Playground equipment is seen at St. John's Park in downtown Green Bay April 7, 2025. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The Green Bay Parks Committee could vote to remove the playground equipment from St. John’s Park.
The recommendation by Parks Director Dan Ditscheit is on the committee’s agenda for Wednesday.
Ditscheit declined to go into detail on why he’s making the recommendation and instead, encouraged people to attend the meeting.
St. John’s Park is 1.37 acres in size. It houses a basketball court, small pavilion, picnic area, some green space and a playground.
According to Parks Committee Chairwoman Melinda Eck, the playground equipment is the oldest in the city and one of the reasons why the parks director is proposing its removal.
Eck said, “The amount of maintenance it needs — like the upkeep, checking on it, inspecting it and add woodchips, things like that. It costs more than what its value is because they just don’t see it being used.”
St. John’s Park is close to two other playgrounds, including one at Howe Elementary School. The other is at St. James Park, which sits in a more residential area, giving kids and families other places to play.
St. John’s Park sits across the street from St. John’s Ministries men’s shelter, and it has become known as a place for the homeless to gather.
“I think people would agree that it’s not the safest place. I don’t think parents are going to send their kids here without them, and I also don’t think parents are willing to come here with their kids,” added Eck.
St. John’s Ministries officials find themselves between a rock and a hard place.
While they appreciate the shelter being close to the park, they don’t encourage some of the activities that take place there among those who may use their facilities. They work to get individuals in the park to take advantage of programs the shelter offers.
“There’s a real catch 22 in that. One, it brings awareness to our current needs in our community. When people drive by and they see that, do they affiliate it with St. John’s Ministries? Almost 100% of the time. But folks are experiencing that and seeing that first hand and understanding that there’s an issue,” said Tony Schneider, director of community engagement at St. John’s Ministries.
Eck doesn’t want to turn this into a homeless issue, which is why the committee wants to hear from the parks director on all of the reasons why he’s recommending the equipment be removed. The committee also wants to hear from the public.
Some in the community believe the removal of this equipment wouldn’t be detrimental to the neighborhood, but could enhance the area for those in the park.
“If you could see, maybe some community gardens put there. Then maybe those who are frequenting the park could help water those gardens or could help take care of those gardens, and who knows the possibilities there,” added Amanda Johnson, the executive director of the Howe Community Resource Center.
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