By Tracy Ouellette
Editor
After a reviewing a village-wide survey about what the community wants from the Parks and Recreation Department in East Troy, the board was presented with four items to consider developing over the next several years.
Parks and Rec Director Vickie Muszynski told the board that she met with Parks and Rec Commissioner Jim Holm and Public Works Director Mike Miller to review the survey results and weigh them against what was appropriate for the village to try to provide.
The improvements/additions brought to the board include a splash pad, archery range, neighborhood parks and the development of walking/biking trails.
Although the four areas chosen to be presented to the board didn’t necessarily represent the top choices from the residents according to the survey, Muszynski said they were high on the list and projects the village could develop.
“Where does the village have space for walking and biking trails?” Trustee Chris Gultch asked.
Muszynski said that was something they were going to take a look at and make a plan for. She said it was possible to connect trails to existing sidewalks and maybe have paths out to Michael Fields or down the trolley line, but it would have to be looked into and that’s why the Parks and Rec Department needed the go ahead to start exploring the options.
“The four things you chose are something the village can do,” Trustee Dusty Stanford said. “Some of the things on the survey are for private business to do, but the village can do these.”
Some of the board members wanted to know if the survey would be done again because most of the respondents to it were in the 35- to 45-year-old age range.
“We did it over the summer and we didn’t really see the young adults respond,” Trustee Ann Zess said. “Maybe the schools could help get it out if we didn’t it again.”
The board approved the plan to investigate the four things presented.
Looking at the library
The Village Board approved the release of $15,000 from the library impact fees to used for architectural design services and project management at Monday night’s board meeting.
Although the approval is only the first step at a possible library expansion or new library, the vote didn’t go down without some discussion.
Gultch voiced concerns about the operational costs of a new or bigger library and how the village would pay those increases. He cited the $1 million annual operational cost to support the Mukwonago Community Library, $500,000 of which he said the Village of Mukwonago had to pay each year.
Library Director Alison Senkevitch told the board the information the architects would provide was needed to form a plan for the future.
“We need the answers before we can move forward,” Senkevitch said.
She detailed the steps in the architects proposal that included data collection, interviews with staff and stakeholders, examining the census, looking at the programing and space needs, evaluating the existing facilities and looking at possible new facilities.
There was concern from board members, including Gultch, Renucci and Stanford that approving the funding for this first step would lock the village on a path of having to do something at the library, but acknowledged the money they were releasing was only for the architectural firm to gather information and give the village and library board advice and a possible idea of direction.
In other business, the board:
• Approved the appointment of Scott Serafin to the Plan Commission;
• Approved and agreement with ECD Solutions for economic development services;
• Set dog licensing fees at $11 for spayed/neutered dogs a year and $26 for unaltered dogs for 2014 and 2015; the fees will increase to $12 and $29 (respectively) for 2017 and 2018; in 2019, the fees will increase to $13 and $32;
• Approved $17,281 for the purchase and installation of lift station mixers;
• Approved the sale of annual overnight-parking passes for the municipal parking lot at 2106 Church St. for the cost of $100.
