Park & Recreation

PARK AND RECREATION COMMISSION MINUTES JANUARY 28, 2026 The meeting was called to order by Joe Boll at 6:30 p.m. Present at roll call: Doug Lindstrom, Jill Ringen, Ken Staver, Carly Winslow, Joe Boll, and Scott Heinberg. Absent: Rayna O’Brien Also present: Wade Berget, Cindy Corley, Danni Havens, Troy Maggied (remotely), Kyle McCarville, Steve Pickett, Dave Roelli, John Sonsalla, Jessie Westerman and Kim Winslow. Motion by Staver, seconded by Winslow, the meeting notice and agenda were properly posted. Voice vote. Motion carried. Motion by Ringen, seconded by Staver, to approve the minutes of the previous meeting as presented. Voice vote. Motion carried. Public comment, suggestions, and recommendations of citizens present: None Reports / presentations from Commission Members or Staff: Financial reports up to December 31, 2025 were included in the agenda packet and reviewed. Under unfinished or deferred business from the previous committee meeting: Discussion only was held regarding updating the Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan. Troy Maggied from Southwest Wisconsin Regional Planning attended the meeting via Zoom and phone audio. Troy explained the process of updating the Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan, and the tentative timeline for each phase, with a project completion date to meet the required May 1, 2026 deadline. Troy answered any questions of commission members and those in attendance. Under new business or matters to be taken up by the commission: Discussion and possible action were held regarding the Darlington Chamber Main Street building a permanent stage in Veterans Park. Kyle McCarville and Jessie Westerman attended the meeting on behalf of the Chamber. Kyle explained the proposed project and project costs There is no cost to the City for this project, they are simply looking for permission to build the stage on the City’s property. After a discussion, a motion was made by Staver, seconded by Winslow, to recommend approval to the City Council to allow the Darlington Chamber Main Street to build a permanent stage in Veterans Park. Voice vote. Motion carried. Discussion and possible action were held regarding purchasing new swings and playground equipment for the Pecatonica River Trails Park Campground. Wade Berget presented quotes and layouts from two different companies. After a discussion, a motion was made by Winslow, seconded by Ringen, to table this matter to the February 25, 2026 Park & Recreation Commission meeting, to allow members more time to research and review the options available. Voice vote. Motion carried. Discussion and possible action were held regarding the trade-in and purchase of new lawn mowers for the Parks Department. Wade Berget presented quotes for new lawn mowers from Ritchie Implement. After a discussion, a motion was made by Winslow, seconded by Ringen, to purchase (1) new lawn mower from Ritchie Implement at the quoted price of $12,500 (after trade-in and allowed discounts), and the other mower at the Government Price of $17,099 (with no trade-in allowance), plus a “fleet discount”. One mower will be paid for out of the Campground Outlay account, and the other lawn mower will be paid for out of the Parks Outlay account. Voice vote: Ayes – Heinberg, Winslow, Ringen, Staver, Boll. Nay – Lindstrom. Motion carried. Discussion and possible action were held regarding the newspaper job description advertisement for summer and seasonal help. A motion was made by Heinberg, seconded by Winslow, to modify the advertisement to include a Soccer Referee/Official position. Voice vote. Motion carried. Discussion and possible action were held regarding the proposed 2026 Park & Recreation Programs and Fees. Wade Berget presented his list of fees. The only change from 2025 to 2026 is the addition of Soccer at $25 per player. A motion was made by Staver, seconded by Lindstrom, to approve the 2026 Park & Recreation Programs and Fees as presented. Voice vote. Motion carried. Discussion and possible action were held regarding the proposed 2026 Wellness Center Fees. Danni Havens presented the fees for the past 5 years, along with the new proposed fees for 2026. She is proposing an increase in the following fees: YEARLY MEMBERSHIP FEES: CATEGORY 2025 2026 Family $478 $480 Individual $346 $350 Couple $406 $410 1 Individual + 1 Dep. $406 $410 Senior Individual $250 $250 Senior Couple $300 $300 Day Care Provider $271 $271 (NEW ADDITION) Gym-Only Membership $ 0 $200 (1 child / +$20 for each additional child) MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP FEES CATEGORY 2025 2026 Family $44 $45 Individual $33 $35 Couple $38 $40 1 Individual + 1 Dep. $38 $40 Senior Individual $25 $25 Senior Couple $30 $30 Day Care Provider $- $- (NEW ADDITION) Gym-Only Membership $ - $- Danni is requesting to add a new ‘Gym-Only Membership’ to the list of available memberships. This membership would be for 12+ and older members, at a yearly membership rate of $200.00. If a family wishes to add additional members to the Gym-Only Membership, it would be an additional $20 per member. After a brief discussion, a motion was made by Winslow, seconded by Staver, to approve the proposed 2026 Wellness Center Membership Fees, with the addition of the new Gym-Only Membership, as presented. Voice vote. Motion carried. Discussion and possible action were held regarding the 2026 summer employment wages. Wade Berget presented the proposed 2026 wages, which include the 3% increase as approved by the Mayor and City Council at the time of the 2026 Budget approval. A motion was made by Winslow, seconded by Staver, to approve the 2026 Summer employment wages as presented. Voice vote. Motion carried. Not included in the list of wages approved at budget time was a “Seasonal” employee. This employee would work for the Parks Department Spring to Fall. After a discussion, a motion was made by Ringen, seconded by Winslow, to approve a “Seasonal Employee” position at a rate of $15.00 per hour and not to exceed 1200 hours, and to run a separate advertisement in the newspaper. Voice vote. Motion carried. Discussion only was held regarding replacement of elliptical machines in the Wellness Center. Danni said one of the ellipticals can no longer be repaired. And the other ones are starting to show wear & tear. After a discussion, it was requested Danni check to see what is covered under the maintenance contract, and which ones can or cannot be repaired. For those that cannot be repaired, Danni should attend a future meeting with bids for replacing any necessary elliptical machines. Discussion and possible action were held regarding an upgrade of the Wellness Center iGo membership software. Danni advised the current membership software version is at the point of no longer being supported, due to the Microsoft 11 upgrade. Therefore, Danni needs to upgrade the software, or we could lose features. The previous software cost $89/month. The new software upgrade will cost $119/month. A motion was made by Winslow, seconded by Staver, to approve the upgrade of the iGo membership software. Voice vote. Motion carried. Discussion and possible action were held regarding the Darlington Soccer Club continuing to use the gymnasium. Danni said the Darlington Soccer Club is requesting to continue using the gymnasium for their skills & drills for a couple more months, one night a week, for 1.5 hours. A motion was made by Winslow, second by Lindstrom, to allow the Darlington Soccer Club to continue rental of the gymnasium through April 2026. Voice vote. Motion carried. Discussion and possible action were held regarding a change in the Wellness Center Policy for the Guest Pass to include gym usage. Danni said the current policy does not allow visitors to pay for a day/guest pass for gym-only usage, it only applies to the other Wellness Center facilities. After a brief discussion, a motion was made by Ringen, seconded by Winslow, to approve a change in the Wellness Center Policy to allow visitors to pay for a day/guest pass for gym-only usage. Voice vote. Motion carried. Next meeting date is set for Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm. Motion by Staver, seconded by Winslow, to adjourn the meeting at 8:24pm. Voice vote. Motion carried. CITY OF DARLINGTON Kim Winslow, Deputy Clerk-Treasurer