Category Archives: Parks

July 3, 2014 · 5:11 pm

Join Us For A Fun 4th!

Looking forward to seeing folks at the new-and-improved July 4th celebration at Grant Park tomorrow …

See the full schedule and more information here and here.

The day starts around 10 a.m. with the bike judging and continues with games, the penny scramble, bouncy houses, and the Mayor’s Picnic (free lunch for all attendees) — ending with fireworks around 9:30 p.m.

Thanks again to our sponsors:

  • TASC Services, which has donated to make the free the lunch happen;
  • Max A. Sass Funeral & Cremation Services, which is supporting the bouncy houses; and
  • Emerald City Catering, which is serving the lunch and offering food and drink sales all day down at Picnic Areas 5 and 6.

P.J.’s Variety Store will also be there selling candy, and there will be free temporary tattoos for the kids, courtesy of the South Milwaukee Rec Department. And we’ll have DJ music throughout much of the day.

It should be a fun time, with great weather. I hope you can make it!

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June 4, 2014 · 10:20 pm

Volleyball Returns To Grant Park — And That’s Just The Start

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This photo is from the Grant Park Beach Facebook page.

Yes, there’s new life at the beach this summer, with four new volleyball courts now up and plans for the reopening of the concession stand, rentals and more. Volleyball leagues are forming now. Register here.

Stay tuned for more information — I promise, it’s really good stuff, for both Grant Park and the entire City of South Milwaukee.

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March 17, 2014 · 11:31 am

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

20140315_194508_resizedHere is  a shot from Saturday’s Pullin’ o’ the Green event at the Grant Park clubhouse. Lots of fun, and some great Irish food and music.

Thanks to the Friends of Grant Park and all the important work they do in enhancing the experience at the county’s second-largest park. They are all volunteers, and we should thank them for their efforts.

Learn more about how to get involved at their website.

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February 5, 2014 · 9:59 pm

Ferch’s To Grant Park Beach?

Downtown Greendale is terrific — and one of the must-stops, at least for the Brooks family, is Ferch’s Malt Shoppe & Grille.

Now comes word that the owner is looking at opening a seasonal location at Grant Park beach. That’s according to the Milwaukee Business Journal, which also has more information on the restaurant’s desire to expand in Greendale.

Let’s hope this comes to pass … I’ll keep you posted.

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January 27, 2014 · 2:21 pm

Lakeshore Park Meeting Cancelled

Tuesday evening’s public information meeting on the proposed South Milwaukee lakeshore park has been cancelled due to the cold.

I’ll let you know on a new date.

Learn more about the project here.

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January 15, 2014 · 8:48 am

Information Meeting Set On South Milwaukee Lakeshore Park Plan

Update: Here are the concepts that will be shown.

One of the public works projects I’m most excited about in South Milwaukee is development of the 18 acres of lakefront land along 5th Avenue near Marina Road.

It’s truly a blank canvas — property easily accessible to the lake in a community that rarely has tracts of land this size come open.

So, what to do with this land? That’s the subject of a public information meeting scheduled for 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 28, at South Milwaukee City Hall.

At the meeting, you can get a peek at some early concepts for the site and be able to ask questions of the city engineer and others.

The meeting — presented more as an open house — is part of the consultant study of this property, funded by a matching grant we received in 2013. My previous post has more information, and here is the notice sent to area residents.

I hope to see you there. Join the discussion about this potential community asset.

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September 17, 2013 · 9:27 pm

Report: South Milwaukee’s Grobschmidt Pool Targeted For Closure

South Milwaukee’s Grobschmidt Pool is one of four Milwaukee County pools the new parks director is eyeing for closure in 2014, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. Here is the story. From it …

Indoor pools at Noyes and Pulaski parks and outdoor pools at Jackson and Grobschmidt parks all have relatively high costs and low attendance, Dargle said.

A proposed pool closing plan would include reinvestment of savings for other amenities at those parks, Dargle said in an interview and comments before the County Board’s parks committee Tuesday.

He said costs greatly exceeded revenue at Noyes and Pulaski pools each year, in response to a question by Supervisor Khalif Rainey on whether Abele would propose their closure.

“We are losing some money at those” pools, Dargle said. “They are old pools.”

Noyes Pool is at 8235 W. Good Hope Road and Pulaski is at 2701 S. 16th St.

The two pools need a combined $4.2 million in repairs, the report said. That includes nearly $1 million in electrical work and more than $700,000 for heating and cooling system upgrades.

In the interview, Dargle added Jackson and Grobschmidt to the potential closure list. The Jackson Park pool is at 3500 W. Forest Home Ave. Grobschmidt pool is at 2600 16th Ave. in South Milwaukee.

An Abele spokesman said full details of his 2014 budget won’t be released until next week. Any potential changes with pools Abele may propose would be better described as offering supervisors “options to open amenities that get more use by the public” and cost less, said spokesman Brendan Conway.

This is really disappointing news and thankfully far from the final word. As this debate continues, please make your voice heard … and let’s work to save this community amenity.

As County Board Chairwoman Marina Dimtrijevic put it: “I don’t understand this philosophy of eliminating public amenities.”

Instead, let’s invest in them to make them viable. What a concept.

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July 6, 2013 · 8:58 am

A Chance To Do Your Part For Grant Park

Grant Park is a wonderful asset for South Milwaukee — but we need to be active caretakers of it, too.

You have a chance to do just that on Tuesday, July 9. That’s when the Alliance for the Great Lakes is looking for volunteers to help with a habitat assessment and restoration effort.

Learn more in this event alert. From it:

As a volunteer, you will help reduce the threats to this important natural area by conducting habitat assessments and on-the-ground restoration. Volunteers will learn skills needed to collect field data to inform future restoration planning, monitor ongoing restoration projects and protect habitats by removing invasive plants and planting native species.

Two shifts are available: 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. Meet at the Grant Park beach parking lot.

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June 29, 2013 · 11:02 am

Celebrating July 4 In South Milwaukee

July 4 is one of my favorite holidays, and in South Milwaukee it’s all about Grant Park.

As usual, festivities start at 10 a.m. with the children’s bike parade, with games, food, beer, music and more scheduled the rest of the day at Brown Pavilion, picnic areas five and six. Fireworks start around 9:30 a.m.

Learn more here.

Here is a full list of area July 4 festivities, and check out a Grant Park map.

The South Milwaukee Fire Department also has some firework safety tips.

Happy Independence Day!

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June 8, 2013 · 10:42 pm

South Milwaukee Shoreline Park?

Lakefront parkYou may recall, as part of the 2011 Lake Bluff settlement, the city was given lakefront acreage to maintain for public use going forward — the former Northwest Barrel Superfund site.

I must admit, I had kind of forgotten about that part of the deal, in part because I didn’t realize the full potential for that land. I do now … and I’m excited about what might happen on that site.

What’s changed? A new $59,000 federal matching grant — $29,500 from the city and $29,500 from the federal government — the city just received through the state to study that property’s future, perhaps as a public park.

The funding was officially announced this week as part of $1.4 million in total grants through the Department of Administration “to protect or restore our valuable water and coastal resources.”

The property (pictured above) is 18.5 acres with approximately 400 square feet of Lake Michigan frontage, located just south of the Wastewater Treatment Facility and north of a former marina. The views are magnificent, and the walk down to the shoreline is remarkably easy, as many of the steep cliffs were removed during the cleanup process. The beach also has potential.

The grant will include site planning, as well as planning for protection and restoration of coastal wetlands and ravine stabilization and protection. Here is the resolution the South Milwaukee City Council passed on this in May.

I’m glad we’re undertaking the study because of the huge potential of this land. How often does 18.5 acres of lakefront property come open for a project like this? In a county where most lakefront land is spoken for with development or existing park land, not often.

That’s why it’s important we don’t squander this opportunity, this chance to figure out a way forward for a property that can be a real community asset for current and prospective residents and visitors.

I encourage to swing by the property and check it out. You can access it off Marina Road, heading into the Lake Bluff Apartments, east off 5th Avenue. Let me know what you think.

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June 6, 2013 · 8:34 am

Is Summer Here Already? South Milwaukee’s Grobschmidt Pool Opens June 15

It’s a bit chilly these days, but it will be warm soon enough — and time to dive into Grobschmidt Pool behind South Milwaukee City Hall.

The pool opens Saturday, June 15, weather permitting. Hours are 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. seven days a week and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

Learn more here.

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April 13, 2013 · 9:24 pm

South Milwaukee Spring Cleanup Set For April 27

2011 cleanup smallUpdate: The South Milwaukee Public Library is offering paper shredding from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

The city’s annual Earth Day cleanup is Saturday, April 27, at various sites around town.

The details are essentially unchanged from last year, with the cleanup running from 9 a.m. to noon at most locations. A hot dog lunch is set for noon at City Hall.

Not sure where to help or how to start? I’ll put a plug in for the Friends of Oak Creek and the Mill Pond, which recently put this call out for volunteers …

We’ll meet down at Grant Park Beach house to sign in and pickup vest, gloves, bags and water.  If you have boots that would be great, bring an extra pair of socks or shoes in case you get wet.  If any students come from you classes, packs or groups, we’d like to have some responsible adults along also.  We start at 8:00am and work till 12 noon. We’ll meet down at Grant Park Beach house to sign in and pickup vest, gloves, bags and water.  If you have boots that would be great, bring an extra pair of socks or shoes in case you get wet.  If any students come from you classes, packs or groups, we’d like to have some responsible adults along also.  We start at 8:00am and work till 12 noon.

See you there!

Also planned for April 27: a drug “take-back day” sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and South Milwaukee Police Department. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day, police will be accepting, anonymously, unwanted or expired medicines. 

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March 5, 2013 · 6:21 am

Guest Blog: County Supervisor Pat Jursik On How The County Is Bearing Down On The Emerald Ash Borer

I’ve had a few questions about what the county is doing to combat emerald ash borer — including some of my own — so I posed them to Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik.

Here is her response …

I appreciate the questions about Milwaukee County’s strategy to combat Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) in Milwaukee County Parks and particularly at Grant Park.  The Milwaukee County Parks Department updated me on its current efforts:

  • To combat EAB and limit the impacts of ash tree loss, the Parks Department has applied a balanced solution of treatment, removal, and replacement.  To date the majority of the work in dealing with EAB in Grant Park has been ash tree removal.  Our goal is a balanced approach by increasing our plantings and ash tree treatments in the park.  We have applied for grants and will continue to apply for them.  To date we have received three grants that have been major keystones in our approach to EAB and Ash.  One grant helped us to write the EAB plan, another helped with treatment, and the most recent will increase plantings in Milwaukee County, specifically Grant Park.  We are currently at Grant doing some work and plan to continue this fall.  For efficiency, we make every attempt to coordinate EAB-targeted work with regular forestry duties in the park. We do continue to work and seek out any partners and other municipalities that share this cause.  For example, we hope to participate in an opportunity using predatory wasps that attack EAB.  The WI DNR is the lead on this.

 

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February 1, 2013 · 4:36 pm

Supervisor Jursik Update: Seven Bridges, Oak Creek Watercourse And More

Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik has published her monthly newsletter, and it includes updates on the Seven Bridges project and the Oak Creek watercourse.

Check it out here. Here is the item on the Seven Bridges …

The Parks Department is working to have the contractor rectify ravine damage during lakeside bridge reconstruction at Seven Bridges trail in Grant Park. Of course, the good news is that Seven Bridges will finally be restored come Spring of 2013.

Along with the Parks Department and engineering staff, I met with the Friends of Grant Park in January. The Friends are alarmed at the ravine damage and want to ensure the area is properly restored with native vegetation and clean soils. They have offered to assist with volunteer hours. I am in awe of wonderful groups like the Friends of Grant Park and thank them for their passion and work.

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December 30, 2012 · 11:39 am

Mill Pond Update: DNR Requires Dam Upgrades

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has ordered some upgrades be made to the Mill Pond Dam, according to the monthly newsletter from Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik.

They are:

  • the removal of vegetation from specific areas under the supervision of an engineer;
  • the maintenance of healthy grass cover on the embankments;
  • a structural evaluation by an engineer of the spillway abutments to determine if masonry repairs are required;
  • the repair of the sluice gate, which is currently inoperable; and
  • the installation of two benchmarks.

Check out the full newsletter here.

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