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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6-14-21 Minutes ADVISORY PARK BOARD JUNE 14, 2021 Present: Lauren Bartelt, Amy Davis, Tony Dirth, Scott Greuel, Devon Hudak, Deborah Martin, Becky Metz, Lester Millette, Lori Palmeri Other: Tanisha Alvarado, Alternate Board Member; Koby Schellenger, Alternate Board Member; Alexa Naudziunas, Associate Planner for City of Oshkosh Staff: Ray Maurer, Parks Director; Bill Sturm, Landscape Operations Manager; Stacy James, Recording Secretary CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL Vice Chair Dirth called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. A quorum was determined to be present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Martin for approval of the May 10, 2021 minutes. Seconded by Palmeri. Motion carried 9-0. NEW BUSINESS 1) CONSIDER AND RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF A GULF WAR MEMORIAL MONUMENT AT SOUTH PARK WAR MEMORIAL AREA Mr. Sturm advised the board that this item comes as a result of a meeting that he and Mr. Maurer had with the Vietnam Veterans of American Chapter 437. They have raised the funds and met with department staff to design the marker. They would like to incorporate the memorial into the existing memorial area on site. It will be in front of the current memorial there and the picture provided shows the size of the memorial. Board members expressed concerns about the wording on the proposed memorial. The wording was provided by the veterans group and Mr. Sturm will follow up with them to ensure that it is correct. Motion by Metz to table approval of the Gulf War Memorial monument until the next meeting and further clarification is made regarding wording and dates. Seconded by Martin. Motion carried 9-0. 2) CONSIDER AND RECOMMENT PLACEMENT OF A SIGN AT GEORGE WASHINGTON TRIANGE FOR A DONATED LIBERY ELM TREE Mr. Maurer started by discussing that this request comes to the Board as a donation recognition request. The City does have a Memorial Tree Program with a standard plaque but since this sign is different he felt it would be best to bring the item to the Board and Council for approval. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE TWO JUNE 14, 2021 Mr. Sturm updated that the Wisconsin Society Sons of the American Revolution contacted him this spring regarding the donation of the tree. The process was coordinated well on their end. He initially was under the impression that they would just be donating the tree but then they brought in the plaque that they wanted to use as well. The tree is a clone from the Liberty Elm tree that stood in Boston Common prior to the American Revolution. Staff was not comfortable with the proposed mounting of the plaque by the group so staff worked on acceptable option for that. An information pictorial was provided to the Board. The plan is to place it on a post similar to the historical street signs and mount the tree plaque. It would be installed next to the tree in mulch. Ms. Palmeri commented that there is already a plaque on site from the Daughters of the American Revolution and suggested that the signage for the tree match or be similar to that plaque. Mr. Dirth questions whether the content on the signage is relevant. He would prefer to see something that ties the tree to Oshkosh. Mr. Sturm states that he can reach out to them and ultimately it is the decision of the City for approval. It was recommended that the discussion be tabled until the next meeting and have a representative from the organization available to answer questions. Motion by Palmeri to table approval of the sign at George Washington Triangle for the donated Liberty Elm Tree until the next meeting for input from the organization. Seconded by Martin. Motion carried 9-0. 3) DISCUSS AND RECOMMEND TRAIL ROUTE NAME (BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION) Mr. Maurer states that this item comes to the Board on the recommendation of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. They have been looking at ways to market the trails and have sent out surveys for naming ideas. Ms. Naudziunas introduced herself as the Associate Planner for the Planning Division and the staff liaison for the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. For the past year the committee has discussed ways to market and promote the trails in the City. There would be no infrastructure change, this is a just a way to name and promote the trails that are already in the city. She described the trail location to the Board and the naming process taken to this point including the POLCO survey that was sent out. In April, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee chose the name “5 Bridges Trail”. Other options were “Oshkosh Loggers Loop” and “Fox River Trail” and various others. The Committee decided that “Oshkosh Loggers Loop” only pointed to a very small portion of Oshkosh’s history and “Fox River Trail” is already utilized for another trail and it was decided it could be confusing for people if the City used the same name as another community. It has also been discussed to name different subsections of the trail with identifying names as well. Motion by Martin to recommend approval of the trail route name of “5 Bridges Trail”. Seconded by Millette. Motion carried 9-0. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE THREE JUNE 14, 2021 4) DISCUSS AND RECOMMEND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (CIP) 2022-2026 Mr. Maurer explained that CIP is an annual process that is reviewed with the Board. This is the major project planning process for the department. Over the last five years the City has approved requests for the department for projects totaling $500,000 - $1 million. Some of this money is also supplemented with grant funding. He asked that the Board focus more closing on the first two of the five years at this time. Once approved by the Board the list moves on for City Manager, Finance Department and Council as they complete the CIP. He added that the city limits the borrowing for each year and a large portion of that money goes for street improvements and all remaining city departments receive a portion of the remaining funds. Next Mr. Maurer reviewed the project list for 2022 as prioritized by staff and gave a status update on each of the projects: 1. Park Department Building Renovation. Building design is currently taking place and will be moving into city approval process. The next phase of the process includes the demotion of the current building and construction of the new facility which is anticipated late winter/early spring 2022. This project is being funded over 3 years. 2. Lakeshore Park Development. Staff has decided to keep this item on the CIP listing every year to complete projects at the site. The department will apply for grant funding to match the $500,000 city funding. 3. Menominee Park Beach House Renovation. Staff continues to work on ideas for funding for improvements at the site. It is set on the list as a placeholder. Mr. Maurer had met last week with a local firm to discuss ideas for the building and will discuss costs and ideas for funding and community partnerships. 4. Menominee Park Zoo Improvements – fencing/paths. This is an item that has been requested of the city in the past and hasn’t been funded. Staff is hoping to impress upon them the need for this fencing to be replaced in different areas of the zoo. A majority of prior improvements made at the zoo have been done with donations. 5. Westhaven Circle Park Lighting. This item was requested as part of the 2021 CIP projects and was pushed off to 2022 due to funding. This year the ballfield and play equipment were updated and the department wants to replace the lighting to remove the old fiberglass poles and also install LED lighting that is similar to what has been used throughout other parks in the city. 6. Park Trails Improvements. This item will appear on the CIP requests annually going forward. This is an item that has not been addressed and/or maintained properly in the past and the trails are showing the effects of that. Discussions were then held regarding the items slated for 2022. It was recommended that more time be given for the Beach House item to work with community partners for funding. Mr. Maurer admits that it may likely end up being pushed out to 2023 however he would like to keep it as a placeholder in 2022 to emphasize the need for the building renovation to be addressed. Mr. Dirth questioned if $25,000 annually for trails would be sufficient and Mr. Maurer responded that work will hopefully be completed in conjunction with the Streets Department to save on costs as the department is not ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE FOUR JUNE 14, 2021 charged for their labor time. If certain parks require more funding that can be addressed separately as has been done in the past. Recommendations were also made about having a place holder in future CIP requests for park land acquisition. There is a federal push for recognizing the deficiencies of park property within cities which could help validate the need for the funding. Mr. Maurer responded that the CIP requests are focused on maintaining the park spaces that are currently owned and currently sees a lot of park projects get pushed off due to funding already. The department understands the need to add more park land to the inventory however we still need to focus on maintaining what is already there. This has been expressed by citizens over and over in the past. The 2023 project list as prioritized by staff is as follows: 1. Park Department Building Renovation. Year two of the request for borrowing. 2. Lakeshore Park Development. Continuation of an annual request. 3. Menominee Park Parking Lot and Reetz Fields Design. This is in accordance with the recommended updates in the park Master Plan. 4. Menominee Park Road Reconstruction. The department has worked with the Streets department in the past to fix small areas of concern however this needs to be addressed and reconstructed much like a city street. This is the first of a two year request for $500,000 each year. 5. Teichmiller and Westhaven Circle Park Tennis Courts Resurfacing. These are the next two courts on the rotation to be resurfaced. The tennis court consultant the city has been working with gave his recommendations for the sites. 6. 44th Parallel and Roe Park play equipment. These locations have some of the oldest equipment that needs to be replaced. The department decides which equipment needs to be replaced based on age as well as usage and damage to the equipment necessitating replacement. 7. Park Site “A” and “B” Development. These are park locations that the city received as a result of Parkland Dedication in new developments. 8. Rusch Park Development. The department has been getting requests to move forward with developing the west side of Rusch Park as development continues to the west of the park. 9. Park Trails Improvements. This is part of the annual request previously discussed. 10. Riverside Cemetery Roads Repaving. This request is slated every other year. The department works with the Streets department to save on costs. Mr. Maurer states that as projects get pushed back from year to year the remaining years continue to have extensive lists for requests, such as 2023. The department anticipates only getting approved for four or five projects but they want to keep all of the items on everyone’s radar as projects that need to be completed. Ms. Martin inquired as to what the Board or citizens can do to encourage Council to approve the CIP requests. Mr. Maurer responded that he will advise the Board when council plans to meet to discuss the projects and encouraged them to make phone calls and contact their council members. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE FIVE JUNE 14, 2021 Ms. Metz inquired whether the tennis court resurfacing included the addition of pickleball courts. Mr. Maurer stated that at this price point it does not. Pickleball courts are being added at South Park this year. If adding pickleball the size of the courts would need to be increased as well. The current price is only for resurfacing which is needed at a bare minimum. Discussions were then held regarding the Menominee Park roads and it was discussed that this may be an item that should be moved to the Streets Department for future improvements. With regards to Park Sites “A” and “B” funding from the fees in-lieu-of parkland dedication account could potentially be used. Mr. Maurer then briefly reviewed the 2024 project list which included repeats such as Lakeshore Park Development, the second year of the Menominee Park Parking Lot and Reetz Fields Reconstruction as well as the Road Reconstruction, annual zoo improvements and park trail improvements. Additional projects to be considered include play equipment at Rainbow Memorial Park, Abe Rochlin and Stevens Park as well as tennis and basketball court resurfacing at Stevens Park and tennis court recoating at 44th Parallel Park. Future land acquisition was brought up to be added as well; it was discussed that the addition of this request shouldn’t be done if it would bump a different project out further. However it was also discussed that the item does need to be added to stress the importance of adding to our park inventory. It was ultimately decided to add this item to the 2025 requests. A review of the 2025 project listing included the annual Lakeshore Park Development, Park Trails Improvements and bi-annual Riverside Cemetery Roads Repaving. Also included was play equipment replacement at Red Arrow and Abbey Park. During the CORP process it was stressed by the community that restroom updates were their biggest concern. As such the final restroom to be updated at this time is the Quarry Park restroom and shelter building. This park is primarily used by football and soccer groups. Also on the list is lighting replacement at Stevens Park and Menominee Park. The Menominee Park lighting will be a bigger expense and is broken up into different stages to spread out the cost. Red Arrow Park is scheduled for lighting replacement as well. This is throughout the park, not the ball diamond. Rainbow Memorial Park design is scheduled for this year as well. Riverside Cemetery road repaving is set for 2025 as well as a potential Westhaven Circle Park Splash Pad which is low on the priority list but stays in the CIP as a placeholder due to requests. A review of the 2026 project listing again includes annual items such as Lakeshore Park Development and Park Trails Improvements as well as Zoo Improvements. Mr. Maurer stated that ballfield reconstruction was placed high on the priority list in the CORP process as well as the restrooms and 44th Parallel Park ballfield will be due for reconstruction. He wanted to add a placeholder for the Red Arrow Skate Park at this time. The facility is heavily used and was constructed in 2008 and needs upgrades and improvements made. A restroom at Stoegbauer Park has been on the list for a long time due to complaints from neighbors about the need for a restroom at the site. Lighting replacement for the Menominee Park Tennis Courts is needed and slotted for this year. Quarry Park Dog Park Development continues to remain low on the priority list. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE SIX JUNE 14, 2021 Motion by Metz to recommend approval of the five year CIP listing as prioritized by staff with recommendation for parkland acquisition in 2025 added. Seconded by Greuel. Motion carried 9-0. Motion by Greuel to recommend removal of Menominee Park roads from a park project to a City project. Seconded by Metz. Motion carried 9-0. 5) DISCUSS POTENTIAL PARK PROJECTS FOR CITY OF OSHKOSH AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) FUNDS Mr. Maurer advises that ARPA is federal funding coming to municipalities to help with COVID losses and infrastructure. The City of Oshkosh is receiving roughly $20 million and is looking at guidelines for requirements as well as working with citizens and council on where the funds should go. Staff has recommended the following for consideration: 1. Lakeshore Park Development 2. Menominee Park Beach House Improvements 3. Menominee Park Parking Lot and Reetz Complex 4. Menominee Park Roads 5. Rainbow Memorial Park Improvements He wanted to add items that have been on the CIP lists for a number of years. Citizens are able to recommend projects for consideration. Forms are online for completion and there will be opportunities for public input as well. Ms. Palmeri reminded everyone that there will be specific requirements as to how the funds can be used. Information on requirements are able to be found online and he will send the general guidelines to the Board as well. PARK DIRECTOR’S REPORT Mr. Maurer gave an update on the Lakeshore Park 4 seasons building. The concept design presented to the Board in April has gone to Plan Commission and been approved. SmithGroup is working with City staff on construction documents. Bids will go out in July or August tentatively. If bids are too high then financing will be discussed with City Council. The Parks Administration/Operations facility is moving forward with the design process. He will be meeting with the consultant next week and will likely have conceptual views of the building for the board at the next meeting. The city is using the same consultant that designed the Streets Field Operations Facility. With regards to the Chief Oshkosh signage and plaque project, the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is discussing this project. It is one that the former mayor had worked on to add signage to the site. DEI took up the project recently and is working with local tribes and the university to create signage. Boards are being asked if they just want to provide input or would like to have a joint meeting to discuss. He is recommending that the Board at least see the signage and wanted their opinion. The Board agreed that a review of the signs would be sufficient. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE SEVEN JUNE 14, 2021 LANDSCAPE OPERATIONS MANAGER’S REPORT Mr. Sturm updated that there were a large number of Ash Trees which were affected by the emerald ash borer. There are over 900 trees needing to be removed at this time and staff is working to accomplish that. There are over 600 trees still under treatment. This spring staff planted over 120 terrace trees replacing ones that were removed in 2020. The Memorial Tree Program has seen an increase in interest. There have been 21 requests so far in 2021 alone and orders keep coming in. Landscaping projects are moving forward. Flower beds have been installed for the season as of a couple of weeks ago and completed ahead of schedule. He encourages the public to assist by watering any terrace trees that have been planted. INTRODUCE NEW ALTERNATE BOARD MEMBER – KOBY SCHELLENGER Mr. Schellenger states that he grew up in Oshkosh and moved back to the city 11 years ago. He lives here with his wife and their six year old daughter. He is excited to be a part of the Board and looks forward to see where it goes. OTHER BUSINESS Mr. Maurer states that there is a good chance that the Board will not meet in July. August is still scheduled as a virtual meeting and the Board will decide at that point about future meetings being virtual or in person. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Metz for adjournment; seconded by Millette. Motion carried 9-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:57 P.M Respectfully submitted, Stacy L. James Stacy L. James, Recording Secretary