Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Park Conflicts topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges commission to prioritize path and separation of park uses, warns of conflicts at Lake Andrea and Ingram Park
Summary
Resident Brett Brandenburg urged the commission to address growing conflicts at Lake Andrea — including trailer parking limits, fishermen occupying docks, and proposed dog fencing — and to prioritize widening the lake path over new pickleball courts. He also criticized moving dog swimming from Ingram Park to Lake Andrea without addressing root causes.
A Pleasant Prairie resident who identified himself as Brett Brandenburg addressed the commission during public comment on Oct. 7 with a lengthy set of concerns about competing park uses.
Brandenburg said Lake Andrea is a limited resource and described repeatedly encountering parking shortages and boat‑launch problems: fishermen occupying the docks, a ramp that drops off into deep water, and trailer parking that leaves users staged on a narrow roadway. "Trying to launch my boat is a whole another thing with all the traffic that comes in and out of there," he said.
He criticized a budget line he said showed a $20,000 fence for a proposed dog area at the lake and warned of conflicts if a fenced dog area is placed where boaters, kayakers and anglers congregate. Brandenburg urged commissioners to avoid "kicking the can down the road" by relocating dog activities from Ingram Park to Lake Andrea without first addressing Ingram Park solutions and parking.
On Ingram Park, he said the dog pond failed and that some residents have circulated a petition; he said moving dog swimming to Lake Andrea is a temporary fix that sacrifices other park uses. He also described proposed bike pump‑track events at Ingram Park and cautioned that "bikers and pedestrians do not mix. Bikers and dogs do not mix. Bikers and kids do not mix."
Brandenburg asked the commission to prioritize repairing and widening the 4–5‑foot path around Lake Andrea (a recurring survey priority since 2000) rather than adding new pickleball courts, arguing the path serves many daily users and reducing conflicts should be a near‑term budget priority.
Staff thanked him for the comments, said they would factor concerns into planning, and confirmed the village board earlier approved closure of the Ingram Pond; staff noted ongoing water testing and said signage currently notifies users to use at their own risk during winter months. The commission discussed the process for converting public comments into future agenda items under open meetings law, and staff said commissioners can request items for future agendas.
