Council. Seconded by Poeschl. Motion carried 9-0. PARK DIRECTOR’S REPORT Mr. Maurer brought to the Boards attention that tonight may be the final night that Kendra Arguello, the Leadership Oshkosh Adjunct Board Member would be joining them depending on whether the Chamber of Commerce extends the current class due to COVID and in case she is not in attendance at future meetings he wished her well and hoped her time on the Board was beneficial to her. Mr. Maurer spoke about how the COVID-19 Situation is affecting the department. It is not much different than what a lot of other people are facing in that they have to take into consideration any guidelines that are put into place by the CDC and local public health officials. Most of the amenities are currently closed ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE FOUR MAY 11, 2020 but trails remain open because it has been proven that exercise helps coping with stress and anxiety. This situation has led a lot of local people rediscovering the parks in the city as staff is seeing higher usage of the trail system, which is encouraging. Facilities will remain closed until further notice based on the current order and when things open they will likely open in stages. Closed facilities at this time include: playgrounds, sport courts and fields, restrooms, Menominee Park Zoo and Menominee Park Children’s Amusement Center. The announcement was made that Pollock Community Water Park will not open for the 2020 season due to social distancing recommendations, sanitation and disinfecting requirements, and staffing concerns. After discussion with other state and national facilities the difficult decision was made to do what was in the best interest of staff and public safety. Mr. Dallman added that the pool will continue a minimal degree of operations to ensure that none of the equipment is damaged by sitting idle for the season. Mr. Maurer went on to state that opening dates for the remaining facilities are hard to determine based on the guidelines and will depend upon needs and usage. The Menominee Park Zoo will hopefully open in early June but it again depends on restrictions. Facilities that are currently closed have been prepared so that when the decision is made to reopen them, they will be ready for use. Staff has had many meetings to discuss the department’s special events. Some have been postponed or cancelled at this time and future ones continue to be reviewed. Staff has been in contact with the Tuesday Night Concert bands and vendors to alert them to possible changes if it is needed. The department is holding back on promoting many of the events due to the many unknowns at this time and may have a better idea as to what will happen at the end of May and beginning of June. Mr. Dirth inquired if the department is having issues with patrons complying with the orders. Mr. Maurer responded that after the first couple of weeks of signs not being sufficient further steps were taken such as locking of facilities and removing basketball rims however for the most part patrons have been respectful of the orders. Mr. Dirth added that it the extra park usage could be a good discussion point when funding is needed for park projects in the future. ASSISTANT PARK DIRECTOR’S REPORT Mr. Dallman states that staff has been able to complete a lot of projects in the various parks due to the fact that this has been the nicest spring we have had in the past two years. Work is continuing at Teichmiller Park for the batting cages, field work is being completed, Menominee Park Shelter 4 has been restored as have the Menominee Park Zoo aviary building and Red Arrow concessions stand roof. There have been memorial benches installed at Rusch Park and a drainage issue along the trail has also been addressed. Staff is also working on graffiti abatement and restoration work at the Oshkosh Community Playground. At the Menominee Park Zoo work continues to finish up the Eagle Exhibit and staff is working on completing the eagle permit. A vendor that the city has worked with for renting animals for the season has recently closed their doors and as such city staff worked with the Oshkosh Zoological Society to purchase a badger, two foxes and an albino raccoon to add to the animals at the zoo. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE FOUR MAY 11, 2020 OTHER BUSINESS ADJOURNMENT Motion by Mille for adjournment; seconded by Davis. Motion carried 9-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:11 P.M Respectfully submitted, Stacy L. James Stacy L. James, Recording Secretary