Across parks, infrastructure, civic facilities, and downtown redevelopment, the initiatives in Osceola can come together (with additional planning) as a connected public wealth system rather than a set of isolated projects and assets. Together, they strengthen the community’s physical, social, and economic foundations in a coordinated way.
Natural assets like Cascade Falls, Wilke Glen, Oakey Park, and Osceola Landing anchor the system—providing shared spaces that support recreation, tourism, health, and environmental stewardship.
These places are intentionally linked to downtown, civic buildings, and neighborhoods through improved roads, sidewalks, trails, and the Highway 243 bridge, turning mobility infrastructure into a connector of people, places, and economic activity.
The library and village facilities (previously named the Discovery Center) form a civic core that concentrates public services, reinforces civic identity, and maximizes the return on public investment. Nearby, mixed-use housing and commercial redevelopment transforms underutilized land into long-term value-producing assets, increasing housing supply, supporting local businesses, and strengthening the tax base.
Connected Community
Osceola Landing => New Bridge => Cascade Falls => Downtown => Library, Park & Civic Buildings
From a public wealth perspective, this approach:
Protects and enhances core public assets (land, infrastructure, civic buildings)
Reduces long-term public costs and risks through modernization and lifecycle planning
Leverages public investment to unlock private value (housing, commerce, tourism)
Builds social capital by creating accessible, shared spaces that connect residents
Together, these initiatives demonstrate how intentional coordination of public assets over time creates a resilient, connected community—one where public investments compound in value and deliver lasting economic, social, and quality-of-life returns.
Key Initiatives:
Cascade Falls and Wilke Glen
Discovery Center (renamed-- Osceola Public Library, Village Hall, Senior Center)
New Bridge - Hwy 243
New Commercial and Apartments (Osceola Bluffs Project)
Osceola Landing
Ridge Road Re-Route
Oakey Park
Sport Court, Playground, and Public Trail
Schillberg Park
Other Assets (nonprofits)
Standing Cedars Community Land Conservancy
The Acreage
Cascade Falls and Wilke Glen
Cascade Falls and Wilke Glen provide one of Wisconsin’s most unique downtown natural settings.
The Village of Osceola received a $710,347 grant match through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for improvements at Cascade Falls. The DNR grant was directly associated to funding from the Knowles-Nelson local assistance category (often referred to as Local Parks or Urban Rivers), which is designed to help communities improve public access to rivers, parks, and natural features.
What Improvements Are Planned?
The project focuses on enhancing visitor access and environmental sustainability:
New stairway construction: A wider, more accessible stairway is planned on the south side of the Cascade overpass (overpass adjacent to downtown), with fewer switchbacks to make it easier and safer for visitors to walk down to the waterfall.
Better trail access: Improvements aim to formalize and enhance the trail access between downtown Osceola, Wilke Glen, and the falls, helping to improve circulation while protecting sensitive natural areas.
Environmental protection: The design emphasizes protecting the unique vegetation, creek corridor, and overall ecological integrity of the Wilke Glen area while supporting recreation.
Project Timing
Construction and improvement work is expected to begin in 2025 thanks to the DNR grant support.
Initial Phased Proposal: As of February 2024
Phase 1: Upper Falls / Gristmill Park Overlook and Trail System
The preliminary conceptual design for Phase I encompasses the upper falls area of Cascade Falls Park. This section includes key features such as the Gristmill Park area, an overlook on South Cascade Street, a stairway leading to the lower park, the pedestrian bridge across Osceola Creek, and surrounding sidewalks.
Phase 2: Lower Falls / Wilke Glen Pedestrian Bridge and Trail System
The Concept design for Phase II will specifically target the lower area of Cascade Falls, known as Wilke Glen. Currently, this region features wooded boardwalks and a pedestrian bridge spanning Osceola Creek, followed by a dirt trail leading to the western boundary of Phase II. TII.
Phase 3: Lower Falls / Wilke Glen Property Access / Acquisition
The Concept design for Phase III will concentrate on the privately owned parcel situated between Phase II and the St. Croix River.
Additional research is underway on overall project cost, current project scope, timing, and updates on future funding sources given the Knowles-Nelson stalemate.
Discovery Center (renamed-- Osceola Public Library, Village Hall, Senior Center)
The “Discovery Center” is Osceola’s multi-purpose municipal building that consolidates key civic services in one place— it is a two-story, roughly ~28,000–30,000 sq. ft. facility.
What’s in the building (Library, Police, Village Hall, Senior Center)
Osceola Public Library services and public areas
Police Department with security-focused layout elements (secure entry, interview rooms, evidence processing/storage, etc.).
Village Hall / Town administration offices plus public meeting rooms like a board room / training room.
Senior Center
How the building was funded (what’s documented publicly)
Federal grant (CDBG): $489,000
Total project cost: reported differently by different project sources
SEH describes “the result” as an $8 million newly constructed building housing the library, police, and village functions.
Henneman Engineering lists a $5,000,000 total construction budget for the Discovery Center project on its site.
Village issued General Obligation (GO) debt of $4.47 million in 2019 and $1.5 million in 2020 for facilities/financing of capital project.
Based on audited financial statements and board meeting notes, it appears funding for the fire station and remodel was also included within the overall financing package
Mill Pond Learning Fund (MPLF) provided funds for the project as well as other donors
Henneman Engineering Inc. - Osceola Discovery Center
SEH - Osceola Discovery Center
Additional research is underway on overall project cost and funding sources.
New Bridge
Design & Features:
After evaluating several alternatives, the project team selected a replacement at the existing location as the preferred alignment.
The new bridge design will include improved pedestrian and bicycle connectivity, addressing the narrow or absent shoulders on the current structure.
The project also includes reconstructing about 0.5 miles of Hwy 243 roadway connected to the bridge, and adding stormwater management improvements.
Project Timing:
The project is in the final design and approval phase, with bridge construction expected to begin in spring 2027.
During construction, the existing bridge is expected to close for a significant period (likely from **spring 2027 until late 2028), with traffic detoured via nearby highways (such as Hwy 8 or Hwy 36).
The new bridge opening is currently anticipated in fall 2028.
https://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/hwy243osceola/
Osceola Bluffs Project (New Commercial and Apartments)
New Mixed-Use Development
The hospital site is being redeveloped as a mixed-use building with apartments and commercial space, often referred to locally as the Osceola Bluffs project:
Note: Rendering of Osceola Bluffs Mixed Use Development
Residential Component
Approximately 99 apartment units are planned on the site of the former hospital.
The building is planned as three to four stories tall, with apartments above and commercial space at ground level.
Commercial Component
The ground floor is expected to include commercial/retail space, which can support:
Shops
Restaurants/cafés
Service businesses(Exact tenants are not yet public.)
Project Timeline
2025: DNR clearance for demolition; teardown of the hospital begins.
2026: Planned start of construction on the new mixed-use building (subject to permitting/financing).
2027: Targeted occupancy date (as projected by local officials and developer plans).
Osceola Landing
Osceola Landing is one of the busiest public access points on the St. Croix River’s National Scenic Riverway, serving both motorized boats and non-motorized watercraft (canoes/kayaks/paddlecraft). It’s a major take-out and launch area for recreational river trips between Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Osceola Landing improvements are a multi-phase effort led by the National Park Service to modernize and enhance one of the most heavily used river access points on the St. Croix River.
Phase 1 (completed-- approx. $3.3 million): new motorized launch, parking upgrades, restrooms, paths.
Phase 2 (planned-- no estimate available): further parking reconfiguration, new concrete launches, improved stairs and access to river, tied to the bridge replacement timeline.
Ridge Road
Local community reports indicate that there’s road work and a new sidewalk being constructed behind the Osceola Kwik Trip location, tied to planned improvements in traffic flow and pedestrian connectivity:
Ridge Road will be re-routed in 2026, with a new alignment shown on local planning posts.
A new sidewalk is being installed as part of that reconfiguration, improving walking access in that area.
This appears to be part of a village effort to enhance pedestrian safety and circulation around the commercial node near Highway 35 and County M/Ridge Road, including the Kwik Trip intersection area.
Oakey Park
Oakey Park is Osceola’s primary community park and fairgrounds, serving as a year-round hub for recreation, events, and civic life. Located near downtown, it combines large open spaces with purpose-built facilities that support both daily use and major regional gatherings.
Local tradition and naming strongly indicate the land was donated by members of the Oakey family, an early Osceola-area family whose name the park still carries. The donation was private land given for public use, specifically to support community gatherings and the local fair. What is clear and well supported is that Oakey Park did not begin as a municipally purchased park, but rather as a gift of land for public benefit, later stewarded by the Village.
Recent Enhancements:
Skatepark - the project was led by the Osceola Skatepark Committee, a volunteer group formed specifically to bring the skatepark to Osceola. These funds covered design and construction of the concrete skatepark itself.
Approximately $170,000 was raised through:
Individual donations
Local business sponsorships
Fundraising events
Private and philanthropic gifts
Fair Building - The building was funded entirely through fundraising and charitable donations — no Village money was used for its construction.
New Grandstand (as noted in 2045 Plan) - TBD
Sport Court, Playgound, and Public Fitness Trail
The following amenities also provide outdoor activity options for families, fitness enthusiasts, and community members.
Sue-Ville Playground (Osceola Medical Center)
Royal Credit Union Sport Court
Jeff Meyer Public Fitness Trail
Schillberg Park
Schillberg Park is a community recreational park in Osceola featuring trails, open green space, and natural scenery. It includes access to the Brookside Trail, a multi-use path that runs through wooded areas and along a stream, popular for hiking, biking, and winter fat-biking or snowshoeing. In 1993, John Schillberg — a long-time Osceola resident and local landowner — gifted a portion of his land to the Village of Osceola so it could be used as a public park. Prior to that, the land had been used as Brookside Campground.
Other Local Assets (nonprofits)
Standing Cedars Community Land Conservancy is a local nonprofit land trust dedicated to protecting land and natural habitats along the Lower St. Croix River Valley. It was founded in 1994 and is community-based and volunteer-driven. The Conservancy has permanently protected over 1,700 acres of land, with more than 1,500 acres open to the public for recreation such as hiking, birding, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing.
The Acreage (nonprofit) is a nature-focused campus and conservation site located on about 360 acres on the eastern bank of the St. Croix River near Osceola, WI. The Acreage hosts a variety of public events, educational programs, ecological workshops, art exhibits, and nature-based experiences, often in partnership with local and regional organizations such as Wild Rivers Conservancy and pollinator initiatives.
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