Riverside Park sign. Image courtesy: WAOW TV
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — There was no action taken Monday by Wausau’s Parks and Recreation Committee regarding soil remediation in Riverside Park, as consultants are still waiting on guidance from the DNR.
Consultants from REI, who have been working with the city on matters regarding the park for years now, said that they are still waiting for the DNR’s take on results that have been presented.
“Probably mid-November,” said Ken Lastoff with REI when asked by Committee Chair Pat Peckham on when he would expect remediation guidance. “That’s probably when we will have a response from the DNR, sometime after that.”
He went on to say that the response from the DNR may not be a be-all, end-all for the matter. If they don’t feel that the problem is well-defined, they could ask for more testing to be done.”
“So, will the DNR say you need to take three feet of soil out of this spot, this spot, and this spot?” asked Peckham. “No, they will agree that it is defined or it is not, and if they want additional sampling- vertically or horizontally, [that] would be the first question that they answer.”
Lastoff says they are also working to see what set of standards should be applied for the remediation process. City leaders are wanting to use the state’s standards, but the DNR could suggest that another set be used instead.
“We are on step 17 of wait-and-see, the suspense continues,” added Peckham.
Alder Tom Killian, who represents the district that includes Riverside Park, is on the record as saying he would like to see the state standards applied.
Again, no action was taken on the matter but the DNR could have a response to the city by the middle of this month. The Parks and Rec Committee is set to meet again on December 6th.
Dioxin levels in Riverside Park have been a topic of discussion for the committee for years now as residents have expressed concerns about the levels left behind in the area from previous manufacturing operations and other sources. Several rounds of testing have been conducted, both at the city’s expense and by the group Citizens for a Clean Wausau. While it’s long been known that elevated levels exist, the city has never declared the park unsafe for use. It’s also never declared the park as absolutely safe either, though residents have been encouraged to not play in the dirt or ingest any of it, as that can lead to the dioxins being absorbed into the body.
SYLVAN HILL UPGRADES
City and County Director of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Jamie Polley also provided the committee with an update on the snow-making process at Sylvan Hill- saying that a new water pump and second snow gun should make for a more efficient process.
“Hopefully we can make snow faster, even if the weather doesn’t cooperate. Last year it took us 54 days to make snow. We’re hoping with two guns it will take us less than that even with unfavorable conditions,” said Polley.
She adds that with favorable temperatures two snow guns could have the hill covered in no time.
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