MARATHON COUNTY PARK COMMISSION AGENDA ADDENDUM Date Tuesday, November 7, 2017 Conference Room 3 Time 3:30pm 212 River Drive, Wausau, WI 54403 Gary Gisselman (President), Jacob Langenhahn (Vice-President) Commissioners: Connie Conrad, John Durham, Joe Gehin, Pat Peckham, Rick Seefeldt Marathon County Mission Statement: Marathon County Government serves people by leading, coordinating, and providing county, regional, and statewide initiatives. It directly or in cooperation with other public and private partners provides services and creates opportunities that make Marathon County and the surrounding area a preferred place to live, work, visit, and do business. (Last updated: 12-20-05) Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department Mission Statement - To provide a park and forest recreation system that will meet the needs of our current and future generations, preserve and protect the County’s open space, water, historical, cultural, and natural resources; and provide recreation opportunities that are designed to enhance the County’s quality of life. Agenda Items: I. Call to Order II. Public Comment Period – Not to Exceed 15 Minutes III. Approve Minutes of the September 5, 2017 Park Commission Meeting Policy Discussion and Possible Action IV. Humane Society Outdoor Kennels - Discussion and Possible Action Concerning Humane Society Proposal to Install Outdoor Kennels at their Facility Adjacent to Sunny Vale Park and Softball Complex V. Motor Bicycles on the Mountain-Bay State Park Trail – Discussion and Possible Action on Allowing Motor Bicycles on the Mountain-Bay State Park Trail Education VI. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) Update – Report and Discussion on the Implications of EAB Being Found in the Wausau Area VII. Department Director Position – Report and Discussion on the Retirement and Subsequent Recruitment of the Department Director Position VIII. Report and Discussion of Current Programs and Events IX. Project Update X. Future Agenda Items XI. Next Regular Meeting – Tuesday, December 5, 2017 at 3:30pm XII. Adjournment Signed________________________________ Presiding Officer or His Designee FAXED TO DAILY HERALD THIS NOTICE POSTED AT THE COURTHOUSE (Email/Fax City Pages, Marshfield News, Midwest Radio Group) Date___________ Time___________ Date_____________ Time______________ By_____________________________ By___________________________________ Any person planning to attend this meeting who needs some type of special accommodation in order to participate should call the County Clerk’s Office at 715-261-1500 or e-mail [email protected] one business day before the meeting. DRAFT MARATHON COUNTY PARK COMMISSION WAUSAU, WI Regular Meeting Tuesday, September 5, 2017 212 River Drive, Wausau WI 3:30 pm Present: Connie Conrad, John Durham, Joe Gehin, Gary Gisselman, Pat Peckham, Rick Seefeldt Excused: Jacob Langenhahn Staff Present: Bill Duncanson, Peter Knotek, Dan Fiorenza, Greg Freix Others Present: Media-Channel 7 WSAW Posting of the Agenda: President Gary Gisselman called the meeting to order. Official notice and the agenda for this meeting were posted publicly in accordance with the State statutes. Public Comment Period – none brought forward Motion by Durham, second by Conrad to approve the August 1, 2017 Park Commission and Joint Park Commission/Fair Board minutes. Motion carried by voice vote, no dissent. 2018 Budget - Discussion and Possible Action on the Proposed Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Department 2018 Budget – Duncanson said the 2018 budget is coming together more slowly than in previous years. It may be a good thing because material and supply costs can be expected to increase because of hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Personnel costs include wage increases of two percent. Benefit cost increases are currently budgeted at 5% for health insurance and 0% for dental. The Department is proposing to increase seasonal wages by at least $1.00/hour depending on the difficulty in recruiting various positions and how critical those positions are for delivering various services. Some may be increased a bit more based on scarcity and that will probably occur more on the City side than the County side. There were some revenue increases in 2017 in a number of areas but it doesn’t reflect a lot in the routine base budget a whole lot because some of the greatest revenue increases were in areas where there are specialized budgets like Nine Mile and the Eastbay Sports Complex. Staff is proposing a 5% increase in shelter fees because the shelter fees are low compared to other park agencies in central Wisconsin. These fees would apply to the 2019 shelter rates because the 2018 fees are already set. Staff is proposing to eliminate the words boat launch from the boat launch violation and create a violation notice that covers launches and other fee areas like Nine Mile. Currently if someone doesn’t pay the posted fee at boat launches they are given a $25.00 violation notice. If they were to be given an ordinance citation for not paying the fee it would cost them $200.50 including the legal and court costs. Violation notice revenues stay in the Department while ordinance citation revenues do not. The Department is going to increase the violation notice fee to $50.00 because significant administrative time is spent on dealing with many of them. Duncanson explained that a new fee is being instituted for opening a shelter prior to 8:00 a.m. which will cover the overtime expense of bringing in an employee to do that. A MPB#1 and MPB#2 compromise rate was negotiated between hockey and figure skating, and there is a fee for private sector demonstrations of bicycles or other equipment at Nine Mile. Non-commercial and commercial livestock event fees were clarified for Seefeldt. Motion by Conrad, second by Seefeldt to approve the Marathon County comprehensive fee schedule for 2018 and into 2019. Motion carried by voice vote, no dissent. Program and Event Report – Report and Discussion on Current Programs and Events – Fiorenza said some upcoming events include a power boat racing event at Bluegill Bay Park, the 1st Annual Ginseng Festival, Artworld/Art in the Park, Ragnar Running Race, United Way Community Fest, Stable 1 Hands fundraiser, and a ride for Jason Weiland. An Ultimate Frisbee Tournament will be held at Eastbay Sports Complex and the final event there will be the Fall Mountain Bay Cup with 60 teams from around the State. A week from today the ice gets going in Marathon Park and will be well utilized. The Riverwolves will be starting in October. Project Update - Hockey Locker Room – The Youth Hockey Locker Room project has been approved by the Fair Board, CIP Committee and Employee Resources and Finance Committee. We expect approval by the County Board. - 45°N, 90°W Geographic Marker – Trail construction is complete and the concrete marker has been poured as well as four of the five bench pads. Fencing and four benches will be installed this week. Restoration work is needed along the trail and parking lot. Temporary signage has to be printed and installed prior to Ginseng Fest on Sept. 15-16. Additional site work and permanent interpretive signage will be in place for summer 2018. - Marathon Park Stage – The preliminary estimate to remove the stage, relocate water and sanitary lines, construct a new electrical shed and relocate electric services and switch gear, and restore the site comes to about $70,000. Future Agenda Items – nothing brought forward Next Meeting – Regular Meeting Tuesday, October 3, 2017 at 3:30 pm at 212 River Drive, Wausau WI 54403 Adjournment – Motion by Durham, second by Conrad to adjourn at 4:30 p.m. Motion carried by voice vote, no dissent. 2 Marathon County Park Commission November 7, 2017 AGENDA SUMMARY (WITH ADDENDUM) IV. Outdoor Kennels – Discussion and Possible Action Encouraging Humane Society Proposal to Install Outdoor Kennels at Their Facility Adjacent to Sunny Vale Park and Softball Complex May 29, 2017 the Marathon County Board approved a lease agreement (attached) with the Humane Society to lease 4.49 acres of park land to develop and operate an animal shelter. The lease agreement specified that “… the general exterior appearance of all such buildings and additions shall be subject to the approval of the Park Commission, such approval not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed.” Within the last couple of years, the State revised its requirements on keeping dogs to require daily exercise (ATCP 16.22 enclosed) and the Humane Society does not have indoor space available. Subsequently, the Humane Society has developed a plan to create an outdoor kennel/exercise area to comply with the State statute and Wausau Municipal Code 8.08.200 Dangerous Animals (enclosed). PRF staff had input into their plan including mitigating noise from boarding. This plan (attached letter and site plan) required a zoning variance from the City of Wausau which was recently approved. The outdoor area will be utilized between 8 am and 7:30 pm daily. The majority of use will occur between 8 AM and noon when dogs are rotated outside while the indoor pens are being cleaned. At this point, the Humane Society has obtained cost estimates and raised the necessary funds for the project at current material costs. Staff recommends approving the Humane Society’s plans for an outdoor kennel and exercise area which includes 2 banks of 13 kennels and 1 bank of 5 high security kennels. All are on concrete pads and have partial roofs for weather protection and sound attenuation and all have the required security fencing and gating. V. Motor Bicycles on the Mountain-Bay State Park Trail – Discussion and Possible Action on Allowing Motor Bicycles on the Mountain-Bay State Park Trail On August 1, 2017 the Wisconsin Statute NR 45.05(3)(em) Motor bicycles (enclosed) went into effect. The statute allows bicycles with electric motors (E-bikes) at speeds less than 15 MPH while the motor is engaged on State trails.