GREEN BAY (NBC26) — The days of swimming at Bay Beach are closer to becoming a reality once again.
For the first time in decades, people could be swimming at Bay Beach by summer 2023. It's an idea many visitors said they're excited about.
"It would be great. I mean, it's called Bay Beach, so there should be a place for you to swim. It makes sense," said Maggie Paulson, Appleton.
“We come down here a lot," said Nicole McCourt, Gillett. "It’s cheap and fun for the kids, but it would be really nice to get the beach put in. It gets hot and there’s nowhere to really cool off. So it would be totally awesome.”
Officials shut down the site's original beach in 1938 due to harmful pollution from industrial waste, although people continued to swim there well into the '40s.
In 2012, the Bay Lakes Regional Planning Commission received a grant to study the water quality of the bay. The report found the current water quality is safe to swim in.
Former Green Bay mayor Jim Schmitt secured $5 million in bonds to reopen Bay Beach for swimming, but the city fell short of the total amount needed to complete the project.
High water levels also paused development plans. Dan Ditscheit, director of the Green Bay Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department, said the levels last year were about a foot higher than they are today.
Over the past year, Ditscheit said the city has reevaluated its finance package and phasing plan for the project to move forward. There are now two phases:
Phase 1 includes constructing a wildlife viewing platform; installation of an ornate shoreline walk with benches and pedestrian lights; and the funds necessary for stormwater management.
Phase 2 includes the installation of a sand beach; bathhouse and concession stand; and pavement of a gravel parking lot by East Shore Drive.
In addition to the $5 million in bonds the city previously secured, officials have applied for a $3.5 million grant that would help cover both phases.
"If we get the grant, we'll actually be able to implement all of it and build it all at the same time in between the fall of '22 and spring of '23," Ditscheit said.
He said these types of amenities will help meet demand in the area.
“There aren’t any swimmable beaches in the region, in the Green Bay region," Ditscheit said. "You have to drive 45 minutes to get to another bay on Lake Michigan or the bay of Green Bay in order to swim and that really isn’t feasible for the majority of the population of Green Bay."
The name 'Bay Beach' can be a bit confusing to some visitors. Grace Washington, who traveled to Bay Beach from Milwaukee Tuesday, said she brought swimsuits for her family to go to the beach after going on the rides at the amusement park. She said bringing back the beach will be a great addition to the area.
"I look forward to probably coming back in the next few years with a swimsuit, getting in the water and taking rides," Washington said.
If the city doesn't receive the grant, Ditscheit said the project will be built in phases. Phase 1 will be constructed in spring of 2022 and Phase 2 will happen as funding becomes available.
