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Committee approves 2025 Parks and Recreation and Forestry work plan, including splash pad, skate park, pool repairs and timber work
Summary
The committee unanimously accepted the department’s 2025 work plan, which includes a priority renovation of Marathon Park’s splash pad, construction of a skate park, pickleball courts under contract, playground and restroom upgrades, forestry seedling maintenance and a planned office move to UWSP.
The Wausau Parks, Recreation and Forestry Committee on Feb. 3 unanimously approved the department’s 2025 work plan, which lays out capital projects, maintenance priorities and operational changes for the year.
Jamie, Parks and Recreation and Forestry staff, presented the plan and outlined key city and county projects. Major items include a renovation or replacement for the Marathon Park splash pad (described as nonoperational and more than 20 years old), completion of ARPA-funded dump station and chalet septic upgrades, and continued playground and restroom replacements. A skate park project is scheduled for construction in 2025, and the Athletic Park clubhouse was included as an approved CIP project.
Jamie said the Alexander Airport pickleball courts (described in the packet as under contract with donor funding) are under contract and expected this year; a contractor named Ellen Mecker was identified in discussion as the contracted firm for the pickleball courts. She also said pool feature and slide restorations (Memorial and Schulenburg were completed last year; Kaiser is scheduled for work this year) will be completed before the summer season.
On forestry, Jamie said about 57,000 red pine seedlings were planted at the 9 Mile County Forest and that staff plan to apply herbicide on about 60 acres of competing vegetation to protect the seedlings; she said current survival (“bridal rate” in transcript) is approximately 98 percent.
Other items in the plan include reestablishing Lulu B. Jacobs Park near Fifth and Washington (relocating a plaque found during courthouse construction), timber sales, expanded recreation programming (including a possible youth soccer league), restoration and seeding at the Big Room Falls mining site, and an administrative office move to space in the UWSP lower level in March or April.
Alder Rasmussen moved to approve the work plan; Alder Lukens seconded. The committee approved the plan unanimously.
Committee members asked several operational questions during the discussion: scheduling of pool openings and swim lessons, timing for pickleball court construction (contractor expected to begin in spring subject to weather), and the rationale for herbicide use to protect newly planted seedlings. Jamie said the herbicide application is intended to remove competing vegetation to help seedlings establish during the first two years and that the practice is standard for reforestation; she reported a roughly 98 percent survival rate so far.
Staff said some projects are funded through CIP and ARPA allocations and that smaller deferred-maintenance items are covered by annual city and county maintenance funds. The plan includes both city and county projects and staff asked the committee to flag any priorities that might be missing from the packet.
