Plymouth revitalizing a community favorite: Nutt Hill

Jun 10, 2023

By Barry Johanson | on May 26, 2023

Nutt Hill ski area has a rich history and a special place in the hearts of many who live in and around Plymouth. Winter enthusiasts enjoyed the city park area with a tow rope, snowmaking equipment, and lights for night skiing for years. Over time, resources were no longer available to manage the site, and Nutt Hill wasn't maintained.

A small group of Plymouth community members formed a non-profit organization to provide affordable winter recreational activities that facilitate skill development, healthy lifestyle and improve life experiences for present and future generations of residents throughout East Central Wisconsin. The non-profit organization Cheese Capital Winter Park plans to lease the land from the City of Plymouth and raise capital funds to significantly improve the infrastructure, facilities, and property to support tubing, skiing, and snowboarding. Once operational, it will be open from November until March, depending upon the weather.

Community members had the opportunity to attend three open house events in the spring of 2023, where they could learn about the proposed plans and share their input and suggestions. The open houses provided insights into the snowmaking and hill grooming equipment that will make it possible to have 5+ tubing runs and two ski runs. They also learned about the many steps the group has taken, including a community interest survey, consulting with ski hill experts, and working with the local city organizations and committees.

"The open houses were designed to gain input on the proposed plans. Community members identified issues and concerns that are being incorporated into the design or being addressed with mitigating action," said Joe Van Derven, president of Cheese Capital Winter Park. "We are working to understand better how to fix the drainage concerns so residents at the bottom of the hill don't experience flooding on their property. We also moved the planned location of the Magic Carpet to accommodate adjacent property owner's concerns over aesthetics.".

Initially, the group hoped for the revitalized Nutt Hill to be operational in the winter of 2024-2025. However, given the significant capital investment, the winter of 2025-2026 is more realistic.

To learn more about plans, progress, and next steps, follow Nutt Hill – Plymouth, WI on Facebook or contact [email protected]

Plymouth could not have chosen a better leader than Joe VanDerven for this project. He has the energy, the vision, and the enthusiasm for winter fun to revitalize Nutt Hill.

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