New draft plan available on Stoppenbach park.
New renderings are now available on both the city website and on this site. There is a planned parks meeting to discuss the new plan at 4:30 on Monday 10/20/2025. Your attendance and participation are encouraged. Click below to see the new draft being presented for Stoppenbach park!
Resources on Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation and Park Plan (CORP)
As the city has removed these resources from their website, I am posting here with the intent to inform the city residents. The city of Jefferson paid $26,235 to Snyder & Associates for a contract initiated in October 2024. Of the documents posted, all were approved with the exception of Appendix E. The total cost of what has already been approved exceeds $5,500,000. None of the funding has been secured or budgeted for.
Appendix A - Youth Engagement Event Results
Appendix B - Community Survey Results
Appendix C2 - Open House #1 Feedback
Appendix D - Open House #2 Feedback
Appendix E - Stoppenbach Concept Plan (and cost) (Did not pass)
Appendix F - Riverfront Concept Plan (and cost) (Passed)
Appendix G - Rotary Park Master Plan (and cost) (Passed)
Appendix H - Capital improvement Plan & Park Improvement Estimated Costs (Passed)
There are no new updates regarding the future direction of Stoppenbach Park. We encourage you to share your thoughts with both the City Council and the Parks Commission to ensure your voice is heard about the future of our community park. At this time, the city continues to move forward without changes to Appendix E. Any change in direction will depend on the input and involvement of community members like you.
9/21/2025
Open Forum on Stoppenbach Park – September 22, 2025
The future of Stoppenbach Park is up for discussion, and your input is needed!
Date: Monday, September 22, 2025
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
Location: City Hall
This open forum is your chance to share your ideas, concerns, and feedback directly with the Parks Committee—the key committee helping set the direction for Stoppenbach Park.
The forum is a drop-in style event. You don’t need to stay the whole time—just come by any time between 6:00 and 8:00 PM to make sure your perspective is part of the conversation.
In addition to attending the forum, you can also participate online. The City has created an interactive website where you can vote on proposals, share ideas, and suggest changes to the park:
Stoppenbach Park Online Engagement
Important: The online engagement site will only be available for a short time and will be taken down soon. If you want your ideas recorded, please don’t wait—visit the site and participate before it closes.
Community involvement will play a key role in shaping the park’s future. Please take a few minutes to explore the website and, if possible, attend the forum in person. Your voice can make a difference!
9/10/2025:
The future of Stoppenbach Park will be on the agenda at the next Parks Commission meeting, scheduled for Monday, September 15th at 4:30 PM in the City Council Chambers.
This meeting will include an opportunity for public input on the park. At this time, no changes have been made to the previously discussed $1.54 million plan for the site. The commission will be gathering feedback from residents, and any potential adjustments to the project will be considered as the process moves forward.
Following the meeting, the City is expected to begin a broader public outreach effort that may include online resources and additional information about the park’s future.
Community members interested in the direction of Stoppenbach Park are encouraged to attend the meeting or stay tuned for further updates as plans develop.
No vote will be taken at the meeting, only discussion.
The city website now shows all information available for CORP.
To view, go to https://jeffersonwis.com/
The Stoppenbach redevelopment plan can be found here:
https://jeffersonwis.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Stoppenbach-Park-Concept-Plan.pdf
8/20/2025:
Thank You for Standing Up for Historic Stoppenbach Park
First off—thank you to everyone who came out to show support for our Historic Stoppenbach Park. Seriously, THANK YOU. Your voices, your presence, and your passion made all the difference.
Going into last night’s meeting, we had no committed votes in our favor. By the end, Stoppenbach Park was officially removed from the CORP (Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan). That is a huge step forward, and it happened because of you.
The meeting itself was high drama—contentious at times—but ultimately, four board members voted to remove Stoppenbach Park from the CORP at the request of Alderman Scott Obernberger. The votes we can confirm at this time are:
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Scott Obernberger – aldobernberger@jeffersonwis.com
Peg M. Beyer – AldBeyer@jeffersonwis.com
Josh Larson – aldlarson@jeffersonwis.com
Joe Mattke
Then came the tiebreaker vote. Mayor Dale Oppermann voted to remove Stoppenbach from the CORP and send it back to the Parks Committee. That single vote tipped the balance, and for that, we are grateful. You can reach him at MayorDale@jeffersonwis.com.
If you get the chance, please consider sending a thank you to these five individuals. Without them, we would not be in the position we are today.
During the public comment portion of the meeting, some excellent points were made—including the idea that the proposed new playground system should be installed in a part of town that is underserved. That’s the kind of thoughtful, community-minded solution we should all take seriously moving forward.
Now, let’s be clear: this is not the end. The redevelopment project is not “dead.” It has simply been sent back to committee. It will return in another form, and when it does, we will need to be ready again.
For now, let’s take a moment to celebrate what we’ve accomplished together. The fight to preserve Historic Stoppenbach Park is far from over, but thanks to your dedication and the courage of those who voted with us, we’ve won an important battle.
I will continue to update this site with new developments. If you’d like to receive updates by email, please sign up using the updated contact form. If at any time you’d like to be removed, just reply and I’ll make sure you’re taken off the list.
Together, we are making a difference.
8/18/2025:
Today’s update is not directly about Stoppenbach Park, but it is closely connected to the broader plan that includes it. That larger initiative is called the Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (CORP). CORP covers several park projects, including Stoppenbach Park, Riverfront Park, Rotary Park, and others.
The CORP plan will be discussed at the upcoming board meeting at 7:00. Several outcomes are possible:
The plan could be approved in full, which would include all listed park projects.
The plan could be rejected in its entirety.
Or, certain parks, such as Stoppenbach or others, could be modified or removed from the plan before approval.
In this post, the focus is on two of the other parks included in CORP: Riverfront Park and Rotary Park. Both have significant proposed redevelopments. The estimated cost for Riverfront Park is $940,000, while Rotary Park is projected at $3.3 million. Combined with the Stoppenbach Park proposal, the overall investment tied to these projects totals over $6 million.
This update is intended simply to share information so residents are aware of what is currently being planned and discussed for these community spaces. Thank you for your support of Stoppenbach park.
8/14/2025:
Update on Stoppenbach Park – City Vote Scheduled for August 19
After previously indicating that the proposal was under review, Mayor Opperman has announced that the Stoppenbach Park proposal will be brought forward for a vote at the upcoming City Council meeting on Monday, August 19.
This marks a significant moment in the ongoing discussion about the future of the park. The meeting will be held at:
City Hall
7:00 PM
Tuesday, August 19
For those who have expressed concerns about the proposed changes, this is the time to make your voice heard. We strongly encourage all residents with opinions on the project to attend the meeting.
Your presence matters — community participation helps shape the decisions that affect our shared spaces.
We’ll continue to share updates as more information becomes available.
8/13/2025:
Thank You – Important Update on Stoppenbach Park
To everyone who signed the petition opposing the proposed changes to Stoppenbach Park:
Thank you.
Your support and willingness to speak up for our community has already made an impact.
After reaching out to the Mayor and sharing your concerns, I’m pleased to report that the project is currently under review, and the scope of the proposal is being reconsidered. The feedback from residents has played a key role in this process.
We’re not out of the woods yet — we’ll need to keep a close eye on how things develop — but I can’t see this as anything other than a step in the right direction.
Please also note:
There will not be a final vote on the proposal during the August 19 meeting.
I’ll be emailing all petition signers with this update, and will continue to share more information as it becomes available.
Finally, I’d like to thank Mayor Opperman for his involvement, including his effort to review the concerns raised by the community and for ensuring that the project plans were made available on the city website. His responsiveness and transparency are appreciated.
Thank you again for your support of our park and our community. More updates to come.
8/10/2025:
Snyder Associates Agreement Disclosure
An open records request revealed that the City of Jefferson agreed to pay $26,235 to Snyder Associates. The agreement was signed on October 8, 2024.
Click the button below to view the full agreement:
Why This Matters
Stoppenbach Park is more than just green space — it's a piece of Jefferson’s history, a neighborhood gathering place, and a vital part of our community's identity. But today, it’s under threat.
Who We Are
We are a group of homeowners and residents living near Stoppenbach Park. Like many in the area, we were alarmed by the City of Jefferson’s proposed large-scale redevelopment plans that would dramatically alter the character of our neighborhood.
What’s at Stake
The redevelopment plan threatens to replace the peaceful, natural atmosphere of the park with increased traffic, noise, and disruption. Our quiet neighborhood could soon face the sounds of constant activity, vehicle congestion, and the loss of a tranquil place to walk, relax, and gather as a community.
What This Site Is For
This website is a central hub for information, updates, and neighborhood efforts to protect Stoppenbach Park. Here, you’ll find:
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Details about the proposed redevelopment
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Why preserving the park matters to Jefferson's future
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Ways to get involved, attend meetings, and raise your voice
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News, events, and action steps
Together, we can ensure that Stoppenbach Park remains a place of peace, play, and shared history — not paved over and filled with noise.
