APPLETON, WI — The Trout Museum of Art’s Board of Directors withdrew its proposal to build a new museum in Appleton’s riverfront Ellen Kort Peace park based on environmental findings. After receiving the Westwood Professional Services environmental site assessment, the board concluded the park site would be a greater financial and regulatory burden than originally anticipated. With the city now in the fourth of seven review stages, Appleton Mayor Jake Woodford believes the Trout’s action is prudent.
“It makes sense to understand the environmental impacts and issues related to the site before going any farther in planning,” Woodford said. “Because once we get beyond those step in the planning process, we’re deep into city-level analysis that’s extremely consuming of staff time and effort on the part of the city.”
Mayor Woodford also believes public input is a contributing factor.
“Because we prioritize that analysis up front, it allowed the museum to make an informed decision on that basis,” Woodford said. “But I also believe the public input was very important in shaping the process and also shaping the outcome.”
Parks, Recreation and Facilities Director Dean Gazza says with or without the museum the city’s plans for Ellen Korte Peace Park are proceeding.
“In either case, we would have proceeded with that plan,” Gazza said. “When the museum announced that, we still moved ahead. We did put the trail and the lights in to fulfill the concept and the vision for that park, and for what Ellen Kort means to that park. Either way, we would have ended up with a beautiful park.”
Gazza also believes had the environmental study shown conditions were right, the park and the museum could have co-existed.
“There were very unique designs where you see museums built in parks,” Gazza said. “With green roofs and they’re built to basically compliment each other. And I think it would have worked fine. And I think the city council understanding the parameters they wanted the museum to work around would have made sure that was done.”
In a news release, the Trout’s Board of Directors says other potential museum sites are being reviewed, though no specific locations were mentioned.
(Original story: March 1, 2023 5:05 PM)
APPLETON, WI — The Trout Museum of Art in Appleton is no longer considering the Ellen Kort Peace Park as a site for a new museum. The Trout’s board of directors announces minutes ago it’s now considering other locations. In a news release, the board of directors says the Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment performed by Westwood Professional Services on the park site indicates there may be a greater than expected financial and regulatory burden related to the site’s clean up. The board anticipates announcing a new museum site at a future date. The Trout Museum of Art unveiled the potential of a new museum building at Ellen Kort Peace Park last year.
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