Parks board approves revised Minaka Park playground design, adds shade and enclosed rear tower

The Waukesha City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Board on June 16 approved a revised design and an equipment purchase for a rebuilt Minaka Park playground, directing staff to add a shade canopy and an enclosed rear tower while keeping the project within the department's 2025 capital improvement plan budget. Motion by Jennifer Wallner, second by Alderman Camacho; the motion passed unanimously.

Board context: The project would replace the existing, smaller Minaka playground (discussants described the current footprint as about 3,000 square feet) with a larger, roughly 4,000-square-foot poured-in-place play surface and a multi-component play ensemble sized between the City's Springs and Bethesda playgrounds. Melissa Lipska, parks and forestry operations manager, told the board the equipment purchase under consideration was $117,719 and that the total project budget in the 2025 CIP is $235,000.

Why it matters: Board members and staff said the replacement will add accessible features and a wider range of play options for ages roughly 2–5 and 5–12, including an ADA-enhanced “3 60” ramp/climber, inclusive swings, spinners and a bouncer. Alderman Wells pressed for a stronger, more cohesive theme and asked staff to push the vendor for additional design elements; staff recommended adding shade over the primary ramp and making the back tower more enclosed to reduce risk for younger children.

Details of the approved package: The board approved the Burke-branded playground equipment proposed through the Sourcewell purchasing program and a poured-in-place surfacing system. Melissa Lipska said the $117,719 figure covers the equipment itself; the department expects equipment to represent roughly 40–50% of the overall project cost, with surfacing and incidentals (concrete ribbon, base stone, dumpsters, site prep) accounting for the remainder. The department noted a $6,000 community-build supervision option and discussed an additional conservative contingency draw of $10,000 for the pour-in-place surfacing based on recent bid experience.

Design features and accessibility: Staff described bright, highly visible color choices and several components intended to expand accessibility and sensory play, including an ADA transfer/roll-up platform (the “3 60” loop), a variety of swings (including a connection/friendship swing), tactile and musical play pieces and an enclosed or partially enclosed tunnel slide. Lee Recreation is the consultant on the project; Burke is the equipment manufacturer/vendor.

Timeline and next steps: Staff will send the requested revisions to Lee Recreation immediately and expected a vendor turnaround within a few business days. The equipment purchase itself does not go before the City Council; the pour-in-place surfacing and any public construction contracts are scheduled to be considered by the Board of Public Works on Aug. 5 (staff said the pour-in-place work is currently out to bid). Staff said the board could receive a final design for confirmation but would not be asked to vote again before vendor contracts and public-works approval processes.

Quotes: Melissa Lipska, parks and forestry operations manager, said of the equipment cost, “the equipment we're looking for tonight, the purchase price is $117,719,” and described the added accessible components and surfacing approach. Alderman Wells argued for a stronger theme and more enclosure on the back tower, saying in part, “if we're going to spend this kind of money on one park for this year, we're going to do one park that we really need to be looking for the best possible playground we can get for our money.”

Outcome and implementation notes: The board approved the design changes and equipment purchase as described, with staff directed to pursue the specified shade canopy and a more enclosed rear tower while managing costs within the approved CIP allocation and incidentals. Staff said they would return a final layout for confirmation and that Lee Recreation would proceed with revised drawings.