Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Green Bay public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
33 issues in parks rec with medium priority
East River Optimist Park playground funding
A $50,000 Optimist Club donation and a $45,772 Gametime grant will fund a new playground at East River Optimist Park — coming at no cost to city taxpayers.
Danz Park futsal court
A worn-out tennis court at Danz Park will become a double mini-pitch futsal court — a fast, soccer-style game played on a hard court. The school district next door is excited, and the court can also host basketball and floor hockey.
Miniature train track replacement
$118,354 buys new steel rail, hardware and switches for the Bay Beach train behind the main pavilion.
Green Bay Conservation Corps AmeriCorps grant
A $389,701 AmeriCorps grant keeps the Conservation Corps running through 2027.
Bay Beach train ride restoration
The train ride behind the pavilion was shut down all year because its wooden track supports rotted. New steel and lumber are on order, and a Friends of Bay Beach donation worth about $30,000 will pay for the grading work needed to install the new tracks.
Arts and health programming by SAGE
SAGE got about $1,250 in extra grant money for its Open Studio program and created a zine explaining how art activities support mental well-being. It also landed over $45,000 to pilot formal training for three Green Bay artists in arts and health, and is launching a countywide arts-and-health coalition on October 15.
Rotating Arts Program sculpture selection
The city is adding four new bases to its Rotating Arts Program, and the commission picked which sculptures will fill them for a two-year run. Each artist gets a $4,000 stipend funded through ARPA and city art funds, and the pick heads to the Common Council on October 6 with installs expected by November.
Rotating sculpture program expansion and new public art installations
Wisconsin Watch's Joe Timmerman is organizing a photographic installation of Green Bay residents at St. James Park on June 6, with music and community conversation.
Bay Beach shoreline trail grant reallocation
EPA grant money originally earmarked for a wildlife viewing platform now goes fully to the shoreline trail at Bay Beach.
Path for Pause project at Harvey St. Park
The commission picked the artists who will create a sidewalk mural labyrinth and interactive sculptures at Harvey St. Park/Olde North Crossing. It's an AARP-funded wellness project aimed especially at residents over 50, adding seating and low-impact fitness elements alongside public art.
Beaver Dam Park renaming
Beaver Dam Park is now MacArthur Family Park, honoring the family behind the recently closed adjacent school — softened by amendment from the original proposal to name it for General MacArthur.
Pine Street Plaza Vibrant Spaces grant
The city is applying for a Vibrant Spaces grant to build out the Pine Street Plaza project.
Rosen Family Foundation grant for Summer Parkee Program
Bay Beach Amusement Park opens this weekend with the new train ride debuting; the department is still hunting about 25 lifeguards for the pools.
Lifeguard shortage at city pools
Pools open this weekend but the city is about 14 lifeguards short of its goal across three pools. Amenities might have to rotate closures daily; another training session is planned.
Ted Fritsch Park splash pad
The Council awarded the $444,080 splash pad construction contract for Ted Fritsch Park to 8PINE, Inc., moving a popular family amenity toward reality.
Wildlife Sanctuary birds of prey improvements
A $348,176 contract with Vinton Construction will improve the birds of prey area at the Wildlife Sanctuary.
Path for Pause meditation labyrinth at Olde North Crossing Park
A $15,000 AARP Community Challenge grant will fund a meditation labyrinth with artistic stepping stones, accessible seating, and low-impact exercise equipment at Olde North Crossing Park. Up to ten local artists will be commissioned with a $5,000 budget, with installation targeted for October 2026.
Food forest harvesting ordinance amendments
The city is drafting changes to Sec. 28-3 of the municipal code to let residents harvest fruit and nuts from trees and shrubs on city park property. The language goes through the Law Department next, then back to this commission for a recommendation to the Parks Committee and City Council.
Senior accessibility and transportation
Commissioners discussed senior accessibility in parks and public spaces, noting that lack of transportation keeps seniors isolated and inactive, harming both mental and physical health. Public transit expansion was flagged as underfunded and underused.
Arnie Wolff Sports Complex improvements
The Green Bay Strikers soccer group can now officially fundraise for fencing, a shelter, entrance plaza work, and a playground at the soccer complex. Staff will build projects one at a time as money comes in.
Kids' Day Karnival 2026
Kids' Day and the Kiddie Karnival are being combined into one event at Bay Beach on July 30, backed by a $20,000 Children's Hospital sponsorship covering free rides, games, and entertainment.
Triangle Sports Area tubing hill safety regrade
The tubing hill gets too icy and closes often. Engineers will design a longer runout at the bottom using fill dirt, so the hill stays open more days and tubers stop safely.
Fruit and nut harvesting in city parks
Parks staff will work with the Sustainability Commission on code changes allowing residents to harvest fruit and nuts from city park trees.
Colburn Park shelter/concession stand replacement
The aging shelter isn't ADA compliant and the concession stand sits dangerously close to ballfields with no running water. The city will demolish both and build one consolidated building with a new playground, pending council approval of the $123,000 design contract.
New Colburn Park shelter and concession stand
Colburn Park's aging shelter and concession stand will be replaced with one new consolidated building, plus a redesigned playground and site improvements off Fisk Street. The $123,000 design contract is the first step; construction funding is planned for 2027.
Bay Beach premier parking fee
A $7-per-day premier parking area is coming to Bay Beach Amusement Park this season.
Heated equipment storage garage at the Park Shop
The city hired an architect to design a heated garage so expensive diesel equipment like forestry trucks doesn't sit outside in the cold. Design now, construction money expected in 2028.
Leicht Park shelter contingency funding
Construction is underway and only about $45,000 of contingency remained, so the board pre-approved up to $500,000 in TIF 13 money to cover surprise change orders without stopping work.
Make Music Day June 21
The commission is taking over Make Music Day from the Weidner Center, planning a small pilot with roughly five microgrants for park activations on June 21, which falls on Father's Day this year.
Renard Island access easement
Brown County has been accessing Renard Island via the causeway on city property without legal permission since 2015. The new easement makes that access official — but only for maintenance and construction, keeping the door open to revisit public access if the island is ever developed.
Arborist classification flexibility
A Public Works job has been empty for 21 months because nobody with a land surveyor license applied. Dropping that requirement should widen the hiring pool and finally get the position filled.
Leicht Memorial Park redevelopment — Phase II pavilion
The city is moving ahead with the second phase of redeveloping Leicht Memorial Park downtown, building a new pavilion with site improvements alongside On Broadway, Inc. The contract went to the lowest of six bidders, well under the next quote.
JBS Subdivision & Park Phase 2 infrastructure completion
The final payment to Calnin & Goss, LLC closes out the Phase 2 infrastructure package for the JBS Subdivision and Park.