Minutes: Park Board: April 2006

City of Evansville, Wisconsin

Park and Recreation Board Regular Monthly Meeting

Evansville City Hall Council Chambers
April 17, 2006, 6:00 PM

DRAFT Minutes


1. Call to Order @ 6:00PM and Roll Call: Chair Juergens, and Members Krueger, Carlsen, Jacobson, Scott, & Merritt present. Staff members Anderson &Hamacher present. Member Sendelbach,.absent.

1a. The Chair’s request move of item #6 to just after item #3 was approved unanimously on a voice vote.

2. Voice approval of minutes of February and March, 2006 meetings was unanimously given.

3. Citizen appearances other than listed Agenda items.

Jenny Nehls, 6702 Abey Ct., representing Relay For Life discussed the plans for this year’s event, to take place June 16-17 at Lake Leota Park. Details of how the park’s facilities will be utilized will be finalized with Ray Anderson, Park Maintenance Supervisor. A new feature of this year’s event is a request for DJ music playing at a lowered volume between midnight and dawn, if there are no strong objections from neighborhood residents. Chair Juergens will take this up with residents of Grove St and Eager Ct, since they would seem to be most affected by such a request. A update will be presented at the May PRB meeting.

6. Skate-Park Update

a. The Chair reported that City Council has approved the budget transfer of $10,000; we now have a total of $25,000 to work with, including $5,000 promised by the Skate Club. The resolution that passed Council requires the Skate Club to turn its full contribution over to the city in time to pay the invoice after equipment is delivered. That has been assured by adults supervising the group.

b. The Skate Club has a new quote from Tru-Ride, reducing the price about $460 from their previous figure.

c. The Skate Club has a quote from Gerber Leisure Products, which is representing another ramp manufacturing company-- Skatewave; it’s in the same ball park pricewise as Tru-Ride. A representative from Gerber, Bob Szalkowski, attended the meeting and presented material concerning Skatewave products. He also brought a ramp structure on a trailer parked outside City Hall. After the presentation, members of the Skate Club, including Bill and Mary Ann Alt, 216 W. Main St., inspected the structure and reported that it appeared to be first-quality. The Skate Club was instructed to do whatever is necessary to decide between the two vendors and report back to the Park Board as soon as possible.

d. According to the city’s Public Works Department, the new surface for the Skate Park will not be worked on until the ground is thoroughly thawed. Only when a definite schedule for completing this surface has been established will the equipment be ordered.

4.Lake Leota Draw-down Update

a. Presentation by SOLE: Troy Larson, member of SOLE and an engineer employed by Strand Associates, discussed the intent of the draw-down begun last September and the results learned so far. The intent had a number of components, which are summarized below:
1. Compact the Sediment. This was deemed successful; measurements by SOLE indicate that the sediment-drying has lowered the lake bottom by 4-6 inches.
2. Remove rough fish that roil the sediment when the lake is full. This was deemed successful; about 2000-3000 carp were removed last fall as the water level dropped.
3. Remove, or cause to die, undesirable water-plant growth. This was deemed successful, since it appeared there was little plant material on the lake bottom.
4. Assess the Structural Integrity of the dam. This was deemed successful; the City engineer found only a small cosmetic crack in the dam structure, which can easily be caulked to preclude further damage.
5. Assess the quality of the water. This assessment is pending. Initial water turbidity studies have been done, but until the lake is refilled, it will be impossible to get a before-after assessment
6. Repair the dam’s sluice gate. This was deemed successful, as the gate worked perfectly, and no repairs were needed. However, it was also discovered that the bottom of the sluice gate is higher than expected, and this makes complete de-watering of the lake more difficult.
7. Assess the amount and nature of the sediment. This is incomplete. Until the lake-bottom is de-watered to the maximum extent possible, it’s difficult to know how thick the sediment is, which is resting on the true bottom of the lake. One discovery of the draw-down is that as many as 11 springs may be putting water into the lake; the water is not coming solely from Allen Creek and rain/snow-fall. As a result of these springs, the bottom is not drying as fast as it had been hoped. Channels may have to be dug from these springs to the still-flowing water coming upstream from Allen Creek in order to assist in further dry-out.
8. Overall the project is incomplete, and SOLE is requesting engineering help from the city to complete the dewatering of the lake, perhaps by siphoning water over the sluice-gate or through other means.

SOLE is recommending that the lake be kept dry for another year or so, so that further sediment compaction may occur, and so that the sediment may dry further to permit heavy equipment to get into the lake to dig out sediment. At the present time, no one will go out into the lake bed for a test excavation and risk getting their equipment stuck in the muck that is still present. Several private concerns have expressed interest in obtaining dredged sediment when it can be extracted. Selling such sediment may reduce the overall cost to the city for this project. SOLE is also requesting that the city assist in raising public awareness of the need to keep the lake dry this summer. If the lake were to be refilled to regain the short-term aesthetics of a full lake during summer 2006, the draw-down process would just have to be repeated in the future and time before the lake is restored would be lost.

b. Public Hearing, focusing on the recreational value of Lake Leota itself in the recent past, and also, the impact on Leota Park and its users if the lake is left dry during 2006.

The Public Hearing opened at 6:45 pm

1. Brad Fahlgren, 14016 Northridge Drive, suggested that a billboard or other signage be erected to educate the public as to why the lake is dry and to explain the long-term advantages of leaving it dry during this summer.

2. Rodney Courtier, 240 Kinsey Court, expressed concern about shallow puddles in the drawn-down lake becoming a breeding ground for mosquitos this summer.

3. Betsey Ahner, 20 S. First St, and representing Evansville Community Partnership, expressed concern about the lake-bottom’s appearance affecting the ECP’s plan for a big July 4th celebration this summer. She asked if it could be filled for that weekend and then drained again. Some discussion ensued, and it was explained that filling would take probably two weeks, and emptying again after the 4th another two weeks, perhaps losing a lot of ground in the drying/compaction process. She also raised safety concerns – how to keep people off the muck so they don’t get stuck there during the July 4th weekend, when there will be a large number of people in the park.

4. Sandy Decker, 143 W. Main St., raised questions about what the public will think if the lake isn’t filled. Weddings and other events have been planned to use the park this summer, and it’s not clear that people making those plans have been apprised of the possibility that the lake may be dry.

5. Kelly Gildner, N. Hwy 14, and a SOLE member, urged that the process be continued using the best technical knowledge available, not taking a step backward by filling the lake to satisfy some short-term desires. Reclaiming the lake is needed for the long term, and we should push the process forward. There was no promise made to fill the lake for the summer of 2006 at the meeting last July 2005, when the draw-down was presented to the public. Others, including the Chair, chimed in to report that their recollection of that meeting was that, if the lake were drawn down, that a decision on what to do next would be made in Spring 2006, and that that decision was not fore-ordained.

6. Nancy Greve-Shannon, 131 S. Third St, reported that ECP doesn’t want to stand in the way of the best method of reclaiming the lake, but that safety is an issue. Perhaps a “life-guard” needs to be present at the lake-front, particularly during the July 4th weekend.

7. Other people also spoke during the public hearing, including Troy Larson, Jim Turner, Randy Rinehart, and there were further comments from some people mentioned above. Items mentioned included the 2-year time frame that the DNR allows the lake to be below its “official” level, the short time allowed for dredging and cost of such a permit, once dredging is deemed the appropriate way to proceed, a description of a possible siphoning process, signs to warn of the dangers of the mud, whether the lake could be habitat for better quality fish in the future, etc. The discussion proceeded until the Chair felt that all interested parties had full opportunity to express their views

8. Chair Juergens read into the record a letter from Ms. Sherri Savchuk, 34 N. Prentice Street, pointing out that if the lake is not restored, its future as it silts up even further, will be as a wetland, and DNR designated it as “protected”, so we won’t be able to get the lake back. She urged the long-term effects be considered before making a decision on how to treat the lake this summer.

The Public Hearing was closed at 7:15 pm.

c. Discussion by Park Board membership ensued. It was pointed out that safety is an issue whether the lake is dry or full, and that parents should watch over their children in any case. The diligent work by a few SOLE members to learn as much about the lake during the draw-down period and to further the de-watering process should not be wasted.

Member Barbara Jacobson moved and member Ron Carlsen seconded a motion, the sense of which is as follows:

The Park and Recreation Board recommends to the Public Works Committee and the Evansville City Council the following:
• that Lake Leota be allowed to continue to dry out during the summer of 2006 so that more bottom compaction may occur and that possible dredging options may be investigated,
• that a decision on when to re-fill the lake be made only after all best-practice methods of increasing the lake's depth have been explored, following guidance from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, engineering experts, and other interested parties, and
• that the entire City official establishment make vigorous efforts to educate the public as to the reasons for this recommendation, as those reasons have become clearer since the lake was drawn down.

The motion passed unanimously on a voice vote. The motion will be passed on to Public Works and City Council at their next regular meetings, as appropriate.

5. Franklin Park Update;

a. Ray Anderson reported that the equipment has been ordered, and delivery is expected in a week or so. It will be installed with the assistance of other members of the Public Works staff as soon as possible after that.

b. Dave Sauer, City Engineer, has placed flags indicating the boundaries of the park. It appears that during the survey it was discovered that fencing from an adjacent residence was placed in park property. Apparently the home-owner knows this and indicated as much to the people actually doing the survey. The chair will begin a discussion with the home-owner about how to remedy this situation.

c. Member Carlsen asked about repairs to the sidewalk. This has been brought to the attention of the PW Department; it will be mentioned to the Director again by the Chair.

6. Skate-Park Update Discussed earlier in the meeting.

7. West-Side Park work for 2006;

a. No actual work has been done on engineering prior grading the soccer field surface. Barbara Jacobson reported that she’s seen some work going on at the park. The City engineer reported (after this meeting) that work is currently focusing on getting the access to the new well house improved and grading a drainage ditch. Other work will begin soon.

b. Brad Fahlgren, 14016 Northridge Drive, and Kitty Verkuilan, 14357 W. Golf Air Drive, both representing the Soccer Club, requested assistance, as appropriate, in going forward with the soccer fields at the West Side Park. They also indicated their willingness to assist the city, as appropriate, in moving the project forward so that grading and seeding is done with turf appropriate for a soccer field. They reported that the club has a continuing problem maintaining the fields they use now and having enough field capacity for the growing number of people who play soccer in Evansville. They wanted reassurances that the field area would be designed to be appropriate for soccer, without crowning, etc. Such assurances were given. They would like the fields to be ready as soon as possible for play.

8. Countryside Park Update

a, Ray Anderson reported that equipment for this park is expected to be delivered with the materials for Franklin Park, and that installation will proceed as soon as practical. It is also likely that old bleachers from Lake Leota Park will be refurbished and installed adjacent to the soccer fields in Countryside Park.

b. Ray Anderson reported that he has discussed the possibility of building a shelter with toilet facilities for Countryside Park with the teacher at the high-school (Rob Kestrone (spelling?)) who supervised the almost-complete bathrooms at Lake Leota Park. This teacher is expected to have a plan and estimated cost available by the next PRB meeting. If PRB decides to go ahead, it is likely that a pad may be poured for this facility later this summer.

c. The chair asked Mr. Fahlgren and Ms. Verkuilan, as active users of Countryside Park, about their opinion of removing the fence facing Water St. They indicated they thought it was a good idea, that with the fence as it is currently, it gets very muddy at the two small entrances to the park when it rains. They pointed out that other parks in the city are not fenced off from sidewalks or streets as Countryside is.

9. Aquatic Report:

Rick Hamacher, Aquatic Director : The pool will open on time; registration materials will be mailed out with May water and light bills. Repairs and touch-up painting will all be complete. The solar panel project is under construction. He reminded the PRB that this is a demonstration project, and will result in a 3-4% savings in heating costs for the pool. He further mentioned that to reap significant benefits, the 2007 budget must contain $10-15K to expand the solar heating system. He has hired a Park Store Manager, Tammy Pomplun, and an assistant manager.

10. Improvements and Maintenance Report:

Ray Anderson, Park Maintenance Supervisor, reported that the new handicap-accessible picnic table facility has been re-located to near the stone shelter across the street from the bell tower. The donor of this facility, Mr. Larry Gransee, is happy with the decision to relocate, made because of concerns that tree roots in the original location might have been damaged. Concrete for pad and sidewalk is being poured this week. Kyle Allen, the contractor, has donated colorant for this project. The chair will contact Mr. Allen to thank him for his generosity.

It was also reported that the new bathrooms near the ball field are almost complete, that putting the cultured stone on the outside is taking much more time than originally anticipated. The plan is to complete the project by the end of the school year, and in a worst-cast scenario, by the July 4th activities in the park.

11. Old Business;

a. Volunteers for public garden spaces. The Chair reported that no progress has been made on this project.

b. The Chair reported that he expects to be appointed to the Council’s Finance and Labor Relations Committee. He will raise the questions about the Dollar-level above which bids need to requested for capital equipment purchases and how much the Park Maintenance Supervisor may spend without requesting authority from the PRB once that appointment is confirmed.

12. New Business:

a. Member Carlsen mentioned that skate-park signage may possibly be done by workers at Oakhill Correctional Institution. They have made signs in the past for just the cost of materials. Ray Anderson will investigate this further as the Skate Park project progresses, so that signs there will match other signs in Lake Leota Park.

b. The Chair requested that Ray Anderson also look into the costs of preparing a kiosk-type facility near Lake Leota to display information about why the lake is to be dry during the summer of 2006..

13. Motion to Adjourn at 8:07 pm was made and accepted unanimously.

Minutes drafted on April 19, 2006, by Fred Juergens, Park and Recreation Board Chair. MINUTES ARE NOT OFFICIAL UNTIL APPROVED AT A FUTURE PRB MEETING.