By Beth Sluys
Northside News

Plans for the upcoming Warner Beach bathhouse construction moved forward during a public meeting that took place July 9. The main focus of the meeting was to share the design plans for the new bathhouse. The current bathhouse, built in the 1960s, will be replaced with a building design that is the current standard for city park bathhouses. The facility will have bathrooms, outdoor showers and an overhang with tables. Construction is slated to start next year. 

Attendees also discussed options and ideas for future site improvements for the beachfront property. Some of the design elements for potential future improvements were drawn from ideas presented during the Clean Lakes Alliance beach redesign contest. As a result, future development may include a fishing pier, playground, water fountain, kayak access and storage, native vegetation and a bike rack, all things not yet in the city’s budget. 

Also discussed was the possible installation of a 90×100-foot area exclosure extending from the beach for a filtered swimming experience and to help with beach closure abatement. During the meeting, attendees voted on several items that included the color of the exterior siding (gray), whether or not a swimming exclosure should be installed (decision was split), and overall positive feedback on the bathhouse design elements. Written comments were collected, and they included items like improved lighting for the parking lot, a separate shelter house, and concerns about safety, among many. 

According to Sarah Lerner, a project manager with the City of Madison Parks Division, “The next steps are to begin the design, permitting and approval process for the construction of the bathhouse. Staff is still discussing next steps on the exclosure that would be a partnership with Dane County. Other park improvements will be reviewed as part of future capital budgeting.” Lerner also reported that the artwork on the existing bathhouse will be removed from the building and saved. 

There are no more public input meetings scheduled for review of the final plans related to the bathhouse construction. 

The project website link contains design concept images, the meeting presentation, comment cards and other project information: cityofmadison.com/parks/projects/warner-park-beach-shelter-replacement. Sarah Lerner can be contacted at SLerner@cityofmadison.com.