Parks board selects ice cream vendor for Riverlife Park concession stand

WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – The Wausau Parks and Recreation Board selected Sawmill Adventure Park to operate the concession stand at Riverlife Park.

The board chose between two vendors at Monday night’s meeting. Sawmill Adventure Park plans to turn the stand back into an ice cream shop, similar to when Briqs Soft Serve occupied the building.

The other option was a sandwich and beverage shop with live music and special events. The board rejected that proposal due to concerns about alcohol sales next to a playground and minimal space.

“I think that the intent of that building was concession versus a venue,” said Wausau Alderperson Lisa Rasmussen. “And so I do have a little bit of concern that the larger of the two plans may actually overwhelm that space.”

Sawmill Adventure Park will run the ice cream shop and create a new name for the building while maintaining its family-friendly theme.

“A good thing that fits the business that we’re already in,” said Adventure Park Partner, Dylan Alwin. “We love family entertainment, and it’s what we do and we take a lot of pride in it.”

The final approval must go through Wausau’s City Council. If approved, Sawmill Adventure Park would need to have the concession stand operational by May.

“So there certainly will be brand new equipment and a capital expense to get the place set up and ready to go,” Alwin said. “So it is a fairly tight timeline, but we have a pretty good idea of everything that needs to fall into place to make it happen.”

The second location will provide more shifts for employees at Sawmill Adventure Park’s main location in Rothschild.

“A lot of college kids that come back in the summertime that are craving hours,” Alwin said. “We’re a little bit slower in the summer out at Sawmill, so this would be a really great opportunity to offset hours.”

Local nonprofits will be able to register at the concession stand for a support code that would generate a 5-percent donation every quarter or month to the charity.

Sawmill Adventure Park also pitched kayak and canoe rental from the concession stand, which would complement Riverlife Park’s easy-access docks that are brought out over the summer.

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