Post Messenger Recorder -

The New Glarus Village Board met on August 21, 2018 at 7:00 p.m., in the Village Hall Community Room. All board members were in attendance.

Mark Hawley was the first to speak during the public comments, noting that he and his wife were on the agenda to speak later in the meeting. Hawley asked that everyone who spoke during the public comments section treat each other with respect.

Mark Deal spoke next, saying that he had questions regarding Glarner Park. He said he voted for the park in the referendum.

Emilie Gloflety said that she lives on 4th Avenue and said that she didn’t believe the library should be built in Glarner Park due to flooding issues.

Jeff Judd asked if studies had been done on Glarner and Veterans Park to see if either site is suitable for building.

John Mulvihill talked about the importance of making a decision, noting that the issue has gone on for a very long time. He also talked about the cost of the project increasing due to the delays. He pointed out that no matter what decision is made, the board will not be able to please everyone.

Jeff Babler said that he thought the village had other expenses to consider and that Glarner Park is not the right place for a new library.

Jerry Judd questioned the engineering of the project and wondered whether the project could be undertaken without having the engineering study completed.

Heidi Vetterli commented that she was very concerned about the high cost of flood insurance. She said that she feels that the village board is only thinking about the library and not realizing that people are struggling financially.

Ellen Caskey pointed out that the Library Board had been ready to build on the west side of the village. She said she feels that if the engineering report indicates that Glarner Park is not a suitable location, the Village Board should assist the Library Board with the additional expenses of reviewing sites.

Greg Thoemke said that he believes that the Library Board does not bear responsibility for the Glarner Park site. He pointed out that it was a Village Board choice and added that in his opinion the referendum was flawed. He further questioned whether the referendum results were even valid since they occurred four years ago and noted that people who voted in the referendum have died, moved away or changed their minds. He also noted that people who didn’t vote may have moved to the village, come of age to vote or changed their minds.

Mark Hawley gave a PowerPoint presentation entitled “Glarner Park Zoning as Conservancy/Flooding and Stormwater Issues with Glarner Park.” Hawley said that he believes the Save Glarner Park is pro-library and added that if the Library were to decide to build on the west side, he would be the first to donate. The presentation noted that the zoning of Glarner Park is conservancy and questioned not only whether the library is appropriate for this zoning, but whether the village acted improperly when they donated land to the New Glarus Fire Department. The PowerPoint also addressed questions and issues pertaining to the flooding at Glarner Park due to the site specifically, as well as the Durst Valley watershed runoff referring to the 2005 Strand study. He provided photos and noted the concern of the area residents regarding the flooding issues.

Following the presentation there were questions and comments from the board, engineers and people in attendance.

Trustee Shaun Dow asked each of the engineers who were in attendance to provide support for their findings. Village Engineer, Pat Rank of Strand Associates, said that he feels that it would be in the best interest of the village to leave Glarner Park as a green space. His review included not just Glarner Park but the larger issues of flooding in the area, including the Durst Valley watershed runoff.

Library Engineer Brian Beaulieu, of Edge Consulting, said that his review is specific to the site and that it is his belief that with an additional detention basin that would be included in the library project, the flow rates would actually improve.

The question on the zoning of Glarner Park as Conservancy and whether that could be used for a Library building was addressed by Village Administrator Bryan Gadow. He reported that Glarner Park is currently zoned Conservancy and would need to be rezoned before building a Library on the site. Gadow noted that the Municipal Code allows the Village Board to rezone property.

Trustee Dow moved to add an agenda item to the September 4, 2018 Village Board meeting in order to discuss alternate sites for the Library. Trustee Chuck Phillipson said that he would first like to discuss the issues discussed at this meeting, rather than alternate sites. Trustee Petra Streiff said that she agreed with Phillipson and asked if that would rescind the motion of December, 2017. Dow noted he intended it for discussion only. Dow’s motion passed 5-2, with Phillipson and Streiff opposed.

The board concluded its other business and adjourned at 8:24 p.m.