2-1-20 fdl councilmember expresses support for alternate lakeside park plan

A Fond du Lac city councilmember is on record in support of an alternate Lakeside Park master plan.    In fact,  councilmember Donna Richards,  went so far as to take the unusual step for a councilmember of speaking at this week’s advisory park board in favor of the plan presented by a group of local business leaders.   Richards says she is particularily interested in the proposed history museum and restaurant that would be located on the lighthouse peninsula.  “Obviously the location they picked is a wonderful location for that facility,”  Richards told WFDL news.  “…it is near the lighthouse and it just adds to people spending time at that end of the park.”   Richards says she also likes the idea of renovating the existing pavilion, instead of the current plan to replace it with a larger pavilion.   The plan also includes an amphitheater, ice rink and expanded parking lot on Oven Island.   Richards acknowledges the new plan is moving very quickly, after the council reached its original decision following months and years of public input and discussion.  “No question this is a tough call because all these decisions had been made previously and people took painstaking care along the way to come up with the plans they came up with.  I wish I had been involved in all that, I was not, so I was late to the party.”   But Richards says the business leaders’ plan gives the city an opportunity to move forward quicker with many of the items that had been recommended by the Lakeside Park exploratory committee.  The council will consider the matter at their February 12 meeting.