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St. Clair administrator flags public‑works capacity, pledges records review on downtown park tree project
Summary
City Administrator Mike Welty told the Park Board he will research past grant files and clarify volunteer/donor responsibilities after years of stop‑start downtown park tree and concrete work; he said city crews are prioritized for utilities and may lack capacity for donated construction work.
City Administrator Mike Welty told the St. Clair Park Board he will investigate the history and funding of a long‑running downtown park tree and sidewalk project and update the board at its next meeting, after board members raised concerns about volunteer expectations and incomplete work.
Welty said he has asked a state parks staff member to photocopy the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) folder for the affected parks so the city can understand prior grant conditions and restrictions. “She keeps a folder on every park that's LWCF and I said I want you to photocopy your entire folder and send it to me,” he said.
Board members described a project that originally relied on donors and volunteers to remove and replace concrete, plant trees and provide materials; they said those commitments have not fully materialized and that some work remains undone. A Park Board member noted volunteers had expected city crews to finish parts of the project, and Welty responded that public‑works staff “spend all their time putting out fires” maintaining water, sewer and roads and may not have the capacity to perform donated construction work.
Welty proposed two parallel steps: (1) he will determine whether city crews can complete the remaining work and provide timing, and (2) board members will re‑contact donors and volunteers to confirm commitments. He asked the Park Board to hold him accountable for an update at the next meeting.
The board also discussed smaller facility requests in the same meeting: Welty said he will obtain cost estimates for tinting or curtaining gym windows, and members raised the need to replace tattered nets and address daytime supervision for children using portable equipment. The meeting record shows no formal action was taken; Welty said he would present documented proposals to the Board of Aldermen when cost estimates and a scope of work are available.
Welty’s planned next steps: provide the LWCF file and a downtown‑park status update at the next Park Board meeting; confirm whether public‑works staff can complete pending tasks or whether the city should hire contractors or reassign scope to volunteers with private oversight.
