Plan Commission — Minutes

Town of Blooming Grove Plan Commission Minutes Date: Wednesday, July 8, 2026, at 4:30 PM Place: Town Hall, 1880 S. Stoughton Road Present per roll call: Chair Dave Young, and Commissioners Jeff Teuscher, Dwight Johnson, Erin Pierce, and David Braga (arrived at 4:34 PM). Also, in attendance were Clerk/Treasurer/Administrator John Wright, Public Works Supervisor Cory Buske, Deborah Sellers, Ron Bristol (arrived at 5:10 PM), Frank Woznick (arrived at 5:15 PM), and Amy Schroeder (arrived at 5:19 PM). Chair Young called the meeting to order at 4:30 PM. Wright attested to proper proof of posting. Pending the arrival of Commissioner Braga, item 2a.i. will be advanced on the agenda, if needed. 2. Discussion and/or Decision Items a. Ad hoc committee reports i. Thurber Park –Commissioner Pierce provided a report for the site visit conducted with Chair Young. It was noted that the trees and lilac bushes have already been planted. Although five lilac bushes were removed, they were replaced with three. The lone tree which was removed by ATC was replaced with two. It is recommended to replace the existing wooden bench with a two-sided one, made of more durable materials. Furthermore, a single-sided bench is recommended to be installed, inset from Thurber Avenue with the back parallel to the road, facing the interior of the park and playground equipment. Supervisor Buske stated that the bench should be placed so that a mower can fully navigate around it. Buske reported that a damaged area to the basketball court beneath a basket has been repaired. It is recommended to crack fill, sealcoat, and restripe the court. ii. April Hill Park – Chair Young and Commissioner Johnson who visited the park recommend the installation of two double-sided benches: one to face the volleyball court and playground equipment and the other near the property line by the half basketball court. No new plantings are recommended. The half court should be crack filled, seal coated, and restriped. iii. Severson Park – Commissioners Teuscher and Braga provided the group in attendance images of the areas that should be addressed. The wooden bench should be replaced with a two-sided one constructed of durable materials in the same location and orientation. There followed a brief discussion regarding the horseshoe pits; it was decided to leave them as is. One Box Elder tree appears to be compromised and will be removed by Town Public Works staff. It was recommended that two to three trees be planted so as to eventually visually minimize a utility pole. Buske stated that he has a quote to plant appropriate shade trees at $475 apiece, installed. The half basketball court should be crack filled, seal coated, and restriped. b. Continue review of park plantings, seal coating and striping of basketball courts, and installation of park benches – Supervisor Buske stated that the approximate cost to crack fill and seal the full court is $2,100 and each half court at an approximate cost of $1,000. Buske stated that he and Steve Kearney can restripe the three courts. The cost estimate for benches provided at a prior meeting includes to cost of installation. c. Park shelter rental fees – Commissioner Teuscher stated that he recently became aware that rental fees are being charged for neighborhood parties. Whereas, he supports charging residents and non-residents for private parties for graduations, birthdays, etc., he questions whether the charge should be waived for neighborhood events. There followed a brief discussion regarding whether the Town Board needed to act or whether the waiver should be at the discretion of the Clerk and Public Works Supervisor. It was noted that the fees help offset the costs associated with electricity consumed during special events, portable restrooms, and trash/recycling collection. Without objection, Town staff can determine when waivers are appropriate. d. Update on commercial property development at intersection of Stoughton Road access road and Buckeye Road –Brandon Adler, an architect with Angus-Young who is working with Mr. Splash on this project, contacted the Town Clerk on June 30, 2026 about the Town’s ability to respond to a conditional use permit application prior to the public hearing scheduled by Dane County Zoning on September 22, 2026. Neither Clerk Wright nor Chair Young thought there would be a problem for the Plan Commission to meet and make a determination and/or a recommendation to the Town Board within this timeframe. e. Update regarding petition by April Hill Subdivision property owners for annexation to the Village of McFarland – C/T/A Wright stated that the Wisconsin Department of Administration provided a recommendation on June 18, 2026 regarding the proposed annexation of the April Hill neighborhood. For a variety of reasons, including the existing City of Madison Cooperative Plan with the Town of Blooming Grove, timeliness for the delivery and cost of emergency services, availability and proximity of utilities, etc., the Wisconsin Department of Administration (WI DOA) rendered a non-binding opinion that annexation of this neighborhood by the Village of McFarland is contraindicated. Matt Schuenke, Administrator for the Village of McFarland has rebutted the opinion rendered by the WI DOA by email correspondence. Ultimately, the WI DOA opinion is non-binding upon the decision to be made by the Village of McFarland Board, but must be taken into account when rendering a decision. f. Updates on Woods Edge Condominium Plat – Wright reported that a portion of David Wood’s property was successfully rezoned so that a proposed future ingress/egress for vehicles to serve proposed single-family, detached condominium units was excluded from areas previously designated as wetland. In mid-June of this year, Wood submitted a petition to rezone Lot 1 of Certified Survey Map from RM-16 (Rural Mixed Use, 16 acres) to MFR-08 (Multi-Family Residential). A public hearing by Dane County Zoning is to be held on August 25, 2026. The change in zoning would permit condominium plats. More recently, the Town has been contacted by Dane County Senior Planner Benjamin Kollenbroich as to the Town’s preference for the proposed condominium plat to be served by private septic or public sanitary sewer. Without advice from a civil engineer, which the Town does not retain for services, the applicant would either need to pay the Town’s expenses for such advice from an engineer of the Town’s choosing and/or the Town would defer to the opinion of the City of Madison who will be annexing the property in fifteen months. g. Future development in the Town – C/T/A Wright stated that he was contacted by a local property owner who owns an unimproved lot on Karmichael Court who would like to install a driveway apron and culvert before building a home. 3. Administrative Business a. Approval of June 10, 2026 meeting minutes Commissioner Johnson made a motion to approve the minutes of the April 8, 2026 Plan Commission meeting, as presented; 2nd Commissioner Teuscher Motion carried 4-0-1. b. Future Agenda Items – Updates regarding park improvements, Review Conditional Use Application for Mr. Splash car wash at Buckeye Road and Stoughton Road with a possible recommendation for the Town Board; Update regarding petition by April Hill Subdivision property owners for annexation to the Village of McFarland; Review Rezoning Petition for Woods Edge Condominium Plat with a possible recommendation to the Town Board; and Future development in the Town. 4. Public Comment – Public Works Supervisor Cory Buske reported on a miscommunication by the City of Madison staff which resulted in mowing the entire extent of the Rambling Acres greenway between Sprecher Road and Dicky Lane. The City may need to replace some saplings. 5. Adjourn – Chair Young made a motion to adjourn the meeting; 2nd by Commissioner Johnson. Motion carried 5-0 at 5:26 PM. Minutes by John Wright Approved: August 12, 2026