The latest on Rib Mountain State Park - is that it's a long ways off from much happening

Many residents were surprised to learn they wouldn’t be able to speak at a meeting about the next steps in the redevelopment of Rib Mountain State Park Thursday.

On the DNR site, it says this:

The public may provide comment in person at the public engagement opportunity on Feb. 13, or by submitting the online survey:

Most reasonable people would interpret “provide comment in person” and “public engagement” at an in-person meeting as being able to speak.

Instead, residents listened for about 40 minutes to a presentation about the concept plan developed through a memorandum of understanding by the Greater Wausau Prosperity Partnership.

The gist? There’s a long way to go. The concepts are very preliminary, designed to fit within the scope of the Rib Mountain master plan approved in 2022 by the Natural Resources Board. The details are a little more spelled out than the master plan, but a lot is up in the air.

Here are some bullet points residents should know about new information about the concept plans:

• Fee structure for hiking stays the same: Some residents were concerned because the wording in the concept plan made it sound like there might be fees to use some of the new hiking trails. But IMBA Director of Planning and Design Mike Repyak said Thursday that the fee structure will stay the same - there is only a fee if you park past the ranger station. But…