MONROE - Plans to find funding for a Badger State Trailhead in Twining Park went off course Thursday afternoon at the Monroe Visitor and Promotion Board special meeting at city hall.
Monroe Mayor Ron Marsh, the board's chairman, scheduled the meeting to determine whether the board was interested in getting involved with funding a proposed convention/trailhead complex in the park.
But some members questioned whether Twining Park is the best location for a trailhead, and a motion by board member Alderman Jan Lefevre to accept up to $125,000 from the city, with a repayment plan of $25,000 for five years, was not seconded.
Instead, members voted to meet again at 6 p.m. March 13 to discuss the plan with representatives from StateLine Ice and Community Expo, the Monroe Downtown Business District, the Welcome Center and others.
The $125,000 would be the matching funds for a Department of Natural Resources grant to build the trailhead facility. Any other funding "in kind" received would decrease that amount.
Marsh said the $250,000 is a high projection for the project. But when applying for the grants, he wanted "to go to DNR with the maximum numbers," to ensure the funding didn't fall short, forcing the city to cover the difference.
The application date for grant submissions is May 1, but Marsh hopes to get forms in by April 1.
Member-at-large Matt Urban called the new facility "a shelterhouse on steroids."
"It's going to be very nice," he said, but the two-story, temperature-controlled structure would give people "less reason to go downtown."
Bathrooms and concessions are "all reasons not to go downtown," Urban said. Twining Park should have a simple shelter house, where people "exit the trail and go downtown for restroom facilities and food."
Member Richard Thoman, likewise, was "not 100 percent convinced." Member Randy Goebli was absent.
Lefevre said the location has several positive points.
"I see the advantage of having the main building located where it is proposed," she said. "It's on city property. It can be used for other purposes, so we get the most out of our money. It can be used year-round, and it provides more meeting space for organizations," she said.
Plans for the complex include more parking space where the trail in the park meets 14th Avenue. Some of the features in the project will ensure extra points for the DNR grant application, Marsh said.
Other issues with the location include wayfinding and a lack of trail facilities at the southeast side of the city.
Twining Park is "the most difficult place in Monroe to direct people to" and it is "not a gateway to the trail," Urban said.
Urban said "trailheads are typically a point of beginning, where people park their cars, unload their bikes, and buy their permits" and should be close and convenient to bathrooms, restaurants and overnight sleeping accommodations.
Urban and Thoman both saw the Badger State and Cheese Country trails' intersection near 4th Avenue West and 21st Street as underdeveloped, with only port-a-potties.
"I'm in favor of a trailhead facility being developed in Monroe," Urban said. "But I don't think we're addressing the needs of all our trails."
And Urban sees the Welcome Center as under-utilized.
"Now we have a cost forever and ever," he said about the Twining Park facility. "And we have a Welcome Center that's struggling."
"This is the biggest amount of money we've ever talked about," Urban said. But the matching funds DNR grant was an opportunity he wanted to "leverage to get the most benefit back for the community."
"The vibes (for the Twining Park proposal) from DNR were excellent," Marsh said. The promotion for the trailhead would be "come to Monroe, stay in Monroe and gear your weekend around Monroe."
If funded, the project could be completed, and "open and running" by 2009, Marsh said.
Each level of the proposed facility would be about 1,000 square feet, multi-seasonal, multi-use, and handicapped accessible. The building would be made as "green" as possible, with a glass southern exposure for solar heat. The large windows would overlook the park, making the building an ideal place to hold functions year-round, Marsh said.
Automatic faucet shutoffs, installed in the restrooms, as well as automatic light switches and temperature controls would eliminate the need to staff the facility.
The lower level would provide storage for the Parks Department.
A smaller lot would be located near the building, while the present parking lot in the park would accommodate trailers for ATVs and snowmobiles.
Monroe Mayor Ron Marsh, the board's chairman, scheduled the meeting to determine whether the board was interested in getting involved with funding a proposed convention/trailhead complex in the park.
But some members questioned whether Twining Park is the best location for a trailhead, and a motion by board member Alderman Jan Lefevre to accept up to $125,000 from the city, with a repayment plan of $25,000 for five years, was not seconded.
Instead, members voted to meet again at 6 p.m. March 13 to discuss the plan with representatives from StateLine Ice and Community Expo, the Monroe Downtown Business District, the Welcome Center and others.
The $125,000 would be the matching funds for a Department of Natural Resources grant to build the trailhead facility. Any other funding "in kind" received would decrease that amount.
Marsh said the $250,000 is a high projection for the project. But when applying for the grants, he wanted "to go to DNR with the maximum numbers," to ensure the funding didn't fall short, forcing the city to cover the difference.
The application date for grant submissions is May 1, but Marsh hopes to get forms in by April 1.
Member-at-large Matt Urban called the new facility "a shelterhouse on steroids."
"It's going to be very nice," he said, but the two-story, temperature-controlled structure would give people "less reason to go downtown."
Bathrooms and concessions are "all reasons not to go downtown," Urban said. Twining Park should have a simple shelter house, where people "exit the trail and go downtown for restroom facilities and food."
Member Richard Thoman, likewise, was "not 100 percent convinced." Member Randy Goebli was absent.
Lefevre said the location has several positive points.
"I see the advantage of having the main building located where it is proposed," she said. "It's on city property. It can be used for other purposes, so we get the most out of our money. It can be used year-round, and it provides more meeting space for organizations," she said.
Plans for the complex include more parking space where the trail in the park meets 14th Avenue. Some of the features in the project will ensure extra points for the DNR grant application, Marsh said.
Other issues with the location include wayfinding and a lack of trail facilities at the southeast side of the city.
Twining Park is "the most difficult place in Monroe to direct people to" and it is "not a gateway to the trail," Urban said.
Urban said "trailheads are typically a point of beginning, where people park their cars, unload their bikes, and buy their permits" and should be close and convenient to bathrooms, restaurants and overnight sleeping accommodations.
Urban and Thoman both saw the Badger State and Cheese Country trails' intersection near 4th Avenue West and 21st Street as underdeveloped, with only port-a-potties.
"I'm in favor of a trailhead facility being developed in Monroe," Urban said. "But I don't think we're addressing the needs of all our trails."
And Urban sees the Welcome Center as under-utilized.
"Now we have a cost forever and ever," he said about the Twining Park facility. "And we have a Welcome Center that's struggling."
"This is the biggest amount of money we've ever talked about," Urban said. But the matching funds DNR grant was an opportunity he wanted to "leverage to get the most benefit back for the community."
"The vibes (for the Twining Park proposal) from DNR were excellent," Marsh said. The promotion for the trailhead would be "come to Monroe, stay in Monroe and gear your weekend around Monroe."
If funded, the project could be completed, and "open and running" by 2009, Marsh said.
Each level of the proposed facility would be about 1,000 square feet, multi-seasonal, multi-use, and handicapped accessible. The building would be made as "green" as possible, with a glass southern exposure for solar heat. The large windows would overlook the park, making the building an ideal place to hold functions year-round, Marsh said.
Automatic faucet shutoffs, installed in the restrooms, as well as automatic light switches and temperature controls would eliminate the need to staff the facility.
The lower level would provide storage for the Parks Department.
A smaller lot would be located near the building, while the present parking lot in the park would accommodate trailers for ATVs and snowmobiles.