City announces new location for proposed skate park

City officials have had a change of heart as to where the long-desired community skate park should be located.

During the Oct. 9 common council meeting, city administrator Patrick Reagan announced the city has decided to locate the proposed skate park facility at Hodag Park rather than Pioneer Park. 

As a result, the RFQ (request for qualifications) for skate park concept and design is being reissued, he said.

The deadline for responses to the new RFQ is Nov. 10.

“As you may remember, we convened a group at one point, some council members, the Over It folks, some folks from ArtStart and some folks that know skate parks, and we talked about it and there seemed to be a disconnect with the former public works director (Randy Myrum) where he wanted to go with it and where the group wanted to go with it, and I’m not one to just convene a group then just ignore the group,” Reagan explained. “That just doesn’t make any sense.

Reagan went on to explain that the group “reconvened” after the departure of the former public works director and came to the conclusion that Pioneer Park was not the best location. 

Specifically, Reagan said he was concerned about the close proximity to a residential neighborhood, given the potential for noise coming from the skate park, and the fact that the original plan to locate the skate park next to another new amenity — a splashpad — may not be feasible. 

The splashpad plan is on hold at the moment due to concerns about the capacity of the city’s wells, he explained.

“As all of you know the splashpad is something that we have to have some deep discussions on, based on the amount of wells we have right now,” he said. “Splashpads are great, they’re fun, I’m looking forward to it, but we have to think of the overall good here.”

For all those reasons, Reagan said the group came to the conclusion that Hodag Park, near the beach house, would be a better location for the skate park.

“The other thing is that the former public works director was pretty adamant about going with one engineering firm for this and I got the feeling, after talking with some of the members of this group, that they weren’t in line with that,” Reagan added. “They thought there was a better choice out there.”

Reagan did not refer to the engineering firm by name.

The alderpersons appeared to accept Reagan’s explanation, and did not question the decision to switch locations, but they did indicate a desire to see firm deadlines set. 

“I really appreciate that it seems like there is some distinctive work being done on this, (but) I would like to see some deadlines and commitments agreed to here,” alderman David Holt said.

Alderperson Carrie Mikalauski, who has been heavily involved in the development of the skate park, said the group has been working diligently but unforeseen “hiccups” have hampered progress.

“I assure you that we are working very hard at getting this completed,” she said, noting that the Over It youth group, which first proposed the skate park idea, remains an integral part of the process. 

“We definitely are doing everything we can to speed this process up,” she added.

Alderman Tom Barnett, another vocal supporter of the skate park, said he’s concerned the project  could get bogged down if additional meetings are scheduled.

“I don’t want to see this turn into another two-year ordeal where we are having meeting after meeting about do we, don’t we,” Barnett said. “We’ve had these meetings already, we don’t need more of them. It’s time to put feet to pavement and get this thing done for these kids.”

“I couldn’t agree with that more,” Reagan replied. “I want to see this thing done.”

The revised RFQ states that the city is seeking interested engineering firms for “design services that include conceptual planning, design development, and construction documents of a new concrete skatepark.”

“This RFQ is open to any qualified organizations. An exact scope of work and fee for services will be negotiated with the successful responder,” the document states. “Hodag Park, located within the northern section of the City of Rhinelander, on the east shore of Boom Lake, is a landmark recreational area that contains over twenty-five acres of ball fields, a playground, a music amphitheater, a beach, and various other recreational amenities,” the RFQ reads. “The City of Rhinelander, along with other nonprofit groups and interested citizens, has been tasked with adding a skate park to this list of offerings. Along with engineered plans for the skatepark, the City of Rhinelander is seeking renderings and/or concept development (perspective imagery) that would incorporate existing and future amenities, such as parking areas, playground, and bathrooms in order to help determine the right location and layout for the skatepark within Hodag Park. In addition to skatepark design and engineering, the City is seeking consultants to aid with the identification of construction funding (through any and all applicable grants, etc), document creation such as a bid schedule, probable construction costs, project specifications, and other applicable submittal forms required by reviewing agencies.”

The budget for construction of the skate park, estimated to be 10,000 to 14,000 square feet in size, is $500,000 to $750,000, according to the RFQ.

The skate park idea has been percolating for nearly three years. Representatives of the Over It coalition first reached out to the council in early 2021 seeking support for the idea of constructing a new park. The teens explained that skateboarding has become increasingly popular among local youth and a skate park would be an open, safe space for them to get together.

The teens noted that they are aware Rhinelander once had a skate park located behind the fire department and that plans for adding a skateboarding area to Hodag Park were removed when the  master plan was approved by the council.

After a second presentation was made in April 2021, members of the council expressed support for the skate park idea and advised the group to keep working toward their goal.

On Dec. 27, 2021, two weeks after representatives of Over It spoke to the alderpersons regarding an update on the project, the council passed a resolution specifically pledging to “commit staff resources to assist with preplanning” and, later in the process, meet with the Over It coalition to discuss the funding, construction, ownership, operation, and liability for the park.

In February 2022, the council approved a proposal from ArtStart, a local nonprofit focused on the arts and cultural engagement, to facilitate a feasibility study. That study, including recommendations, was presented to the council in late July 2022.

In late January 2023, Myrum presented the initial RFQ to the council.

“The reason I’m presenting (Pioneer Park) to you as my recommendation for our first choice is because it is centrally located, it does have a Northwoods theme, there’s bathrooms there, it’s well-lit, it’s well-commuted, there’s lots of foot and people traffic around there,” Myrum told the council at the time. “Another thing is that this area tells the kids, especially in Over It, and tells the community, that we are inclusive. We want you as part of our community. you’re going to be involved with the pickleball group, the older generation, you’re going to be involved with the young kids in the park and you are part of us.”

Last week’s discussion ended with Reagan promising to keep the council updated on responses to the RFQ.

Readers are encouraged to view the full council meeting at www.hodagtv.com.

Heather Schaefer may be reached at heather@rivernewsonline.com.