Common Council Meeting - March 17, 2025: Ferris Wheel Lease Agreement Denied
Common Council Meeting - March 17, 2025
The Common Council met on March 17, 2025, to discuss and vote on a proposed lease agreement for a 72-foot Ferris wheel in Houdini Plaza, submitted by Fun in Appleton, Inc. The proposal included an $800,000 cost, a $6,000 annual lease fee for five years, and a 10% share of proceeds for the city. After public comments and council deliberation, the motion to approve the lease failed, and the agreement was denied.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Alan Fun (President/CEO of Fun in Appleton): Expressed full support for the project, describing it as transformative for Appleton's downtown. He noted the 72-foot height, $800,000 cost, and offered a 10% revenue share to the city. He also referenced previous rejected ideas (e.g., dolphin enclosure, zip lines, goats).
- Tony Lame (Resident): Opposed the project, calling it too expensive, a safety hazard (death trap, bird strikes), and disruptive to his quiet community. He dismissed tourism benefits and preferred less growth.
- Tom Wyland: Opposed the Ferris wheel but suggested a roller coaster instead, starting from the Zilkie building.
- Fiona Kisembo (70-year-old resident): Opposed due to noise, traffic, loss of public space, and minimal lease revenue for the city. Advised considering alternative locations.
- Jessica Hesley: Neutral, but asked whether Fun in Appleton had studied similar projects in other cities and consulted with local businesses/residents about noise and light pollution.
Discussion Items
- Council members raised several concerns:
- Alder Meltzer: Questioned air quality and emissions from the device, as well as noise, light pollution, and loss of public space.
- Alder Van Zieland: Noted the Parks and Recreation Committee had recommended approval. Expressed concerns about community engagement, impact on existing events (farmers market, Mile of Music, Trout Museum), insurance costs, operational expenses, and limited seasonal usage (4-5 months).
- Alder Smith: Added traffic safety concerns on College Avenue due to distractions.
- Alder Doran: Questioned whether the wheel would sit derelict in off-months and doubted revenue generation.
- Alder Fercus: Humorously linked Ferris wheels to serial killers at the 1893 World's Fair.
- Alder Hayden: Initially supportive but later changed stance due to potential disruption of Mile of Music and mobility issues for residents.
- Alder Jones: Objected that the wheel would block pedestrian access, including wheelchair routes, and obstruct the Trout Museum entrance and farmers market.
- Alder Elfheim: Supported the temporary installation as a boost to Appleton's reputation and a benefit for students.
Key Outcomes
- The motion to approve the lease agreement for the Ferris wheel in Houdini Plaza failed (appears to have been defeated by a majority vote; one alderperson abstained due to a potential conflict of interest).
- The lease agreement was denied.
- The meeting adjourned without further business.
Meeting Transcript
So those are some of the bigger things we do. Um for tonight's activity, we're going to need some volunteers. Um everybody's willing to to do a little role playing. Cammy's gonna roll play. Um is the mayor's role presiding over council. I'm gonna be role playing as my boss sitting in the big chair doing that. Um we're looking for uh a good number of people that be alder persons. We limited to fifteen. So um think about if that's what you want to do, and then um Mr. Fawn, I think you guys all receive some of the materials ahead of time. Mr. Fawn will be here to speak. Um, and then hopefully some other uh public participation will want to uh speak for or against or just talk about the the wisdom behind this to try to convince the older persons on how they should vote. So do we have volunteers to be on the common council? Okay, well, I would say come grab a seat. Uh just heard of a person. Okay, public participants. So people that are attending the common council meeting. Um as you saw in the material. Uh mammals. Uh so I think I'll gather them up here, or maybe over here. Feel free to take one. Yeah, I walked my stone. Uh there. Do you want your mic on? How are my mouses over here? Which one? Is this it right there? No. Oh, well. That's okay out. Okay. See with the invocation. And since no one has signed up to give the invocation this evening, we'll just have a moment of silent reflection. So please join me. Oh, we got we got one at a mover. We just need a seconder. Did you guys join the meeting or get the prompt to join the meeting? Don't laugh about it. Perfect. Okay, so we have a motion and a second to approve. Is there any discussion on the minutes? Not seeing any. Okay, let's go ahead and cast your vote. So you should have the option pop up to vote to approve the minutes. Everyone's in. Okay, and that passes ten to zero. Now we're on to business presented by the mayor. There is no business this evening. And now we come to a time of public participation.
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