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Director outlines parks projects: tree plantings, pool ramp, playground and partnership plans
Summary
Director John Crane reviewed park operations and projects, including plans to remove about 90 trees, plant roughly 175 this spring, a new pool ramp project, playground upgrades at Blythe and Lions parks, a rain garden project with Lake Michigan Bird Observatory and use of the city nursery seeded by a DNR grant.
Director John Crane gave a sweeping report on operations and capital projects. He told the board the department plans roughly 90 tree removals this year for safety or decline and will plant about 175 trees this spring, drawing on liner stock from the city nursery that was started with a DNR forestry grant. A board member observed that the city sometimes plants at larger annual scales (about 400 in some years), and Crane said numbers can fluctuate depending on projects and past conditions such as emerald ash borer and drought years.
Crane listed near-term capital and maintenance work: a new wooden ramp/walkway at the pool entrance (a capital expense), resurfacing work at Stacker Park and new fencing, equipment replacement at Lions Park (carryover from last year's budget), and a proposed paved municipal parking lot at the ball field to address dust and washout concerns. He said street department crews will handle bulk labor for courts and parking work and that interdepartmental coordination helps stretch staff capacity.
Other items: the department will keep a small set of winter bathrooms open (Veterans Park, Possibility Playground and the South Wisconsin Fish Cleaning Station), is working with Leesner's Topsoil to tub grind brush at no charge for mulch production, and plans a rain garden/cold-dock project with the Lake Michigan Bird Observatory funded through grants and volunteer support.
On pool timing, Crane said opening activities and lifeguard training begin in May; the board discussed the possibility of adjusting the pool's season if the school calendar shifts, but Crane noted pool-code constraints and staffing considerations and cited the planned opening day around June 13.
Crane also described operational trade-offs: structural pruning and clearance pruning balance, use of bare-root stock for cost and planting speed, and reliance on a small but skilled crew supplemented by street department labor.
