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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES JUNE 9, 2008 Present: Bill Akan, Bill Gogolewski, Kay Hansen, Dennis McHugh, Jim Michelson, Mark Philipp Excused: Ted Bowen, Jim Schwochert, Terry Wohler Staff: Thomas Stephany, Director of Parks; Vince Maas, Parks Operations Manager; Bill Sturm, Landscape Operations Manager/City Forester; Trish Wendorf, Recording Secretary CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL Chairman Akan called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. A quorum was determined to be present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Gogolewski for approval of the April 14, 2008 minutes, as distributed. Seconded by McHugh. Motion carried 6-0. PARK BUSINESS 1) Little Oshkosh Playground Ordinance/Rules Language Mr. Stephany reiterated his Memorandum addressed to the Board dated June 6, 2008 (said Memorandum on file at the City Parks office and made a part of these minutes). Mr. Gogolewski inquired as to how enforcement of the proposed playground rules/ordinance would be undertaken. Mr. Stephany stated, first it is important to get some language out there and to make a determination as to the type of use the playground is experiencing. He suggested that as a starting point, the park rangers could make periodic checks at the playground – before they go on their regular route and before they end their route. He also suggested that he could request the Oshkosh Police Department (OPD) to make periodic ride-throughs. He stated the OPD will not be able to enforce activities if there are no rules in effect or posted. Discussion ensued as to the Park Rangers’ involvement with monitoring the activities at the playground as well as involvement by the OPD. Mr. McHugh stated that there is very little control at the playground and that rules don’t seem to make a difference to the kids – rules just don’t seem to work. In the absence of an Ordinance, rules don’t have “teeth”. Mr. Stephany stated then if that’s the case, he recommends ordinance language and the Rangers could then have the authority to monitor the activities. Mr. Michelson stated there are ordinances already in effect that are not enforced. The signs are damaged and taken down and not replaced. The City needs to go in there when there is suspicious activity and make these kids that are causing the problems accountable. Ms. Hansen stated an ordinance would be better since it has more teeth than just rules being posted - we are trying to meet the age needs for kids from 2-12. Mr. Michelson stated he was not in favor of ordinance language that does not allow a child 13 or older to be in playground – he feels it is discriminatory. He stated a few years ago, there were similar problems at the park and staff made their presence known more frequently and the problem dissipated. Why can’t the rangers/park staff make their presence known more at the Little Oshkosh playground to get the problem addressed instead of placing more rules in effect that cannot be enforced? ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE 2 JUNE 9, 2008 Mr. Philipp stated the Little Oshkosh playground is a separate more defined area and noted that the proposed rules are basic and reasonable. By having the rules posted, if a teen is being unruly at the playground, a parent or staff can point to the written rules and tell the problem teen that they are breaking the rules. The posted rules will empower the parents to say this is something that can be enforced. Mr. Stephany suggested starting with some basic rules, posting them and see what transpires. Mr. Michelson suggested that staff approach the OPD and ask them to have patrols stop periodically during their routes and check on activities at the playground. Mr. Stephany stated he could request that. Chairman Akan stated that the specific game of tag should be made known that it is not acceptable, since that game is a well known problem at the playground. Discussion ensued as to the game of tag and ages of patrons in the playground after dark. Mr. McHugh stated that if age limits/time of playground being closed is over defined, it becomes unenforceable. He stated there is no need for a two-tier system. th Motion by Hansen for the rules language as stated in Mr. Stephany’s June 6 Memorandum to the Board. Make them rules and if need be, then make into an ordinance. Seconded by McHugh. Mr. Michelson stated he still has a problem with 13-year kids & older, as well as adults, not being allowed in the playground – they should be able to use the playground as well. Mr. Philipp stated there is a need for clarity of boundaries. Mr. Stephany stated the west side is designed for preschool children, ages 2-5, and is fenced off. He stated railroad ties encompass the rest of the playground area. The swings are within the boundaries of the Little Oshkosh playground. Motion by Hansen that rules be posted at the Little Oshkosh playground as follows: 1) The playground has been constructed for children ages 2 through 12. 2) Rough play, the game of tag, and/or running or chasing is not allowed. 3) The playground closes at dark. Individuals are not allowed within the playground’s boundaries when it becomes nighttime. st . 4) The playground is closed for the winter months from November 15 through March 31 5) Smoking is not allowed within the playground’s structure. Seconded by McHugh. Motion carried 6-0. 2. 2009 Capital Improvements Program Mr. Michelson thanked Mr. Stephany for bringing this issue before the Board for consideration so early in the year. It enables more discussion and consideration. He stated that in the past year, he has been rethinking his position about the Menominee Park central restrooms. He volunteers for the Fishing Has No Boundaries event, and noted that the central restroom facilities are heavily utilized. He feels that refurbishing them would be a good idea and would like to add in conjunction with that, that a unisex restroom be added to the east side of the Kiwanis shelter – a small one-stall handicapped accessible restroom with a sink. He stated that the infrastructure is on the east side which would accommodate the restroom facility and if it was faced toward the road, that would deter vandalism. Mr. McHugh stated he had received requests from two citizens to close the point of the road at Menominee Park from the water tower and make that area into a park extension. Mr. Stephany stated that the Public Works Department would need to be part of that discussion. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE 3 JUNE 9, 2008 Mr. McHugh inquired if Park staff installs the no-wake zone signage? Mr. Maas stated City staff places the buoys by the Oshkosh Avenue bridge, but not between Main Street and Oregon – those are placed by Sweet Water Performance Center (Marina). Mr. McHugh stated he received two complaints about the South Park restrooms. He also stated that the Saturday before the Art Fair, he was advised that the bathrooms were a mess, a toilet was not working and made the bathrooms smell. Mr. Stephany stated that a parks clean-up person was scheduled to clean the restrooms in the early morning. It cannot be helped if someone comes along after they are cleaned, and messes them up again. Mr. McHugh also noted that the South Park shelter roof needs to be replaced as shingles are missing and cupping. He noted that it probably was a good thing that the Art Fair was cancelled since the large shelter is in pathetic condition. Mr. Stephany noted that the wall repair work at the South Park large shelter has been completed and the roof and parking lot repairs will be completed by the end of this year. Chairman Akan inquired if any more talks had been held relative to the dams? Mr. Stephany stated there have been no discussions about them lately, but that further discussions should be scheduled in the near future to address that issue. Mr. Philipp stated that he would like to see the dog park issue/request put on the 2009 CIP list. Mr. Maas stated he would like to see some way that the CIP money could be used to enhance or help staff manage the parks operations budget – i.e., woodchips are $2,000 a load and sometimes there is a need to order 4 or more loads a year for the playgrounds. He suggested that when installing a permanent structure (playground) that instead of using woodchips, they install the foam padding similar to what was used at the Little Oshkosh playground instead. He stated bathrooms are open 24 hours a day/7 days a week from April/May until November. He suggested that the doors be changed to automatic doors that could be put on timers – which could help deter vandalism as well as cut down on electrical costs. The cost of lighting the parks could be reduced by changing the light fixtures to LED lights and cut down on the number of fixtures in the parks. He stated the water is constantly running at the central restrooms at Menominee which is costly and suggested that the infractures be replaced so that the water is not always running. Mr. Sturm stated the Riverside Cemetery roads, especially the main arterial roads, are in dire need of repair and he is working with the Street Department to do the repaving work. He stated the main Forestry shop (Witzel Avenue) has a bad roof that needs repair. The roof has been patched in the past, but it is now separating and that is causing serious water problems. Mr. Stephany stated with respect the Lakeshore Golf Course, some greens need to be rebuilt. Mr. Gogolewski concurred with Mr. Stephany and added that the grounds need to be refertilized to get nutrients back into the soil. Mr. Stephany inquired if the Board had a chance to check out the Spanbauer Field fencing. Mr. McHugh stated he had checked it out and the fencing did not appear to be in dire need of replacing. The fencing did look rusted, but in good, solid condition. Mr. Stephany stated he will attempt to get a rating sheet for the CIP projects prepared for the July or August Board meeting. Mr. McHugh inquired as to the absence of garbage cans in the parks, stating that he has received a few complaints about that as well. Mr. Stephany gave a brief history as to the parks policy on garbage “carried in by park users be carried out”, that was introduced in 1999. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE 4 JUNE 9, 2008 CITIZEN’S STATEMENTS There were no citizen statements. PARK DIRECTOR/STAFF REPORTS Mr. Sturm reported on the Oshkosh Blooms Adopt a Flower Bed & Park Program (said report on file at the City Parks office and made a part of these minutes) and gave recognition to the committees/individuals involved in the program. th Mr. Stephany announced that the Pollock Community Water Park opened on June 7. He also announced that Miller’s Bay in th Menominee Park would be chemically treated on Tuesday, June 10 for the aquatic invasive species. Mr. Stephany stated that the perimeter fence at the Menominee Park Zoo would be worked on in the next week or so. He noted that the carousel work and fencing had just been completed at Menominee Park. Crews will be working on the boating docks for the fishing tournaments that are scheduled for upcoming weekend. He stated the South Park large pavilion walls are back up and the doors and windows are now workable. Mr. Stephany stated that Sawdust Days is scheduled for July 2-6 and invited the Board members to visit the event so that any concerns could be addressed at a future meeting. Mr. Maas reported that the carousel top is not on yet, but it has been ordered. As for the Pollock Community Water Park, while it is open, there were a few snags with the lazy river that need to be addressed. His crews are continually mowing grass; doing trail work; working on parking lots at Spanbauer Field; doing tennis court work at both Westhaven & Techmiller Parks; assisting with the Menominee Park beach house project; as well as their usual duties. He stated the Menominee Park Beach House has been rebuilt and redone, but they are waiting for the sky lights to come in and be installed. The fishing dock at the end of New York Avenue has been installed and is now available for public use. ADJOURNMENT There being no other business, Motion by Michelson for adjournment; seconded by Gogolewski. Motion carried 6-0. The meeting adjourned. Respectfully submitted, Trish Wendorf, Recording Secretary