OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – At Plamann Park, visitors will have to make room on the trails for new track chairs.
Loren Dieck, director for Outagamie County parks, tells FOX 11 the chairs are meant to make accessing the trails easier for those with disabilities.
“So the track chairs were specifically created for those with mobility and disability issues,” he said. “Our goal is to help these people who normally would not be able to get out in nature do just that.”
Funding from a state grant helped the county purchase the chairs.
“We were able to purchase these chairs,” Dieck added. “They cost about $19,000 a piece, and we’re very thankful to have had this resource to make these possible.”
This comes after a $5 million pavilion at Plamann Park was unveiled last October.
Track chairs aren’t the only tool for accessibility introduced this year at Plamann Park. In April, they acquired water wheelchairs, which they use at Plamann Lake. These chairs can float in the water, allowing users to go out in the lake.
Plamann Park Program Supervisor Sarah Sura says they are a huge improvement to accessibility at the lake.
“With these chairs, they can have access to get into the water now, she said. “So we have the ability to get them from their chairs to the action track chairs and then they can go out.”
Lifeguards test the new water wheelchairs at Plamann Lake. June 18, 2024 (WLUK/Josh Cavender)
Lifeguards test the new water wheelchairs at Plamann Lake. June 18, 2024 (WLUK/Josh Cavender)
Both programs are part a larger initiative to increase accessibility at their parks.
“This has been ongoing since about 2015, so each year we are slowly but surely making upgrades to make our park more accessible,” Dieck said.
The track chairs are free to rent for a two-hour window at both Plamann Park and Mosquito Hill.
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