NEENAH, WI (WTAQ) – The City of Neenah is working to install a walking path along Lakeshore Avenue, allowing pedestrian access to Kimberly Point Park. However, residents along that span aren’t so fond of that idea.
The Lakeshore group is an informal association of the homeowners along Lakeshore Avenue. They’re asking the city for a collaborative and transparent solution in a dispute that has been going on for decades.
“[It’s been] basically 20 years now since the city hired a consulting firm from Chicago to design a bigger and better Lakeshore Avenue…We don’t think it’s better. It’s curb and gutter of what is a defining iconic scenic byway that defines the City of Neenah,” said group spokesman Joe Bachman. “Prior city councils and prior mayors have made good decisions to not pursue this. This particular city council has decided to waste a lot of money on it.”
In recent months, Bachman says the city has refused to find common ground with neighbors and has shown no signs of a deliberate or even legal plan for the area. He points out that the green space between the road and the lake still belongs to those who live there.
“The green space which lies along the western shore of Lake Winnebago is private property, it’s our property. It’s literally in our front yards. There’s an easement for the street that allows access to Kimberly [Point} Park. The property that they want to put this trail on is private, we’re the owners,” Bachman told WTAQ News. “Lately, because it is controversial, because it is private property, they have gone ahead and implemented it over our protests. We sought to actively be engaged as stakeholders in the project, but have been actively ignored by the city council.”
The dispute centers around the City’s decision to install an eight-foot paved multi-modal trail, offset from the road along the Lake Winnebago shoreline. The group also argues that the paving of shoreline green space has resulted in adverse environmental impacts, including the removal of several trees and damage to the remaining canopy trees characteristic of one of Neenah’s defining scenic byways.
It’s also behind schedule, according to Bachman. Construction began in early September, and the area for the trail has been excavated and graveled.
“It’s a project that was under planned, over budget, and is supposed to have been completed by now. A lot of environmental damage and also cultural disruption, given they found Native American grave sites,” Bachman said. “The Neenah City Council has been very aggressive in pushing the trail in…The lakeshore paved multimodal trail is being placed in an environmentally sensitive area of the city’s own designation…Once they pave it, that’s a pretty serious environmental harm. We intend to pursue our rights to the extent we need to.”
That’s why the Lakeshore group has filed a lawsuit against the City of Neenah.
The path along Lakeshore Avenue in Neenah. (PHOTO: Courtesy of the Lakeshore Group)
“We will defend our property rights, and because the trail is not fully implemented, it’s one last chance for them to make the right decision and undo what they’ve done,” Bachman said. “They’re saying that if we don’t acquiesce to their desire, if we don’t drop our lawsuit, that they’re going to take it…It’s a big issue not only for us, but for the taxpaying citizens of Neenah. It’s it’s public money, it’s wasteful spending. If they’re gonna do this to property rights here on the lakeshore, it can happen anywhere in the city.”
In addition to problems with the alleged lack of planning, the neighbors are concerned about the City’s refusal to acknowledge the homeowners’ property rights that they claim were recognized by the City itself in 2006.
He says there are tons of other opportunities for similar paths in Neenah. For over 100 year, Bachman says, people have walked on that green space and have been welcome to do so. He also claims it’s been safe since the road was built.
“There has never been any accident, let alone incident in the whole history of this street in Neenah. There is no safety issue,” Bachman said. “Our demand is is to stop the paved trail on the green spaces. It’s environmentally sensitive by the city’s own designation. We said ‘Hey, just keep the status quo put a bike path/pedestrian lane on the street as it exists.'”
The neighbors are asking the City to rethink its approach before paving the trail. In a statement, the group says it ‘is committed to ensuring the public’s access to Kimberly Point Park.’
“It’s really a simple solution. With a little bit of thought, a lot of waste and expense could’ve been avoided, as well as the legal action,” Bachman said. “The lack of planning has led to huge cost overrun. It’s threatened private property rights. It’s caused environmental and cultural harm. The City of Neenah and city council really needs to stop this before more harm is done.”
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