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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES OCTOBER 13, 2014 Present: Sean Fitzgerald, Victor Girens, Bill Gogolewski, Jim Michelson, Bill Miller, Carrie Rule, Megan Schuessler, Jonathan Wilson, Terry Wohler Staff: Ray Maurer, Parks Director; Chad Dallman, Parks Operations Manager; Bill Sturm, Landscape Operations Manager/City Forester; Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager, Steve Dobish, Lakeshore Clubhouse Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course Manager; Trace Gardiner, Manager/Golf Pro Guests: Justin Mitchell, Chair of the Menominee Park Shoreland Committee; Gregg Baum, Representative of FEH Associates, Inc., Delafield, Wisconsin CALL TO ORDER Chairman Wohler called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. ROLL CALL A quorum was determined to be present. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Michelson for approval of the September 8, 2014 minutes, as distributed. Seconded by Miller. Motion carried 9-0. CITIZENS STATEMENTS (Items on Agenda) There were no citizen’s statements. PARK BUSINESS 1)Discuss/approve Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration Project Mr. Maurer reiterated the background of the proposal from his Memorandum to the Board dated October 6, 2014 (said Memorandum on file at the City Parks Department and made a part of these minutes). He gave a history of the project noting that in the approved 2012 Menominee Park Master Plan it stated, “§1.5 Final Concept Plan: (C) Naturalized and shoreland landscaping: 1) In February 2010 a proposal by members of the Sustainability Advisory Board was provided to install a Shoreland demonstration area at the base of Ames Point with the intent to possibly expand this area along the entire Miller’s Bay as funding became available. The Sustainability Advisory Board also included support of additional naturalized plantings, of non-shoreland areas, within Menominee Park. In the fall of 2011, volunteers planted the initial site and a second planting occurred in spring of 2012. (2) The Advisory Park Board supports working with volunteer and/or Friends groups to maintain the existing demonstration area. Considerable discussion took place throughout the Master Plan process regarding the plantings and potential expansion of planting areas. (3) The Advisory Park Board moved that the demonstration project will be evaluated after three growing seasons. In the fall of 2014 the demonstration area will be evaluated on several factors: aesthetics, maintenance, costs, public support or nonsupport, additional comments, etc. In fall 2014, the Advisory Park Board will move on including, or not including, future naturalized planting areas within Menominee Park or along its shoreline.” ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE TWO OCTOBER 13, 2014 Mr. Maurer stated that a proposal (said proposal on file at the City Parks office and made a part of these minutes) by Mr. Justin Mitchell and the Shoreline Management group was included in the Board’s packets. The proposal includes a 5-year plan (2014-2019) and items for existing management of the demonstration area at Ames Point, including some areas they would like to expand and do some further shoreland restoration plantings. Mr. Maurer stated that staff received numerous emails and letters (said emails and letters on file at the City Parks office and made a part of these minutes) both in support and in opposition to the shoreland plantings. Justin Mitchell, 652 Monroe Street, Chair of the Menominee Park Shoreland Committee, gave an overview presentation of the current draft of the Menominee Park Shoreland Management Expansion Plan for 2014-2019 (said 5-year plan on file at the City Parks office and made a part of these minutes). The 5-year plan consolidates the background history information, provides formal commitment of the committee for the management of the area and emphasis throughout the process that there is transparency of the goals and objectives and the planned details exactly as to what the goals and objectives are. The plantings (cup plants) that grew in excess of the 5 ft., are on their radar to be removed during their maintenance days. Mr. Miller inquired as to how many members are on the Menominee Park Shoreland Committee. Mr. Mitchell responded that there are ten (10) original steering committee members and noted that approximately 110 people attended the Neighborhood Night Out. Mr. Miller inquired as to the criteria for considering this project a “success”. Mr. Mitchell responded that a healthy shoreland restoration contains a density of diverse plants (native is preferred), and a plant mix of deep root plants is desired to allow water infiltration and catch run-off; the goal size is a 35 ft., setback per DNR guidelines to fully capture the runoff. Cheryl Root, 610 W Capital Drive, Appleton, (a member of The Wild Ones) supports the efforts of the committee and applauds them for the amount of work, research and planning they have undertaken. Jan Beck, 1332 Menominee Drive, referred to a recent survey of the City to neighbors of Menominee Park. One question posed was “what is the most liked park feature?” with the participants’ response being “trails”- 50%. A second question was “what is the most used park feature?” with the participant’s response being “trails” – 60%. The trail along the water is highly used on a daily basis as people want to be as close to the water as possible. She is opposed to the restoration project as she does not feel it is attractive and does not like it along the trail and shoreline. Chris Stuedemann, 1906 Menominee Drive, concurred with Ms. Beck’s comments and added that he challenges the comments made by Mr. Mitchell that the project does not restrict the neighbors’ view of the lake as he is no longer able to view the water from his residence since the project was undertaken. He noted that he is deeply concerned about the commitment to maintenance. He is opposed to the project and urged the Board to vote against further expansion. Laurie Dowdy, 543 Hazel Street, stated she is in favor of the project and expansion. Ann Ruby, 1314 E. Custer Avenue, on behalf of herself, her family, and as a member of First Congregational Church who have financially supported the project and stated they are in favor of the project and expansion. Robert Stelzer, 1122 Merritt Avenue, stated he is a Professor of Biology at UW-O and noted that there are hundreds of scientific studies that support the role of native plant communities. He is in support of the restoration efforts by the Shoreland Restoration Committee. Michelle Bogden-Metzel, 719 W 6 Avenue, stated she has been a volunteer with the group since the initial th plantings and throughout the current maintenance efforts. She stated she has heard mostly positive comments with respect to the native plantings and encouraged the Board to approve the expansion request. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE THREE OCTOBER 13, 2014 Joseph Malecki, 1308 Menominee Drive, stated he is against any future expansion of the native plantings. He feels this project is more of a “private garden” then a natural area since a private group is planting and maintaining it rather than letting it grow naturally. What is there now is a great teaching/education area, but he does not wish to see it expanded. Pam Albert, 1319 Lawndale Avenue, stated opposition to the expansion proposal. Dave Misterek, 5114 David Dr., stated he is a member of the Wild Ones, the Audubon Society and Bird Fest, and is in support of the proposed Menominee Park shoreland restoration expansion project. Paul VanAuken, 1125 Merritt Avenue, as a private citizen and as a member of the Menominee South Neighborhood Association, stated he is in support of the expansion project. Dennis Lewandowski, 1358 Menominee Drive, stated opposition to the expansion and reminded the Board that the present plantings were only supposed to grow as high as 2-3 ft. Cynthia Thorpe, 1107 Merritt Avenue, representing the League of Women Voters, stated they are in support of the current project as well as the proposed expansion. Helen Herlache, 1029 Hazel Street, stated opposition to the expansion project. Janet Wissink, 7035 Mountain Road, Pickett, stated she was present on behalf of the Winnebago Audubon Society and Bird Fest; both organizations are in support of the current project and the 5-year expansion program. Karen Gibbs, 474 Windingbrook Drive, stated she is in support of the expansion project. Andrew Sabai, 333 Saratoga Avenue, stated he is a lake and wetland biologist. He stated he is in support of the shoreland restoration project and would like to see it expanded into other areas within the park. Evelyn Meuret, 1231 Grand Street, Director of the Winnebago Audubon Society, stated she is in support of the expansion project. Dennis Kavanaugh, 1107 Merritt Avenue, stated he feels the shoreland restoration project is a good first step and is in favor of the efforts of the committee. Diane Malecki, 1308 Menominee Drive, stated she thinks the test spot for the native plantings is a poor location to start a pilot program. If a person is not “into” natural plantings, then this area is ugly to them. She thinks a better location would be Monkey Island. Mary Stille, 1900 Menominee Drive, stated she is not in favor of the pilot program or the proposed expansion. She would prefer to have the pilot area restored to its former condition of a grassy area. Mr. Miller inquired of Mr. Mitchell if he thought the burning or mowing of the project area could be a good idea every couple of years to be able to keep the growth to no taller than 2 ft. Mr. Mitchell stated he did not think that a burn would be park friendly although it would get rid of the woody growth. His volunteer group was planning on a seed gathering/harvesting day before the Parks Department crew would be doing a mowing of the area. Mr. Miller inquired as to what is a reasonable height that the group would be proposing for the expansion area. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE FOUR OCTOBER 13, 2014 Mr. Mitchell stated that most people that have prairie plantings in their yards have a cone flower plant which is a desirable plant that goes about 3 ft. He suggested a 3-3½ ft. height would be desirous. Getting growth down to 2 ft is difficult. Mr. Michelson stated when the prairie planting area was discussed as part of the Menominee Park Master Plan, height was a major concern. If plantings were higher than discussed (more than 2 ft), the prairie planting areas most likely would not have been contained in the master plan. He inquired of Mr. Mitchell why were seeds that grow to be 1 to 5 ft. even purchased. Mr. Mitchell stated that the City Forester purchased the seeds from Traxlers in Omro. He stated he was not aware of the 2 ft. height restriction. Mr. Sturm stated when purchasing native prairie plant seeds, it is not a 100% certified mixture. There will be a mixture percentage of other seed material that can’t be sorted out; there is always that potential that you are introducing other seed material. With a little more maintenance, those plants could be maintained at a lower height level. This is not a maintenance-free operation; some concessions need to be made as to what plants need to be removed so as to not compete against the others. Mr. Gogolewski stated he drove by the site today and he believes that 90% of the plantings are higher than the approved 2 ft., (according to the April 25, 2014 Park Board minutes). Mr. Sturm stated he believes he stated that the plantings would grow to 2 – 3 ft. in height. He stated that competition with other plants is a factor to be considered as well with respect to height. Mr. Sturm stated that maintenance is a key for any plantings. Chairman Wohler stated he did not think that the plantings would grow as tall as they have and stressed that the tall plantings need to be removed/displaced. He stated that he could not support expansion of the prairie plantings at this time since the Shoreland Restoration group has not shown that they are maintaining the existing plants to the approved height at the present location. Discussion ensued with respect to the original pilot project and the growing season. With exception to the height of the plantings, the project itself appears to be a success. Discussion included various methods of “starting over” with plantings (a controlled burn and/or mowing the area) that will not grow more than 2-3 ft. Mr. Mitchell stated that it is hard to maintain plantings at 2 ft., since most plants’ stems grow to 2 ft., with the flower being an additional foot or so; it is more accurate to state that the plantings could be maintained at a height level of 2 – 3 ft. Ms. Rule stated that in keeping with the multiple use status of the park, she has no objection to the present pilot program and/or the expansion of the project as long as maintenance is done as promised by the Shoreline Restoration group thereby keeping the plantings at a level of 2-3 ft., and that future plantings will not occur in front of neighboring residences. Ms. Schuessler stated she likes the project, but the height is an issue. It needs to be proven that maintenance will be followed through in the pilot area before any expansion areas would be approved. Mr. Girens stated he would not approve anything (plantings) that would go over 2 ft. in height, with the exception of the immediate area by the pump house. Mr. Wilson stated he was on the Board when the initial approval took place and he remembers supporting the request because he was told the plantings would not go beyond the 2 ft., in height. He inquired if a compromise could be made by moving the entire planting site to the area by the pump house. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE FIVE OCTOBER 13, 2014 Mr. Fitzgerald stated he feels that the Shoreland Restoration Committee appears to be responsive to the complaints/concerns of the Board and others and will work on resolving those complaints/concerns to the best of their ability. At this point, he stated he is in support of the expansion request. Mr. Michelson stated that he feels the pilot project was successful except for the height issue. He stated he would be in favor of an expansion area in front of the pump house only as long as the plantings did not go any wider than the pump house itself and that there be room left available for cross-country skiing and fishing purposes. He would like to see the present site cut down and maintained to 2 ft., in height. Mr. Gogolewski stated he is not in support of the 5-year expansion plan at this time since he does not feel the Shoreland Restoration Committee is maintaining the pilot project area as promised. Mr. Miller stated the sustainability issues are here to stay and it would have been a lot easier to vote for the 5- year plan if the committee had worked closer with staff on maintaining the growth/height of the plantings. There are some maintenance issues that need to be addressed before any approval of expansion can be made. It is an incredible educational tool but a better area for the site would be by the pump house. While he cannot support the proposed whole 5-year expansion request, he would support maintaining the existing area at a height of 2-3 ft., and a smaller expansion by the pump house as long as plantings did not grow any wider than the pump house. Mr. Maurer stated this is a project that still needs work and it is hoped that the Board will extend the time to allow staff to work with the Shoreland Restoration Committee to enable the project to be successful. It is recommended that staff mow the area down this year after the seed harvesting takes place. He does not think it is feasible to remove the entire project to another location, but the group would be able to remove the higher plants and move them to pump station area. He is in favor of the project but it is not ready to be expanded at this time. Mr. Sturm concurred with Mr. Maurer’s comments. He has been and will continue to be the staff liaison person working with the Committee. Initially when he had talked with the seed consultant, he inquired as to seeds that would not go beyond the 2-3 ft., in height. But, because of this year’s incredible growing season, things expanded rapidly. Mr. Sturm feels very comfortable with a higher level of maintenance that the Committee has promised to follow through in the future as the group understands all of the concerns presented to them by the Board and the public. This project can be managed at a level to everyone’s satisfaction and be successful, as it was initially developed as an educational tool. Motion by Girens to approve the Menominee Park Shoreland Restoration Project. Seconded by Fitzgerald. Motion denied 2 - 7 (AYES: Fitzgerald, Rule; NAYS: Girens, Gogolewski, Michelson, Miller, Schuessler, Wilson, Wohler). Roger Gasser, 1920 Menominee Drive, stated he did not like the tall plants in the pilot area as they grew to over 7 ft. tall. He offered the Committee some free plantings as well as thousands of milkweed plants that they could use for attracting butterflies. Joseph Malecki, 1308 Menominee Drive, suggested that as part of the resolution it should be noted that the current plot be maintained at no more than 3 ft in height and at the end of the third year if the Committee proved to be able to keep the site maintained at 3 ft., then they could expand their endeavors to other areas within the park. Janet Wissink, 7035 Mountain Road, Pickett, stated even though she was unhappy with the Board’s decision to disapprove the 5-year management plan, she was happy that they are willing to work with the Shoreland Restoration Committee in the future. Being able to remove the taller plants to behind the pump station and maintaining the current plot under 3 feet gives the Committee a chance to prove themselves to the Board and the public. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE SIX OCTOBER 13, 2014 Laurie Dowdy, 543 Hazel Street, stated she would love to see the resolution as proposed go forward to allow the organization a chance to prove themselves. Motion by Miller for staff to work with the Shoreland Restoration Committee for a three (3) year trial period to monitor and maintain the grown of the existing pilot project with respect to mowing and removal of the taller plants from the existing project area and transplant them behind the Melvin Avenue pump house location along the shoreline as long as the plantings did not go any wider than the pump house itself and that there be room left available for cross-country skiing and fishing purposes. Seconded by Fitzgerald. Motion carried 9-0. CITIZEN STATEMENTS (Items not listed on the Agenda) Justin Mitchell, 652 Monroe Street, on behalf of Menominee South Neighborhood Association, stated that the Association held their first tennis tournament in October. They had ten (10) players and had various court sponsorships as well as volunteers who helped organize and work the event. The group raised $275 which they committed to donate to the City of Oshkosh Parks Department for maintenance/repair of the tennis courts nets. He then presented a check to the Parks Director for $275 for such maintenance/repair of the tennis courts nets. 2)Discuss Menominee Park Zoo Master Plan Mr. Maurer reiterated the background of the proposal from his Memorandum to the Board dated October 6, 2014 (said Memorandum on file at the City Parks Department and made a part of these minutes). Gregg Baum, Representative of FEH Associates, Inc., Delafield, Wisconsin. He stated that they are 2/3 of the way through the master plan process. Since the last Board meeting, they have met with the Zoo Advisory Board, some focus group meetings, and the Advisory Task Force to come up with the best recommendations and ideas for the zoo master plan. Fourteen community based goals were developed/established to improve the quality of the zoo experience from all the input they have gathered through these meetings. The group also wanted to look for ways to engage the water/lagoon as an opportunity rather than to just navigate around it. The current otter, elk and wolf exhibits would remain in their current locations; black bear and bob cat exhibits could be added as well as small native animal areas (raccoon, skunk, eagle), domestic farm structures (badger, porcupine, red fox) and possibly a cougar or mountain lion exhibit. An area for a small reptile exhibit was also suggested (spider, snakes, etc). From the educational center perspective, there are plans for environmental class rooms and meetings spaces by the front entrance. It was discussed about placing an aquarium (1,000 gallon tank) which would include native aquatic species. This new master plan is within the $10-$11 million dollar price range and would need to be done in phases. Discussion ensued relative to the area where the Veteran’s globe monument is located. Mr. Baum stated that the Museum might be interested in moving that monument to their grounds. Right now the globe monument is located in an area where it is not appreciated and it would be nice to relocate the globe monument and be able to absorb that space as part of the animal service area in the zoo. Mr. Maurer stated he would do some research on the history of the globe monument and report back to the Board. Mr. Baum did a brief overview of the different phases and how the whole plan would be implemented. Ms. McCollian stated she would prefer to see the educational center components being the first phase as that would help raise monies for the other phases in that the area also could be rented out for field trips, programming, birthday parties, etc. Discussion ensued as to the size of the proposed aquarium that was desired. Mr. Miller suggested that Mr. Baum present the Board with three (3) different size aquariums with their pricings. Discussion ensued relative to additional parking and it was suggested that parking be added to the area by the tennis courts similar to what is across that area at present. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE SEVEN OCTOBER 13, 2014 Mr. Baum stated he will pull together the revisions per tonight’s discussion as well as cost figures and have a revised master plan (in Phases) ready for Board approval in the very near future. 3)Discuss/recommend 2015 Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course fees Mr. Maurer reiterated the background of the proposal from his Memorandum to the Board dated October 6, 2014 (said Memorandum on file at the City Parks Department and made a part of these minutes). Mr. Gardiner gave a brief overview of the proposed fee increase request. He stated they are trying to stay in line with the other golf courses in the area and these fees would place them in the middle with the other courses. Mr. Fitzgerald inquired as to what the additional revenue would total. Mr. Gardiner stated the fee increase would bring in approximately $4,000-$5,000 in revenues. Motion by Miller to recommend approval of the 2015 Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course fees as presented. Seconded by Girens. Motion carried 9-0. PARK DIRECTOR’S REPORT Mr. Maurer stated he had no report at this time. PARKS OPERATIONS MANAGER’S REPORT Mr. Dallman gave a brief project update, noting that improvements at Stevens Park, Techmiller Park and Bauman Park are completed. Crews are currently working on the approaches around diamond #1 at Menominee Park. With respect to the Zoo, we now have four (4) new wolves (2 males/2 females – all siblings around 11 years old). The zookeeper is keeping the zoo open during the fall season from 9 AM until 2 PM. With navigation season ending on October 5, staff is done with managing the boat launches and will be doing an th inventory of what needs to be done (repair wise) for each launch. Mr. Dallman stated he is the staff liaison for the County Deer Advisory Council and encouraged anyone that has concerns or questions about the City’s Urban Wildlife to feel free to contact him. LANDSCAPE OPERATIONS MANAGER’S REPORT Mr. Sturm stated that the forestry crews are working on stump removal and planting Memorial Trees as well as cleaning up the round-a-bouts and flower beds and general fall clean-up work. He is also working with the Community Development Department with respect to neighborhood tree planting program. REVENUE FACILITY MANAGER’S REPORT Ms. McCollian stated that she is finishing up the end of season work for the amusement center and concession stands. The Zoo remains open for a while longer this year as a lot of people are coming down to view the new wolves. This coming weekend is Zooloween Boo which is a 2-day event at Menominee Park. On Saturday, there will be 48 booths participating and about one-half of that on Sunday. She stated that this year she received a lot of new involvement from businesses either by way of sponsorships or participation for Zooloween Boo. LAKESHORE MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE MANAGER’S REPORT Mr. Dobish reported that he is finishing up projects on the range tee and irrigation work. The #1 bunker has been removed and will be seeded soon. Crews are working on mulching and removal. He is hoping to get the HVAC upgrade approval this week. The Big Cup event was a huge success – they had 37 2-man teams involved. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE EIGHT OCTOBER 13, 2014 OTHER BUSINESS There being no other business, ADJOURNMENT Motion by Girens for adjournment; seconded by Gogolewski. Motion carried 9-0. The meeting adjourned at 9:27 P.M. Respectfully submitted, Trish Marks Trish Marks, Recording Secretary