Brown County breaks ground on the Fox River trail . Check out the media coverages below.
Brown County breaks ground on new West Fox River Trail connector, fairgrounds expansion
By WBAY news staff | September 2026 | www.wbay.com
Local leaders broke ground Tuesday on a new trail connector linking the City of De Pere to Ashwaubomay Park, marking the start of Phase II of the Brown County Fairgrounds Development Project.
The project adds a west-side Fox River Trail connector that links De Pere with Ashwaubomay Park, made possible by an easement from NEW Water, the operational brand of the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District.
In addition to the trail connection, the Brown County Board of Supervisors approved $1.2 million to expand and upgrade urban camping at the fairgrounds. The funding will add new campsites, move existing sites closer to the river, and expand the park’s west-side corridor.
Officials say the new path will complete an off-road loop around the Fox River by connecting with the Ashwaubenon Riverwalk, improving walkability and bike access while drawing more visitors and event revenue to county parks.
Brown County breaks ground on trail connector, riverfront campsites in De Pere
By Ashley Kaster | September 2026 | www.fox11online.com
Brown County is starting work on Phase II of its Fairgrounds Development Project.
County leaders broke ground Tuesday from the banks of the Fox River.
"It was nine years ago I sat in one of those buildings over there with the county exec and with Matt Kriese and Rex our park and rec director and we talked about this trail," said Ashwaubenon Village President Mary Kardoskee.
Phase II of the project includes adding campsites to the riverfront of the Brown County Fairgrounds in De Pere and connecting a riverfront trail to Ashwaubomay Lake Park through NEW Water's property. The connection will add 2.2 miles of trail.
The project a collaboration between Ashwaubenon, De Pere, Brown County, and NEW Water.
"There is not a train tracks that are going through that we're going to do a Rails to Trails type of program, but we are going to take a process where we have access to the water through government or taking advantage of the infrastructure that's already in place," said Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach.
The $1.2 million cost of the project comes from Brown County.
According to Troy Streckenbach, the Village of Ashwaubenon's development south of the HWY 172 -- which included a bridge to extend the trail into Ashwaubomay Park -- was the impetus to keep the trail moving south.
With NEW Water on board and the City of De Pere hoping to recreate the connectivity it enjoys on the east side of the river, this new portion of trail was a no-brainer.
"It's our hope because right now we are kind of redoing our downtown master plan That in time when we've talked to the executive about this that this will stretch from here You know into the downtown De Pere area through St. Norbert and beyond very similar to what you have on the east side," added De Pere Mayor James Boyd.
Brown County executive Troy Streckenbach says it’s a win-win for the parks department to make additional revenue and for residents to have more outdoor recreation opportunities.
The addition of the trail is good for economic development too. Streckenbach said, "If we can, from a higher level, come in and help build out some of the infrastructure that ultimately allows them to convince businesses and families to want to move into their communities, it's a win."
Municipal leaders would ultimately like to see the West Fox River Trail connect into Green Bay and into De Pere's east side.
Green Bay Fox River Trail project breaks ground for campsite expansion
By Joseph Giganti | September 2026 | www.wearegreenbay.com
A brand-new project along the Fox River Trail in Green Bay officially broke ground today.
The Westside Riverfront Trail Connector and Campground Project took a crucial step in its development on September 29, with the groundbreaking marking the project’s second and third phases.
Community leaders spoke about the project’s importance and how the expansions will benefit the Green Bay area and its residents.
“The campsites — right now, if you look, all you see is the vegetation. At some point, that’s going to be cleaned up. And you’re going to have campsites that are going to have a great waterfront view,” said Troy Streckenbach, a Brown County Executive.
“Now can you imagine on Memorial Weekend, sitting out here camping, and watching the fireworks across the way from De Pere? We know this will be full.”
The project is projected to be completed by spring of next year.
New Fox River west shore trail segment will link Ashwaubenon, De Pere
By Jeff Bollier | September 2026 | www.greenbaypressgazette.com
Work has started on a new riverfront recreational trail segment that will help create a 2.1-mile, continuous trail along the Fox River's western shore.
Brown County, De Pere, Ashwaubenon and NEW Water officials on Sept. 29 threw ceremonial shovels of dirt to mark the start of construction on a $1.2 million package of improvements planned for the Brown County Fairgrounds, 1500 Fort Howard Ave., in De Pere.
The county-funded project includes construction of the new trail and creation of new riverfront campsites on the fairground's property that are expected to boost economic activity and county revenues, said Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach.
"This project improves off-road walkability and bike accessibility while increasing revenue to support Parks Department amenities," he said.
Streckenbach said the trail segment adds to a network of riverfront trails and bike lanes to create a loop around the Fox River that runs from downtown Green Bay to downtown De Pere. Streckenbach noted trails have been built along much of the municipally owned riverfront.
De Pere Mayor James Boyd hinted that the city could extend the formal trail further south.
Here's what to know about the project, its impacts and what's next.
New trail segment will connect to riverfront trail Ashwaubenon has developed in recent decades
The new trail segment starts at the Perkofsky boat launch toward the south end of the fairgrounds property and hugs the shoreline north all the way along NEW Water's wastewater treatment facility.
The new trail segment will connect into a trail spur in Ashwaubomay Lake Park.
From the park, the trail runs north across a bridge and along several residential developments including Aldon Station, on the old Schneider National property, and Bay Harbor condominiums. The continuous riverfront trail ends just north of State 172 at Riverway Marina.
New west Fox River trail segment expected to be ready by late spring 2027
Brown County earlier this year awarded a $907,007 contract to Vinton Construction for the fairgrounds trail and camping project.
Brown County Parks Director Matt Kriese said the new trail should be completed and ready to use by late spring 2027.
De Pere, you're on the clock to extend the west shore trail
De Pere Mayor James Boyd said extensive development on the city's east side, including a proposed $70 million mixed-use development, is evidence of the Fox River Trail's impact on communities over 25 years.
He said the city hopes to extend the west shore trail further south into downtown De Pere to replicate the Fox River Trail's impact.
"We realize the importance of that connectivity and what it's meant for the city of De Pere and the entire county. ... This took place over a number of years and stretched through Ashwaubenon.
"It's our hope that in time ... that this will stretch from here into the downtown De Pere area through St. Norbert and beyond, very similar to what you have on the east side," Boyd said. "It's a very ambitious goal, but it's something we have talked about."
Fairgrounds improvements could boost visitor spending to $2.1 million, according to master plan
The county's 2019 fairgrounds master plan not only recommended a series of site improvements, including the new trail segment, but also calculated how much visitor spending the improved facilities might generate.
The plan estimated total visitor spending – including by Brown County residents at fairgrounds events – could top $5.1 million with 5,300 hotel room nights generated, according to the study.
The amount of that specifically tied to visitors to Brown County would be about $2.1 million and more than 5,300 hotel room nights. It might be obvious, but the hotel room nights stayed the same because it's assumed Brown County residents would go home after events rather than book hotel rooms.
It's worth noting that the actual economic impact could be larger. Consultants calculated these projections in 2019 and the cost of everything – including food, lodging and attractions – has increased.