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ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES SEPTEMBER 11, 2006 Present: Bill Akan, Bryan Bain, Ted Bowen, Bill Gogolewski, Jim Michelson, Larry Pasquini, Jim Schwochert Excused: Kay Hansen, Terry Wohler
Staff: Thomas Stephany, Director of Parks; Vince Maas, Parks Operations Manager; Bill Sturm, Landscape Operations Manager/City Forester; Trish Wendorf, Parks Office Manager Chairman
Pasquini called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. A quorum was determined to be present. Chairman Pasquini thanked Mr. Michelson for being Chairman to the Parks Board for the past several
years. Chairman Pasquini called for a Moment of Silence in honor of the 5th anniversary of the fallen from the September 11, 2001 tragedy. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Bowen for approval
of the August 14, 2006 minutes, as distributed. Seconded by Akan. Motion carried 7-0. PARK BUSINESS 1) Fast Club of Oshkosh Mr. Stephany reiterated his memorandum of September 8, 2006
(copy of said memorandum on file at the City Parks office and made a part of these minutes). John Kloehn, 1035 Laager Lane, gave a brief history of the Fast Club of Oshkosh and it’s
growth over the years, the approval process from the DNR (due to the methane stacks in the area) and their fundraising results. Mr. Stephany stated there is a proposal to eliminate the
outdoor ice skating rink due to declined interest over the years and the cost of maintaining and staffing the rink. Part of the proposal would be to turn the shelter/warming house into
a concession stand for the Fast Club’s events. Mr. Michelson inquired as to the timetable for the completion of the proposed project. Mr. Kloehn stated that one diamond could be constructed
this fall, as well as some work could be commenced on the concession stand. It would be 1-2 years maximum for the construction of all three diamonds. The third diamond would be smaller
than the other two and would be used for t-ball. Discussion ensued as to the history of the site sinking and it was determined that the property has been quite solid for the past five
(5) years. The vent locations would be fenced off and no lighting was proposed at this time. Parking was also discussed and it was determined that there is a 30-stall parking lot and
ample on-street parking around the block. Mr. Bain inquired if the neighbors were notified and Mr. Stephany stated they were not. He explained that this item was initially approved by
the Board on September 13, 2004 and tonight’s request is a continuation of the proposal and to obtain additional approval for the t-ball diamond plus conversion of the shelter into a
concession stand.
ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE 2 SEPTEMBER 11, 2006 Mr. Michelson inquired as to how many ice skating rinks the City maintains? Mr. Stephany stated the only one the City maintains
at present is the hockey rink at Rainbow Park. Mr. Stephany explained staff is not seeing the use for outdoor skating rinks. He also stated that the Recreation Department no longer mans
the warming house because of decreased usage. Mr. Bain stated he would like to have the neighbors notified of this proposal due to increased use and potential parking problems. Mr. Michelson
expressed concern about losing the skating rink. Chairman Pasquini reiterated that in September 2004 the Board approved a motion for the Fast Club to construct two ball diamonds and
he views this proposal as just a continuation of those plans. Mr. Michelson stated the difference is the initial proposal was just for two diamonds and this proposal is for the addition
of a t-ball diamond and concession stand. Mr. Gogolewski stated the Club has done their homework by contacting the DNR and have all their ducks in a row and stated he would like to see
the Club starting on this project as soon as possible. Mr. Schwochert stated while he agrees with Mr. Michelson, it is similar to the square pools being outdated and water parks being
the new design. Ice skating appears to be a dying sport. It would be a great addition to the neighborhood to do something with that block that has been sitting idle for years. Mr. Bain
stated he was not aware of the 2004 approval, which makes his concern null and void. But, he would still like staff to notify the neighbors of the current proposal so that they would
be forewarned. Motion by Bowen to approve the updated plans for Quarry Park as submitted, contingent upon any future lighting proposals for the area shall be submitted to the Board for
approval and notification of the adjacent property owners. Motion by Michelson for amendment of the motion to include that completion of the three diamonds and concession stand will
be completed by September 2009. Seconded by Bain. Motion carried 7-0. Motion by Bowen to approve the updated plans for Quarry Park as submitted, contingent upon any future lighting proposals
for the area shall be submitted to the Board for approval and notification of the adjacent property owners, and that completion of the three diamonds and concession stand will be completed
by September 2009. Seconded by Gogolewski. Motion carried 7-0. 2. Flag Pole Donation Mr. Stephany reiterated his memorandum of September 8, 2006 (copy of said memorandum on file at the
City Parks office and made a part of these minutes). Discussion ensued as to location and lighting of the flag pole and who would supply the flags. It was determined that the pole would
be lit and that the VFW would most likely supply the flags. Motion by Bain to approve the request to erect a flag pole at the end of the Irving Avenue in Menominee Park. Seconded by
Akan. Motion carried 7-0.CITIZEN’S STATEMENTS Charles Basiks, 1002 Rood Avenue, South Beloit, Illinois, expressed his concern with the weeds in Miller’s Bay. Mr. Basiks is a participant
in the City’s Menominee Park Miller’s Bay Mooring Program. He distributed pictures of the bay (said pictures not being made a part of these minutes) reflecting the weed problem. Mr.
Basiks requested that the bay be dredged out. Chairman Pasquini stated the Board held discussions in the past on the weed issue and noted that the issue will be on a forthcoming Board
agenda. At that time, Mr. Basiks will be invited to attend to express his concerns and/or remedies.
ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE 3 SEPTEMBER 11, 2006 Chuck Anderson, 1645 Maricopa Drive, stated he is the President of the Softball Commission and expressed his concern with maintenance
and upkeep of the ball diamonds. The issues he is concerned with are weeds on the warning tracks, fences not being tight to the ground in the outfields, poor condition of the fences,
and the infields are in poor shape. He also pointed out that the fields were not mowed in time for their tournaments. He also stated that mid-year, some of the bases starting popping
straight up in the air when players slid into base, which is a dangerous situation. He stated the Softball Commission has approximately $30,000 in the Diamond Improvement Fund that they
would like to spend, but the Commission does not want to spend it when they have no control over the maintenance of the diamonds. Chairman Pasquini suggested that Mr. Anderson put into
writing his concerns and forward them onto Mr. Stephany for response and/or action. He explained because this issue is not on tonight’s agenda, the Board cannot address the issue. PARK
BUSINESS (Cont’d) 3. Capital Improvements Program Mr. Stephany gave a brief synopsis of the results of the survey from the Board members (said results on file at the City Parks office
and made a part of these minutes). Chairman Pasquini stated that the Parks Department should maintain what they have already. Mr. Akan stated the main concern is that the Board has no
idea what the 2007 budget will be. Discussion ensued as to possible projects that could be undertaken in 2007, which include among other things, replacement of the Menominee Park Beach
House roof, upgrade the maintenance building at Menominee Park, repair of tennis courts at Techmiller Park, a new shelter at Rainbow Park, etc. It was the consensus of the Board that
uniformed signage of all parks is an important project that should be undertaken. Mr. Schwochert suggested getting community involvement with respect to raising monies for future park
projects – similar to the money drive that was utilized for the Pollock Community Water Park. Motion by Bowen to approve the 2007 CIP projects as submitted by Mr. Stephany in the following
order: 1) New roof on the Menominee Park Beach House; 2) Maintenance building and work area of the Menominee Park improvements; 3) Teichmiller Park tennis courts work; 4) Construction
of a new park shelter at Rainbow Park; 5) Upgrade the playground at Teichmiller Park. Motion died for lack of a second. Motion by Gogolewski to approve the 2007 CIP projects as submitted
by Mr. Stephany in the following order: 1) New roof on the Menominee Park Beach House; 2) Maintenance building and work area of the Menominee Park improvements; 3) Construction of a
new park shelter at Rainbow Park; 4) Teichmiller Park tennis courts work; 5) Upgrade the playground at Teichmiller Park. Seconded by Bowen. Motion carried 7-0. As part of the 2008 CIP
projects, Mr. Stephany suggested razing the South Park large shelter and building a new open shelter. Mr. Michelson stated the center restrooms in Menominee Park need attention as does
signage and lighting. Chairman Pasquini stated a project plan at Rainbow Park boat launch should be discussed in the near future. Mr. Gogolewski stated any boat launch improvements would
be paid for out of the boat launch revenue fund. As part of the 2009 CIP projects, Mr. Stephany suggested the Westhaven tennis courts be refurbished. PARK DIRECTOR/STAFF REPORTS 1) Cleanliness
of Boat Launch Docks Mr. Gogolewski expressed concern that the docks are not being kept clean, especially Rainbow Park. Mr. Stephany anticipated Mr. Gogolewski’s concerns, and informed
the Board that the Menominee Park Supervisor is constantly reminding staff that they need to keep those boat launch docks clean. He stated he would reiterate the concerns of the Board
once again to staff.
ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE 4 SEPTEMBER 11, 2006 2) No Wake Zone Hours at Rainbow Park Mr. Gogolewski expressed concern with the Friday night No Wake Zone hours from Rainbow Park
to Spellman’s Marina, as people tend to launch earlier on Fridays. He inquired if the hours could be expanded to 3 PM on Fridays until midnight on Sundays. Mr. Stephany stated staff
would put that item on the next regularly scheduled agenda for Board approval. 3) Project Updates Mr. Maas reiterated his list of Park projects of September 11, 2006 (copy of said list
on file at the City Parks office and made a part of these minutes). He also stated he is in the process of obtaining bids for the fencing at the Little League diamonds at Red Arrow Park,
and is working with Recreational Director, Al Wenig, in obtaining quotes for the outfield fences at the Reetz diamonds. Mr. Stephany stated that the Little Oshkosh playground is shut
down at the present time and there are project crews working on the maintenance of the playground, i.e., repainting, sanding, resealing. Landscaping work at the golf course is also being
undertaking by way of adding trees and soil. Mr. Stephany also stated that he is wrapping up the closing of Pollock Community Water Park and is working on the final reports for same.
Crews are also taking out the signs in various parks that are worn or outdated. BOARD MEMBERS STATEMENTS There were no Board member statements. ADJOURNMENT There being no other business,
Motion to adjourn by Gogolewski; Seconded by Bowen. Motion carried 7-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:53 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Trish Wendorf Recording Secretary