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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAugust 14 Minutes ADVISORY PARK BOARD AUGUST 14, 2017 Present: Amy Davis, Tony Dirth, Bill Gogolewski, Steve Herman, Todd Kaufmann, Megan Schuessler, Terry Wohler Excused: Carrie Rule Absent: Bill Miller Other: Michelle Bogden Muetzel, Chair Friends of Menominee Park Shoreland, 719 W 6 Ave, th Oshkosh, Wisconsin; John Kneer, Rettler Corporation; Rebecca Ramirez, Rettler Corporation; interested citizens Staff: Ray Maurer, Parks Director; Bill Sturm, Landscape Operations Manager/Forester; 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. ELECTION OF OFFICERS Mr. Maurer opened the floor for the nomination of Board Chairman. Motion by Gogolewski to nominate Chairman Wohler to serve for another term. Seconded by І Herman. Unanimous ballot for Wohler to serve as Chairman. Mr. Maurer opened the floor for the nomination of Board Vice Chair. Motion by Gogolewski to nominate Amy Davis to serve as Vice Chair. Seconded by Herman. І Unanimous ballot for Davis to serve as Vice Chair. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Motion by Herman for approval of the June 12, 2017 minutes, as amended. Seconded by Dirth. Motion carried 7-0. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE TWO AUGUST 14, 2017 CITIZEN STATEMENTS & PARK BUSINESS 1) Mr. Maurer informed the Board that this item was placed on the agenda due to concerns from board members as well as citizens regarding the height Bogden Muetzel who is the Chair of the Friends of Menominee Park Shoreland and asked her to give the Board some insight. Ms. Bogden Muetzel gave a presentation on the history of the project and why Oshkosh was looking at the need for shoreline restoration. The need was mentioned in a prior Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, Sustainability Plan, Vision Oshkosh report and Senior Seminar Class. A Shoreline Restoration in Oshkosh Wisconsin report showed that 82% of those surveyed responded positively to the shoreline, 78% liked the variety of plants and 82% of the public believe that the buffer zones are aesthetically pleasing and beneficial to the environment. In connection with Ms. Bogden Muetzel have been shown to dislike taller plants and as such, keeping the plants taller would help keep the geese from coming up onto the shoreline from the Bay thus reducing the amount of waste left on the shoreline as well as on the park paths. However, due to continued concern regarding the height of the plantings, the group has done trimming to maintain the plants as well as added a plot behind the pump house for plantings and to test different species. She reports that is has been difficult for the group to measure the true success of the plants because they need three years of growing to be successful. She is working with the University of Wisconsin to try out new, low grow species to implement into their plan. Some problems that they have run into is with the plants being accidentally mowed by city staff, which she notes they have apologized for, as well as a seed mixture that also included taller plant seeds. The Friends of Menominee Park Shoreland have worked with local groups to continue to improve the site as well as install a bench and viewing area along with new plantings. The group is conducting a growth study to determine the best time for site-wide mowing and trimming to see what works best for the benefit of the plants. They are also planning plantings for the 2018 season at this time. Ms. Bogden Muetzel added that she has seen a lot of public using and enjoying this space, which she finds encouraging. She looks forward to seeing what works going forward for the plants to plan accordingly. She feels that it would inhibit the beauty of the project and ultimate aesthetics to trim the plants after June. A study was done this year to see what trimming schedule works best and meets the needs of all parties that have concerns. Ms. Bogden Muetzel states that the group has tried working with those opposed to the plantings to please all involved and has been met with opposition on all fronts with changes that are made to Menominee Park. She is not The Friends of Menominee Park Shoreline would love to continue conducting studies and helping the City determine the best methods for moving forward. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE THREE AUGUST 14, 2017 Mr. Herman inquired as to whether or not there was a height limit set at the time the original agreement was made. Ms. Bogden Muetzel stated that it was originally agreed to have a height limit of two feet. Mr. Herman asked if the plan was brought back to the Board for approval once they decided to alter that height. Ms. Bogden Muetzel replied that it was not intentionally planned for the heights to be taller than that. What they ordered should have been a low growth seed mixture but some of the plants ended up being taller. Studies are done every year to work on the plan and decide what works best. She feels that the two foot limit is not attainable. Mr. Gogolewski pointed out that the Board originally agreed to the two foot height limit which was later adjusted to three feet to be accommodating. At this point it is up to seven feet plus in areas. Chairman Wohler added that the first two years were an adjustment period and the Board had worked with the group to allow growth of plants up to three feet and that they would be trimmed to that height. Now the group seems to have changed their original plan to have seven foot tall plants and trees as well, which were never discussed. All this was done without prior Board approval. He feels that the group has been misleading about their plans and that they continue to change them without coming to the Board for review and approval. He states that if the plans change they need to come back to the Board and be honest about their intentions with the plantings. Mr. Herman commented that he supported the original plan as it was provided to the Board tremendously, but that plan has not been followed. He feels that had the group gone through the proper protocols, many of their changes and requests may have been not against the idea of shoreline restoration either, however he is against not getting what they were told was the plan initially. Chairman Wohler agreed that had the group not strayed from the original plan, this would not be an issue at this time. Ms. Bogden Muetzel stated that she thought the plans were shared with the Board accordingly and that she stated that speaking for his department, he was not copied on all of the e-mails, for sure not the most recent ones. Communication needs to be improved. Ms. Bogden Muetzel agreed that she needs to update her e- mail list accordingly. Mrs. Schuessler stated that she was under the impression that by this point in the plan the group would be maintaining their plantings, not still studying. She visited the site over the weekend and reported that the ends were unkempt and need to be trimmed as the group agreed to do. Ms. Bogden Muetzel responded that trimming the plants at this point in the season would be detrimental to their growth. Chairman Wohler inquired as to what their plans are for the future then going forward. Ms. Bogden Muetzel responded that what was seen in the pictures she presented with the lower trimming of 3-4 feet is what they intend to maintain in the future. Anything lower than that level would not show the success of the project. Mr. Herman added that what the Board votes on is what determines the success of the project, not what the group decides of their own accord. Chairman Wohler added that he felt the Board has made it clear what they are looking for and what determines the success of this project. Mrs. Schuessler inquired whether or not this is the year to decide if the group should be permitted to expand their project. Ms. Bogden Muetzel again stated that she is not looking to expand the project, just continue it. She came on as Chair of the group in October of 2015. At this time she just wants to continue the project and will work to improve her communication. She states that she is also improving her ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE FOUR AUGUST 14, 2017 knowledge of the plantings to work with any problems they are having with the project. She wants to work with others to continue this project and decide on which species will work best. Chairman Wohler inquired as to how she will manage the current issue of overgrowth and Ms. Bogden Muetzel responded that she will work with Mr. Sturm from the City on how best to proceed. At this time Chairman Wohler opened the floor to discussions from citizens. Mr. Herman thanked Ms. Bogden Muetzel for her presentation. Mr. Dave Misterek, 5114 Dadid Dr, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, stated that he is a former Park Board member, a current member of the Winnebago Audubon Society, Oshkosh Wild Ones As a former Board member, he is aware of the difficulty in planning improvements and dealing with road blocks. He wanted to congratulate everyone on the time they have spent working on the program and he share his appreciation for the work that has been completed. His recommendation is that the Board not give up on this program. He encouraged them to continue to work with the group on the problems and come to a resolution together. Mr. Misterek agrees that the rules that were set need to be met and hopes that the groups can continue to work together to do so. Ms. Barb Benish, 1705 Graber St, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, advised the group that she is a neighbor that walks by the area regularly and loves to see the plantings. She thinks it is a beautiful addition to the park and very helpful to the environment. She strongly encourages the Board to work with the group to continue the project and help with butterfly and bee populations in the area. Ms. Pat Hallquist, 2030 Hazel St, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, presented herself as a representative for the Winnebago County League of Woman Voters. Their group enthusiastically supports the Friends of Menominee Park Shoreland group and their plans for this project. They feel it is helpful to the shoreline and environmental needs. Their group asks that the Board continue to support the project. Ms. Janet Wissink, 7035 Mountain Road, Pickett, Wisconsin, states that she is from Pickett but spends a lot of time in Oshkosh. She is a member of the Winnebago Audubon Society and heads up Bird Fest every year. She wanted to mirror the comments of the others that have spoken before her and state that she whole-heartedly supports this project. She agrees that the group needs to work on communication and believes that this will be done as they are now promising. Mr. Robert Turner, 475 Marion Rd, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, is an avid bike enthusiast and he likes seeing the flowers along the bath. He understands the issues as they are and would hope that there could be a compromise met between the Board and the Shoreland group. He is hoping that the plantings can be cut down to the appropriate height at this time and that next year the group will maintain the trimmings to please all parties. Ms. Melanie Leet, 319 Dale Avenue, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, states that she works with the Shoreline group. She is in agreement with the others that have spoken positively about the project and would like to encourage them to work on better communication. t the plantings, he just wants them cut down to the correct height as previously promised. At this point they are higher than they have ever been and he is asking the group to keep the plantings at the three foot level as ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE FIVE AUGUST 14, 2017 they had stated they would. He feels as though the Board has been lied to in that the group did not follow the original guidelines and changed them as they saw fit without going through the proper channels for approval. Mr. Gogolewski added that the height of the plants is the issue. Ms. Bogden Muetzel accepted responsibility for her misunderstanding regarding communication. She informed the Board that she thought having Mr. Sturm on the e-mails with updates was sufficient. She will include the Board members in future e-mails and improve her communication. She will work with the City Forester to decide what is best moving forward. 2) REVIEW COMPREHENSIVE OUTDOOR RECREATION PLAN (CORP) Mr. Maurer introduced John Kneer and Rebecca Ramirez from Rettler Corporation. He advised the Board that Rettler had met with Parks Department maintenance staff as well as management staff that afternoon to get feedback on the current CORP Recommendation items. These are the same recommendations that were sent to the Board for their review. He would like to have Rettler staff go through the specific proposals and the group can get answers to any questions they may have as well as make any additional recommendations for changes to the document. Mr. Kneer updated the group with regards to the progress that has been made on the CORP document thus far and advised as to what the next steps are. They are closing in on completing the last few documents and he believes that the document will be completed in late October or early November at this time. The General Recommendations section of the document has been reviewed and the completed version will be given to the Board in the future. Tonight they wanted to focus on the Specific Proposals to review the work that needs to be done and receive the Boards thoughts on changes and priority levels. He -5 years, any item with a n 6- completion in 10+ years. Mr. Kneer then reviewed the individual park proposals one by one and encouraged the Board to jump in whenever they had comments. Mr. Dirth inquired about drainage problems with the Congress Avenue Tot Lot. Mr. Kneer stated that wherever there is playground equipment replacement in the document that any drainage issues will also be addressed at that time. Mr. Kneer stated that with regards to shoreline planning, any park with shoreline will be reviewed individually to decide if rip rap shoreline or shoreline plantings would be the best option for the individual park. Mr. Gogolewski inquired as to whether a pier is the best option for Abe Rochlin Park and suggested having a shoreline pier or small river walk as an alternative. Chairman Wohler added that it is difficult to obtain a permit to install a pier along the river. Mr. Maurer added that the permit difficulty is why this item is listed r stated that there is concern about contaminated soils which will limit the project as well. Mr. Gogolewski also inquired about a volleyball court being a good idea at that park to which Mr. Maurer stated there currently is a court there, but it is not maintained. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE SIX AUGUST 14, 2017 Mr. Maurer advised the Board that funding had been approved by Common Council for improvements made at Teichmiller Park. The neighborhood group for that park has also requested and received funding for the baseball field improvements. Chairman Wohler inquired about the need for a splash pad at Westhaven Circle Park. Mr. Maurer commented that based on citizen input, it has been requested that a splash pad be placed on the west side Mr. Herman questioned the notation about Red Arrow Park limitations research. He suggested that a study be done before any of the bigger items on the list are addressed. Mr. Kneer added that the current focus is on the high priority items and that the other items would not be addressed until the study is completed. Mr. Gogolewski inquired about funding coming from the boat launch funds for the electronic pay stations being placed at Fugleberg, 24 Ave and Steiger Boat Launch. Mr. Maurer explained that they are in the th proposed budget at this point and it is anticipated that there will be a DNR grant which will be utilized and help pay for 45% of the funds. Mr. Maurer also advised the Board that with regard to the Riverwalk renovation at Riverside Park, this is to fix a trip hazard behind the Leach Amphitheater. A DNR grant has been applied for to help pay for half of this renovation as well. an endowment fund for renovating/refurbishing statues. Mr. Sturm works with the library to secure these funds. Mr. Herman inquired if there is somewhere in the document that gives a physical address for all of the different park amenities. Mr. Kneer explained that this would be found in the Inventory and Analysis section of the CORP document. Mr. Maurer wrapped up the conversation by stating that the Citizens Survey was completed on Monday and would be sent out tomorrow with a press release for completion. The survey will be on the City of Oshkosh website, social media and sent to Park Board members. The intention is that the September 11, 2017 Park Board meeting will be a public input meeting. 3) UPDATE ON MARY JEWELL RESTROOM/SHELTER PROJECT Mr. Maurer provided an update on the project state that AECOM had met with City staff and the DNR regarding the wetland delineation. They believe they will be able to apply for a Chapter 30 permit for the building without any issues. That should be approved in advance of the September Board meeting and the footprint for the building will also be staked out by that time and the Board will be advised when that is complete so that they can come view the suggested location of the building. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE SEVEN AUGUST 14, 2017 Mr. Maurer explained to the Board that before the former police chief retired, they had a brief meeting with ReTh!nk to discuss the possibility of having tobacco free parks in the City of Oshkosh. At that time they had suggested to the group some information to do further research on. The group gave a presentation to City Council in July and met again with him and Chief Dean Smith recently. They have again requested that the group do some more research and get back to them. The Chief is concerned with enforceability of such an ordinance. The group intends to meet internally in September and present to the Board in October or November. Mr. Maurer updated that the last month in their department has been spent working on budget, which was due last Friday. They are also completing performance evaluations at time. REVEN a success in 2017. Previously it was thought to be a good night if there were 500 people in attendance. This year that is a slow night. The department is hoping that Verve a Credit Union will continue to support the event. He reminded the Board that tomorrow night is the last Tuesday Night concert featuring the Crash Mates! Movie nights have also been well attended in 2017 with 300-500 people showing up on average. These movies are free to the public thanks to the generous sponsors. The last movie of the season is August 25 featuring Moana with family entertainment provided before the movie by the Oshkosh Fire and Police Department. Touch-a-Truck returns to the Leach Amphitheater on September 23 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 rd p.m. Pollock Community Water Park attendance has been down this year due to a late start, cooler temperatures and a lot of rain this season. On Saturday August 19 they will host their Season Pass Appreciation Night th from 5pm to 8-m. This is a private event for season pass holders to say thank you. The last day of the season is Wednesday, August 23, 2017. nt Center. New this year is the addition of 3 SUP boards (stand up paddle boards) for rental. There was also two additional events added and sponsored by area businesses. August 22 they will host Bubble Days from 11am to 3pm. Children will be able to experiment nd with bubbles, there will be demonstrations with dry ice, bubble art and a bounce house. They are excited Parade from 11am to 3pm on closing day, September 24. Individuals and/or groups will be able to enter a th float and will parade it on the path from the beach house to the Kiwanis shelter. There will be prizes for different float categories as well as cookies and beverages. Tom Pease will be performing at the event. The Menominee Park Zoo is preparing for their largest fundraiser of the year; Zooloween Boo will be held October 21 and 22 from 11am -3pm. They are looking for area business and organizations to do trick or stnd treat stations, in kind and monetary donations as well as many, many volunteers to run games, contests, man the bounce houses, etc. Please feel free to call if you would be interested in volunteering of donating. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE EIGHT AUGUST 14, 2017 REPORT In Mr. Dallman updated the Board that they will soon be posting a FTE position for a Park Maintenance Worker as well as the Zoo Education Coordinator, which is a position that will be funded in part by OZS in 2018. Seasonal staffing proved difficult this year due to the current pay scale. Early fall the department will begin working on their Strategic Plan. Project updates were given regarding the start of the South Park Lagoon project. Work on the Teichmiller Restroom is slated to begin August 14 and conclude by September 30. This restroom will reopen spring thth of 2018. The Sea, Sand Sailorland at Menominee Park and Fugleberg Park playground equipment replacement will begin after L tree project to make the area more secure as well as manage some drainage issues in that area. Funding has been approved for the Great Neighborhoods Projects to reconstruct the athletic field at Teichmiller Park, make site improvements at Stevens Park and complete a Master Plan for Sawyer Creek Trail. Rettler will start putting together the Master Plan and work with the neighborhood associations to complete it. There has been some vandalism issues at different locations throughout the parks systems this summer. At the Boatworks location a restroom was damaged with fireworks. There was also some problems with tagging at the Wisconsin Street Bridge and a light pole along the Riverwalk by Marion Road. At the Leach Amphitheater a door vent was kicked in and there was some damage to the arbor by the gazebo. LANDSCAPE Mr. Sturm stated that he has been busy in the Forestry and Cemetery departments. They have had many challenges with the rainfall this year. Their department recently completed a landscape upgrade at the Convention Center and encouraged the Board to check it out because he felt his guys did a great job on it. The cemetery road replacement has started and will wrap up shortly. Staff has been working on tree pruning, tree removal and Emerald Ash Borer treatment in between chasing down issues from storm damage. American Transmission Company has partnered with the new Bucks D-League team for a program titled -pointer is made American Transmission Company will provide a free tree to work with the Forestry Department and plant more trees in needed areas. Great Neighborhoods has applied for and received a $25,000 grant for tree planting in neighborhood association areas. Funding has also been approved for buckthorn removal at the Sawyer Creek Trail area. ADVISORY PARK BOARD MINUTES PAGE NINE AUGUST 14, 2017 OTHER BUSINESS Mr. Maurer added that the City Golf Tournament had been held over the weekend and there were over 140 golfers that signed up for the tournament. The ultimate winner was Nick Bauer. Congratulations to Nick and thank you everyone for supporting the City Tournament. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Gogolewski for adjournment; seconded by Davis. Motion carried 7-0. The meeting adjourned at 8:12 P.M Respectfully submitted, Stacy L. James Stacy L. James, Recording Secretary