Public Property — Minutes

VILLAGE OF BIRON 451 KAHOUN ROAD, WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI 54494 PUBLIC PROPERTY, SAFETY & RECREATIONAL COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES July 9th, 2026 10:30 A.M. Members Present: Mike Guillemot, Chairperson, Jamie Biegel and Tammy Steward, Committee Members Others Present: Kayla Lumaye, Public Works Director, Samantha Daugherty, Village Clerk, Shawn Dillingham, Fire Chief, Dan Muleski, Chairperson of Sunset Point Park Committee, and 4 members of the public. 1. Mike Guillemot called the meeting to order at 10:30 a.m. 2. Discussion and possible action on updates for sunset park project plan Dan provided an update on the planning work he has been doing with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Wood County Conservation, and other Sunset Point Park Committee members. Dan is applying for the DNR Healthy Lakes and Rivers Grant, which would reimburse the Village up to $1,000 for every 350 square feet of eligible restoration work completed. Dan outlined the proposed project plan. First, the Village crew would Harley rake the entire park. Approximately 10 days later, the area would be treated with an aquatic herbicide to eliminate existing vegetation. After allowing the herbicide to work for another 10 days, the Village crew would bring in soil from the cranberry marshes to level the site. Once the site is prepared, Wolosek's would mark the location of the proposed walking trail. The Village crew would then obtain stone fines from Wolosek's and spread them within the marked trail area to create the walking path. After the trail is completed, the remainder of the park would be seeded with grass. As part of the project, a fence consisting of seven posts connected by rope would be installed to create a barrier between the park and the neighboring residential property. The goal is to complete the seeding by late summer to allow the grass adequate time to become established. The project schedule will depend on the availability of the Village crew 3. Discussion and possible action on findings from Summit annual inspection report Sam discussed the findings from Summit's annual fire protection system inspection. The inspector determined that the fire suppression system above the stove needs to be re- piped and equipped with five 1F nozzles to provide proper coverage due to the presence of the stove's back shelf. Staff explored the option of removing the back shelf to avoid modifying the fire suppression system, but determined that the shelf is permanently attached to the stove and cannot be removed separately. The committee asked that Sam obtain a proposal for the cost of bringing the fire protection system into compliance. 4. Discussion on the Fire Department’s request to paint helicopter landing zone markers in the Municipal Center parking lot Shawn stated that serious injuries at the paper mill have become more frequent, making it important to improve emergency response times. To facilitate faster medical air transport, the Fire Department proposed establishing a designated helicopter landing zone. The project would consist of painting four red, 1.5-foot by 1.5-foot corner markers with reflective beads to outline a 100-foot by 100-foot landing area. During an emergency, the Fire Department would coordinate with the medical helicopter pilot and direct them to the designated landing zone. Motion Biegel, second Guillemot to approve the fire department's request to paint the helicopter landing zone markers. Motion carried. 5. Discussion and possible action on adding equipment to enable the Municipal Center fire protection system to automatically send emergency call-out notifications Kayla discussed the need to configure the fire protection system to automatically notify emergency dispatch in the event of a fire alarm. To accomplish this, Solarus would install a dedicated phone line to the fire alarm panel. The installation fee would be waived, with the Village responsible only for the cost of time and materials for any required wiring. The monthly cost for the new phone line would be $26. Once the phone line is installed, Mobile Lock would connect the fire alarm panel to its central monitoring station, which includes 24-hour monitoring and daily communication testing. This service would be billed annually at $540. The total ongoing annual cost for the phone line and monitoring service is estimated to be $852, in addition to any one-time wiring costs. Motion Guillemot, second Biegel to approve the installation of the equipment and services necessary for the fire protection system to automatically notify emergency dispatch. Motion carried. 6. Discussion and possible action on dock rental fee for 2027 and 2028 Kayla stated that there is no need to increase the dock rental fees because the Village's dock maintenance costs have decreased. Motion Guillemot, second Biegel, to keep the dock rental fees the same as the 2026 rates. Motion carried. Sam discussed the dock loan, noting that it has been paid in full. Committee members requested additional clarification on how the loan was paid off so quickly, as it was originally expected to be a 10-year loan. The committee also reviewed the 2025 Dock Slip Report. 7. Discussion and possible action on banning e-bikes on the recreational trail Kayla stated that, because the trail was constructed using grant funding, the public cannot be prohibited from using it. Kayla presented proposed ordinance language that would require bicycles using the trail to be powered solely by human power. Jamie suggested an alternative approach of allowing only certain classes of e-bikes rather than prohibiting all e-bikes. Several members of the public spoke in opposition to a complete e-bike ban, noting that many older adults rely on e-bikes and that such a restriction could significantly reduce trail use. The committee agreed to conduct additional research on how surrounding communities regulate e-bike use on their trails and will revisit the topic at the next meeting. 8. Discussion on adding Flock cameras Kayla stated that some type of camera system is needed to help address the ongoing vandalism at the Aqua Skier parking lot. Someone has repeatedly been tearing up the gravel parking lot, requiring the Public Works crew to regrade the area. The committee reviewed a letter from a concerned resident expressing privacy concerns about the use of a camera system with license plate recognition. Specifically, the resident questioned whether license plate data would be collected, stored, or shared in a database. Kayla noted that she and Sam have a meeting with Flock tomorrow and plan to discuss these privacy concerns. Mike suggested installing a trail camera with an SD card as an alternative. The footage could be reviewed only if an incident occurs. Members of the public also suggested installing signs stating that the area is under video surveillance as a possible deterrent to vandalism. Mike will contact the Wood County Sheriff's Department to seek their recommendation on the most effective way to address the ongoing vandalism and whether a camera system would be an appropriate solution. 9. Superintendent’s Report Kayla asked how the committee plans to pay the remaining balance for the generator when the next invoice is received. The finance committee also discussed this matter, and the current plan is to use non-lapsing funds to pay the invoice, then reimburse that fund in 2027.Kayla reported Marsh Road has been temporarily closed until the CTH U reconstruction project is complete. Kayla noted that a CTH U Project Updates page has been added to the Village website to keep residents informed about the project's progress. Kayla also mentioned that the personnel who currently cleans the Village Hall may be interested in taking on the cleaning of the park restrooms as well. 10. Referrals for next meeting Sunset Point park updates, cost to upgrade fire protection system in kitchen, e-bikes on trail, camera system at aqua skiers lot and dumpsters at boat landing. 11. Set next meeting date and time – Next meeting will be on August 4th at 10:00 AM. Motion to Adjourn: Mike Guillemot, second by Jamie Biegel Time: 11:50 a.m. Minutes Respectfully Submitted by: Kayla Lumaye, Public Works Director