The Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department's Feature Friday

Each Friday, the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department features something new for residents and visitors to learn more about. Throughout these cold months we'll be sharing a series of meet the staff features, so keep your eye out! You've already met Jeff, Shawn and Ericka so this week we want to introduce you to Jake!

Jake has been working with Greenville’s Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department for 5 years. He grew up in Onalaska and went to school at UW-La Crosse where he earned his degree in Recreation Management. Jake worked in landscaping before joining us here at the Town where landscaping remains one of his favorite parts of the job. He also enjoys working with our seasonal employees and teaching them about maintaining our parks.

Fun facts about Jake: When he was a kid, he wanted to be a train engineer when he grew up. Today, he enjoys flowers, going to concerts and sporting events, coaching track and field, and hanging out with his wife and dogs in his free time.

To see more photos of today's Feature Friday or to see more posts like this, check out the Parks & Recreation Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/greenvilleparkandrec/

The Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department's Feature Friday

Each Friday, the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department features something new for residents and visitors to learn more about. Our Feature Friday comes to you with GREAT news this week, the ice rink at Jennerjohn Park is open!

With Mother Nature’s cooperation, our staff constructs the ice rink at Jennerjohn Park each year. This ice rink typically takes longer to open because it doesn’t have any kind of concrete or solid base or cover to block it from the sun. Several thin layers of water are poured into a depression in the grass. Time is allowed between each layer for the previous one to freeze. This process can take several weeks, sometimes even longer if the weather is not in our favor!

The ice rink is located on the north end of the park, next to the sledding hill, and is open for use during regular park hours. New lights were installed last year that light the rink from dusk until 10pm when the park closes. It measures approximately 167 feet long, and 113 feet wide. Throughout the frozen months, our staff continues to resurface the rink the same way a Zamboni would.

Which of our Greenville ice rinks is your favorite?

To see more photos of today's Feature Friday or to see more posts like this, check out the Parks & Recreation Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/greenvilleparkandrec/

The Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department's Feature Friday

Each Friday, the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department features something new for residents and visitors to learn more about. This weekends forecast has us excited! Today we want to share our sledding hill with you!

The sledding hill at Jennerjohn Park is located on the north side of the park and open daily from 7am – 10pm. Lights were installed last year to illuminate the hill from dusk until the park closes so that the fun doesn’t have to end just because its dark!

Sledding can be done on both sides of the hill. The north side of the hill has a distance of 332 feet a slope that drops 35 feet. The south side of the hill is slightly smaller with a distance of 200 feet and while a slope that drops 22 feet. Both sides have a slope over 10% (a black diamond ski hill is over 40% slope!) making it fun for all ages!

To see more photos of today's Feature Friday or to see more posts like this, check out the Parks & Recreation Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/greenvilleparkandrec/

Safety Improvements for WIS 15 in Outagamie County

NEWS - Wisconsin Department of Transportation Northeast Regional Office

Release Date: January 10, 2020

For more information, contact: Mark Kantola, Regional Communications Manager Mark.Kantola@dot.wi.gov, (920) 492-4153 

Safety Improvements for WIS 15 in Outagamie County
Speed and traffic study concludes 55 mph speed limit warranted

(Green Bay) The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Northeast Region announces new measures to improve safety on WIS 15 between Hortonville and Greenville in Outagamie County based on a November 2019 traffic and speed study. The study looked at crash history, examined fatal crash data, inspected physical attributes of the highway (such as shoulder widths and access points) and analyzed current driving speeds.

WIS 15 extra measures:

• Extraordinary enforcement on WIS 15.  Under a special enforcement contract, the Wisconsin State Patrol increased their patrol by adding 4-hour shifts, Monday through Friday, focused solely on the WIS 15 corridor between New London and Greenville in May of 2019. This extraordinary enforcement will continue through 2020. To date, the enforcement resulted in 677 traffic stops and noted the following violations: 322 speed violations; 113 seat belt violations; 690 license/equipment/registration violations; 212 other violations.
• Dynamic Speed Display Signs (DSDS).  DSDS display driver speed and reminds drivers to slow down. WisDOT will erect two eastbound and two westbound DSDS. The DSDS will be placed near Manley Road and near Bennett Circle by Wednesday, January 15.
• WIS 15 and County JJ intersection safety improvement. WisDOT will improve the taper lane to safely bypass left-turning traffic at County JJ in spring 2020. This improvement is based on engineer review of intersection geometrics.
• Refreshing pavement marking again when weather permits.
• In May, WisDOT adjusted traffic signal timings in Hortonville, reviewed signage and refreshed pavement markings. 

Free flow speed data collected as part of the study determined the current 55 mph speed limit meets the state and national 85th percentile standard and is appropriate for this segment of highway. The 85th percentile speed is the speed at or below which 85 percent of the motorists drive under ideal conditions. When motorists drive at a relatively uniform speed (85th percentile), tailgating, lane changing, and overtaking are reduced, and side road traffic is better able to choose a gap to merge or cross the highway.

The WIS 15 speed study data shows the 85th percentile along the corridor is 58.9 mph. The study concludes if the speed was reduced to 45 mph, speed compliance would be less than 10% and variance in vehicle operating speeds would increase. Based on current state and national guidelines, setting a speed limit outside the study’s data results on WIS 15 would likely result in a decrease of overall safety and increase of crashes.

For more speed limit information, please see our “Setting Appropriate Speed Limits on Wisconsin’s State Highways” brochure. A pdf of the brochure can be found at https://wisconsindot.gov/Documents/doing-bus/real-estate/permits/setting-speed-limits-trifold.pdf. 

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[News release at https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/about-wisdot/newsroom/ne.aspx]

The Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department's Feature Friday

Each Friday, the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department features something new for residents and visitors to learn more about. This week we're talking about our Lions Park Barn venue!

Have you heard? Rentals for the 2020 season have officially opened to non-residents! This means that anyone can book any of our remaining open dates, but hurry because rentals are done on a first come, first serve basis!

From weddings and fundraisers to concerts and crafts, The Walter J. Schroeder Barn sees an event almost every weekend during our rental season. Its tall ceilings, open concept, and expansive patio comfortably fit up to 500 guests. The paved patio wraps around the sides of the building and overlooks the beautiful stormwater prairie. Indoor amenities include 40 wooden picnic tables, ATM machine, garbage and recycling containers, 8 overhead doors, large private bathrooms, and kitchen facilities.

The Barn is our only indoor, rental facility. It can be rented by the day, Tuesday – Thursday or for an entire weekend, Friday – Sunday. For more information about renting The Barn, visit our website at https://bit.ly/2QyAHWe or contact our office!

To see more photos of today's Feature Friday or to see more posts like this, check out the Parks & Recreation Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/greenvilleparkandrec/

Fireplace Safety Tips from the Greenville Fire Department

The Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department's Feature Friday

Each Friday, the Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department features something new for residents and visitors to learn more about. Throughout these cold months we'll be sharing a series of meet the staff features, so keep your eye out! You've already met Jeff and Shawn, so this week we want to introduce you to Ericka!

Ericka has worked for the Town of Greenville for almost three years. You may have talked to her if you’ve rented a park, joined our tennis program or called with any general inquires. She’s also (spoiler alert) the face behind this page! We also share her with the Public Works Department, so you may recognize her if you’ve worked with them.

Ericka grew up in Appleton where she’s lived most of her life. After high school, she went to Fox Valley Technical College to earn her Associates Degree. Before taking a job with the Town of Greenville, Ericka worked as both an Administrative Assistant and Office Manager. Her favorite part of the job is engaging the community and showing them what we have to offer. She enjoys working with the public in programs like our snowman building contest, tennis lessons and pavilion rentals.

Fun facts about Ericka: When she was young, Ericka wanted to be a ballerina when she grew up. In her free time she enjoys spending time outside, playing with her dogs and refurbishing old things to make them new.

To see more photos of today's Feature Friday or to see more posts like this, check out the Parks & Recreation Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/greenvilleparkandrec/