The Rhinelander city council has delayed setting up a public hearing over the use of Pioneer Park.
A recent committee meeting was packed with people from various interests who would like to maximize their use of the park. The site has softball fields used by Rhinelander schools, and is the weekly home in the warmer weather months of the Hodag Farmers Market and is the site of the Oneida County Fair.
A proposal to add a second softball field has left other user groups upset. Supporters of the field say it would enable more practice time and larger tournaments and they say they have the funding for construction.
The Hodag Farmers Market supporters say it would cut sharply into their space to hold their growing effort. During a special council meeting Tuesday to set a public hearing on the matter, Parks, Buildings and Grounds chair Sherrie Belliveau said they found out some new facts...
"....we have decided we will send this back to committee. We found out recently we have not had any agreement with the School District of Rhinelander for use of ball fields since 2003. In lieu of the fact we require other groups such as the Farmer's Market and the Oneida County Fair to have agreements with the city we feel it is only fair the school district does the same thing...."
A public hearing date was postponed until after the Parks committee meets again on June 27 at 4:30 p.m.
