Remember your first visit to Milwaukee’s Domes? Was it on a snowy winter’s day? Or for a wedding? Or were you a student eager to learn about the world of plants in the hot, humid tropical forest or the arid desert?
At a recent Milwaukee County Board meeting at the Domes Annex, many Milwaukeeans shared their memories of the Domes. Following the presentation of a plan for the future of their beloved Domes, almost all eloquently urged the County to preserve them. They also supported the plan for transforming the Domes and Mitchell Park into a leading urban horticultural park and conservatory.
After three years of study, the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory (Domes) Taskforce has recommended a plan that re-envisions Mitchell Park and the Domes. The plan sets forth a way Milwaukee can create a new urban botanical park and conservatory—a place for wonder and fun, learning and exploration, involvement and community—connecting and inspiring people through the world of plants. This vision that reimagines the Park and Domes is feasible and sustainable. It foresees the creation of a new Mitchell Park and Domes Conservancy and subsidiaries to make the proposed changes and their public benefits a reality. This transformation calls for the commitment and energies of the whole community.
If the plan succeeds, our community, region and state will benefit. Why? Because the Domes will be preserved, and in addition, there will be:
Freshly programmed and animated Domes, all featuring changing exhibits and programs.
A new Welcome Center with classrooms, labs, exhibition space, retail and food service.
New retail, education and research facilities; a health and wellness center; repurposed instructional and research greenhouses; and demonstration and instructional kitchens.
A Milwaukee Center for Health and Urban Agriculture, Mitchell Park Center for Water Conservation and Wisconsin Center for Urban Horticulture.
A farm-to-table, full-service restaurant; a new events pavilion in the current boathouse; food trucks, outdoor and indoor food service and family picnic areas and culinary instruction and training.
A Children’s and Family Garden that will offer hands-on activities and fun; a new outdoor wedding and events garden with seating for up to 300 guests; and a series of example and instructional-job development gardens focused on sustainability and stewardship best practices.
New programs, including summer youth and day camps and after-school apprenticeship programs; urban agriculture and community garden programs; and Master Gardeners training and consultation in partnership with the UW Extension.
More pathways and access to the park; park-wide lighting; an improved amphitheater with terraced seating for up to 1,500; a new soccer field; and improved basketball courts and tennis courts.
A bilingual park with a clean and fresh pond, stream circulation, reflecting pool and water stewardship best practices.
Outdoor and indoor gardens and learning in the areas of health, urban agriculture, hands-on and apprenticeship programs, certification and workforce development.
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A Plan with a Powerful Impact
This new plan will be an economic stimulus for the neighborhood. It will sustain 300 quality jobs and stimulate an annual impact of just under $16 million a year in combined on-site and off-site jobs and spending. The $66 million in capital spending over the next 10 years will generate approximately $160 million of economic impact—a 2.4-to-1 return on investment.
Most of the $66 million in capital money needed for making this plan a reality will come from Historic Preservation, New Market and PACE (energy saving) tax credits, as well as Opportunity Zone investment. The rest will come from corporate, foundation and individual donors to a $13.5 million capital campaign and $13.5 million in Milwaukee County bond funding. The County bonding amount is less than the $14 million it would take to demolish the Domes and return the site to open parkland. When the plan is fully in place and functioning, the revenue generated will reduce the County’s annual contribution to operations to approximately one-half of last year’s total.
The wide-reaching benefits from this plan, like almost anything that is worthwhile, will require substantial investment of time, energy and funds. The park and Domes are invaluable assets to Milwaukee. Too often, however, some describe them as liabilities, not assets. They could become another victim of the “We can’t” attitude of some of our political leaders. But we should not allow negative attitudes to prevail. We all need to reach out to our community’s leaders to tell them that we can make this new vision for Mitchell Park and the Domes a reality.
It is now up to Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and the County Board of Supervisors to take the lead on reinventing and reinvigorating Mitchell Park and the iconic Domes.
William Lynch chairs the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory (Domes) Taskforce.
