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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.14.2025 APB Minutes ADVISORY PARK BOARD APRIL 14, 2025 Present: Amy Davis, Becky Metz, Jacob Floam, Timothy Franz, Devon Hudak, Excused: Lester Millette, Steve Herman Staff: Ray Maurer, Parks Director; Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director; Travis Derks, Landscape Operations Manager; Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager; Ericka Rick, Administrative Assistant 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 Floam for approval of the March 10, 2025 minutes. Seconded by Hudak. Motion carried 5-0. CITIZEN STATEMENTS Jerry Burke, 1733 Northpoint Street – Mr. Burke provided photos of a Kentucky Coffee trees and its droppings. He expressed his displeasure in the two trees that are planted on his terrace. Mr. Burke stated that the droppings cause issue with his mower because they dull the blades and with his snowblower because they clog the chute. NEW BUSINESS 1) DISCUSS AND RECOMMEND UPDATE TO SECTION 30-442 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING THE FEE IN LIEU OF PARK LAND DEDICATION Mr. Maurer stated that section 30-442 of municipal code refers to fees in lieu of park land dedication as well as the amount of land dedication based on the amount of land dwelling in a subdivision. In December 2023, the city entered into an agreement with Ehlers Public Finance Advisors to review and update these items. The agreement also included that Ehlers would perform a feasibility analysis for a potential park impact fee as was previously requested by members of the Advisory Park Board, Plan Commission and Common Council. The last time these items were updated was in 2003. Community Development and Parks Department staff had been working with Ehlers on this process but due to staff turnover, the project was slightly delayed. The focus is now primarily on the update to the fee in lieu of parkland dedication and the parkland dedication requirements. The impact fee feasibility analysis will resume in the near future. AVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE 2 APRIL 14, 2025 Past updates to the Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (CORP) have indicated that the city owned parkland acreage is lower than the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) recommended national standard. The recommended parkland acreage from NRPA is 6.25-10.5 acres per 1,000 residents and the most recent CORP update, completed last fall, indicates that the City of Oshkosh is currently at 4.55 acres per 1,000 residents. As part of their review, Ehlers surveyed a number of other communities in the region and state to compare the City of Oshkosh parkland dedication requirements and fees in-lieu-of parkland dedication. Jon Cameron, Senior Municipal Advisor/Managing Director with Ehlers Public Finance Advisors, attended via Zoom to further present. Mr. Cameron states that Section 30-442(b) and (c) of municipal code contain language on the dedication requirements in terms of the number of square feet per single family or multi family unit. The current ordinance requirement requests 1,100 square feet per detached single-family housing unit and 900 square feet per attached multi-family housing unit. The current fees are $400 per residential lot and $330 per multi-family unit. The updated fees were based upon the value per acre of land divided by the standard number of residents per acre of active parkland. Existing population and total acres of active parkland as defined in the City’s CORP were used for the calculation. The fee per capita were then multiplied by an assumed 3.0 persons per household for single-family dwelling units for a proposed fee of $798 and 2.50 persons per household for multi-family dwelling units for a proposed fee of $655. Mr. Maurer stated that the current zoning code refers to the collection of these fees or the requirement of land dedication when there is a land division or a certified survey map required. Planning staff is currently reviewing zoning code and it is their intent that any future residential developments would comply with these updated requirements. Motion by Hudak for recommendation to Common Council for update to section 30-442 of the municipal code regarding the fee in lieu of park land dedication as proposed. Seconded by Franz. Motion carried 5-0. 2) DISCUSS AND RECOMMEND UPDATE TO SECTION 30-442 OF THE MUNICIPAL CODE REGARDING PARK LAND DEDICATION REQUIREMENTS Mr. Cameron indicated in his presentation that City staff had also desired to examine the existing land dedication requirement compared to other municipalities. The existing requirement of 1,100 square feet for single family dwelling units and 900 square feet for multi-family development is lower than many other municipalities sampled. Based on the analysis it is recommended to increase the land dedication requirement to 2,000 square feet per unit regardless of single-family or multi-family development. In response to question by Mr. Floam, Mr. Maurer indicates that the CORP will be used to AVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE 3 APRIL 14, 2025 determine areas that are deficient, or not covered by neighborhood parks, and are in need of space for park land dedication as opposed to areas where a fee in lieu of would be adequate. Motion by Davis for recommendation to Common Council for update to section 30-442 of the municipal code regarding park land dedication requirements as proposed. Seconded by Floam. Motion carried 5-0. 3) DISCUSS INCLUSION OF PICKLEBALL COURTS FOR THE 44TH PARALLEL COURT RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT Mr. Maurer stated that funding to reconstruct the 44th Parallel Park tennis courts was included in the approved 2025 Parks Department Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The scope of that project includes eliminating one of the existing tennis courts and replacing it with two pickleball courts due to the demand and popularity of the program. Pickleball generates more noise than tennis due to the type of equipment. With consideration to the feedback received from other areas where a similar project has been completed, staff attempted to solicit input on their preference for the courts from neighbors adjacent to 44th Parallel Park. A total of 67 households adjacent to the park were provided information on the project, including advising them of more noise generated by pickleball play, and were requested to let us know if they had a preference on the court project. A total of 14 households responded with 10 preferring the addition of pickleball courts, 3 preferring to leave as tennis courts only and 1 stating they are fine with either but would like to see whatever is best for the community. Mr. Maurer stated that with consideration to the input received and the continued demand for pickleball courts from the community, staff supports the elimination of one tennis court and to replace it with two pickleball courts. Bruce Abraham, President of the Oshkosh Pickleball Club, 1911 Amy Jo Dr – Mr. Abraham express his support for the pickeball courts. He has received appreciative feedback from the pickball community expressing gratitude for the other courts that have also been added to the community. Mr. Abraham believes that, as a whole, there are far more players than there is available space for pickleball across the nation. The Advisory Park Board members expressed support for keeping pickleball courts in the project. 4) DISCUSS AND RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF CONCESSION STAND AGREEMENT FOR RED ARROW PARK BASEBALL COMPLEX BETWEEN THE CITY OF OSHKOSH AND OSHKOSH YOUTH BASEBALL AVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE 4 APRIL 14, 2025 Mr. Maurer stated the YMCA previously operated the concessions at Red Arrow Park but recently notified the department that they do not wish to continue the lease or renew their agreement. The YMCA and Oshkosh Youth Baseball (OYB) have been working together to transfer ownership of equipment within the concession stand from one group to the other and, during that process, OYB expressed their interest in taking over the concession stand operations. The proposed agreement between OYB and the City of Oshkosh is a one year lease agreement with the same terms previously laid out in the agreement with the YMCA. Motion by Metz for recommendation to Common Council of approval of concession stand agreement for red arrow park baseball complex between the City of Oshkosh and Oshkosh Youth Baseball. Seconded by Hudak. Motion carried 5-0. 5) PRESENTATION OF ANNUAL REVENUE FACILITY REPORT BY JENNY MCCOLLIAN, REVENUE FACILITIES MANAGER Ms. McCollian stated that it was a successful year in special events with the majority of department events growing or maintaining their participation rates. The Pollock Community Water Park hosted 6 special events with a total participation of 1,914. The Leach Amphitheater hosted 8 special events with 10,966 total participants. South Park held 3 Children’s Events with 900 in participation. The Menominee Park Zoo had 18,700 in participation during special events and the Brews on the Bay events drew 4,640 in participation during those events. Total visitors at the Pollock Community Water Park in 2024 was 33,923 which was only slightly below the previous year. The Menominee Park Zoo attendance grew to 102,051 with Ms. McCollian noting that 2024 was the first year that the zoo extended its hours into the winter months and the total annual attendance does include those new hours. The department relies heavily on volunteers to help make special events successful and 2024 saw an unfortunate decrease in volunteer hours overall. The Oshkosh Area Community Foundation donated additional funds for maintenance to Pollock Community Water Park but the remainder of the revenue facilitates donations remained fairly consistent with previous years. Sponsorship also remained stable or growing with the exception of the Leach Amphitheater where the title sponsor was lost and were not able to replace before the annual events began. 6) PRESENTATION OF ANNUAL ZOO REPORT BY JENNY MCCOLLIAN, REVENUE FACILITIES MANAGER Ms. McCollian stated that the overall attendance at Menominee Park Zoo special events AVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE 5 APRIL 14, 2025 increased in comparison to the year prior, with the exception of the breakfast with the Bunny and Bunny in the Barn event. Its decrease in attendance was likely due to the abnormal event date and it proximately to other spring events. Ms. McCollian noted the date change in 2025 and the corresponding increase in attendance during this year’s event. The Menominee Park Zoo is supported annually in many ways. The total volunteer hours equated to $16,770.12 and the total sponsorship dollars rose to $13,892.30. The total donations for the year include the annual donation from the Harenburg Family Foundation which provides the free admission to the zoo and totaled $73,703.84. The zoo coin revenue collected rose slightly to $6,912.91 as did the overall total support at $94,509.05. Ms. McCollian stated that Kate Grasley is the Zoo Education Coordinator and she helps to coordinate and execute much of the programming for the zoo. Ms. Grasley has a great working relationship and connection with the Oshkosh Area School District where she retired from. The zoo also partners with the Oshkosh Public Library, different university groups, and a variety of other organizations for the Wildlife Wednesday Program. STAFF REPORTS PARKS DIRECTOR (Maurer) Mr. Maurer shared that the Common Council approved the proposed relocation of the Festival Foods Fireworks Show to Ames Point at Menominee Park. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR (Dallman) Mr. Dallman shared that the final segment of path in the Menominee Park Zoo is being completed. This segment is located at the main entrance, temporarily closing it, however the facility remains open though another access point. Signs outside indicated where the alternate entrance is located. This project is to be completed prior to the May 24 seasonal opening date. Other updates at the Menominee Park include a mural on the interior of the Lake Fly Café and two roofing projects. The Park Maintenance Building (block building) at Menominee Park had a section of roof already replaced and just has minor finishing work yet to be completed and the Kiwanis Shelter (Shelter 1) roof replacement is expected to be completed by the end of April. LANDSCAPE OPERATIONS MANAGER (Derks) Mr. Derks shared that in 2024 he applied for and received a DNR grant to develop Forestry Strategic and Management Plans. The strategic plan will be a long-term plan designed to layout and map goals as well as a plan to achieve them. The management plan will be designed for a short term, 3-5 year span. It will detail items such as daily operations and best practices. The annual spring planting for terrace trees has been moved to fall due to the development of these plans. Memorial trees scheduled for spring will still AVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE 6 APRIL 14, 2025 be planted as scheduled. With the help of the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation and Discover Oshkosh, the bases have been replaced on the four gateway signs at City entrance points. Arbor Day is on April 25, 2025. Celebrations on that day include Menominee Elementary School and North High Conservancy/Aken Acres. Gustav Behnke was an artist and Oshkosh resident in the early 1900s. There are two of his paintings hanging in the chapel at Riverside Cemetery. A recent donation allowed for these paintings to be removed so that they could be cleaned and restored. The Crucifixion was donated to the cemetery in 1942. That painting was done on canvas and hangs over the double doors to the chapel. The Resurrection donated in 1930 restoration began in fall of 2019. That painting was done on Masonite hangs over the alter in the chapel. REVENUE FACILITIES MANAGER (McCollian) Ms. McCollian shared that the recent Breakfast with the Bunny and Bunny in the Barn events were much better attended than the previous year. With the help of new sponsor, IHOP and their donation of pancake mix, breakfast was served to 955 people. There were 704 children who participated in the egg hunt. The event also included face painting, balloons twisting, Festival Foods cookie decorating and several other small games and activities for families. Staff is preparing for opening day at all of the Menominee Park facilities on May 24. The Menominee Park Zoo will open daily from 9am to 6pm, the Lake Fly Café will be open from 10am-7pm on weekends and 11am-6pm Monday-Friday, and the Children’s Amusement Center will be open Friday-Sunday from 11am-7pm. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Davis for adjournment; seconded by Metz. Motion carried 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 6:58 P.M Respectfully submitted, Ericka Rick Administrative Assistant