Council rejects disc golf in Prospect Park

• Hudson residents crowd City Hall to support disc golf course

There was standing room only in the council chambers at City Hall Monday night as a group of Hudson residents in red shirts turned out to support development of disc golf course in Prospect Park. Photo by Randy Hanson

Talk about it

The Hudson City Council voted 4-2 Monday night to reject the proposed development of a disc golf course in Prospect Park.

The alderpersons who voted against the course — Council President Lori Bernard, Mary Yacoub, Randy Morrisette and Rich Vanselow — were concerned about disc golfers sharing the park with other users, possible costs involved, and a report of problems associated with the course that was closed in Willow River State Park.

The city’s Park Board had recommended allowing the course on a one-year trial basis. A group led by Hudson resident Joe Feidt and North Hudson resident Dave Bogenhagen said it would install the equipment for the course, and maintain it, at no cost to the city.

Long-time community volunteer Steve Wilcox told the council that the group would be working in partnership with Hudson’s Rotary clubs.

But a November 2009 news release from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources saying the course in Willow River State Park had been the site of numerous citations for littering, dogs off leash, underage drinking and illegal drug use appeared to dissuade a majority of alderpersons from supporting the plan.

City resident Nathan Hall disputed the DNR park manager’s claims. He said he was a frequent user of the park and never saw the activities the manager referred to in the news release.

“Let’s be realistic on oversight. We are going to have to incur costs (to patrol the course),” Alderperson Morrissette said.

Alderperson Lee Wyland, the council’s representative on the Park Board, spoke in support of the course. He said it would be an ideal fit for the park’s “passive” use, and would be developed in areas that currently aren’t used.

A sizeable group of supporters of disc golf attended the City Council meeting. Feidt said there were about 50 of them, and that they were all city residents.

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