Council directs staff to negotiate purchase of Dash Park expansion after presentation on splash pad design

The Onalaska Common Council on July 8 directed staff to negotiate the city’s acquisition of the Dash Park expansion area for $300,000, with the parcel and public improvements to be developed by the property owner and transferred to the city when completed.

SmithGroup landscape architect Nathan Hilmer presented design plans for the expansion — showing a covered picnic shelter, restrooms, an accessible path, lawn space and a roughly 2,200-square-foot splash-pad/fountain area with interactive jets and “leaper” streams. Hilmer and city staff described the design intent, choices for surfaces and furnishings, water-usage choreography (push-button runs of roughly 90 seconds), vehicle-rated removable bollards for the alley, and restroom visibility and access.

Questions from alderpersons covered capacity, water costs and discharge, restroom hours and access, surface slip resistance, piping life expectancy, and event use of the splash pad area. City staff said potable water would supply the fountain and, under plumbing and environmental practice in similar projects, the water would be routed to the storm‑drain system (not municipal sanitary treatment) and metered; staff also described winterization and pipe protection practices. A timber-and-limestone restroom and a boomerang-shaped shelter are part of the current construction documents.

Council later considered a draft purchase/developer agreement for the privately constructed expansion area and directed staff to negotiate terms with the Scoggan family (owners/developers). The administration explained that the city had $300,000 earmarked in park-development funds for a splash pad, and that rather than paying for a single component of a private project (which would raise public-bid requirements), the preferred approach is to fund acquisition of the developed park parcel and accept dedication after construction. City attorneys said staff would return with a final purchase agreement after negotiations and legal review.

On a motion framed by the city attorney and made by Alder Jim Benash (seconded by Alder Steven Knott), council voted unanimously to direct staff to negotiate the purchase of the Dash Park expansion area for $300,000 and to return with a final agreement. Council also moved into a brief closed session to address negotiation details and returned to open session with a unanimous vote to proceed.

Design and implementation issues highlighted by the council and staff include park accessibility, restroom hours tied to splash-pad operations, water metering, maintenance responsibilities once dedicated to the city, off‑hours security, and the possibility of reserving the splash pad area for private events by temporarily disabling the jets. Staff said alley closures would be achieved with removable, vehicle-rated bollards to allow event vehicle access when needed. The agreement will be subject to the Scoggan family’s review and to final council approval.