Parks & Recreation Annual Report

Transcription

1 2015 Parks & Recreation Annual Report Parks & Recreation Committee Kochville Township 11/4/2015

2 Parks & Recreation 5851 Mackinaw Road Saginaw, Michigan (989) November 4 th, 2015 To the citizens of Kochville Township and the Township Board: The Kochville Township Parks and Recreation Committee including Chuck Pappas, chairperson; Mary Breeden, secretary; Debra LaFond; Spencer Lindenberg; and Kevin Machata, Kochville Township Clerk is pleased to present the Annual Parks Report for the 2015 calendar year. The Committee has been working hard to pave the way for plans identified and established by its primary guiding document, the five-year Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The following document will summarize the major work done in township parks this year, provide highlights from the recent summer season, and identify what the parks can hope to look forward to in coming years. Elmer Lange Park, Krossroads Park and Rainbow s End Playground, and the Kochville Pathway are the three parks that comprise the township s public recreation offerings. For these parks, 2015 has proved itself to be a particularly productive and restorative year. With the focus primarily upon maintenance, many improvements have been undertaken that will help the parks to better support the future plans for development that park users wish to see implemented. In coming years, maintenance will continue to be an ever-present consideration for our parks, with future development plans concentrating on improvements to the sustainability, safety, and accessibility of our parks. With this in mind, we hope to address any deficiencies of our current facilities, add facilities that will make our parks more accessible, and implement programs to sustain the life and quality of our parks. With our ultimate goal being to provide our township residents and visitors with the best possible park facilities and recreation opportunities, it is our hope that this annual report will serve as a basis for the continuation of this goal in years to come. Thank you, The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee

3 2015: The Year of Maintenance This year has certainly focused upon much-needed upkeep, repairs, and maintenance at all three township parks. Besides the expected weekly duties of trash removal, restroom facility cleaning, weed removal, and grass cutting, there were a number of slightly less common but very much needed maintenance projects that were a priority for staff: Elmer Lange Park Swings Replacement: The playground at Elmer Lange Park was a wonderful cost-saving DIY installation in the early days of the park, earlier even than the entire western parcel of the park that was acquired in 2001 through a MDNR Trust Fund grant. While the playground has been a staple of the park for many years, it has come to the end of its useful life: the playground does not meet the ADA minimum standards for accessibility, and has even become dangerous for play. The swings were the most dramatic example of this, with pendulums hazardously worn down nearly to breaking. This past summer, these swings were replaced with safer temporary swings by staff. These new swings will suffice until later years see a complete replacement of the playground with a more accessible, safe, and modern alternative.

4 Krossroads Park & Rainbow s End Playground Tree Replacement and Award: In July of this year, six dead trees had to be removed from Krossroads Park. Five of these trees were situated along the Kochville Pathway that circles the pond in the park, and the other tree was within Rainbow s End Playground. These dead trees, in addition to being an aesthetic eyesore, would never be able to grow into mature trees that could provide shade for park users. Thus, it became a goal to replace the aforementioned dead trees with healthy trees that will grow large to provide shade for park users and of which two types are native to Michigan. Pond Erosion Remediation: The erosion of the east bank of Krossroads Pond has been a subject of concern for the Parks Committee and the Township for many months. With the erosion of this bank coming quite close to compromising the integrity of the adjacent Kochville Pathway, remediation has been a necessary pursuit. Early last month, Kochville Township was awarded $ through the Consumers Energy Community Tree Planting Grant Program, which is administered by the Michigan Forestry and Park Association. This grant, along with a generous discount from Abele Greenhouse, was used to help cover the cost of replacing the dead trees. The leafless dead trees have now been removed and healthy young Red Maples, Sugar Maples, and Littleleaf Lindens have taken their place. This summer, Spicer Engineering has been conducting a water level study, the results of which will help engineers and the Township to determine the best course of action in remediating this looming problem. The results are expected to be produced this winter, with a plan soon to follow.

5 Kochville Non-Motorized Pathway Pathway Signage Update: By the beginning of 2015, the original signs on the path had not been replaced since their installation almost a decade ago and the signs were clearly in a state of heavy deterioration: the wood was rotting, the vinyl peeling, and the lettering in some cases almost completely faded away. Repairs and Seal-Coating: This maintenance practice that should be undertaken yearly has never been done consistently on the Kochville Pathway. Understanding this, the Parks Committee and members of the township staff have made it a priority to institute a yearly schedule of repairs and seal-coating to the path. One mile each year will be assessed and repaired, with the cycle restarting once all miles of the trail are completed. Before With this in mind, a summer project included removal and replacement of these signs. The crisp new signs are now installed along the path at all road crossings, and many positive comments have been made about them from park visitors.. After This year, the areas of Bay Road from SVSU to Walmart were completed, as well as the section of the path that stretches from Bay Road westward to Mackinaw. These areas were identified as exceptionally damaged areas, with large cracks spreading across the asphalt. These path sections are now in much better condition, with the cracks repaired and the asphalt seal coated. While there was much maintenance success in 2015, the Parks Committee would like to stress that maintenance is an ever-present and ongoing issue. It is our goal to incorporate routine and preventative maintenance programs in our parks in future years, as well as to address amenities that have progressed beyond the realm of routine maintenance and which need to be replaced. We move forward with the understanding and message that a proper maintenance routine is a low-cost course of action that will delay the need to undertake large-scale replacement projects in the future.

6 Summer Highlights WAZA Soccer: Kochville Parks and Recreation was pleased to see WAZA F.C. return for another year of soccer practice, games, and tournaments at Elmer Lange Park. We are happy to see this great organization making use of our recreation facilities, and look forward to teaming up with them in the future to make Elmer Lange an even better place to recreate. Kochville Klean Day: The annual Kochville Klean Day was a success for yet another year. This year, the event was advertised through the township website, newsletter, and flyers. In addition, Lamar Advertising allowed the Parks Committee to place an ad at the billboard near Kokomo s at no cost. A steady stream of residents and visitors participated in the event, disposing of vehicle tires, oils, antifreeze, electronics, and more. The Parks Committee is happy to help bring environmental conscientiousness and a sense of community to Kochville through this event, and we hope that this sense of conscientiousness will be evident in our parks as well. Kochville DDA Farmers Market: The Parks Committee was pleased to see the migration of the Kochville DDA Farmers Market to the area adjacent to Krossroads Park. Krossroads Park provided parking and a pleasant atmosphere for visitors to enjoy after visiting the market. It is the hope of the Parks Committee that joint efforts to bring the community together in this way will create a lasting hub for both recreation and community engagement.

7 Winter is Coming (To Kochville Parks) Ice Skating Rink: The Parks Committee is pleased to announce that this winter Elmer Lange Park will have an ice skating rink available for use by park visitors. The rink will be located just east of the pavilion, close to the end of the paved parking area. This location is optimal for many reasons: it is near a hydrant which can be used to create the rink, it is protected by berms on multiple sides, it will allow for light from the parking lot to reach the rink, and the nearby paved parking will make accessing the rink much easier for park goers. Proper signage will address liability concerns, and DPW staff has offered to maintain the rink for the season. It is our hope that the ice rink will create a free alternative option to the public in lieu of paying to skate in local indoor rinks. Cross-Country Skiing & Pathway Plowing: While certain portions of the Kochville Pathway will be consistently plowed for the upcoming winter season, other areas will be groomed for cross-country skiing for the first time in the pathway s history. The Parks Committee is pleased to be adding cross-country skiing to the recreation opportunities available at the parks, and looks forward to seeing the parks more utilized this winter than has been seen in winters past. Locations for plowing and grooming were chosen according to typical winter snow drift patterns and the amount of pedestrian traffic on each portion of path. For details concerning the anticipated portions of path that will be paved or groomed, please see the map on the following page.

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9 Looking Forward While repairs and remediation are a big part of park maintenance, replacements and development are also an important step in making parks safe, accessible, and fun for everyone. In coming years, there are a number of such improvements that the Parks and Recreation Committee hopes to pursue especially in Elmer Lange Park. In fact, improvements to safety and accessibility actually pave the way for more exciting additions perhaps fitness stations, a dog park, additional trails to more easily be pursued. Below are a few enhancements that the Parks Committee hopes to see in the next few years. Paved Drive and Parking at Elmer Lange: Paving the drive and parking lot at Elmer Lange Park would have a significant positive effect on the Kochville Township park system. While this may seem like an exaggerated statement, there a quite a few reasons why it holds so much truth. Indeed, paved roads, entry drives, and parking lots are more easily accessible to not only vehicles, but pedestrians and bicyclists as well. With our current parking lot and entranceway, we are seeing problems such as 1) bicycle riders not wanting to begin at the Elmer Lange Trailhead because of the damage that can be caused to many bicycles and tires from a non-paved surface, 2) a majority of park users accessing the park from the Township and Fire Station entrance, creating unsafe through traffic at the Township s main center of business, and 3) grant award decision-makers having expressed hesitancy at awarding recreation grant money to Kochville Township due to the lack of accessibility at the park closest to our primary place of business. With these issues of safety, accessibility, and usability in mind, paving the parking lot at Elmer Lange should most certainly be a top goal for park improvement projects in the coming year. Restroom Facilities at Elmer Lange: Providing restrooms for visitors of Elmer Lange Park is a necessary pursuit for Kochville parks. While not as exciting as pursuing a large recreational development project, the creation of a restroom facility would provide one of the most basic and standard park amenities. In fact, it is quite troubling that our most central township park does not provide this minimum standard of care to its users already. The Parks Committee plans to pursue a variety of funding options i.e. grants, donations, etc. in order to see a basic restroom facility located at Elmer Lange Park. New Playground at Elmer Lange: The completion of projects such as paving the parking lot and adding restroom facilities at Elmer Lange will ultimately allow for exciting recreational pursuits at the park. One such exciting project includes replacing the playground at Elmer Lange. The current homemade playground, while having served the park well for many years, is at the end of its lifespan. The swings have already had to be replaced due to dangerous wear, and other portions of the playground are showing signs of similar hazardous degradation. In the next couple of years, the Parks Committee recommends that the Township with the help of the community pursue grants and other such funding options to provide a safer playground for children at Elmer Lange. Pathway Extension: A long-term project and consistent goal of the Parks Committee, Township, and community continues to be pursuing the extension of our path system in the township. With the surrounding communities of Tittabawassee Township, Saginaw Charter Township, Zilwaukee Township, and Bay County all in the process of creating their portions of the Great Lakes Bay Trail, the Kochville Parks Committee recognizes that our community is an important link that will help connect the entire region. As such, the Parks Committee gives its full support to Tittabawassee Township s efforts to reach Kochville, and plans upon subsequently extending our own pathway westward through grant applications to create this highly important regional connection.