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Parks board approves Minaka Park playground design, OKs small revisions
Summary
The Waukesha City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Board on June 16 approved a new playground design and equipment purchase for Minaka Park, authorizing staff to request modest revisions — including added shade and an enclosed rear tower — while staying within the $235,000 project budget.
The Waukesha City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Board voted unanimously June 16 to approve the design and equipment purchase for a new Minaka Park playground and authorized staff to request modest revisions, including a shade canopy and a more enclosed rear tower.
Melissa Lipska, Parks and Forestry operations manager, presented updated color renderings and a component list, saying the equipment purchase price is $117,719 through the Sourcewell cooperative purchasing program and that the total project budget is $235,000. "The equipment we're looking for tonight, the purchase price is $117,719 so that is well within our budget," Lipska said.
Nut graf: Board members praised the playground’s inclusive features — such as an ADA-friendly climber, adaptive swings and musical instruments — but some pushed for a stronger local theme rather than a catalog-driven design. Alderman Wells urged staff and the vendor to refine the concept so the park has a more distinctive identity for Waukesha.
Lipska described several accessibility-focused components: a 360-loop ADA climber that allows children to move up a rubber surface rather than steps, adaptive swings, transfer platforms and a friendship/connection swing designed for caregivers and children to ride together. The proposal also includes musical elements similar to those at Meadowview and multiple swing bays and spinning components. Staff identified Burke as the equipment vendor and said the city would procure through Sourcewell to capture available pricing discounts.
Board members discussed three design options presented at a recent public information meeting. One member said residents favored option 2 for its towers and cohesive theme; that member cautioned against accepting a design that could be "plopped into any playground around the state." Lipska agreed to ask the vendor for revisions to add shade over the ramp/tower and to make the rear tower more enclosed to reduce perceived height and improve safety for younger children.
Staff said the department typically allocates about 40%–45% of the project budget to equipment, with surfacing and incidentals covering the rest. Lipska told the board there is flexibility in incidentals and that public works support can reduce demolition and site-prep costs. She said staff could accommodate reasonable changes and recommended the board allow up to $10,000 in additional contingency for minor revisions if needed.
On a motion recorded by the board, the proposal — including the staff direction to pursue the shade and enclosure revisions and to return a final design to staff for confirmation — passed unanimously. The board directed staff to send revised plans to the vendor, Lee Recreation, and to proceed with procurement under the Sourcewell contract.
The board’s action authorizes staff to finalize equipment ordering and to continue site coordination; staff said they expect a quick turnaround from Lee Recreation on revised drawings.
