Packet

--Matt Poock, Chair of Park & Recreation Board N O T I C E A meeting of the City of Evansville Park and Recreation Board will be held on the date and time stated below. Notice is further given that members of the City Council and Historic Preservation Commission may be in attendance. Requests for persons with disabilities who need assistance to participate in this meeting should be made by calling City Hall at (608)-882-2266 with as much notice as possible. City of Evansville Park and Recreation Board Regular Meeting City Hall, 31 S Madison St., Evansville, WI 53536 Tuesday, April 21, 2026 6:30 pm AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Roll Call 3. Nomination for Park Board Chair A. Motion to Appoint ____________________ as Park Board Chair 4. Motion to Approve Agenda 5. Motion to Waive the Reading of the Minutes from February 17, 2026 meeting and Approve them as Printed 6. Civility Reminder 7. Citizen Appearances 8. New Business A. Senior Project: Aubrie Mentele-The Little Heroes Kindness Project B. Discussion and Possible Motion to Recommend to Common Council to Waive Deposit and any fees for Evansville Jays Baseball Team for 2026 Season. C. Condition of Piers, update on repairs D. Ride the Parks 9. Park’s Report A. General Park Updates B. Adopt-A-Park (placeholder) 10. Aquatic Center 11. City Youth Baseball 12. Old Business A. Park and Outdoor Recreation Plan Update (placeholder) 13. Upcoming Meetings A. May 19th at 6:00 p.m. B. June 16, July 21, August 18, September 15, October 20, November 17, December 15 14. Adjourn City of Evansville Park and Recreation Board Regular Meeting City Hall, 31 S Madison St., Evansville, WI 53536 Tuesday, February 17, 2026 6:00 pm MINUTES 1. Call to Order: Poock called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. Roll Call: 3. Motion to Approve Agenda by Stuart, seconded by Sigl. Motion passed 6-0. 4. Motion to Waive the Reading of the Minutes from January 20, 2026 meeting and Approve them as Printed by Stuart, seconded by Evans. Motion passed 6-0. 5. Civility Reminder: Poock issued a reminder to be respectful of others. 6. Citizen Appearances: None 7. New Business A. Dennis James: Ice Age Kiosks James would like to have two Ice Age Kiosks installed in Evansville. The locations would be on Leonard Park Drive near the entrance to Lake Leota Park and the other would be on the grounds of the School District. The location on the school grounds will need permission from the School Board. There was discussion about visibility of the kiosks to help advertise the IAT. Corridon shared the idea of an additional kiosk on the corner of First and Main streets. Park Board feels that the kiosks are a great way to bring attention to the Ice Age Trail. Sieling shared appreciation for the Ice Age Trail and that it goes through the City of Evansville. With the location of the IAT, there is the benefit of attracting both Segment Hikers and Through Hikers. This helps the local business with more traffic. B. Discussion on 2026 City Youth Baseball Leagues There was discussion about the Staff Report that Dalton had included in the packet. There is concern about duplicating services. The recommendation is to move forward with City T-Ball if the Royals are not doing T-Ball. 8. Park’s Report A. General Park Updates: Kriebs shared that Anderson and Roberts are working on getting a new pier with plans to add a canoe/kayak launch in the future. Cub Scout ice fishing is Members Present/Absent Others Present Alderperson Erika Stuart P Scott Kriebs, Municipal Services Director Sue Merritt P Ray Anderson, Parks’ Custodian Lyman Fuson A Ben Corridon, City Alderperson Chad Sigl P Dennis James, Ice Age Alliance Chair, Matt Poock P Renee Sieling, Citizen Kris Evans A Sam Wallace P planned for the upcoming weekend, but the weather may affect the outing. Lights have been installed by the warming house for ice skating. B. Adopt-A-Park Updates: Nothing to report 9. Old Business A. Park and Outdoor Recreation Plan Update: Nothing to report 10. Upcoming Meetings A. Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.: Discussion concluded meeting is called due to no quorum B. 2026: April 21 @ 6:30 p.m. (conflict with Common Council Re-organization), May 19, June 16, July 21, August 18, September 15, October 20, November 17, December 15 11. Adjourn: Poock adjourned the meeting at 6:46 p.m. Evansville Home Talent Baseball 13816 W. Northridge Drive Evansville, Wisconsin 53536 Tel: 608-575-4359 www.evansvillehometalent.org Page 1 of 2 April 2026 To: Evansville Park and Recreation Board Members From: Jon Frey, General Manager / Player (608-575-4359, jonfrey17@gmail.com) Subject: Information about Evansville Home Talent Baseball (also known as the Jays) The Evansville Jays is a local amateur baseball team made up of Evansville area adult men. The team competes in the Home Talent Baseball League in south central Wisconsin, primarily centered around Madison. Other local communities that have teams are Stoughton, Albion, Belleville, Jefferson, McFarland, Fort Atkinson and Verona. The Evansville community has a long history of Home Talent teams, but the current franchise was re-established in 2005. Team plays all of their home games at Lake Leota Park Upper Baseball Field (aka Jays Nest). Park improvements and donations towards the City made by the Jays • Purchased pitching mound tarp (2025; $1,300) • Install new pitching rubber including landing clay (2024-2025; $600) • Purchased two blue recycle bins for can donation to EMS (2024; $500) • Donation to “Growing Our Parks: Recreation for Generations” (2023; $1,000) • City Parks Capital Campaign Steering Committee Member (2022-2024) • Game announcer and DJ music system (summer 2022) • Funded outfield grass fertilizer (spring 2021; $375) • Adopt-A-Park Program participant at the “Jays Nest” (2021+) • Painted blue trim of light shed to match new shed (summer 2020; $100) • Coordinated efforts to installed a new storage shed (fall 2019) • Purchased four new garbage cans, including new liners (spring 2019; $1,000) • Installed new sound system (spring 2017; $3,000) • Acquired commercial beverage cooler (summer 2017; donated by a HTL team) • Concrete approach around concession stand (summer 2016; $3,000) • Field water hose, reel and valve (summer 2016; $1,100) • New roof, siding & stone cladding siding on concession stand (2015-2016) • Purchased and maintained field finisher, including gas (2014; $2,500) • Installed baseball foul poles (spring 2013; $500) • Installed barn quilt & scoreboard sign (summer 2013; $300) • Edged baseball field dirt-grass line (spring 2012) • Acquired donated ag lime for the field (spring 2012; $500) • Sponsored City Little League Teams (since 2012; $1,970) Evansville Home Talent Baseball 13816 W. Northridge Drive Evansville, Wisconsin 53536 Tel: 608-575-4359 www.evansvillehometalent.org Page 2 of 2 Park improvements and donations towards the City made by the Jays (continued) • Funded outfield grass fertilizer program (spring & fall every year since 2012) • Acquired donated services to roll outfield grass (spring 2012; $200) • Installed batter’s box mats (spring 2012; $1,500) • Coordinated and installed donated flag pole in right center field (spring 2012) • Helped repair field fencing (spring 2012) • Installed stainless steel serving counters (spring 2012; $650) • Installed batting cage, including storing each winter (summer 2011; $2,000) • Helped purchase new refrigerator and freezer (spring 2007; $200) • General improvement to the concession stand & park (since 2006) 2026 Marquee Games • Memorial Day • Active Military & Veterans Day • Evansville Wrestling Club - Takedown Thursday • Evansville High School Football - Gridiron Dawg Night • Home Talent Alumni Appreciation Day • Fourth of July Festival Game • Youth Baseball Night • Appreciation Day • Evansville Angels Softball Night Future Improvement Ideas • Awnings over concession stand serving windows (ref Park Board Mtg Sept 2018) • Improve team dugouts with simple roof/shelter • “Jays Roost” fan improvement area at the “Jays Nest” • Plant more shade trees around field area • Grade/mound dirt infield with drainage system 1 | Page Date: April 17, 2026 To: Park & Recreation Board From: Scott Kriebs, Dale Roberts, Elle Natrop Re: Discussion and Motion to Recommend to Common Council to Waive Deposit and any Fees for the Evansville Jays Baseball Team for the 2026 Season. The goal is to ensure that everyone understands the entire process of how operational expense costs are calculated and how the Fee Schedule fits into the process. Additionally, the intention is to have knowledge of the total cost of the fees that are asked to be waived, and the potential opportunity for other teams to ask the same. Each year, Department Heads are asked to create a budget by identifying expenses for the following year. Part of this budget process is also to forecast revenue partly from items that are in the Fee Schedule that is set by Common Council. The fees that are collected are used to offset a portion of the operating budget. The remaining costs in the operating budget are primarily funded by City of Evansville Property Taxes. Each year must be balanced, so if there is a shortage of income, things are cut to have a balanced budget at the end of the calendar year. The ballfields are used by a small population, but there is still a significant cost that goes into the upkeep for the fields. The 2026 cost for labor, fuel, equipment, and fertilizer is expected to come to a total of $20,500. There are only 3 groups/leagues (Angels, Jays, Royals) that use these fields, with an average expected revenue return for 2026 of approximately $2400 from the Fee Schedule. The remaining $18,100 of this field upkeep cost is paid through the Property Taxes. Part of a business model is to reinvest to fuel a cycle of growth. A donation is a voluntary, unconditional transfer of money, goods, or property from a donor to a recipient without expecting anything in return. Each year, the Evansville Jays request to have their fees waived. As part of the request to have the fees waived, the Jays submit a list of park improvements and donations towards the City. A number of these improvements are to the Upper Diamond where the Jays play. In 2025, the City also invested $61,000+ into the Upper Diamond with upgrades to the Ballfield lights, electrical upgrades, as well as the full teardown and rebuilding of the Electrical Shed. The goal isn’t to downplay anything that the Evansville Jays do, but to evaluate the improvements. How many or who benefits from the improvements, and does it offset the tax burden that is put onto property owners? In looking for other options that Teams have, it was found that the Madison Mallards have a long-term lease agreement with the City of Madison for Warner Park Stadium. The agreement balances annual rent payments with required capital improvements funded by the team, acting as a public-private partnership. Their agreement is designed to keep the team as a viable entity while improving the city-owned assets with minimal taxpayer contribution. Staff Report City of Evansville www.evansvillewi.gov 31 S Madison St PO Box 529 Evansville, WI 53536 (608) 882-2266 2 | Page Moving forward, a suggestion would be to move away from a full waiver of fees. If still looking for a waiver, a recommendation would be to set up an agreement that the Jays would pay a portion, for example 60% of their fees. An example to make up the difference would be for Evansville Jays to pay for improvements to the park, potentially helping with the number of historic items that need updates. As the cost of everything continues to increase, it would be beneficial if the remaining field fees covered by improvements to the park are not allowed to be carried forward year to year if their expenses exceed the percentage difference. This would be like some of the items that are currently listed on the improvement/donation list that the Jays provide. By keeping the funding separate for each year, it would be better for those that plan the following years budget amounts. This could ensure that items planned for each calendar year wouldn’t have to be cancelled due to lack of funding. It would be recommended that if setting up a portion of waiver of fees to go with a percentage instead of a dollar amount in case the Athletic Field rental fees are increased on the Fee Schedule. If full waiver of fees continues, there is a chance that the other 2 groups could also ask to have their field fees waived as current precedent has established. If there are no fees collected by the entities that use these niche items, then the entire cost burden would fall to the property taxpayers, most of which do not use the fields. The Jays have provided dates for their season to begin May 17th and will conclude on September 5th. It is not clear if the dates submitted include any potential playoff portion of the season. The length of the season would be 16 weeks and per the Fee Schedule the cost would be $800.00. They could choose to edit their season dates by a week for the same cost. If they chose to edit their season dates by anything greater than 1 week, the cost would be $1000 for the season. Otherwise, each single day rental for a Union Township resident would be $125 per day. This does not include any fees for the Ballfield Lights at $25/occurrence. The schedule that was submitted has a request for lights on Thursday evenings, and 10 games on Thursday. There have been several recent discussions had during Council meetings and in the public about the spending of the City and how to control and/or reduce spending. Costs continue to rise and it would be beneficial to continue to collect fees to help with the costs that are associated with the field maintenance. It may be an idea to set a duration for the agreement to occur. This would be beneficial for those that have to set budgets for the next year to know what revenue they will have to work with. It could also be a way to evaluate how the agreement is working out, especially if there is a deviation from the current full waiver of fees. OPTIONS: 1-As Requested: Park Board can make the Recommendation to Common Council to Waive the Deposit and/or any Fees for the Evansville Baseball Team for the ______ season(s). i. Season Field Refundable Deposit: $100 ii. Season Field Fees: $800 or $1000 iii. Ballfield Lights (Thursdays): 10 (or more) Thursday Games Scheduled X $25 = $250 2-Park Board can make the Recommendation to Common Council to Waive Fees __________(amount/percentage) for the _________season(s). 3. Park Board can make the Recommendation to Common Council to Waive Fees __________(amount/percentage) for the _________season(s) with the difference ________ (amount/percentage) to be spent by the Evansville Jays on ____________ (general/historic) Park Improvements. 4. Park Board can not make a recommendation for the waiver of any fees for the ______ season(s).