PARKS DIRECTOR PRESENTS FUTURE PLANS TO RESIDENTS
LAKE GENEVA
Parks Director David Winger said one of the accomplishments during the past year is installing a new playground in Harold A. Fritz Veterans Park.
Parks Director David Winger conducts a "meet the director" event at the Lake Geneva Public Library, with Library Director Emily Kornak looking on, to discuss possible plans for the city's parks and lakefront area.
Lake Geneva Parks Director David Winger is looking to establish more recreational opportunities for local residents.
Winger announced plans for Lake Geneva's park, recreational and lakefront areas during a "meet the director" event Feb. 17 at the Lake Geneva Public Library, 918 W. Main St.
During the event, Winger announced that he, city officials and members of the Board of Park Directors are in the process of developing a comprehensive outdoor recreation plan, which is set to include amenities and programs for the city's parks and lakefront areas.
The plan is set to cost between $60,000 and $85,000 to develop and is expected to take about a year to complete.
"That's going to allow us to really start the foundation of building this department and, going from there, working with the Public Works Department to help me maintain the parks and us providing the programming for the parks moving forward," Winger said.
One of the reasons for the plan is to establish more recreational amenities for people with disabilities.
Another goal is to install more up-to-date playground equipment in the city and neighborhood parks including Seminary, Flat Iron and Rushwood parks.
Winger said Rushwood "would be a good park once it's brought up to snuff ."
"But that's the thing, the planning that goes with that and getting the community engaged in the process, that's all things we have to do after this CORP plan is completed," he said.
One of the challenges of establishing a playground area is installing a surface that is safe children.
"You have to manage what you want to do with your turf," Winger said. "In the surface of the playground, there's actually something called impact attenuation, where if someone falls it keeps them safer than if you have grass. There's a lot that goes into a playground that I didn't know until I became a certified playground safety inspector."
Winger said he also would like to connect Lake Geneva's bike and walking trails with those of other communities.
"There are trails that are managed by other entities. The ones in the city are bike paths that we control," Winger said. "But if you look at the White River Trail and things like that, we are trying to figure out ways to get them connected through Lake Geneva."
Winger plans to have more bike racks installed throughout the community, to encourage more residents to travel by bicycle.
"That's where we're looking at mobility in the city," Winger said. "If we can get residents to bike more, that's going to make people healthier. That's going to make downtown less congested."
Past accomplishments
Winger also highlighted some of the projects that have been completed, including the installation of an updated playground at Harold A. Fritz Veterans Park, 901 E. Townline Road, in November 2025.
The playground features slides, swings, a small carousel, equipment for children with disabilities and a rubber safety surface.
"It's one of the first playgrounds in Wisconsin that has a sensory dome," Winger said. The dome is a net structure that meets the Americans With Disabilities Act accessibility requirements, he said.
About 30 children and their parents attended the grand opening celebration for the playground last November.
"They were just rushing at the playground equipment. Even the fire department was on the equipment," Winger said. "So, it was a really great time."
Also during the past year, the basketball courts at Veterans Park and tennis courts at Maple Park were resurfaced. The tennis courts at Dunn Field Park were resurfaced and converted into pickleball courts.
Winger said city officials plan to install a divider fence to the Dunn Field Park courts later this year.
"That's to make sure the pickleballs don't go from court to court and keeping it safe," he said.
Becoming parks director
Winger was hired as Lake Geneva's first-ever parks director last July. Members of the Lake Geneva City Council approved a job description for the position in April 2025.
Some of his responsibilities as parks director include managing city parks and recreational areas, working with the Public Works Department to schedule maintenance for the city parks, coordinating and promoting community events, developing recreational activities for Lake Geneva and establishing a Parks Department for the city.
"That's why I think the residents wanted this position to provide some of those things that might have lost their way or not gotten implemented over time," Winger said.
Before being hired as the parks director, Winger worked as the general manager for the Shorewood School District's community fitness center.
Winger grew up in the Lake Geneva area and graduated from Badger High School in 2012.
He said he wants residents to provide input for the types of programs and activities they would like to see established in Lake Geneva.
"I'm looking forward to talking to kids, adults and our older population to figure out what is that they want and then to try to find out how that correlates to everybody," Winger said. "There's going to be different perspectives based on where people are at in their lives. The whole point of this position is to figure out where that fits and create something that everyone will enjoy."
