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FAQ: What should I know about Ripon’s master planning efforts for parks and city facilities? | News

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Question:

What should I know about the city of Ripon’s master planning efforts for parks and facilities?

Answer:

The city of Ripon has continued to take steps toward creating a master plan for parks and city facilities, which will help guide the city’s planning efforts for years to come.

The Ripon Common Council approved proposals for both efforts last week Wednesday.

Back in January, the city issued requests for proposals for master planning for City Hall, the Public Works facility and city parks.

Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. submitted roughly a $25,000 proposal for facilities, while MSA Professional Services submitted approximately a $26,000 proposal for Barlow, Selfridge/Horner and Ceresco parks.

Both proposals are covered in the 2022 city budget, according to City Administrator Adam Sonntag.

In City Hall, Sonntag noted the plan is to review the facility and compile a list of recommendations for the building, which will help the city create a plan for when the Senior Center vacates the property to move into Murray Park.

The Public Works garage, built in 1957, is at the end of its life, he added.

The master planning process on that facility will begin laying the groundwork for constructing a new city garage.

“That, obviously, is a big project. We have a lot of work to do to lead up to that kind of project, to better understand and set the proper groundwork for it,” the city administrator said. “We feel this is an appropriate step for that project, as well as for city hall, to start grappling with some of our longer-term needs.”

In terms of the parks, Sonntag said master planning efforts aim to look at the city’s parks as “a cohesive system” to avoid “putting the same things all over the place.”

He added that public engagement will be a major component in master planning for the city parks in order to diversify amenities “based on what people want.”

“They’ve put in place the idea of doing surveying and public engagement sessions, and coming to parks and rec meetings,” Sonntag said.

Ald. Howard Hansen noted MSA will create recommendations that will give each of the parks “their own personality.”

“We have some of that right now — like Murray has the little league facilities and the disc golf course, where Barlow has the [basketball] courts up there and the full-size baseball field and then you go to Selfridge and it’s got the pond,” he said. “They’ll work to give each park its [own] identity.”

Ald. John Splitt inquired about creating a walking trail in Selfridge Park, which Hansen said had been talked about years ago.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that there will be a component of trails around the pond,” Sonntag replied.

What this means for you:

Ald. Jolene Schatzinger added that master planning efforts will help create a blueprint for potential future projects that will enable the city to pull the trigger in applying for grants as they become available.

“This is necessary if we want to be a city that competes to get the actual money that will be transformative to our parks,” she said. “It seems like a really smart idea.”

When it comes to applying for grants, “it all starts with a plan,” Sonntag added.

“Having it on paper, ready to go, or even having an idea for somebody to then begin a fundraiser is the goal here,” he said. “We’re going to think bigger, engage the community and design these in a way that fits what we want. And allow us to dream maybe bigger than we have in the past.”