New park will be trailhead for planned biking/walking trail

With a few shovelfuls of dirt overturned at a groundbreaking ceremony at 801 Hewett St. in Neillsville, a new park has been created that will serve as the first stepping point for a walking/biking trail line that organizers hope will one day wind from Neillsville through Granton and to Chili. On May 9, the O’Neill Creek Trailhead and Opelt Park were established with a small ceremony to commemorate the occasion, fulfilling a family’s dream and giving Clark County the start of a new recreational opportunity for its residents and visitors.

The ceremony on May 9 was attended by members of the Opelt family, the Neillsville Improvement Corporation (NIC) and community members and leaders from the city of Neillsville and the village of Granton, which all stand to benefit from the addition of the park and trailhead to the community.

“This is what bringing a park to our area does,” said Sheila Nyberg, executive director of the Clark County Economic Development Corporation & Tourism Bureau. “This is the beginning of something else that will go on forever.”

The park itself, named in honor of Carl and Millie Opelt, came to be through the combined efforts of the Opelt family and NIC, which both raised funds for the project. Irv Schutte, the grandson of Carl and Millie Opelt, spoke at the ceremony about the impact the couple had on both his life and the lives of those around them, and how they inspired him to pursue this project.

“The story of the park started with my granddaughter, Lily, and my grandparents, Carl and Millie Opelt,” said Schutte. “Carl and Millie Opelt were my grandparents, but they were also like second parents to me. They were amazing people ... the great thing about my grandparents and their family is that I don’t share any DNA with them. I was adopted. But it didn’t matter if you were family, step-family or anyone else, they loved you.”

It was that love shown to him by his grandparents that drove Schutte to bond with his own granddaughter, picking a tree near the creekside of the now park on which to to put a swing.

“We had set up a rope swing on that tree and we thought we should put up some proper playground equipment, turn it into

Please Trail, page 4

CHEYENNE THOMAS/STAFF PHOTO something beautiful and amazing,” he said.

To make the project a reality, the Opelt family turned to NIC to partner on the project. The family itself raised more than $10,000 through various fundraisers throughout last year to donate to the park while NIC secured a $50,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources for the effort.

The park is expected to be completed by the end of the summer. Work will begin in the next couple weeks to prepare it for the equipment and other facilities that will be added near the end of July. Both the equipment and the park will be made to be handicap accessible, and a fitness center, restrooms and a shelter donated by the Neillsville Lions Club will also be added.

“What sets this park apart from other parks in the city is that it is the only one in the waterfront and it will be wheelchair accessible,” said Dan Clough, the president of NIC. “The Opelt family have done a phenomenal job to make this park for everyone.”

In addition to the park, the O’Neill Creek Trailhead will also be established at the site. The first part of the Rails to Trails project that has been in the works for several years, Clough said this portion of the project will build the first part of the trail that is to be located on land owned by NIC that travels about a half mile east along the old railroad bed. Eventually, the goal is to run a packed gravel bike/walking trail along the railroad bed that is owned by the Northern States Power Company to Granton and eventually Chili, but for now, getting this part established is a big step in the right direction.

“We’ve got a plan for the trailhead and trail,” he said. “We will put in the park as a trailhead and make it accessible to all. NIC owns this property to the parking lot, the city owns the rest. When we finish this park and trailhead, we plan to donate it back to the city.”

While the trail itself is likely years away from being completed in its entirety, Clough said the economic and recreational opportunities of having a trail like it in the area will be positive. It is a project by the community and for the community and he encourages people to ask them about the Rails to Trails project and donate what they can to make it a reality.

“There are more things to do and we need more money to do them,” he said. “This will help give us an economic boost and bring more money into our communities.”

CHEYENNE THOMAS/STAFF PHOTO