Oconomowoc aldermen drop pavilion, favor smaller restrooms on Village Green; ask staff for revised renderings

Oconomowoc aldermen on June 17 directed staff to remove the proposed pavilion from the Village Green reconstruction plan, keep the existing parking on the north side of the green where feasible and pursue a discreet, narrow restroom building sited alongside the Lakers building, rather than in the north side of the park.

The council’s direction came after staff walked aldermen through earlier designs and cost estimates and after aldermen said they wanted a revised plan that would be acceptable to a majority of the body before committing additional engineering funds. City Administrator Mark Fry and staff said they will ask MSA, the city’s designer, to produce updated renderings reflecting the changes and to return to council with those images for a follow-up discussion.

Why it matters: The Village Green project has been the council’s highest-profile parks discussion this year. Council members said the large pavilion and associated parking changes drove the earlier plan over budget and prompted public pushback; several downtown business owners have told staff the lack of public restrooms hurts commerce. Council members said they want a compromise that improves the green’s stormwater and public access while limiting new built structures on the green.

Council discussion and staff direction Staff described multiple options previously vetted with the public. A design that included a combined pavilion and restroom building with associated curb modifications carried an estimated price tag of about $1.6 million for the pavilion-plus-restroom roof element. After that estimate was raised publicly earlier this year, the plan lost council support.

Aldermen repeatedly returned to two trade-offs: whether to include permanent restrooms in the green at all, and, if so, where to place them so they serve downtown businesses and events while minimizing visual and programmatic impacts on the green. Several aldermen argued for restoring the park’s large grassy open area and keeping new concrete away from the center of the green.

A majority of council members said they preferred a smaller, elongated restroom structure placed near the Lakers building along Lakers (sometimes called —3—————————————————————————) to minimize the footprint and visual impact. Staff said the smaller building under discussion could be a roughly 15-by-40-foot unit (two small stalls) or a slightly longer 15-by-60 configuration; aldermen noted that typical guidance is roughly one lavatory stall per 50 event attendees.

Council members also asked staff to preserve parking that supports events, to keep food-truck pullouts where feasible, and to maintain the boardwalk and lakefront improvements that most aldermen called a —3must-have.

Next steps and limits on advancement Staff said they will ask MSA to prepare one or two revised renderings showing: removal of the pavilion; options that retain the north parking lot where feasible; and one or two restroom sizing/location options concentrated along the Lakers building side of the green. Staff said they intend to return with those revised graphics to let the council decide whether to proceed to engineering and bidding.

Multiple aldermen emphasized they will not support further design or bidding until they are confident that at least six aldermen support the concept; staff said they would take that requirement into account before spending additional capital funds. Staff also said they will meet with the Lakers building owner, who previously indicated reluctance to have a facility attached to that building, before finalizing any location that adjoins private property.

What the council did and did not decide Council members did not adopt a final design or vote to award any construction contract. Instead the council gave staff direction to prepare updated, narrower design options and asked staff to return with those renderings for further consideration. No formal motion or budget appropriation for construction was approved at the meeting.

Context and background The Village Green effort dates to earlier public design work and a prior council-approved plan that failed to muster support late last winter after a final cost estimate. That earlier plan included a larger pavilion and a restroom component; some of the design conflict centered on how the German Christmas market and other multi-day events would use the park footprint.

The revised approach seeks to balance business owners’ requests for permanent restrooms with council members’ repeated desire to preserve a wide, largely concrete-free central lawn and to keep upfront project costs within a range the council is willing to support.

Close watchers: staff will return with MSA-rendered options showing (a) no pavilion and bathrooms set alongside the Lakers; (b) retention of parking where possible; and (c) a range of small restroom sizes. Council members said they will not commit to any bidding or construction until they see the updated renderings and until six aldermen indicate support.