|
|
|
Please read our disclaimer at the bottom of this page.
Board of Park Commissioners
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
|
|
|
Board of Park Commissioners
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Index of these minutes:
1. Roll Call
2. Approval of the April 2,
2008 Minutes
3. Proposal to Renovate Goerke
Stadium (Goerke Stadium Renovation Committee)
4. Request to Place Radio tower/Service
Building in Goerke Park (City of Stevens
Point Police Department)
5. Election of Officers
6. Director's Report
7. Adjournment
1. Roll Call
Present: Bahling, Brooks, Freckmann, Glodosky, Hall, McDonald, Okonek, Sorenson, Trzebiatowski, Wiza
Excused: Curtis
Also Present: Director Schrader, Alderperson Heart, Alderperson Walther, Chief Morris, Peggy Rentz, Tim Schierl, Cathy Dugan, Chris LeFebvre, Paul Mirman, Jim Cliver, Steve Smith, Steve Chizzo, John Raflik, Bob Raczekl, Marcy Kirsh, Troy Durkee, Joe Seubert, Mike Devine, Chris Haka, Pete McAdams, Paul Drake, Ron Plaster, Bridget Staffaord, Don Peel, Stephanie Hauser, Janell Iberg
2. Approval of the April 2, 2008 Minutes
Motion was made by Hall, seconded by McDonald to
approve the April
2, 2008 minutes and place them on file.
Ayes - all, Nays - None, Motion Carried.
3. PROPOSAL TO RENOVATE GOERKE STADIUM
Tim Schierl referred to the information and image of the proposed renovations to the Goerke Stadium that was part of the packets received, saying when he was approached with this plan he became very involved and passionately committed to the idea because of the opportunities it opens to children of all ages and the adults in our community. He said it will bring in playoff games and so much more; that it could be a huge asset to the City's economy in many ways and he hopes to have this be a tournament ready field. He said our present field is viewed unfavorably by many organizations and one of the reasons major league teams have not used it is because of the surface. He said the University of Oshkosh put this surface in maybe four to five years ago and went from 25 to 30 events to over 180 events.
Schierl went on to say that it would be beneficial to look forward to another phase of this project and that would be adding a dome over the playing areas and the track. The best way to prepare for this would be to put in footings with the first phase. When asked if the seating would be under the dome Schierl said no but they would prepare the track for some sort of temporary seating. He also said Minnesota already has 32 domes and Wisconsin has one.
Schierl also briefly went over the history of Goerke
Park saying that in 1923 Amanda Goerke created a trust for $10,000 to be used for recreational purposes and it
grew into what it is today through other donations and public works projects.
He continued by saying that funding will come from selling the naming rights to the stadium with a one million
dollar donation and selling field logo advertising to those businesses that donate over $100,000. He said the field
will remain Goerke Field. He said they will be asking for a donation from the county as they will benefit from
the anticipated increase of revenue by their ½ percent sales tax. The Renovation Committee would like to
establish a repair fund to offset future repair/replacement of the surface and so on, and primarily this would
come from a percentage of ticket surcharges, parking charges, and maybe smaller private donations. Schierl said
he feels he has $740,000 already committed. He said after 15-years the logos can be resold.
McDonald asked if the stadium and hockey field that the University is proposing is similar to this and Schierl said the University project could be as far away as 20-years. McDonald also asked if this had to get approval through other committees and Director Schrader said this item will be going to Plan Commission on Monday night and the following week to Finance where the money issues and bonding will be worked out.
Wiza said this sounds like a good project and he asked for an estimate and Schierl told him it was approximately 2.5 million dollars.
Brooks said he looked it up and found that the NCAA
prohibits advertising on the field. Schierl said he didn't think that applied to City parks, no one from the City
Attorney to WIAA have said that.
Director Schrader said we will check on that and have the answer for the Monday Plan Commission meeting.
Other concerns were if people would really pay to
park and if turf is safe or does it cause injuries. Schierl said he believed people will pay to park and Director
Schrader said they have come a long way in the improvement of field turf.
Several nearby property owners spoke out about the proposed parking area; that it would reduce the green space
in the park, that the proposed parking area is a place where children just play and it is highly used. Other concerns
were adequate screening, drainage, noise, lighting, and that a parking lot rather than green space will reduce
property values. The consensus was that this is a great project but the suggestion was the City look at the existing
parking and work out a way to make that more efficient. A coach had a concern about the long jump and high jump
areas and both Schierl and Bahling said we will work with them.
Hans Walther, District 2 Alderperson, said he was here to listen to the residents and that most of his phone calls and emails were due to parking problems. He understood the parking lot concerns and is in favor of an environmentally friendly parking lot. He asked if the sold parking spots would be open to the public during the day and Schierl said they were reserved only during the events, otherwise open to the public.
The consensus of the Board was that they did not like giving up the green space.
Motion was made by Wiza seconded by Okonek to approve the renovation of the Goerke Park Stadium with the exception of the construction of the parking lot west of the Willett Arena. The approved points include:
This approval is contingent upon Plan Commission
approval, Finance Committee funding and WIAA rules regarding field logos.
Bahling abstained from voting because he is employed by the company designing the project.
Ayes- 9; Nays - none; Abstain - 1. Motion carried.
President Glodosky thanked Mr. Schierl for all the work he has done on putting this information together and he and Director Schrader thanked everyone for coming and being respectful of each other's opinion.
4. REQUEST TO PLACE RADIO TOWER/SERVICE BUILDING IN GOERKE PARK
Chief Morris referred to the explanation and pictures included with the packet saying Goerke Park is an ideal location because it is so centrally located.
Some of the questions and concerns directed toward Chief Morris included: Why now; An explanation of the height; Why not SPASH; Would an extension on an existing tower work; Size and color of the building and that it should blend in with the other buildings in the park; Would a stealth tower work.
Chief Morris responded saying we are doing it now to improve the coverage, with the present tower site being the water tower there are areas of the City we can't reach, it is an upgrade to a 2 frequency system. The height of 180 feet would be ideal, it's what we need to get the signal out. SPASH and other areas considered would not get us high enough. Morris said the building size is 12' by 20' and usually are some sandstone or neutral color. Director Schrader said that is the same size as the Cellular tower building and maybe this building could be tied into the proposed new restrooms/changing area. Morris said an existing or stealth tower would have to be rebuilt to hold the arms that go out for transmitting and receiving.
A discussion took place on several of the locations presented and Morris said there are other hurdles to get through, but before they can be addressed we have to have an approved location. There will be soil testing and applications to the FAA to make sure we don't interfere with the airport.
Trzebiatowski said the park is centrally located and the City will grow and need wider coverage, the water tower also hosts communications for the Sheriff Department and other businesses which are affecting the City's communication, we should keep a new tower exclusively for our use.
Motion was made by Trzebiatowski , seconded by Hall
to approve the request to place radio tower/service building in Goerke Park, the site to be determined based on
conditions in the park and that the first choice would be a central location in the park.
Ayes - all; Nays - none; Motion carried.
Motion was made by Hall, seconded by McDonald to
nominate Mike Glodosky to his second term of President and Glodosky accepted the nomination.
Ayes - all; Nays - none; Motion carried.
Motion was made by Hall, seconded by Okonek to nominate
Bob Freckmann as Vice-President and Freckmann accepted the nomination
Ayes - all; Nays - none; Motion carried.
Director Schrader said this was an update on the White Pine loss in Bukolt Park. In 2006 testing was done and the damage was due to the chloride content, 2000 ppm will cause damage to these trees but the actual ppm was found to be 8337. The drought years increased the stress on the trees and the area was mulched with woodchips and the Fire Department did training out there which helped by flushing the area. Public Works has tried to improve how they handle their salt and last fall placed some fill to detour the runoff. He said Transit has a grant that might aid in moving the salt out of the park.
McDonald asked if there was something we could do
to expedite the effort to halt the damage and Director Schrader said we could draft a letter to the Public Works
Department and it was suggested that we have a resolution at our June meeting.
Director Schrader went on to report that April 25th was Arbor day and Mayor Halverson read a proclamation and with
the help of local third graders, 150 White Pine trees were planted in honor of the 150th celebration. He went on
to say 70 boulevard trees are being planted.
He reported Forester Todd Ernster is working with
the Engineering and Water Departments on Plover Street to try to save as many trees as he can, it's estimated that
he's saved 29 trees by working with the Engineering Department. The trees that were lost will be replaced with
smaller trees and Brooks asked what kind of trees. Director Schrader said we don't plant just one kind, we like
to plant a variety to keep potential diseases from eliminating all the trees in an area.
He went on to say the Parks and lodges open on May 1st and that is also the day we began taking lodge rental reservations
for 2009.
The Director told the Board it is not too late to
encourage participants in the Point 150 parade and the raffle donations. He said we have bottled Stevens Point
water in a Point 150 bottle.
Hall said they had their Audubon clean up of Koziczkowski Park and the 6th graders from McKinley School helped
and did a super job. They also put up bird houses.
There is a benefit Green Tea concert to raise money for the skate park, it will be at the Sentry Theater on May
8th, tickets are on sale at UWSP box office.
Director Schrader said there are business cards out on usage of streets to make exercising safer and they are a reminder that - Shoes on the Left and Wheels on the Right.
Motion was made by Hall, seconded by Wiza to adjourn
the April 30th Board of Park Commissioners meeting at 8:30 p.m.
Ayes - all; Nays - none; Motion carried
The meeting minutes reproduced on this website are derived from the computer files used to produce the official minutes for the City of Stevens Point, but are unofficial. The minutes on this web site cannot be certified under s. 889.08, Wis. Stats., and cannot be considered prima facie evidence under s. 889.04, Wis. Stats. Certain tables, maps, and other documents that are a part of the official minutes are not included in the files reproduced on this website. Please consult the printed minutes, available in the City Clerk's Office, for the official text. The decisions made by City of Stevens Point boards, committees, and commissions (other than the Police & Fire Commission) are advisory only and are not binding on the City until affirmed at a meeting of the Common Council. Some of the minutes on this web site might not be approved by the Common Council as of today.