RNA Park News

Gail Jahnke--April 7, 2002

Warm weather is right around the corner and the RNA Civic and Parks Committee is gearing up for a terrific parks season. Weve been actively gathering information and ideas for upcoming parks improvements since December! Committee members met in follow up to the February Neighborhood Forum regarding Glacier Hill Park. The Gametime Phase I proposal was chosen as the most bang for our buck for $15,000. About half of the proposed structure is toddler friendly with several activities accessible to children with disabilities. In addition to the play structure, the City of Madison will install a swing set (two standard swings and two toddler/bucket swings), a basketball court and softball backboard and provide trash cans and picnic tables. Parks for People is a program available through the city which provides matching funds up to $5000 for park improvements. Fundraising was discussed to upgrade the play structure to Phase II and possibly adding a merry-go-round, roofs on the play structure and a "digger.

On Tuesday, April 16, an Glacier Hill Parks Open House is scheduled at our regular meeting place, The Eastside Public Works Facility on Sycamore. Boards showing the park layout and Phase I & II play equipment will be displayed. Bill Bauer and Laura Prindle of the Madison Parks Department will present information on fundraising, neighborhood involvement and activities, and be available to answer questions. Please take a few minutes to stop by youll be glad you did.

Sycamore Park requests include the addition of a water fountain this year with a spout for accessing water for dog park users. A request has also been made to the Parks Department for the addition of shade trees to the dog park.

Rolling Meadows Neighborhood will sponsor a KIDs SAFETY DAY on Saturday, May 4, in celebration of Kids Safety Month. The event will take place at Kingston Onyx Park (corner of Garnet and Onyx lanes) and will features lots of fun activties for kids, Mayor Sue Bauman as the featured speaker, food, informational booths, Madison Firefighter emergency vehicles and great prize giveaways. Working together with the Eastside Neighborhoods Planning Council there is talk about making this an annual Eastside Event. For more information, contact Brad Dillman (220-7104 or 245-1929 ; or email bdillman@execpc.com ).

Mark your calendars early for Madison Art Centers ART CART. This creative, outdoor art-making experience will be available to the children and families of the Ridgewood Neighborhood free of charge on the following dates/locations:

6/20 Sycamore Park from 9:30-12:00
7/15 Glacier Hill Park from 9:30-12:00
7/25 Sycamore Park from 1:00-4:00
8/1 Glacier Hill Park from 1:00-4:00

Reservations are required for groups larger than eight: call 204-3021. Please see the MSCR Spring and Summer program guide for the complete ART CART schedule.

Sycamore Dog Park Clean-Up

Madison--On Saturday, March 30, from 9am to noon, a handful of volunteers gathered at the Sycamore Dog Park for the annual clean the park event. Besides making the park a more "friendly" place to walk, volunteers enjoyed chatting with each other and watching their dogs work off some pent up energy. The weather was a little cool, but the lack of snow made clean-up much easier. All volunteers received a "thank-you" bag of goodies from the sponsors of the event.

Glacier Hill Park Plan Showcased at Meeting

Madison--On Tuesday, September 26, Si Widstrand, City of Madison Parks Planning, Development and Resources Supervisor and about a dozen Ridgewood residents gathered at the East Side Streets Division building on Sycamore Ave to talk about the plan for Glacier Hill Park.

The plan for the current 12 acres that make up the park includes space for two soccer fields, a basketball court, playground, and shelter. A future expansion of the park would include space for two tennis courts. According to Si Widstrand, the playground and basketball court are likely to be the first facilities to be installed, but even their installation could be delayed due to the City's recent budget problems. While capital funding for the facilities is relatively easy to obtain, getting budget dollars to maintain the facilities could be a problem.

One way around the maintenance problem is to require users to maintain certain facilities, such as is the case with the soccer fields. The City will not install goals or regularly mow field areas until a group (such as a local soccer club or group of interested neighborhood residents) agrees to maintain the field, including things such as painting field lines. That maintenance rule means that neither soccer field is likely to be in place anytime soon. When asked which field would be installed first, Si indicated that the field closest to Golden Leaf Tr. would provide the best accessibility from the street, so it would likely be first.

The plans displayed at the September 26 meeting will again be on display at the Wednesday, October 11 neighborhood meeting regarding neighborhood officers and the Autumnwood
apartment expansion.