Urban Ecology Center's $12 million expansion plan at Washington Park would save taxpayers

A privately funded makeover of the aging boathouse at Washington Park would save Milwaukee County taxpayers more than $1.8 million and benefit schools on Milwaukee's north side, county parks officials said.

The Urban Ecology Center is offering to lead a fundraising campaign to replace the 1970s-era boathouse on the park's lagoon with a $12 million community building that it would use for school environmental education programs and keep open to the public.

The county and its taxpayers have ample motivation to expand the partnership with the Urban Ecology Center in shaping the future of the historic park.

The Parks Department is facing more than $1.8 million worth of deferred maintenance for the 40-year-old boathouse, according to James Tarantino, the department's director of recreation and business services.

Among big-ticket maintenance items on the list: replacing a heating and air-conditioning system that has reached the end of its useful life at a cost of $383,000 and replacing the roof at a cost of $120,000, Tarantino said.

The private group's offer of a new building would eliminate those costs.

"I think it's great that a respected nonprofit group is willing to step in and help us," County Supervisor Marcelia Nicholson said. "We're at a time when we cannot afford our parks."

"This will be a community hub where people can go to and feel safe," said Nicholson, a public school teacher. She represents the Washington Park neighborhood. 

Serving more schools

The Urban Ecology Center is equally motivated to partner with the county. The center opened a branch office here in 2007 by leasing one classroom inside the boathouse.

The center expanded into the entire building five years ago and needs more space, said Judy Krause, the center's finance and operations director.

Replacing the boathouse with a two-story classroom building would enable the Urban Ecology Center to more than double the number of public and private schools participating in outdoor science classes there, Executive Director Ken Leinbach said.

The center now works with 14 schools within two miles of Washington Park. The Urban Ecology Center schedules 24 half-day field trips during the school year for each participating school.

An additional 19 schools in the area — a total of 33 within two miles of the park — could participate in classes there if the proposed larger community building was available, Leinbach said.

The number of all users of the center, including young students, families and adults, would increase from 30,000 a year to 65,000, he said. 

The current boathouse looks like three attached boxes. Current plans call for demolishing two of the boxes and renovating the northern one as part of the new community center, Krause said.

A preliminary sketch of the new building shows roof lines that look like the broad wings of a bird lifting up toward the sky. This higher profile is intended to increase the visibility of the new center from nearby streets, she said.

After nearly two years of talks, the county and the center are ready to ask the County Board for its approval of the plan in July.

The Urban Ecology Center will wait for a "green light" from the board before setting out on its ambitious fundraising campaign, said Leinbach. If the board signs off, the center would complete a study of the feasibility of its success in getting commitments for the funds.

Leinbach said two years likely would be needed to raise the cash followed by a year of construction.

The new center could open in 2022, he said.

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Deal's details

Terms of a preliminary deal provide the Urban Ecology Center a one-year option to purchase the boathouse for $1.

The price accounts for the burden of $1.8 million in deferred maintenance that the county would have to shoulder to upgrade the building and keep it open if it remained owner, officials said. That liability is much larger than the building's appraised value of $595,000.

The Urban Ecology Center would lease the land needed for the new building from the county for a period of 25 years, demolish much of the boathouse, and construct the new building, according to the preliminary terms.

The structure would be the property of the Urban Ecology Center and the group would be responsible for operating and maintenance costs.

The county and the center also would commit to funding an additional $2 million in other improvements near the new community building, as part of the partnership.

Among those improvements: rebuilding the parking lot off N. 40th St.; reconstructing the road between the lot and the new building; installing improved lighting; repairing pedestrian bridges at the lagoon; and construction of a boardwalk-style dock across one section of the lagoon to provide improved access for disabled visitors and more space for anglers.