Resolution Declares July ‘Park and Recreation Month’

Lake Park. Photo by Dave Reid.

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors will likely declare July as Park and Recreation Month in the county.

County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson and Sup. Sheldon Wasserman, chair of the board’s Committee on Parks and Culture, have authored a resolution that will go before the board this month that “recognizes the valuable role Parks and Recreation plays in community wellness and designates July as Park and Recreation Month in Milwaukee County.”

In 2021, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation designating July as National Parks and Recreation Month.

Summer in Milwaukee County is also peak park season. Residents are able to enjoy all of their favorite parks and also the seasonal amenities, like pools and traveling beer gardens, that are only open during the warmer months of the year. And July is one of the busiest months for county parks largely due to Fourth of July celebrations happening in every park across the county and the annual July 3rd fireworks. That event brings thousands of county residents and many other metro residents who live beyond the county down to Milwaukee’s lakefront and veterans park.

Parks and recreation “are an integral part of communities” and “access to public parks and open spaces help Milwaukee County achieve its vision of racial equity and driving change to become the healthiest county in Wisconsin,” the resolution states. The county’s system of parks and recreational assets “promotes health and wellness by improving the [physical and mental health of residents who visit parks,” the resolution states, adding “parks and recreation promotes time spent in nature, which positively impacts mental health by increasing cognitive performance and well-being, and alleviating illnesses such as depression, attention deficit disorders, and Alzheimers.”

The parks system in Milwaukee County is a cherished cultural inheritance for local residents. It has been called the “Emerald Necklace” for the way the network of parks encircles the county. But in recent decades it has faced financial problems and has a massive backlog of maintenance and infrastructure projects with an estimated price tag of half a billion dollars.

Supervisors will first consider the resolution at the parks committee later this month. It is unlikely a resolution celebrating one of the most popular offerings of county government will see a single dissenting vote.