Lake Geneva has landed a $5 million pledge from an anonymous donor to help fully build out Hillmoor Park, the sprawling former golf course along the White River that the city has been eyeing as its next big public space. The catch: the gift is a matching grant, meaning the city still has to raise its own $5 million before it can unlock the donor's money.
The Lake Geneva City Council voted 7-2 to accept the donation, according to TMJ4 News. City officials have said Lake Geneva doesn't have the budget to complete the Hillmoor overhaul on its own, which is why the matching structure matters so much to the project's future. Mayor Todd Krause called the donation “beyond belief,” and said the city had discussed specifics like new trails and relocating the park's dog park directly with the donor.
Not everyone on the council was ready to celebrate. Alder Joel Hoiland, who lives next to Hillmoor and represents the neighborhood on the council, opposed accepting the donation. He argued the city should pause and fully understand what it was taking on, pointing specifically to the fact that the donor's identity remains unknown.
Supporters See a Long-Awaited Win for Families
Other council members framed the gift as validation of work that's already underway. Alder Cathy Stoodley said the donation was a win for residents who've spent the past year and a half participating in planning sessions and surveys for the park. Lake Geneva resident Tammy Schoeppe echoed that sentiment, telling officials she saw the donation as a win for the city's families.
Schoeppe said Lake Geneva lacks playgrounds outside of its schools, and that a playground at Hillmoor would give local kids somewhere new to play. The park's footprint already includes a dog park, and the whole property sits beside the White River — a setting city officials have said they want to turn into a feature attraction, per earlier reporting from tmj4.com on resident first looks at the Hillmoor renovation concepts.
What's Actually Planned for the Former Golf Course
The vision for Hillmoor includes a splash pad, an amphitheater, a playground, a trail running along the White River, and a brand-new dog park to replace the existing one, the station's report on the park's amenities notes. Parks Director David Winger has said the city hopes 2027 will be a big year for construction, with earlier reporting indicating Hillmoor construction could start as soon as next year.
Winger has said the initial phase of work will focus on projects already funded through a Knowles-Nelson grant, along with maintaining the park's popular disc golf course in the meantime. The city is also planning to launch the Lake Geneva Parks Foundation, a vehicle meant to let future donors contribute to Hillmoor and other park projects going forward, according to the same account.
A Separate, Smaller Price Tag From the Hillmoor Commission
Apart from the donor pledge, the Hillmoor Commission has separately recommended a $1.47 million, three-year capital package for the council to consider, according to citizenportal.ai. That reduced request keeps completing the park's Southern Main Loop and relocating the dog park as top near-term priorities, while pushing some native planting and restoration work back to 2030. It remains unclear whether that $1.47 million figure, the $5 million matching grant, and an earlier low-confidence $22 million concept estimate all refer to the same scope of work.
City officials have also said they have a plan to pay for items on the park's wishlist without affecting taxpayers, though the details of that plan have not been fully spelled out. Separately, Lake Geneva News reports the city is considering a nonprofit parks foundation to help fund Hillmoor and other projects, and that an ecological restoration plan is being developed for the Hillmoor property itself.
Other Park Projects in the Pipeline
Hillmoor isn't the only park on Lake Geneva's radar. Proposed improvements at Harold A. Fritz Veterans Park include a splash pad, a beer garden, and updated baseball and softball fields, per Lake Geneva News. Meanwhile, the Geneva Lakes Family YMCA has decided to focus on acquiring property near Highway 120 and Townline Road for a new campus rather than pursuing land at Hillmoor, according to the same outlet.
For now, the city's next move is raising its own $5 million to match the donor's pledge — a process that will determine how much of the splash pad, amphitheater and riverside trail vision actually gets built, and when.
