Waupaca’s outdoor enthusiasts have reason to celebrate. Swan Park’s boardwalk, located on the West side of the Swan Park Sledding Hill is complete and ready for hiking.
The over twenty-year-old, 300-foot boardwalk suffered from unleveled, loose, and wobbling boards, with rot and decay evident in the sleepers and stringers. With financial assistance from the Wisconsin DNR Recreational Trails Program, the City of Waupaca Parks Department rehabilitated this section in collaboration with the Waupaca’s High School Residential Building Construction Class under the instruction of Aaron Strebe. The city is excited to once again provide users with a high-quality outdoor recreational experience. Especially since Swan Park draws visitors from around the state. The trail provides pedestrian activities, including hiking, walking, jogging, running, photography, wildlife observation, as well as biking. The trail will not be open for motorized activities, except for maintenance purposes. In the wintertime, trails are groomed for cross-country skiing.
This segment of the trail is part of the River Ridge Trail system that comprises 26 miles of on and off-road pedestrian and cyclist trails throughout the City of Waupaca. “We are fortunate to have this robust trail system and we’re excited that it is once again whole and safe for our community,” said Parks and Rec Director, Laura Colbert.
The Waupaca High School Students left to right in the picture are Matthew Thobaben, Andrew Lehman, Nathen Peterson, Talan King, Andrew Allen, and Logan Johnson. These students cut and sealed the deck boards over winter and then installed them on May 2nd. Over the winter, the Parks staff, Casey Martinez and Josh Peterson, removed the old boardwalk and installed the framing. “We are grateful for the High School Students and Aaron Strebe’s willingness to collaborate on this effort. They were a joy to work with and they did an outstanding job in bettering our community’s resources,” Laura Colbert stated.
