Oshkosh City Council approves funding for Menominee Park Train

OSHKOSH, Wis. (WBAY) - The Menominee Park Train has not been taken off the tracks just yet.

The Oshkosh City Council approved $50,000 to help fix the train and order new materials to help keep a community-favorite attraction up and running.

Back in October of 2024, the city decided to leave the Menominee Park Train out of their 2025 budget.

As one of the longest-standing attractions at Menominee Park in Oshkosh, the Menominee Express faced permanent closure as operating hours declined, and technical issues persisted for the 70-year-old train engine.

Through an emotional response from the community and the ability to use ARPA interest funding, the city council voted to keep the Menominee Express... chugging.

“I think the Menominee train is something that’s uniquely Oshkosh. It’s something that’s worth saving,” Joe Stephenson, an Oshkosh City Council member said.

Even in the approval, the mayor stood as the only vote against providing funding for the train.

He says he wants to see it running in the summer but would not be able to support it financially without a long-term plan.

“This is a partial solution, and I’m not into half measures. If I had something in front of me that said ‘Here’s not only how we’re going to repair it, here’s how we’re also going to fund it’, that’s a different story for me. This is only to pay for repairs and that doesn’t solve the problems that we had,” Matt Mugerauer, the Oshkosh Mayor said.

Other board members echoed these concerns, but they say this decision helps grow their relationship with the people they serve.

“I think this is a great example of a decision was made here, or at budget, the general public said they didn’t like that decision and we listened and now we’re willing to change it, and I think that speaks volumes. I think everyone needs to know that can happen,” Kris Larson, an Oshkosh City Council member said.

“In a scheme of millions of dollars that we go through over the course of a year, 50,000 dollars to provide for families to go and have some fun is certainly something we can do,” Paul Esslinger, an Oshkosh City Council member said.

Beyond Tuesday’s approval, an 18-year-old from Oshkosh started a GoFundMe in an effort to help keep the train open.

Adrea Matulle was surprised to learn she helped raise nearly $3,000 towards a ride she says she remembers enjoying every summer as a kid.

“I do agree with a few things that were stated, the long term goals in that and I do think we need to figure out a long-term schedule and how it’s all going to play out in the long run, as long as we got the train going, and we’re getting it started, I think it’s worth putting effort into,” Matulle said.

As they are now preparing for another summer on the tracks, parks director, Ray Maurer, says the next big step for the train is hiring staff to work the attraction.

He says seasonal positions to help run the train this summer will be posted to the city’s website as early as next week.