The Press

Main Menu

  • News
    • Allouez
    • Ashwaubenon
    • Bellevue
    • Brown County
    • De Pere
    • Green Bay
    • Howard
    • Hobart
    • Suamico
    • Seymour
  • NEW News Lab
  • Sports
    • Ashwaubenon
    • Bay Port
    • De Pere
    • Green Bay East
    • Green Bay Notre Dame
    • Green Bay Preble
    • Green Bay Southwest
    • Green Bay West
    • St. Norbert College
    • West De Pere
    • Seymour
    • High School Sports Scores
  • Obituaries
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Classifieds
    • Place Ad
    • View Ads
  • Legal Ads
    • Our Legals
    • Statewide
  • Sweepstakes

logo

The Press

  • News
    • Allouez
    • Ashwaubenon
    • Bellevue
    • Brown County
    • De Pere
    • Green Bay
    • Howard
    • Hobart
    • Suamico
    • Seymour
  • NEW News Lab
  • Sports
    • Ashwaubenon
    • Bay Port
    • De Pere
    • Green Bay East
    • Green Bay Notre Dame
    • Green Bay Preble
    • Green Bay Southwest
    • Green Bay West
    • St. Norbert College
    • West De Pere
    • Seymour
    • High School Sports Scores
  • Obituaries
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Classifieds
    • Place Ad
    • View Ads
  • Legal Ads
    • Our Legals
    • Statewide
  • Sweepstakes
De PereNews
Home›News›De Pere›De Pere parks department looking at delaying projects

De Pere parks department looking at delaying projects

By Rich Palzewic
September 16, 2021
668
0
Share:
Department

By Lee Reinsch
Correspondent


DE PERE – The De Pere Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department is over budget for next year, and some capital improvement projects and purchases will likely have to be delayed.

Not replacing a tree stumper and not installing a turf baseball field, among other items, trimmed more than $500,000 from the preliminary 2022 budget.

New expenses this past year include the newly-opened VFW Aquatic Facility, increases in seasonal worker pay and contracting with a tree service to help combat the emerald ash borer, Parks Director Marty Kosobucki said.

The capital improvement items likely to be shelved include replacing 26-year-old playground equipment at Willems Park ($85,000), building a new shelter at Patriot Park ($200,000), the city’s portion of installing a turf infield for a baseball diamond ($75,000), resurfacing a parking lot at Kiwanis Park ($17,000), expanding parking at Jim Martin Park ($100,000) and replacing an enclosed trailer and stumper ($45,000).

The VFW Aquatic Facility’s first year was busy and took in more revenue than anticipated, but it also created more work, enough for a full-time maintenance person and a seasonal pool administrator, Kosobucki told the park commissioners last month.

“One thing we learned with running an aquatic center that attracts up to 250 people a day is that the number of problems, tasks, headaches and administrative duties are magnified about tenfold from those of the old pool,” Kosobucki said.

He said the pool’s mechanicals – things such as the chemical feed mechanism – required more attention than pool employees were equipped to deal with, so the budget includes a full-time maintenance employee who will focus on troubleshooting.

The budget also includes a contract with a pool company for seasonal set-up and shut-down/winterizing of the pool.

The pool administrator, maintenance worker, and pool contract add about $65,000 to the bottom line.

Utilities for the pool are expected to cost around $34,500.

Kosobucki said the good thing about referendum money voters approved for the project is it’s there, but the bad part about using it, is it eats into the money for a second aquatic facility at Legion Park.

Alderperson Amy Chandik Kundinger asked if the added expenses of VFW would cause any delays for the one at Legion Park.

Kosobucki said it was up to the Common Council to decide.

“There are two approaches: We can either go ahead with Legion because VFW is done, or we can keep using Legion until it blows up, like VFW did,” Kosobucki said.

In 2018, the dive well at the old VFW pool popped out of the ground when staff opened the relief valve, causing huge craters in the concrete.

Log jam

Kosobucki said the city has a nine-year backlog of ash trees to remove.

A contract for $80,000 with a private tree service will provide two arborists who could help the forestry department remove up to 250 of the city’s 800 ash trees in 2022.

“(The contract) is a big-ticket item, but if we continue as we are, we’ll never catch up,” Kosobucki said.

He said hiring two new employees would cost more than contracting out, and it would necessitate purchasing more equipment for them to use.

Also in the budget is a park patrol person to serve as a roaming security guard to handle such things as loiterers, people fishing in parts of the riverwalk area where it’s not permitted, and dogs in parks that don’t allow dogs.

“These are things the police would otherwise be called for,” Kosobucki said.

The park patrol will work four hours a day, seven days a week, for 16 weeks and earn about $5,800.

Facebook Comments
TagsAmy Chandik KundingerCity of De PereJames BoydLegion ParkMarty KosobuckiVFW Aquatic Center
Previous Article

Green Bay approves remote working policy

Next Article

Konop Companies celebrates 75 years in business

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • News

  • Sports

  • Seniors

    Home Instead Green Bay: Providing options for seniors for 25 Years

    By Heather Graves
    June 28, 2022
  • staff

    Hobart fire department, staff steps up after storm

    By Heather Graves
    June 27, 2022
  • Golden

    Local author highlights “golden age” of Brown County businesses in new book

    By Heather Graves
    June 27, 2022
  • Thillman

    Nicolet National Bank Senior Spotlight: Maggie Thillman – Notre Dame Academy girls’ soccer

    By Rich Palzewic
    June 28, 2022
  • Dock Spiders

    Rockers fall at home to Dock Spiders; drop to 9-20

    By Rich Palzewic
    June 28, 2022
  • Training Camp

    Dates set for Packers Training Camp

    By Rich Palzewic
    June 27, 2022

About Us


The Press Times is published every Friday by Multi Media Channels, and is Green Bay's number one newspaper covering local news and local sports. The paper is locally owned and operated and written. Subscriptions are $49.00 annually. Delivered via US Postal Service. To subscribe go to https://www.shopmmclocal.com/product/the-press-newspaper/ or call 715–2 58–4360

Copyright © 2019 Multi Media Channels LLC.
All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted without the prior written consent of Multi Media Channels LLC.
×