Residents Open Pocketbooks to Landscape Park

A group of Sussex residents are taking maintenance of their local park into their own hands — or pocketbooks — but only after a reluctant Village Board gave them the green light to do it. And it was on the village’s terms.

Residents in the Coldwater Creek homeowner’s association have been working with the village since early 2013 to reach an agreement allowing the association to foot the bill for spraying dandelions in Coldwater Creek Park. For residents, the park has fallen into deplorable condition since the village discontinued spraying the parks, which was a $30,000 annual expense.

The homeowner’s association asked the village to let them take spraying into their own hands by funding and hiring a landscaper to take over the task. Thought the village was on board, they wanted the spraying to be conducted with their pricier contractor.

“Being that the park is in our subdivision, we’ve noticed it’s been going downhill the last several years,” said Chris Bolda, homeowner’s association president. “Instead of our tax dollars going to it, we think we can do it more economically than the current contractor for the athletic fields.”

Bolda said they quoted a price with a landscaper who would charge $125 per application. The village’s contractor would apply two treatments in the park for $482. However, the Village Board made it clear that they would only accept a donation from the association if they used the village’s contractor.

“I don’t see what the issue could be. He is a licensed and insured contractor. If we are going to donate money to get it done, why not use the least expensive company?” Bolda said.  

Village Administrator Jeremy Smith said insurance and liability concerns, along with the politics of bringing in an outside contractor on public land, were deterrents to allowing residents to hire their own landscaper. Village Board members also worried about setting a precedent allowing outside contractors to work with residents to maintain public land.

“I know this has been an ongoing problem, and it’s an ongoing concern that the parks are turning into nothing but dandelions,” said Village President Greg Goetz.
  
However, after months mulling the parameters of the donation, time was running out to actually treat the fully-bloomed dandelions. Goetz wanted to table the issue to discuss further, but was urged by staff to take a vote on whether to accept the donation or not.

Trustees Pat Tetzlaff and Timothy Dietrich weren’t on board with the proposal. They didn’t want parks to be sprayed at all. Their main concern was the potentially dangerous chemical composition of lawn treatments.

“I wish there was a proper review of chemicals 40 years ago, and I probably wouldn’t have Parkinson's today,” Tetzlaff said.

Ultimately, a vote was taken and the Village Board allowed the homeowner’s association to make the donation — so long as the village’s contractor was used. The measure passed on a 4-to-3 vote with Trustees Tetzlaff, Dietrich, and Bob Zarzynski voting against.