Arboretum Neighborhood Association

Spring 2025

4/4/25: Unfortunately, we have been unable to proceed with planning and design for improvements at Harvey Schmidt Park due to staffing shortages and do not anticipate any construction work to occur in 2025. Our Parks Planning and Development section, which is responsible for designing and implementing capital improvement projects, has seen quite a bit of turnover within the past year as I am sure you are somewhat aware with the departure of Sarah Grimalkin last year. Currently, half of our positions are vacant and we are working through the process to hire new staff. With that being said, it will be some time before we are at full capacity. Improvements to the former Town of Madison parks in your area have approved funding and we fully intend to proceed with improvement projects when we are able. Thanks for your understanding.

Regarding Fraust Park, Parks has been holding off on improvements as the city is in the preliminary planning stages for a new Police facility at the site of the former Town of Madison Town Hall. The scope and footprint of that project is still to be determined and the full impact to the park area is not yet known. Parks will continue to coordinate with other city agencies to ensure Fraust Park remains a recreational asset in the area.

Fall 2024

10/7/24: We have hired Stantec to help us restore the wetlands at Harvey Schmidt Park.  The project involves removing monocultures of reed canary grass and hybrid cattail, and ultimately replacing them with a diverse native plant community that contains aspects of wet tallgrass prairie, sedge meadow, and emergent marsh habitats.   So far, Stantec has applied herbicide to cattail, reed canary grass, and a few other weeds throughout the project area.  Additional treatments will be made next summer to kill any new weed growth, then dead vegetation will be removed with a prescribed burn in fall 2025. This will expose the soil and prepare the site for planting a native seed mix.  Additional native plants will be planted in spring 2026, particularly in areas with standing water, where seed may not establish as readily and where emergent aquatic plants like sedges and rushes are most appropriate.

Herbicide is being used to control these perennial species, because it will kill their extensive root systems, allowing other species to become established. The alternative would be to excavate the roots, which would be costly and would severely impact the soil and hydrology. Mowing is not effective, nor practical in this setting.  A formulation of glyphosate herbicide that is approved for use in wetlands is being used.  While there has been much attention recently to the health risks of glyphosate to people who mix large quantities of the concentrated chemical over time, the use of diluted glyphosate solutions applied carefully to target weed species remains an effective approach, and the chemical degrades rapidly when exposed to the environment.  The end goal is a healthy native plant community which will require much less weed management, and that management can rely more on pulling or cutting, rather than large applications of herbicide.

Late summer 2023

8/29/23: We have received preliminary soil boring results! They are just about as expected, and after consulting with the engineer we ordered a few more tests which are specific to the compressibility of the soil. These tests will give us more information about how much weight we can put on the soil without it sinking (or sinking any faster, as is the case). This is definitely one of the more interesting properties I’ve had the pleasure to work with. I am also arranging to have a wetland delineation completed- so folks will see someone tromping around in the park and perhaps some small flags. This will give us a map of exactly where (and what) is considered a wetland in the park, which we will need in order to apply for construction permits through the DNR. It adds more complexity to the process, but unfortunately is necessary. 

7/21/23  [To Sarah/Parks] I am wondering if you can also detail out a bit to me a procedural “thing.”  Once the soil testing is completed will we draw up actual new physical diagrams and plans to approve since in theory the soil testing will give us concrete locations for the improvements possible (ie the sedge plantings, any changes in mowing that could be feasible, the bird blinds, bridge, benches etc, as well as where exactly the path will wind along?).

[Sarah/Parks responding] That’s correct. The master plan is our bubble diagram for what-ish and where-ish. Once we have concrete information, then staff can create construction drawings with specifications.

Maybe an example would be helpful? Take the athletic field lighting at Burr Jones Park, off of E Wash. The first step in the process was for Parks staff to identify that this athletic field would be programmed for soccer, football, and Ultimate Frisbee. Ultimate in particular plays late into the season and we would see exponentially more use if field lighting was provided. So we had a general idea of what was needed- our bubble diagram. Staff hired a contractor to do soil borings and give us a report detailing what all would be needed to install the lighting. Not surprisingly, the soil boring results showed pockets of peat and garbage (surprisingly more common than you’d think) which Parks staff needed to compensate for in our construction drawings. Basically, some of the light poles needed to shift to new locations and required much larger footings. But the basic programming of the park remained the same.

At Harvey Schmidt in particular, staff will be looking to these soil borings to determine to what extent regrading is feasible, how much base course would be needed for stable paths and concrete bench pads, what sort of footers we’d need for the bird blind, how best to anchor the pedestrian bridge, etc. Without those borings and the report, we’d be going in blind and risking less than optimal results.

6/15/23 (2 part response)

Dear Harvey Schmidt Park Neighbors,

We hope this email finds you all doing well. We understand there is a concern with regard to the mow pattern at Harvey Schmidt Park. At Parks, we strive to provide open spaces that support diverse community desires including play areas and natural spaces in support of habitat and other benefits.  We appreciated your thoughts and hope you can appreciate that Parks considered the park environment and residents interest in the plan developed for these parks.  

I want to take this opportunity to address the concerns raised about the areas which are currently being mowed in the park. As you may be aware and as we discussed during the park development process, the park area borders a wetland and exclusively features muck soils. These unique site conditions present challenges when it comes to maintenance and mowing.

It is essential to recognize that we are working with nature, and Mother Nature is a formidable force. Parks and the maintenance team strive to achieve a delicate balance between preserving the natural environment and providing recreational amenities. The current mowing pattern is designed to respect the challenging site conditions present.

We at Parks also want to assure you that the current mowing pattern was not decided upon lightly. It underwent thorough review and consideration, involving extensive community engagement, to ensure that it aligns with the needs and preferences of the neighborhood. The mowing pattern was reviewed with the neighborhood in the fall of 2022 and again during the park development planning process.

During the fall of 2022, Parks Superintendent Eric Knepp attended meetings to gather input from residents on various aspects of park maintenance and upcoming development, including the mowing pattern. The feedback received was taken into account and helped shape the final decisions. Subsequently, as part of the park development planning process, the mowing pattern was further discussed and reviewed. A copy of the park development plan has been attached to this email for your review.

Parks is not planning to increase the size of the areas which are being mowed. Instead, our plan is to strive to maintain a park and recreation area with amenities which are in harmony with the site conditions present. By doing so, we can ensure the longevity and ecological health of our park. Going forward, crews will continue focusing on mowing the drier areas while converting the lower areas to native vegetation, as outlined in the park development plan.

Once again, I appreciate your engagement and interest in the well-being of our parks. I’m glad we have such an open rapport! Let’s continue working together to enhance our shared space and make it more enjoyable for all.

Thank you,

SG

I’m glad we have this open dialogue. I think it has had a positive impact on the relationship between the neighborhood and Parks, and has led us to some creative and innovative ideas for addressing the challenges we face at Harvey Schmidt. Parks does also want to recognize that the transition from Town to City has been quite the undertaking and a disruption in many neighbors’ lives. Having said that, we’re looking forward to continuing our constructive conversations and want to assure everyone that their input is highly valued.  

I will attempt to condense the large amount of information we’re communicating:

The new mowing pattern will not have a significant impact on the trees in the park. Mowing cannot alter many of the conditions which trees endure, such as the inherent properties of the existing soil or the level of the water table. Reduced mowing may reduce soil compaction, which would benefit vegetation.

At the area designated as open play field [at the Western end of the park], Parks staff are currently mowing to the extent they feel comfortable we can maintain going forward and offer as a functional space for recreation. While we are experiencing a drought today, when we met for our walk-through, our group trekked through areas which were too wet to offer active recreational value.

Parks and Arboretum staff recently met on site to coordinate our efforts. It sounds like the Arboretum folks will continue to routinely mow their property to the West of the park, as that area is more upland and consistently dry. We don’t want to speak for the Arboretum folks, and we don’t know their timeline, but we discussed some very exciting ideas for this area!

Parks continues to research precedents and strategies for water management on muck soils. I will be meeting on site with Parks construction staff and am still waiting on a soil boring report/consult from a local engineering firm. Parks truly needs the soil borings and report back from our consultant, as that will direct our construction efforts. The report includes information about soil components and texture, obviously. More importantly, the report will also tell Parks how much base course is required under the paths for durable construction, what type of abutments or pilings the pedestrian bridge will require, to what extent we can regrade the topography, etc. We may also need to coordinate with the DNR on some of these projects, and their permitting response time is notoriously unhurried.  

Ideally, Parks would like to have a contractor on board to address the native vegetation restoration by this fall. Folks who perform this type of service like to have the option of completing work over an entire growing season, as they often prep planting areas in the fall and late winter. At the very least, we would like to have our permits for the remaining work submitted by this fall so come spring, Parks can bid out the work for completion in 2024. Most projects are bid in early spring, partially due to the City’s bidding process and contractor preference.

 For the paths, Parks is looking at these through the lens of accessibility and ADA design standards. Turf is not considered an accessible surface. To accommodate folks who have mobility concerns, we’re planning to implement an accessible path which everyone can more safely and easily traverse. This is where the wax polymer gravel product we reviewed comes in- it provides an accessible surface which Parks believes will withstand the conditions presented by the muck soils.

Parks has recently received funding through the new South Madison Tax Incremental Funding District which will allow us to move up the implementation date on several components of the new park development plans. We are currently working through a phasing and implementation plan for these funds. See more information on the TIF here: https://www.cityofmadison.com/news/new-south-madison-tax-incremental-financing-district-proposed#:~:text=The%20creation%20of%20TID%2051,the%20creation%20of%20a%20TID.

The split rail fence [around the inlet] is Parks’ responsibility to repair. I have a contract out for bid right now to replace it entirely with new split rail, as the condition of the existing fence is just about beyond repair. Once that split rail starts to rot, it falls all to bits. Our crews are jerryrigging it back together as best they can until then.

As always, thank you all for your enthusiasm and engagement throughout this process. Please never hesitate to reach out as we continue to navigate a complicated, but exciting, process

-Sarah