Park or Housing for Wisconsin Park
By Rocky Thompson on December 23rd, 2011
In 1963 the University of Wisconsin sold 160 acres to the city of La Crosse with the understanding that the land would become a park. It’s been used for silent recreation since: cycling, hiking, skiing. Though, for whatever reason, the land never received official ‘park’ designation. And now the city council is looking at what could be a wonderful site for some very expensive homes that they’d be able to collect tax revenue on. The Upper Hixon Forest is currently maintained by the Human Powered Trail group, and it runs a 12-mile trail system that snakes up and down the glacially carved bluffs in the area.
So what will happen? Depends on how many people get angry that their city council would turn their back on the town’s citizens and university system. I, personally, have never looked at a park and said, “You know what this place could really use? A few McMansions.”
Thanks for posting this, this is my town and where I ride. Human Powered Trails is awesome, almost all volunteers doing the work and the biking community is actively involved in it. Let’s hope
The city makes the right call.
Let’s not just hope; let’s insist!
Let’s attend the City Council meeting and share our views. There has already been too much housing development in the bluffs!