Parks Committee Meeting — Minutes

Town of Oregon Park Committee Minutes Wednesday October 29, 2025 1) Meeting was called to order by Dave Frankson at 6:06 PM. 2) Roll call: Jeff Nelson, Dave Frankson, Gloria Compton, Eugene Lewis, Steve Jernegan, Diane Packett. Guests: Shawn Sutter, Paul and Jean Sutter, Duncan Kosharek, Greg Kosharek 3) Approval of minutes 10/1/25. Corrections on Hillcrest Park and Ravenoaks. Dave moved to accept with revisions, Diane seconded, passed unanimously. 4) Bicentennial Park – Diane Packett and Shawn Sutter • Shawn Sutter gave a presentation on his Eagle Scout project installing erosion bars at Bicentennial Park on September 13. Six Scouts and 5 adults participated in the work which took several hours to complete. The final cost was $267.78. Dave Frankson completed his paperwork on behalf of the Committee. • Eugene noted that the fire sign (street number) needs to be replaced. Diane agreed that he could order one along with others he is ordering. • Abel confirmed that the Town Crew had deposited one 14-ton truckload of gravel on the parking area, and the $7.50/ton was paid for by the Town. Diane thinks another ton would be good for the surface. • For mulching the lower trails, Diane contacted Heartwood tree Service, which delivers free mulch, and City of Madison brush collection, which will deliver a semi-load for $250 with a $25 delivery fee. Heartwood would only deliver when they have a 10-yard truckload available in Oregon. Dave suggested that the City deliver a semi-load this fall and Ryan and Abel could spread it as time allows during the winter. 5) Town Park – Jeff Nelson and Duncan Kosharek • Shelter construction has commenced and is proceeding with help from a number of connections in the community. On Sunday Eagle Scout candidate Duncan Kosharek and his team set the posts for the shelter, but they are slightly out of alignment. A community member who is an engineer (employed as a rocket scientist) is coming to fix the alignment. H. J. Pertzborn Plumbing lent a skid steer, auger, and mini excavator for the construction. Duncan will send him a card and offer a spot on a plaque acknowledging donors. • Jeff reported that the zoning permit for the shelter was approved. The permit fee was waived for this situation, and no inspection is needed. Since it is not a residence, no building permit is needed. • Jeff marked a number of hazardous dead trees in the park. Ryan and Abel can take care of some, and Jeff contacted Urben Forestry and Arbor Systems for estimates on removing the rest. Urben Forestry was the low bidder at $2,500, with Arbor Systems at $2800. Jeff moved to have Urben Forestry cut the trees in 2025. Dave seconded and the motion passed unanimously. • All Color estimated $6800 for powder coating the playground equipment, similar to what was done with the Ravenoaks set. They would need 4-5 weeks to complete the work. Eugene will talk to the Town Crew about whether they can disassemble the playground equipment this winter, and Jeff will tell Mark at All Color that we are interested in having the work done. • Jeff spoke with a County Forester who is interested in coming out and walking the Town Park woodlot to advise on any necessary management actions. 6) Kennedy Park – Eugene Lewis • The playground equipment and mulch were installed with help from the Committee and some community members. It has been getting a lot of use and kids are enjoying it. Eugene is sending cards to those who helped spread the mulch. Dave and Eugene have pictures of the installation that they will send to Stephanie, who wants to put them on the Town website. • Eugene asked if we wanted to consider burning the grassy areas of Kennedy to discourage the growth of thistles. Dave recommends talking to the fire chief about whether they could be present with the pumper truck. On the subject of removing vegetation, Dave asked the Committee to look at an area near a house where a forest of little maples is growing – do we want to keep them? • Eugene reported that multiple residents have said they expected a walking path around the park. • The neighbor’s shed is still encroaching on the park boundaries. It’s full of stuff. • Eugene spoke to the Tuggers. They would like to provide dirt and seed and reseed the practice area. He suggested they move into the encroachment area and they liked the idea. • The Town Crew moved the concrete benches up into the Tuggers practice area. • Park Rules sign has been installed at Hoover Street. • Dave moved to adopt his draft recommendation from the Parks Committee for signage on MM for Bicentennial and Kennedy, as revised by Gloria. Jeff seconded and the motion passed unanimously. 7) Hillcrest Park – Gloria Compton • Ryan and Abel probably won’t be able to deliver sand and pea gravel until spring. • The elm tree is showing signs of stress by sending up suckers. 8) Ravenoaks Park – Eugene Lewis • The playground border areas have been reseeded and soil added and topped with straw. • A resident requested a disc golf course. Diane suggested Kennedy might be a good place for disc golf since there are the long, mown paths between exercise stations. • The resident at Lot 28 wants to have a community trail cleanup. They want to know if they could clear some veg to re-create a sledding hill, and if they could take out invasives. We will need to know what work they are doing and when and who. They also want a bench for the top of the trail at Knollwood. Dave suggests that the resident make a donation to Parks for the bench and we will take care of assembly and installation. Eugene will check on the cost. 9) Lake Harriet Cemetery – Dave Frankson • Still no contact with Lundgren. Dave and Eugene have reached out. 10) Storytown Cemetery – Gloria Compton • Tallgrass has done the second herbicide application on the roadside slope, and will seed probably before the end of the year. • Gloria selected several “Native vegetation – Do Not Mow or Spray” signs to purchase and the Committee discussed which to buy. There will be 3 signs at the road. Gloria will order the signs and give them to Ryan and Abel for installation. • Discussion of when to plant the shrub by the cemetery sign. The area where the old one was pulled still has a lot of roots in it that may need to be ground out. We will wait until spring to plant. 11) The meeting was adjourned at 8:13 by Dave Frankson. Jeff moved, Gloria seconded, and the motion passed unanimously.