City of Oak Creek

Common Council Report

Meeting Date:           October 21, 2003

Item No.:         3

Recommendation:  That the Common Council consider approving the use of the City-owned parcel at 6^th and Rawson Ave. as the site for the veterans’ memorial.

Background:  Gene Gosline, Chairman, Oak Creek Veterans’ Memorial Committee, will be present to request Council approval to locate the memorial on the City-owned property at 6^th and Rawson, just south of Fire Station No. 3.  His informational packet, including a preliminary drawing, is included with this report.

Should the Common Council approve this site as the location for the memorial, it is important to note the following would need to occur prior to construction of the memorial.

• Fire Station No. 3 and the vacant land to the south are currently two separate parcels which were created by certified survey map.  An attempt was made to sell the southernmost parcel without success and the Common Council made a decision to permanently take this property off the commercial market.  Fire Station No. 3 is zoned I-1 Institutional and the vacant parcel is zoned B-4 Highway Business.  The City, at our expense, would go through the Plan Commission process and Common Council to create a single parcel and rezone the vacant parcel to match that of the fire station property.
• The design and site plan would require routine Plan Commission review for approval of architectural standards, and such items as lighting and setback requirements.
• There is a 25’ setback requirement from both 6^th Street and Rawson Ave., so the location of the memorial would have certain limitations.  The Engineering Department will be staking out the approximate area where the memorial could be located so that Council and committee members have a better visual idea for possible locations.
• The committee has been discussing a mural to be painted on the side of the Behrens building adjacent to the site by Oak Creek High School students, which should be reviewed by the Plan Commission as well. 
• There is the possibility that the parking lot at the fire station could be enlarged to accommodate visitors to the memorial and the fire station.  This is a decision that could be made at some point in the future by the Council.
• Because the property is owned by the City, the City Attorney has indicated that no lease agreement would be required.  Although the memorial committee is concerned that the City would some day want to move the memorial to another location, it would seem highly unlikely as long as the fire station exists on that same parcel.  If a lease agreement were in place, a certificate of insurance would be required to be provided by the veterans committee showing property and liability insurance coverage.  The structure would be covered under the City’s property insurance if the memorial were to be donated to the City.
• A decision should be made on who will be maintaining the memorial and the site.  Since this is City-owned land, Parks, Recreation and Forestry will continue to mow the grass, as long as the design of the memorial would not require the use of hand mowers to cut the site.  However, at this time, that department has not been approached regarding any other type of maintenance such as planting flowers and trimming of any shrubberies, etc.  The City Forester could be helpful in the design of any landscaping, and since the committee is discussing the removal of some of the trees on the site, the Forester should be consulted on this aspect as well.

Fiscal Impact:  The City would absorb the cost of Plan Commission fees.

Prepared by: Beverly A. Buretta, CMC City Clerk

Respectfully submitted, Robert L. Kufrin City Administrator