GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Green Bay’s parks committee provided initial approval for a plan Wednesday night that would delay beach construction at Bay Beach Amusement Park.
However, the proposal would end up saving the park and city money at a time when the park is forecasting at least a $2.5 million drop in annual revenue, according to city officials.
The new plan calls for water levels to drop a foot and more money be secured before the beach is back at the park.
In the meantime, the city wants to move ahead with a new pier, shoreline walk, erosion control, and stormwater management pond.
“In lieu, we will still be seeking more grants, more fundraising,” said James Anderson, of the city’s parks department. “We’d also hopefully have more revenue we could put towards it.”
The plan has been for the pier to be 450 feet, starting at a fenced off area near The Big Wheel. Parks staff say it will likely only be 350 feet now as that is what fits the $2.1 million budgeted for it.
“That is a fishing pier I guess and 350 feet out still provides a lot of access to opportunities for people to fish,” said Anderson.
Three new projects are being added to the original $7 million plan the city council approved two years ago. That includes the stormwater management pond, and in phase 2, the relocation of the original train route to make room for a bathhouse and the replacement of the Falling Star Ride, which debuted at Bay Beach just three years ago.
“Unfortunately, it broke down in 2019 and is too expensive to repair,” said Anderson, noting it was built in 1984 and purchased used from another park. “It is much more cost effective to simply purchase a similar used ride for approximately $500-thousand dollars.”
The Friends of Bay Beach, the park’s fundraising group, paid for the original Falling Star and plans to pay for its replacement, along with half a million dollars in debt payments.
With that help and other potential revenue sources, city staff believes the original project bond will be paid off in 2033, five years earlier than originally planned.
“We have to be very careful what we’re doing because we have no idea what is going to happen even next year,” said Kathy Lefebvre, the alder that represents the Bay Beach area.
“It’s been in the hopper a while and I trust that James and the finance department really know what they’re doing,” said Barb Dorff, vice president of the city council.
No general tax levy dollars are being used for the project. Park revenue will still be used for the project’s bond payments.
The pier and other phase 1 work could start as early as this fall.
The city council will vote on the plan at its meeting next Tuesday.
