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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJune 12, 2017 Minutes ADVISORY PARK BOARD JUNE 12, 2017 Present: Amy Davis, Tony Dirth, Bill Gogolewski, Steve Herman, Todd Kaufmann, Carrie Rule, Megan Schuessler, Terry Wohler Absent: Bill Miller Other: Steven Gohde, City Engineer; Jaime Constantine, re:TH!NK Youth Coalition, 1141 W 6 th Ave, Oshkosh Wisconsin; Norm Bock, 1388 Babitz Ave, Oshkosh, Wisconsin; Rick Bowhousen, Oshkosh YMCA Program Director, 2007 Mitchell, Oshkosh, Wisconsin; Jim Michelson, Former Board Member; Mary Jo Anderson, 1412 N Eagle Street, Oshkosh, Wisconsin; Steven Gehling, 484 Sunnybrook Dr, Oshkosh, Wisconsin Staff: Ray Maurer, Parks Director; Chad Dallman, Assistant Parks Director; Bill Sturm, Landscape Operations Manager/Forester; Jenny McCollian, Revenue Facilities Manager; Scot Stiemsma, Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course Grounds and Equipment Supervisor; Stacy James, Recording Secretary CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL Chairman Wohler called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. A quorum was determined to be present. INTRODUCTIONS Mr. Maurer introduced the newest board member, Todd Kaufmann, who was appointed to fill the vacant seat left by Jim Michelson. Mr. Kaufmann states that he is a Risk Manager for Miron Construction and has an interest in the parks system and because of that he wanted to be involved with the Advisory Park Board. Mr. Maurer also introduced Scot Stiemsma, the new Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course Grounds and Stiemsma explained that he has worked at different golf courses for over a decade now and was most APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Rule for approval of the April 10, 2017 minutes, as distributed. Seconded by Schuessler. Motion carried 8-0. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE TWO JUNE 12, 2017 CITIZEN STATEMENTS & PARK BUSINESS Ms. Jamie Constantine of the re:TH!NK Youth Coalition of Winnebago County stated that her group is a youth created movement that has been working the past 5+ years on an anti-smoking campaign. She wanted to advise the board and community that their group will be meeting on Thursday, June 15, 2017 at Menominee Park from 5pm to 6pm to clean up the Little Oshkosh playground and pick up cigarette butts. She invited the Board to join them. Mr. Norm Bock spoke about the need to replace the tennis courts at Menominee Park. He had heard that nual budget and wanted to encourage the Board to move up the timeline due to the need for replacement and amount of usage at the tennis courts. Mr. Maurer stated that the Board would be discussing the Capital Improvement Program tonight and that due to the number of requests he is recommending that the tennis courts be replaced in 2019. He also stated however that there is a lot of competition for funding throughout the City and they continue to take input from citizens for different needs. Mr. Bock stated that he is aware of the fact that the lighting has previously been included in the budgetary need and he suggested possibly delaying the lighting update and focusing on requesting funds for replacement of the tennis courts only. Mr. Rick Bowhousen stated that the YMCA currently has 26 kids in their program that use the tennis courts at Menominee Park. He states that the condition of the courts is so bad that they are borderline unplayable. He states that it is a great location at the park to be able to play. Their program also uses the tennis courts at Westhaven and South Park, but Menominee Park courts by far need to be replaced the most. Having these parks available is important for their tennis programs, which are increasing in popularity. He thinks that Menominee Park is a great location to structure their program around and he 1) RECOGNIZE JIM MICHELSON FOR SERVICE ON ADVISORY PARK BOARD Mr. Maurer reviewed with the Board that Mr. Michelson was a member for 22 years and 3 months. He wanted to recognize his years of service and state that he was a great advocate for the Park Advisory Board as well as the Pedestrian and Bicycling Advisory Committee, which he will continue to chair. He wanted to extend gratitude to Mr. Michelson on behalf of the City and the Parks Department. Mr. Michelson stated that he has enjoyed being on the Board. He feels that they have done a great job of keeping the parks in good shape throughout the City. He feels that the City forefathers did an amazing job in the city of acquiring land for the parks and he would like to see the Board live up to that reputation and focus on acquiring more park land for the City. He thanked the Board for the opportunity to serve. 2) DISCUSS MARY JEWELL RESTROOM/SHELTER DESIGN Mr. Maurer reviewed that initial discussions were held on the restroom design at the April meeting. Letters were sent out in the past couple weeks to the neighbors of the park for them to have the opportunity to ask questions or bring any concerns they may have regarding the project to the Board. He then introduced Steve Gohde from City Engineering to explain the need for this structure as well as give a brief background as to what has transpired thus far. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE THREE JUNE 12, 2017 Mr. Gohde explained that in 2012 Sawyer Creek was dredged and that during that design process it was discovered that there is a storm sewer pipe going through the creek. To rectify that, they put a syphon under the creek to push the water under instead of through. He states that it is not a desirable fix and while functioning, it does require a lot of maintenance and needs to be properly replaced sooner rather than later. The proper fix is to install a lift station in the vicinity. There is presently a small lift station on Northland Street, but it is not designed to service that entire neighborhood. He added that there is an additional crossing of the sewer line by Eagle Street that is old and needs replacing. With the need to create the lift station, City Engineering has been working with the Parks Department to combine the needs for the lift station, a restroom in that area, storage and a shelter for Mary Jewell Park. Mr. Maurer stated that at the last meeting they discussed the conceptual design for the building. He reiterated that it will be a multi-purpose building based on the location and will be utilized by the golf course, Mary Jewell Park patrons and in the future by the trail connection that will go through the area. Past Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plans have called for the need to place a restroom in that area. There has been testing done recently in that location which will call for the building to have to either move to the south a little bit or be turned slightly, but no major changes from the prior plan. The Parks Department is planning to have the shelter match the ones presently at Stevens Park, Boatworks and the new Menominee Park building so that there is conformity throughout the parks system. There has recently been discussions of having a metal roof on the shelter which will help in the long term regarding maintenance of the building. He asks that the Board look into to the possibility of doing so. Mr. Herman added that he believes it makes sense to put a metal roof on the building and reduce the need for future maintenance. Chairman Wohler stated that he personally has installed a metal roof on a residence and feels that it looks better than asphalt shingles. Ms. Mary Jo Anderson states that she has lived in this neighborhood for 27 years. She states that for approximately the first 20 years of her living there the area was not heavily utilized but recently it has become like a sports complex. She states that it causes problems with parking and worries that the lift station/shelter will draw even more people to the park after hours. There have been problems previously with people causing a commotion in the park after hours, more so once the port-a-potty was placed in the park, and even though calls are made to the police department, they are not always able to handle the problems. She voiced her opinion that she is opposed to a facility being placed at this location due to the problems. While it may sound like an ideal fix for some current problems, she workies that t could cause more problems than it is worth in that area. Ms. Rule stated that the port-a-potty is accessible 24 hours a day and inquired whether the restrooms would be locked much like they are at other parks. Mr. Maurer confirmed that the restrooms would be set on a timer and only be open during park hours. Ms. Anderson added that there have been multiple problems in the area recently and it is unfortunate that it is even an issue. She feels that the shelter would still cause problems in the area by encouraging people to congregate there at night even if the restrooms are locked and for this reason she is opposed to the shelter. Mr. Wohler thanked her for her time and input. Mr. Steve Gehling states that his mother Mavis Gehling lives in the neighborhood. He is not opposed to the facility in whole since it will service both the golf course and the park needs. He primarily wanted to ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE FOUR JUNE 12, 2017 get some answers regarding the operation of the building such as hours of operation, maintenance schedule and security/safety concerns. Mr. Maurer stated that the hours of operation would be similar to other park shelters: approximately 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. There will be electronic strikes on the restroom doors to lock outside of park hours. There will also be low level lighting in the shelter so as to not have excessive light pollution in the neighborhood. The location of the building is such that the police department will have a visual of the shelter when driving through the area so as to increase safety and security. As for maintenance, it will be maintained daily during the season similar to the other shelters throughout the parks system. The purpose of the shelter is primarily for weather protection for park and golf course patrons. The shelter will not be rented out and the restrooms will only be open seasonally. Mr. Gehling inquired if there could be any kind of security system installed with the new structure and what will be done regarding waste in the area. Mr. Maurer replied that there will be functional security cameras installed so as to deter after hours use and any vandalism. There will also be waste receptacles in the restrooms, but similar to other park shelters there will not be receptacles outside. He referred to the park policy of park patrons taking out what they bring with them regarding waste. Mr. Wohler thanked Mr. Gehling for taking time to come to the meeting. Mr. Herman inquired whether there would be picnic tables in the shelter area. Mr. Maurer responded that the current plan is to have two picnic tables at that location. Mr. Herman added that it might address some s. Mr. Maurer replied that have security cameras will help a lot with deterring that problem. Since they have installed security cameras at the Boatworks property they have not had those kinds of issues. He stated that there has also been talk of installing kiosks at the shelter which will outline park Rules and Regulations which may also help. Mr. Gogolewski voiced concern that the picnic tables would draw people in and keep them there outside of park hours. He suggested it may be better to not have the pi purpose is as a lift station. He is not against the building itself or the restrooms, just the addition of the picnic benches. Mr. Maurer commented that this is still going to be considered a neighborhood park and would like to obtain input from all Board members regarding the issue. Mr. Dirth commented that he feels the tables are a good idea in general. He believes there are more positive reasons in allowing people to use the tables because it will draw folks in to utilize the park during operating hours. He feels that it outweighs the negatives. Mr. Ghode then explained to the Board and neighbors present more detail regarding the location of the building in connection with the surrounding facilities. He added that the intention is to move the building slightly south compared to where it was originally planned due to soil conditions but they are limited on how far they can move it and will not know specifics regarding its final location until further testing is completed. Mr. Herman commented that he had seen that they were testing at the location today. Mr. Gehling stated that after looking at the outline he feels that the current location is good but it would be better to move south or southwest slightly. Mr. Gogolewski again commented that he thought moving 20- 30 feet would be ideal. Chairman Wohler stated that the ultimate location of the building will be bout that at this patrons to have a place to sit down. Chairman Wohler inquired when the final location would be determined to which Mr. Gohde replied that they should have a better idea of the location within the next month. The Board agreed that moving forward with a metal roof would be ideal for the building. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE FIVE JUNE 12, 2017 3) DISCUSS COMPREHENSIVE OUTDOOR RECREATION PLAN (CORP) Mr. Maurer reviewed that he had brought the initial Goals and Objectives printout to the Board in April and went over changes and additions that have been made as a result of their recommendations. He also reviewed some updates that had been made. Most of the changes will help to reduce overall maintenance needs, continue to facilitate the relationship between the public and the Parks Department and continue their effort of continuity throughout the parks system. He also noted that there were budgeting revisions made regarding compliance with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and energy needs. Since there has been and continues to be a lot of work between the Parks Department and neighborhood associations, Mr. Maurer stated that he would like to report back to the Board more often about that partnership and the effects of their work together. Another document that Mr. Maurer reviewed with the Board was the Proposals document that has been put together by Rettler Corporation. He said that reviewing this document gives the Board a good idea of what work has been accomplished since the last CORP document was put together as well as what priorities have changed in the past five years. He stated that due to the high maintenance of having wood mulch in the parks, they are looking at slowly replacing it throughout the park system with poured in place rubber surfacing material. There are also notations about replacing the signage throughout the park system. Presently the signs are wooden and would be replaced with signage requiring less maintenance. He recommended that the board review the entire document and the different priorities highlighted throughout and give feedback. Mr. Maurer also noted that many of the higher priority referrals were transferred over to the Capital Improvement Program listing. Mr. Gogolewski inquired about the Congress Avenue Tot Lot being worked on due to drainage issues. Mr. Maurer confirmed that this was on his listing for replacement in 2019 in the CIP document but they are looking at temporary fixes as well. Mr. Maurer stressed that he feels this is a good document for the Board to review to see progress that has been made in the last five years. He also stressed that the neighborhood associations have been helpful with getting projects completed and funded. He then explained that the CIP items are pulled from proposals from the CORP document as well as Master Plans for the different parks. He asked that the Board bring back any thoughts and ideas to future meetings as the document is finalized. One item that he wanted to point out to the Board was the installation of electronic pay stations being installed at the boat launches in the city. He had spoken with the Parks Department in Monona, Wisconsin who recently installed the pay stations and was impressed to hear that the pay stations helped to increase revenue for that City by $10,000 in a year. He feels that while costly to install, they would pay off in a short period of time. The installation would also help to remove some of the human error and other problems that are encountered right now. He notes that this item is not in the CIP as it will be paid from the revenues received from the boat launch fund. Mr. Wohler suggested that it would make sense to install the pay stations in stages to see how they work before installing them in the higher use launches. Mr. Gogolewski agreed with his suggestion. Mr. Maurer agreed that that is the current plan. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE SIX JUNE 12, 2017 4) DISCUSS CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (CIP) 2018-2022 Mr. Maurer explained that his department would be meeting with the Finance Department and the City Manager the next day to discuss the five year CIP. The Board was provided with the recommendations for the next five years, but he asked that the focus be on the next two years at this point. He then briefly reviewed the items for the next two years. One of the items that had already been brought up by the citizens was the tennis courts. In the past the replacement of the tennis courts has been pushed off, but due to their high use it is being recommended that the project be brought to the forefront. One way to help save money on the project would be to focus on replacing the courts at this time and pushing off the replacement of the lights to more energy efficient lighting. Mr. Herman inquired as to whether or not the Menominee Park Neighborhood Association could help to raise money for the funds necessary. Mr. Maurer stated that they had not applied for the necessary grants at this time but they could possible apply next year. Mr. Herman also suggested that the organizations utilizing the courts (YMCA, Recreation Department and Oshkosh Area School District) be asked to chip in for the cost associated with replacement. Any assistance would be better than none. Mr. Maurer replied that the request could be made. He added that there are groups of tennis and Pickleball players that have also offered to help out. Discussion was then held regarding user fees for the tennis courts. Mr. Gogolewski stated that there are user fees for the other recreation areas in the park system. Chairman Wohler pointed out that the tennis court lights will cost more than the ball diamonds where there is a user fee applied, however there is no user fee for the tennis courts. Ms. Schuessler commented that the Board might want to review that policy. Mr. Maurer then continued to review the need for some of the other items on the list and explained that the cost numbers may be lessened for some items if grant money is received from the Department of Natural Resources. One of those projects is the Fugleberg Boat Launch, which needs improvement to allow for use by larger boats. These items may receive funding from some of the fishing groups also. Boat Launch funds will also be utilized as dictated by the Finance Director and City Manager. Mr. Maurer then further explained some of the requests for 2019. He again stated that he wanted the Board to focus on 2018/2019 at this point. He explained that the City borrows approximately $11.4 million every year and of that approximately $4 million is allocated to Streets. The remainder is prioritized throughout the City and these forms are the way that individual department request their portion of the funding. City Council then votes on the different items and it has been stated in the past that they would like the Mrs. Schuessler inquired about Abbey Park being updated in 2021 and whether it would include adding lighting to the park. Mr. Maurer confirmed that this would be happening. Mr. Dallman added that there are a lot of trees in the playground area that will be managed and that will open up the canopy for the park as well. Mr. Herman suggested that the South Park item in the year 2018 be moved up to the number three position so as to complete the work at that park. He expressed concern with it not making the cut if it is placed on the list at number 6. Mr. Schuessler agreed that we should take the approach of start a park / finish a park. Mr. Dirth inquired whether the funding amount for the Menomonee Park Trails would be sufficient. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE SEVEN JUNE 12, 2017 Mr. Maurer explained that $50,000 seems to be the average of what is spent every year in trail improvements. Mr. Herman inquired whether the department would be able to ask the Bike and Pedestrian Committee to provide some funding for the trails. Mr. Maurer confirmed that they had been asked to assist in the past and could ask again. Motion by Dirth to recommend Capital Improvement Request Summary for 2018 and 2019 as amended. Seconded by Gogolewski. Motion carried 8-0. Directory for their use. He also handed out the Wetland Delineation Map that had recently been completed for the Lakeshore Municipal Golf Course. This testing was completed because of the various inquiries and rumors of developing the land, however no formal requests have been made to the City at this point to develop the property. He noted that Mary Jewell Park is included in the map as well. City Council just received this information last week as did the Parks Department. He wanted to inform the Park Board of the outcome of the testing as well. It is because of this testing that it was determined that the Mary Jewell building may need to be moved. Mr. Maurer also updated that his department is working on the Capital Improvement Program and beginning the budget season. In July and August they will be completing employee evaluations which will make for a busy summer. ASSISTA REPORT Mr. Dallman updated the Board of some recent events happening at the Parks Department. Pollock Community Water Park had just opened the prior weekend and events at the Leach Amphitheater are starting to really kick off for the season. There have been improvements made over at Menominee Park in Menominee Park Zoo. Turf maintenance has been a big concern with the weather as well making sure everything in the parks is cleaned and maintained. It was a challenge this year recruiting seasonal staff which he attributes to the low unemployment rate over all. The department is fully staffed at this time and he is currently working with staff schedules to meet the needs of the department. Overall the department has done a great job of getting everything prepared for the season. Coming up, he will be doing a walk thru on Tuesday for the bids on the Teichmiller restroom project. Path restoration will be completed at Glatz Park and they continue to complete the walkway at the 24 Street th Boat Launch to make it ADA compliant. Playground proposals have gone out and work will move forward at Fugleberg Park and Sea, Sand and Sailorland Playgrounds. He stressed that they continue to busy year so far and he sees that continuing on. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE EIGHT JUNE 12, 2017 Mr. Sturm stated that his department is currently working on the implementation of the DNR grant recently received. They will be planting 150 trees with the assistance of a contractor that was hired through the grant. There have been seminars and programs held with the public to go over the proper tree care. He states that they have also been working on memorial tree installation and the Chief Oshkosh install is nearly complete with the flower beds being installed. The recent lack of rain has been a problem that they are working with. Mr. Sturm advised that after the recent retirement of one of their staff it was decided to look at a reorganization of his divisions. The Cemetery and Forestry Division were combined and will now be considered Landscape Operations. Travis Derks was recently promoted to Lead Landscape Operations Worker. staff at this point and have a good crew of workers. Staff successfully completed work at the Cemetery before the Memorial Day holiday. During the events held at the cemetery, there was an internment of a been giving cemetery tours and they have been well attended and he encourage Park Board member to attend. Ms. McCollian also stated that she has struggled with staffing needs. She is still in the processing of hiring more seasonal staff and is spending a lot more time on that than she would like to at this time of year. There were a couple of rough weekends when the Amusements Center first opened in May because a lot of the seasonal staff were still away at college but things have smoothed out somewhat at this point. Thursday at the Pollock Community Water Park; Snooze at the Zoo takes place this weekend; Tuesday, June 20 is Mascot Day at the Amusements Center and Friday the 23 is the first Family Movie Night. She thrd commended the amazing sponsors that they have this year. Tuesday Night Concert Series starts July 11. This year they are adding food trucks and there will be family friendly entertainment before the concerts. Also returning this year after a two or three year hiatus is Kids from Wisconsin on July 9, which is a phenomenal show for people to attend. Ms. McCollian advised the Board that she has many different posters for their park events and would be glad to share them with the Board for posting at various locations. LAKESHORE MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE Mr. Stiemsma started out by thanking Mr. Maurer and Mr. Dallman for all of their help during his transition. He stated that his last seasonal employee had started today and he feels they have a good group of people working for them this year. The irrigation system is up and running and all of the greens and tees have been prepped for the year. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE NINE JUNE 12, 2017 Mr. Stiemsma reports that rounds are up from this time last year due to getting a great start in April. Due to weather there were some weeknights and weekend rounds that were lost but when the weather cooperates they are seeing golfers come out at a higher pace than in previous years. Revenues are down compared to this time last year in large part to a loss in cart and season pass sales. Due to the rates going up a lot of season passes were purchased last fall for the 2017 season and it is anticipated that the early purchases will be made again this fall to balance out the loss at this point. Cart sales are down in general due to the fact that the course has been too wet to use them. Compared to a four year average the golf course is down just shy of $5,000 but they are anticipating average weather this summer and projecting a good season which will make up for that shortfall very quickly. Mr. Stiemsma reminded the Board that juniors Footgolf is free during the month of June with a paid adult. Oshkosh Youth Soccer has been helping to spread the word about this promotion. Mr. Gardiner will be starting a junior golf program this summer and he is actively promoting lessons, which are picking up now that the weather is cooperating. OTHER BUSINESS Chairman Wohler inquired when dogs were first allowed in the parks on the trails as well as whether or not there have been any problems. Mr. Maurer answered that this started in August or September of 2016 what the rules are for allowing the dogs in the parks. Mr. Herman stated that he has not received any phone calls regarding the issue, which he sees as a good sign. Mr. Dallman reported that there has been more activity on the trails with people being able to walk their dogs in the park. There have still been some problems with dogs at large in the parks, particularly Menominee Park. He wanted to emphasize that while dogs are allowed on park trails, they are still prohibited from being in the Menominee Park Zoo. Mr. Herman wanted to clarify that the rule only applies to dogs being allowed in City Parks, not County Parks which seems to be a common misunderstanding. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Gogolewski for adjournment; seconded by Davis. Motion carried 8-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:44 P.M Respectfully submitted, Stacy L. James Stacy L. James, Recording Secretary