Cecil DePeau Bay Shore Park + Harbor Master Plan
New Franken, WI | Sports + Recreation
Overview
As access to public waters is becoming increasingly desirable, Brown County Parks and Recreation set their sights on improving the well-loved existing county park and harbor on the Bay of Green Bay. ISG coordinated with strategic partners to provide an integrated site and harbor design components, while implementing innovative technology, such as drone, visualization, and 3D imaging services to ensure the design vision was clear for all.
Opportunity
The Park’s location on the bay, unique ecology as part of the Niagara Escarpment, and steep terrain draw large numbers of visitors but also causes user conflicts and safety concerns between the Park’s various boaters, campers, beachgoers, neighbors, and sightseers. ISG’s tactics sought to provide practical, long-lasting design solutions by soliciting and integrating a large pool of community feedback.
Solution
The resulting Cecil DePeau Bay Shore Park – Park and Harbor Master Plan (Master Plan), is a long-range guide to park improvements in a phased approach. ISG planners and designers took guidance from the 2017 Brown County Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (2017 CORP) and the 2012 Bay Shore Park Boat Launch Feasibility Study. The Master Plan summarizes public feedback captured through a variety of traditional and non-traditional strategies, including a custom webpage, multiple surveys, and a virtual live Microsoft Teams event. Harbor design analysis considered this input along with factors such as the average cost to construct, reasonable expectation of project permitting by governing agencies, the greatest protection from winds, increased harbor capacity, accessibility, and minimizing boater and non-boater conflicts.
Two preliminary concepts were developed to provide solutions to public concerns identified during the engagement phase. A preliminary master plan was laid out with prioritized amenities and features such as restroom renovations, visitor center, fish cleaning and boat wash stations, campground expansion and amenities along the Niagara Escarpment, open-air gazebo overlooking the Bay of Green Bay, and an improved main entrance sign for highway visibility. High-level visualization of the proposed harbor design was included, along with precedent imagery to illustrate potential furnishings, signage, playgrounds, public art, fishing amenities, prairie plantings, and more. An opinion of probable cost for each concept was outlined and a comprehensive list of potential funding sources was identified to support the County’s effort to fund improvements.
The Master Plan now provides a clear vision as the County takes steps to create stakeholder buy-in and implement site and facility improvements for park visitors to enjoy.