These unused Milwaukee County Parks facilities have been recommended for demolition

Five unused structures and seven asphalt surfaces belonging to Milwaukee County Parks have been recommended for demolition under a proposed plan set to go before the County Board.

The demolition plan would eliminate a large total area of unused, deteriorating or abandoned park assets, including 3,500 square feet of buildings and 85,000 square feet of asphalt. Structures proposed for demolition include the Holler Park pool basin, Kinnickinnc Parkway tennis courts, St. Martin's Park pavilion and Cupertino Park comfort building.

"These (unoccupied buildings) are vulnerable to graffiti, vandalism, arson, and create a negative impact on park users and the adjacent neighborhoods," the Parks' director of operations and skilled trades Peter Bratt wrote in a recent report. "In addition, there is continued decline of these physical structures, which pose additional deferred maintenance costs and increased safety concerns."

The Parks received $500,000 from the 2024 budget to demolish unused structures. Replacement projects for these spaces have been factored into the budget, Bratt said.

Demolishing unused assets will allow the Parks to create additional green space and ultimately save money on the upkeep of unused facilities. Currently, the Parks must pay for maintenance, heating and other services to maintain buildings the community cannot use in order to prevent frozen pipes and continued deterioration that poses safety risks.

"We have over half a billion dollars of deferred maintenance on our assets, so this recommended action is a way to start getting a handle on all the stuff we have to make our system more sustainable long term," Bratt said. "We're dealing with a legacy of divestment. Our budget as a department is pretty close to the same dollar amount it was in 1989. With inflation, it should probably be almost three times the size."

Which Parks structures will be demolished under the proposal?

According to the report, these are the structures proposed for demolition:

• Cupertino Park comfort building ― the 907-square-foot building has not been in use for over 15 years. The proposal recommends replacing it with a public asset such as picnic tables.
• Manitoba Park utility/comfort building ― the 896-square-foot building hasn't been open in recent years due to deterioration. The report recommends replacing it with "another amenity such as an open-air shelter or hard surface court."
• Lincoln Park Golf Course pump house ― the 140-square-foot structure hasn't been used by the Parks since the early 1990s and poses a public safety hazard.
• St. Martin's Park pavilion ― the 1,190-square-foot building poses safety concerns, including a failing roof. An asphalt pad has already been removed at this location. Removing the building could provide additional green space near Robinwood Elementary School.
• Holler Park pool basin ― the 7,290-square-foot pool area is no longer in use. The space could be repurposed into another asset for park users.
• Kinnickinnic Parkway tennis courts ― the courts, located between 20th and 22nd Streets, have not been usable for over a decade. Removing them could create 31,000 square feet of green space.
• Estabrook Park asphalt path ― removing this old service road and asphalt path and restoring it to turf would eliminate approximately 4,650 square feet of pavement.
• Hales Corners Park parking lot ― the parking lot on the park's west side off Godsell Avenue is in deteriorating condition. It is not needed because there is parking on the east side of the park. Removing the approximately 22,000 square feet of pavement would allow for additional green space.
• Indigenous Peoples' Park asphalt pad and batting cages ― removing the asphalt pad and abandoned batting cages would create an additional 12,000 square feet of green space that could accommodate another park amenity.

These are not the Parks' only unused assets, Bratt said. His team worked with the architecture, engineering and finance departments to determine which unused buildings were the "biggest concern" in terms of threats to safety and the Parks' economic operations.

Bratt said, if approved, demolition projects are not likely to begin until the fall. Ongoing public engagement sessions will be held to gather community feedback on what should replace the demolished facilities.

The demolition proposal will be introduced at next week's Parks and Culture Committee meeting

The demolition proposal will be introduced at the Parks and Culture Committee meeting on Tuesday, July 9. The meeting is at 9 a.m. in the Milwaukee County Courthouse, Room 203-R. It will be live-streamed on the County Legislative Information Center: milwaukeecounty.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx.

If the proposal is approved, it will go before the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors at the end of the month.