Wanaki’s Last Stand?

By Tom Schellinger, County Supervisor, District 20

Three generations of Waukesha County residents have played Wanaki Golf Course, creating countless memories (and probably some holes-in-one!) over its 49 years.

The course won’t see a fourth generation, if the Waukesha County Executive has his way.

The County Executive’s 2020 budget proposes closing Wanaki Golf Course. The plan is based on declining rounds played there, high local market competition, and an estimated $645,000 in needed maintenance for parking lots, cart paths and irrigation systems.

Just closure - that’s it. No consideration of options, search for alternative funding sources, or even a broader debate of the course’s value to the community.

Is this Wanaki’s last stand? Is this where the memories, and the learning and camaraderie experienced there by everyone from high-schoolers to retirees, ends?

They shouldn’t. This proposed closing is a rush to judgment. Waukesha County residents should make their voices heard, so their elected officials will act based on public sentiment, not political expediency.

The budget process, which will decide Wanaki’s fate, begins Sept. 25 at the County Board level. Members have until Nov. 5 to submit amendments to the 2020 budget.

Want to save Wanaki, at least for a year so that all ideas and options can be examined? I do.

Call, e-mail or write not just your County Board representative, but all 25 of them. Go to www.waukeshacounty.gov/county-board for their contact information.

As a County Board member who places high value on recreational opportunities for the public, I want all citizens to know about this debate – and participate if desired.

The fate of a gem of our county park system hangs in the balance. Your voice will make a difference. Let’s keep Wanaki open for now … and hopefully for many generations to come.

(Tom Schellinger has represented District 20, covering parts of Brookfield and New Berlin, on the Waukesha County Board since 2006. He serves on its Land Use, Parks and Environment Committee, and the Public Works Committee).