Former Menards site in Wausau, WI off of 28th Avenue in 2021. Site is being considered for a second dog park in Wausau. (MWC file photo by Liz Holbrook).
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Many of those involved in planning Wausau’s first off-leash dog park are willing to come back to plan the second.
City and County Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Director Jamie Polley announced Monday that all but one of the members who served the first time around are interested in helping out again. She says that means they will need a couple more people to step up.
“I’ll work with the City Clerk’s office to put a call out [in the manner] we usually get citizens to be on our boards and committees,” said Polly. “We’ll get two or three more, then we’ll talk about having a meeting to get that moving forward.”
Alder Pat Peckham, overseeing his final Parks and Recreation Committee meeting, suggested hanging a sign or flyer at the site of the current Two Hearts Dog Park near the downtown post office to recruit those already using the city’s first off-leash park. Polley said that could be a possibility, and that she would work with Clerk Kaitlyn Bernarde to see if they could make a temporary sign for the fence at the facility.
Polley also used Monday’s meeting to announce that the city is making plans to bring goats back to Barker Stewart Island this summer to help control noxious weeds. The animals were brought in last summer to help control the buckthorn and honeysuckle that’s taken over the island without the use of chemicals, and the one-year experiment proved to be a success. In addition to helping the city control the unwanted vegetation, the animals also proved to be a draw to the park while also raising awareness of the facility.
More details on the plans to bring goats back to the park will be announced later.
As mentioned Monday’s meeting was the last for two long-time members of the committee. Pat Peckham and Tom Neal are both stepping down from their roles on the City Council and will be replaced following Tuesday’s election. Polley made sure to thank the pair for their service to the city before Monday’s meeting was adjourned.
“I appreciate all your support for our department and for working with me since I started (in 2018). I do really appreciate it, I’m going to miss you but I wish both of you the best,” said Polley.
Peckham called the Parks and Rec committee one of the better committees under city government and said serving on the committee has been “a pleasure.” Neal said he’s proud of the wide range of issues the committee was able to handle during his time onboard.
“I thought it would be pretty much benches and playground equipment, things like that. But, we got into a whole lot of stuff; new ideas, new parks, [the] dog park, and dealing with toxic stuff in the ground. It’s really been interesting and I feel like we have accomplished a lot,” said Neal.
Both will be replaced in contested races in Monday’s election. John Kroll and Carol Lukens are facing off in District one to replace Peckham and in District 4 either Doug Dinny or Jesse Kerns will replace Neal.
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