Adult Exercise Stations Being Explored for Madeline Park

With slated for a facelift in 2013, Parks and Recreation officials are dabbling with the idea of installing adult, outdoor exercise stations and a “trailhead,” or building with restrooms and water fountains.

This new development comes after Waukesha County announced it was transforming Menomonee Park into a dog park, squashing similar ideas of turning the 7-acre Madeline Park into a pet-friendly area.

Parks and Recreation Director Amy Flaherty said the park’s connection to the Bugline sparked the idea for a more adult-focused area at a recent board meeting.

“We had the playground there and it was getting pretty old and unsafe,” Flaherty said. “There’s also not a lot of kids that use that park, so rather than put in a new playground we decided to think of the adults. The Bugline is right over there so it would be neat to do the exercise stations for people who use the trail.”

The board also talked about installing a trailhead to make it a pit stop for Bugline users considering the $80,000 budget usually associated with park redesigns in Sussex.

Flaherty said she’s begun researching the exercise stations, and she’s already found multiple companies that offer the types of products they’re looking for. Her findings will be presented during the February Parks and Rec meeting.

“To officially start this project we’ll need to wait for the 2013 budget to make sure this is still a possibility, but our goal is, come the New Year, we can start to put an order in,” said Flaherty. “We’re pre-planning because we’re excited to change the use of this park.”

The Parks and Rec board is looking for feedback from Sussex residents on this potential redesign, so please share your comments below as Amy Flaherty will be taking them into consideration.