Commission approves Regner Park sport-court area as preferred site for new West Bend skate park

The West Bend Park and Recreation Commission voted on Feb. 27 to approve the Regner Park sport-court area as the preferred site for a proposed new skate park.

The recommendation follows a staff presentation and a multi-month partnership with the Friends of West Bend Skate Park, a newly formed 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Isaac Sharp, who identified himself during public comment as president of the Friends of West Bend Skate Park, said his group prioritized a modern concrete skate-park design and pointed to lost local spending when families travel outside the city for skate facilities. "My family — we skate about 2 to 3 times a week, and it's never in the city of West Bend," Isaac Sharp said.

Staff and Friends representatives told the commission they reviewed a broad list of candidate sites. According to staff, the group evaluated more than 20 locations and narrowed them to five finalists: the Regner Park sport-court area, a soccer-field site off Park Avenue, Kester Island, a Riverside Park location near the 18th disc-golf hole, and a potential option at Badger Middle School (the district was not engaged in formal talks). The Regner sport-court area was presented to the commission as the most promising site because utilities are nearby, visibility is good, parking and restroom access exist, and the location would allow future expansion.

Staff and speakers described design and site constraints: - Baseline size: Staff and Friends cited a 13,000-square-foot baseline skate-park target (derived from population-based planning literature and an earlier Tony Hawk project calculation); speakers said the park could be scaled up or down, with the potential to add acreage in future phases. - Soils and site work: Regner Park is known to have poor soils in places; staff said soil borings and subgrade testing would be required before final design. - Proximity to ballfield: The site’s position adjacent to Carl Coast Field raises the potential for balls entering the skate-park area; staff suggested fencing, netting or other mitigations would be evaluated in design. - Surface preference: The Friends group emphasized a modern concrete skate-park pad rather than prefabricated metal ramps, citing noise and durability concerns; staff said prefabricated ramps are noisier and that concrete is the preferred long-term surface. - Cost and staging: Staff and Friends discussed likely multi-phase fundraising. Estimates shared during public comments included design-package costs of roughly $30,000 to prepare a bid package, and longer-term construction costs that several speakers said could reach into the high hundreds of thousands of dollars. Kester Island was described as desirable but costly to develop because of required restrooms, lighting and electrical work.

Public comment was robust. Speakers included parents, longtime skate-park users, organizers of skate clubs and Friends group members who urged a permanent, modern facility with community involvement in design. Several public speakers described the skate park’s role in youth development and downtown visitation, and asked that the city involve users in design and fundraising.

Vote and next steps: Commissioner motion to approve the Regner Park sport-court area as the recommended site was moved and seconded; the commission approved the recommendation by voice vote. Staff said the next steps include selecting a phased design approach, completing required soil borings and site tests, preparing a request for proposals for designers/builders and initiating fundraising, including private fundraising and grant opportunities. Staff estimated about $30,000 would be required to produce a site-specific design package and that larger fundraising would follow to support construction phases.

Ending: The commission asked that community interest remain active during design and fundraising; staff and the Friends group said they will continue outreach and plan broader design discussions as the project moves into the design and fundraising phases.