Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Fitchburg Resource Conservation Commission Meeting Summary - January 12, 2026

Common Council & City Boards — Monday, January 12, 2026

BodyFitchburg, Wisconsin

SessionCommon Council & City Boards

DateMonday, January 12, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:25:06

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Hi, I'm Jeremy Brockby, and I'm Nick Boucher.

0:02

We're your hosts for the program that's all about your city.

0:05

Talking Pittsburgh.

Speaker 2

0:06

Every weekday, we pull together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of

Speaker 1

0:11

Pittsburgh.

0:12

Find Talking Fitzburg on Cable TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and our live stream on the web.

0:18

Plus, you can find all our headlines and stories on Facebook, YouTube, and our video on demand service.

0:23

This is your city.

0:24

Keep up with Talking Fitzburg and the issues affecting you and your neighbors.

Speaker 3

0:30

Want to know what's happening in your city?

0:32

Get notify me messages from the city of Fitchburg.

0:35

Visit Fitchburg WI.gov or your computer or mobile device and select the big Notify Me button on the left.

0:41

Enter your email and or phone number, whichever is best for you to get notifications.

0:46

Scroll down the list and select all the topics you're interested in to receive email or text messages about.

0:51

You'll be notified every time one of your topics is updated.

0:54

Sign up for Notify Me.

0:56

One more way to keep up with your Pittsburgh government.

Speaker 4

1:24

All right.

1:38

Thank you.

1:40

Public appearances on non-agenda items.

1:44

Welcome, Sue.

1:46

Esther.

1:50

You can come up and sit in the chair right there.

Unassigned speaker

1:56

I'm

Speaker 5

1:56

so Easter Day.

1:57

I am a member of the Parks Commission, but these are not comments specifically related to Parks Commission.

2:04

First, to say how much I enjoy the articles that are in the Fitchburg Star for all these years.

2:11

And

Speaker 6

2:11

did you write the most recent one?

Speaker 5

2:13

No.

2:14

Okay.

2:15

Just read that this afternoon after finding the paper and everything else on the countertop.

2:21

But the main reason I'm here is to mention that some people in the community have formed a nonprofit called Friends of Fitchburg Parks and Natural Areas.

2:34

And most people on this committee have an interest in such things.

2:39

And we've really just gotten started.

2:49

We have banking capability, just getting rolling, doing social media.

2:54

You are

Speaker 7

2:55

officially a C3 right now.

Speaker 5

2:56

Yes, we are.

2:57

Absolutely and um the uh what a one of the things we want to be sure to do is never undertake or get people excited about doing a project if the city staff if it's gonna put a new burden on them or an undue burden on them.

3:19

There are a lot of people that help in the parks now.

3:23

And so there's plenty of things we could do if we have more volunteers and more volunteer days to do more in areas that are already being worked on.

3:34

But that doesn't mean that if people don't know of something that in an area of the city that they enjoy that they think they might want

Unassigned speaker

3:43

to

Speaker 5

3:43

undertake a project, um, you know, cleanup or pulling out invasive weeds or trying to get some better things growing, um invasive shrubs, etc.

3:53

etc.

3:54

And I know this committee has had um

Unassigned speaker

3:58

uh

Speaker 5

3:59

meetings open to the public at McGuah Park in the past, pointing educating the city about invasive shrubs, and we're sort of partly into cleaning that

Unassigned speaker

4:10

out.

Speaker 5

4:10

So um I just wanted to let you all know about it and um

Speaker 8

4:15

what's the mission of the pitchburg park?

Speaker 5

4:18

Well how and how do I summarize what I just what I just said?

4:25

It's really to support natural areas in the parks, uh clean out invasives, foster growth of of natural, uh native plants, uh working try to help educate the public, um, coordinate volunteers when we can.

4:46

All that all of those things.

4:48

Um certainly, you know, fundraising is helpful.

Unassigned speaker

4:52

There are some grants available uh that Anna has said she could apply for if there was a 501c3 to channel it to.

Speaker 5

5:04

So I had just come across one not long ago on the state website, and it's small, but it was uh about um establishing a new trail.

Unassigned speaker

5:15

So

Speaker 5

5:15

if we cleaned out the rest of Maga Woods and established new appropriate trails, maybe that would be we can get some money.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Water And Wastewater Management████████████████████████████████32%

Tree Preservation█████████████████████████25%

Public Engagement██████████████14%

Environmental Protection██████6%

Sustainability Tour Planning███3%

Waste Management███3%

Parks and Recreation██2%

Community Engagement██2%

Stormwater Management██2%

Summary of Proceedings

Fitchburg Resource Conservation Commission Meeting Summary - January 12, 2026

The Fitchburg Resource Conservation Commission (RCC) held its regular meeting on January 12, 2026. The meeting included public comments, a detailed update on the Swan Creek water quality monitoring station, the presentation of the draft Strategic Urban Forestry Management Plan, authorization of a stormwater inspection contract with Dane County, and finalization of the 2025 RCC Annual Report.

Consent Calendar

Approval of Minutes: A motion to approve the draft minutes from the November 10, 2025 meeting was made, seconded, and passed unanimously by voice vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

Sue Esther (Parks Commission): Announced the formation of a new non-profit organization, Friends of Fitchburg Parks and Natural Areas. She described the mission as supporting natural areas, clearing invasives, fostering native plants, and coordinating volunteers, emphasizing the group would not create an undue burden on city staff. The 501c3 status allows the group to apply for grants, such as a potential DNR grant for trail establishment in Maga Woods.

Discussion Items

4A. Swan Creek Monitoring Station Update: Todd Suntebeck (USGS Scientist) presented an analysis of three years of data from the monitoring station. He stated that water quality in Swan Creek is currently quite good compared to other Dane County streams, specifically noting phosphorus loads are about half of Pheasant Branch Creek, a fact he attributed to lower agricultural runoff in the Swan Creek watershed. Suntebeck provided context from Lake Mendota monitoring, stating that despite 30 years of conservation work, annual phosphorus loading has not shown a significant downward trend, which he attributed to increasing precipitation and runoff intensity from climate change. Chloride concentrations were reported as relatively low (roughly 100 mg/L), well below the chronic toxicity standard of 230 mg/L, though urbanization is expected to increase this value over time. Suntebeck cautioned that a full monitoring station costs around $25k in infrastructure and $15k annually for flow monitoring, suggesting periodic snapshot monitoring could be a lower-cost alternative for establishing a baseline on Murphy's Creek.
4B. Strategic Urban Forestry Management Plan: Rich Hauser (Consultant) and Anna (City Forester) presented the draft plan, which is open for public comment until February 24, 2026. Hauser described Fitchburg's urban forest as a national model of diversity with no dominant species and a healthy uneven age distribution. Tree canopy is roughly 25%, with a goal of 30%. The plan establishes five goals, including creating a formal tree risk management policy and using iTree software to quantify ecosystem benefits for grant applications. Commissioner Andy Slager volunteered to review the plan and provide feedback from the RCC. Anna stated the city is cognizant of trees’ ability to improve water quality, noting that species like oaks and hackberry are prioritized for planting near stormwater facilities, provided they are placed to avoid leaves falling directly into the water.
Resolution R-2325: Dane County Stormwater Services: Ben (Staff) presented the resolution authorizing the 2026 contract with Dane County for erosion control inspections, noting the county performed over 700 inspections in 2025. The $35,000 resolution covers the city's estimated share, as most costs are billed directly to developers. The resolution was passed unanimously.
5A, 5B, 5C. RCC Business: The 2025 RCC Annual Report was finalized for posting. Commissioners discussed the Fitchburg Star article schedule, planning for Andy Slager to write on prescribed burning in March and Diane Streck on plastic film recycling. The next Green Thursday film, "Feeding Tomorrow," was scheduled for January 22, 2026 at the Fitchburg Public Library. Remaining film dates for 2026 were set for March 5, July 2, September 3, and November 5.
Council and Staff Updates: Bill (Council Update) noted the appointment of Jake Lepper as the interim D4 alder and provided updates on city tax increases and ongoing development projects. Ben (Staff) reported that over 4,200 pounds of food scraps had been collected at the Swan Creek drop-off site since October. Phil (Staff) announced Fitchburg’s SolSmart designation was upgraded to Gold and that an application will be submitted for the LEED for Cities cohort.

Key Outcomes

Swan Creek Baseline Established: The three-year data report from USGS was formally received, establishing a water quality baseline for the Swan Creek watershed.
Urban Forestry Plan in Public Review: The draft Strategic Urban Forestry Management Plan is officially open for public comment until February 24, 2026.
Stormwater Contract Approved: Resolution R-2325 authorizing the Dane County erosion control inspection contract for 2026 was approved.
RCC Business Finalized: The 2025 annual report was approved, and the 2026 article and event schedule was set.

Meeting Transcript

Hi, I'm Jeremy Brockby, and I'm Nick Boucher. We're your hosts for the program that's all about your city. Talking Pittsburgh. Every weekday, we pull together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of Pittsburgh. Find Talking Fitzburg on Cable TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and our live stream on the web. Plus, you can find all our headlines and stories on Facebook, YouTube, and our video on demand service. This is your city. Keep up with Talking Fitzburg and the issues affecting you and your neighbors. Want to know what's happening in your city? Get notify me messages from the city of Fitchburg. Visit Fitchburg WI.gov or your computer or mobile device and select the big Notify Me button on the left. Enter your email and or phone number, whichever is best for you to get notifications. Scroll down the list and select all the topics you're interested in to receive email or text messages about. You'll be notified every time one of your topics is updated. Sign up for Notify Me. One more way to keep up with your Pittsburgh government. All right. Thank you. Public appearances on non-agenda items. Welcome, Sue. Esther. You can come up and sit in the chair right there. I'm so Easter Day. I am a member of the Parks Commission, but these are not comments specifically related to Parks Commission. First, to say how much I enjoy the articles that are in the Fitchburg Star for all these years. And did you write the most recent one? No. Okay. Just read that this afternoon after finding the paper and everything else on the countertop. But the main reason I'm here is to mention that some people in the community have formed a nonprofit called Friends of Fitchburg Parks and Natural Areas. And most people on this committee have an interest in such things. And we've really just gotten started. We have banking capability, just getting rolling, doing social media. You are officially a C3 right now. Yes, we are. Absolutely and um the uh what a one of the things we want to be sure to do is never undertake or get people excited about doing a project if the city staff if it's gonna put a new burden on them or an undue burden on them. There are a lot of people that help in the parks now. And so there's plenty of things we could do if we have more volunteers and more volunteer days to do more in areas that are already being worked on. But that doesn't mean that if people don't know of something that in an area of the city that they enjoy that they think they might want to undertake a project, um, you know, cleanup or pulling out invasive weeds or trying to get some better things growing, um invasive shrubs, etc. etc. And I know this committee has had um uh meetings open to the public at McGuah Park in the past, pointing educating the city about invasive shrubs, and we're sort of partly into cleaning that out.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com