A public hearing was held before the Plan Commission meeting on February 6, 2023, which presented the Staff Report Executive Summary of updates to the Park and Open Space Plan and the draft of the 2023-2028 Plan document.

The stated purpose of the Park and Open Space Plan is to "guide the preservation, acquisition and development of land for the use of park and recreational activities for the community." It's a planning document that guides the actions of the City as it maintains, improves, and expands its park facilities for the citizens of New Berlin. It is well-known that parks and open spaces are critical for maintaining the quality of life in urban and suburban areas, and without proper planning, we can fall victim to the ambitions and agendas of developers looking to exploit our land with no regard to using it to serve the best interests of the residents of New Berlin.

The draft plan is interesting to read, as it provides insight into the plans the city has for our parks, and what is driving those plans. Short-term improvements that are planned for the next 1-5 years are listed for Buena Park, Calhoun Park, Gatewood Park, High Grove Park, Lions Park, Malone Park, Maple Ridge Park, the New Berlin Activity and Recreation Center, ProHealth Care Park, Regal Park, and Valley View Park. The city's newest park, located on Sunny Slope Road between College Avenue and Grange Avenue, doesn't even have an official name yet, so it's just being referred to as "Section 35 Park." Long-term improvements are also listed, which would cover improvements and changes from 6-20 years into the future.

The plan mentions that the School District has stated that it does not have enough field space to host practices and games for its team and would like to use the city's fields. Additionally, the city's parks are heavily used by the New Berlin Athletic Association and privately-run sports teams.

In 2022, there were approximately 154 baseball and softball teams, which includes adult softball, NBAA and numerous select teams that play in New Berlin. There are 25 ball diamonds within public parks and an additional 13 on school properties. This leaves 154 teams sharing 38 diamonds, of which a third have limited availability and are only practice fields. In 2022, there were approximately 102 soccer teams, which includes NBAA and the New Berlin Soccer Club. There are 39 soccer fields within public parks and an additional 12 on school properties. This leaves 102 teams sharing 51 fields, of which many overlap with ball diamonds, have limited seasonal availability and are only practice fields.

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Balancing the use of fields between the NBAA, the various select teams, the School District, and Recreation programs and leagues leaves little to no field space available for the general public to use, requires excess maintenance and supplies to try to keep the fields in playable conditions, and in some instances leaves the fields unrepairable. There is a greater need for fields than what is currently available in New Berlin.

Now, consider that the City expects our population to grow by 11.59% by 2030 and that there will be growth in the percentage of residents over 65. Trying to balance the needs of the younger population while also serving an aging population is going to be a challenge. ADA-related upgrades are mentioned, and something as basic as a walking trail serves people of all ages, so it's good to see that more work is being done to connect our parks and provide off-road mobility so that we don't have to get in our cars and drive everywhere.

It would be good to see the shelters and restroom facilities in our parks expanded and improved. Residents should be able to enjoy our parks and the City could realize revenue from renting shelter spaces for graduation parties and other events. Fox River Park in Waukesha is a good example of offering shelters that make it easy to host small events and allow everyone to enjoy the park and its amenities.

While the best chance to provide input on this updated plan was during this public hearing and during the open office hours that were held, it never hurts to read over this documentation and contact City Hall for more information and to provide feedback. It hasn't been adopted yet, so it may still be possible for things to change.

Photos: High Grove Park and nearby trail in the summer. Copyright © 2023, SVJ Designs LLC.

Last Updated: Feb 15, 2023

Resources

• Section 35 Park - Executive Summary from Jan 11, 2021 Plan Commission Meeting

  The staff report executive summary presented to the Plan Commission during its Jan 11, 2021 meeting. This document is an extraction of the full document, which covered all topics in that meeting.

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