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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.12.26 APB Packet OSHKOSH ADVISORY PARKS BOARD AGENDA ROOM 404 (4TH FLOOR), CITY HALL OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN January 12, 2026 6:00 p.m. If anyone requires reasonable ADA accommodations, please contact the Parks Department at sthelen@oshkoshwi.gov, or phone 920-236-5080. A.CALL TO ORDER (6:00 PM) B.ROLL CALL C.APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1.Approval of the November 10, 2025 meeting minutes D.PUBLIC STATEMENTS (Items not listed on this agenda) (Statements are limited to five (5) minutes; they must address items that are not listed on the meeting agenda, are limited to issues that have an impact on the City of Oshkosh and the Advisory Parks Board may address at a future meeting, and must not include endorsements of any candidates or other electioneering. If you require more time please inform the Chair at the beginning of your presentation.) E.ANNOUNCE TEAM RETIREMENTS AND INTRODUCE ANNA CANNIZZO, DIRECTOR OF CULTURAL AND ENRICHMENT SERVICES F.NEW BUSINESS 2.Update On the City Manager's reorganization plan for the Cultural And Enrichment Services Department 3.Presentation by Emily Rock, Assistant Museum Director/Chief Curator, on lakeshore historical signs G.OLD BUSINESS I.STAFF REPORTS Park Services and Events Manager (Dallman) Update on Reetz Ball Fields Restroom/Concessions building project Update on Amusement Train Council Workshop Update on Menominee Park Zoo Lagoon Ice Skating Program Landscape Operations Manager (Derks) Update on Strategic Plan Update on Tree City USA Update on Oshkosh Public Library "Read with an Arborist" partnership program Update on Neighborhood Association Recognition Program Update on Pruning Cycle J.OTHER BUSINESS K.ADJOURNMENT NEXT MEETING DATE: Monday, February 9, 2026 TO:TO :Advisory Parks Board FR OM:FROM: DATE:DATE:January 12, 2026 SUBJECT:SUBJECT:Approval of the November 10, 2025 meeting minutes AttachmentsAttachments November 10, 2025 Meeting Minutes ADVISORY PARK BOARD November 10, 2025 Present: Amy Davis, Jacob Floam, Steve Herman, Becky Metz, Lester Millette Excused: Timothy Franz, Devon Hudak Staff: Ray Maurer, Parks Director; Tyler Klaver, Management Analyst; Sue Thelen, 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 Millette for approval of the August 11, 2025 and September 8, 2025 minutes. Seconded by Herman. Motion carried 5-0. INTRODUCE SUE THELEN, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Mr. Maurer introduced Sue Thelen as the new Administrative Assistant for the Parks Department. Ms. Thelen expressed her enthusiasm to be working with the Parks Department and the Advisory Park Board and indicated everyone has been very welcoming. NEW BUSINESS 1) UPDATE ON THE CITY MANAGER'S REORGANIZATIONAL PLAN FOR THE PARKS DEPARTMENT Mr. Maurer introduced Michelle Behnke from Human Resources. Michelle shared the new organizational structure that was recently shared with city employees. She highlighted the changes to the Park Department that includes field staff moving to Public Works Operations and the Parks Department change to Parks Services and Events. This division will fall under a newly created Cultural and Enrichment Services department, which includes quality of life divisions. A Fund Development division will be established to coordinate, streamline and improve the grant and fundraising efforts of the entities under Cultural and Enrichment Services with the goal of bringing like-minded people AVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE 2 November 10, 2025 together to maximize resources. Concerns by the committee were raised including whether the current Advisory Parks Board will be realigned with the new department structure, future use of the Parks building, what the department leadership roles will be, is there an organization chart for this new department, is there a job description for the new director position for this department, if the Parks Capital Improvement Program (CIP) will be carried out properly and hope that the mission of the Parks Department does not get lost in the restructuring. Behnke affirmed that current boards/committees would not be changed immediately as this is a Common Council decision, and that the entire restructuring plan will take time. 2) DISCUSS IDEAS FOR RECOGNIZING LURTON BLASSINGAME ON A SECTION OF THE OSHKOSH RIVERWALK Mr. Maurer reintroduced Tyler Klaver, Management Analyst with the Parks Department. Tyler followed up the discussion about recognizing Lurton Blassingame on a section of the Oshkosh Riverwalk by presenting four options: 1) a bronze plaque pricing ranging from $250-$800; 2) Riverwalk pole sign design pricing at approximately $400 each; 3) pedestal sign similar to the current historic signs priced at $1135 and 4) pole banners $400 each. The area between Jackson Street and Main Street has been identified as a fitting location. Private donors will be secured for the funding. Discussion followed about the options. Mr. Klaver expressed that the Blassingame family favors option three, a pedestal sign. Others liked option one or a mix of 1, 3 and 4, specifically the bronze plaque as a pedestal sign. All agreed to defer to the wishes of the family. Mr. Klaver will present this option to the family. Motion was made by Millette to recommend a bronze plaque on a pedestal or a pedestal sign similar to the current historic signs, whichever the family prefers, to the Common Council. Seconded by Floam. Motion carried 5-0. STAFF REPORTS PARKS DIRECTOR (Maurer) Mr. Maurer provided an update on the Reetz ballfield restroom concession building project. He met with the architect twice with another meeting this Thursday. They are continuing to work on the design Siewart trail reconstruction is complete. It is a big improvement to the road system there. Drain tile was added to the open grass area to better get the water out of this area. This will help make this area more usable for parking for fishing events. The Quarry Park master plan was recommended for approval by the Plan Commission and approved by the Common Council. ASSISTANT PARKS DIRECTOR (Dallman) Mr. Maurer reported for Mr. Dallman. The Pickart Park play equipment and rubber surface is installed and our team is now working on restoration. The Stevens Park basketball and tennis courts were resurfaced. At 44th Parallel, the two tennis courts were changed to one tennis court and two pickle ball courts. An accessible walkway was also installed from the public sidewalk to the courts. OTHER BUSINESS Mr. Maurer indicated that there was discussion regarding the Menominee Park amusement train operation at the recent Council meeting. The Council would like to hold a workshop to discuss train operations going forward. This will be held on Tuesday, January 13. Mr. Herman questioned what was approved in the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Maurer mentioned the Reetz north ballfield lights, Quarry Park initial development, the Menominee Park Zoo improvements, and park trails as larger items that were approved. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Davis for adjournment; seconded by Herman. Motion carried 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 6:43 P.M Respectfully submitted, Sue Thelen Administrative Assistant TO:TO :Advisory Parks Board FR OM:FROM: DATE:DATE:January 12, 2026 SUBJECT:SUBJECT:Update On the City Manager's reorganization plan for the Cultural And Enrichment Services Department BACKGROUNDBACKGROUND Anna Cannizzo, Director of Cultural and Enrichment Services, will provide an update of the reorganization plan for the new Cultural and Enrichment Services Department. TO:TO :Advisory Parks Board FR OM:FROM: DATE:DATE:January 12, 2026 SUBJECT:SUBJECT:Presentation by Emily Rock, Assistant Museum Director/Chief Curator, on lakeshore historical signs BACKGROUNDBACKGROUND The Advisory Parks Board will be reviewing information and other content for the proposed Lakeshore Park Historical Signage project. The Oshkosh Museum's Assistant Director and Curator, Emily, Rock, will be in attendance to present drafted text and images for the signs for the APB's feedback, while Parks Staff will confirm other related items, like sign installation sites and next steps. Parks Staff are looking for a recommendation to proceed with the project given the information presented. AttachmentsAttachments Lakeshore Park Heritage Signs Presentation Lakeshore Park Heritage Signs Content Prepared by Emily Rock Assistant Director/Chief Curator Oshkosh Public Museum Lakeshore Park Cultural Heritage Signs •5 signs on different themes with historic information and images •Ancestral Lands of the Menominee and Ho-Chunk •Lakeshore Park Archaeological Excavations •A Glacial Landscape •Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course •Working Waterways (Lumber Industry) •Design will be based on the Riverwalk interpretive signs Ancestral Lands of the Menominee and Ho-Chunk What is now Lakeshore Park had long been the home of the Native people of Wisconsin. The ancestors of the Menominee and Ho-Chunk lived in a village on the banks of Lake Butte des Morts at least 2500 years ago. Approximately 1000 BCE to 1000 CE is known to archaeologists as the Woodland period. Native people during this era began settling in more permanent villages, but often moved seasonally. They made pottery and traded goods over long distances. Woodland people planted corn, beans, squash, tobacco, and sunflowers. They hunted deer, rabbit, and waterfowl using bows and arrows. The arrival of Europeans changed everything for Native people. In the 1600s, Native people began trading furs and pelts for European goods like glass beads, firearms, and copper pots. The Menominee and Ho- Chunk continued to inhabit the land that is now Lakeshore Park until about 1800 due to an increase in American and European settlers to the area. This land was ceded to the United States in the 1836 Treaty of Cedars. This treaty moved the Menominee and Ho-Chunk seats of government to reservation lands in other parts of Wisconsin and Nebraska. Today, the Menominee and Ho-Chunk continue to live in Wisconsin as sovereign nations. Many have embraced traditional practices, languages, and arts to pass on their cultural heritage to new generations. Ancestral Lands of the Menominee and Ho-Chunk Images A Menominee family stands in front of their wigwam on the Menominee Reservation in Keshena, c. 1913. They are holding baskets and other items they made to sell to tourists. Selling art was a way to make a livelihood, and also continued cultural craft traditions. OPM #P1294.1 Courtesy of Oshkosh Public Museum Menominee women and girls at Keshena, c. 1912. OPM #P1294.6 Courtesy of Oshkosh Public Museum Lakeshore Park Archaeological Excavations In spring of 2018, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Cultural Resource Management (UWM-CRM) conducted an archaeological excavation of Lakeshore Park. Prehistoric artifacts were found during a 2017 archaeological survey after the Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course closed. It is a requirement to do archaeological investigations before land is developed. The excavation work includes removing the top portion of the soil. Then, archaeologists dig sample pits in regular intervals throughout the site. Archaeologists look for artifacts like pieces of pots, projectile points, and evidence of dwellings and fire pits. All the recovered items are studied and a report is made about the site. UWM-CRM determined that the Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course was a village and burial site. Ancestors of the Menominee and Ho-Chunk lived on the southeastern shore of Lake Butte des Morts about 2500 years ago. Between 500 BCE and 1200 CE, groups of people lived here seasonally during the late spring and early fall. This is typical of the Lake Winnebago Region, where Native people lived close to the water. The Menominee and Ho-Chunk were removed from these ancestral lands by the US government in the 1800s. Today these Nations have reservation land in Wisconsin. Lakeshore Park Archaeological Excavations Images A UWM-CRM archaeologist records findings during the 2018 excavation. Golf Course Site Collection, Courtesy of Oshkosh Public Museum An excavator digs out the top layer of soil on a putting green in April of 2018. Golf Course Site Collection, Courtesy of Oshkosh Public Museum A Glacial Landscape Starting about 2.5 million years ago, the Laurentide Ice Sheet, which covered millions of miles of what is now Canada and the northern United States, began advancing and retreating as the Earth’s climate cooled and warmed. Its last advance was about 100,000 years ago. The glaciers could be up to two miles thick. The ice sheet covered what is now northern and northeastern Wisconsin about 31,000 years ago. Over the next 15,000 years, the advancing and retreating ice and its meltwater sculpted the landscape, creating lakes, moraines, outcrops, and other landforms, including the Great Lakes, Wisconsin Dells, Fox River, Lake Winnebago, and Late Butte des Morts. These waterways and terrain created by the glaciers were full of natural resources that made it an ideal place for people to live. People arrived when the glaciers left Wisconsin for the last time, about 10,000 years ago. The climate was still cooler and wetter than it is today. During this time, Native people lived in small groups, moving seasonally. They used stone tools to hunt and fish. They harvested nuts, fruit, and wild rice that grew in the wetlands. Some groups developed copper tools. A Glacial Landscape Images Float copper are pieces of raw mineral that have been dislodged from rock and dragged to a new location by glaciers. A lot of float copper was deposited in Upper Michigan thousands of years ago. Native people used this copper to make tools like knives and projectile points. This piece of float copper was smoothed and rounded by glacial ice. OPM # I03.7.24.7 Courtesy of Oshkosh Public Museum About 31,000 years ago, glaciers advanced from Canada into Wisconsin, forming Glacial Lake Oshkosh. The ice would retreat and advance several times, leaving its mark on the landscape. Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course Oshkosh’s public golf course operated on the land that is now Lakeshore Park from 1921 to 2018. Before it was Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course, part of the land had been Algoma Country Club (now Oshkosh Country Club.) The rest was a hayfield. Algoma Country Club moved to a new location in 1917. Local businessmen Warren Maxey and Roy Cummings, and professional golfer Henry “Hank” Dettlaff noticed a community desire for a public golf course. The City of Oshkosh bought the land, and Dettlaff managed the renovation of the greens. Originally a nine-hole course, in 1934 a Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) project expanded the course to eighteen holes. The course continued making improvements and was a popular, affordable course for local golf enthusiasts. After Oshkosh Corporation offered to purchase thirty-two (32) acres of land for a new headquarters in 2017, Oshkosh Common Council voted to close the golf course and sell the land. Seventy (70) acres of the land remained as a city greenspace, and is now Lakeshore Park. Hank Dettlaff (1898-1956) was born in Oshkosh. He started as the golf pro at the Algoma Country Club. After serving in the Army Air Corps during World War I, he was tasked with converting the abandoned golf course into a municipal one. He guided the golf course through the improvements of the 1930s. During his tenure, Dettlaff notably tutored a young caddy named Johnny Revolta. Revolta went on to win the Professional Golfers Association Tournament in 1935. Dettlaff himself won several golf tournaments, including the 1954 Wisconsin PGA Senior Championship. Beloved by the Oshkosh community, he managed the Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course until his death in 1956. Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course Images Hank Dettlaff poses with a golf club around 1925. Courtesy of Billy Dettlaff The first clubhouse, which included showers, men’s and women’s locker rooms, a lounge, a screened porch, and a refreshment booth, was built with WPA funds in 1937. Courtesy of Billy Dettlaff Lakeshore Golf Course hole 12 as seen in 1971. Courtesy of Billy Dettlaff Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course Images Lakeshore Golf Course score card, c. 1965. Courtesy of Billy Dettlaff The lagoon and canal at the third and fourth holes in 1971. These features were built in 1934 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project. Federal WPA money was intended to give cities an economic boost during the Great Depression. Courtesy of Billy Dettlaff Working Waterways The large volume of sawmills and lumber companies operating in Oshkosh gave it the nickname “Sawdust City.” The first sawmill, Morris Firman Mill, was built in 1847. By 1866 there were 30 steam sawmills along the Fox River and Lakes Winnebago and Butte des Morts. By 1900, Oshkosh had more than 120 factories making wood products, including matches, furniture, doors, and railroad ties. Though known for its lumber factories, most of the raw timber did not come from Oshkosh or Winnebago County, but from northern Wisconsin. Lumber companies used waterways to get logs to the factories. Loggers harvested trees during the winter and hauled them to the banks of the Wolf River by oxen or horses. During the spring thaw, they rolled logs into the river to be floated downstream by crews of workers. This process is known as a log drive. Logs floated down the Wolf River to Lake Poygan. In that lake they were sorted into larger rafts at Boom Bay. The log rafts’ journey continued through Lake Butte des Morts, then into the Fox River to the mills. As railroads became established in the Fox Valley, log drives decreased because it was cheaper and faster to transport logs by train car. The last log drive on the Wolf River happened around 1910. Working Waterways Images Log rafts float in the Fox River at Hollister & Amos in 1903. The mill was located on the north east side of the Fox River at the foot of Blackhawk Street in Oshkosh. OPM #P249.3 Courtesy of Oshkosh Public Museum Oshkosh’s location near the lakes and Fox made it the perfect place for lumber mills. The Oshkosh Logging Tool Company, later named Leach Company, is shown here looking east on 6th Avenue towards South main Street, c. 1908. OPM #P2002.16.58 Courtesy of Oshkosh Public Museum Working Waterways Images A crew of men work logs on the Fox River near the Paine Lumber Company and Riverside Cemetery around 1900. Log driving was hard and dangerous work. Workers used long pike poles to push and direct the logs. They also had to prevent and dislodge log jams. OPM #FP2013.1.3 Courtesy of Oshkosh Public Museum A steamboat pushes a large log raft on Lake Poygan in July of 1899. The logs were destined for one of the many lumbermills in Oshkosh. OPM #P1992.4.10 Courtesy of Oshkosh Public Museum