Mobility & Infrastructure Committee

MOBILITY & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE AGENDA COMMISSION CONFERENCE ROOM 4243 REMEMBRANCE RD. NW. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2025 4:00 PM Call Meeting to Order - Record Attendance 1. Committee members: Steve Gilbert (Chair), Elaina Huizenga-Chase, Jessica Babcock, and Alternate is Thom Burke Discussion Items 1. Approval of Minutes from December 9, 2024 2. Memo - 2025/2026 Budgeted and Proposed Expenditures 3. Park Improvements for 2025-2026 Review of proposed park upgrades for Community Park 4. Major and Local Street Overlay Program Review of overlay and road maintenance schedule for 2025/2026 5. Sidewalk and Trail Connectivity Review of ongoing sidewalk and trail connectivity priorities Adjournment Page 1 of 5  MOBILITY & INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES COMMISSION CONFERENCE ROOM MONDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2024 5:30 PM Call Meeting to Order - Record Attendance a) Committee members: Steve Gilbert (Chair), Elaina Huizenga-Chase, and Jessica Babcock b) City Staff: Mayor Carey, Manager Schmalzel, Manager Wash Discussion Items a) Approval of April 8, 2024 Meeting Minutes Motion by Jessica Babcock, seconded by Elaina A. Huizenga-Chase to approve the April 8, 2024 meeting minutes. Motion Carried. b) English Hills Park Master Plan Discussion Assistant City Manger, Frank Wash, provided background about the property east of English Hills Park and shared a plan for potential acquisition of the land for park expansion. F. Wash said that the steps forward would be to get an updated appraisal of the property and work with VIRIDIS on a Michigan DNR grant application. He stated that the deadline for the application is April 1, 2025. Discussion was held. Motion by Jessica Babcock, seconded by Elaina A. Huizenga-Chase to approve moving forward with the proposed MDNR grant application process to potentially obtain property for an English Hills Park expansion. Motion Carried. c) Other Business Discussion centered around improvements to the Richmond and Wilson intersection. Discussion about future county to city road transition Mobility & Infrastructure Committee Minutes 12-9-24 Page 1 2 of 2 5 Adjourned at 6:10 PM Mobility & Infrastructure Committee Minutes 12-9-24 Page 2 3 of 2 5  CITY OF WALKER ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: Mobility & Infrastructure Committee FROM: Scott Conners, P.E., City Engineer / Director of Public Services DATE: November 5, 2025 RE: 2025/2026 Budgeted and Proposed Expenditures We have several items that we would like to share at the November 10th Mobility and Infrastructure Committee meeting. They cover recreation, parks, roads, and non-motorized transportation. We hope to keep the meeting brief but still provide you with updates on these key issues. Our list is as follows: 1. Park Improvements for 25/26 – Jason DeBoer & Jake Gardner (DPW) will review the proposed park upgrades for Community Park that include safety enhancements and replacement of outdated equipment. First will be protective fencing to protect the playground area from home run balls at Community Park’s softball field. Balls are leaving the park at an increasing rate and entering the playground area while it is actively being used. A temporary fence is proposed during our softball season. The net can be removed in the fall and reinstalled each spring. An upgrade to the playground equipment is also proposed. Components of the play system are coming into disrepair, and parts are no longer available to fix the system. A conceptual layout and estimated cost will be shared. We have also authorized a new electrical connection to covered pavilion. It is our hope to have the fencing and electrical connection available in the spring. The playground equipment will take a bit more refinement as the exact combination of components is being fine-tuned at staff level. But we intend to have that installed during the current budget year. Additional enhancements to our city parks are already being scoped for 2026/2027. 2. Major and Local Steet Overlay Program – Gary Postema & Jake Gardner (DPW) will review their overlay and road maintenance schedule for 25/26. Scott Conners Page 4 of 5  (Engineering) will also share the updated road ratings list for the city along with a quick update on how roadways are selected for maintenance. 3. Sidewalk and Trail Connectivity – Scott Conners (Engineering) will provide an update on the current sidewalk and trail connectivity projects. We will also share a sample sign that is consistent with the regional trail marking signage guide prepared by the West Michigan Trails organization. The signs are being implemented along our new Fruit Ridge trail. We hope to inquire about future priorities for the sidewalk network as well. 4. Other Items – Our group can help field any additional questions the committee may have. Please feel to reach out to me directly with any advance questions. You can call me at 616-791- 6792 or email at sconners@walker.city. We look forward to meeting with you. Cc: Darrel Schmalzel, City Manager Gary Postema/Jake Gardner/Jason DeBoer, DPW Michelle May/MaryKay Sherman, Recreation Travis Mabry, P.E., Engineering Page 5 of 5