By Eelisa Jones
As Wisconsin’s weather begins its shift into spring conditions and the now familiar layers of ice and snow have begun to fade beneath the daily sunshine, some of us may feel a familiar ache to reconnect with the natural world. Milwaukeeans have over 154 parks – totaling over 15,000 acres – to satisfy this urge.
Our city has a history of natural and environmental advocates who have dedicated lifetimes of efforts to guarantee the opportunity for Milwaukee residents and visitors to experience that incomparable pleasure that the outdoors has to offer.
The Milwaukee County Department of Parks (MPC) oversees and maintains these parks’ operations to maintain these historical gifts granted to us from our political past.
As the snow melts, parks employees and volunteers are taking to the annual tasks of spring maintenance.
These tasks include picnic area repairs, litter clean-ups, bike trail upkeep, baseball diamond repairs, and hot-patching over 120 miles of roads.
Throughout the upcoming seasons, MPC will host various volunteer opportunities alongside a number of its over 50 friendship organizations like Briggs & Stratton, The Urban Ecology Center, and Parks People. MPC lists its volunteer opportunities on their website (enter “volunteer” in the site search) and on their “Milwaukee County Parks Volunteer & Outreach” Facebook page.
A number of MPC facilities are already open and available to the public, including its 15 golf courses, Noyes and Pulaski indoor pools, and nature trails. Residents and visitors can learn specific hours of indoor and outdoor pools by searching for “pool closures” in the site search. Village of Hope will continue its after-school academic support at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center (1531 W. Vliet St.) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM.
The Courier had a chance to speak with Guy Smith, MPC Chief of Operations, to gain some insight into how MPC works internally and Smith’s vision for a successful parks system.
Milwaukee’s formidable natural assets drew Smith to MPC. He has worked at MPC for nearly eleven years. On any given day, Smith could be at any of the system’s 154 park locations.
He’s in nearly constant contact with his staff. Smith said that he felt blessed to work for such an expansive parks system. For him, a successful parks system is one that is accessible to people of different backgrounds with different interests.
“Whether you’re a biker or like to go geocaching or like to swim or like to bird watch… there is something for every resident and every visitor that is low cost or no cost,” said Smith. “It’s truly something that everyone can have access to.”
The MPC budget is set annually by the county board of supervisors and the county executive.
These officials approve a budget for the next year in mid-November. MPC staff and the board of supervisors maintain day-to-day communications.
Readers can learn more about MCP or provide feedback by visiting their website at www.countyparks.com or calling their Wauwatosa office at (414) 257-7275.