2026.07.28 Park Board Meeting minutes v1.APPROVED

Town of Troy Park Board Minutes, July 28, 2026 APPROVED Page 1 of 6 PARK BOARD MEETING MINUTES July 28, 2026 7:00 pm, Town Hall, Town of Troy Members Present: Jill Berke, Mark Swanson, Alicia Schneider, Adrian Missy (arrived at 7:10pm), Gary Sumner, Michele McElmeel Members Absent: One position is vacant Others present: 1. Call to Order Chair Berke called the meeting of the Town of Troy Park Board to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. Resident Comment There was no resident comment. 3. Approval of minutes, including review and discussion The June 23rd, June 24th, 2026, and July 21st Park Board meeting minutes were reviewed. Member Swanson moved to accept the minutes of the June 23rd, 2026 meeting; second by member Sumner. Motion unanimously carried with member McElmeel abstaining. Member Swanson moved to accept the minutes of the June 24th meeting; second by member Sumner. Motion unanimously carried with member McElmeel abstaining. Member McElmeel moved to accept the minutes of the July 21st, 2026 meeting; second by member Sumner. Motion unanimously carried with Supr. Schneider abstaining. 4. Discuss and consider, Park Ranger April Report The June Park Ranger report was reviewed. Admin. Carlson will arrange for repair of the hand pump at Glover Park. Boat ramp signage has been updated with fees and a temporary sign was added warning of the drop off at end of ramp due to low water. Rangers have reported that some boat ramp users think the county park passes work for the boat ramp as well. Discussed ticket payment procedure. Member Swanson moved to acknowledge the June 2026 Ranger report; second by member McElmeel. Motion unanimously carried. 5. Park Reports: Cove Boat Ramp a. Discuss and consider, activity Rangers have reported lower activity due to the heat. Town of Troy Park Board Minutes, July 28, 2026 APPROVED Page 2 of 6 Glover Park a. Discuss and consider, Glover Park Little Free Library contest timeline Chair Berke updated the proposed timeline using feedback from last month’s meeting. The contest should be posted online by August 30th, re-posted every 2 weeks until September 15, entries will be due by September 30th with May 2027 as the installation goal. Member Swanson moved that the Park Board recommend to the Town Board approval of the updated plan for the Little Free Library at Glover Park; second by member Missy. Motion unanimously carried. b. Discuss and consider, recommendation to Town Board, Friends of Troy Parks The updated Friends of Troy Parks plan, prepared by Chair Berke, was reviewed. Member Swanson suggested amending the last safety guideline to just “do not bring pets.”. Member Missy moved that the Park Board recommend to the Town Board to approve the formalized plan for Friends of Troy Parks last updated 7/28/26; second by member Swanson. There was discussion on lending Town tools and not wanting to give out the shed lock combo (option 1) versus coordinating with Rangers (option 2). Supr. Schneider noted we haven’t had a lot of volunteer groups and this shouldn’t be a burden on the Rangers if volunteering does increase. Admin. Carlson noted that the Rangers don’t have set hours at certain parks, but if it’s an event for a large volunteer group, it could be arranged. Park Board consensus is to use option 2 and add “or Park Board representative.” Admin. Carlson would like to see focus on coordinating events/projects rather than just random volunteers, like having a big work day that gets publicized. There is a project list that needs to be updated that would be provided to the potential volunteer/group. Member Missy agreed to amend his motion to strike option 1 and keep option 2, adding Park Board representative in addition to Park Ranger to meet volunteer at storage building to unlock the storage building and lend out the necessary tools and/or equipment; second by member Swanson. Discussion. Motion unanimously carried with Supr. Schneider not voting. Supr. Schneider asked for clarification on who approves volunteer applications. Admin. Carlson stated that office staff can’t determine appropriate projects for appropriate skill sets, and the Town cannot impose duties on staff that do not have the knowledge to manage the action. The Clerk’s office is too busy to take on this task and the Rangers will also not be responsible for approving projects. Admin. Carlson stated that for an event/large volunteer activity he has no problem committing resources but not just for one-off volunteers. Supr. Schneider would like to see the focus be on big work day events. Member Missy expressed frustration that this has only Town of Troy Park Board Minutes, July 28, 2026 APPROVED Page 3 of 6 now become an issue when the Park Board has been working on this for months. Admin. Carlson clarified that if all we need office staff to do is have volunteers sign the waiver form, give them the project list, and instruct them to contact the Park Board chair, that can be done but they cannot coordinate the projects. This recommendation to the Town Board will be on an upcoming Town Board agenda. c. Discuss and continued discussion, Disposal Center big Little Free Library contest Chair Berke prepared a timeline and plan for the potential big Little Free Library contest. Members Swanson, Sumner, and Missy looked at the shed and agree it will take a lot of work to make the building secure and functional. The roof needs extensive repair. Supr. Schneider noted it would be open when there are a large number of people there so the disposal center is the logical location. She also noted that the current Troy Mart building does have a bookshelf area. Discussed repairing the building versus constructing a new building; a new building would need to be approved by the electors. Admin. Carlson would like the Park Board to decide if it’s a project they wish to pursue and not focus on the funding. Supr. Schneider suggested that this could also be an Eagle Scout project and not a contest. Chair Berke moved that the Park Board at this time is not interested in pursuing the big Little Free Library at the disposal center, second by member McElmeel. Discussion. It was noted that the project could be reconsidered at another time. Motion carried 4-1 with one abstention. d. Discuss and consider, update report, invasives project Member Sumner reported he pulled the remaining garlic mustard before it went to seed. He has not started his honeysuckle experiment yet and needs to get ahold of Dan Cain, Habitat for Creation, to coordinate getting started on the Oak Trail section. He will keep the Park Board updated. Member Swanson will help with the burdock. Member Sumner will let Adm. Carlson know the location of brush piles that can be mulched or removed. e. Discuss and consider, update report, trail clearing The St. Croix Correctional Center work crew is scheduled for Sept. 1-3 for clearing trail overgrowth. Member Sumner will not be there on those dates. Chair Berke thanked Pam Ellingson for her continued volunteer work on clearing along trails and removing some invasives. JCE Tree Service cleared the dead ash trees and some dead pines by the park entrance along Eagle Trail, noting a big improvement. Chair Berke would like to use any mulch resulting from tree removal to upgrade mulch around large stones at the park entrance. Town of Troy Park Board Minutes, July 28, 2026 APPROVED Page 4 of 6 f. Discuss and consider, future security system improvements Supr. Schneider reported that the Town Board subcommittee is meeting Thurs. to discuss future security system improvements and she will report back at either the August or Sept. meeting. g. Discuss and consider, signage convention As was discussed at the site tour, the ranger removed the “overflow parking” sign from the tree and the sandwich board sign was placed in storage building. Pemble’s Access a. Discuss and consider, activity Chair Berke reported it’s been very busy due to the heat. b. Discuss and consider, removal of tree stumps from beach area Tree stump removal is on the list for JCE Tree Service to take care of. Ranger Haroldson cleared the vegetation around the stumps and bike rack. c. Discuss and consider, suggested park improvements from site visit Supr. Schneider recapped the park site tour discussion on a convex mirror on Beach Road and a picnic table at Pemble’s. The convex mirror had previously been recommended for approval by the Park Board. Member Swanson reported that neighbors to Pemble’s have expressed that installing the mirror might cause people to drive faster and that the limited vision naturally reduces speed. Supr. Schneider likes the mirrors as a safety device that she has experience using, as does member Missy. There was discussion on installing a picnic table, including concerns with anchoring it so it won’t float away during high water or be moved. Chair Berke would like to see Pemble’s kept as a natural sandy beach, noting there is limited space for a table. Supr. Schneider reported that Troy Beach has 6 picnic tables and that Ranger Haroldson believes a table would get a lot of use. No action on picnic table. Supr. Schneider will follow up with Supr. Enerson on the convex mirror that was previously recommended for approval. 6. General Park a. Discuss and continued discussion, Park Board mission and opportunities Chair Berke and Paul McGinnis would like to meet with Admin. Carlson in the future to discuss potential projects and grant opportunities for bike/pedestrian routes. b. Discuss and consider process updates, 2026-31 Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (CORP) Meeting packets contained a summary of the July 21 meeting with Planner Fowle. Members should review this over the next week and get back to Chair Town of Troy Park Board Minutes, July 28, 2026 APPROVED Page 5 of 6 Berke with any changes or updates. The Resident Visioning Workshop is scheduled for August 29th at the Hein Pavilion in Glover Park from 9am-Noon. The Town will promote it on the website and Facebook page. Park Board consensus is to call this “Visioning Workshop” instead of “Resident Visioning Workshop.” Planner Fowle provided a template for information cards for the Rangers to pass out while they’re on patrol. The template should be corrected to remove “resident.” c. Discuss and consider, status of website updates Supr. Schneider made some basic changes to the Town website related to parks and recreation after last month’s meeting. She will connect with member Missy to continue work on the next phase with the template. She thanked member Missy for all his work and will provide an update next month. d. Discuss and consider, review of draft 2027 parks & recreation budget Admin. Carlson reviewed the 2027 preliminary budget information. There was discussion on signs that need replacing, including the faded directional sign to Cove Boat Ramp at intersection of N. Cove Rd. and Aherns Rd. Admin. Carlson questioned the design, location, and number of signs needed. He can replace the signs but needs more details. He also noted that Windmill Marina is going to give him an estimate on boat dock maintenance work versus replacement. He may get another bid depending on their bid number. Replacing the main entrance sign at Glover Park will be a capital expense. He also needs to talk to Public Works about how much engineered wood fiber is needed for the playground at Glover Park. The Park Board should let him know if they would like more money budgeted for buckthorn removal; Chair Berke will advise him on the usual budget number for chemical treatment. AED cardiovascular device will be a capital expense or possibly through grants/donations and park locations will need to be determined. The roof repair for the storage building and pavilion was budgeted for this year but it may not get done this year; the Town Board will need to discuss it at the budget adjustment meeting in October. The Park Board should start thinking about park space with the upcoming town hall addition. There was discussion on increasing Park Ranger hours; Admin. Carlson believes it’s a possibility if the Park Board has rationale for it. Budget workshop date will be set at the August Town Board meeting. 7. Administrator’s Report Admin. Carlson reported that Carpenter Nature Center is holding Level 1 certification chainsaw training April 7, 2027 and that the Town would pay for this training. It would be good for a couple Park Board members and Rangers to complete the training. The Town also plans to buy a couple sets of chainsaw safety gear. Member Sumner is interested; further discussion on matter at a future meeting. A new Park Board member to fill the vacant position is under consideration by town Chair. Town of Troy Park Board Minutes, July 28, 2026 APPROVED Page 6 of 6 8. Park Chair Report Chair Berke reported that the focus in the next few months is the CORP plan and she appreciates everyone’s input and diligence. 9. Correspondence Chair Berke received an email from Sam Pertz, resident on Red Brick Rd., regarding the proposed cooperative boundary agreement with the City of Hudson and planning for recreation; she copied Chairperson Rowen on her reply. 10. Announcements and request for future agenda items: Chair Berke and Supr. Schneider are going to attend this year’s Workshop on the Water. Town Chairperson Rowen will be presenting. 11. Adjournment Member Swanson moved to adjourn the meeting; second by member Sumner. Motion unanimously carried. The July 28th, 2026 meeting of the Town of Troy Park Board adjourned at 9:38 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Amanda Randall Secretary, Town of Troy Park Board