Belleville seeks county support and matching funds for Carolina Street Park trailhead

Drew Evelyn, assistant administrator for the Village of Belleville, told the Dane County Parks Commission that the village is seeking support to acquire two small lots as a trailhead — Carolina Street Park — to increase public access to more than 35 acres of conservancy land along the Sugar River.

“This project that we have, we think it has the power to transform Belleville into something beyond what it is right now, and I'm not exaggerating with that,” Evelyn said in a presentation to the commission.

The village described the parcels as roughly 0.4 acres combined and said the asking price is $200,000. Evelyn said the village has applied for a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) grant that would cover 50% of the acquisition. The village intends to contribute 25% and is requesting the county consider providing the remaining 25%, which Evelyn characterized as about $52,000.

The plan presented would make Carolina Street Park a neighborhood park and trailhead with native plantings, a shelter, seating, a small playground, informational signage and QR-enabled educational materials, story-walk panels in collaboration with the local library, wildlife viewing areas and connections to the Eagle Loop Trail and, eventually, the Badger State Trail. The village noted a partnership with the University of Wisconsin–Platteville to design a pedestrian bridge to cross the Sugar River and connect the new trailhead to existing north-side trails.

Commission members and other committee participants asked questions about existing access, connections to the Badger State Trail, shoreline and dam issues, wildlife concerns and the village’s long-term plan for lake and shoreline maintenance. Evelyn described a newly formed ad hoc lakes committee and an established endowment for lake preservation at the Madison Community Foundation, and said the committee is debating whether to spend principal on a large project or to preserve principal and spend only interest for maintenance.

Evelyn said the village is already considering grant funding and added the DNR acquisition grant application is “already done.” He also highlighted volunteer-led projects that created community park, the berm trail and the Eagle Loop Trail, and said the Carolina Street Park parcels represent a sole viable access point on the west side of the river.

Questions from commission members included inquiries about pedestrian safety at a county highway crossing to reach the Badger State Trail and whether proposed development would conflict with wetlands or DNR rules. Evelyn said nearby subdivisions had been planned far enough away from the wetlands that conflict had not been an issue and that the village does not want to tangle with the DNR over wetlands.

Evelyn emphasized education and stewardship components, including interpretive signs and community-led nature walks led by the village forester. He also listed species that can be observed in the area, including blue herons, kingfishers, wood ducks, Blanding’s turtles and ornate box turtles. He said the village had recently caught a 19-inch brown trout in the Sugar River.

The presentation concluded with commission members expressing support and encouragement and no formal county action recorded during the presentation. Evelyn said he was open to questions and thanked the commission for the time.

Belleville’s acquisition request and DNR grant application remain subject to the DNR’s award process and any future county deliberation or formal funding request process.