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Oconomowoc council rejects $69,520 playground purchase for Hawthorne Ridge Park after safety and access concerns
Summary
Council declined to spend roughly $70,000 to purchase and install playground equipment at Hawthorne Ridge Park amid divided views on safety, trail access and whether nearby planned subdivisions will have their own parks; the purchase failed on a 6–2 roll call.
The Oconomowoc Common Council voted down a staff recommendation to purchase playground equipment for Hawthorne Ridge Park, rejecting a low bid of about $69,520 despite a $90,000 budget allocation.
Parks staff said the recommended design was modeled on Westover Park and fell within the budget. Park & Recreation had voted to endorse the option after staff cleared brush and established a rough trail connection to the Lake Country Trail. The council also reviewed a mailed survey (469 distributed; 112 returned) that showed 73 responses favoring Hawthorne Ridge and 31 favoring Lake Ridge Park.
Opponents of the purchase, including Alderman McConnell and public safety officials, said the park’s secluded location behind houses, limited street frontage, absence of lighting and an unimproved trail connection raise safety and emergency‑access concerns. The police chief said the area’s limited visibility and convenient trail access could create an easy escape route and posed a ‘‘significant risk to children.’’ The fire chief and parks critics also cited concerns about response time and equipment access in a wooded setting.
Supporters, including Alderman Spiegelberg and park and rec members, said clearing buckthorn and making the site more visibly active by adding play equipment would increase safety and provide recreational opportunities for families.
On roll call the motion to purchase failed; two aldermen voted aye (Spiegelberg and Shallpepper) and six voted no (McConnell, Youngwerth, Frankowski, Cloth, Ellis and Welsh). With the purchase rejected, the park will remain without new equipment for now; councilors suggested the park and rec board may revisit siting and broader parks planning for the growing city and that staff clarify whether nearby Arrowwood/Arrowwood (developer name referenced) subdivisions include playground commitments.
Next steps: The park remains open but without new playground equipment; the council and park and rec board will continue discussions about park siting, trail access improvements and a citywide parks plan.
