Green Bay’s City Council on Aug. 18 unanimously accepted a donation agreement to wipe out the debt associated with Bay Beach Amusement Park’s yearslong shoreline improvement project, freeing up hundreds of thousands of dollars for much-needed fixes and renovations.
Under the agreement with charity group Friends of Bay Beach, the city will pay the majority of the roughly $3.75 million in debt left from a bond taken out in 2018 and meant for improvements like a wildlife viewing platform, a walking path and a sandy beach. The city will use $2.25 million from the amusement park’s development fund to pay its share of the remaining debt by Sept. 22, the next payment deadline.
Friends of Bay Beach will donate $1.5 million to the city by Sept. 1, the agreement said.
The Friends of Bay Beach stipulated that its donation was conditional on the city agreeing not to take out any more debt for the amusement park until April 18, 2028, the end of the current City Council term. The charity group had initially wished for a five- or 10-year restriction, then shortened its request following consultation with the city attorney, according to Parks Director Dan Ditscheit, who said the concern was falling into more debt.
“In order for us to sustain and keep the rides operational, we can’t really sustain with having tremendous amounts of debt that we have to pay off year after year after year,” Ditscheit told the Parks Committee on Aug. 12.
It was Ditscheit’s and Friends of Bay Beach’s preference to wipe out the debt 12 years early than continue to make annual payments, which Ditscheit said would have hampered the amusement park’s ability to upkeep rides and make improvements.
Ditscheit expected the amusement park to generate about $750,000 in revenue that he hoped to put aside in the 2027 budget toward park improvements and fixing rides. Had the city disapproved the donation agreement, most of the revenue would’ve gone toward the roughly $600,000 annual debt payment, leaving “very little money” for needed fixes, according to Ditscheit.
He said he wanted to renovate the pavilion for year-round entertainment and address stormwater management requirements imposed by the state’s Department of Natural Resources. Ditscheit pointed to the “really bad” parking lot pavement, the train ride in need of renovation and the twirling Scat ride that’s been out of commission for much of the summer due to the ride’s old age and park staff’s inability to find replacement parts.
“How are we going to replace the Scat if we’re not able to set aside money year after year to put toward improvements at that park?” Ditscheit told the Parks Committee.
Climbing costs have stalled shoreline improvements for years at the amusement park that has not seen a swimmable beach in generations.
The city wanted to raise $7 million in a plan first proposed under former Green Bay Mayor Jim Schmitt to build a beach house, concession stand and parking lot on a sandy beach that would complement the amusement park by 2019. It has repeatedly fallen short of that target since. The city got a $2.4 million federal grant in 2024 to pay off as much debt as possible, what Ditscheit said at the time would allow for loan refinancing in 2026 and begin construction on a sandy beach that has not since started.
A construction bid in 2025 to build a roughly 400-foot wildlife viewing platform extending into the bay, delayed for years from high costs, has not been awarded.
Jesse Lin is a reporter covering the community of Green Bay and its surroundings, as well as politics in northeastern Wisconsin. He also writes a weekly column answering reader questions about Green Bay. Contact and send him questions at 920-834-4250 or jlin@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Donation agreement for Bay Beach Amusement Park to free up money for fixes
Reporting by Jesse Lin, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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By Jesse Lin, Green Bay Press-Gazette | USA TODAY Network
