MARINETTE — A couple of recreational activities are making progress in Marinette.
A splashpad that will be located near the Civic Center pool on Alice Lane is getting closer to financial approval and disc golf at City Park is taking off.
Splish SplashA splashpad has been talked about at meetings for the past few months. On Monday, Blake Theisen, principal owner and landscape architect for the Madison, Wisconsin-based company Parkitecture + Planning met via Zoom with the Parks and Recreation Committee.
In March, Theisen told the committee he would come back with an option that includes a slightly larger wetdeck on the spalashpad. Marinette has $400,000 budgeted, but the committee isn’t adverse to spending a little bit more if they can add a couple of features or make the pad bigger.
The Finance Committee on Tuesday recommended that an additional $30,000 be added to the splashpad project. The Common Council will vote on the matter June 4.
The current splashpad designed for Marinette is 22 x 50 feet or 1,100 square feet. Theisen said that it can accommodate up to 50 kids.
The splashpad wetdeck will have colored concrete, which Theisen said becomes more vibrant when it is wet.
“We ended up increasing the size of the wetdeck by about 20%, Theisen said Monday. He said the square footage jumps from 1,100 to 1,350.
He said by adding some colored concrete and some more features for the children, including a second cannon that launches water, the cost estimate increases by about $22,000.
“We think that this gives you quite a bit more space for the kids to roam and some additional features,” Theisen said. “We feel if you have the available budget that this is a good addition to the project.”
He said at this point, he and Executive Recreation Director Gavin Scray are looking for a recommendation. “We would like to get into the actual engineering and the piping and mechanical systems to get you closer to ready to bid,” Theisen said.
Theisen said it will take four to six weeks to get the project bid ready. He said the project could start in the fall and be activated in the spring for next summer’s use.
Disc Golf FeverTwo disc golf enthusiasts — Kyle Allen and Jason Jones, both of Marinette — talked about the sport.
Allen said Jones, the owner of a disc golf store in Marinette, is hosting three events this summer at City Park. He said the tourneys have drawn nearly 100 competitors the past three years.
He credited Jones as the person who has got disc golf started here. “I’m just a guy who’s passionate about it …,” Allen said, estimating that he’s played 600 rounds at the facility. He said he and others are consistently at the park and they take care of it and attempt to keep undesirable people, such as vandals, out of the park.
“There’s a lot of potential in the park to make changes,” Allen said. He said they would like to use the campground in the camping off-season to add more variety.
“Being able to play those eight months of the year when people aren’t in the campground would be nice,” he said.
Jones said he moved to Marinette in 2016 and formed an informal league. “It just kind of exploded over the past four years,” he said.
Jones said he’s willing to make the hole signs for free, and he’s looking for permission to get the holes ready for play with concrete, poles, etc.
He’s confident the course will continue to attract players. He said in the last three years, visitors have come from all over, including Tennessee, Minnesota, Texas, Florida, Maine and Illinois this year.
Mayor Steve Genisot suggested the disc golf enthusiasts work with Scray and the city’s Marketing and Tourism Director Shawn Katzbeck to discuss how to move forward with future improvements and marketing.
The committee did not take any action.
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