Jackson Park & Kinnickinnic River – August 2022 Open House Recap

On August 18 MMSD and Milwaukee County Parks hosted an open house to share updates on the Jackson Park and Kinnickinnic River plan and show design options for the boat house. Scroll through the images below to see the updates and provide your feedback on the form below. To learn more about the project and see a map of how the park will change visit the project page.  

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    RECENT CHANGES TO THE PARK PLAN

    Over the past two years, MMSD, Milwaukee County Parks and other stakeholders obtained community feedback and collaborated to develop and refine the plan for the Kinnickinnic River & Jackson Park project. Even with the changes, MMSD maintains the same total investment within Jackson Park.

    The map above shows the original project plan. The items circled identify the components of the agreement that have changed which are further described in the list below.

    1.       Remove proposed picnic shelters​

    2.       Decrease size of the proposed playground​

    3.       Remove proposed pedestrian bridge​

    4.       Remove proposed lighting from sport courts​

    5.       Remove proposed modifications to historic service building​

    6.       Increase size and functionality of County Parks Service Building

     

    View the board from the meeting.

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    UPDATED PARK PLAN

    The map above shows the updated park plan. See an interactive version of the plan here.

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    JACKSON PARK BOATHOUSE - EXISTING FACILITY CONDITIONS

    Constructed in 1950, the current Jackson Park Boat House has a rental capacity of 40 with a brick and stone veneer facade. There are some issues with the existing facility which include:

    • Poor interior ventilation - too hot in summer months and only rentable in winter
    • Restrooms in poor repair, not ADA-compliant
    • Roof & masonry in poor condition
    • Old inefficient windows
    • Farmer’s Market does not have exterior power or water source
    • Views of lagoon are blocked

     

    This project gives us the opportunity to redesign the boathouse and plaza. There are currently two options. First to renovate the existing boathouse and second to create an open-air pavilion. To see the full board that was shared at the open house and more pictures view the board.

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    JACKSON PARK BOATHOUSE – OPTION #1: RENOVATE EXISTING STRUCTURE

    Benefits

    • Preserves historic structure.
    • Restores original sun shade.
    • Improves ventilation with new ceiling fans and operable windows.
    • Restores and upgrades historic wood window frame energy-efficient double-pane glass.
    • Replaces outdated HVAC equipment.
    • Provides dedicated storage, power, and water for Farmer's Market.
    • Provides ADA-compliant restroom upgrades.
    • Four-season rental potential.

     

    Limitations

    • Does not improve north side of building
    • Does not increase rental capacity of the community room.

     

    To see the full board that was shared at the open house and more pictures view the board.

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    JACKSON PARK BOATHOUSE – OPTION #2: OPEN AIR PAVILION

    Benefits

    • Doubles rental capacity.
    • Simple, all-new construction lowers long-term maintenance costs.
    • Allows views through to the lagoon from the north.
    • Engages the park directly on three sides.
    • Provides additional sheltered space and utilities for farmer's market and food trucks.
    • Provides ADA restrooms.

     

    Limitations

    • Removes historic structure, which requires historic mitigation.
    • Not rentable in winter, less desirable offseason.

     

    To see the full board that was shared at the open house and more pictures view the board.