Waterlife: Green Tuesdays Movie At The Monona Public Library Tomorrow/ Park And Rec Board Meeting At The Same Time- Choices, Choices...

The Natural Step Monona will be showing the movie Waterlife tomorrow night at 6:30 in the Monona Public Library as part of their Green Tuesdays film series.

From their website: Waterlife follows the epic cascade of the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. From the icy cliffs of Lake Superior to the ornate fountains of Chicago to the sewers of Windsor, this feature-length documentary tells the story of the last huge supply (20 per cent) of fresh water on Earth.

Check out the Waterlife website here for more information about this great film!


Unfortunately I won't be able to make it on Tuesday as the Park and Recreation Board plans to meet at 6:30 in the Monona Community Center. Our agenda includes:

3. Director’s Report

A. Mark Modaff – Public Works Assistant Director
B. Jake Anderson – Parks & Recreation Director

4. Appearances
A. Jane Kuzma – Bur Oak Landscapes

5. Unfinished Business
A. Review/Discussion/Recommendation of 2012 Operating Budget for Community Center, Recreation, & Outdoor Pool Department
B. Review/Discussion/Update 2012-2013 Capital Budget for Outdoor Pool, Parks, & Community Center

6. New Business
A. Frost Woods Park Brush Clearing Information/Discussion
B. Stone Bridge Park Discussion/Master Plan Review

Under appearances, Jane Kuzma will be presenting her draft master site plan for improvements at Stone Bridge Park.

And unrelated, but while I've got your attention,  the Monona Family Fall Festival is coming up soon! Sunday, September 25 from 11am to 2pm in Winnequah Park- the festival will begin at 11am sharp with our third annual Pumpkin Hunt at the Dream Park. As always, if you are dying to volunteer a couple hours of your time, call me call me call me at 206-0062.

Don't Make Like A Tree And Leaf.

I know that it can't be possible that I am the only person in Monona who has noticed the sudden decline in Monona's tree canopy. It seems that every time I turn around another Monona park has been clear-cut. What is going on? First Oneida Park, then Birch Haven and now Frost Woods? Who is signing off on these decisions? I did a little researching and found that one of the duties of the Monona Park and Rec Board is to "serve as Monona's "tree keepers" by reviewing and making recommendations regarding tree planting, maintenance, removal, and landscaping." Hmmm, interesting. I've been on the Park and Rec Board for several years and we haven't seen any of these projects pass through for our approval. Well, this "tree keeper" is recommending that the city of Monona starts preserving our existing tree canopy in our city parks and that any more drastic tree removal plans are presented to the Board before they are carried out. One of the most wonderful things about Monona is our tree-lined streets and parks. We can't just grow these trees back in a couple of years. Let us be good stewards of our city lands and leave more than rubber mulch in our wake.

Monona Park And Recreation Board Meets Tonight.

The Park and Rec Board will meet this evening at 6 pm in the Monona Community Center.

New business consists of:

A. 2013 Parks, Community Center, Pool Capital Plan Ranking

B. Recommendation/Award of contract for Maywood Park Pedestrian Path project

C. Review/Discussion of Public Input meeting for Parks & Open Space Plan

D. Capital Transfer Request/Recommendation of $136,000 for Firemen’s Park Shelter bathroom construction project

Monday evening was the last of two scheduled open houses for community members to check out Director Jake Anderson's proposed Parks and Open Space Plan. He did a nice job of setting up various displays of proposed changes, particularly in Winnequah Park, and solicited community input through the tried-and-true Post-It note approach. I stopped in last night at the Community Center to check things out and found a lot of good comments had been left. Stop in tonight at our meeting to offer any additional comments you may have!

The Park and Open Space Plan can be found here.

Park And Rec. Update.

Pleased to share that the Park and Recreation Board approved the use of sand for the new Blue Park's surface covering. I'm glad that we will have another sand park in Monona!

More Meetings.

The Monona Park and Recreation Board will meet this Tuesday evening, March 8, at 6pm in the Monona Community Center.

The agenda includes discussion of the Firemen's Park Shelter bathroom design, as well as surfacing options for the new Blue Park playground. We will continue discussion on the 2012 park, community center and pool capital plans.

The Monona Grove Board of Education will meet this Wednesday, March 9, at 7pm in the GDS IMC.

The full agenda can be found here.
Some new business of note: discussion and possible approval of a proposal to make-up loss of instruction time on February 17 and 18. And while I don't have the exact breakdown of numbers, I wanted to let others know that the vast majority of our teachers who chose to join the protests at the Capitol for those two days did not call in sick as some are claiming, but rather called in as "other deduct".
There will also be discussion and possible approval of a resolution authorizing the issuance and sale of approximately $3,895,000.00, which may sound to some that the district has recently sold off some property or other assets. Not the case, it is a refunding of bonds. Also up for continued discussion? The state proposed biennial budget and district budget reductions, of course.

And because I'm feeling a little cranky, one of my favorite photos:

Making Way For The New Blue Park

Monona Gardening Club: Organizational Meeting January 27th Monona Community Center

From Jake Anderson:

Hello All,

Thank you for your interest and excitement about getting together for education and socialization as it relates to the world of gardening. Per the responses it seems that Thursday January 27th at 6:00 pm meets the majority of people’s schedules for this first meeting.

I posted the following items that we can center our first discussion around, but I see this as an opportunity for people to get together in a group format and discuss gardening. Feel free to send this email to as many friends and neighbors as you would like and if Jessica and Doug can post on their blogs, I’ll post on the city website, facebook, and our e-newsletter.

As Parks & Recreation Director, I’m interested in tapping into the vast amount of talent we have in Monona to improve the aesthetics/sustainability of our parks and building grounds landscaping and future partnerships for programs that I’ll expand on at our kick-off meeting. If you can RSVP by Jan 25th so I know how much coffee to make, that would be great. Thanks again and I look forward to meeting you.


Starting perennials from seed – What type of equipment you need, what are easy to grow to start with, what type of soil/mix should you use?

Native Landscaping? - What is considered a native perennial plant to our area? Which natives have longest blooms (Bring photos of your gardens!)

Resources – What websites do you use for information for beginner gardeners, advanced, and sources to purchase plants/bulb/seed from both locally and online.

Plant Swap Meet Details – brainstorming session on if this idea is feasible for Monona and possible dates, location, etc.

Public Notice: Naming Request For The Ahuska Park Football/Soccer Field

From Park and Recreation Director, Jake Anderson:

This is a public notice of a request made by Monona Grove Youth Football to name the existing Football/Soccer Field at Ahuska Park Haukereid Field. This would be to honor Morrie Haukereid as one of the founders of the Monona Pee Wee Football program and current organizer over the past 42 years.

Attached is the request from the Monona Grove Youth Football group, current park/park facilities naming policies and an art rendering of what the football field entrance would look like. Per our policy, the public has time to comment on the naming request before the Parks & Recreation Board will make a recommendation at the February 8th meeting. Tentatively City Council would take the proposal up at the February 21st meeting. Individuals or groups that would like to comment on the naming process are welcome to email me or contact members of the city council or Parks & Recreation board by going to http://www.mymonona.com/.

A Whole Bunch Of Information.

In Monona Park and Recreation News:

This Tuesday evening the Monona Park and Rec. Board conditionally approved a two year probationary agreement with the Monona Warriors semi-pro adult tackle football team to use Ahuska Park as their home field. You can learn more about the league at http://www.midstatesfootballleague.com/. The Warriors' information should be available on-line soon. Park and Rec. Director Jake Anderson hopes to develop a joint partnership with the team and MG Youth Football to act as stewards of the field and to work on and fund site projects, such as bleachers, sound and storage systems and a press box. Speaking of the MG Youth Football program, the Board also heard their first formal request to name the Ahuska Park football/soccer field Haukried Field after longtime founder and director Morrie Haukried. There will be thirty days of public input before any recommendation will be made to the Council by the Park and Rec. Board.

From the Snowshoe Department:

From the Monona PTO:

 Kelly Bethke, Maywood PE teacher, needs some help this week! She sent out this request: "I am looking for parent volunteers to help the Maywood students put on and take off snowshoes during our snowshoe unit in PE. We have adult sizes, so the volunteers could join us. We will be going out Thursday and Friday morning between 8:30-11 am. Classes start at the beginning of each half hour." Please reply to Ms. Bethke if you are able to help for any portion of those times. Her email address is kelly.bethke@mgschools.net.



In the "Local Boy Does Good" category:

From an email from Jeff Otto, tech and engineering at MGHS, regarding Board member Jill List's son, Connor Stevens:

Connor Stevens recently produced a video that he has entered into Fox 47's MSG 2 Teens contest. He is currently one of the five finalists. The video is well done, and he has a chance of winning a laptop computer along with a $2500 grant for the school. The school with the most votes will be the winner, and their video will be aired on Fox47. If Connor wins, he will choose where the grant money will be directed. Voting is very quick and easy. You can vote by CLICKING HERE!

There will be an email link on the district's website shortly.
Here is the direct URL for voting: http://www.fox47.com/sections/contests/msg2teens/videos/vid_1.shtml

Good luck Connor!

In the "Charlie Brown Christmas Tree" category:

This morning I attended what is likely to be the last Maywood Elementary Holiday Concert. Always one of my favorites, the concert was lovely and bittersweet. Music teacher Paul Backstrom does an amazing job with our little ones and it is so wonderful to watch them perform. I sat in front of second grade teacher Barb Trapp's parents, who have been attending the Maywood Holiday program for the past twenty-four years. Barb's class always does a presentation of A Flea on Santa's Tree and her father gave us a run-down of her room's successes over the years.

In the "Gee, Things Could Be A Lot Worse" category:

From necn.com:

Investigators search for motive in Florida school board shooting


A lot of people still talking about a frightening shooting caught on camera in Panama City, Florida.
No one was hurt in the shooting, but the gunman later shot and killed himself.
All of the moments were caught on tape (warning- it's pretty disturbing), as school board members in Florida were staring down the barrel of a gun as the shooter, 56-year-old Clay Duke, opened fire on them before killing himself.
Investigators believe Duke may have been planning the incident for quite some time. They say they found a calendar in his home with the date of the shooting circled.
The suspect first spray-painted a "V" in a circle on the wall, and then told the women in the room to leave, including a board member who returned and tried to knock the gun out of the suspect's hand with her pocketbook.
School board members said they were fortunate to be alive after seeing the bullet holes in the room where the shooting took place.

And finally, in the "Who's Crazy Enough To Run Now" category:

After that video, who knows? Susan Fox is the only (that I know of) candidate running for the Board of Education this year. Jill List didn't have plans to run for re-election this last time I spoke with her. With two open seats this period, this election season could turn out to be rather boring, maybe not such a bad thing...

Monday Night City Council Meeting: Full-Time Recreation/Aquatic Supervisor Position on the Chopping Block

The Monona City Council will meet Monday evening at 7:30 in the Monona Public Library Conference Room. One of the items up for discussion and possible approval is the elimination of a full-time Recreation/Aquatic Supervisor. This position was budgeted into both the committee and mayoral budget and it's elimination will likely result in the reduction of recreation programs.

From an email from Park and Recreation Director, Jake Anderson:

Hello Parks & Recreation Board Members,
I wanted to let you know about a budget development that could have a significant negative impact on our department. Alderman Veserat has included a budget amendment to take out the Full-Time Recreation/Aquatic Supervisor position that I proposed and was included in the committee and mayoral budgets. This action would more than likely mean that my current part-time Rec Coordinator Jordan Burress would leave as she has a full-time job offer on the table, but would prefer to work here. I would then have to eliminate numerous recreation programs to be able to handle all of my duties with capital projects and day to day operations. If you would like to support our department, the city council will meet on Monday night at 7:30 pm at the Library. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks.


From an email from Pat Howell, long-time Park and Recreation Board member:

Dear Fellow Park Board Members,

I am writing out of concern for Ald. Veserat's budget amendment to eliminate the recreation/aquatic position that was included in the budget. I strongly believe that proposal is wrong.The strength and growth of the Monona Recreation Program has been a benefit to everyone who lives in this community. The money generated from the various programs pays significantly for the valued people who develop and oversee the success of our parks and recreation programs. In addition to the dollars, the value of their work contributes to the quality of life we enjoy in this community. The positive direction Monona is currently taking to bring new life to our changing community and enhance the opportunities for people at all stages of life who live here is worth far more than we can measure in dollars. Providing recreational opportunities along with the space and facilities for those things to happen is critical to this community culture we value. By reducing staff, we reduce the quality of community life. As a department, I hope we can show support and voice our thoughts on this in as many ways as possible. My plan is to attend the city council meeting on Monday. I will also e-mail Robb and Pat.
Pat Howell

From an email from another long-time Park and Recreation Board member, Pam Kitslaar:


I am writing to ask your support to include the full time Recreation/Aquatic position in the 2011 budget.
Please recognize the exemplary job that Jake Anderson has done to bring our Parks and Recreation Dept to a level other communities envy. As you are aware, and note in the City newsletter, we now have a wide variety of quality programs, activities, and special events for all age groups. These have been met with enthusiasm and successful attendance. These serve to strengthen and bring our community together, promote health and wellness, and attract other people into Monona. There has been an increase in revenues.
The department has grown. Jake has had an excellent 19 hr per week Rec Coordinator, but that is no longer enough support to maintain our lively recreation department. It is also difficult to retain a good worker at these hours.
As Park and Recreation Director, Jake has many administrative responsibilities. He has been a true asset for Monona with his up to date knowledge of programming, marketing and community relations, safety, equipment, grants available for application, and etc. He has been very dedicated, spends long hours and needs additional help. The full time Rec/Aquatic Supervisor position to manage the outdoor pool and thus eliminating the need for Head guards, to charge up pool operations and assist with other activities is a position with growth whose time has come.
Let’s show our gratitude, let’s show the community, the Pride we have in our Parks and Recreation to support this full time position. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration to put it in the budget.

Sincerely,
Pamela Kitslaar


City Council meets at 7:30. Please be there to voice your opinion on this issue. Unfortunately, I will be watching the Monona PeeWee Football championship game at Ahuska Park at 7pm.

GO FALCONS!!!

A Sneak Peek at the New and Improved Blue Park

Here are two views of the proposed replacement play structure for the Blue Park. The Park and Recreation Board will look at different color options next month. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on whether the Blue Park should stay blue?

Second Week of the Month Time Again!

The Monona Park and Recreation Board will meet tonight, October 12th, at 6pm in the Community Center lounge.


We will be discussing the replacement playground structure for Monona's beloved Blue Park, which has been deemed ready for a face-lift. We have many new structures to consider and I hope that any interested parents and park-goers join us to peruse the options. And for those of us who would still like to have at least one sand park in Monona, tonight would be the perfect opportunity to voice that sentiment.

Under new business: Capital Transfer Request for 2010 Pool Shower/Locker Room Floor Project, Capital Transfer Request for 2011 Maywood Park Trail, MG Business Men’s Association Community Message Board Relocation, the 2011 Tennis Court Resurfacing Information and the 2011 Community Center Remodel/Feasibility Study. Join us. It's always a party.


The Monona Grove Board of Education is meeting this Wednesday evening at 7pm in the District Office.

The agenda for this month's meeting can be found here. Among old business, the Board will revisit the ongoing discussion of the possible closure of Maywood Elementary and consolidation of Monona's elementary grades at Winnequah School and related issues. Not sure what the related issues will be, but rest assured, they will be aplenty. New business includes the possible approval of the proposed 10th grade chemistry program and an update on continuous school improvement by Christa Macomber and Deb Lyons. The Board will also approve these generous donations in the consent agenda:


$330.57 donated from the Knights of Columbus to Monona Grove School District, Student Services for students with special education needs
$500.00 donated from the GDS PTO to Glacial Drumlin School for student scholarships
$118.53 donated from Target to Winnequah School
$250.00 donated by Monona State Bank to Winnequah School
$2,600.00 donated by the Cottage Grove PTO to Cottage Grove School for SMARTBoards
$125.00 and two bins of school supplies donated by the Monona State Bank – Cottage Grove to the Cottage Grove School for student assistance.
15.5” viola, bow and case donated by Lisa & Scott Stearns to the GDS Orchestra Department.
13” viola, bow and case donated by Lisa & Jeff Baudhuin to the GDS Orchestra Department.
$100.00 to the Taylor Prairie School donated by Paul Jana & Dana King
$50.00 to the Taylor Prairie School donated by Daniel & Kristia Loeder
$25.00 to the Taylor Prairie School donated by Michael Sturm
$10.00 to the Taylor Prairie School donated by Paul & Lisa Sutter
$10.00 to the Taylor Prairie School donated by Matthew & Jessie Nelson
$25.00 to the Taylor Prairie School donated by Thomas & Holly Schmidt
$20.00 to the Taylor Prairie School donated by Frank & Kristin Russell
$2,600.00 donated by the Cottage Grove PTO to Taylor Prairie School for SMARTBoards
School supplies donated by School Supplies for Kids to Cottage Grove School
School supplies donated by New Concepts Salon to Cottage Grove School


This note from the Monona Recreation Department:

Parents! The Youth Basketball deadline is THIS Friday, October 15th! Please sign your child up today! We have to stick to this deadline, due to a scheduling meeting with other communities, so please don't wait!

Sign up online, over the phone (222-4167) or in person (1011 Nichols Road)!
Click on this link to sign up online: http://www.mymonona.com/pages/parks_recreation/recreation_programs/kids_recreation_programs/details.php/168/201011%2Byouth%2Bbasketball%2Bgrades%2Bk6/2Byouth%2Bbasketball%2Bgrades%2Bk6/

And finally, a couple of shots from the Winnequah Fifth Grade Upham Woods trip:

and then for no particular reason, click here.

Some Meetings...

The Monona Park and Recreation Board will meet tonight at 6pm in the Community Center.

We will be wrapping up our Parks and Open Spaces Discussion, as well as reviewing our 2010 and 2011 Operating and Capital budgets.

The Monona Grove Board of Education will meet on Wednesday, August 11th at 7pm in the District Board Room, Nichols Building.

The Board will hear an update from North American Mechanical, Inc. (NAMI) on the energy efficiency of Glacial Drumlin School. We will also continue discussion on the Nichols building appraisal. The Board also has the discussion and possible approval of non-represented staff compensation and collective bargaining agreement with educational paraprofessionals as unfinished business. New business includes a preview of Brenda Clark's Professional Development Presentation and changes to the student handbook and discipline procedures.

The Monona Family Attraction and Retention Committee meets this Thursday at City Hall at 6:30pm.

We will continue to organize this year's Fall Family Festival, scheduled for September 26th, 2 to 5 pm at Winnequah Park. I am so happy to report that Andy Nath, Monona resident, librarian and musician, will perform with his band, the Banned Wagon, at this year's festival. Yeay Andy! Thank you!!

Don't forget about school registration!

A Couple Of Meetings This Week...

The Monona Park and Recreation Board is scheduled to meet this Tuesday evening at 6-ish at the Monona Community Center.

I'm not sure if our meeting has been postponed as we haven't received an agenda yet, but as our June meeting was cancelled, I'm sure we will convene this month at some point.

Speaking of our Monona parks, anyone noticed the huge pile of concrete, rocks and other construction debris that has overtaken Woodland Park? At our last meeting in May, our Park and Recreation Board approved using the park as a holding ground of sorts for road construction detritus, and while I'm certainly glad to take some of the onus off of Monona Drive business owners of having a huge pile of rocks in front of their businesses, I have to wonder what the effect of dumping all this junk off in the park will have on soil compaction, flora and fauna. The original thought was that the construction company would re-prairie this area for the city after cleaning up the construction rubble. They had offered to spread the seeds that the city has already purchased for that purpose in exchange for using the park. Oh well, I've heard that Park and Rec. Director Jake Anderson has been lobbying our City Alders to turn that stretch of the Woodland Park into a parking lot anyway. Maybe they'll plan to add some trees into the lot landscaping to get into the spirit of things. Guess we'll wait and see.

*note: while taking these photos at Woodland Park, I actually fell down a hill of rubble, which was simultaneously horrifying and extremely funny. I'll bet the construction guys weren't expecting a hugely pregnant female landslide on Monona Drive today. Maybe I'll go into labor now; guess we'll wait and see.

In Cottage Grove Kids Park news: I received this email from Jeff Simpson:

http://www.refresheverything.com/cgkidspark

Pepsi is running a promotion and they are giving money to the ten ideas that get the most votes. The Cottage Grove Kids park is one of the ideas and is currently in 131st place. It only takes a minute to vote, especially once you're signed up, and you can vote every day through the end of July. If we finish in the top 10 we would get $25,000 for the park!

The Monona Grove Board of Education will meet this Wednesday evening in the District Office at 7pm.

Unfinished business includes the possible approvals of the new MG21 charter school charter amendments, our district's participation in an impact concussion study, the Chartwells Food Management contract and non-represented staff compensation. New business will include the discussion and possible approval of the restructuring of both our district's Continuous Improvement and Assessment Coordinator and Diversity Coordinator positions.

I also wanted to acknowledge the gift donations to our schools and students, something I would like to start doing consistently. The Board approves our gift donations monthly as a formality in our consent agenda and sometimes the amazing generosity of our school community isn't emphasized enough.

$171.00 from Skala Photography to Maywood for Activity Scholarship Fund

$324.00 from Skala Photography to Taylor Prairie for building needs

$1,000.00 from Kohls for furniture for the pod areas of grades 7-8 at GDS (grants written by GDS PTO)

$802.97 from the Monona PTO to Maywood School for grades EC-2 and Related Arts

$938.42 from the Monona PTO to Winnequah School for Related Arts, 4th- 6th grades

$200.00 from Susan and Chris Lynch to Winnequah School (Chris Charlson) to purchase books.

Thank You!

In other news, the puppy is still at the breeders and the baby is still on the way. Ah, the waiting...

It's Second Week of the Month Time Again!

The Monona Park and Recreation Board will meet on Tuesday May 11th, 6pm in the Monona Community Center. We will continue our discussion of the Monona Parks and Open Spaces plan with reports on Oneida, Woodland, Three Meadows and Bridge Road Parks. The Board will also have discussion about the "Blue Park" Playground Equipment Replacement RFP. The Blue Park, as it is known by tons of Monona's kids, is slated to be removed and replaced this year. Jake Anderson is requesting $70K of capital improvement funds to cover new equipment that would be comparable to the existing structure, as well as the cost of replacing the sand ground covering with rubberized mulch. The rubberized mulch will cost an estimated $12K. I have been accused of being an old-fashioned old fogey before, mainly because I like to use what we already have. I'm not a Bigger!Brighter!Newer!=Better! type of person; there's a lot of value to using and improving what we have. I'm also not a fan of this cyclical replacement mentality; just because something has been around for 15 years doesn't mean that it's time to replace it with the latest and greatest trend. However, I have been grudgingly convinced that the Blue Park should be replaced, mainly because I have long since realized it will be replaced whether I like the idea or not. My last stronghold, though, is Director Anderson's plan to replace the sand around the play structure with that nasty rank rubberized mulch. It's a wonderment to me that I or any of my wild and woolly friends managed to survive our childhoods without the cushioning protection of chopped up used car tires. Is it just me, or does it strike anyone else as a little odd that we are now wholeheartedly convinced that our children will die on our playgrounds if they don't have a bunch of chemical-based synthetic junk to fall on? When did this idea take hold? I thought parents didn't even allow their children to fall down anymore.

From http://www.natureswayresources.com/ :

Research at Bucknell University has found that the leachate from ground tires can kill entire aquatic communities of algae, zooplankton, snails and fish. Even at low concentrations it can cause reproductive problems and precancerous lesions. Also, marine life from seaweeds to plankton is negatively affected.The toxic nature of the leachate from tire rubber is due at least in part to the chemicals usedin producing tires (cadmium, chromium, aluminum, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, selenium, sulfur, and zinc). Of these minerals, rubber tires may contain extremely high levels of zinc even up to 2% of the tire mass. Many plant species have been shown to accumulate zinc in their tissues to the point of death. USDA researchers who have studied the effects of metals in sewage sludge, biosolids and compost, have found that ground rubber should not be used on any agricultural or garden soil, potting media, or compost. Yes- some companies use tire chips and crumb rubber as a bulking agent for compost and we wonder why the compost does not work and is toxic to plants! Other rubber leachates have been found to cause problems from skin and eye irritation to major organ damage and even death. Long term exposure can lead to carcinogenesis and mutagenesis. For example, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole used in vulcanizing rubber is highly persistent in the environment and harmful to aquatic life. Ground rubber also contains a class of chemicals called Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that many studies have found extremely toxic to humans and the environment. Research has also found that the toxicity of leachate from the
rubber tire mulch increases over time as the rubber breaks down.

Read this article at http://http://www.natureswayresources.com/DocsPdfs/RubberMulch.pdf .

This is what we want to spend $12K on to dump right next to the Winnequah Lagoon? I would really like to see the Blue Park covered with adequate fall zone protection with whatever depth of sand is necessary. Not only is it cheaper, cleaner, less smelly and a whole lot more fun to play in, it won't leach into our ground water and kill off our aquatic wildlife. Call me an old fogey.

Also on tap for Park and Rec. Board: From Director Jake Anderson "Mayor Robb Kahl has requested that the existing soccer/football field at Ahuska Park be named Tom Metcalfe Field after former Mayor Tom Metcalfe. Kahl states that Tom Metcalfe was the Mayor of Monona at the time of the park being built and was instrumental in turning the site into a usable park. This would be the first step in any naming process. There would be a 30 day public input notice before the Park and Recreation Board could make a recommendation one way or another."


The Monona Grove Board of Education will meet this Wednesday evening at 7pm in the District Office Board Room in Nichols School. Unfinished business includes the discussion and possible approval of 2010-2011 Teacher Final Notices of Layoff and the possible approval of the location of the MG Alternative High School and general discussion of the Nichols Building. The two items of new business are the discussion and possible approval of district computer bids and the student fee schedule.

The Monona Family Attraction and Retention Committee will meet this Thursday in the Monona City Hall Conference Room at 6:30pm. Alderman Doud Wood will become our committee's new co-chair with Alderman Scott Munson serving as the new chairman. We plan on having a review of the Family Attraction Committee's charge and mission and a brainstorming session on future committee projects. We will also begin discussing this year's Fall Family Festival and hope to choose a date in the early fall. As always, we would welcome any volunteers to assist in the festival planning. The 2009 Festival was wonderful; we hope this year will bring another success!

Interesting Potential For Conflict:

There have been a couple of comments on my post "The Second Week of the Month..." that I wanted to address here, mainly because my response is too long and there is no feature to save the comment before posting it and this will be the third time I have had to re-type it in it's entirety because I accidentally deleted it the first two times, and can you tell I'm getting irritated yet?

The gist of the matter is is that some posters have inquired regarding any potential conflict of interest between my position on the Monona Grove Board of Education and my seat on the Monona Park and Recreation Board and my appointment to the Monona Family Attraction and Retention Committee, specifically in regard to the closure of Maywood Elementary.

I think part of this may be cleared up in a couple of sentences: I believe that the vote to delay the decision to close Maywood Elementary until next budget cycle IS in the best interests of the Monona Grove School District. If I did not believe that to be true, I would not have voted to delay the decision. I understand that some district residents are vehemently opposed to that decision. I understand that some district residents vehemently support that decision. I understand that the vast majority of our district residents are somewhere in the middle of these two extreme viewpoints. It is a decision that has been made. You can support that decision or you can disagree with it, but it has been made. I am quite confident that the Monona Grove administrative team and the Board of Education will revisit this issue during our district's next budget cycle.

Now, on to the potential conflict of interest between my role on the Board of Education and my seat on the Monona Park and Recreation Board and my appointment to the Monona Family Attraction Committee. During one of our many Board training workshops this past summer, I had the opportunity to ask our district attorney, Michael Julka of Lathrop and Clark, a widely respected school law expert, about any potential conflict of interest between my positions, which I detailed thoroughly and in minute regard. He assured me immediately that there was no such potential for conflict. So, unless I decide to run for the Mayor's spot (joking!) or decide to start selling my own science curriculum (joking again!) or start my own subversive underground educational facility in my basement (still joking!), I am entirely confident that legally and ethically, I am not in danger of violating any conflict of interest.



So, as for the volunteer work that I do for the City of Monona:

• I am a long time organizer and volunteer for the Monona Parks Pride park clean-up program. We pull weeds, haul sand, pick up trash and rake leaves. Conflict of interest =zero.
  
  


• I have put on several special after-hours children's events promoting literacy and library familiarity at the Monona Public Library. Aside from driving myself insane by having to create 250 rhyming, chronological scavenger hunt clues, conflict of interest=zero.

• I have served on the Monona Elementary PTO since my oldest son started at Maywood five years ago, both as co- Vice President and co-President of the PTO Board. I decided to step down from my position when I was elected to the Board of Education specifically to be protective of the long-standing reputation of the Monona PTO as being a politically neutral organization. The Monona PTO has done a spectacular job of circumnavigating the roiling political waters in this district, especially during this past election, and can safely say that they speak for all of the parents of Winnequah School and Maywood Elementary. Kudos to them! Conflict of interest=zero.
  


• I was appointed to the Monona Family Attraction and Retention Committee in 2007 and have also served on the Broadway Banner sub-committee and the City Marketing sub-committee. Thus far, as a committee, we have helped design the ill-fated and admittedly heinous city logo that was uniformly rejected by the City Council, helped design the gorgeous new City of Monona website (http://www.mymonona.com/), worked tirelessly on a city beautification project that will install light post banners on the Broadway Corridor and finally, put on an absolutely fabulous and very successful Fall Family Festival that featured, among other things, a pumpkin scavenger hunt, storytelling, live music from the Hang Loueys, local farmers market, crafts, prizes and live alpacas. Missed seeing conspiring to keep Maywood open on the agenda? That's because it wasn't on it. Conflict of interest= zero.




• Monona Park and Recreation Board- member since 2007. We talk about the typical Park and Rec things: operating budgets, long-term park planning, geese mitigation, pool locker room shower heads, teen smoking at the Skate Park, coyote decoys, splash pads, memorial plaques, drainage issues, warming houses, park encroachments issues, the Kon-Tiki Regatta, fall zones- you get the drift. The City of Monona and the Village of Cottage Grove both have reciprocal agreements with the Monona Grove School District regarding field use (like allowing MGHS sport teams to use public fields for practice) and building use (such as allowing adult league sports use of the barren wasteland that is the Nichols Gym) Colloborative relationships are what we should be striving for, not suspicious of. If I ever feel as if I am in danger of even coming close to a conflict of interest regarding field use for the high school soccer team, that would say, create a huge windfall of ill-gotten monetary gains for the City of Monona, I will abstain from voting. Hasn't happened yet, and I don't expect it will. Conflict of interest= so far zero.

And finally, some future causes of potential concern:

I want to start a community canning kitchen in Monona because I want to perserve my extra tomatoes with a little help. Could this undermine my role as a Board member? Doubtful.
I am also very interested in starting a community garden in Monona, from which we could take the surplus to the aforementioned canning kitchen, can it and donate it to area food pantries. Conflict? Hope not.

I am also trying to drum up interest for a community dog park in Monona. Hidden agenda? Don't think so.

Are we done yet? I never realized that working to make the place where I live and raise my family and the school district that will educate my children better would be so fraught with suspicion. If you have any further questions about my own personal conflicts of interests or ethical leanings, please call me at home. 249-7536 If you have any immediate concerns about what I am doing, please feel free to stop by any of my meetings this week. Times and locations already posted.

The Second Week of the Month...

"A meeting is an event where minutes are taken and hours are wasted."

- James T. Kirk

And while I don't necessarily agree with that statement entirely, even my kids have learned to scatter when the dreaded words "the second week of the month" are spoken. Because they know that's when the mothership leaves the home planet for intergalactic negotiation and the occasional battle.

• Tuesday, April 13th Monona Park and Recreation Board- Monona Community Center 6:30pm
  

Unfinished business includes an edible garden grant application request (love it!) and continued discussion on the Park and Open Spaces Plan, specifically regarding Maywood and Frostwoods Park. New business will cover a recommendation for a vendor for the Ahuska Soccer and Football Field fence project, as well as a park bench donation and replacement program. We will also be hearing several updates from the city staff on various projects currently in the works.

• Wednesday, April 14th Monona Grove Board of Education - Glacial Drumlin IMC 7pm
  

New business includes discussion and possible approval of a new charter for the Monona Grove Alternative School and the implementation of its grant application to DPI, ninth grade biology beginning the 2010-2011 school year, 2010-2011 teacher preliminary notices of layoff, the revision of Board Policy 185- Standing Board Committee Guidelines and the Board Exhibit 186- Questions for Potential Citizen Members on Standing Board Committees. We will also be having a Board discussion with Glacial Drumlin Principal Renee Tennant, Monona Grove High School Principal Paul Brost and Diversity Coordinator Charlie Ellis on the district racial issues.

• Thursday, April 15th Monona Family Attraction and Retention Committee- Monona Public Library 6:30pm

The committee plans to meet to discuss final approval of the Broadway banner designs.

Is That A Coyote In Your Pocket Or Are You Just Trying To Scare Me?

From Monona Park and Recreation Director Jake Anderson:

"Two 3-D coyote replicas were placed in Winnequah Park today. One by the gazebo and one on the other side of the lagoon. Hopefully they will work, but I already "caught" one gentleman trying to remove the decoy as it "scared" him as he was walking his dog through the park. I'm hoping they will work and stay in the park, check them out if you get a chance. Have a good weekend."

The 3-D coyotes are part of a continuing effort to discourage our geese population from enjoying Winnequah Park and not cleaning up after themselves when they leave. Anyone who has played a game of football, soccer, softball or simply tried to walk through areas of Winnequah Park know what a lasting impression our geese can leave behind. My boys have their own "park" shoes that have a permanent place in our garage after usage. I'm pleased that the city has given up on the fishing-line-sieve-over-the-lagoon strategy for now. While the young anglers of Monona rarely catch anything there, they sure do have a lot of fun trying. Other ideas for geese mitigation include Jake's canine crew of geese chasers that he organized last year to some success and non-intrusive flashing LED lights that will be installed later in the season. So if you happen to come across a coyote in the park, don't panic. They will be moved around frequently. And by the way, for the time being, dogs still aren't allowed in Winnequah Park.

FYI Jake just emailed that these coyote decoys only cost about $60 each- nice!

And Now For Something Completely Different...

Monona's Park and Recreation Board has been doing double duty lately with extra meetings scheduled to hash out an updated Park and Open Spaces Plan for the city's park system. This is great fun, particularly in light of the fact that we're a pretty mellow bunch and no one throws chairs or heckles at our meetings. Jake Anderson has created a draft (let me repeat: DRAFT!!!) master plan for Winnequah Park that includes new tennis courts, a splash park, a nature preserve, beautiful trails and a possible concession stand/canoe or kayak rental site at the park's end on Winnequah Road. Did I mention it was only in the draft stage? Still very exciting nonetheless. We also discussed focusing on drainage and parking issues at Ahuska Park and really putting some effort in at Schulter Beach Park. I personally would love to see Schulter Beach Park get the attention that it deserves and have the city work toward making it another premiere park in Monona. The bathroom building is slated for improvement in 2014, which it is undeniably in sore need of. I think it would be fabulous to have paddle boat rentals available for families and to turn the beach back into a spot where people actually want to swim. Our park system is such an amazing asset to the city of Monona, we are truly lucky to have these wonderful resources!

Monona Park and Recreation Board Meeting March 9th 6pm

Our Monona Park and Rec Board will be meeting this Tuesday evening at 6pm in the Community Center lounge, and as no snow is in the forecast, I'm confident the meeting will proceed as scheduled. We will continue to discuss our Park and Open Spaces Plan for the city, as well as receive Director Jake Anderson's update on the capital budget timeline and current projects. Under new business, the Board will discuss additional requests for capital funding for a pool plumbing project and M.Y. Dream Park maintenance.