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Waukesha parks board recommends 4K contract, awards wayfinding design, approves fees and equipment purchase
Summary
The Waukesha City Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Board on July 21 recommended a 2025–26 4K recreation services contract with the School District of Waukesha, approved awarding a citywide bike/ped wayfinding design contract, adopted the fall fees schedule and athletic-facility handbook edits, and authorized purchase of a stump grinder. All motions passed unanimously.
The Waukesha City Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Board on July 21 unanimously approved a slate of recommendations and purchases and forwarded contracts to the Common Council for final action where required.
The board recommended approval of the 2025–26 recreation services contract to provide 4K Foxtail services in partnership with the School District of Waukesha. Mark Thompson, the department recreation staff member who runs the Foxtail program, said the community partner arrangement includes DPI-certified instructors and that the department invoices the district at $780 per pupil per quarter while DPI provides reimbursement to the district. Thompson said the current roster shows 15 enrolled students with an expectation of 2–5 additional enrollments in August and noted this would be the program’s 17th year in partnership with the district.
The board also voted to recommend awarding the citywide bicycle/pedestrian wayfinding and signage design contract to Damon Farber Landscape Architects. Staff said the city received 11 proposals and selected Damon Farber in part because the firm is partnering with Kale Engineering, which has worked on previous local trail projects. Staff emphasized that cost was one of several factors considered in the review panel’s ratings; the specific contract amount was not stated during the board presentation.
Board members approved the proposed fall 2025 recreation fees and charges. Recreation staff described a catalog of 432 class sessions this term and outlined program-level changes and capacity constraints: preschool and youth classes, a growing homeschool program, near-capacity adult fitness classes during peak hours, and added early-morning pickleball sessions to meet demand. Staff noted that some senior programming is supported by Community Development Block Grant funding.
Minor revisions to the athletic facilities policies and procedures handbook were approved, including a $1-per-hour increase for softball and baseball diamond rentals and a $20 increase to the daily tournament rate at Saratoga and WRL complexes. Greg Wilcox, the recreation facilities coordinator, said most changes were wording or grid clarifications and that the changes were modest this year.
Finally, the board authorized purchase of a towable Brush Band 3100 stump grinder—intended to replace a 1996 Vermeer SC1102—after staff said the machine with a Caterpillar 120-horsepower diesel engine and a two-year warranty was available at $89,907.60, which staff said is below the $110,000 budgeted CIP amount.
All motions on the agenda passed unanimously; where a city council recommendation is required, staff will forward the relevant contracts and agreements for council review. The board’s next substantive budget/CIP review is expected in August as preliminary capital and operating budgets are developed.
