A closer look at the Town of Sheboygan Parks
In addition to low property taxes, well-maintained parks are a highlight of the town
TOWN OF SHEBOYGAN — Spanning the town’s 11 square miles, there are four charming public parks in the Town of Sheboygan, each with a storied background.
These four parks are regularly maintained by the town’s Department of Public Works but the Town of Sheboygan Lions Club is also involved in their upkeep and even provides substantial funding. Their annual Lions Fest in June at Firehouse Park is a fundraiser that benefits the town as a whole including the parks.
WKTS News recently sat down with Town Chairman Dan Hein, Public Works Director Tom Holtan, Supervisor Tim Winkel and Supervisor Jim Schwinn to learn more about the town’s parks.
Firehouse Park
The most recognized and well known of the town’s four parklands is Firehouse Park.
In 1999, the Town of Sheboygan purchased 35.61-acres of farmland from Leslie Rahn according to Town Chairman Dan Hein. The entire property was originally planned to be a park but the town decided to use nearly 2-acres to build a new fire station. There were also plans to build a new Town Hall. Rahn’s 18-acre farmland on the west side of County Road Y was sold to Sheboygan Christian School in 2007 for what would have been the site of a new school complex.
Today, the sprawling park has playground equipment with special woodchips. A splashpad, a basketball court, a basketball diamond, a gazebo, benches and picnic tables. The park also has a paved walking path and a frisbee golf course. Early plans called for tennis and volleyball courts which have not been built. According to Hein, an enclosed year-round shelter could be built as well as a pickle ball court in the future.
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Volunteers recently planted additional trees in the park. “We acknowledge the Sheboygan Rotary Club for their efforts in helping reforest our parks,” said DPW Director Holtan. The club’s Restoration Of Our Trees Sheboygan (ROOTS) initiative also planted trees at Rudy Mahler Park. Also under construction this summer is the Fire & EMS Memorial outside the Town of Sheboygan Fire Station.
During the summer, Firehouse Park is home to the annual Lions Fest, Tunnel to Towers 5K Run & Walk and Aurora Health’s Cancer Survivors Day. The park is utilized by local companies for their picnics. During the winter months, the attraction is a free ice skating rink when weather allows.
While Rahn died at the age of 82 in July 2022, his barn is still standing directly across the road from the park. It had 50 cows in 2007. The farm had been in the family since 1881 when it was started by Wilhelm Rahn Sr.
Rudy Mahler Park
The newest public space in the Town of Sheboygan is the 1.67-acre Rudy Mahler Park. It is located at the northeast corner of North 10th Street and Eisner Avenue on the border of the City of Sheboygan. When it was purchased by the town in 2014, the land was heavily wooded. Efforts were made to clear much of the property and by 2016, the park was opened.
The park features a well-maintained lawn along with playground equipment, benches, picnic tables, and an open air shelter. There is also a Little Free Library and a wooden bridge over wetlands. The bridge was donated by the Town of Sheboygan Lions Club. “A lot of this stuff comes with the credit of the Lions Club,” said Hein. “Our Lions Club has been very active trying to develop our town parks.”
A restroom has been planned for the park since 2017 but the City of Sheboygan and the Sheboygan Water Utility refuses to provide the town with water service. The city will not allow the town to hook-up to the water main that is located under Eisner Avenue. Hein said the town would pay 100% of the costs, including the quarterly water bill, they just need approval to receive water service.
“We get calls every summer from young mothers with little children telling us that because we don’t have a bathroom, their child had to go behind the tree,” said Town Supervisor Winkel, who is also the Parks Committee Chair. “It would be really nice to have a bathroom there.” Hein said the collaborative effort is a no-brainer. “We were going to pay for everything, the city just won’t give us the water,” he explained. “More city residents who use that park than town residents,” added Holtan.
Pigeon River Park
Originally owned by Sheboygan County, the 1.67-acre Pigeon River Park was previously known as the County LS Wayside. Located on Lakeshore Road just north of the Pigeon River, it offers beautiful views of the river and access to adjacent city-owned Pigeon River Floodplain. AT&T constructed a substation in 1994 on the north end of the park. Sheboygan County transferred the land to the town in 2018.
The park lays within the City of Sheboygan's forgotten Pigeon River Valley. In 1979, the city had an ambitious development plan for a three mile segment of the Pigeon River from Lake Michigan to Interstate 43. Along plans, the section east of the town’s Pigeon River Park called for an observation deck, a boardwalk and a cross-country ski trail. In 1949, the city’s Master Plan called for constructing a parkway, which would have been a continuous road around the city.
That parkway would have begun at Pigeon River from the north, south along Lake Michigan, west along Black River before curving back north to the Pigeon River. Those plans never materialized. The City of Sheboygan owns 113.25-acres of land directly east of the town owned park. The city annexed that land in 1988. Further east, PLENCO owns 65-acres of land within the town limits at the mouth of the river.
Waterworks Park
Dedicated in 1999, the Waterworks Trailhead Park is located on Lakeshore Road just south of Playbird Road. There is ample greenspace along with two benches and a bicycle corral. It is considered as a wayside by the town.
The land was acquired by the town’s Sanitary District No. 3 with plans to build a well there. Due to municipal boundaries, the town ended up constructing the well further south of Waterworks Park in 2010.
In 1998, the Town Board approved construction of the wayside park in conjunction with Sheboygan County's bicycle route along Lakeshore Road. When the park opened, the site contained a gravel drive and picnic tables. Town supervisors had authorized funds to build restrooms there but were never built. There had been a porta-potty during the summer months but it was removed due to vandalism.
The Future
The town’s fifth park will be located at North Town east of North 40th Street near Highway 42. The 3-acre park will be the centerpiece of the 99-acre mixed-use development. There is no timeframe on when the park will be developed.
For those who want to support the growth of the town parks should attend Lions Fest on Friday, June 27th at Firehouse Park. By purchasing a hamburger, brat or soda, those funds stay within the community. “The Lions have spent $100,000 in improving the town,” added Supervisor Schwinn.
Direction of the parks is assisted by the Town Parks Committee. The advisory group forms new ideas and addresses maintenance issues. Two volunteers on the committee also maintain flowers at Firehouse Park. A volunteer group could be formed in the future to expand to other parks. Char Gumm, a former town supervisor was instrumental with the development of the parks in the town. “She was always pushing the full town board to do more and more with our parks,” said Supervisor Winkel. “She was a great leader of the parks.”
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Great story!