Step Replacement Favored At Big Hill Park

The steps to enter Big Hill Park at the corner of Jefferson Street and North 8th Avenue in Sturgeon Bay are closed with barricades on both ends and ropes attached between the barricades. Photo by Kevin Boneske.

Sturgeon Bay’s Joint Parks and Recreation Committee/Board agreed March 27 to budget for replacing the steps that are now closed entering Big Hill Park at the corner of Jefferson Street and North 8th Avenue.

The stairs, which are barricaded off on each end with ropes attached between the barricades, are now considered a hazard following a claim made against the city after a fall and would have to be built to the current code to be able to be used, said city administrator Josh Van Lieshout.

He said the city is subject to liability when it puts in a structure, which would no longer exist by taking out the steps.

Municipal Services Director Mike Barker said the current stairs, which are now wood pilings without a handrail, will be removed this year once the grass begins to grow.

Because Big Hill Park is ADA accessible elsewhere, such as at the entrance from North 9th Avenue, Barker said the stairs at Jefferson Street and North 8th Avenue don’t have to be replaced.

He said an estimate he received from Cedar Corporation to install concrete stairs with a handrail to meet code, along with beautification work around the stairs, came to around $60,000, which he believes would be better spent elsewhere for the city’s parks.

Committee/board members noted that people wouldn’t be prohibited from entering and exiting Big Hill Park at Jefferson Street and North 8th Avenue with the existing steps taken out, and they favored replacing them when money is available for that to accommodate those who walk through the city.