APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – Appleton park officials say a downtown park will be closed for the next year or so for renovations.
Mayor Tim Hanna moved the planned renovations to Jones Park up to 2017 in order to coincide with the construction of the adjacent Fox Cities Exhibition Center. Hanna put $1.55 million into the city’s 2017 budget for those renovations.
Here are the renovation plans for Jones Park:
- A 12-foot-wide ramp compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act
- A 12,000-square-foot green space with a performance stage near the exhibition center’s patio
- An 80-by-80-foot playground area
- A new warming house with restrooms and concession facilities will support two ice skating rinks in the winter; in the summer, the space will be seating for about 5,000 people for performances
- Trails will also be improved, along with the parking beneath the Skyline Bridge
The Parks and Recreation Committee will meet Monday at 6 p.m. at City Hall, where the concept is scheduled to be presented. The public will be able to comment on the plans. The earliest committee members could give final approval would be October 10.
Jones Park closed Thursday and is not scheduled to reopen until 2018.
