Council nixes plan to move marina-area pavilion inland

A proposal to move the Kiwanis pavilion from the lakefront to Port Washington’s Hill School Park was panned Tuesday by the Common Council, with aldermen saying the shelter is needed near the lakeshore.

“The Kiwanis shelter is needed at the marina,” Ald. John Sigwart, a member of the Kiwanis Club, said.

“I believe a shelter at Hill School is important. My feeling is the Parks and Recreation Board should budget for a shelter at Hill School.”

The pavilion is one of two city facilities that will be moved and rebuilt by Ansay Development as part of its Newport Shores building project. City officials have been debating where the two structures should be placed for months. 

Parks Director Kiley Schulte told the council that the Parks and Recreation Board had initially recommended relocating the Kiwanis pavilion to south beach, then later said it should be paired with the fish cleaning station.

But in developing a new parks master plan, Schulte said she and Parks Director Jon Crain looked at all the city’s facilities and decided to recommend relocating the pavilion to Hill School Park, which has the greatest need for a shelter.

“The pavilion there is almost unusable,” she said. “It’s falling apart.”

The shelter is so bad, she’s considering pulling the summer playground program from the park, Schulte said, adding that with the current budget situation, it’s difficult to find the money to renovate the current shelter.

The Kiwanis pavilion is not only the largest shelter in the park system, it’s also one of the least used facilities, she said.

Ald. Deb Postl said this is a good idea, given that Hill School Park is a beautiful facility that greets visitors to the city.

“If Ansay would be willing to build a pavilion there, I think that would be great,” she said.

Ald. Jonathan Pleitner, a member of the Parks and Recreation Board —which won’t take up Schulte and Crain’s recommendation until January — questioned whether Hill School gets enough use to justify a full shelter in the park.

“Do we need a pavilion at Hill School Park at all?” he asked.

If it does, Pleitner suggested the city build a smaller pavilion at the lakefront, then use an additional funds from Ansay for a smaller shelter at Hill School Park.

But City Attorney Eric Eberhardt pointed out that the city’s agreement with Ansay calls for the firm to demolish the current pavilion and construct a new one of a similar size and design on publicly accessible land for a maximum cost of $45,000.

The firm isn’t providing the city with money to build the shelter, he said, so there wouldn’t be additional money for a second shelter.

A pavilion at Hill School would be used, Crain and Schulte said, noting that the city can’t rent the current shelter out because of its condition.

While aldermen spoke in favor of placing the pavilion near the lakefront, noting the current facility is used for fishing derbies and other events, Schulte said there are several shelters near the lake.

“This is us looking at the big picture of our parks,” Crain said. “We’re showing you what would really benefit the city.”

Several aldermen said they want to see the shelter relocated near the fish cleaning station when it’s moved.

That would be difficult, Schulte said, because the fish cleaning station is expected to be relocated to the marina parking lot and there’s not room for such a large shelter there.

“The marina parking lot is not a park,” Ald. Dan Benning said. “It makes absolutely no sense to me (to move it there).”

The massive expanse of asphalt in the parking lot would make the pavilion a less than inviting place, Ald. Mike Gasper said, unless the lot is reconfigured and landscaping added.

Coal Dock Park might be a better location, he said, while other aldermen suggested Veterans Park might be best.

Coal Dock Park needs a grander pavilion with more amenities than the Kiwanis shelter would afford, Schulte said, while Veterans Park has a shelter already.

Other aldermen liked the idea of locating the shelter just sough of the water plant, but Ald. Paul Neumyer said that may limit the city’s ability to someday expand the filtration plant.

Several aldermen questioned if the $45,000 Ansay is obligated to spend is enough to build a new shelter like the existing one, causing Sigwart to suggest that the city reopen the agreement to negotiate a higher amount.

Mayor Marty Becker noted that Ansay has a signed agreement with the city, but Sigwart said that hasn’t stopped development firms from asking the city to renegotiate their deals.

“I think it’s important we get on the phone with Ansay tomorrow,” Sigwart said. “There’s a lot to be negotiated.”