City Engineer Steven Schultz presented a conceptual restoration plan for the south end of Mishkewis Park that would remove a gravel access road, restore the footprint to natural beach and dune habitat, add a 14-foot-wide ADA-accessible gravel pathway, install native plantings and educational signage, and create a proposed parking area adjacent to Thunder Bay Avenue.

Schultz presented a project estimate of roughly $54,000 (parking area $15,000; 14-foot ADA trail $12,000; trees and plantings $10,000; signage and fencing $7,000; landscaping $5,000; contingency remaining). He said $20,000 in committed donations and grant funding are already available for improvements and that the remainder could come from general parks funds and carryover from the prior fiscal year.

Because volleyball-court construction requires heavy equipment and the city needs the existing access road to remove gravel before work begins, City Manager Cindy Smolinski (memo read by staff) asked the council to authorize immediate removal of the gravel; the council approved that limited action at the July 7 meeting. Council then voted to postpone the broader Mishkewis conceptual restoration plan until the July 21 meeting to allow more stakeholder review and for a absent council member to weigh in.

The south end of the park will close to vehicular traffic on July 9 and to pedestrians on July 12 while work and site preparation are performed; the beach area will remain open to the public during restoration and construction activities.