Wednesday, March 13, 2013
A desire to focus on putting trails in where the most residents live may anger some on Muskego's south side
Residents living in Champions Village, which is along Highway 36 and North Cape Road, will be asked for a little patience as the recreational trail from Durham Drive to Highway 36 will be diverted from 2014 to 2019 planning. The section would have connected that development to the rest of the Muskego trail system. Stepping in front will be a 'lake loop' series of trails, which weren't scheduled to begin until 2015. The Parks and Recreation Board met Monday night, and debate arose on whether the city should finish the southern section of its recreational trail plan as scheduled, or start to focus on the higher population centers next. "You would have a whole section of trail that would be complete, and it's something we've talked about for …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Despite the snow cover, spring plans are well underway to bring Muskego's Park Arthur further along for baseball, community gathering at permanent pavilion.
Craig Anderson had a full plate of items for Monday night's Parks and Recreation Board Meeting, with Park Arthur making up the main course. The park has $1.1 million in expenditures planned for 2013 to give the park's development a big push, including a permanent pavilion, lighting and paving. Despite what the weather has looked like, spring planning for the park is underway. Among the developments: Pavilion and concessions - Plans were laid out for the board, which asked Susan Becker with Graef Construction to consider moving the site closer to the large baseball field and sledding hill. The center of the pavilion will feature permanent men's and women's restrooms, storage, and a kitchen area that will accommodate refrigeration, sinks and…
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Hearing from residents in his own district, Muskego Alderman Dan Soltysiak asks parks board to reconsider how a dog park could figure into the mix.
With all of the changes to the landscape, including road projects and new recreational trails and a new park, is it time for Muskego to consider adding a dog park to its current recreational offerings? The issue has come up in previous Park and Recreation Board meetings, and was again put on the table Monday night as Alderman Dan Soltysiak explained he's been hearing from constituents that they see a need. Previous suggestions have been to take existing city parks that appear not to be used as much and place a dog park there. "I get emails all the time about dog parks, but I've never gotten one about a splash pad," Soltysiak told Parks Director Craig Anderson. He was referring to a recent project that a department intern conducted, …
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Along with an increased police presence in the parks, Muskego Parks Board hopes "eyes in the skies" as well as cattle gates might take care of vandals, or at least catch them in the act.
After repeated after-hours entries in Park Arthur and Idle Isle Park by four-wheel-drive trucks, solutions have been sought to catch vandals, or prevent them from entering the parks altogether. The Parks and Recreation Board had discussed the use of a gate at Park Arthur to stop trucks from taking the "sledding hill challenge" after closing time. There have been about three such incidents that have left ruts in the hill, damaging the growing turf. Parks Director Craig Anderson also said that as recently as the last month, another vehicle was seen driving around the grass at Idle Isle Park as well. Anderson presented the use of a solar-powered camera that could be placed up and out of the way, an option that was appealing for several …
Friday, December 7, 2012
Park Arthur will be ready once the flakes fly for serious sledding; here are a few things to note before you grab the gloves and go
Park Arthur has been dormant, but its most noticeable feature, the sledding hill, is ready for riders once the weather cooperates, and that may come as soon as Sunday. Craig Anderson, Director of Parks and Recreation, said "the park is open, and the signage is in place to direct people where to park and access the hill." Anderson advised that people use the paved path that leads to the hill, but to be aware of restoration work being done on either side of the path. Access to the park this year will be off of Martin Drive only, and sledders getting to the park via car can park in the middle lot. As snow piles up this lot will be plowed, but other areas of the park won't. "We don't want to plow what we don't need to, and as people can't …
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Originally in the budget for 2013, the grant process means a delay for the aging pier at Idle Isle Park.
The largest budget item in Idle Isle Park for 2013 won't happen until 2014 after all, as a slow grant funding process has reset the schedule. A large floating pier along the shores of the park was targeted for replacement at an estimated cost of $63,000, however the funding that the parks department was hoping to offset those costs will take much longer than anticipated. "I've never really seen anything like this, but basically we have to apply for the grant from the state by December first of this year, but the determination won't come until December of 2013," Parks Director Craig Anderson told the Parks Board Monday night. "We have a couple of choices: to purchase the pier this year as we had planned to have it in the park in 2013, or …
Parks have seen their share of the Canadian visitors, and a mating cycle will bring bigger numbers next year, so the department will get funding to keep the numbers - and the mess - down.
Wildlife is often what draws people to the lake shore and the parks, but too much of a good thing is, well...too much. Expecting a boom in numbers next season, the Parks and Recreation board approved the application for a grant for geese abatement for 2013 and 2014. Craig Anderson, Parks Director, explained, "We generally conduct oiling of eggs and it has helped the numbers in the parks, as well as a goose round up. Last season, we rounded up 87 geese in Idle Isle Park, but missed about 40. There is a three year cycle, where the first two years see a decrease, but the geese that were hatched return to mate in the place they were born, so we're expecting those numbers to climb in 2013."
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Owner withdraws his offer to purchase a portion of land deemed as lake access park, while city hopes to clarify property lines and restore vegetation
Perhaps the adage is true: strong fences make good neighbors. A dispute among neighbors over the use of a lake access parcel was resolved Monday night, using a literal line in the asphalt to clear up confusion. Jim Mortle, whose home is situated along Park Drive, has withdrawn his offer to purchase a portion of the land to beautify the area as well as create a distinction between his property and public access. The street literally leads into Little Muskego Lake, and public lake access parcel 12. The Parks Board met Monday night and Director Craig Anderson told them that he had done surveys to determine lot lines, and admitted "I was surprised at how wide the (city) parcel was. In addition, there is no easement agreement that's on paper - …
The Muskego Athletic Association has penned its commitment to play at the new park, and is footing the bill for the three smaller baseball fields
Another big piece of the Park Arthur puzzle was put into place Monday night, as Parks Director Craig Anderson said he has received a letter of commitment from the Muskego Athletic Association to fund the construction of the three smaller baseball fields there. The commitment includes $135,000 in funds, which will give teams registered through MAA the ability to play there on a priority basis. A larger, regulation-sized field is already well under way, with similar support for that field coming from the Warriors Youth Baseball league. Other Park Arthur updates at Monday's Parks Board meeting include:
Monday, November 12, 2012
After repeated incidents at Park Arthur and Lake Denoon Park, the park board looks for ways to prevent damage.
Beyond a youthful escapade with a truck, the tire marks on the Park Arthur sledding hill have caused some delays and required dollars to fix, and this is before the official opening of hill this coming winter. Similarly, vandalism has been reported at Lake Denoon Park and occasionally at Bluhm Farm Park in past years, and it's apparently come to a point where the Parks and Recreation board will be discussing prevention at its meeting on Monday at 5:30 p.m. One of the incidents at Park Arthur did result in the arrest of a Pewaukee man in 2011, but concern has been raised over what can be done to protect the parks, or to deter vandals. Parks Director Craig Anderson has said while Park Arthur in particular was under development, the placement…
Crosspoint
9:17 am on Monday, March 18, 2013
Muskego's plans to construct a linked set of walking/biking trails is one of the best things this community has done!! more ›