No go on Wilson Park sale

By Lee Reinsch
Correspondent

DE PERE — St. Norbert College (SNC) has withdrawn its quest into potentially purchasing Wilson Park to build upscale student housing for college juniors and seniors on the city’s west side.

Instead, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Director Marty Kosobucki said SNC wants to work with the city to see how it can help improve the park.

Concern was raised by the Board of Park Commissioners on letting go of one of the last remaining public greenspaces in the area.

SNC Director of Risk Management Dave Nalepka said the college never made a formal proposal to purchase the park. 

“We have been exploring the possibility, and the Board of Park Commissioners meeting was the first formal step,” Nalepka said. “Some board members did have concerns, so we are currently not actively pursuing it.”

Wilson Park is a mini-park, designed to be an oasis of green in an urban setting, and to serve people within walking distance of it. 

West side resident Joe Nicks, who grew up in the neighborhood, was among those who spoke against the purchase at the November meeting.

“At that time, there were four neighborhood parks, and it was the park I went to and played at as a kid,” he said. “It was very well kept up by the city. Wilson Park was a very wonderful place for a kid to go to play.”

Nicks, who moved back to the area 19 years ago, said the park hasn’t received much attention as of late, which the park desperately needs.

CC O’Malley said she used to take her children to play at Wilson Park, and now takes her grandchildren there. 

“It’s the only place to walk between Scheuring Road and Main Street,” she said. “If you lose Wilson Park, how are you ever going to replace it? You won’t even find the land to buy, not at any price. So, please keep it.”

Nicks said the site dates back to 1874 when a school was built there.

According to an 1889 plat map, it was the site of the 1st Ward School, which closed in 1923.

The city bought the land at College Avenue and Fourth Street from the school district in 1924 and dedicated it as a park. 

“There are a lot of historic things on the east side of De Pere,” Nicks said. “People could disagree about this, but for my money, Wilson Park is the most historic place that we have.”