The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) seeks public input for the upgrade options for Rib Mountain State Park.
“It sounds like they’re really taking everyone’s perspective into consideration, which is encouraging for us,” said Berend Schneider, a Rib Mountain resident.
“There’s a lot of great options in the plan for some of those recreational pursuits,” said Steve Schmelzer, the state parks director for the DNR.
One upgrade option is a camping area, which the park currently does not support. Other options include improving trails for hiking and biking with the possibility of biking down the mountainside.
“Of course, one of the unique opportunities here is the chance to use a ski lift to get back up to the top of the mountain,” said John Pohlman, a property planner for the DNR, speaking at a town hall event Wednesday at Northcentral Technical College.
Schneider says that element would be fine, just as long as it does not interfere with nature.
“I do like the idea of a year-round purpose-built park where they can utilize the chair lifts year-round, but without taking any additional nature away,” he said.
A few people commented that they want more spaces to use for free in the park, while others pushed back on the potential of adding ski slopes for the winter.
Any final version of these ideas will not come for several months, with the following public comment portion of their process coming next spring.
“Right now, I think they’re still very much in the developmental stage and really getting experts involved,” Schneider said.
In the meantime, the DNR wants you to make your voice heard.
“It’s a great opportunity to see the different options and talk with folks about some of things they might look for in the future for Rib Mountain,” said Schmelzer.
People who want to leave feedback electronically can do it at https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/fl/PropertyPlanning/RibMtn.
This article originally appeared on WAOW.