Consultants and staff presented a draft five‑year Parks and Open Space Plan to the Watertown Common Council on July 1, describing a community engagement process and a list of prioritized projects that officials said will be used for Department of Natural Resources (DNR) grant applications and capital planning.

Jody Raider of consulting firm HKGI said the plan began in December and includes goals, an implementation strategy and a project list aimed at meeting Wisconsin DNR requirements for outdoor recreation plans. “We welcome any questions,” Raider told the council.

Council discussion focused on maintenance and prioritization. Alder Polanky called the plan “extremely comprehensive” and asked the staff to add adjournment times to minutes; Alder Davis and several others noted the city already has many parks and raised whether maintenance should take priority over adding new sites.

Several council members pressed for clearer, itemized information about restroom condition and replacement needs. Staff said Lincoln, Union, Timothy Johnson and one other set of restrooms have recently been renovated and will remain; Riverside restrooms by the tennis courts and some units at Washington Park will need “complete removal and rebuild” or modular family‑style replacements because of plumbing and fixture deterioration. Chamberland Playground is listed as a roughly $1 million capital renovation need.

The plan includes these near‑term details: nine neighborhood playgrounds in need of immediate replacement, three slated new parks tied to housing subdivisions, recommendations for improved river and water access, and a suggested facility‑use agreement to coordinate programming with organizations such as the YMCA. Staff reported a parks staffing gap equivalent to about 7.5 full‑time employees compared with national benchmarks and said the housing and population projections from upcoming developments will increase park demand.

Councilors asked that the draft plan’s recommended projects be merged into the city’s capital improvement program for 2027 budget planning. Christine (city staff) said she would return with a formal resolution at a future meeting that integrates the plan into the capital schedule.

Why it matters: the plan sets the city’s park priorities for the next five years, determines eligibility for DNR grants, and drives capital‑budget choices. Councilors emphasized preserving current assets and directing future investments toward active river uses, restroom replacements that match expected usage, and clearer cost estimates before committing funds.