GREEN BAY (NBC26) — St. John’s Park has been part of Green Bay’s history for more than a century, serving as a place of recreation for families, but after years of aging and laying dormant, this park’s history could soon take on a new chapter.
- Video shows the aging playground equipment at one of the city's most historic parks.
- The Parks Committee unanimously approved a motion to remove the playground, with replacement plans still developing.
- St. John's Park is known to be a common gathering spot for people facing homelessness.
- The city says incidents among those who are homeless is not part of the decision to remove the equipment.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
"If we weren’t going to have this discussion this year, we were going to have this discussion next year," Ben Delie, District 10 Alderperson, said.
Delie said it’s time to reconsider the future of St. John’s Park.
The park has been around since the late 1800s — one of the oldest in the city. The playground equipment there today is more than 30 years old.
"The discussion was solely on a budgetary standpoint on the age of the equipment and the safety of the equipment going forward," Delie said.
On Wednesday, the city’s Parks Committee voted unanimously to remove the playground at the park, which is a place where the homeless frequently gather.
"St. John’s Park is a beautiful park, it has a lot of history to it, but unfortunately it has gone to the wrong side of the street," an anonymous homeless man said.
The man who frequents the park tells me he supports the city’s decision to remove the equipment.
He said while some homeless people who gather there break the law, it’s not all of them.
"Not all these people are doing this stuff," he said. "It’s a few of the bad apples, and they’re the ones that make it bad for all of them."
St. John’s Ministries Executive Director Jesse Brunette said the decision to remove the playground should not be associated with homelessness.
"We just continue to lean into that and even promote even more programming, because we don’t want people to experience homelessness in the park," Brunette said.
"The park’s either got to get removed or replaced. It had served its life," Brunette said.
Delie said he suggested a dog park or just a brand new playground to be implemented if the old playground equipment is removed.
The decision awaits City Council approval on April 15.
