Proposed recreation trail named for Pat Peckham. Image courtesy: City of Wausau
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) — Wausau’s Parks and Recreation Committee has approved naming a section of the Riverfront Trail after the late Pat Peckham.
City and County Parks, Recreation, and Forestry Director Jamie Polley says it’s a fitting tribute to a man who spent his late years serving his district and promoting outdoor recreation. “In my experience, he was a wonderful man who was very involved in the city [who] cared about his constituents and making Wausau better.”
Polley says his love for bicycling and outdoor recreation makes the name even more appropriate. “He was on his bike everywhere he went and he got people out biking. He enjoyed the outdoors and encouraged others to do so.”
Alder Tom Neal, who often served on the Parks and Rec committee with Peckham, said the name “Peckham Way” represents a play on words that Pat himself would have appreciated. “To reflect on the way he approached life and his duty as an Alder. [He was a] gentleman, that was his way. So I thought the word ‘Way’ was good, it’s also a pun- if you will. Which, he would probably like too.”
Peckham was a news reporter in Wausau until his retirement in 2015. However, he didn’t stay out of the public eye long. He served multiple terms as District 1 Alder on the Wausau City Council before stepping down in 2022.
He was diagnosed with cancer late in his term, attending meetings remotely for the last few months. He died in the spring of 2024.
Former Wausau Mayors Katie Rosenberg and Robert Mielke submitted letters supporting the idea. Rosenberg’s letter, obtained by WSAU News ahead of Monday’s vote, read in part “Pat spent hours working specifically on Wausau’s Parks and Recreation Committee because he was at his core, an environmentalist and an outdoor enthusiast. He supported science-based policymaking and testing, he listened to and became an ardent public transit advocate, and he wanted to see the city that became his home grow and thrive through the arts, vibrant public spaces, investment in renewable resources, and protection of the commons.
“And if you added up the miles he biked as a commuter and as a spandex-wearing member of the Wausau Wheelers, I’m positive to you would at least get to the moon – and you might even get back,” added Rosenberg.
Rosenberg also served Wausau’s first district on the Marathon County Board. She and Peckham often held listening sessions with District 1 residents to hear their concerns and ideas about the issues facing them.
“It’s a great way to remember Pat Peckham and his contributions to our community,” added Council President Lisa Rasmussen before moving to approve the name.
The proposal will go to the full council for approval later this month. The committee also voted to name the Amphitheater at Stewart Park in honor of Madam Waltraud Karkar, who founded the Central Wisconsin School of Balet. She also led a fundraising effort to restore the park in the 80s and 90s. Karkar died in 2024.
Peckham Way will encompass the latest extension of the Riverfront Trail, running from Thomas Street to Adolph Street. The section was paved last summer and will be completed this summer with lights and other fixtures. A ribbon cutting will be held later this summer.
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