Staff photo by Clay Schuldt Park and Recreation Commissioners Christopher Vorwerk and Bob Skillings were recognized for their service Monday. The two completed their terms on the commission. During Monday’s Park and Rec. meeting, the commission unanimously recommended reducing the commission from nine to seven members. With Vorwerk and Skillings leaving the commission after this month, no new members will be appointed.

NEW ULM — The New Ulm Park and Recreation Commission will be shrinking by two members. The commission unanimously approved a recommendation to reduce the commission from nine to seven.

The New Ulm City Council is reviewing membership in all city commissions, committees and boards. The park and recreation were one of the largest city commissions. Only the Sister Cities Commission is larger.

Generally, a smaller commission or committee is more efficient at conducting business. For any commission to conduct business, a quorum or more than 50% of members must be present. Since Park and Recreation has nine members, at least five must be present at a meeting to conduct business. By reducing the commission to seven, only four commissioners would be needed to conduct business.

The terms of Bob Skillings and Christopher Vorwerk were scheduled to expire at the end of the year. With this recommendation, the commission would have maximum membership without the need for additional appointments.

The final approval of the reduction will come before the city council.

Commissioners Skillings and Vorwerk were recognized for their service at the end of the meeting.

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The commission received a presentation on the Riverside Park Building Restoration.

The former Franklin Schoolhouse was built in 1892 and was used as a two-room schoolhouse for 50 years. The building was eventually gifted to the city and has operated under Park and Recreation. Currently, the building is operated as a Riverside History and Nature Center by the manager and curator Ron Bolduan.

Park and Recreation Facilities Maintenance Supervisor Ryan Weier gave a rundown of possible restoration work to be completed over the next decade.

Exterior masonry repairs, including tuck pointing and crack filling, will be a continual maintenance item for the life of the building. An average of $500 a year will be needed. Exterior wood trim replacement and painting are also recommended and would cost $10,000 between 2022 and 2023.

Replacement of window openings in the basement was needed. It was recommended the painted plywood be replaced with a panel of fiber cement. This was budgeted at $2,000.

The front entry door needs to be replaced. The existing steel door and wood frame are in disrepair and are not an accurate historical representation of the building. A modern door that better reflects the original look of the building could be found. Along with door frame replacement the cost is estimated at $10,000.

Interior restorations are expected to cost more but could be delayed until 2024. This includes removing a temporary ceiling that was built below the original tin panel ceiling. Weier said the tin ceiling is in good condition and can be exposed, but the space will need to be painted and the walls will require some repairs. New lighting will be needed as the existing lighting will be removed with the dropped ceiling. This project is estimated at $45,000.

Additional electrical outlet upgrades, interior doors and trim refinishing and hardwood floor repairs are anticipated.

The asphalt shingles on the building were installed in 2003 and are in satisfactory condition. The shingles are expected to last between 20 and 25 years. The shingle replacement would likely not be needed until 2025 or possibly 2030, but the cost is estimated at $30,000.

Weier closed the presentation with a list of optional upgrades for the Franklin building. Currently, the building has no roof gutter system and historic pictures indicate it never had a gutter system. A gutter system would control water runoff and reduce the degradation of the stone and mortar foundation. The cost of a gutter system is $7,000.

A more significant project option was to rebuild the entryway cupola. Old photos of the Franklin building show it once had a cupola that housed a school bell. The cupola could be rebuilt with modern construction materials. The cost is estimated at a minimum of $50,000. Weier recommended that if the cupola was replaced it be done during the asphalt shingle replacement to reduce costs.

The budget for restoration work at the Franklin building is $22,000 between 2022 and 2024; $52,000 between 2024 and 2027 and $80,000 between 2027 and 2030. The $80,000 estimate included the $50,000 for cupola rebuild.

The commission approved the plan and implementation of the restoration plan. Only the plan concept was approved. The financial and project costs would be approved through the annual budgeting process. Staff would recommend these projects be budgeted over the next few years.

Park and Rec Director Tom Schmitz said the department was in the process of creating restoration plans for other buildings in the park system. Riverside was one of the top sites for improvements.

Riverside Park is the central park in the Minnesota River parkway masterplan. He said the natural history museum and learning center currently operated in the Franklin building is the perfect use for it, but there were other options for the park. The parks department does have a concept for a trail system starting at Community Garden and traveling through Riverside Park.

Park Commissioner and City Councilor David Christian said he did want to see improvements made to the park. During the Visioning 2020 meetings held a few years ago, the general public identified Riverside Park as one of the top locations for development in New Ulm. Christian said the general public wants this work done.