Leicht Park makeover will cost about $7 million, plus other new details
Estimates for the project's total cost, the number of people that the anticipated pavilion will serve, and how much money the revamped park could bring into the local economy were shared, among other key figures.
Here are the numbers to know about Leicht Park's makeover, which was made public in January.
Estimated construction cost of Leicht Park makeover: $7 million
Brian Johnson, City Council president and CEO of the business improvement nonprofit On Broadway, said the total cost of the three-phase project will be about $7 million, though he fully expected the final cost could change.
That figure includes the cost of everything planned for Leicht Park: leveling the site that's happening now in the first phase; a pavilion built by the end of the second phase; and by the end of the third phase, an amphitheater, walking paths, and stairs leading to the Fox River.
The city had previously estimated the cost of the first and second phase to be $3.6 million, which would be funded by taxes collected from new property value downtown that have gone into Tax Increment District 5. The city is obligated to spend this money by the end of 2026 when the tax district will close, setting a hard deadline to build the project's first two phases.
The third and last phase of the project is estimated to cost about $4 million, which will be funded through a fundraising campaign hosted by On Broadway. The campaign has reached 60% of its goal so far, said Johnson, or about $2.4 million. The city is waiting on the needed funds before it will bid out the third phase for construction.
A QR code on a placard next to officials at the news conference led to a PayPal-supported donation page asking for a minimum $25 donation 'to reimagine and revitalize Leicht Memorial Park.'
Estimated yearly economic impact of Leicht Park: $9 million
Johnson estimated the renewed Leicht Park will bring in about $9 million annually in direct and indirect economic impact.
He calculated that by taking the 150,000 annual visitors the city hopes to attract to the park and multiplying by $40 – what Johnson said was the 'low end' of what each individual will spend when events go on at the park.
Number of people at Leicht Park pavilion events: About 1,000
Renderings by architectural firm ISG show the anticipated Leicht Park pavilion will have 1,244 square feet of space available for rent and a 434-square-foot concession and bar area.
Johnson said the pavilion was not meant to be a large venue and would only hold between 1,000 and 1,500 patrons at a time in its rentable event space. That goes to the small-scale community and family-oriented intentions of the park that assistant parks director James Andersen and City Council member Alyssa Proffitt later spoke to.
Large venues of 5,000 to 7,500 attendees will be hosted further south at the Shipyard, Johnson said. Activities akin to Kids Day and Kiddie Karnival will be more Leicht Park's jam.
Pavilion completion: Sept. 6, 2026
Genrich made a public commitment that the pavilion will be completed by the time the Wisconsin Badgers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish play a college football game at Lambeau Field on Sept. 6, 2026.
This is a more concrete deadline updating previous announcements that the pavilion will be completed by the end of 2026, then by fall 2026.
Construction on the pavilion is still expected to begin in spring 2026.
Jesse Lin is a reporter covering the community of Green Bay and its surroundings, as well as politics in northeastern Wisconsin. Contact him at 920-834-4250 or jlin@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Leicht Park construction costs and other numbers shared by Green Bay
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