Wednesday, May 15, 2013
After a return to the drawing board, designers have options that may reduce the cost for the pavilion in Park Arthur, but costs still remain about double of what was budgeted.
The classic question that seems to hover over Park Arthur in Muskego continues to be, "Do we spent a lot of money now and get it done sooner, or spread out the costs over time and lengthen the time it takes to complete the work in the park?" Monday night the pavilion came back for review, and Susan Becker with Graef consulting offered a list of options that could be likened to an a la carte offering of amenities for the pavilion and shelter. Earlier costs that hovered around $750,000 had board members suffering from sticker shock. New options have lowered the cost to approximately $600,000, but it's still double that of what the city had budgeted for the pavilion. Craig Anderson, Parks Director explained that grant monies coming in from …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
A 2.7-mile trail from Big Bend to Muskego will eventually link up with the equestrian trail along Janesville Road, but the neighboring town has a special request for Muskego's portion.
It seems that Big Bend is also looking to expand their trail system, and will be constructing a trail from its village park east to the intersection of Janesville Road (County L) and Edgewood Avenue. Seeing an opportunity to extend the use for bikers to enter Muskego, officials there have extended an offer. Eric Pedersen, Superintendent of Public Works for Big Bend, wrote Muskego Parks Director Craig Anderson to ask if he would be interested in linking an existing equestrian trail in Muskego to its planned bike and walking trail. Pedersen felt that the trail in Muskego sees little use, and he'd hope to create a connection between the two communities. Anderson presented the idea at the Parks Board meeting Monday night, and said that the …
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
A list of negatives were too much to overcome for a volleyball court at Moorland Park in Muskego
There won't be sand court volleyball at Moorland Park after costs that continued to exceed the budget and a litany of other concerns left the Park Board with no reason to fund it. The costs for supplying the courts with sand initially came in at more than double that of the entire budget of $5,000. Fuel and transportation were likely behind the initial estimate $10,600. Parks Director Craig Anderson looked into alternatives to bring costs down like having the city's own trucks transport the material, but he told the board it would require 38 trips. "We looked at this option, but soon realized that we really wouldn't recoup any costs," Anderson said. He explained that a lower estimate from another supplier was still $3,400 over budget, but …
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…
Friday, January 18, 2013
Muskego Kickers given a green light to use practice fields in fall into late evening, but Park Board declined their use at Kurth.
The popularity of soccer could light up the evenings this fall at Denoon Park, as the Park and Recreation Board approved a request from coaches Donnie Jackson and Dan Salton to use temporary lighting for practices. They originally had requested the use of the lights, which rest on portable generators and can be locked while not in use, at Kurth Park as well, but the board said the proximity of homes would make that undesirable. Practices for the select soccer teams would be held Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., with the lights used from dusk until 8:45 p.m. beginning this fall. Salton and Jackson explained that they had used the lights in New Berlin this past season with no issues from neighbors. The club rotates its …
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 …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
The lot line between private property and park land means a Muskego homeowner will either need to enter a written agreement with city to access his garage, or possibly tear it down to reconfigure his driveway.
It's a problem Jim Mortle says he inherited, but he may be required to work with the city so he can use park land in order to put his car in his garage. Another chapter in a dispute that had the Parks and Recreation board looking into just where property lines existed between a lake access parcel and Mortle's private lakeside property ended with little resolution Monday night. A proposal from Mortle requesting a permanent easement was denied by the board. He told the board he had hoped the proposal would end the debate so driving on the asphalt roadway, which is technically park land, wouldn't put him in violation of park rules. The roadway that is Park Drive continues to the lake and becomes park land at Lake Drive. It is also parallel to…
Monday, January 14, 2013
Lake access 12 and its neighbor, Jim Mortle, will be back at the table to see what beautification efforts can be made to restore the parcel, and what portion of the cost will be Mortle's.
When Jim Mortle made an offer to purchase a piece of a lake access parcel last fall, neighbors came out to oppose the idea, saying that the homeowner had taken liberties already with the city-owned land. Mortle eventually withdrew his offer, but Parks director Craig Anderson said that the land division was problematic, and needed some resolution. So at its last meeting, the board agreed to use striping on the asphalt to create a visible delineation between Mortle's property and the lake access, and add split rail fencing where the asphalt ends down to the lake. Monday evening at 5:30 p.m. the Parks and Recreation board will meet to discuss further resolution on the issue, including a report from Conservation Coordinator Tom Zagar to …
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Meetings and events in the week to come, along with stories we're working on
Take a look at what's coming this week to make sure you don't miss something important. Monday, Jan. 14 - Zumba Gold Classes, Tudor Oaks Retirement Community 9:45 a.m. $36 Parks Board Meeting, Alderman's Room, City Hall, 5:30 p.m. Zumba Classes, St. Paul Lutheran, 6 p.m. Monday Night Ladies League - Kickoff event, Matty's, 7 p.m. School Board Meeting, Lake Denoon Middle School, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 15 - Community Development Authority, Alderman's Room, City Hall, 6 p.m. Library Board, Muskego Public Library, 6 p.m. Jazz with "Hat's Off", Sauced Restaurant, 6 p.m. Festival Committee, Muskego Public Library room 5, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16 - Muskego Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, Matty's, 5:30 p.m. Zoning Board of Appeals, …
The Warrior
5:48 pm on Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Everything the government does is funded by the taxpayers. I was not comparing the volleyball court to the Lake park anyway. more ›