Milwaukee Recreation will unveil the latest in its ongoing series of playfield renovations next week as it hosts a grand reopening ceremony at the newly updated Modrzejewski Playfield, 1020 W. Cleveland Ave.. on Tuesday, July 8 at 11 a.m.
The upgraded playfield includes modern playground equipment; a state-of-the-art splash pad; painted play zones and new basketball courts; new walking paths; a multipurpose field; comfortable plaza seating; shade structures; and updated lighting; and refreshed fieldhouse, with remodeled restrooms and a community room.
Work began on the renovations last year after a series of community feedback meetings and surveys.
“We are excited to see the completion of another revitalized community playfield,” said Milwaukee Rec Director Brian Litzsey.
“The improvements at Modrzejewski Playfield are truly impressive, and we’re incredibly proud of the final result. It’s a beautiful, dynamic space where children and families can gather, play, and create memories for years to come.”
The playfield was previously known as Cleveland Avenue Playground but was renamed in 2005 by then-Mayor Tom Barrett in honor of U.S. Marine Corps veteran Robert J. Modrzejewski.
A Milwaukee native, Modrzejewski was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his leadership during Operation Hastings in the Vietnam War. As a child he played at the Cleveland Avenue Playground.
Born on July 3, 1934, Modrzejewski attended Pulaski High School and UWM.
Milwaukee Recreation has been renovating playfields according to an equity report detailing which neighborhoods and playfields are most in need.
The work began with a 2014 review by an outside consultant of the district’s 52 playfields that identified 65 percent of the facilities as being in fair to poor condition and suggested necessary improvements to be completed over the next decade.
A priority list based on neighborhood population and need was then created and work began in 2018.
According to Milwaukee Recreation, about a dozen of its 52 playfields have been renovated, and the department has been re-calibrating its equity plan schedule to take those improvements into account when deciding on which playfields to renovate next.
For more information on Modrzejewski Playfield go to mkerec.net/mod.
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.
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 be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
