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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES DECEMBER 12, 2011 Present: Victor Girens, Bill Gogolewski, Jim Michelson, Bill Miller, Mark Philipp, Bob Poeschl, Allan Siman, Excused: Jonathan Wilson, Terry Wohler Staff: Ray Maurer, Parks Director; Bill Sturm, Landscape Operations Manager; Lester Millette, Adjunct Board Member; Robin Leslie, Principal Planner; Trish Wendorf, Recording Secretary CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL Chairman Gogolewski called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. A quorum was determined to be present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Girens for approval of the October 10, 2011 minutes, as submitted. Seconded by Miller. Motion carried 7-0. CITIZENS STATEMENTS (Items on Agenda) There were no citizen’s statements. PARK BUSINESS 1) Discuss and recommend approval of the City of Oshkosh’s Sustainability Plan Draft Mr. Maurer introduced Robin Leslie, Principal Planner, who is working with the Sustainability Advisory Board and the City’s Community Development Department on this project. Ms. Leslie introduced Michael Lizotte, Director of Sustainability, UW-Oshkosh, who was also available to answer any questions of the Board. Ms. Leslie distributed a PowerPoint printout (said printout on file at the City Parks Department and made a ™ part of these minutes) entitled, City of Oshkosh Sustainability Plan – August 2011 Draft. Mr. Miller stated that a lot of work had been done with regard to the Sustainability Plan Draft and he commended the individuals involved with the plan. Mr. Philipp stated he liked the idea of lake education and adaption of old buildings. He inquired if the roof on the old Menominee Park restroom could be utilized in any manner since it was fairly new. Mr. Maurer stated he would research how the building’s roof was assessed before he could make any determination in that regard. He noted that the Cardinal Construction Company would be using the current restroom facilities for storage of their materials during construction of the new restroom/shelter building. After construction of the new restroom/shelter building, the former restrooms would be demolished in-house. Mr. Lizotte stated he could provide public comments via this meeting or on line. He noted that “parks” is mentioned a lot within the draft document in various forms. He stated he would like the plan to reflect strengths and successes that the City has had in keeping resources for active lifestyles. Mr. Lizotte also stated that he is looking for challenging goals as well, i.e. forestry issues (reforestation). ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE TWO DECEMBER 12, 2011 Chairman Gogolewski and Mr. Michelson concurred that the Committee did a good job with the plan. Motion by Michelson to recommend to the City Council approval of the City of Oshkosh’s Sustainability Plan Draft. Seconded by Miller. Motion carried 7-0. 2) Review and recommend approval of the Pollock Community Water Park Agreement between the City of Oshkosh and Oshkosh School District Mr. Maurer gave a brief overview of the Agreement (said Agreement on file at the City Parks office and made a part of these minutes). He stated that the previous Agreement was for the years 2009 to 2011 and the present document is similar to that Agreement with the dates being changed. Discussion ensued relative to the lifeguards, head guards. Mr. Maurer explained that the Oshkosh Area School District provides the head guards and life guards and the City provides staff for the front desk, concessions, maintenance and managers for the day-to-day operations. Motion by Poeschl to recommend to the City Council approval of the Pollock Community Water Park Agreement between the City of Oshkosh and Oshkosh School District. Seconded by Girens. Motion carried 7-0. CITIZEN STATEMENTS (Items not listed on the Agenda) There were no citizen statements. PARK DIRECTORS REPORT Mr. Maurer distributed a handout (said handout on file at the City Parks office and made a part of these minutes) titled Capital Improvement Request Summary – 2012, which reflects project items which were approved by the City Council at their last meeting. Mr. Poeschl inquired if item #12 Amusement area pond aerator would only include one (1) aerator. Mr. Sturm stated that item reflects a complete system that would be capable of handling the whole pond area. Mr. Siman questioned the cemetery road repairs and inquired as to what the repairs would entail. Mr. Sturm explained the past history of the cemetery roads and noted that the roadwork would be done in sections as funds are available. He noted that the City’s street division will grind out the roadway and do the repair work. Mr. Poeschl inquired if the Taking Root program was on its third year. Mr. Sturm stated they just completed year two (2) and would be going into year three (3). He noted that the City had committed funding for six (6) years for the Taking Root program. He stated that next year they will be working on the Gateways. Mr. Poeschl inquired as to what is the thought for after the six (6) year period, i.e., how does the City maintain this? Is there a long term thought for tree planting? Mr. Sturm stated there is a high level of Oshkosh Area Community Foundation involvement with the Taking Root program. He noted it is a good forestry program and it is important to keep progress going (plantings) and restock areas. It is hoped that the planting program would be funded by the City’s CIP program in the future. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE THREE DECEMBER 12, 2011 Chairman Gogolewski inquired as to the Miracle Field status and if a site had been picked. Mr. Maurer stated he had recent conversations with Tim Cook of Clarify Care, OYB representatives, and the Girls Fast Pitch group as well as initial conversations with Jeff Bahling of Rettler Corporation. He stated that the groups are still coming up with sites and Mr. Bahling is coming up with cost estimates. Mr. Maurer reported that the Menominee Park restroom project is under construction. All of the historical signs have been installed. Celebration of Lights is now at Menominee Park and will run until January 1. st Mr. Miller stated that the roadway by the maintenance shop/gazebo could be used as a “ski hill” because of all the heaving. Maintenance is needed. Mr. Maurer explained that Chris Strong, Director of the City’s Transportation Department, is working with consultants for all City parking lot assessments and doing a rating of each lot. A meeting will be scheduled in the near future with Dave Patek, Public Works Director and Mr. Strong regarding the City’s parking lots, including Red Arrow and noted that the Quarry park parking lot is also on that list. LANDSCAPE OPERATIONS MANAGERS REPORT Mr. Sturm stated that with the good weather, his crews were able to plant another 250 trees; completed with stump grinding; working on pruning; and working in the field on tree work. Mr. Poeschl suggested that the Park’s Department website be made more vibrant. Mr. Maurer stated that Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager, is working with Tony Neuman, City’s IT Director, on the website. Chairman Gogolewski stated that he has been a member of the Board for a number of years and this past year he has seen a lot of progress. Everyone is doing a great job and this Board is doing a great job as well. He stated he is looking forward to next year. ADJOURNMENT There being no other business, Motion by Michelson for adjournment; seconded by Miller. Motion carried 7-0. The meeting adjourned at 6:43 PM. Respectfully submitted, Trish Wendorf Trish Wendorf, Recording Secretary