Parks, Forestry, & Recreation Committee

PARKS, FORESTRY & RECREATION COMMITTEE Minutes Monday, March 23, 2026, 5:00 PM Meeting will be held in person. North Conference Room, City Hall, 75 N. Bonson Street, Platteville, WI Committee members in attendance: Cody Bochenek, Bob Gates, Kecia King (5:06), Debi Sigwarth, Kris Wright, Maureen Vorwald, Molly Zuehlke Committee members excused: City Staff present: Bob Lowe Members of the public: A. Call Meeting to Order 5:02, Debi B. Approval of Minutes: February 16, 2026 Motion Bob G, Second Cody - approved C. Citizen Comments Sign at the concession stand in Legion looks like it was damaged from wind. Auditorium: Platteville Community Theater - is it possible for Recreation to have a theater group? Have an individual willing to run a program. Educational aspects. Program description needed. Curious about qualifications of the person interested in leading. Will reach out to Bob L. D. New Business a. Platteville Inclusive Playground i. Deterrent signs for Smith Park restrooms Circling back on the plan to place the signs before the restrooms reopen in the spring. ii. Contractor update Bob L provided an update to the committee that the PIP Contractor, Lee Construction, reviewed equipment and fixed bolts. This is covered under warranty In cold weather, the accessible swing works well, but in hot weather acts up Will do a walk through in May to review the surface and some of the wear tracks. This is also still under warranty. Main camera for the playground was fried - likely by a power surge. $1500 cost to replace. A request will be made to the PIP Maintenance fund. Conversation regarding the 360* camera, possibly replacement with less expense and more cameras. Storage is 4x more, because it is 4x more video feed.  120 days storage of video by statute. Could also apply for a Platteville Community Fund. Question as to if there are back up cameras. b. Trail maintenance at Mound View Park and Smith Parks Grant in the works in conjunction with Public Works. Recommending that Recreation Committee pay attention to these trails and see Smith Park - consistent resealing and care Mound View Park - needs some care urgently - is that resurfacing or resealing? Can extra from city street resealing be used to prioritize Smith Park’s trail maintenance. E. Old Business a. Restrictions and guideline development policies for Memorials and Legacies in City Parks Idea: Limit number of memorials in parks Jenor Tower has older benches - good space for new memorial benches Smith Park - benches by both basketball courts (two each court) need to be replaced soon. Legion - perhaps a new bench by the play equipment in front of Broske. Also the playground equipment out by ballfields. Committee thought is to replace deteriorating benches that are already in the parks, not add only new benches. Valley View - could add a bench by the playground. Committee asked Bob L to draft up a policy regarding this to share with Committee and the donation agreement that was created earlier by Bob L and Clint. Also add a line or small paragraph offering that donations can be made in memoriam to PIP maintenance funds (for example). b. Term limits for committee Committee appointments are being presented to Council on 3/24. Recommendation across the board is to not have the one year absence between two consecutive terms. Adding virtual attendance for all boards, commissions and committees. Kecia King is eligible to be re-appointed, as she is serving out an unfinished term for a previous committee member. c. Accessible Tables placement in City Park The pad will be poured when the weather is better. d. Basketball Courts status Redoing the basketball courts under the CIP for 2026. Checked in with Parks Foreman to confirm the quote from last year is still good. Question about the condition of the other court - is resurfacing an option as well? Should it be redone fully?  e. Aquatic Center Updates Going well. Currently have 40 lifeguards pending certification Ribbon Cutting will be scheduled. Date will be shared. f. Broske Center Updates Trim has been redone where the track was fixed. g. Downtown dog park Change this to Dog park to discuss ongoing maintenance issues F. Staff Updates Activities sign up going well. Swim lessons are scheduled to start in July. 350 sign ups. G. Next Meeting: April 20, 2026 H. Adjournment Motion - Kecia, Debi second 6:27pm