Fond du Lac council hears timeline for bridge removal, playground replacements and park resurfacing

Public Works Director Paul de Vries told the Fond du Lac City Council on May 28 that work on the main pavilion bridge will begin the week after Walleye weekend, with the road shut down and bridge removal scheduled to start June 16 and the project targeted for completion in October.

The update matters because the bridge removal will reroute bicycling, walking and driving around the lakeside loop and is being coordinated with other park projects, de Vries said. The city is also using the bridge closure window to dredge nearby boating access and to repave the Pavilion parking lot, add curb and gutter, increase stall counts and move the access point farther from the bridge.

De Vries said the pedestrian bridge from Oven to Foulton Island is complete and open, and that pavilion-area work will include reconstructing the parking lot in July and August. “On the June 16, the road will be shut down. Bridge will start to be removed,” de Vries said. He told the council the bridge construction timeline will extend into October.

The council heard details about playground work: a ribbon cutting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 17, at 10 a.m. for new playgrounds at Buttermilk Creek Park and Russell Park. The main playground replacement this year is slated for Lakeside Park (east of the splash pad, between the splash pad and Main Street), where two older playgrounds will be replaced by one larger structure; de Vries said design work is ongoing and installation could occur this summer or extend into fall.

De Vries also reported resurfacing work planned for courts and trails: basketball courts at Taylor Park and McKinley Park are out for bid, Buttermilk Creek tennis courts have a contractor on board, and the Taylor Park trail will be repaved. He noted the gazebo by Camelot Pond has been blasted, repainted and landscaped.

Councilmembers praised the parks work and the city’s partner Burke for playground design. Councilmember Mullen called Burke “a wonderful corporate citizen” and Councilmember Schisler asked for location details for the Lakeside Park replacement, which de Vries clarified is at the north end of the playground between Main Street and the splash pad.

De Vries said the city and partners are installing wayfinding signs (the “Path to Play” project) to help visitors find Lakeside playgrounds from the Children’s Museum. He invited council members to the June ribbon cutting and answered questions about timing and access during construction.

Less-critical details: the city plans dredging tied to the bridge work to improve boating access and will stagger parking-lot and bridge work to limit conflict with summer events. Staff said landscaping work on new playgrounds is still being finished.

Questions and follow-up requests from council focused on final playground designs and visibility of the new Lakeside structure once installed; no formal action or vote was taken during the presentation.