The Shawano Common Council next week will look at adding another piece of the puzzle to the city’s longtime vision of a Wolf River Sturgeon Trail.
The Plan Commission this week approved making an offer to purchase a property at 1207 S. River St. The offer goes to the Common Council for consideration Wednesday.
The trail would eventually link Sturgeon Park and Kuckuk Park. The city has been purchasing properties for the trail, which would run along the Wolf River, as they have become available for about 10 years.
The city is also open to getting easements from other properties along the Wolf River for the trail. Much of the waterfront along those properties is wooded and apparently unused by the owners.
City officials have said the trail is part of a long-range plan that could take years to complete.
However, City Administrator Brian Knapp told the commission Wednesday, “there’s been a flurry of activity in the last six months.”
Knapp said the property owner at 1207 S. River St. approached the city after hearing last summer about his neighbors selling their property to the city for the trail.
The purchase price was determined by using two independent appraisals of the property — one by the city and one by the property owner — and offering a price that fell between those two amounts.
The agreement allows the property owner to stay in the home till the end of June at no cost.
As with previous purchases, the city plans to split the property, sell off the residence to a private party, and keep the remainder for the future trail.
There are still two more private riverfront properties just to the north of 1207 S. River St. that the city hopes will eventually connect the trail to Lieg Avenue.
There is also still one more private property to the south that would connect the trail with Kuckuk Park. However, Knapp said, even if the city were to purchase the property, a steep bank along the river might make it unusable for the trail.
A possible option, he said, might be acquiring an easement and taking the trail back over to River Street to continue to Kuckuk.
“We’d have to consider whether it’s going to make sense to continue along the river,” Knapp said.
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