Board discusses park plan, grant application

Spencer Park Board members contemplated the creation of a new master plan for Westview Memorial Park, agreed to apply for a SAFTEA-LU grant for trail enhancement work on the Spencer West Beltway project and were told about Grand Avenue enhancement project updates during a meeting held Tuesday night in city hall.

As the board began to discuss the upcoming master plan process targeting a west central Spencer park, Spencer Park and Recreation Director Delray Bredehoeft suggested its brick walkways be redone throughout, especially where they are in relation to where trees and flower beds exist currently, all of which were laid out many years ago. He also said the master plan process should address what other amenities are needed in Westview.

"It's kind of our arboretum-type park, so it's a little bit different from a lot of our neighborhood parks which have playgrounds and shelter houses," Bredehoeft said. "One thing I see, and I don't know if there's a lot of it, but there's a certain amount of people who get married in that park. Its flowers are kind of the drawing card. Maybe we should be looking at some type of accommodation that would accommodate small weddings, small groups or that type of thing."

Board members also visited about the park being on a well system currently. As Bredehoeft indicated this has posed a problem, he suggested hooking into the city's water system should be considered during the master plan process. The Spencer Park and Recreation Director also requested that art pieces be considered for placement in Westview, further suggesting something like Loveland, Colo.'s Benson Sculpture Garden, which features the work of more than 200 sculptors from around the world.

"I think that could certainly be one of those parks that art could have more impact," Bredehoeft said.

Spencer landscape architect Matt Matthiesen, who was personally invited to attend the meeting, presented work he's recently done to board members. The two projects he highlighted were the Dale Street Park in Sioux City, which is scheduled to be constructed this spring, and his 2006 Waterway Park master plan he collaborated with Mike Bell of RDG Planning and Design of Des Moines on.

Rather than take action on the matter Tuesday night, Bredehoeft recommended the board go through a request for qualifications process and select a candidate to lead this master plan process, expected to conclude by May or June, during its March board meeting. As Matthiesen exited the meeting, he was asked by Dick Montgomery if he'd be interested in facilitating this process.

"I think it would be a fun project. There's a lot of potential there," he replied.

Bredehoeft then suggested four candidates be considered and interviewed: Matthiesen; Bell of RDG Planning and Design, who has completed a majority of Spencer's park master plans; Brian Clark of Brian Clark & Associates of Des Moines, Iowa City, Sioux Falls and Kansas City; and Karl Van Cura, a landscape designer with Midwest Design Group in Sioux City.

In other discussion, Bredehoeft informed the board members that they'd be working jointly with the Clay County Conservation Board on a Department of Transportation SAFTEA-LU grant application for proposed enhancement work on the Spencer West Beltway project. With the joint application unanimously approved by Spencer Park Board members, the two parties will now work on the grant application for a 10-foot trail to be placed on the east shoulder of roadway. They will be competing for a portion of the $222,000 available against entities within a nine-county area.

Bredehoeft explained the SAFTEA-LU grant application by saying, "We're going to be putting the new bridge over the Ocheyedan River, then it (a trail extension listed in the Little Sioux River Recreation Trail master plan) goes over to Thunder Bridge Road. Those two trail projects are in the mix. I think they're scheduled for 2010 and 2011. Now, the money that we would be applying for would be for 2013. ... What we're looking at is coming off the Oxbow area, at the end of Thunder Bridge Road, and then we'd go over to the Beltway, come down the Beltway to what we call Menards Road. And then, we'd have a phase that would bring it down into 11th Avenue Southwest or the old Hy-Vee store area. We're just trying to create connectivity. What we're really looking at, at this point anyway, is it (the trail) would be on the shoulder of the road, being much like what we have east of Spencer."

"If we were successful in doing this," he added, "we might be able to do some swapping with these two other projects there and pushing this one ahead. And then pushing the first one, the bridge actually goes in either this fall or in 2010, back. That would give us some more time to get some of the bridge money put in place."

Bredehoeft noted the SAFTEA-LU grant application is due March 6. He also said if approved, the 20 percent match amount required would be shared between the two local parties.

"I think it's a great idea," Mark Boyd said of the Beltway trail project being proposed.

During additional discussion about the Spencer Beltway project, Bredehoeft mentioned an open house held Tuesday afternoon.

"Just for your interest," he said, "up there at 18th Street and 32nd Avenue, there's going to have to be something done. Either they have to shift the road over or they'll have to shift the trail over. The trail, as you know, is right along the edge of the bank. So, that isn't going to be easy to do. I'm assuming they're going to push it to the west."

During the project update portion of Tuesday's meeting, the board learned that Gov. Chet Culver has proposed putting $1.9 million into an Iowa Great Places fund. While Bredehoeft suggested there might be a good opportunity for Spencer to receive some money for its 2008 designation and proposed Great Places projects, he noted it would have to re-apply for such funding -- and compete against other Iowa Great Places designees for it.

"This will be allocated to the projects that are really ready to roll," he said. "The Grand Avenue project is probably the most logical one that we would apply for this year. This one," he said of the Little Sioux River Recreation Trail expansion proposed, "would be the next."

Local Great Places committee members will travel to Des Moines next week to lobby state legislators for project funding, Bredehoeft added.

As he switched gears to update the board on Spencer's Grand Avenue bridge and boulevard enhancement projects, Bredehoeft mentioned a meeting will be held next week to narrow down which lights will be purchased for the boulevard areas. He also said the boulevard landscaping documents are nearly completed. He then informed board members that the Iowa DOT had recently denied placement of two small limestone signs stating "Grand Avenue" on the corners of the Ninth Street and 17th Street boulevards. The DOT would, however, allow them to be erected in the center of each. Bredehoeft did tell the board members that if they chose to, they could challenge the DOT's ruling.

"But I don't know that we would get very far," he said. "And, it would be a long struggle that would hold the project up."

Bredehoeft then asked the board to consider the projected removal of trees at the north end of the Grand Avenue boulevard stretch, as well as planting perennials instead of annuals in its flower beds.

As the Grand Avenue discussion moved to the town's proposed bridge enhancements, the Spencer Park and Recreation Director said they're looking at placing some type of a pre-structured bridge monument, rather than building them on site. He also stated they're tentatively working with a few local people to incorporate art elements into the bridge. More on this matter will be brought before the Spencer City Council and the Spencer Park Board within the next month or two, Bredehoeft said.

In other action taken, board members:

* Authorized the purchase of an $809 7055 Briggs and Stratton rototiller with bumper guard from Galen's Pro-Mow of Spencer. This will replace a 1986 Troy-Bilt tiller currently being used. Scott Berends told the board it is primarily used on the city's flower beds. Two other rototillers from Greg's Repair of Spencer, quoted at $940 and $820, were also considered.