Parks Committee Meeting

The Waupaca County Parks Committee meeting on November 4, 2026, approved ending overnight camping at Keller Park effective January 1, 2027. Members discussed ongoing operating losses, reduced revenue, and costs for travel, garbage and recycling service, and maintenance; staff will post notice, add signs, and remove the campground payment box. The committee also began reviewing the county’s five-year outdoor recreation plan, which will be updated and brought back for further discussion before county board and state review. The plan may support future grant applications for the county and townships; no plan or grant action was approved at this meeting.

Staff reported that FEMA was evaluating an alternative project for flood-damaged Manoa Landing. A replacement launch estimate of about $78,000 is being used as a ceiling, while roughly $40,000 in paving and parking-lot reshaping is under consideration, with possible remaining funds for shoreline work. Any project scope, reimbursement, and potential DNR support for sturgeon habitat improvements remain unresolved. Other project updates included fairgrounds building improvements scheduled to begin in December and a parking-lot project whose final paving and striping are planned for spring; no related contract awards or new spending approvals were reported.