Lake Access Development Comes Back to Park Board

When Jim Mortle made an offer to purchase a piece of a lake access parcel last fall, neighbors came out to oppose the idea, saying that the homeowner had taken liberties already with the city-owned land.

Mortle eventually withdrew his offer, but Parks director Craig Anderson said that the land division was problematic, and needed some resolution. So at its last meeting, the board agreed to use striping on the asphalt to create a visible delineation between Mortle's property and the lake access, and add split rail fencing where the asphalt ends down to the lake.

Monday evening at 5:30 p.m. the Parks and Recreation board will meet to discuss further resolution on the issue, including a report from Conservation Coordinator Tom Zagar to restore vegetation on the park land, and any other beautification efforts at the lake access.

Mortle's property sits directly adjacent to lake access parcel 12, at the intersection of Park and Lake Drives on Little Muskego Lake. In addition, a portion of his driveway and entrance is also part of the roadway leading to the parcel, and the city has owned it for about 50 years.  

Also on the Park Board's agenda:

• A presentation on the splash pad project, which had intern Donovan Winter surveying residents on their usage in December. The water features have become increasingly popular, and could make an appearance in a Muskego Park in the near future.

• The Muskego Icetronauts' use of Denoon Park and Little Muskego Lake access 17, and a request from the Muskego Kickers soccer team for use of lights in the parks

• Park vandalism - an ongoing discussion, with Park Arthur receiving the greatest attention of late; previously, the board was interested in reviewing options for gates to be placed at entrances to prevent after hours visitors.

• WE Energies recreational trail will see the installation of safety bollards (posts)

• Tree trimming will be planned for Idle Isle Park; a walk-through of the park back in September revealed many trees with dead wood, which was seen as a safety hazard, so work will likely need to begin over the winter or early spring.

• Goose abatement grant - the status of funding needed to combat the birds at the parks, specifically Idle Isle, will be discussed. Anderson felt that 2013 in particular would be a bad year based on mating cycles of the Canada geese, posing a greater problem in the parks.