Sept. 30, 2026
By TIM HUNDT
VIROQUA Wis. – Construction crews and community volunteers gathered under the mature oak canopy at Eckhart Park on Tuesday September 29 to begin assembling the new Eckhart Enchantment playground, marking the end of a multi-year effort defined by design hurdles, public debates, and intense community fundraising.
The start of the six day community build represents a major milestone for Viroqua. For years, local families and city officials grappled with the deteriorating condition of the original 1996 wooden structure, affectionately known as Dragon Park. Rotting support posts and broken play elements eventually forced city leaders to plan for its full replacement, triggering a long process to find a design that balanced safety, durability, and the unique character of the original park.
City Council Alderperson Steve Willis, who serves on the municipal leadership committee for the project, explained that his involvement began more than six years ago when he noticed the original playground was losing its appeal as damaged equipment was removed without a clear replacement strategy.
“Yeah, there didn’t seem to be a succession plan for the playground as it stood,” said Willis. “I got involved a little over six years ago.”
Willis noted that watching the playground age without a plan inspired him to run for local office and investigate long term solutions.
“Basically, just seems like the age of the playground was starting to wear on it,” said Willis. “Apparatus were falling apart or being removed from the playground, which I felt if you had a playground and the things that were fun were being taken away, it wasn’t going to be as much fun anymore.”
The path to Tuesday’s groundbreaking involved several distinct stages and setbacks. The city initially contracted with Leathers and Associates, the Florida based firm that designed the 1996 park, hoping to replicate the original wooden structure. However, high costs, poor response times, and shifting labor requirements led the city council to cut ties with the firm in February 2025.
Subsequent proposals from Lee Recreation featured modern metal and plastic equipment, which sparked strong public opposition during a June 2025 public hearing. Parents and residents packed city hall to demand a design that preserved the park’s natural wood feel, protected mature trees, incorporated a full perimeter fence, and retained imaginative play features like the iconic green dragon and space shuttle.
Willis described how the city had to repeatedly reset its strategy to align with community expectations.
“I started investigating,” said Willis. “It was a long process.”
Willis explained that overcoming public hesitation required listening to feedback and seeking out a designer willing to compromise.
“We had a contract with one company, didn’t work out,” said Willis. “Started down a different direction. Showed that to the public. Public wasn’t so happy with the design, so we went back to the drawing board yet again.”
The breakthrough came when the city partnered with Play by Design, an Ithaca New York based firm whose engineers had worked on the original 1996 Viroqua structure. The firm offered a custom layout constructed from post consumer recycled plastic composite lumber, providing the warm visual appearance of wood without the severe maintenance requirements.
Willis pointed out that the composite material solves long term maintenance issues for the city while preserving the park’s traditional aesthetic.
“So this is like the third iteration of the playground, and we found this company that worked with us that designs playgrounds like the previous and does the community build like the previous,” said Willis. “And in that spirit, made for the opportunity to build a new playground with the help of the communities, with the help of every small business, whether it’s just donating food, we even needed soap.”
Willis emphasized that the composite material ensures the structure will stand up to Wisconsin weather for decades without demanding constant municipal upkeep.
“The wood has changed slightly,” said Willis. “So this is all composite lumber.”
Willis added that eliminating the need for annual staining frees up valuable time for city workers.
“But what that composite lumber allows, things like our small parks and rec department, is it gives us durability, longevity,” said Willis. “There’s no need to stain it every year, so it kind of frees up some avenues for them to do other work within the city.”
Angie Lawrence, a member of the community planning committee who has worked on the project through the Viroqua Area Foundation, explained why traditional wooden construction is no longer viable for modern municipal playgrounds.
“Wood playgrounds don’t exist today,” said Lawrence. “The way they used to preserve the wood was actually with arsenic.”
Lawrence noted that decaying wood creates severe safety and pest issues for municipal staff.
“They don’t exist today because they’re very high maintenance, the wood deteriorates and decays,” said Lawrence. “You can also get ants and different infestations within that wood.”
Lawrence recalled that finding a vendor capable of supplying composite lumber in Wisconsin was one of the project’s biggest early obstacles.
“And so we had searched for a company that would actually provide a wood like product, and at the time that we were searching, there wasn’t anyone that was operating in the state of Wisconsin,” said Lawrence. “And so the community really did want that, and we knew that from the beginning.”
Lawrence explained that Play by Design expanded its regional operations just as Viroqua was seeking new proposals.
“And then this company we found, and they’re actually out of New York, and they started working in the state of Wisconsin probably about a year ago,” said Lawrence. “And so that’s how we were able to get this final product that we have today, is because they ended up operating in our area.”
On Day 1 of the build, the park bustled with activity as dozens of local residents worked alongside professional construction supervisors from Play by Design. Volunteers dug post holes, assembled composite framework, and carefully navigated around mature tree roots.
Lawrence expressed gratitude for the strong turnout on the opening morning.
“So we have the good fortune of working with the community, not only to raise money, but also to come and volunteer their expertise to put the pieces together,” said Lawrence. “We have people that are digging holes.”
Lawrence added that environmental protection remained a central priority for the volunteer crews.
“We have people that are preserving the trees,” said Lawrence. “We have people that are putting all of the pieces together, and the organization that we’re working with has been great to work with so far.”
By electing to organize a community build rather than paying for a full commercial installation, the city secured a $75,000 labor discount from the manufacturer. To earn the credit, Viroqua must supply roughly 40 adult volunteers per shift over six consecutive days.
Lawrence noted that the community build model relies heavily on the skilled trades and volunteer spirit of local residents.
“It saved about $75,000 to have a community build, and we have the good fortune once again of having a lot of people who do construction, farming, people who build sheds, people who build all kinds of things within their own properties,” said Lawrence. “And they’re all showing up and are all giving their time, and it’s really lovely.”
Funding for the $746,000 project represents a true public private partnership. The city of Viroqua allocated $375,000 from its capital improvement funds, while private fundraising coordinated through the Viroqua Area Foundation raised approximately $425,000 in direct donations.
Lawrence detailed the financial backing that made the construction possible.
“So the city, in their budget, they set aside $375,000,” said Lawrence. “So far the fundraising is about approximately $425,000 that’s gone through the Viroqua Foundation in dollars for this project.”
Lawrence emphasized that local businesses provided critical in kind support that is not even reflected in the cash fundraising total.
“We also have in kind contributions that aren’t included in that, where businesses have donated either discounted a product or gifted a product, or didn’t charge for labor,” said Lawrence. “Jacob and Garett (Kanis) have been absolutely fabulous through the Nelson Agri-Center (Ace Hardware) and they have done a lot of the organizing of equipment that we needed.”
Willis similarly praised the broad community coalition that stepped up to support the project financially and logistically.
“We had about a little under half from CIP, which is the community improvement funds, which are going to this playground,” said Willis. “We also had more than half of whether it was families that donated money, small businesses, large businesses.”
Willis noted that even local students contributed to the effort through school penny drives.
“There was a penny war at the school, so the kids have been involved,” said Willis. “So it truly is a big community lift, and we’re thankful for everyone that’s donated any time, effort, money, food, whatever it might be, supplies.”
Civic organizations are playing major operational roles throughout the build week. The Viroqua Lions Club is coordinating volunteer signups and daily shift logistics, while the Eagles Auxiliary is managing the food tent, serving meals donated by local restaurants and coffee provided by Wonderstate Coffee. Local artist Sarah Peterson of Lucid Painting is designing a donor wall featuring a hand painted dragon to permanently honor contributors.
As volunteer crews work toward an October 4 completion date, Lawrence reflected on the broader community impact of the restored playground.
“The Lions have organized all of the volunteers, and they’ve done a great job with that,” said Lawrence. “So they, once again, this huge community project, and everyone has gifted in some capacity.”
Lawrence concluded that the park will serve as a free, welcoming sanctuary for local families and visitors for years to come.
“We are very fortunate just to have so many people wanting to make our community better, stronger, providing more opportunities for our children, but also for people of all ages,” said Lawrence. “People can have birthday parties here, anniversary parties here. We have music concerts here, so it’s a way of providing service to our community members and not have to pay a fee to enter.”
Tim, there are so many facets to this story, and so much information to organize. Thank you for this reporting. I am thrilled to see the building as it happens, and photographing it every day. But when someone who is unfamiliar with Viroqua asks about the history of this park and the community, I can’t do the story justice. This helps a lot.