Seven citizens showed up at a special city council meeting on December 20 in support of their neighborhood park, Shady Oak Park.
City Engineer Craig Britton explained the future of the park has become an issue as related to the planned 2023 Street Project. Grand St. SE, Hawley St. SE, and Prospect St. will be part of the improvement project. Shady Oak Park can be accessed from both Hawley St. SE and Prospect St. SE.
The Public Works committee has had an ongoing discussion about the park and wants input from the city council. The future of the park and how the park is used will affect design of the streets. The committee has been evaluating the condition and use of the park and possible improvements needed and cost of those improvements, if the park remains as it is.
The park currently has six smaller campsites. Should camping continue to be a part of Shady Oak or is there a better location for them? Also, if the campsites are relocated to another location, should Shady Oak remain a park? Should sewer and water services be extended into the park to accommodate future residential lots?
Councilor Mike Urban listed issues to be decided including street widths, possible limit of length of campsites, loss of trees necessary to extend water services, and driveways. Councilor Josh Broadwater suggested the cost for utility services could be minimal but grading necessary to lengthen campsites would be more costly.
Councilor Paul Novotny insisted campsites should be in another location. If money is invested for campsites, they should be elsewhere. Councilors David Frank and Broadwater agreed. Broadwater asked if it is a park or just land the city is holding on to; is it worth the maintenance costs?
Mayor Russ Smith recognized the number of people present. He commented that in the past offers to purchase city park land have been turned down. The city’s Masterplan for parks (2016) notes the importance of small neighborhood parks. Smith said he thinks it should remain a park, but first we have to finish the design work for the street project.
Novotny asked what is left in the park, if the campsites are relocated. He questioned the need for small parks as neighborhoods develop. Is a sidewalk needed if it stays a park? Britton said there is no need to do grading if the campsites are out. Urban said if it remains a park the trail needs to be there.
Urban maintained the city needs to keep the camping amenity; maybe Mill Creek Park could be a better location. Novotny noted there are nine neighborhood parks.
Each councilor stated their opinion. Councilor Pam Bluhm said the people who camp in the park are older (seemed in favor of keeping the campsites in the park). Frank, Broadwater, and Novotny felt the campsites should be relocated. Urban preferred moving the campsites, but if another location is not decided on, the campsites should stay; the main thing is to keep that amenity in town. Novotny added, if the campsites are moved, we still need to look at the best alignment for the sidewalk and parking.
Mayor Smith summed up what he was hearing: find better location for campsites, leave Shady Oak a park, keep as many trees as possible, no grading, and a sidewalk.
This wasn’t a public hearing, but residents were given the opportunity to speak. Louise Blissenbach Stemp asked that they save as many of the grand oak trees as possible. Shady Oak has been a park since 1922. She said her library looks over the park and a lot of people use the park including workmen who eat their lunch there. She has collected over 50 signatures on a petition to save the park.
Bill McMahon said he sure would hate to see it all go.
Brian Burkholder said some trees will have to be removed in the park to improve water pressure and help circulate water. Some residents have no water pressure due to two dead end water mains.
Britton said there will be a neighborhood meeting on January 4 at 6 p.m. to detail design features and street layouts for the 2023 street improvement project. Smith noted that Chatfield doesn’t do assessments; everybody in the city pays for every street project. He urged residents to go to the meeting.
Other business in brief
• The council discussed whether to reaffirm the authorization to sell $750,000 of bonds for the purchase of the People’s Energy Cooperative property or to determine to sell a lesser amount. The city already authorized the sale of $750,000 of taxable general obligation capital improvement bonds to cover the acquisition cost, bonding cost, and funding for possible improvements at the city council’s November 28 meeting. The question was whether to use some cash on hand to reduce interest costs. The property is to be used for a period of years, temporarily, as storage for Public Works. The city plans to build a new Public Works facility in the future and then sell this property to a developer.
After some discussion, the council took no action, leaving the authorization to sell $750,000 of taxable general obligation bonds in place.
• Brian Burkholder explained a pickup purchase had been authorized about a year and a half ago. Finally, a few available pickups were located. The cost of a new pickup has gone up (about $52,000) and so has the trade-in value (about $31,000). The cost for the new pick-up with trade will be about $10,000 more than originally approved. A motion to approve