The Parks Long Range Planning Committee is meeting on Wednesday to look at what policies they should work on in 2020. What would you like to see changed?
The committee meets on Wednesday at 3:00.
WHAT DOES THE PARKS LONG RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE DO?
In legistar it says: “Madison General Ordinance Sec. 33.05(5)(f) – Advises the Board of Park Commissioners, reviews the procedures and policies of the Parks Division and solicits input regarding the Parks Division from alders, groups and citizens.”
The ordinance says the mission of the committee is:
Long-Range Planning Subcommittee . Advises the Board of Park Commissioners, reviews the procedures and policies of the Parks Division and solicits input regarding the Parks Division from alders, groups and residents. Also, when necessary, researches and advises regarding the naming of public parks. The Subcommittee consists of five (5) members and meets quarterly.
Please note:
- The ordinance is actually 33.05(5)(e).
- They meet monthly even tho the ordinance says quarterly, but it was canceled 10/30, 11/13 and 11/20.
- Honestly, I don’t think most people know this group exists, it meets at a time that is probably too early for most people who work during the day and I don’t recall them ever reaching out with any obvious effort except maybe to parks groups – but not alders and residents.
2018‐2023 Park and Open Space Plan Strategies
- STRATEGY: IMPROVE PUBLIC ACCESS TO LAKES.
- Connect the community to water by designing areas for increased water access on public lands, including access for low income populations.
- Provide opportunities for water recreation.
- Support efforts to improve water quality in Madison’s lakes and waterways.
- STRATEGY: DESIGN PARK FACILITIES TO ACCOMMODATE DIVERSE ACTIVITIES AND POPULATIONS.
- Provide flexible spaces that can respond to changing recreational trends.
- Incorporate spaces and facilities appropriate for different cultures, age groups, and abilities.
- Provide sufficient fields and courts to accommodate tournaments and other multiple field or court competitions.
- STRATEGY: PROTECT AND ENHANCE NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCES.
- Manage invasive species in high quality natural areas.
- Continue to acquire conservation parkland to preserve unique habitats.
- Develop native plant habitats and ecosystems within parks, increasing biodiversity.
- Continue to recognize, preserve, and enhance historic parks.
- Preserve landmark vistas from public access areas.
- Respect and protect tribal sacred sites.
- STRATEGY: ACQUIRE PARKLAND TO REDUCE PARKLAND DEFICIENCIES AND ADDRESS INCREASING RESIDENTIAL DENSITY.
- Review and revise parkland dedication and park impact fees every ten years to maintain funding to support future population and density demands.
- In areas of high residential density, preserve undeveloped land for open space or acquire new parkland on existing developed property, where feasible.
- Ensure that Neighborhood Development Plans identify adequate parkland for proposed residential density.
- Where there is no walkable access to mini, neighborhood, conservation, or community parkland, but there are other public recreation spaces that provide outdoor recreation amenities, partner with these groups to enhance outdoor recreation for the surrounding community.
- STRATEGY: ENSURE THAT NEW PARK DEVELOPMENT OCCURS IN A FISCALLY SUSTAINABLE MANNER.
- Minimize the number of mini parks along the City’s periphery by requiring dedication of larger, minimum five‐acre parks for new residential developments.
- Investigate opportunities to expand existing parkland.
- Ensure adequate funding is available to provide necessary infrastructure improvements for parks acquired by the City through intergovernmental agreements.
- Seek out and utilize innovative sources of support to enhance parkland and amenities.
- STRATEGY: CREATE EQUITABLE ACCESS AND FUNDING FOR PARKS.
- Remove barriers to engagement.
- Identify and develop parkland and amenities that create inclusive park experiences.
- Incorporate public engagement methods and partnerships during the park planning process to help ensure all members of the Madison community are represented.
- Ensure funding is allocated equitably for development of new facilities, upgrading of existing infrastructure, and acquisition of new parkland.
- STRATEGY: ENSURE THAT EXISTING LEVELS OF SERVICE ARE MAINTAINED AND SUPPORTED THROUGH THE PARK SYSTEM AND ARE INCREASED AS NEW PARKS AND FACILITIES ARE DEVELOPED.
- Seek adequate funding for the Parks Division through the budget process.
- Pursue grant opportunities and other funding sources to support programs and park maintenance.
- Evaluate operational resources including staffing and location of operational facilities to optimize resources for new city facilities.
- Evaluate operational resources for park and street use events to ensure sustainable and equitable opportunities for building and promoting community.
- Provide technical and administrative support to volunteers whose work supplements park maintenance and improvements to foster and encourage volunteer efforts in parks.
- STRATEGY: DEVELOP A HEALTHY AND DIVERSE URBAN TREE CANOPY WITHIN PARKS.
- Improve the City’s resiliency through increasing tree canopy diversity.
- Recognize environmental and public health benefits of trees by promoting and expanding the urban tree canopy.
- STRATEGY: IMPROVE THE PARK SYSTEM’S CAPACITY TO WITHSTAND FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES.
- Improve the Parks Division’s capacity to analyze and plan for the impacts of climate change and other environmental pressures.
- Ensure best management practices for stormwater runoff and infiltration to reduce impacts of increasing storm severity.
- Ensure park design and amenities are flexible to accommodate dynamic climate patterns.
- Design and support opportunities for winter activities that are less impacted by climate change.
- STRATEGY: INCREASE CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN PARKS TO ENHANCE ACCESS.
- Work with other city agencies as well as Dane County and neighboring communities to create a comprehensive system of greenspace connections by means of pedestrian, biking, and water trails through parks.
- Connect parks with other city amenities through trails and public transportation.
- STRATEGY: INCREASE ENGAGEMENT WITH GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS AND DEVELOP NEW ONES.
- Strengthen opportunities and partnerships dedicated to engaging diverse communities in parks.
- Improve existing partnerships to ensure efforts are equitably distributed across geographic regions of the City and that efforts are aligned with identified land management strategies and master plans.
- Encourage engagement within parks through Friends Groups and other volunteer groups, support the efforts of such groups, and recognize their contributions to the park system in development and maintenance of park facilities.
- Develop joint‐use agreements with organizations that provide recreational amenities that can fill recreation demands.
- STRATEGY: PURSUE REGIONAL SOLUTIONS TO REGIONAL ISSUES.
- Where possible, enhance or develop regional recreation facilities identified by the Wisconsin SCORP for the Southern Gateways Region to address supply shortages.
- Continue joint planning efforts with Dane County to implement recommendations of the Dane County Park and Open Space Plan on property within the City of Madison.
- Collaborate with park advocacy organizations to meet park and recreation demands.
WHAT THEY CURRENTLY HAVE PLANNED
Here’s the document if you want to take a look.
2019 had the bullet points listed below, the sub bullet points are what they plan to work on in 2020
- Public Art in Parks
- Dec 2019 – Discuss and agree upon project description and work plan
- Jan 2019 – Review and discuss research on topic
- March 2019 – Discuss any further research and draft policy
- May 2019 – Final edits and adopt policy
- Bird and Bat Houses
- Jan 2019 – Discuss and agree upon project description and work plan
- March 2019 – Review and discuss research on topic
- May 2019 – Discuss any further research and draft policy
- July 2019 – Final edits and adopt policy
- POSP Strategies Tool
- Mar 2019 – Discuss and agree upon project description and work plan
- May 2019 – Review and discuss research on topic
- July 2019 – Discuss any further research and draft policy
- Aug 2019 – Final edits and adopt policy
- Volunteers Policy Update
- May 2019 – Discuss and agree upon project description and work plan
- July 2019 – Review and discuss research on topic
- Aug 2019 – Discuss any further research and draft policy
- Oct 2019 – Final edits and adopt policy
- Partnerships/MPF/OBS/MSCR and others (MPF = Madison Parks Foundation, OBS = Olbrich Botanical Society)
- July 2019 – Discuss and agree upon project description and work plan
- Aug 2019 – Review and discuss research on topic
- Oct 2019 – Discuss any further research and draft policy
- Dec 2019 – Final edits and adopt policy
WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST?
Given the strategies above, I’m underwhelmed. I see nothing in their plan for 2020 about outreach to the public. And, it looks like they have subcommittees, but the meetings are not publicly noticed that I have been aware of. They are getting an update from a subcommittee called “Political Rallies in Parks” but I’ve never seen that agenda.
I’d suggest you contact committee members if you have ideas on parks policies that should be changed, but only 3 of the 5 have email addresses listed in legistar.
- Al Martin – no email
- Emily Gnam – no email
- Grant Frautschi – avid9000@aol.com
- Moira Harrington – moira@aqua.wisc.edu
- Stephen Webster – sawebster@gmail.com
The primary contact for the committee is listed at Janet Schmidt, but there is no email listed for her either. When I looked her up in the employee directory – there was no one with that name listed that worked for Parks. There is a Janet Schmidt that works in Engeering? Perhaps that is her?
If you’re interested in going to the meeting on Monday leave a little extra time, its at the Goodman Maintenance Facility and its a little hard to find/get to.
