Work has moved off of paper and into the ground on a multimillion-dollar makeover of Leicht Memorial Park meant to revamp the currently underused green space in Green Bay’s downtown into a venue that the city said in an Aug. 13 news release will draw over 150,000 visitors per year.
Excavation company RelyCo Plus on Aug. 11 started reshaping the ground to make a level surface for future construction in a process known as site grading, said Val Tereshchenko, a project manager for the De Pere-based contractor. Evidence of its work is in the orange barrels and overturned earth at the park on Aug. 13, though workers were not active that day, Tereshchenko said.
The company was awarded an $80,509 contract in June to complete its work by Aug. 28, which would include about 2,550 cubic yards of excavated earth, 1,450 square yards of salvaged topsoil, and 125 pounds of grass seed, according to a summary of bid documents.
Tereshchenko was confident the work will be done a week ahead of schedule.
The site will then need to be left to sit for six months before work can start on the project’s second and third phases.
By the end of it all, the city anticipates Leicht Park will transform into “an enhanced community destination,” said the Aug. 13 news release.
Here’s what to expect, and when to expect it.
What kinds of amenities will come to Leicht Park?
Central to the renderings of the reimagined Leicht Park is a pavilion toward the park’s southern edge, which Parks Director Dan Ditscheit has characterized as essentially a park shelter, but upgraded.
An earlier version of the pavilion by architectural group ISG had been so unattractive that the Parks Department told the firm to go back to the drawing board and return with a new design.
ISG did so, and brought back a modern, cantilevered pavilion expected to have food and drinks, restrooms, and a rental space for events with a plaza, a deck looking over the Fox River, and some seating outside. Other amenities included in the sketches or that have been mentioned include an amphitheater, a biergarten and walkways.
Recently included in the park’s renovation is the riprap guarding against erosion along the Fox River. The City Council approved on Aug. 5 the Parks Department’s request for ISG to come up with a redone riprap, as well as design a set of stairs going down to the edge of the river. The added work was greenlit for $70,680.
What is the construction timeline?
Once the the site grading is complete, the second stage of work revolves around the pavilion. The parks director told the Parks Committee on July 30 that construction of the building would begin “early next spring, maybe late winter.”
The city expects the pavilion to be done by fall 2026, according to its Aug. 13 news release. That date is really a hard-and-fast deadline; council member Brian Johnson has said construction of the first two phases would be funded by tax money collected and put into Tax Incentive District 5, which will expire in December 2026, making any remaining money in the tax district unavailable for the city to use after that time.
The recently approved erosion control measures would also be part of the second phase, according to the submitted work order.
There’s no timeline yet for the third phase, which includes the amphitheater and stairs to the Fox River. The city previously indicated that phase is dependent on getting additional funding with the help of the nonprofit On Broadway. Until the money is secured, no third-phase work will be bid out.
How much will the project cost?
Initial engineering and design work by ISG came to $505,000. The additional riprap and water stairs work has tacked on another $70,680, bringing the engineering expenses to $575,680.
The first two phases are expected to cost $3.6 million.
No estimate has been announced for the cost of the third phase dependent on On Broadway’s help. However, the Press-Gazette reported that Johnson said his nonprofit had already raised $350,000 by Jan. 16 toward the project’s third stage. His nonprofit is expected to publicize a $4 million capital campaign during an Aug. 19 news conference at Leicht Park, which will ask the community for donations “to reimagine and revitalize” the green space, the city’s Aug. 13 news release said.
The planned news conference at 11:30 a.m. with Ditscheit and Mayor Eric Genrich will also “provide detailed information about construction timelines, community impact, and the enhanced amenities that will be available once the project is complete,” the news release said, explicitly inviting community members to attend.
Jesse Lin is a reporter covering the community of Green Bay and its surroundings, as well as politics in northeastern Wisconsin. Contact him at 920-834-4250 or jlin@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Leicht Park’s facelift has begun. What’s more to expect from the multi-million dollar makeover?
Reporting by Jesse Lin, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
