Viewpoint: Long term Vision for future generations
Editor:
There is an opportunity of a lifetime in front of Oneida County Government—a chance to make Rhinelander a real destination recreation area. How your representatives vote will likely depend on public input.
The City of Rhinelander and Town of Crescent are working together to reinvest in the existing Northwoods Trail system, that has been built & maintained by Northwoods Nordic volunteers, by acquiring a portion of the county’s Heal Creek property to the east of Northwoods Golf Course. This would make it a year round multi-sport trails destination utilizing the existing underused Bar/Restaurant/Warming area/clubhouse during the winter. For the first time, visitors would have access to trails even during the summer months when golf is in full swing.
Most importantly, this plan has the endorsement of the Heal Creek property’s neighbors who are willing to more than double the available recreation space through conservation easements for public access. The opportunity to have local governments working together and have visionary people willing to donate their own land for the public trust has no equal in recent memory. It would create a total of over 750 acres for recreation & preservation for not only our use but the use of future generations. It is the biggest opportunity I’ve ever seen in Oneida County, and it’s right here in the city’s backyard, available to everyone.
Please consider calling your Oneida County Supervisor and express the need to think in terms of long term vision for the residents of Oneida County when casting their vote on the Heal Creek property sale. These are precisely the sort of community assets we need to not just get more people to visit but want to move here. Encourage them to accept the offer from the City of Rhinelander & Town of Crescent to make this a destination recreational area.
http://www.co.oneida.wi.gov/localgov_council.asp?locid=135
Al Jozwiak, Rhinelander
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