Playground, pickleball court approved for park in Abby
By Kevin O’Brien
New playground equipment and pickleball courts are coming soon to Christensen Park in Abbotsford after the city council last week signed off on purchases recommended by the Christensen Foundation.
City administrator Josh Soyk told the council that the foundation has committed a total of $120,000 in donations for upgrading the park near the corner of East Spruce Street and Fifth Street. The foundation also came up with a recommendation for playground equipment from Lee Recreation that it asked the city to purchase.
The proposal includes a swing set, a jungle gym with two slides, and a web-like climbing structure, along with split-log and traditional benches. The total cost of equipment is about $75,000, with another $4,900 in wood chips, which will be spread by the public works crew.
In addition to the $120,000 in donations, Soyk said the city has budgeted $50,000 of its own money for the park upgrades, which will also include the installation of two pickleball courts and additional sidewalks.
The council voted to pick colors for the new courts that will match the existing ones on the north end of the city. Soyk noted that the courts, which will be installed by city workers, will be facing north-south to prevent players from getting sunlight in their
See PARK/ Page 5 Park
Continued from page 1
eyes while playing.
A proposal to install a six-foot high chain link fence around the courts, for roughly $11,000 from American Fence Company, was also approved, with an extra $1,200 added on for the addition of a second double-swing gate.
Soyk said the playground equipment will take 10 to 11 weeks to arrive, so the goal is to get it installed in June or July. The city plans to install the pickleball courts in June.
Other business
■ The council approved a $15,500 contract with MSAProfessional Services for a project planned on Fifth Street later this year. The contract includes $12,500 for handling a Community Development Block Grant application. DPW Craig Stuttgen noted that 50 percent of all the CDBG funds in Wisconsin go to applications submitted by MSA. An estimated $3,000 was also included for MSA to handle any environmental work that may be needed as part of the project.
■ In a related matter, the council appointed Mayor Jim Weix and Alds. Jan Read, Selenia Gomez and Roger Weideman to a “citizen participation committee” that is required as part of the CDBG application process. Soyk said the committee only needs to meet once, at a required public hearing to be held before the council’s next meeting on April 7.
A public participation plan, which encourages engagement with low-to-moderate income households and requires accommodations for non-English speakers, was also approved as part of the CDBG grant application process.
■ The council signed off of the purchase of a Braun 2026 Ford F550 ambulance, at a cost of $309,774, for the Central Fire & EMS District. District chief Joe Mueller said the new ambulance is not expected to arrive until the end of 2027, and will replace one that has motor problems as the result of a design that was meant to comply with emissions standards.
N The council also signed off on the purchase of 32 air packs and face masks for self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) at a total of cost of $278,589. Both the SCBA and ambulance purchases need to be approved by a 66 percent majority of the seven municipalities in the district, as measured by property value.
■ The council approved a total of $6,000 for fireworks for the city’s annual Fourth of July celebration, with $1,200 coming from the Abby-Colby Crossings Chamber of Commerce. The 870 shot count package from J& M Displays is an increase from last year, when $4,625 was spent on 650 shots.
■ Ald. Mason Rachu asked Soyk for an update on property inspections and potential raze or repair orders for certain buildings in the city. Soyk said the owner of Abby Auto has said he plans on making repairs to his building, the owner of the Oak Street mobile home park has agreed to remove two trailers, and a homeowner on Butternut Street has started the process of tearing down a dilapidated garage. He said the issues will be revisited once the weather improves.
■ The council approved an alcohol beverage server’s license for Vanessa Hartwig at Express Lane gas station.
COMING SOON - The images above, provided by Lee Recreation, LLC, show two different angles of the new playground equipment planned for Christensen Park in Abbotsford. The city also plans to install pickleball courts at the park with money donated by the Christensen Foundation.
