Parks, Property & Streets Committee Meeting

1 PARKS, PROPERTY & STREETS COMMITTEE MINUTES 2 MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2025 3 (Approved) 4 5 1. Call to Order & Roll Call 6 December 1, 2025, meeting of the Parks, Property & Streets Committee was called to order by 7 Committee Chair Howson at 1:00 P.M. 8 9 Committee Members Present: Committee Chair Louise Howson and members Jerry Ahrens, Denise 10 Bhirdo, Nate Bell, and Mike Laszkiewicz 11 12 Staff Members Present: Village Administrator Julie Schmelzer, Parks & Streets Director Erik Linczmaier, 13 and Administrative Assistant Sarah Bertges 14 15 Public Present: Ellie Soderberg-Guger, Erin Peddle, Via Zoom: VNienow, Ben Andrews. 16 17 2. Approve Agenda 18 Motion by Bell , second by Bhirdo, to approve the agenda. Motion carried – all ayes. 19 20 3. Approve Minutes: November 3, 2025, Regular Meeting 21 Several corrections to the minutes: 22 ● Page 3, line 12: change first word to "by consensus" 23 ● Page 4, line 7: change "Nelson offered to ask the historical society's curator" to "John Nelson of 24 the historical society" 25 ● Page 4, line 14: regarding goose hunting on the Logerquist property, the committee had decided 26 "no" rather than to verify the ordinance 27 ● Page 4, line 47: specify that the sign being installed is the "historical sign" 28 ● Page 5: questioned whether a letter had been sent to Sharon regarding the flowerpot angels 29 report 30 Schmelzer confirmed no letter had been sent to Sharon yet. Bhirdo reported that Sharon had 31 indicated she would have strongly opposed the committee's decision, as she feels maintaining the 32 flowerpots is different from occasional volunteer work because it supplements department staff for 33 a daily, ongoing task. 34 The committee agreed to invite Sharon to join the next meeting via Zoom to discuss the matter. 35 Motion to approve the minutes from November 3, 2025, as amended, by Bhirdo, second by Ahrens. 36 Motion carried – all ayes. 37 4. Comments, Correspondence, and Concerns from the Public 38 No comments were received from the public. 39 40 5. Presentation 41 a) GIS Demonstration; Megan Barnes, Utility Director 42 Schmelzer introduced Megan Barnes, who has been developing the Village's GIS system. She 43 explained that Barnes has been working on this project largely on her own time and has been adding 44 parks-related data to the system, including bench locations and information. 45 Barnes demonstrated how the system works, showing the municipal boundary, parcel information, 46 property documents repository, and various specialty layers including: 47 ● Road and right-of-way information 48 ● Traffic signs with visual representations 49 ● Street poles with maintenance data  Minutes of the December 1, 2025, meeting of the Parks, Property & Streets Committee – APPROVED 1 ● Pavement condition ratings with color coding 2 ● Memorial bench locations with dedication information and photos 3 ● Memorial tree locations 4 The committee discussed the potential for expanding this work, with Laszkiewicz noting the 5 importance of prioritizing what gets added to the system and determining resource needs. Barnes 6 indicated she was willing to continue supporting the effort but acknowledged that larger projects 7 might require external support. 8 Bell raised concerns about ensuring the work doesn't become a burden on Barnes' regular duties as 9 Utility Director. Schmelzer noted that Stantec could help maintain the data under their existing 10 service agreement. 11 The committee expressed appreciation for Barnes' initiative and the value of the GIS system for 12 managing village assets. 13 14 6. Discussion/Action Items 15 a) Bench Policy; Fee; Consider Additional Locations 16 The committee reviewed the current memorial bench policy, noting that: 17 ● A moratorium exists on new applications until the policy is updated 18 ● Two outstanding bench requests are pending 19 ● Current benches are displayed on the new GIS map 20 The committee discussed the need to update pricing to cover actual costs. 21 The committee debated whether to maintain the existing approach of evaluating applicants based 22 on their significance to Sister Bay history, or to create a tiered system where prime waterfront 23 locations would require meeting historical significance criteria while other locations could be made 24 available with less stringent requirements. 25 Bhirdo emphasized that the original intent of the policy was to "tell the story of Sister Bay" through 26 the benches, and maintained that the committee has not previously found it difficult to determine 27 which applications should be approved. 28 The committee agreed to request that Linczmaier research current bench costs and options, 29 including different frame styles and materials, before finalizing any policy changes. The committee 30 also discussed the potential for additional bench locations along the future Highway 57 Trail. 31 The committee agreed by consensus to review this matter at the next meeting once cost information 32 is available. 33 34 b) Fire Station Rental Policy; Fees 35 The committee discussed the current fire station rental policy and fees. Currently, the deposit is 36 $500, with usage fees of $25 for the small room and $50 for the large room. 37 The committee discussed whether security deposits should be different based on the type or size of 38 event. Schmelzer suggested maintaining the current fees until more information could be gathered 39 about neighboring municipalities' practices and a more thorough analysis could be conducted. 40 The committee agreed by consensus to leave the current fees unchanged and revisit the issue at a 41 future meeting after researching other municipalities' policies and exploring the application of a 42 usage-based fee structure. 43 44 c) Facility Rental Fees; Consider Reduced Rate for Residents 45 Schmelzer explained that this item originated from a board discussion where a trustee questioned 46 why residents didn't receive discounted rates for village facility rentals. 47 Bhirdo provided historical context, noting that Sister Bay previously had resident discounts but 48 eliminated them because: 49 ● The village couldn't break even on rentals with discounted rates 50 ● The policy was frequently manipulated with residents making reservations for non-residents 51 ● Taxpayers shouldn't subsidize private events through taxes 2  Minutes of the December 1, 2025, meeting of the Parks, Property & Streets Committee – APPROVED 1 It was suggested that an off-season rate from October through April might make sense, even if it 2 costs slightly more to heat facilities, as it would encourage community gathering. 3 By consensus, the committee agreed to maintain current fees while researching rates at neighboring 4 municipalities (Ephraim, Baileys Harbor, and others) and analyzing whether the current fees 5 appropriately cover the village's costs. 6 7 d) Pickleball Policy 8 Schmelzer presented information showing that a small number of groups were effectively 9 monopolizing the pickleball courts during prime morning hours. The current system allows 10 individuals to reserve courts, but the committee observed that what appeared to be the same 11 people were booking under different names to secure consecutive time slots. 12 The committee discussed concerns about administrative burden for staff managing reservations and 13 public accessibility issues. 14 By consensus, the committee agreed to implement a "first come, first served" policy for the pickleball 15 courts, with only official clubs being permitted to make reservations, which would need to be 16 approved by the committee. The committee would also develop new signage explaining court usage 17 rules. 18 19 e) Mill Road Site; Review Soil Report 20 The committee reviewed a soil report for the Mill Road site that was commissioned to determine its 21 suitability for development. The report indicated no extraordinary concerns that would prevent 22 building on the site, though it noted some areas might require additional excavation and fill. 23 Bhirdo noted that while the report didn't identify major issues, it contained numerous disclaimers 24 and was conducted during a relatively dry period, which might not reveal potential water issues. 25 Schmelzer mentioned that when the Parks building was constructed, excavation had to go quite 26 deep to reach virgin soil due to extensive fill on that site. 27 By consensus, the committee agreed to forward the report to the Village Board without a specific 28 recommendation, allowing the Board to make a final determination on the site selection. 29 30 f) Binocular Proposal; Reduced Price 31 The committee received information about a reduced price offer for installing binoculars at a village 32 park. The committee had previously decided against this purchase and maintained that position 33 despite the price reduction. 34 By consensus, the committee declined the binocular purchase offer. 35 36 g) Cold Storage Building; Next Steps 37 Linczmaier updated the committee on his efforts to get estimates from TK for repairs to the cold 38 storage building. He reported that TK is still working on putting together quotes for: 39 ● Residing the building (with options for different materials) 40 ● Replacing the roof 41 ● Adding a lean-to for the shuttle bus 42 Linczmaier noted that the current t-11 siding would need replacement, with options including 43 another similar product with a 10-year lifespan or a newer product with a 25-year lifespan. The roof 44 has some water damage that would require sheeting replacement. 45 The committee discussed budget constraints, noting that only about $36,000 remained from 46 previous project funds. They agreed to wait for the detailed estimates before making decisions on 47 how to proceed. 48 By consensus, the committee agreed to wait for TK's estimates and revisit the matter at a future 49 meeting. 50 3  Minutes of the December 1, 2025, meeting of the Parks, Property & Streets Committee – APPROVED 1 h) Grutzmacher Little Library Design 2 The committee reviewed options for a Little Free Library to honor Marge Grutzmacher. Bhirdo and 3 Howson had researched various models. 4 The committee discussed size requirements to accommodate children's books, durability concerns in 5 Wisconsin weather, and aesthetic considerations. 6 Bhirdo volunteered to share the options with Marge to get her input. The committee also agreed to 7 purchase the commemorative plaque for an additional $75. 8 By consensus, the committee agreed to purchase a Little Library with Bhirdo coordinating design 9 selection and painting. 10 11 7. Staff Report, Board Update 12 The committee briefly reviewed Linczmaier's written report. 13 Bhirdo expressed concern about the Village Board halting work on the administration building and 14 Triangle Road projects. She questioned how to improve alignment between committee 15 recommendations and board decisions, noting that the disconnect was leading to delays and wasted 16 resources. 17 Laszkiewicz observed that the committee's role was to make recommendations based on their best 18 judgment, while the board would ultimately make decisions, sometimes influenced by community 19 feedback. 20 Bell suggested that developing a village-wide strategic plan would help create clearer direction for 21 committees and reduce misalignment. 22 23 8. Matters to be Placed on a Future Agenda or Referred to a Committee, Official or Employee 24 Items to be placed on future agendas included: 25 ● Bench policy and pricing update 26 ● Cold storage building next steps 27 ● Fire station rental fees (for a future meeting) 28 ● Facility rental fees research 29 30 9. Next Meeting: Regular Meeting January 5, 2026, at 1:00 PM 31 The committee discussed the next meeting date, noting that January 5, 2026, would be the new 32 administrator's first day. By consensus, the committee agreed to cancel the January meeting and 33 next meet on February 2, 2026. 34 35 10. Adjourn 36 Motion to adjourn made by Laszkiewicz, second by Ahrens. Meeting adjourned at 3:44 P.M. Motion 37 carried – all ayes. 38 39 Respectfully submitted by Sarah Bertges, Administrative Assistant 4