A plan to save the Mitchell Park Domes took a giant leap forward Wednesday morning as County Executive David Crowley and County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson signed legislation approving the county’s $30 million funding commitment to the Domes Reimagined Plan.
That $134 million plan, announced last year, aims to ensure the future of the beloved Milwaukee horticultural conservatory, whose condition has in recent years led to talk of the Domes being demolished.
The Milwaukee Domes Alliance’s Domes Reimagined would restore the threatened Domes, build an addition and add amenities like a children’s garden, cafe, expanded gift shop and nature learning center.
The plan was presented to the board in September and the board’s Finance Committee unanimously approved a budget amendment supporting it at its October meeting.
In November the full Board of Supervisors passed the amendment, which while endorsing the plan did not actually create a mechanism for providing the $30 million it pledged to the project.
Last week, the Board of Supervisors passed File #25-458, which officially commits $30 million in capital funding for the Domes restoration, though the legislation requires the Milwaukee Domes Alliance to raise additional non-county funding first.
While the agreement transfers ownership and operations of the Domes to the Milwaukee Domes Alliance (subject to meeting certain conditions or ownership reverts), County Parks will continue to maintain horticultural operations at the conservatory, saving the county an estimated $770,000 annually.
The county’s $30 million will be appropriated across six years.
“I take seriously our responsibility to preserve and protect Milwaukee County’s most treasured public assets,” said Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman, chair of the County Board Committee on Parks and Culture.
“This agreement represents a fiscally responsible path forward that both safeguards the future of the Domes and ensures the public continues to benefit from this iconic space.”
In addition to the county’s $30 million, the $107.4 million first phase of the Domes Reimagined plan is dependent on the Alliance raising $35 million in private donations, accessing $30.7 million in federal and state tax credits and securing $11.8 million in other state or federal aid.
The Alliance would seek additional federal grants to supplement private donations for the second phase, which includes the newly constructed addition.
“The future of the Domes and Mitchell Park is important to our community. That’s why my administration worked with the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, Milwaukee County Parks, and local stakeholders to move the Domes Reimagined Plan forward,” Crowley said on Wednesday.
“It’s no secret that this can has been kicked down the road far too many times. We all recognize that action for the Domes was needed, and like most challenges we face, we knew partnership was the way forward. Thank you to everyone who worked to make this proposal a reality that will chart a new future for the Domes, while protecting taxpayer dollars, and supporting fiscal sustainability in Milwaukee County for years to come.”
In 2016, the Domes were closed briefly after concrete fell from the ceiling of the Tropical Dome, which sparked an ongoing discussion about options for the restoring or replacing the three domes, erected in the 1960s.
Read more about the challenges faced by the Domes here.
“The Domes have always been a gathering space where children and adults can relax, connect with nature and learn something new,” said Nicholson. “The Domes Reimagined project honors that legacy and ensures future generations can experience the Domes as a thriving, welcoming part of our community that directly reflects our values of equity, sustainability and access to vibrant public spaces.
“Our commitment here today sends a clear message: Milwaukee County is stepping up, in partnership and with purpose, to preserve and reimagine the Domes for generations to come.”
The next step is for Milwaukee County, Milwaukee County Parks and the Milwaukee Domes Alliance to hammer out a formal lease agreement, which is expected to be presented to the Board during its next meeting cycle.
“The Domes are a vital asset to the south-side, serving as more than a landmark, but as a means of connection, community, and culture for generations of Milwaukee families,” said Supervisor Juan Miguel Martínez, who represents the district in which Mitchell Park is located
“This plan invests in a future where all of our residents can experience a world-class green space, education, and joy right in their neighborhood. We still have work to do, but this is a huge step in the right direction and I look forward to doing my part in building something equitable and sustainable for the future.”
“Bursting from an industrial landscape, the Domes were described at their inception as a ‘willful act of hope,’” added Christa Beall Diefenbach, CEO of the Milwaukee Domes Alliance. “They represent civic pride, bold innovation, and a family heirloom passed from generation to generation.
“They aren’t just part of our past – they’re part of our lives. Year after year, the Domes connect hundreds of thousands of people to nature, to home, to worlds unknown, and to each other. We commend the County’s commitment and look forward to a future where thousands more visitors celebrate Milwaukee’s one-of-a-kind horticultural oasis.”
Read more about the Domes Reimagined plan here.
Over the past year, Milwaukee County has sought to ease its financial responsibilities at other county-owned properties, including Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum and the Charles Allis Art Museum.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press. A fifth collects Urban Spelunking articles about breweries and maltsters.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has been heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
