Parks, Recreation, Tourism, & Land Use Planning Commission — Minutes

Town of Lafayette PARKS, RECREATION, TOURISM, LAND USE and PLANNING COMMISSION January 13, 2025 7:00 PM Lafayette Town Hall CALL TO ORDER / ROLL CALL The meeting was called to order by Chair Scott Faris at 7:00 PM. The following members were present: Scott Faris, DeWayne Krumenauer, Sue Lane, Neil Mathwig, Doug Matthews, and Mark Sedlacek; a quo- rum was present. Brett Bullock, Jenna Hazelton and Jerry Zais were not present. APPROVAL OF PRIOR MEETING MINUTES & AGENDA A motion to accept the Agenda for the January 13, 2025 meeting and to approve the Minutes of the De- cember 9, 2024 PRTLU Regular meeting without correction was made by Mark Sedlacek / Sue Lane; mo- tion was approved by unanimous voice vote. GENERAL PUBLIC WISHING TO ADDRESS THE COMMISSION None EXPEDITED ITEMS 1) Brown Builders Rezone – Mr. Lonny Brown explained his plan to rezone the parcel from R-3 to R-1, and then to construct four single-family houses; if the rezone is successful, the parcel will be divided into four lots by CSM. A motion to recommend the Town Board approve the rezone was made by Mark Sed- lacek / Sue Lane. Commissioners then questioned placing four buildings on a private drive when the cur- rent Town limit is two buildings, who would see that the private drive would be maintained and plowed, and pointed out that this use was contrary to the Town’s current Comprehensive Plan which calls for this parcel to be zoned Commercial. The motion passed by voice vote with one “Nay” vote. 2) Chippewa Falls Chamber Tourism Update – Ms. Sue Leonard and Ms. Ellie Peabody presented a review of 2024 statistics and campaigns done for Lafayette, as well as the plans for 2025. The new publi- cations for 2025 will be out in February. Commissioners recommended they contract for a deeper study of available statistics to be done for 2025, so that could be used as a baseline for a similar study in 3 - 5 years, and also to see if there is anything they could do to more directly benefit the tourist rental owners who are paying the Town’s Room Tax. No further Commission action was taken. FINANCIAL REPORT Doug Matthews reported that the December 31, 2024 Disc Golf account balance remained at $5,916.20 with no expenditures for the past month. The General Use account for December 31, 2024 also had no expenditures, leaving a balance of $9,332.48. The $3,450.00 earmarked for payment to Chippewa County for bike trail signage remains pending, and will carry over to 2025. The Room Tax account for December 31, 2024 had expenditures in the amount of $227.55 for rec area signage, but had received no revenue, leaving a balance of $74,110.28. There was discussion regarding transferring the remaining money in the Disc Golf Course account back into the Room Tax account, but the consensus was it could be left there for 2025 use. Neil Mathwig said the General Use Account could be reset to $10,000 for 2025. A motion to accept the December 31, 2024 Financial Report was made by Sue Lane / Scott Faris; motion passed by unanimous voice vote. OLD BUSINESS 1) PRTLU Bylaw Revisions - Scott Faris reported the Town Board had not yet acted on reviewing and approving the recommended Bylaw revisions, but would likely do so in January. No further Commission action was taken. 2) Town Land East of LeMay Acres – Scott Faris said the Town Board agreed with the Commission’s recommendation to hold off on selling the parcel, and they wished to tour the land before making any de- cision. Commissioners asked to also be included when that occurs. No Commission action was taken. Page 2 of 2 3) Disc Golf Course; Ski Trails – Scott Faris reported there was a ski trail made once, but now there is no snow; the grooming equipment remains ready to go in the fire station. Mark Sedlacek added that the Public Works crew has removed a lot of remaining brush from the disc golf course in the past month. No further Commission action was taken. 4) Skating Rink - Mark Sedlacek said the rink is being used, and that he recently had a bonfire there. No further Commission action was taken. NEW BUSINESS 1) Outdoor Rec Survey - Sue Lane explained the WCWRPC has a survey for residents in Buffalo, Chippewa, Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, Jackson, Pepin and Trempealeau Counties; its purpose is to obtain suggestions and opinions of rec opportunities, needs, and preferences which could then facilitate writing grants. She encouraged everyone to take the survey. No Commission action was taken. 2) Room Tax Update – Scott Faris distributed information regarding recently enacted changes to Wis- consin’s Room Tax Statute, particularly relating to the definition of “short-term rental” and clarifying what collected Room Tax revenue could be used for. No Commission action was taken. 3) 2025 Projects – Scott Faris reminded Commissioners to use the Project Scope Statement form as part of proposing any new PRTLU project.. Sue Lane then said she would like to see any addition to the Veteran’s Memorial site focus on lesser-known aspects of the Viet Nam war. No Commission action was taken. COMMISSIONERS’ CONCERNS & COMMENTS  Sue Lane asked about using the Alternate Commissioner as a fill-in for absent members.  DeWayne Krumenauer asked about the status of the former Cindy Lake Trailer Park site.  Scott Faris said a Thank You card from the Wissota Firefighters Association for the PRTLU’s donation for a band had been received. He then reviewed recent actions by the Town Board. NEXT MEETING DATE - Meeting date is February 10, 2025 at 7:00 PM. MOTION TO ADJOURN A motion to adjourn was made by Sue Lane / Mark Sedlacek; motion passed by voice vote at 8:19 PM. Submitted for Approval, Doug Matthews PRTLU Commission Secretary / Treasurer