Southside Park Getting A Fence You Didn’t Know It Needed
Supervisors add funding for fence around Boerner Botanical Gardens.
Map of Boerner Botanical Gardens.
Milwaukee County’s Boerner Botanical Gardens is getting a fence you probably didn’t know it needed.
The 2024 Milwaukee County Budget adopted by supervisors Thursday included approximately $198,000 for Milwaukee County Parks to plan and design a perimeter fence around the gardens.
The gardens, which are located in Whitnall Park, technically require admission for entrance, but without a fence or a clear point of entry, admission doesn’t always get paid. There has also been vandalism in the gardens and damage caused by animals. The deer that roam through the park, in particular, are a problem and have caused damage to the plants in the gardens over the years.
Jeremy Lucas, director of Administration and planning, explained to supervisors in October that the funding would be used to do public outreach and planning and design for the fence. There is currently a temporary fence around the gardens that was installed a few years ago. The department will attempt to design a permanent solution that secures the gardens without disrupting access to the wider park, Lucas said.
Sup. Patti Logsdon, who represents the area around Whitnall Park and Boerner Botanical Gardens, has pushed for a fence for years.
“I am absolutely thrilled to see the Board of Supervisors’ support for the construction of a permanent fence at Boerner Botanical Gardens. My heartfelt thanks go to the incredible community for their steadfast support and advocacy for this project, and to the Parks Department who will make this project a reality.” Logsdon said. “This fence will not only protect the plantings from potential harm but will also ensure the longevity and fiscal viability of the Boerner site. I look forward to seeing this project come to life, and to see the Boerner Botanical Gardens continue to serve our community as a cherished green space for generations to come.”
The parks system has a massive backlog of infrastructure projects and maintenance, and because of that, Logsdon has struggled in the past to secure funding.
Jim Tarantino, Parks deputy director, explained to supervisors in 2022, “It falls into the category of ‘it would be nice to have’ but, this idea doesn’t ever make our threshold of capital planning because we have so many other urgent needs.”
The board had a historic budget surplus to work with, thanks to the new 0.4% sales tax the board approved in July. The fencing was included in a large amendment package that brought together a number of different supervisor’s policy and project priorities.
Update: This story was updated to reflect that $198,000 was appropriated for planning and design of the fence. A previous version of the story stated $100,000 was appropriated.
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Wow, $100k to plan & design a fence? Politicians love wasting our money! A Google search is free and it will tell them that a deer fence has to be 6 to 10 feet tall.
Just seems like a shame to have to spend it on that, while vast sections are unkept. Years ago, you could go there to see “specimen” trees, with each tree decently mulched at the base and labeled. Now you are lucky to find them. The county (and the parks) now think that spraying Round Up is the answer instead of cutting and trimming.
@Wardt01, actually $198,000! article updated
Nothing says NATURE like a giant metal FENCE. The gardens’ architect Alfred Boerner
would be disgusted. The people’s gardens are becoming the “right-people’s” gardens
and that does not include those they want kept out.
This will certainly keep the “wrong” people out and ensure the “right”
people are the only ones in. Pre-Covid there was a dramatic increase in
minorities visiting the Botanic Gardens. After 6 pm no admission was charged and
I saw Backs, Hispanics, and Indians visiting in increased numbers every year.
Between 2010 and they went from zero to around 50 a night. Now, that is all over.
Covid shut that down with a hideous fence and no free admission in the summer.
Logsdon should build a fence around her house and lock herself in. She is a dismal
Supervisor whose perverse agenda is disgusting. The gardens were fine for over
100 years without a fence. Get rid of the fence and Logsdon. We don’t need them.