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Milwaukee committee backs plan for city’s first universally accessible playground at Reservoir Park
Summary
The Public Works Committee ordered adoption of a resolution supporting Stella’s Playground at Reservoir Park, a community-led project that organizers say has raised $1.1 million toward a roughly $2 million goal; the city will contribute funds for standard MKE Parks infrastructure while private fundraising covers specialized inclusive equipment.
Aldermanic committee members on Tuesday ordered adoption of a resolution to move forward on Stella’s Playground, which organizers described as Milwaukee’s first universally accessible playground at Reservoir Park.
The project’s organizers and public works officials told the committee the playground is intended to accommodate children with a wide range of physical and developmental needs, and that private fundraising has raised more than $1.1 million toward a roughly $2 million goal. “When she said ‘playgrounds aren’t for me,’ that’s when I felt like this is something I can do,” project co-founder Rissy Schneider said of her daughter’s experience.
Joe Crochet, commissioner of public works, said the city’s contribution will focus on standard park infrastructure that MKE Parks normally provides: restroom upgrades, base site preparation and other items tied to MKE Parks’ capital program. “This is a great opportunity… Milwaukee’s first adaptive playground in the region,” Crochet said, adding that the department will help project-manage and provide routine MKE Parks support.
Organizers told aldermen they are working with two playground vendors and local landscape architects and that they engaged disability-advocacy groups during design. “We’ve now raised over $1,100,000. We feel really good headed towards our goal of $2,000,000,” Schneider said.
Committee members asked about city staffing and alignment with the city’s comprehensive outdoor recreation plan; public works staff said MKE Parks will be involved in project management and that the project aligns with the city’s multi‑year park rehabilitation schedule. The committee moved adoption without objection; committee members said they expect periodic updates as the project advances.
The resolution authorizes construction and funding support to move the design and implementation phases forward; detailed construction timing and the final city funding commitment were not specified in the committee action and will be reported back as the project develops.
