Viroqua City Officials, Vernon Trails seek options to preserve VFW’s 40 acres from development

Nov. 1, 2025

VIROQUA, Wis. (AP) — The fate of a cherished 40-acre parcel of green space, home to the popular Veteran Hills Disc Golf Course, hangs in the balance as the Viroqua City Council grapples with how to rescue the property from potential private sale driven by the financial necessity of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 3032.

The council’s intense discussion on Tuesday, Oct. 28 confirmed that the city is only focused on collaborating to keep the land public, addressing earlier confusion in the community. City officials are exploring various options to work with the VFW post, and Vernon Trails ,who built and maintains the disc golf course on the property.

VFW board member Steve Thompson addressed the council, clarifying that the sale—which involves land that has been treated as public property since the 1950s—was a measure of necessity, not desire.

“We don’t really want to sell this land,” said Steve Thompson. “Right now, we’re looking at options, you know, is it exactly and we need to get a complete layout. We’re just looking for resource information right now.”

Thompson stressed the grave outcome if the VFW post defaults and loses its charter: “That land is no longer ours, that become belong to the State of the State VFW and national in Washington, and the building, the land that’s all that’s gone and not anybody here can have has a say so for so that’s the scary part.” Any sale ultimately requires a vote by the regular VFW membership.

The Value of the Land

The 40-acre parcel, which hosts the championship-caliber Veteran Hills Disc Golf Course developed by the non-profit Vernon Trails since 2013, represents a massive recreational and economic asset for Viroqua. Vernon Trails is dedicated to creating sustainable trails and outdoor recreational opportunities.

Pete Taylor, volunteer president of Vernon Trails, emphasized that the urgency stems from the threat of private development.

“The reason that this has all been so snowballed and so expedited is because about a month ago it came to our attention that the land was for sale, and that has been the discussions up until tonight,” said Pete Taylor. “If we were to lose this land, we would lose more than half of the green space within the city limits. That is certainly worth recognizing.”

Alycann Taylor, also with Vernon Trails and a Vernon County Board Supervisor, urged the council to partner with the nonprofit to secure the property and preserve a legacy for the veterans.

“In 2023 outdoor recreation nationally has generated $1.2 trillion in economic output,” said Alycann Taylor. “It is proven that communities that invest in outdoor recreation not only enhance local tourism dollars, but prospective residents and businesses often choose locations with outdoor amenities for their lifestyle benefits.”

The course is highly utilized, estimated to have seen over 1,600 players and 5,000 rounds of disc golf in the last year, with many visitors coming from over 100 miles away.

“My fellow volunteers and I have built and maintained this course and have contributed over 5,000 volunteer hours so far, and we did that with the expectation, expectation that this would be around for generations, long after we’re gone,” said Ryan Kocian, Vernon Trails board member.

A Short Term Lease A Possible Solution?

Mayor Justin Running and City Council members explored options beyond an outright purchase, aiming to find a sustainable way to meet the VFW’s needs without placing all the financial strain on the city or its partners.

“The idea of maybe an annual lease payment was talked about,” said Justin Running. “It could be a reasonable offer to financially participate in some sort of enterprise that helps the VFW become more sustainable, along with, you know, you hear about the music venue ideas.”

VFW board member Steve Thompson signaled openness to the non-sale approach, stating, “I kind of like the idea of possible, like a yearly lease”. However, Thompson noted that any specific proposals would need to be formally presented to the VFW board at their next meeting for consideration, such as offers of “X amount of dollars per year, or X amount of dollars for three years,” for them to decide if it “could help us”.

City leaders recognized that a lease could provide necessary financial support while reducing the immediate fiscal pressure on the city. Mayor Justin Running confirmed that the discussion included the “idea of maybe an annual lease payment” as part of a reasonable offer. Council Member Emma Hood further questioned whether a different approach, rather than a definitive purchase, might be a better strategy that “doesn’t put all the pressure and financial strain on everybody”.

Despite the appealing idea of reducing financial strain, the VFW’s instability introduced a potential risk to any lease arrangement. Thompson cautioned that if the VFW post were to default and lose its charter, “that land is no longer ours,” and would become the property of the State VFW and the national organization.

Vernon Trails advocate Alycann Taylor immediately pointed out the danger inherent in this scenario.

“If we were in a lease situation, and then it were to the charter, were to go, then they can take the land”, said Taylor.

Mayor Running confirmed this critical point, recognizing the potential for financial loss if the property reverts to the national organization. “You could pay three years of lease payments, and the VFW could decide to give up its charter or lose it… and now it’s gone, and all that money is out the door too”.

“Then everybody loses,” said Taylor.

Given this hazard, Mayor Running suggested that a short-term lease might only be viable if structured with an additional safeguard, like agreeing on a “predetermined first rate of refusal, or a purchase price,” allowing the city to execute a controlled purchase if the VFW faced imminent charter loss.

Ultimately, the City Council moved the discussion to a closed session to discuss financial details, bargaining strategies, and potential offers, with the goal of securing time to finalize a deal. Council members acknowledged they need time to figure out the complex financial logistics, suggesting that securing a short-term lease or a pre-determined purchase price with a first rate of refusal might be necessary to “buy time”.

Public Plea for Preservation

Numerous community members who attended the meeting voiced overwhelming support for prioritizing the green space, citing mental health benefits, tourism, and essential recreational opportunities.

“If we are not careful, we are going to develop the magic right out of this place,” said Alycann Taylor.

“I think that what we what we’re faced with right now, is an opportunity that we can’t afford not to invest in,” said Michael Brown. “If we don’t do it now, I think it’s going to turn over to development, and that’s going to be a shame.”

“I would like for my daughter to have things to do when she’s 15, 16 besides being on her phone,” said Rebecca Backman. “One thing that keeps people from falling into that is healthy, strong community, and I think that that space brings that.”

“This is a gift for us, really, if we can look at it instead of a burden,” said Paul Grenier. “If you don’t create space, you lose it.”

Jean Haakenson, defending the VFW’s position, put the responsibility back on the community to support the veterans.

“This is a matter of necessity for our veterans to keep their home site so they don’t lose it,” said Jean Haakenson. “If y’all would have come and had a burger or something, this wouldn’t even be happening.”

Justin Miller, who helped develop the disc golf course, spoke emotionally about the land’s personal importance.

“Losing it, I can’t imagine what losing it would look like,” said Justin Miller. “It would be devastating to so many of these people in here for so many different reasons.”

The council and all parties expressed a desire to continue negotiations privately to determine a path forward but all parties agreed that the goal was to find a path to preserve the land as greenspace, while also providing some financial resources for the VFW organization.