Photos by Kirsten Zoellner
The push to improve the future of the south Rushford park is gaining momentum thanks to enthusiastic residents. At the October 6 Rushford Village Council meeting, several turned up to ask the council’s take on the desire to revamp the park.
Renee Ritter spoke to the recent social media survey put out to the community about how the park is currently used and what the community would like to see. According to Ritter, she received 40 responses largely indicating three things: new playground equipment and areas, a place to sit and enjoy the park, and the need for shade. Additionally, 10 people reached out to Ritter privately to indicate they’d like to serve on the committee to make it happen.
To get the ball rolling, Ritter spoke to the city of Peterson, who redid their city park playground in recent years, and found it took a surplus of volunteer efforts and grant-writing. New commercial-grade equipment is costly. Ritter estimated just the structure itself at $40,000. Swings are an additional $7,000 and other add-on items can be about $500. The current ground surface is pea gravel, which would also need removal and replacement with engineered woodchips. Ritter noted that the survey also revealed residents want the basketball court improved. Maintenance costs of the park improvements are also being taken into consideration.
The group knows it needs to raise funds. They’re hoping the village can help through its contracted partnership with Community Economic Development Associates (CEDA). It’s likely the group and village can craft the park vision based on grant funding and benefits from special interest groups.
Another aspect being looked at is a phased approach. Phase one could encompass the playground structure, seating, and shade, two: the basketball court area, and three: improving the pavilion, which is in great shape, but is limited by its small size.
“I want to get more information on roles and how the village would support this project,” said Ritter. “What is the village willing to put up for money? Are there any requirements or limitations that we should be aware of from the village?”
According to City Clerk Mary Miner, the Park Fund currently has $21,796 in a Certificate of Deposit. $6,000 was allotted to the fund for the 2026 budget.
“In addition to money is how we’d actually get this done,” said resident Evan Meier. “The majority gets done by community effort.”
Ritter added that depending on the company, they will typically deploy a point person to the site who assists with mapping out the area and leading the volunteer building effort.
“Part of it is just laying the groundwork and determining what the scope of this is. Do we need to raise $5,000 or $100,000? Right, ‘cause those are very different approaches about that. I don’t think the expectation at all is that the village is going to foot the bill for a $100,000 playground. We all know the reality of what we’re working with here,” shared Meier.
Mayor Dennis Overland encouraged the group to get a committee together and get some cost estimates. He also suggested they talk with the volunteer group that recently overhauled the Brooklyn Park in Rushford and CEDA representative Andrew Hoiness. Resident Trey Ritter suggested a fundraiser or fun night to bring the community together, young and old.
Meier sought clarification from the council on where utility easement locations, contribution of Public Works Department equipment and manpower, if the old equipment can be sold to raise funds, and if preliminary staking could be done to get a vision for a future park layout. “We can start putting together more in-depth plans to see what it would really take. It’s a great base there. It’s just figuring out how to utilize it,” he added.
In other news, the village briefly touched on review of sewer rates from financial consultant Mike Bubany. Overland highlighted that the village sewer expenditures have been higher in recent years, which “throws things a bit.” He didn’t think the village needed to take a big leap the first year. Several on the council liked the idea of spreading the needed increases out over time to make adjustments more slowly. The discussion was tabled for further review.
Levy impact was also on the agenda. The council looked at what the financial impact the preliminary levy, set last month, could have on village properties. Bubany entered different options into his modeling to see how it could affect single family, agricultural, and both general and large commercial properties. Based on the preliminary amounts, which are subject to change, a single family would increase $145 a year, a commercial property over $225,000 in value would increase $215, a large commercial at $450,000 in value would increase $432, and an agricultural property just under $900,000 would increase $341. Final budget and levy discussions will continue through December.
As for roads, Public Works is still making headway on damage from the September 18 and 19 rain event. Tower Ridge Road and Trout Spring Lane are still closed. While work is making huge improvements, Public Works Supervisor Darrin Dessner stated that he cannot say how much longer they’ll remain closed. There is a meeting October 13 with the county. Miner stated there has been no declaration of emergency to date.
November 3 regular council meeting is canceled due to the general election. There will be only one meeting in November.
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