Tower ready to go public
by Emmitt B. Feldner of the Beacon staff
Residents of Sheboygan County and patrons of the Broughton Sheboygan County Marsh Park unwrapped a breathtaking new present Christmas Day.
That’s when the 80-foot wooden observation tower in the marsh officially opened to the public.
Members of the Friends of the Marsh group held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the tower Dec. 17 as part of their regular meeting, then climbed to the top of what is the tallest wooden observation tower in the state to take in the snow-covered view from the top of the marsh.
Before the public could make the same climb, however, metal handrails on the flights of steps leading to the top of the tower had to be installed in time for the tower to be ready for climbing Christmas Day.
The view from the top can also be seen inside the Three Men and a Grill restaurant in the marsh lodge across the Sheboygan River from the tower.
The remote control television camera atop the tower has been hooked up and is operational, with a monitor in the restaurant’s bar offering a high-definition picture of the view, complete with a joystick control to rotate the camera for a 360-degree view.
“We will be ready for the public Christmas Day,” Friends chair Lil Pipping told the group after the ribbon cutting.
“This will be a great family activity between Christmas and New Year’s Day,” group member Lisa Hurley commented.
Jos. Schmitt and Sons Construction of Sheboygan built the tower with the stipulation that they would cover any shortfalls in construction costs until the Friends raise enough money.
Work on the tower began in early summer and Schmitt had everything wrapped up, except for the handrails, by Dec. 17.
Treasurer Fritz Groebel reported that the Friends of the Marsh has raised just over $300,000 to date for the project since the group was organized three-and-a-half years ago.
After paying all of the bills thus far, the group has between $30,000 and $40,000 in its account, he added.
Pipping noted that the Friends would continue to raise funds in order to meet the final construction costs, which are still unknown, and to finance future educational programs and projects at the marsh.
While commemorative name plaques purchased by donors have been placed on some of the steps leading to the top of the marsh, many steps are still available for interested donors to purchase, she said.
The next step for the Friends will be to order and install the donor signs for the various platforms and mid-platforms that will recognize large-scale donors to the project.
The Friends met with Dave Klefstad of the Sheboygan County Master Gardeners to discuss landscaping around the tower, which will be done by the Master Gardeners next spring.
