Senior Citizens Commission

CITY OF SHAWANO SENIOR CITIZENS COMMISSION AGENDA WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2024 9:00 AM SHAWANO CITY HALL, 127 S. SAWYER STREET, SHAWANO 1) CALL TO ORDER 2) PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3) ROLL CALL 4) COMPLIANCE WITH OPEN MEETING LAW 5) APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND/OR OTHER MATTERS AUTHORIZED BY LAW 6) APPROVAL OF SENIOR CITIZEN COMMISSION MINUTES OF AUGUST 21, 2024 7) PUBLIC COMMENTS PLEASE KEEP COMMENTS TO 3 MINUTES 8) PRESENTATION FROM TOM AUMANN HISTORICAL SOCIETY 9) REPORTS: a) Civic Center Report b) Gift Shop Report c) Commission on Aging Report 10) BILLS 11) OLD BUSINESS a) Rental Conflicts 12) NEW BUSINESS a) Garden Update b) Round table discussion Page 1 of 12 13) SET NEXT MEETING DATE 14) ADJOURN DISABLED ACCESSIBLE (Contact City Clerk prior to meeting if require additional services.) It is possible that members of and possibly a quorum of members of other governmental bodies of the municipality may be in attendance at the above-stated meeting to gather information; no action will be taken by any governmental body at the above-stated meeting other than the governmental body specifically referred to above in this notice. Page 2 of 12  August 21, 2024 Shawano, Wisconsin CALL TO ORDER • Chairperson Jack Young called the Senior Citizens Commission meeting to order on Wednesday August 21, 2024 at 9:00AM at Shawano City Hall. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE ROLL CALL • Members present: Alderman Jack Young, Lynnae Zahringer, Joan Porter-Priem, Lois Flaig, Bonnie Wolf, Roger Olson, and Dennis Zdiarstek. • Absent: Mayor Bruce Milavitz • Also present: Matt Hendricks Rec Director, Tim Ewing and Paula Landau Civic Center Coordinator. COMPLIANCE WITH OPEN MEETING LAW • Chairperson Young stated that we were in compliance with the open meeting law. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND/OR OTHER MATTERS AUTHORIZED BY LAW • Motion by Porter-Priem to approve the proposed agenda, seconded by Wolf. Motion carried by voice vote. APPROVAL OF SENIOR CITIZEN COMMISSION MINUTES OF JULY 17, 2024 • Motion by Zahringer to approve the proposed minutes, seconded by Olson. Motion carried by voice vote. PUBLIC COMMENTS PLEASE KEEP COMMENTS TO 3 MINUTES • None. PRESENTATION FROM TIM EWING NAVARINO NATURE CENTER • Tim handed out flyers with information. The Navarino Nature Center opened in 1986. A group of residents from Shawano, Clintonville, Bonduel and surrounded communities got together to start a nature center. They looked at 7 different locations, and they decided to have a site at Navarino. The nature center is located on the Navarino Wildlife Area, it is a DNR property. They are non-profit, coordinating with the DNR doing all the educational programs. DNR staff manages the property. Our main focus in the original years was vocational programs for schools. It has grown through the years. It started in 1986, and Tim started in 2000 when the educational building was completed. In 2009 the renewable energy complex was added. The Experience Center was built in 2020. On the map the colored side is referred to the 1000 acre closed area on the property. There is 15000 acres, 14000 is open to hunting at all times. The 1000 acre is the Nature Center and that area will be closing soon for hunting and will be closed through mid December. Flip the map over and you will see colored trails, those are the Nature Centers trails. We help the DNR to maintain about 15 miles of trails to a higher standard. Through the years we have done wagon rides, the Senior Safari Luncheon, we have trolley rides along those trails and beyond. On the trolley we can fit about 20 people, and on the hay wagon we can fit about 30- 35, there are steps you have to go up. Advantage of the trolleys, you have the ramps, so you can put two wheelchairs on each trolley. We are working on doing a lot of handicap accessibility. We are replacing a 30- year-old board walk across the bog. It is over 200ft. long with an observation deck with a floating bog. Today we have story time starting at 10am, Caley is our assistant naturalist. She works part time; Tim is the only full- time staff. Story time is the 3rd Wednesday of the month, from 10-11:30 am; they do hikes, scavenger hikes, and crafts. School children participate from the different school districts; Shawano, Gresham, Menominee, Keshena, Suring, Oconto Falls, Shiocton, Bonduel, some Pulaski schools; they are coming from all different areas. The students come throughout the year; in the winter they take the students snowshoeing, cross-country Page 1 of 10 Page 3 of 12  skiing. They rent out snowshoes and skis to the public. They groom about 15 miles of trails for cross country skis. Senior Safari starts April-November, they have lunch and speakers totaling about 80-110 people. We have programs for the public, there is a calendar with the different activities. Next weekend is a mushroom hike with the Mycological Society, also the Sporting Clay Shoot which is a fund raiser for the Nature Center at J & H Game Farm on Aug 24th. We have 400 members that support the Nature Center. We have a couple of different open houses, in February the 2nd weekend we have the winter fun open house, we go on snowshoe hikes out to the porcupine dens: for Frozen we tend to have Oloff and Elsa there, a lot of little kids come dressed up in their little dresses to get their pictures taken with Anna, Oloff and Elsa; lots of games, lots of activities. We have an Earth Day open house is the last weekend in April. It starts off with a trail run, 5k run, 5k walk, a 10k run and at the end we do a 1mile kids fun run, then the open house starts. We are partnering with Navarino EMS, Shawano Sheriff, the K-nine units, the Clintonville Ambulance, doing a Paw Patrol type theme. We have those mascots out to meet with the children, and get their pictures taken and they get to touch the trucks, fire engines etc. The fall open house is coming up in October, we make bird feeders. The kids get to make rope out of bailing twine, teaching them how to put it altogether to make the rope to hang their bird feeders. We have a non-scary event at the end of October, we will get the pumpkins and the group that is closest to Halloween happenings will be able to carve the pumpkins. We then put them out on the trails, to light the trails, we put out inflatables, we have Halloween game, candy, they can go out on Trolley rides. We are closed for gun deer season, and we wrap up our year with the Christmas sales. There is a tree farm that is on the wildlife area that the DNR has acquired. We have a couple weekends that the public comes in to cut down an untrimmed Christmas tree for $20.00. It is a fundraiser for the Nature Center. Our annual fundraiser banquet is coming up the end of September at the Northwoods Banquet Hall in Marion; there is a dinner, live auctions, silent auctions, and raffles. We rent out conference rooms for family reunions, weddings etc. Rain barrels are for sale, they are 55 gallons, white, for $35.00. Also, firewood is for sale $75.00 for a face cord, maple and oak. We have 60-70 volunteers; they volunteer at the different task, they put in about 100 hours a month. Discussion followed REPORTS: • Civic Center Report: Paula Landau submitted a report for August to the committee members on the issues and/or happenings at the center. • Gift Shop Report: Bonnie submitted a report for August. The gift shop did ok at the sidewalk sales. On the 24th is the Farmers Market. The special event sales equal what they sell for the whole month in the shop. So, the special sales are important. • Commission on Aging Report: None. BILLS • Walmart - Cleaning supplies $46.96. OLD BUSINESS • Rental Conflicts: None. NEW BUSINESS • Upcoming School Referendum: Jack passed out information sheets on the Shawano School Referendum. Jack attended the information session, and after having his questions answered, and talking to people he will be indorsing the referendum and will be sharing with people to vote for it. There are a couple of reasons to support it, it’s not going to increase the school tax levy beyond what it is now, they waited till the last one was paid off. They took public feedback into account and made some changes and some cuts from the April referendum. All four schools will get badly needed repairs, the extra room at Olga Brenner, they will move the school district offices over in the room; it frees up space at the high school for the added weight room. Instead of more buildings they are renovating and moving offices around. There are 3 information sessions they are holding, 1 in September and 2 in October at Shawano Highschool. I feel that the Seniors should have a say, it affects their bottom line. Discussion followed. • Garden Update: The water pump is having problems again; the pump continues to lose it prime. The plastic Page 2 of 10 Page 4 of 12  hose reel is entirely broken off now, three screws are missing, and one is there. One of the gardeners was in an accident, she is in the hospital, so people are helping and picking her vegetables. There have been people stealing, couple watermelons. There is not a camera in the garden. It’s the risk you take. Jack will contact the rafters and let them know to keep an eye out. Discussion followed. • Round Table Discussion: November 20th meeting will be in the River Room. Matt brought up budgets. There are 2 different budgets at the Civic Center, Capital Improvements Budget, which consist of emergency lighting, painting, landscaping; the facility is in good shape. The operational budget, the budget is dialed in pretty tight, it is maintenance to the building, staff, cleaning staff, or buying things at Walmart, it looks pretty clean. SET NEXT MEETING DATE • The next Senior Citizens Commission meeting will be on Wednesday, September 18,2024 at 9:00am at City Hall. ADJOURN • Motion to adjourn at 10:00 a.m. made by Young, seconded by Zahringer. Motion carried by voice vote. Respectfully submitted, Paula Landau, Civic Center Coordinator Page 3 of 10 Page 5 of 12 Page 4 of 10 Page 6 of 12 Page 5 of 10 Page 7 of 12 Page 6 of 10 Page 8 of 12 Page 7 of 10 Page 9 of 12 Page 8 of 10 Page 10 of 12 Page 9 of 10 Page 11 of 12 Page 10 of 10 Page 12 of 12