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City Gets First Look At Parks Survey And Recommendations

WXPR

A report on how area residents want Rhinelander parks to be used was presented to a committee Monday.

The detailed report was assembled by a Task Force under the direction of Oneida County UW-Extension Community, Natural Resource and Economic Development agent Myles Alexander.

In the 36-page report, Alexander says it's  designed to turn Rhinelander's parks decisions from confrontation to collaboration, ad hoc to planned development and deferred maintenance to reinvestment.

The effort began after the Rhinelander School District wanted to build a ballfield at Pioneer Park, which brought objections from current uses such as the Oneida County Fair and Farmer's Market.

Alexander says they used a variety of input methods, including public meetings and a website. Alexander says the survey included many people living outside of Rhinelander...

"....all of those respondents were asked to locate the nearest intersection to where they lived a good number of them are not residents of the city. So we have the same mix of city and town residents from all our sources...."

The findings include maintaining the parks as a source of civic pride, grow the local economy, support year-round activities for people of all ages and be family-oriented. More maintenance was also suggested. Dozens of other recommendations were included.

Committee Chair Sherrie Belliveau says the city will now use the survey to make improvements...

"....one of the things that makes me the happiest is all of them were so diverse and they were parks users...so it's not just the 'baseball people' or the dog park. Everybody wants something of the city parks...."

The Task Force results will be formally presented to the city council at its June meeting. A link is here.

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