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102318 Park Minutes CITY OF SHOREWOOD 5755 COUNTRY CLUB RD PARK COMMISSION MEETING SHOREWOOD CITY HALL TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 7:00 P.M. MINUTES 1. CONVENE PARK COMMISSION MEETING Chair Mangold convened the meeting at 7:04 p.m. A. Roll Call ; Present: Chair Mangold, Commissioners Vassar, Rock, Barr, and Ashmore Planning Director Darling Absent: Council Liaison Siakel B. Review Agenda Barr moved to approve the agenda as written. Rock seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Park Commission Meeting Minutes of September 11, 2018 Ashmore moved to approve the minutes of the September 11, 2018 meeting as written. Barr seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0. 3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR There were none. 4. NEW BUSINESS A. Freeman Park Playground Planning Director Darling stated that the City has a few options with regard to the playground. She stated that the City could save up for a full playground or choose more limited options. She explained that one limited option would be to replace the pieces that are faded and aged. She stated that she had spoken with the playground manufacturer and was told the limited replacement options would cost about half of what it would cost to replace the entire structure. She stated that she is also trying to determine if any of the Badger Park pieces that are removed may be able to be utilized and reused at Freeman Park. Chair Mangold asked what it would look like if some of the pieces were replaced. He questioned whether that would mean all plastic components are replaced. Planning Director Darling stated that would be a choice the Park Commission could make. She stated that all of the red pieces have faded to white on the top and pink on the bottom and look the worst. She stated that the purple ones are also faded, but not as bad as the red. She stated that the support posts are fine and can just be painted. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 5 PAGE 2 OF Chair Mangold stated that he feels the question before the Commission is two-fold, where does this park fall in the priority list of the other parks, and what is the timeline to do work at this park. He stated that he feels that if the Commission decides to replace plastic, he feels it should all be replaced and not just portions of it. Commissioner Rock asked if there were any possible grant monies available to help pay for these improvements. Planning Director Darling stated that she will look around and see if she can find any, but noted that they are typically for full reconstruction projects or new park construction. The Commission discussed whether the City wants Freeman Park to be a destination park rather than one only used when there is a baseball game happening. They also discussed that Cathcart, Badger and Freeman Parks are all the same type of equipment and perhaps should be changed up a little to give a little variety. They concluded that ideally, they would like a wide variety of equipment, improved landscaping and replace the surface material. Chair Mangold noted that he wants to make sure the Commission is making the best decision for Freeman Park. He stated that he understands the budget concerns but doesn’t want to make a choice and regret it down the road just because of chasing the dollar. Planning Director Darling stated that wood chips are a much cheaper option and timbers could be used as a delineator again which would also be a more inexpensive option, but they could also be made of concrete curb or plastic. She stated that one other idea is to use volunteer labor rather than paying to have the equipment installed. Chair Mangold stated that he would like to see the City be consistent in the edging material used at the parks. He stated that he thinks the structure is really dated and doesn’t think the City should freshen up everything else and leave the outdated structure in place. Commissioner Ashmore suggested taking a look at the size of the playground and consider doing something on a more modest scale. Chair Mangold stated that he feels the whole space should be updated. He stated that he likes the idea of scaling it down, but isn’t sure that would work with the budget. Commissioner Barr asked about the cost if the playground equipment was down-sized and the area made smaller. Commissioner Ashmore stated that her only concern is whether a smaller structure would meet the needs of the people that rent out the shelter. Chair Mangold asked whether the Commission thought the structure at Freeman Park should be a larger structure than Cathcart Park. He reiterated that he is hesitant to just patch up what is currently there but he also feels this doesn’t need to be as big of an area. Commissioner Barr stated that if the equipment is replaced with something new and fresh that aren’t available in the other parks, she thinks this will be an added benefit to people renting out the picnic shelter. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 5 PAGE 3 OF Commissioner Rock suggested moving forward by assuming the merry-go-round and the swing set will stay and look into costs of replacing the plastic portions. Commissioner Vassar stated that it is a functioning park as it is, but does not like the surface material. Commissioner Barr stated that would like to know a more specific cost to retrofit all the plastic pieces and what it would cost if the whole area was down-sized and a new playground to go into that space. She stated that she thinks it will ultimately come down to money and would like to know which of these options will be more doable for the City. Commissioner Vassar stated that the Commission also needs to make sure that it is not under construction for a whole season because people are renting out the picnic shelter. Planning Director Darling stated that she can do some research and come up with more specific dollar figures, but would like to know what type of playground the Commission is interested in because there is a large variety available. Chair Mangold asked Planning Director Darling to come back with a solid price for the rehabilitation, surface material, and delineation materials. He stated then the Commission can look at the catalogue at the next meeting rather than having her try to pick one out by herself. Planning Director Darling stated that she will have a quote by the next Park Commission Meeting. Chair Mangold suggested that the Park Commissioners all take time to go take a look at this structure and setting prior to the next meeting and be prepared to look through the catalogue at equipment options. B. Soccer Nets for Manor Park Planning Director Darling stated that there has been a request from an adjacent property owner to add soccer nets on the play field so kids can play pick-up games outside of the soccer season. She stated that the associations do buy their own nets and put them out there during the season. She stated that she had asked Public Works Director Brown and the City did used to have nets out there, but they disappeared frequently and were moved around by nearby property owners who didn’t want the goals pointed at their homes. The Commission discussed the pros and cons of putting the nets in during non-season times. Chair Mangold stated that this is a very involved neighborhood and suggested getting some feedback from them on whether they agree on it or not. He stated that Public Works Director Brown will also need to be involved in the discussion because there may be storage or upkeep issues that he will handle. Commissioner Ashmore asked for more detailed information on the cost of a replacement net and how often they need to be replaced. C. Select the Color for the Badger Park Playground PIP Rubber Surface Planning Director Darling explained that she is recommending the Commission choose from the standard colors available because there is an upgrade charge for other colors. She reminded the Commission that they had chosen the Atlantic color scheme for the equipment which is blue, green, and gray. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 5 PAGE 4 OF The Commission discussed the different colors and asked for Planning Director Darling to bring back examples of the blue, green and charcoal colors they are interested in, so they can envision it. 5. OLD BUSINESS A. CIP Follow-Up Discussion Planning Director Darling stated that she had incorporated all the suggested changes from the last meeting. Chair Mangold asked about the tennis courts in Badger Park. Planning Director Darling stated that the grant process is very in depth so it will take some time. She noted that she had not gotten any quotes yet. Chair Mangold stated that he feels there will be two different contractors doing the work and shouldn’t get in each other’s way. He would like to get the process started and get all of Badger completed. He stated that he knows that the neighborhood has expressed some frustration with what is going on at the park and doesn’t want to push things out too far and cause further angst for the neighborhood. He asked if the City was just going to ignore the pond at Manor Park from a CIP standpoint. Planning Director Darling noted that the City is not ignoring the pond, and that staff is exploring a two- tiered approach, treating the algae for short-term benefit and dredging the pond for long-term benefit. Mangold moved to send the Park Commission CIP as presented, to Council. Ashmore seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0. 6. STAFF AND LIAISON REPORTS / UPDATES A. City Council - None B. Staff Planning Director Darling stated that goats have been delivered to Freeman Park to do buckthorn eradication which has been going well. She stated that the Council had accepted the quote and authorized payment for the PIP rubber surface at Badger Park. Chair Mangold noted that the Council had recently held a work session at Manor Park to meet with the neighborhood. He stated that there was quite a large turnout with over 20 people in attendance. He stated that the pond has been getting progressively worse over the last few years. He stated that Council listened and stated that they were open to looking for a long-term solution. He stated that there was definitely a united front from the neighborhood that something needed to be done because it had been talked about ten years ago and in that span of time has greatly deteriorated. He thinks that staff has been directed to pursue both treatment options and dredging options. Planning Director Darling stated that was correct and believes the next step is to begin hiring consultants to do the engineering to figure out how much it will cost to dredge the pond and take the material that is pulled out of the pond to a hazardous waste facility. PARK COMMISSION MINUTES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018 5 PAGE 5 OF Chair Mangold stated that the Commission had asked about the removal of the equipment at Badger Park and whether Public Works would be able to do the work and they haven’t heard an answer yet. Planning Director Darling stated that she had not heard back from them either and will ask them again. 7. ADJOURN Barr moved to adjourn the Park Commission Meeting of October 23, 2018 at 8:15 p.m. Rock seconded the motion. Motion carried 5-0. Respectfully submitted, Marie Darling City Planner