Green Bay’s Parks Department on April 29 secured the unanimous endorsement of the Parks Committee to start second-phase renovations to Colburn Park. It was a milestone for the department in its yearslong effort to enhance the park’s appeal as a place for sports tournaments.
Should the City Council on May 5 adopt the committee’s recommendation, the city would hire engineering consultant GRAEF for $123,000 to design and engineer a combined concession stand and shelter, a new playground, and any accommodating infrastructure, according to a proposal by GRAEF.
Parks Director Dan Ditscheit emphasized to the committee his desire to demolish the existing shelter and concession stand. The shelter was not ADA-compliant and “would cost a lot of money” to make its bathrooms so, Ditscheit said. The concession stand was also “too close” to the ballfields and did not have running water, Ditscheit said. GRAEF’s proposal also highlighted a need for a new concession stand and shelter at the park’s northern end, calling the existing ones “dated” and “fragmented.”
GRAEF anticipated that designs and engineering cost estimates could be done by January 2027.
“I think this is a great idea,” council member and committee chair Ben Delie said, “because that baseball complex we built over there is awesome and it’ll improve that site and hopefully bring in some more action over there.”
In the past six years, the Parks Department has done at least seven improvement projects to the park, one of city’s most filled with amenities like Colburn Pool, and areas to play soccer, baseball, softball, tennis, hockey, volleyball, bocce and basketball.
The proposed renovation would be part two in the department’s larger goal “to create a well-used tournament facility location” at the park, according to the city’s most recent list of capital improvement programs. The department had estimated costs of the second stage at $500,000 to install batting cages, make ADA-accessible pathways to the ballfields, and combine the concession stand into the shelter.
The project’s first phase, costing $55,000 in 2021, turned a baseball field into two Little League fields, added stormwater utilities and expanded a parking lot.
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 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: Green Bay committee endorses upgrades to make Colburn Park a tournament hub
Reporting by Jesse Lin, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
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