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Parks director outlines Whitewash Trail plan as costs rise to about $1 million
Summary
Parks staff presented 30% design estimates for three sections of the Whitewash/Waiwash Trail, reporting a total estimated cost near $1 million and describing funding constraints that require partnerships with Cummins, UW Oshkosh and potential DOT grants to proceed.
Parks Director Adam presented initial designs and cost estimates for the Whitewash (Waiwash) Trail project and urged commissioners to continue pursuing partners and grants to cover rising costs.
Adam said the project is divided into three sections. At 30% design, Section 1 (near UW Oshkosh) is estimated at about $162,000 (including a 20% contingency), Section 2 (the Cummins/AxleTech area) is estimated at $229,000, and Section 3 (the longest stretch, including the cemetery segment) is estimated at $688,000, bringing the total to roughly $1,000,000. "When we originally proposed this project two years ago we budgeted $500,000; inflation and scope increases have pushed the total higher," Adam said.
Adam warned that the $500,000 allocated from the Spirit Fund was restricted to unincorporated areas under the original resolution and therefore cannot be spent within incorporated municipalities such as the City of Oshkosh without additional grants, donations or a change in scope. He said staff will pursue partnerships and funding from Cummins, UW Oshkosh, Discover Oshkosh, the Oshkosh Community Foundation and are in early discussions with the East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission about a possible DOT grant. "If we could secure an 80/20 grant, that would change the calculus considerably," Adam said.
Commissioners pressed staff on practical issues: the need for easement releases from property owners (Cummins, the city and UW Oshkosh), possible environmental/permitting constraints, trail width, and seeding/hydro-seeding approaches. One commissioner urged caution about reallocating the Spirit Fund's $500,000 away from rural trail work, noting the county must weigh needs across the entire trail network.
Adam said soil borings and more detailed engineering are underway and that, if grant timing aligns, the project team could have final plans and bid-ready documents within months and potentially be shovel-ready this fall.
Implementation risks include pending easement releases, corporate legal reviews from Cummins and the need to secure outside funding for work inside incorporated areas.
