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Pewaukee board approves Pepper Park volunteer refresh; no financial commitment from Parks and Rec at this time
Summary
The Parks and Recreation Board approved a volunteer-led refresh of Pepper Park including new plantings, art projects, and site repairs; volunteers will fund most materials and Parks and Recreation offered limited staff assistance and potential small-scale financial support if needed.
The Pewaukee Parks and Recreation Board voted to approve a volunteer-led refresh of Pepper Park that includes new perennial planting beds, community art installations, and site repairs, with volunteers and local donors supplying most labor and materials.
Julia Westfall, who led the presentation for the volunteer group, described a plan that includes monarch-friendly plantings, butterfly habitats created by local scouts, new planters and signage maintenance, and community art pieces made by Pewaukee students. "The whole little neighborhood there is super involved and super excited," Westfall said, adding that volunteers numbered in the "40 something" and that many plants and supplies had already been donated.
Westfall said the group had removed the park sprinkler system and assembled cost estimates; she reported that removing the sprinkler system lowered projected costs and that the group planned to request in-kind donations such as mulch and soil. "If you take the sprinkler system off here, we're down maybe up to the $3,000 range," a staff speaker said during the discussion.
Board members commended the neighborhood-led effort and voted to approve the project at the meeting. "Buy and you got 40. Well, as Nick mentioned, that's always been a big push of this board, is community involvement and volunteers," one board member said during the vote. The motion to approve passed with all in favor; the board did not authorize a specific financial contribution at the meeting, but staff said Parks and Recreation might contribute at some level if volunteer fundraising did not meet the project's needs.
Volunteers plan a one-day installation push, donated concrete work for securing a food pantry enclosure, and ongoing maintenance by neighborhood volunteers and partner groups including the Pewaukee Area Arts Council and Schulte's nursery. The proposal also included programming ideas to generate modest revenue for maintenance such as seasonal community events.
The board approved the project during the meeting's agenda item and instructed staff to support volunteer coordination and to return to the board if any staff-funded contributions become necessary.
