At 5:30 on any Wednesday this fall, a few people meet at the main parking lot on Highway 50 at 301 E. Main Street and set off into Hillmoor. Whoever shows up decides how far they walk and how fast. The organizers, Friends of Hillmoor, say the goal is to look at the nature that's already there and talk about what could come next. In late June the group planted a small wild strawberry. By mid-August it was already sending out a runner, and they hope it spreads into ground cover over the next few years.
That small plant is a good way into a bigger question. The city has two plans for Hillmoor, and both have moved forward. One is a 10-year ecological restoration. The other is a conceptual master plan for trails, nature areas and community amenities. Neither has started construction. So the land you can walk this October, with rough paths, a working disc golf course and old fairways going wild, is the baseline the city's next budget decisions will change.
What the Ground Looks Like This October
The City of Lake Geneva closed on about 189 acres of the former golf course in December 2022. Combined with the White River and disc golf corridor and the Sheridan Springs Road parcels the city already owned, Hillmoor covers about 230 acres. The deed limits the purchased land to public use or use by a public charity, which rules out other private development.
The city's trail map, dated April 15, 2024, shows paved parking, trail markers and five color-coded routes:
| Trail color | Length |
|---|---|
| Blue | 0.3 mi |
| Cyan | 0.3 mi |
| Green | 0.3 mi |
| Yellow | 0.5 mi |
| Orange | 1.0 mi |
The trail surfaces are a mix of grass and woodchip, gravel and pavement. Friends of Hillmoor describes the paths as rough. The posted rules sign says the park is closed from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Visitors must stay on marked trails, and dogs must be leashed. Fires, camping and alcohol are not allowed. A QR code on the sign links to the full rules. Anyone hoping to bike or ski the trails this winter should read the full rules first, because the sign alone doesn't say.
Two places on the property already show some of the restoration. Friends of Hillmoor and its Avian Committee planted a streamside native garden and put up a kestrel nesting box donated by the Lakeland Audubon Society. The group invites visitors to stop by the garden and enjoy it. Its Summer 2026 brochure listed path cleanups at 10 a.m. on the second Saturday of each month. The group hasn't posted a separate fall cleanup schedule, so check with Friends of Hillmoor before planning a fall Saturday around one.
The Ten-Year Clock That Started in September
On September 9, Clayton Frazer, principal ecologist at Native Range Ecological, updated the City Council's Committee of the Whole on the Hillmoor Ecological Restoration Plan. The Lake Geneva Regional News reported that the plan covers about 230 acres over 10 years. It calls for removing invasive plants, installing new ones and setting up a long-term maintenance program. So far, the firm has been taking a plant inventory, identifying invasive species and surveying the property.
Frazer named black locust as one target. He was clear that tree removal will be selective. "We will be selectively and very thoughtfully removing trees that will end up degrading or somehow reducing the quality of the best trees that exist there," he said. "So, we're selectively removing trees in order to encourage the growth of good trees that remain."
Birds are a large part of the plan. "We got an opportunity to create an amazing bird habitat here with some of the components that already exist paired with some of the other things we're going to add into it," Frazer said, adding that the firm wants as many different plant species on the land as it can support. The company also wants to improve the White River corridor and clear invasive species from the riverbanks. Native Range's proposal lists Frazer as project manager and Daniel Fuhs as assistant project manager and GIS specialist. The steps it lays out are assessment and mapping, invasive-species management, native planting, maintenance, monitoring and community integration.
No source sets a date for the first fieldwork this winter, and no source names the area that will be treated first. As of early October, the restoration is a plan with an inventory underway.
Two Visions, Argued Over the Same Acres
The restoration plan had a counterpart five months earlier. On April 27, Michelle Kelley, principal consultant at Upland Design, presented the Zone 1 Conceptual Master Plan to the City Council. Parks Director David Winger and Hillmoor consultant Michael Krajovic answered questions. The plan's theme is the "River of Life," with trails, nature areas and amenities for all ages along the White River. The Hillmoor Commission recommended it unanimously after 13 months of planning and public input. The concept includes a 1.21-mile main loop plus support trails, lawn paths, bridges and a boardwalk. Other proposed amenities in the plan documents include:
- A dog park and a new parking lot
- A playground and a splash pad
- Shelters and fishing access
- An amphitheater
The minutes show the debate came down to which work should come first. One motion would have deferred the plan until staff came back with a full fiscal impact and funding strategy, ecological and DNR regulatory review, a phasing plan, a neighborhood impact analysis and a revised concept built around low-impact uses. It failed 2–5. The motion to approve the concept then passed 4–3. A second debate followed over the trail grant. One motion would have sent the grant money and the city's matching funds back to ecological restoration and stewardship of the 189 acres. It also asked staff to report within 60 days on a restoration-first plan for Zones 2 through 5. That motion failed 2–5. Council then voted 5–2 to let staff design and bid the Phase 1 trail improvements.
The dollar amounts show how far apart the two approaches are. The Knowles-Nelson Stewardship grant that pays for the trails is $242,690, awarded in early May 2025, for a total project of $485,380. The city's preliminary range for all of Zone 1 runs from $9.9 million to $22.3 million. That makes the trail project a small first piece of a much larger idea. The city calls that range conceptual. Any actual project needs its own Council approval and funding, and grants, private donations and city capital funds are listed only as possible sources. In January, the city's newsletter warned that the Legislature had not funded the Knowles-Nelson program again and called future funding "in jeopardy."
The Council approved a concept, authorized a trail design and heard a restoration plan. Any spending beyond that still needs a separate vote.
The Disc Golf Course Shows Where the Plans Overlap
The disc golf course is where the two plans meet on the ground. According to the city's FAQ, the Zone 1 changes will adjust some disc golf areas but won't remove the course. The April priority framework names holes 2, 3 and 4 as the ones affected by Zone 1. Under future planning, it lists nine new holes that are pending ecological restoration.
That puts both plans on a single course. Three existing holes are tied to the Zone 1 redesign, the nine new holes wait on restoration, and every other existing hole stays as it is. The April newsletter said the full course would stay open and playable. Commissioner Paula Porubcan pointed out that baskets and tee sleeves need maintenance now, regardless of any future plans. A round this fall covers the same ground the city's documents are discussing.
The Friends' roll-top observatory proposal fits the same pattern. It was presented on August 13 and involves GLAS and Badger High School. According to the group, the Commission agreed to the observatory concept but not to a solar restroom or solar canopy, and the Friends are still working with city staff on plans. No construction funding has been recorded for it.
Where the Next Decisions Land
The 2027 budget is the next place Hillmoor's direction will show up, and it is being built now:
- September 17: The Hillmoor Commission's agenda included recommendations on a 2027 operating budget and a 2027–2031 capital improvement budget. The posted agenda doesn't give amounts.
- September 22: The Common Council's special budget workshop agenda listed Parks among the departments presenting capital improvement and equipment replacement plans.
- October 15: The city calendar lists another Council budget workshop.
The Hillmoor Commission also publishes a newsletter with public-input opportunities, concept plans, surveys and milestones. You can sign up through the City of Lake Geneva. The April 27 minutes are worth reading in full before the October 15 workshop. They record both sides of the argument, with names and votes.
The Wednesday walk still meets at 5:30 at the lot on East Main Street, and the old fairways are changing slowly this fall.
At The JH Collective, we follow decisions like Hillmoor's because a 230-acre public park off Main Street shapes daily life in Lake Geneva for years to come. If you own near Hillmoor or are thinking about the East Main Street area and want to talk through what the city has actually approved, we're glad to have that conversation. Request a Complimentary Market Review & Private Consultation.