3-4-20 lakeside park renovated pavilion concept design

After halting plans to replace the Fond  du Lac Lakeside Park pavilion, the next step for the city council is to decide whether to proceed with renovating the facility.  City manager Joe Moore says he plans to present concept designs for a renovated pavilion to the council at their March 25 meeting.  “Pictures of options for a renovated pavilion.  I intend to come back to the council at their second meeting in March and show them some options from which they may pick or they may decide that renovation isn’t what they want to pursue right now,”  Moore told WFDL news.   At the last council meeting Fond du Lac city council president Brian Kolstad joined councilmembers Kay Miller and Karen Merkel voting against moving forward with the concept ideas.  Kolstad says any design concepts for a renovated pavilion would be premature until a feasibility study on the alternate plan is completed.  Kolstad says Excel Engineering has agreed to provide the concept ideas at no charge and says he thinks that’s fine even though Excel is part of the group proposing the alternate plan.   At their first meeting in February the council voted to put on hold plans to replace the pavilion.   Taxpayers had already spent $60,000 for the design work for a new pavilion.  The council also approved a feasibility study for a business group’s plan to renovate the pavilion instead, and develop Oven Island and the Lighthouse peninsula to include a restaurant and amphitheater.  Moore says depending on the outcome of the study, the council has to make a decision about the pavilion.  “Once you actually renovate the pavilion you’ve kind of made a commitment.  That’s how it’s going to be for the next 45 or 50 years.”