Grants Could Fund Marina Upgrades

A view of Milwaukee’s Bradford Beach, McKinley Marina, and Veteran’s Park. June of 2012. Photo courtesy of MMSD.

Two grants could pay for new infrastructure in McKinley Marina: one from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the other from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

The grants will cover the construction of two new concrete boat launches and security infrastructure like cameras and fiber-optic cable, respectively. Two Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors‘ committees gave Milwaukee County Parks the go-ahead to pursue these grants.

The federal grant is an example of funds that the county is pursuing thanks to a new office created by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley to specifically find grant opportunities for county departments. Milwaukee County Parks is pursuing the DNR grant to backfill project costs that have risen in the years since the project began.

McKinley Marina Security

The county’s Special Grants Office found a grant offered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) called a Port Security Grant.

Initially, the office approached the Milwaukee County Sheriff‘s Office to have them apply for the grant, as Jeremy Lucas, Parks director of administration and planning, told supervisors. “And then in the end, it did not work out for the sheriff’s office,” Lucas said.

Parks took it from there and applied for the grant, which is awarded to projects that enhance cybersecurity or protect soft targets and crowded places.

McKinley Marina happens to sit within the apron of the Milwaukee Port, and is technically port infrastructure, Lucas explained. It’s also where the Milwaukee Police Department, County Sheriff’s Office and the DNR dock their boats.

The grant would cover security cameras and fiber-optic cable to connect the cameras to the Office of Emergency Management’s network; key fobs to replace the hard keys used for parks buildings marina; and passcode boxes.

In total, Parks is going after a grant of approximately $400,00, which would require a $100,000 match from the county if awarded.

New Boat Launches

Parks has been engaged in a yearslong, multiphase reconstruction of the McKinley Marina parking lots.

The project has now reached a point where Parks plans to rebuild the boat launches in the marina. The problem is, like so many other things, the cost to rebuild them has increased since planning for the project was completed nearly a decade ago.

“Unfortunately, the final component for phase two, which is th actual concrete boat launches, came in over bid,” Lucas told supervisors.

Parks is going after a DNR Recreational Boating Program Grant to fund approximately $1.5 million of the boat launch construction. These grants come with a local match of 50% or 20%. What the match requirement will be for the county remains unclear at this time, Lucas said.