Providing Economic Development, Geographic Information Systems, Intergovernmental Cooperation, Land Use Planning and Transportation Assistance since 1973
Wood County’s Parks & Forestry Department updates its Parks, Recreation, and Open Spaces Plan (Outdoor Rec. Plan) every 5 years to identify essential outdoor recreation needs that affect the future of outdoor recreation in the County.
This Outdoor Rec. Plan (ORP) focuses upon County managed outdoor recreation facilities, and also list projects within the towns and villages. Local governments with their own ORP will be referenced in this plan. All listed nature based and active recreation based projects become eligible for competitive federal and state outdoor recreation grant money when this plan is adopted by County or local municipality by resolution.
All communities that want to use this plan to apply for grants, must adopt it by resolution.
Non-profit groups, foundations, and the general public may also use this document to coordinate their own private efforts for developing outdoor recreation facilities.
2025 Planning Timeline
Winter 2024-2025 — Staff park analysis, plans reviewed, & demographic data analysis.
Winter/Spring 2025 — Countywide Public Input Survey distribution & tabulation.
Walking School Buses Walking school buses are a great way to offer children a supervised walk to school on a regular basis.
Bicycle Trains and Bicycle Skills Clinics Bicycle trains allow students to bicycle to school together on a designated route under supervision. Bicycle Skills Clinics or “bicycle rodeos” are hands-on bicycle safety lesson with bike inspections, safety talks and bicycle skills practice.
Youth Education – available for a nominal fee [Wisconsin Bike Fed].
Adult Education – available for a nominal fee [Wisconsin Bike Fed].
Mileage Tracking Providing a way for students to track the miles that they have walked or ridden a bicycle is a tangible way to chart progress toward a walking or biking goal.
Kronenwetter updates its Outdoor Recreation Plan every 5 years to identify essential outdoor recreation needs that affect the future of outdoor recreation in the Village.
This Outdoor Recreation Plan (ORP) focuses upon Village managed outdoor recreation facilities. All listed nature based and active recreation based projects become eligible for competitive federal and state outdoor recreation grant money when this plan is adopted by Village Board resolution.
2025 Planning Timeline
Winter/Spring 2025 – Staff park analysis, plans reviewed, & demographic data analysis.
Winter/Spring 2025 – Survey distribution and tabulation.
Spring 2025 – Goals & Objectives developed.
Summer 2025 – Draft Plan ready for review.
Summer 2025 – Plan ready for approval by Community Life, Infrastructure and Public Property Committee (CLIPP); and adoption by Village Board.
Safe Routes To School (SRTS) programs are an opportunity to make walking and bicycling to school safer for children in grades K-8, and to increase the number of children who choose to walk and bike. On a broader level, SRTS programs can enhance children’s health and well-being, ease traffic congestion near schools, and improve community members’ overall quality of life.
For questions or comments regarding the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program please contact:
Fred Heider, AICP Planner NCWRPC 210 McClellan St, Suite 210 Wausau WI 54403-4820
Safe Routes To School (SRTS) advocacy video that briefly describes what this program is all about. Created by East Central Florida Regional Planning Council with a SRTS grant.
32 second PSA “A”
32 second PSA “B”
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3.57 minute video The League of American Cyclists promotes Safe Routes to School programs. Share this video with your local school board, PTA, or city council.
1:23 minute PSA A PSA from the National Safety Council and First Student featuring safety tips to share the road with school buses. Visit nsc.org/back2school for more information and downloadable materials on back to school safety issues.
The Vilas County Land and Water Resource Management (LWRM) Plan is a 10-year plan (2025-2034) that provides an assessment of county water quality and soil erosion conditions, identifies local conservation priorities, and establishes conservation goals in a Work Plan.
Adopted LWRM plans ensure county eligibility for grant funding of county conservation staff and cost sharing for conservation practices.
2024 LWRM Plan Update Process
Winter 2023 – County Land & Water Conservation Committee appoints Resource Advisory Committee.
January 2024 & September 2024 – 2 meetings for Resource Advisory Committee to assist with determining resource management direction for next 10-years.
Fall 2024 – Draft LWRM Plan assembled & reviewed by DATCP.
Fall 2024 – Draft LWRM Plan is reviewed by County Land & Water Conservation Committee for public hearing.
Fall 2024 – Draft LWRM Plan is open for public review and comment.
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs are an opportunity to make walking and bicycling to school safer for children in grades K-8, and to increase the number of children who choose to walk and bicycle. On a broader level, SRTS programs can enhance children’s health and well-being, ease traffic congestion near the school, and improve community members’ overall quality of life.
Planning Process In 2022, the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and the Wisconsin Rapids School District won a WisDOT SRTS planning grant to create a SRTS Plan for several schools in the District. In the fall of 2023, the City and District began SRTS Planning with the assistance of the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (NCWRPC). The NCWRPC guided the Wisconsin Rapids SRTS Task Force through the planning process.
The following schools are part of Wisconsin Rapids SRTS Planning: Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School Grant Elementary Grove Elementary Howe Elementary Mead Elementary THINK Academy Washington Elementary Woodside Elementary
Wisconsin Rapids SRTS Task Force Ronald Rasmussen, Superintendent, WRPS Tracy Ginter, Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School Principal, WRPS Tina Wallner, Grove Elementary Principal, WRPS Tina Miller, Howe Elementary Principal, WRPS Amber Applebee, Mead Elementary Principal, WRPS Kelly Schaeffer, Washington Elementary Principal, WRPS Julie Kolarik, Woodside Elementary Principal, WRPS Edwin Allison, Director of Buildings and Grounds, WRPS Aaron Nelson, Business Services, WRPS Officer Dan Pelot, Student Resource Officer, WRPS Joe Eichsteadt, PE, City Engineer, City of Wisconsin Rapids Kyle Kearns, Community Development Director, City of Wisconsin Rapids Kristie Egge, MPH, Supervisor of Strategic Initiatives, Wood County Health Department Hannah Wendels Scott, FoodWIse Nutrition Educator, Wood County, UW-Madison Extension
THINK Academy Kevin Whipple, Village of Rudolph President Christine Slattery, THINK Academy Principal, WRPS Roland Hawk, Wood County Highway Commissioner
Grant Elementary Sharon Schwab, Town of Grant Chairperson Nikki Calteux, Grant Elementary Principal, WRPS Nathan Check, Portage County Highway Commissioner
Staff Fred Heider, AICP, Planner, North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
School Data -Parent Survey AGGREGATE Results (All elementary and middle school parent surveys were tabulated together in this report.)
Wisconsin Rapids Area Middle School -Parent Survey Results Map 3A – Site Assessment (Not available yet.) Map 4A – Transportation (Not available yet.) Map 5A – School Routes (Not available yet.) Map 6A – Recommendations (Not available yet.)
Grove Elementary -Parent Survey Results Map 3C – Site Assessment (Not available yet.) Map 4C – Transportation (Not available yet.) Map 5C – School Routes (Not available yet.) Map 6C – Recommendations (Not available yet.)
Howe Elementary -Parent Survey Results Map 3D – Site Assessment (Not available yet.) Map 4D – Transportation (Not available yet.) Map 5D – School Routes (Not available yet.) Map 6D – Recommendations (Not available yet.)
Mead Elementary -Parent Survey Results Map 3E – Site Assessment (Not available yet.) Map 4E – Transportation (Not available yet.) Map 5E – School Routes (Not available yet.) Map 6E – Recommendations (Not available yet.)
Washington Elementary -Parent Survey Results Map 3G – Site Assessment (Not available yet.) Map 4G – Transportation (Not available yet.) Map 5G – School Routes (Not available yet.) Map 6G – Recommendations (Not available yet.)
Woodside Elementary -Parent Survey Results Map 3H – Site Assessment (Not available yet.) Map 4H – Transportation (Not available yet.) Map 5H – School Routes (Not available yet.) Map 6H – Recommendations (Not available yet.)
Portage County’s Parks Department updates its Outdoor Recreation Plan every 5 years to identify essential outdoor recreation needs that affect the future of outdoor recreation in the County.
This Outdoor Recreation Plan (ORP) focuses upon County managed outdoor recreation facilities, and also list projects within the towns and villages. The City of Stevens Point and Village of Plover both have ORPs which will both be referenced in this plan. All listed nature based and active recreation based projects become eligible for competitive federal and state outdoor recreation grant money when this plan is adopted by County or local municipality by resolution.
All communities that want to use this plan to apply for grants, must adopt it by resolution.
Non-profit groups, foundations, and the general public may also use this document to coordinate their own private efforts for developing outdoor recreation facilities.
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs are an opportunity to make walking and bicycling to school safer for children in grades K-8, and to increase the number of children who choose to walk and bicycle. On a broader level, SRTS programs can enhance children’s health and well-being, ease traffic congestion near the school, and improve community members’ overall quality of life.
Planning Process In 2022, the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and the School District of Rhinelander won a WisDOT SRTS planning grant to create a SRTS Plan for several schools in the District. In the fall of 2023, the City and District began SRTS Planning with the assistance of the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (NCWRPC). The NCWRPC guided the Rhinelander SRTS Task Force through the planning process.
The following schools are part of Rhinelander SRTS Planning: James Williams Middle School Central Elementary Crescent Elementary Northwoods Community Elementary Pelican Elementary
Rhinelander SRTS Task Force Robert Thom, Director of Business Services, School District of Rhinelander Kyle Raleigh, Principal, James Williams Middle School Paul Johnson, Principal, Central Elementary Alex Bontz, Principal, Crescent Elementary Gayle Daniel, Principal, Northwoods Community Elementary Candice Cook, Principal, Pelican Elementary Lloyd J. Gauthier, Jr., Chief, Rhinelander Police Department Patrick Reagan, Rhinelander City Administrator & Dept. of Public Works Director Fred Heider, AICP, Planner, North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission
Safe Routes to School (SRTS) programs are an opportunity to make walking and bicycling to school safer for children in grades K-8, and to increase the number of children who choose to walk and bicycle. On a broader level, SRTS programs can enhance children’s health and well-being, ease traffic congestion near the school, and improve community members’ overall quality of life.
In 2018, the City of Wausau and the Wausau School District won a WisDOT SRTS planning grant to create a SRTS Plan.
In the fall of 2021, the City of Wausau and the Wausau School District began SRTS Planning with the assistance of the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (NCWRPC). The NCWRPC is guiding the Wausau SRTS Task Force through the planning process.
Data collection occurred in spring & summer 2022. Further analysis with the SRTS Task Force will occur throughout the 2022-2023 school year.
Plan development occurred in 2023.
Plan review and revision will occur throughout the 2023-2024 school year.
Plan adoption is anticipated in spring/summer 2024.
Implementation of the Wausau SRTS Plan can begin anytime thereafter into many years later.
Schools in Wausau SRTS Plan:
John Muir Middle School Thomas Jefferson Elementary Grant Elementary G.D. Jones Elementary Lincoln Elementary
Horace Mann Middle School Riverview Elementary Franklin Elementary Hawthorn Hills Elementary John Marshall Elementary
