Muskego Parks staff review 2025 capital work; boat launches, fields and dredging highlighted

MUSKEGO — Parks staff on Tuesday presented updates on completed and proposed capital projects, saying a donated, newly finished playing field at Park Arthur will be used this weekend and that boat-launch dredging and parking improvements are planned or under way at multiple sites.

Scott (staff member) opened the committee’s capital project presentation by showing photos of Field 4 at Park Arthur and noting private sponsorship: “Impro was 1 of the main, sponsors of this, gave a big donation … This Friday will be the first time it'll be used. It's the Muskegon Warriors tournament,” he said.

The presentation covered four larger capital items and several maintenance projects. Scott described Idle Isle boat-ramp work that reorganized traffic into a single loop, added about “anywhere 10 to 20 new spots” of angled parking, and installed a new concrete pad at the ramp to facilitate simultaneous loading and unloading. He said two boat-washing stations are in place and that staff view them as “the most effective way to get take care of invasive species,” attributing that guidance to the DNR.

Scott also reviewed a dredging project completed near the bulkhead/pier: the permit plan showed excavation roughly 100 feet out from the pier and 50 feet on both sides, removing “about a foot” and roughly “740 cubic yards” of material; that spoil is drying behind silt fencing and will be mixed with topsoil and reused where appropriate. He said the Denoon Park (referred to in the presentation as Denoon/Danoon) boat launch is slated for similar dredging in 2026 and described permitting as the major administrative task: “It's all the grants and working with the DNR and getting the sampling. I probably had to for that 1, I had to get 3 grant or, 3 permits,” Scott said.

On funding, Scott said Bridal Isle received a $150,000 DNR grant: $75,000 was provided up front and the remaining $75,000 is expected after invoices are submitted. He said the Lake/Denoon dredging estimate being used in planning is about $135,000; staff are awaiting DNR sampling results before finalizing the permit and schedule. Scott told the committee dredged material is being kept on-site to allow it to dry because “if it's contaminated. We have to probably take it to a landfill, and that will cost a lot of money.”

Looking ahead to 2026, staff listed a splash pad as the top new capital priority and said the project as envisioned would include a mechanical/storage building and two heated restrooms; cost estimates and maintenance funding were not finalized. Scott said the department must submit capital requests to finance by July 11 and that the five-year capital plan remains a draft while staff refine figures.

Committee members asked about dredging depth and timing. Scott said depth estimates are part of permit applications and that dredging windows depend on fish spawning seasons the DNR identifies. A committee member asked whether grants exist specifically for dredging; Scott said the recreation/shoreline grant covered much of the Bridal Isle shoreline work but he had not yet found a targeted dredging grant and would investigate further.

Other 2026 needs mentioned in the presentation included a new roof quote for Manchester Park Pavilion and a proposed rolling service door for the Idle Isle concession stand. Scott said most other items on the five-year plan are standard maintenance.

The committee received the update; no formal motions or votes were recorded during this agenda item.

Staff noted where follow-up work is required: finalizing DNR sampling and permits for Denoon/Denoon-area dredging, completing invoices to secure the remaining Bridal Isle grant funds, and completing cost estimates for the splash pad before the July 11 capital submission deadline.