Community members, Rhinelander city officials, and major donors of the splash pad project celebrated the start of construction Wednesday at Hodag Park.
Eight-year-olds Braylee and Connor were the youngest two holding golden shovels for the ceremonial groundbreaking.
As excited as they were to be part of the ceremony, they’re even more excited for the splash pad.
“It's really cool. Really cool,” the friends said in unison.
The idea for a splash pad in Rhinelander was started by the Rhinelander Lion’s Club a few years ago before the Rhinelander Kiwanis Club ended up taking the lead.
“Truly a community coming together to see the future splash pad and playground for the kids, that'll be really something. That will be a showcase for Rhinelander,” said Mike Romportl of the Lion’s Club.
Kiwanis Club Member Brandon Karaba spearheaded the project, working with firms to create plans for the splash pad and future playground rebuild.
He also worked with the City of Rhinelander and donors to make the idea a reality.
“Brandon would not take no for an answer. No matter how many questions we had for him, no matter how many concerns I had, staff had, he wouldn't take no for an answer,” City Administrator Patrick Reagan told the crowd. “The reason this is happening is because of a lot of people, no doubt. Kiwanis, Lions, thank you. Thank city staff. Everybody who donated, thank you. But Brandon Karaba is one that quarterbacked this.”
Karaba got emotional sharing the history of the project with the crowd and all that it took to get to this moment.
“Kids are just forced to grow up so quickly. For a project like this, to allow kids to be kids and just have fun and when a community comes together so quickly like, I couldn't help but get emotional at that point,” said Karaba.
Kiwanis started fundraising for the splash pad and playground in the spring of 2024.
It’s raised more than $900,000 of its $1.6 million goal that’s allowed them to construct the splash pad now.
It’s been a combination of private donors, local businesses and organizations that have contributed to the project.
Karaba hopes to secure the rest of the funds so that construction on the playground can start next year.
“I'm going to sound like a broken record. Just thank you. Thank you. Thank you to everybody. I mean, it's just a dream come true for a lot of people involved,” said Karaba.
Karaba believes the splash pad and playground is just one part of the growth Rhinelander has been experiencing and what he expects will keep coming to the city.
“We're clearly seeing, between the hotels coming in, the restaurants coming in, things like that, the softball tournaments, the baseball tournaments, the [Hodag] Dome, all of those things, as the community grows, that means families are going to grow,” said Karaba. “We need something for that family piece. We can't have our restaurants in our stores without family. That's what our community is based on is family.”
Construction of the splash pad is expected to start next week and will take 4 to 6 weeks depending on the weather.
For more information about the project or to learn how to contribute, please contact the Brandon Karaba at 715-218-8139 or brandonkaraba@hotmail.com.
