The Milwaukee County Parks, Energy and Environment Committee discussed a possible plan to grow hemp at the Mitchell Park Domes Monday.
There have been many ideas about how to fund and fix the dilapidated Mitchell Park Domes over the last few years. A canopy walk. Live animals. An aquarium. A children’s garden.
But one of the newest ideas involves a newly legalized crop in Wisconsin—hemp. Yes, you read that right. A Milwaukee County committee discussed Monday the feasibility of growing hemp “clones” to fund the Domes and the Milwaukee County Parks.
Advocates say that the County could make over a million dollars by growing and selling hemp in the Domes’ 60,000 square-foot greenhouse facility, which already has built-in temperature and lighting controls. Milwaukee County’s Parks, Energy and Environment Committee discussed a study on that topic Monday. County Supervisor Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, who originally suggested that the County consider this option, says this plan could help save the Domes.
“I definitely think it can help pay for the Domes,” she said Monday. “When you're looking at hemp, you can't look at it as one size fits all.”
However, not everyone in the County is on board. A report from Milwaukee County Parks said that the upstart costs and uncertainty regarding marijuana legalization at the state level could pose problems for the County. James Tarantino, the director of recreation and business services for the County, said that multiple reports on growing hemp, including a Cornell University report, found that more land is needed for the crop to be profitable.
“Clearly, the Domes’ greenhouse is not the site for that type of operation,” he said.
The 6,000 square-foot greenhouse facility could house a hemp grow, but a County study said that startup and energy costs would be high.
Advocates For Hemp
But multiple hemp and marijuana advocates said otherwise at the meeting. Patti Zanin, the founder of the Colorado Hemp Xchange, is a hemp consultant who owns and operates multiple hemp grows all over the nation. She said she sees anywhere from $500,000 to $3 million of profit at the site, depending on how it’s grown. She also said she has not seen any counties across the nation using publicly owned land to produce hemp yet.
“Nobody’s been doing it because no one has felt like they could do it,” she said. “The building (Domes) is made for what is there. It’s asking to be there.”
Zanin refuted the Parks report study's numbers that said the County would not make as much money as the advocates say they could make at the site. She also said if the County is considering doing this, they should hire a consultant. “I think it’s about everyone working together and talking about it,” Zanin said.
Wisconsin Hemp Farmers and Manufacturers Association president Phillip Scott said this could be a “very good opportunity” for the County. He said the profit made by the County will fluctuate depending on the current market value of the crop. He also said that, with the current struggles of the Dairy industry across the state, this new crop could offer new revenue sources for Wisconsin. “This could help Wisconsin and Milwaukee become that true economic powerhouse in the next few years,” he said.
Zach Steeno, a NORML education specialist, said the meeting was “promising.” NORML is a non-profit group whose aim is to change public opinion regarding marijuana laws. “I know the importance of the Domes, so this could help fund the Domes and it could help educate future horticulturists,” he said.
State Sen. Lena Taylor was also present at the meeting, speaking in favor of this idea. “The question is: Will Milwaukee County be on the cutting edge of what is not illegal, but what is legal,” she asked the committee.
What’s Next?
There was no action taken by the committee Monday.
There have been numerous ideas floating around regarding next steps for the Domes, but nothing has been decided yet. One idea, brought forward by the Milwaukee County Museum Task Force, includes demolishing the Domes and building an entirely new structure that would join the Domes and the Milwaukee Public Museum.
When asked Wednesday about any further action regarding the hemp study, Chairman of the Committee on Parks, Energy and Environment Jason Haas said in an email that “Nothing has been proposed.” He added that “Any future action would require Board consideration, but at this time nothing has been proposed.”
