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City Council to move forward on German Park amphitheater

NEW ULM — The New Ulm City Council voted to move forward with a request for proposals (RFP) on the German Park amphitheater replacement.

During the Nov. 6 City Council meeting, Park and Recreation Director Tom Schmitz informed the city that private donors are threatening to withdraw donations and pledges for the German Park amphitheater if the amphitheater is not constructed in 2019.

This includes a donation of $25,000 cash from 2015 and a $100,000 pledge from 2016.

This project has been discussed for a decade. The earthen and grass seating terraces have slumped and degraded, making them unusable for lawn chairs. In addition, the terraces are inaccessible to the mobility-impaired. The amphitheater hosts numerous concerts annually.

The council was hesitant to move forward because the project was looking at a significant budget shortfall. In addition, the council wanted updated estimates on the cost of the project.

Thursday, Tom Schmitz presented the Park and Recreation Commission with an update. The 2019 estimate for the first phase of the project is $467,337.50. With the pledges and donations available, there is approximately $136,300 still needed to complete the first phase.

Tom Schmitz said he was recommending the design phase at this time. This would allow the public to review the process and determine what is best for the site.

Councilor David Christian made a motion to move forward with the RFP, to get detailed cost estimates. By moving forward with the RFP, the city is not committing to any expense.

Council Chair Charlie Schmitz asked if this action was likely to satisfy the donors and pledgers.

Tom Schmitz said this would help and it was the first step in the process of designing the project.

Charlie Schmitz said it is important to prioritize needs over wants, and he believed German Park was a need.

Councilor Les Schultz said the city went through 10 years of rough economic times but is now starting to inch forward on projects. He wanted to assure donors the German Park theater was important and it would be finished.

Public Hearing Set for Charter Amendments

The council received the New Ulm Charter Commission’s recommendation for amending the New Ulm Home Charter. The council scheduled a public hearing on the recommended amendments for Tuesday, Dec. 4.

The Charter Commission met April 24 through August 22 to consider amendments to the New Ulm Home Rule Charter. The council first reviewed the proposed changes during the Nov. 6 council meeting. During this meeting there were concerns regarding an amendment that called for the council to appoint assistant fire chiefs as well as the chief. The Fire Department’s bylaws currently state assistant fire chiefs are appointed by the fire chief.

Since this meeting the Charter Commission met again and agreed to revise their amendment to allow the chief to appoint other fire department officers, subject to council approval.

The council will have the option of voting on the amendments during the Dec. 4 meeting following the public hearing, but all council members must be present and the vote must be unanimous.

Splashpad

The donation of a $115,000 splashpad was accepted by the council. The Parks Commission previously recommended accepting the donation from Barb Haroldson. Haroldson’s donation is conditioned on the city funding site preparation and utilities estimated at $21,000.

A splashpad is an aquatic play feature that has no standing water or depth, meaning no lifeguard is required for operation. Tom Schmitz described it as a playground with water features.

The council unanimously accepted the donation, but has not determined its location. Staff had narrowed the possible locations to Nehls Park, Riverside Park and Harman Park. Harman Park was the preferred choice for the Parks Commission because it was the only location with a restroom facility.

Schultz had concerns about parking. Harman Park is already a heavily utilized location with limited parking options. The addition of a splashpad would increase this issue.

Mayor Robert Beussman asked if German Park was a viable location. Tom Schmitz said there was a potential location in German Park for the splashpad.

The splashpad would be 2,000 square feet in size. The surface could be similar to a pool deck or pour-in-place, depending on the design process.

Tom Schmitz said there were opportunities for partnering with the public or private sectors. Additional donations could be used to cover the site preparation or expand the project size.

City Manager Recruitment

The council is beginning the process of searching for a new city manager. Human Resource Director Shawna Boomgarden presented the council with options for recruitment.

Former city manager Brian Gramentz left the position on Nov. 16. At this time Assistant City Manager Chris Dalton is filling the city manager position until a permanent replacement is found.

The two primary options were to accept proposals from executive search firms to assist with recruitment or conduct the recruitment in-house.

The council was split over whether to hire a firm or conduct the search in-house.

Beussman said with recent efforts to recruit new people to the Police Department, he had concerns Human Resources did not have the time to also search for a city manager.

Councilor Lisa Fischer favored the firm because they had more experience and could organize the search better than the city. In addition it avoided putting a heavier burden on the human resource director, while offering an outside perspective.

Charlie Schmitz said he did not want to rush the search and he was reluctant to spend up to $20,000 for a recruiting firm if it could be by Human Resources.

Councilor Larry Mack initially made a motion to table the issue to schedule a work session prior to deciding, but the motion failed to pass.

Fischer made a motion to move forward with David Drown Associates to recruit a new city manager and was seconded by Schultz. The motion passed three to two with councilors Mack and Charlie Schmitz voting against.

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