Recent discussion about the Fond du Lac Lakeside Park pavilion has raised interest about a little known plan that was first discussed more than a decade ago, but never officially made public, to build a Marine Center at the park. The idea was the brainchild of Fond du Lac native and retired UW-Fond du Lac English professor Ellen Balthazor. Balthazor says she wanted to do something to honor the memory of her twin brother. “I was always interested in the lake, spent a lot of time on the lake,” Balthazor told WFDL news. “…thought it would be really interesting to do something to keep Fond du Lac vibrant. The idea for a Marine Center, there were other people that got interested and we started, which is not the plan they are talking about at the end of Main Street.” Balthazor says her idea was the have the center built next to the lake featuring such things as Mercury Marine exhibits, an aquarium, restaurant and educational space. A group was formed and a consultant was hired to develop a concept plan. The projected cost was just over $7.3 million. The plan was never officially presented to city officials and Balthazor says it never got off the ground after the recession hit in 2008. Now Balthazor says she hopes at some point the plan is revisted.
