Currently, there are 1,435 acres of public and private recreation or open space in the Town of Grand Chute. The Town owns 5 parks containing 105 acres of land. Outagamie Couonty owns Plamann Park, which contains 258 acres and is located in the northeast part of the Town. The County also operates a dog park of about 12 acres at the northeast corner of French Road and Northland Avenue. Grand Chute is also the home of Gordon Bubolz Nature Preserve. This is a 775 acre independent, nonprofit wildlife preserve and environmental education facility. Click on the above map to zoom for park locations.
Town residents may be interested to know there are also four plats of land that are designated as undeveloped park lands. They are:
Art Lecker Park (number 11 on map)
the undeveloped 42.2 acre area, which occupies the town's former landfill site north of CTH JJ between CTH A and STH 47, provides an opportunity for expanded recreational lopprotunities in the town. the landfill operation was limited to well less than half the site; it is estimated that nearly three quarters of the tract remains in its wooded natural state. One potential use of the site may be as an archery range or a dog park.
Brookview Park (number 23 on map)
This undeveloped 2.6 acre peice was dedicated as part of a multi-family housing project.. The park could be expanded to about 5 acres with additional parkland dedication in a subsequent subdivision process. The parkland borders a stream on the south side and the park could serve as a neighborhood park.
Appleton Alliance Church-park easement (number 6 on map)
when Appleton Alliance Church proposed to construct their new facilities on the southwest corner of CTH A and Grand Chute Bld., the Town and church representatives worked to provide open space and a neighborhood park as part of the development. The church owns about 10 acres of land on the west side of their property. The church will be constructing 2 soccer fields, 2 ball fields and a playground by 2008. The facilities will be open to the public and serve as a neighborhood park.
Northwest Park-park easement, partial (not shown)
On the northwest side of the Town, near the corner of McCarthy Road and Cobble Creek Drive, the Town has accepted a park easement for part of a future park. The area is in the Outagamie County Airport Overlay Zone, and lot sizes are a minimum of 1-acre. The developer offered about 1-acre in the subdivision as a park easement. The plan would be to add additional acreage with a subsequent subdivision process.
Tomorrow's post will highlight the committee's recommendations for existing park improvements, along with future parks and long-term future community-wide parks.
