Trustees Rethink Farnsworth Memorial in Buckley Park

After hearing concern from several residents, Whitefish Bay trustees decided to hold off on a proposed 16-foot-4-inch wide stone seating area in Buckley Park.

The stone seating circle was proposed by the family of the late Geoffrey Farnsworth, who was a history teacher and cross country coach at Whitefish Bay Middle School. The Farnsworth family has proposed to pay the construction and maintenance costs for the structure, but it would be owned by the village.

Farnsworth, who lived in Whitefish Bay for 12 years with his wife Kelley and their three children, died in July at the age of 40 after a battle with colon cancer.

Trustee Kevin Buckley said he has struggled with the idea of the "council ring," as it is known, ever since it was first proposed at a village board meeting earlier this month.

"It's a nice gift, but at the same time, we don't have an infinite amount of green space," he said.

Several residents, including Lake Drive resident George Svoboda, came to share their concerns about the proposal. As a neighbor to the park, he said he and his wife would much rather preserve the open space for recreation.

"I do not feel that cutting that space in half would make it useful for all of the activities that our residents and their guests use it for now," he said.

Palisades Road resident Robert Crawford said Farnsworth deserves recognition in some form, but trustees should stay focused on preserving the green space. He said the existing park benches are usually open, so he doesn't think there is much demand for another structure in the park across the street from his house.

"There might be one or two times a year when all four benches are filled," Crawford said.

Trustee Richard Foster said he liked the proposal and the idea behind it, and said he did not think it would take up too much green space.

Trustees agreed they appreciate the Farnsworth family's generosity in making the offer, but they asked Village Manager Patrick DeGrave to talk with the Farnsworth family and determine if they are open to building a structure in another location or find another way to remember Farnsworth, such as creating a foundation or a park maintenance program in his name.