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HomeMy WebLinkAbout9-12-22 Minutes ADVISORY PARK BOARD SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 Present: Lauren Bartelt, Amy Davis, Tony Dirth, Devon Hudak, Becky Metz, Lester Millette, Kay Qualley, Timothy Franz (Alternate Board Member) Excused: Deborah Martin, Lori Palmeri, Koby Schellenger (Alternate Board Member) Staff: Ray Maurer, Parks Director; Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director; Travis Derks, Landscape Operations Manager; Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager; 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 Hudak for approval of the August 8, 2022 minutes. Seconded by Metz. Motion carried 8-0. NEW BUSINESS 1) REVIEW OF CONCEPTUAL DESIGN FOR MENOMINEE PARK BEACH BATHHOUSE RENOVATION Mr. Maurer stated that unfortunately a lot of projects are being delayed and this one is moving forward slowly as well. He showed the Board a picture of the bathhouse from the early 1900’s and reminded that they had made the decision previously to retain this look aesthetically. The plan is to add additional square footage to the south side of the building for storage by Otter Street Fishing Club which is beneficial for winter recreation in the area. Mr. Maurer then reviewed the conceptual design that had been completed. There are shade structures and bollards to the south side of the building that will be removed in the winter months. The glass doors along the front of the building will have a security roll down door that will be used when the building is closed. There are two gender neutral restrooms with access from the outside of the building as well as a rinse station. Inside, by the lobby, there is another gender neutral restroom with a shower as well. There is water equipment rental storage inside the building as well as a lobby area with vending machines. Mr. Maurer states he is looking for initial reactions from the Board in hopes that the architect can put together a final conceptual design and begin working on estimates for the building. There are test digs of the foundation that need to be done as well. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE TWO SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 Mr. Maurer then reviewed the two options for the garage doors. A majority of the Board liked the tempered glass garage door option, however they wanted to ensure that people wouldn’t be able to see through the glass so as to deter any theft or vandalism. A couple of Board members did state that they preferred the garage door option with only windows along the top as they felt it better fit in with the aesthetics of the building. With regards to vandalism it was added by Mr. Maurer that there would be sufficient lighting on the building as well as cameras to detract vandalism on site. Mr. Maurer added that the intention was to preserve the history of the building and modernize it as well. He will get more examples from the architect on garage door options and bring that back to the Board in the future. It was the overall consensus of the Board that they liked the design as presented. 2) UPDATE ON MENOMINEE PARK PRATT TRAIL ROAD RECONSTRUCTION Mr. Maurer reminded the Board that initially this project was in CIP for 2022 and 2023. Last fall, Council had decided that it would be best to have all of the funding in one year and moved the entire project into the 2022 CIP. Parks staff has been working with engineering staff and the project is currently out for bids. It was initially planned for completion this fall or next spring. Upon review it was decided that completing the project in fall of 2022 would be too much of a disturbance for special events at the Menominee Park Zoo and the annual Celebration of Lights. The project has since been rescheduled to spring 2023 and it is anticipated that it should be complete by June 9. Mr. Maurer further explained that Pratt Trail has been in need of improvements for some time and the project is long overdue. Where there are some pedestrian crossings, there will be “table tops” installed which is a raised area to encourage traffic to slow down. There will also be additional parking added in between the Children’s Amusements Center and Kiwanis Shelter 1. Bids are due by September 19. 3) UPDATE ON PARKS DEPARTMENT FULL TIME STAFFING Mr. Maurer was pleased to report that for the first time in approximately three years, the department is fully staffed for full-time employees. Mr. Derks elaborated that Landscape Operations is fully staffed. Mr. Dallman added that while there will be more transitions in 2023 with retirements on the horizon, Parks recently added three new employees; two parks maintenance workers and one zoo specialist. He feels the department is moving in a positive direction and pointed out that every season brings a lot of different training opportunities for the new staff. PARK DIRECTOR’S REPORT Mr. Maurer updated that the Lakeshore Park 4 Seasons Building is experiencing some material shortages and construction issues which is delaying the project. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE THREE SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 The Parks Administrative Building project was previously delayed because of material shortages as well, which delayed the staff move out of the building. Staff has since moved to temporary locations with the Parks Director and Administrative Assistant relocated to the Water Distribution building at 757 W 3rd Avenue. The Assistant Parks Director, Landscape Operations Manager and field staff are all located at the Field Operations Facility. The transition has gone well. The contractors are removing the final pieces from the old administrative building and demo will start later this week. Earth work will then take place until the weather prohibits further work. ASSISTANT PARK DIRECTOR’S REPORT Mr. Dallman stated that the bear / fox exhibit is also plagued with delays. They continue to encounter issues with utilities; both public and private. Construction on the building is slated to start in the spring. Over the winter he will continue to stay in contact with wildlife agencies to look for potential bears for the exhibit. There are already two foxes at the zoo that will be in the exhibit as well. LANDSCAPE OPERATIONS MANAGER’S REPORT Mr. Derks stated that staff has been working at Akan Acres / North High Conservancy. There are 13 private properties to the north adjacent to the park and there were about 130 ash trees on city property that were leaning toward those private properties. Staff reached out and obtained permission from the property owners to ensure that they were able to properly remove the trees from the property line. To date they have removed about 110 trees. They have left non- ash trees that were still healthy and will be back to the site to finish the work in the near future. Throughout the City, there are about 700 terrace ash trees that still need to be removed. City staff continues to work with contractors to help with removing the trees. There are also around 700+ city owned trees in parks and other public areas that will need to be addressed when turf conditions allow. Mr. Maurer added that the Emerald Ash Borer situation has been devastating to the City and there are multiple streets where you can see this occurring such as Lark Street north of Witzel and Maricopa between 9th and Westhaven. Ms. Qualley asked if there were any Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources programs that could help with funding the replanting of these trees. Mr. Derks responded that they are currently applying for an Urban Forestry Grant. Mr. Maurer added that in July when Council approved contractors for tree work, the department also requested to approve a $98,000 transfer to the Taking Root fund at the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation, which was approved. The Foundation and staff will work to help raise funds for replanting trees. REVENUE AND FACILITIES MANAGER’S REPORT Ms. McCollian states the next event for the department is the annual Touch-a-Truck event which is sponsored by Oshkosh Corporation. For this event the City works with public and private businesses with trucks to bring in for display. This event brings in about 2,000-2,500 ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE FOUR SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 people. The department is in need of volunteers for this event and Ms. McCollian asked the Board to spread awareness of the event and the need for volunteers. October 14 will bring a new event to Menominee Park Zoo; Brews in the Zoo. This will be an adult costume party that will serve as an extension of the highly popular Brews on the Bay. There will be a costume contest, local brews available and food trucks. The next day, October 15, will be the 20th Annual Zooloween Boo. This is a very popular, family event with a lot of volunteer needs as well for games and entertainment. Local businesses come into the zoo with trick or treat stations and it is the biggest fundraising event for the Menominee Park Zoo every year. Unfortunately Snooze at the Zoo had to be cancelled this past weekend due to weather, which is always a difficult decision for the department to make since so much time and effort goes into each event. This summer Menominee Park and Zoo had some staffing changes mid-way through the year with the Zoo Education Coordinator position, however it was a positive change. The Zoo Education Coordinator puts on 2-3 programs each day to engage the public. In total from June through August, there were 4,206 participants at these programs. The Menominee Park Zoo also held Wildlife Wednesdays weekly with outside presenters from the area coming in. These were also well attended with a total of 793 participants over the summer. The final Brews on the Bay event is taking place on Wednesday, September 14. There were 8 total events planned for the summer and only one had to be cancelled due to poor weather conditions. The event has been well attended throughout the year with bands, food trucks and yard games for attendees to enjoy. The Pollock Community Water Park closed on August 19. The Children’s Amusements Center closed for the season on September 5. The Reetz Ball Diamonds closed down the last week of August. The Lakefly Café and Menominee Park Zoo will both close for the season on September 25. Ms. McCollian states that she will provide an annual update with final numbers for the Board at either the November or December meeting. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Dirth for adjournment; seconded by Millette. Motion carried 8-0. The meeting adjourned at 6:52 P.M Respectfully submitted, Stacy L. James Stacy L. James, Recording Secretary