Open Question Response on City Park Pt. 2

'Bold is mine.

Q. When will improvements begin again?
What's budgeted and/or scheduled?

A. Forgive the cliché, but improvements are an ongoing process, and my hope is that we will all see some continued progress in the near future. The weather has been somewhat spotty through spring, which can make maintenance a challenge. That is compounded by the limited budget and very small staff which maintains the City's parks(there are a number of others in addition to the City Park, seven sounds about right but that's an estimation). I have been extremely impressed by the performance of staff members of the Parks division, but they certainly need more resources, both human and material. Further, many of the things you seem to have photographed are parts of larger Public Works projects that expand well beyond the purview of either the City Park Committee or the Parks division alone. As to budgets, that's well beyond the purview of the committee as I understand it at this point. Public Works or someone at the Mayor's Office would likely be a better source for fiscal information.

Q. Why were biologs installed in the first place? Why are biologs in place in areas while rip-rap is in others?

A. The biologs were installed as part of a larger bank stabilization and dredging project that was undertaken to curb erosion and bank collapse issues that were becoming quite a problem along Beaverdam Creek. I can assure you that the banks of the Creek were in need of this work, in many places the bank had receded more than 10-15 feet since my childhood. The Park Committee was consulted in the planning stage of the project and we were asked to consider biologs as an alternative to rip-rap and/or concrete bulkheading. We recommended biologs in the portion of the Creek from the old dam/bridge near Ben's Red Swings extending down to where the old, still intact concrete bulkheading begins near the Water Plant. The exception to this recommendation was the bank surrounding Picnic Island, for which we recommended rip-rap, as a portion of that bank had already been stabilized with it.

Q. Why are some biologs leftover? Why is the bank "overgrown"?

A. Biologs likely remain due to the fact the project is going to be re-examined, though I am not certain of that. What I am certain of is that the dam at Snow Hill Road is in need of repair or replacement, and the water level may change once that is completed. If the change is significant, adjustments may need to be made to the biologs. The last estimate I had for repair of the dam was April. I will likely have some information on the status of that at our next meeting later this month. As for the bank being "overgrown," the biologs are in fact seeded, and the shoreline is expected to develop naturally. The area will not be mowed in a tradition manner, but once the growth is complete, it will likely be maintained to some degree to prevent any sort of overgrowth or invasive vegetation. There are designated fishing "hardpoints" that should be mowed. Those should be scattered along the biolog banks. I will check on my next visit to the park that those are being maintained.

Q. Why are there barren areas with visible "matting"?

A. The barren areas you have photographed with references to "matting" seem to be the remainders of the silt which was removed from the creek during the dredging process. My understanding is that the matting was in place to minimize any seepage or runoff that may have resulted from the piled silt.

Our last briefing on the topic informed us that removal of the silt from the park for proper disposal is an ongoing process that should be completed sometime this summer. I would imagine that the matting will be removed at that time. Though it is rather likely any grass underneath the matting will need to be re-grown, the appearance of the area should improve.

Q. What about the unused piles of mulch?

A. As referenced above, the staff of the Parks division is fairly limited. It is unlikely they are able to complete all of their projects in any given single day. It is likely, though I am not positive that this is the case, that weather interrupted the spreading of this mulch and that it will be used or removed in the near-term. I will seek to clarify what the actual situation is with regard to the mulch piles.

Q. Is the park actively maintained/cleaned up? Can I contribute?

A. The park is indeed actively maintained and cleaned up by both Public Works' Parks division and the City Park Committee. As to our involvement, the Park Committee hosts a volunteer cleanup, which is open to the public, in the fall and spring of each year. Despite public notice of the event and attempts to spread the word by mouth and flyer, our steadiest attendees are elementary and high school groups, Boy Scouts, and local business groups. Though individual citizens do attend, they are in the minority. PLEASE come out and help us this coming fall! We'll even feed you lunch at the completion of the event!In closing, I wish to apologize for my total lack of brevity, as I prefer complete explanation to inaccuracy or missing something of importance. It is my intent to provide you with a follow-up e-mail over the next couple of days detailing the Park Committee's role and our activities to a greater degree. Please feel free to contact me at any point if you have any further questions or concerns.