Category Archives: Parks

by | April 8, 2026 · 10:23 pm

Earth Week Bingo

Hello fellow South Milwaukeans!

I am so excited to announce a branch of Strong Towns Milwaukee focused on taking care of our community in a much needed way! A group of us came together to form the first (hopefully annual) Earth Week Bingo!

The week will begin on 4/18/2026 and end on 4/26/2026! There are a variety of activities that will we be asking you to do throughout the week if you decide to participate! You can do this individually or with family, friends, or heck a big group! Each bingo will get you entered into a drawing to win from a variety of gift cards from our local businesses. In order to be considered for the drawing, winners must be prepared to show photos. We will also be making an up-cycled ‘trashiest trophy’ with items that you have collected throughout the week! We would love to incorporate a single piece of trash that you find most interesting in the trophy! Bingo card are available here on this post, on a variety of social media platforms, as well as in person at several businesses located throughout our community!

Winners will be announced on May 2nd and prizes will be given out at the next Strong Towns meeting on May 7th at Virtue and Valor! You do not have to be in person at this meeting, however the announced winners will get to choose from a variety of gift cards, whereas if you are not able to make the meeting but win, you may be given a prize at random!

We hope that this is the beginning of a strong and passionate group of people who are interested in caring for our community! Below is the Bingo Card, as well as our first collaborative post with the Friends of Grant Park about the first Grant Park Beach clean up! We are so excited to participate in community in this way and I can’t wait to start seeing pictures of neighbors caring for our community as I know many of you already do!

SoMKE_EarthDayBingoDownload
SM blog post re_ Beach cleanupDownload

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by | April 13, 2016 · 5:30 pm

Now, the Watershed Work Begins

It was a full house at Tuesday’s Oak Creek Watershed kickoff meeting at City Hall, and I want to thank everyone who attended to learn more about what the next two to three years will look like as we embark on this important work.

If you missed it, you can check out the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission presentation here.

Field work begins this summer, with the first of five more stakeholder meetings come up then too. And much, much more to come from there.

Indeed, we’re just getting started. But we’re getting started. And that’s a big deal.

Here are my remarks from last night … I mean every word of them. Let’s roll!

Good evening, and, on behalf of the city, welcome to South Milwaukee and the Oak Creek Watershed.

About 2/3 of our city sits in the watershed, including some of the most public-facing parts of that watershed, from the parkway to the Mill Pond to Grant Park … so, needless to say, we take revitalization and renewal of this resource very seriously. In many ways, our promising future depends on a healthy watershed. That’s why I’m so excited about today.

April 12, 2016. That’s the day we begin cleaning up the Oak Creek watershed for our kids, their kids, and their kids. Generations to come will benefit from what we’re doing here.

Of course, today is just the beginning.

Have a plan, work the plan. It’s the mentality the city has adopted around our ongoing work in updating our comprehensive plan and creating a first-ever downtown plan for South Milwaukee.

And it’s the mentality we’re adopting here.

Have a plan, work the plan. In other words, ensure that a plan is more than the words on a page. Commit to bringing it to life. This plan will give us the information we need to do just that.

Let the journey begin!

I want to close by thanking some of the partners who have made this happen …

  • To Supervisor Jursik for her years of leadership in this area. While we’ll deeply miss her advocacy for the South Shore and the Oak Creek watershed, I am confident her replacement on the board will continue to carry this torch ….
  • Thank you to the Parks Department, Director John Dargle and the county administration for their unwavering support in making this planning process a reality …
  • To leaders from all six municipalities in the 28 square-mile watershed – including Oak Creek, Cudahy, Greenfield, Franklin and Greenfield — who publicly supported this from day one …
  • To MMSD, as strong partners throughout this process. They are deeply committed to promoting clean watersheds across the region, and they are indeed putting their money where their mouth is as the planning project’s lead funding agency … 
  • Thank you to the Fund for Lake Michigan, which has awarded $125,000 in grants in the past year toward this plan and a separate study of watershed water quality …
  • To SEWRPC, which has been part of these discussions from the start. I can’t think of a better organization to do this study … 
  • And, of course, thank you to our local citizen groups, including the Friends of the Mill Pond and Friends of Grant Park, as well as Restore the Lagoon. Without their passion and advocacy, none of this would be possible.

And finally, I want to thank everyone in this room.

My ask: Be part of this process. Be heard. This is your watershed, and everyone here has a stake in being sure it is restored to health and vibrancy once again.

Attend the public meetings. Offer your comments. Help shape the plan. Own the plan. Then, once the plan is approved, join me in getting behind it to drive real change.

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by | April 8, 2016 · 2:15 pm

Take Your Kids Fishing Saturday at the Mill Pond

The Friends of the Mill Pond and Oak Creek are hosting a children’s fishing clinic this Saturday (tomorrow) at the Mill Pond.

Hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with hands-on instruction around knot tying, safe use of fishing equipment and proper techniques.

Families are encouraged to bring their own fishing equipment, although the Friends also have poles available.

Children age 15 and under are welcome, with adult supervision for young children. Pre-registration is not required, so come on by!

Check out the press release about the fishing clinics – being held at 11 Milwaukee County Parks ponds – for more information.

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by | April 7, 2016 · 5:35 pm

Coming Soon: Earth Day Cleanup

Join me in committing to spend an hour or two cleaning up around your neighborhood or in our parks!

Earth Day flyer 3-31

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by | February 25, 2016 · 5:30 pm

February Golf!?

Why not?

With temperatures in the 50s expected, Grant Park is open for walkers only starting on Friday. Think spring!

Learn more here.

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by | December 30, 2015 · 11:40 am

Here’s One Fun And Frigid Way To Welcome The New Year

pbd-logo-2016

It’s South Milwaukee’s version of the Polar Plunge.

From the Polar Bear Dash 5K website …

START YOUR NEW YEAR OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT. And then the left! The Polar Bear Dash is a 5k race on New Year’s Day at beautiful Grant Park in South Milwaukee. What sets this race apart from any other 5k race you have done: an optional polar dip into Lake Michigan at the end of the race. There will be a special award to the first few runners who take the dare into the lake immediately after the race.

Of course, the South Milwaukee Fire Department will be on hand to make sure all goes well with the lake plunge. Here is video from their work last year. It looks like it will be another cold one on Friday — high of 22 degrees.

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by | December 22, 2015 · 6:00 pm

Beech Street Bridge Put In Place

IMG_2148 IMG_2149 IMG_2147

Good news for students, dog walkers, bikers and runners: The Beech Street foot bridge over Oak Creek was put in place on Monday.

According to Milwaukee County, “Work is progressing on the approaches today (Tuesday, Dec. 22).  The bridge is usable but still hard to get to without the approaches. … The bridge should be safely usable by Thursday.”

Paving the approaches and turf restoration will not occur until the spring.

Thanks to the Parks Department for their work in getting this done before Christmas, and to County Supervisor Pat Jursik for leading the charge to get this built as quickly as it is.

This bridge will stand the test of time, and it’s great to see the county’s continued investment in our parks and parkways.

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by | November 18, 2015 · 8:00 pm

Milwaukee Public Museum BioBlitz Coming To Grant Park

One more cool event happening at the park …

From South Shore Supervisor Pat Jursik’s new e-newsletter:

A BioBlitz is a scientific “race”– a 24-hour species count by a team of scientists and surveyors that produces scientifically valid data, as well as interesting discoveries and public education about the biodiversity that exists in an urban setting. You can read and hear two WUWM stories about Milwaukee’s first-ever BioBlitz here and here. The first BioBlitz (run by MPM at Schlitz Audubon Center) counted 820 species in 24 hours, identified several Federal or State-listed endangered species that Audubon didn’t know it had onsite, as well as discovered an invasive Asian worm that could, if left unchecked, devastate the Audubon Center’s landscape.

The Grant Park BioBlitz will take place June 10-11, 2016 and the public will be welcomed to base camp from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturday to meet the scientists, participate in activities with MPM educators, and watch the action. Grant Park was specifically selected because of the variety of landscapes and habitats it holds. More information forthcoming.

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by | November 4, 2015 · 8:00 am

Update: Beech Street Bridge Expected To Reopen Before Christmas

Beech Street bridge

Milwaukee County has provided an update on the Beech Street pedestrian bridge, which was removed this spring after officials deemed it unsafe.

The headline: The bridge over Oak Creek is excepted to reopen the week of December 21, about a month behind schedule.

Here is a quick rundown of expected activities in the next six weeks, provided by the county …

  • Caisson and abutment contractor mobilize: Week of Nov. 9
  • Bridge shop drawings from bridge supplier: Nov. 11
  • Review and approve shop drawings (assumes no resubmittal needed): Nov 13
  • Caisson and abutment construction complete: Dec. 4
  • Complete grading for bridge approaches (crushed stone surface):  Week of Dec. 7
  • Current bridge delivery schedule: Dec. 18
  • Set bridge: Week of Dec. 21 (bridge open for use)
  • Pave asphalt approaches: Spring 2016

I thank the county for their continued work on this, and I appreciate your patience. With funding approved on July 16, I am glad to see work will still be substantially complete before the dead of winter sets in. This is an important connection for a number of residents and our schools, as well as recreational users of the Oak Creek Parkway, me included.

The good news: Once this is done, we should have a bridge built for the long term, another in a line of significant recent investments in the Oak Creek watershed and our local parks.

I think it will be well worth the wait.

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by | October 8, 2015 · 8:00 am

Oak Creek Cleanup Set For Saturday

Blue heron

Join the Friends of the Mill Pond and Oak Creek Watercourse for their fall cleanup this Saturday, from 8 a.m. to noon.

Here are details from the group …

Meet in South Milwaukee High School parking lot, North end. 

We will provide safety vests, water, bags and vinyl gloves.

Lunch will be provided after the cleanup at the Warming House.

Targeted area is from North Chicago west to Nicholson Avenue

Please bring boots [if you have them] and your enthusiasm!

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY!

For more information, please visit our website: www.smfomp.org

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by | August 17, 2015 · 10:40 pm

Beech Street Bridge Reopening By November 15

With the start of school fast approaching, the Beech Street foot bridge over Oak Creek has been on many minds of late.

Here is the latest update from Milwaukee County: The bridge, removed in May because it was deemed unsafe, is expected to be rebuilt and reopened for foot traffic by Nov. 15.

I appreciate the Parks Department tackling this project before the snow flies, and while I initially hoped for completion in time for the start of school, I quickly realized this was unrealistic. Four months for planning, designing and building a significant project like this – one that will stand the test of time as a key connection between the northwest side of town and school campuses — is very reasonable.

Of course, it’s unlikely this would be done at all in 2015 without Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik, who successfully pushed for emergency funding in a resolution approved by the county board in June. So we should all thank Pat for driving that – and thank her and the administration for all of the investments happening in South Milwaukee’s parks this year and beyond.

The best part: Things are just getting started.

With more than 20% of our land mass comprised of parks, enhancing these public spaces is critical for our city. Those enhancements are clearly happening, and will continue to happen if we all work together toward a more promising future for our public spaces. 

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by | July 1, 2015 · 9:25 pm

Beach Food: Limited Opening For Ferch’s This Week

Ferch logoJust in time for the holiday weekend … some good news for Grant Park, and South Milwaukee.

The owners of Ferch’s Beachside tell me they plan to open Friday with a temporary menu of hot, dogs, brats, beer, soda and water, as buildout of their beach concession space continues.

For now, until they are open with a full menu in a fully renovated new space, days of operation will include weekends and volleyball league nights (Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays), with hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Let’s welcome Ferch’s to town … and be patient for their more formal opening (with burgers, custard, etc.) later this summer.

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by | June 27, 2015 · 7:25 pm

Grant Park Updates: Oak Leaf Trail, Last Call For Beer Garden

Beer garden

A couple quick updates on the ongoing work in Grant Park …

  • First, I’m told repaving and widening work on the Oak Leaf Trail through the park is expected to start around July 13. It will begin near the golf course clubhouse and work north, with a completion date around August 20. The park drive may be closed for a short period during tree removal. This is a significant project that is long overdue — and just one of a number of upgrades planned along the Oak Leaf Trail and other trails throughout the region. Learn more here and here.
  • The traveling beer garden at Picnic Area 5 ends Sunday night. Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with last call at 9. It’s been a big success, by all accounts, and sales are very strong. Now let’s work on bringing it back in 2016!

More to come in the park this summer, as Ferch’s Beachside continues to work toward its opening … stay tuned.

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by | June 25, 2015 · 7:12 pm

Emergency Repair: County Board Backs Bridge Funding

Beech Street bridge

Good news for South Milwaukee from the Milwaukee County Board today, as supervisors overwhelmingly passed a measure to spend $200,000 in emergency funding for reconstruction of the Beech Street foot bridge over Oak Creek.

Here is the press release from County Supervisor Patricia Jursik, who drove this effort.

I thank Pat for her hard work on this, and for all who voted for this important piece of legislation for South Milwaukee. This foot bridge is a vital connection between our middle and high schools and the northwest side of town.

From all the upgrades under way at Grant Park to investments in Grobschmidt Pool to the continued partnership around an Oak Creek watershed restoration study, the county continues to make an investment in South Milwaukee.

I am very appreciative to see this project added to the list, and was happy to get behind this effort.

I will keep you posted on timelines for replacement. The hope: We have a new bridge in place in time for the start of the new school year.

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by | June 15, 2015 · 10:59 pm

Mobile Beer Garden Opens Wednesday!

Beer garden 2

Beer garden 1 Beer garden 3

The 2015 Milwaukee County Parks Traveling Beer Garden tour makes a stop in South Milwaukee and Grant Park starting Wednesday.

Join me at 4 p.m. for a ceremonial keg tapping at Picnic Areas 5-6. The garden is then open to 10 p.m., with last call at 9.

The garden will appear at Grant Park through June 28.

Check out hours and more information here. From the parks …

Each of the stops on the 16-week tour features craft beer, gourmet sodas, Hard Root Beer, Hard Ginger Beer, and other refreshments from Sprecher Brewing. Authentic German food is available from Sprecher’s Restaurant & Pub. The Traveling Beer Garden™ is run by Milwaukee County Parks concessions staff. All revenue collected goes back into improving the parks across Milwaukee County.

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