The Municipal Services Committee met 04/11/2022. One of the information items on the agenda was a presentation of three possible design options for Soldier’s Square.
The committee had spent some time during the 03/23/2022 meeting discussing Soldier’s Square, with the discussion revolving around the number of parking stalls it would be appropriate to remove and touching on the fact that a reconstruction of Soldier’s Square is not planned for the next 5 years. Even though the area is not listed in the City’s 5-year Capital Improvement Plan, the committee was presented at the 04/11/2022 meeting with three possible designs as a way to at least give them something to think about. Two of the options removed no parking stalls and one would remove 11 stalls.
Director of Public Works Paula Vandehey explained that the first drawing in the packet was of Soldier’s Square as it currently exists. The first two options were ones that she came up with and the third option was one that Alderperson Alex Schultz (District 9) had created. [Alderperson Schultz is the Executive Director of Sculpture Valley which has partnered with “the Hearthstone Historic Home and Museum and the John H. Bradley VA clinic to raise funds for the revitalization effort [of Soldier’s Square] and support the goal of installing new memorials to honor all those who have served since WWII but have never been publicly recognized in our town square.”]
The first option involved the fewest changes. The old parking structure had featured a long ramp or chute along the north side by which cars exited the structure. That chute had bumped out into Soldier’s Square. The new parking structure will not include that ramp. With it gone there was some additional room on the ground which would allow them to straighten out the sidewalk. Simply by straightening out the sidewalk, they would be able to create about 1,200 square feet of additional space of the monument without touching anything else in Soldier’s Square and without losing any parking stalls.
The second option took into account the fact that, with the ramp chute gone, the dumpster enclosure looked like it was now in the middle of Soldier’s Square. This new design moved it closer to the sidewalk so it wasn’t as prominent. That move would result in the loss of three parking stalls, but those three stalls could then be recreated in the spot where the dumpster had previously been located so there would be no net loss of parking stalls. This design would require some pavement and curb work and would result in about 1,5000 square feet of additional space for the monument.
The third option was designed by Alderperson Schultz. It would move the dumpster enclosure and then also eliminate 11 parking stalls which would give significant more space for the monument. She noted that there were currently 32 parking stalls in Soldier’s Square so the loss of 11 stalls would be substantial.
She also included a drawing that Alderperson Schultz had shared with her. [It’s a really low-quality scan so perhaps difficult to get a good idea of his vision for the square.]
She finished up by saying that normally they would hold a design hearing, but they hold a design hearing when there is an actual project. Right now, there is no funding and a Soldier’s Square reconstruction is not in the city’s 5-year CIP, so it seemed like it was a little early to have a design hearing. She was hoping that by providing these options she would at least be giving the committee something to think about.
Alderperson Katie Van Zeeland (District 5) said that she received a lot of questions regarding Soldier’s Square after a local news organization ran a story about it recently. People were confused about the parking ramp, whether it was public, how the City of Appleton worked with the YMCA, and what the ramp would be like going forward. She wondered if Director Vandehey could go over that.
Director Vandehey said that the ramp being built was being paid for completely by the YMCA, so it would be a private parking ramp. The Y was had indicated that, at least to start out, the ramp would not be open to the public. Director Vandehey thought that was because they wanted to make sure that they were serving their own customers first but that over time they might open it up to non-YMCA members. She said that, especially at night, they might sell some permits to people that live downtown since most of the YMCA’s customers would be in the ramp during the day. Someday they might even open it to the general public to park in during the day, but right now the plan was for it to be a private parking ramp owned and paid for by the YMCA for its customers.
Alderperson Van Zeeland asked if Director Vandehey could give her a little background. Was the history that the city built the original parking ramp and then the city took it over?
Director Vandehey answered that at one time the Soldier’s Square ramp was owned by the city then the YMCA purchased it from the city and took over all maintenance of the facility.
Vandehey: okay thank you.
Alderperson William Siebers (District 1) [who has been around for a long time] mentioned that they got a good deal and only had to pay $1 for the parking structure.
Alderperson Chad Doran (District 15) said that it looked like the main different between the third option and the first two options for the monument area was the addition of the Every Soldier’s Square bricks which were being sold by a private entity. They would be losing some parking, but the only addition to the monument area would be the inclusion of the bricks.
Director Vandehey confirmed that was the case. Options 1 and 2 included green space that could be turned into a brick area instead of being greenspace. That would be decided as part of the design hearing.
Alderperson Doran asked if taking away some of the green space on Option 3 would help save a few more of those parking stalls.
Director Vandehey thought that doing that would make it look closer to Option 2.
Alderperson Denise Fenton (District 6) understood that they had not estimated the cost on any of the options, but she wondered if the different options were roughly equivalent in terms of cost.
Director Vandehey answered that they were not. The only cost for option 1 would be the new sidewalk. Options 2 and 3 would involve redoing the curb, removing curb, removing colored and stamped concrete, adding new curb and new colored and stamped concrete, and reconstructing the dumpster enclosure. There would be a significant cost increase moving from Option 1 to Options 2 or 3.
Alderperson Doran wondered if they went with Option 2 or 3 if the funds to pay for those added costs would come entirely from the city or if there would be an opportunity to potentially share costs with the private organization that wants to put the bricks in. He thought that was perhaps something for later discussion.
Director Vandehey thought that was a great question, but she didn’t know the answer and reiterated that there was nothing in the city’s 5-year CIP regarding Soldier’s Square.
Alderperson Van Zeeland asked if there were any concerns about the materials that were being sold by the private organization. Were the bricks even feasible to be used and would there be a way of building this square with different materials that would make it less expensive or easier to maintain.
Director Vandehey said that if they talked to herself or to Dean Gazza, the Director of Parks, Recreation, and Facilities, they would not recommend using bricks. The city has used bricks on other projects, but they are very high maintenance and easily move and become tripping hazards. They would recommend finding a different method to raise funds such as by having a plaque with names on it. But she said that was just staff’s perspective on it.
Alderperson Van Zeeland thought it was an important conversation to have and something they should all keep in mind given how preliminary everything was.
Alderperson Brad Firkus (District 3) thought the three options helped give at least some visual of what was possible in the space and how the different orientations and dimensions worked. He thanked her for the images.
View full meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=954595&GUID=A2997A22-ADF2-49EE-B7C1-BDB5AF5B0637
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