Plans are in the works to build a $25 million full-service resort and conference center along Lake Winnebago on a parcel of land to be annexed to North Fond du Lac.
Alex Zabel, the developer, said the “Winnebago Project” will be the only one of its kind on the lake. It will feature 20,000 square feet of meeting space and a dining hall that could accommodate up to 600 people. The marina will have slips for 40 to 60 boats.
Zabel — a Fond du Lac native, Goodrich High School graduate and owner of Green Lake Real Estate — added that 90 percent of the 180-plus rooms will have a lake view.
Work on the Winnebago Project is expected to begin this fall. Zabel said the old Chaparral restaurant and building, the site of the future conference center, will be demolished, and crews will dredge the harbor. The site once housed an old landfill, but the holding tanks have been removed. Several low-grade wetlands will be consumed by the project, he added.
Once cleanup is finished and the marina is built, crews will construct the rest, he said. If all goes well, it should open by spring 2010, he said.
Provided the DNR grants approval it seems business leaders think it will be a positive thing.
Business leaders believe Zabel’s plans will indeed benefit not only Fond du Lac County but also the region.
Amy Hansen, director of the Downtown Fond du Lac Partnership, said a conference center and resort would attract more tourism to the area. People who visit for a business meeting, wedding or trade convention are likely to visit other businesses, including those in downtown Fond du Lac.
“It’s very exciting,” she said.
Joe Reitemeier, president and chief executive officer of the Fond du Lac Area Association of Commerce, agreed that more traffic would provide a welcome boost to the local business environment.
“A project of this magnitude will transcend municipal boundaries,” he said.
He added that all businesses, from smaller hotels to stores, shouldn’t have to worry about competition. Large events that attract heavy traffic are more likely to come to the area once North Fond du Lac has a venue. That’s good news for businesses that need more customers and profits, he explained.
“It’s fantastic,” said Reitemeier. “It’s like an answer to a prayer.”
As do local leaders and nearby residents.
Officials praised the plans as a potential boon to business and the local economy.
“This area doesn’t have a facility like this,” said Fond du Lac County Executive Allen Buechel. “Fond du Lac County needs this.”
Buechel said the development would boost tourism and bring new people, jobs and opportunities to the area.
Brenda Hicks-Sorensen, Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corporation president, said the $25 million resort and conference center could bring in upward of $11 million in revenue to the region annually.
“I’m excited — it’s been difficult keeping this a secret,” she said.
While the project has been closely guarded, nearby residents have been talking for the last year and a half, said Town of Friendship Chairman Charles McCourt.
Although the site is located in the town of Friendship, it would be annexed to the village of North Fond du Lac before work begins, Village Administrator Chuck Hornung said.
Hornung said most discussions regarding the project were held in closed-session meetings of the Village Board. He said the village would likely create a tax incremental financing (TIF) district to help the project along.
Hornung said the village is working with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to acquire some additional permits. Some environmental analysis has already been done, but more work remains.
“There are some things we are still looking at,” he said.
Town resident John Hounsell said he has heard some discussion of the project and would support it.
“Anything like this would be worth a lot of money to everyone,” he said.
Grace Springborn, who lives about a quarter-mile from the proposed site, said the project “sounds like a good idea.”
“I haven’t heard any objections,” McCourt said. “It would be a benefit.”
Fond du Lac Community Development Director Wayne Rollin said the entire region would benefit from having a conference center.
“Any development of this sort is good for the whole area,” he said. “It’s a great project.”
Buechel said he doesn’t see any drawbacks.
“They’ve done a lot of work making sure this is viable,” he said.
Time will tell but at first glance it sounds good. But as with anything the devil is always in the details.
