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Committees direct parks director to seek cost estimate for Pearl Street —Spark' placemaking concept after parking and funding debate
Summary
After a long discussion of design, parking and funding, Hans moved and committees approved a directive for the parks director to seek a probable cost estimate for Pearl Street —Spark' placemaking recommendations so staff can refine designs and prepare grant applications, including a WEDC placemaking grant referenced for March 2026.
The New London joint Parks & Recreation and Economic Development committees voted Dec. 2 to direct the parks director to seek a probable cost estimate for the Pearl Street —Spark— placemaking recommendations and return to the committees with engineering figures.
Hans, who introduced the motion, said the requested step is meant to produce engineering-based cost breakdowns so the committees can decide what elements to pursue. "I would make a motion ... encouraging the parks director to move forward with seeking a probable cost estimate on the Spark recommendations and then to come back to these committees," Hans said. The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.
The recommendation follows extensive discussion about scope and trade-offs. Staff described the Spark concept as a set of conceptual designs to increase walkability, create programmable space for events and food trucks, and better link underused municipal parking. Staff also reported outreach to the owner of a privately held parcel adjacent to Wolf River Pub and Longevity Nutrition about a possible sale to expand a pocket-park design.
Opponents and cautious members raised concerns about parking loss, safety and project scale. One committee member said the discussion had "gone off the rails" from small placemaking items to what felt like building an additional park, noting uncertainty over funding and potential safety issues. Supporters urged a phased approach, using probable cost estimates and parking studies to determine affordable elements.
Staff flagged funding mechanisms and timelines: the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation placemaking grant (WEDC) was referenced with applications due in March 2026; staff said having designs and cost estimates would better position the city to apply. Ginger said probable engineering and design costs vary by complexity and gave a planning-range example: "I'm not gonna say any lower than $8,000 ... When I did that with the Nook Nature Center, it was 50 and up." The committees agreed the next step is the cost estimate rather than committing capital or selecting a final design.
The motion directs the parks director to return with a cost-estimate breakout for the project's component parts so the committees can identify which elements might be pursued and funded through grants, TID dollars or phased local investment.
