Officials within Walworth County’s Public Works department have been making the rounds this month, sharing information on the long-range plans that are in the works for green space and preservation efforts.
Details are encapsulated in a series of documents known as the Park and Open Space Plan: 2020.
Although a plan is already on the county’s books, officials have been updating it in recent months to reflect new outdoor recreation and open space preservation efforts that are under way.
Kevin Brunner, director of central services and public works with the county, said overtures have been made to share details with residents throughout the area. Meetings have been slated, and two will be taking place next week in Whitewater and East Troy.
“In order to fully brief county residents and municipalities, four regional information meetings will be held … to present and receive public comment on the proposed plan,” Brunner said.
County officials held meetings Thursday, April 4 at Delavan City Hall and Lake Geneva City Hall. The final two meetings, slated for Wednesday, April 17, will be held at the Irving Young Memorial Library and East Troy Village Hall.
Brunner said the plan documents were the result of collaboration from a number of sources, including the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC).
In 2000, the Walworth County Board initially voted on the Park and Open Space: 2020 document. Further amendments to the document were subsequently approved in 2004.
In terms of outdoor recreation, the plan outlines a system of six major parks, four of which are to be under the auspices of the county and the remaining two to be overseen by the state.
The document also touches on the implementation of a system of interconnected on-road and off-road recreation trails that are designed to be in concert with a larger, region-wide trail system.
One such system, the Ice Age Trail, could be tweaked under plans within the document. The existing trail is northwest of the Town of LaGrange, and it could be extended into the City of Whitewater.
There have been issues raised in the 13 years since the document was first unveiled.
For example, the Towns of Lafayette, Richmond, Spring Prairie, Troy and Whitewater aired concerns about an off-street bicycle trail system within the outdoor recreation plan.
Representatives from each of the five municipalities have since been consulted in possible revisions to the proposed bicycle trails.
The county’s open space preservation component to the overall plan calls for land deemed environmentally significant to remain untouched. Earmarked areas include land owned by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, in addition to locally owned primary and secondary environmental corridors.
IF YOU GO …
WHO: representatives from Walworth County’s Public Works Department
WHAT: informational meeting on county’s Park and Open Space Plan: 2020
WHEN/WHERE:
· 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 17 at Irving Young Memorial Library, 431 W. Center St., Whitewater
· 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 17 at East Troy Village Hall, 2015 Energy Drive
