The Town of New Glarus Parks Commission has lots of things in store for Town residents this spring. Please read further for ways that you can get involved.

At the top of the list is the Town’s Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (CORP). Despite the challenges imposed by the pandemic, the Town of New Glarus has over the past few years accomplished quite a bit to enhance recreational opportunities for Town residents and visitors. We continue to maintain and beautify the Bluebird Ridge Conservancy, a four-acre green space in the area of the Windmill Ridge development. We have contributed substantial funds to the upgrade of Glarner Park in the Village, have added bike lanes to Valley View Road and Durst Road, and are planning additional hiking and biking trails around the area. These efforts are important because they make New Glarus a better and more welcoming place to live, enhance property values, and stimulate the local economy.

To elicit community input and to remain eligible for matching grants for parkland and recreational improvements, the Town must update its plan every five years. We did our last update in 2017. Therefore, New Glarus residents will soon be notified by mail of an opportunity to weigh in on how their tax dollars should be spent on various recreational opportunities. Please respond thoughtfully to the survey and if you want the projects to be successful, please also consider investing some of your time in bringing them to fruition. If you can’t wait for our postcard to arrive, just access the survey via https://tinyurl.com/TNG-CORP.

Meanwhile, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., on Saturday, April 23rd, folks who placed orders in last fall’s annual Tree Sale will be able to pick up their trees at the Town Hall, 26 5th Avenue, New Glarus. If for some reason that date does not work for them, customers should call John Wright, our Town Clerk, at (608) 527-2390 between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

Lastly, on the same date and time as the tree pickup, the Parks Commission will host an Electronics Recycling Event, also at the New Glarus Town Hall. Residents may drop off their old computers, electronic equipment, and appliances. Apart from tube TVs, which will be accepted for a small fee, this is all at no charge. More info is on our website, http://www.townofnewglaus.com.