Supervisors Hopeful for Pool Openings in 2024

The Washington Park pool. Photo by Alison Peterson.

The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors is moving to add a little extra cash to the budget for the parks system in 2024 in the hope that it can open more aquatic facilities than anticipated.

Milwaukee County Parks is currently requesting authority from the board to apply approximately $1 million worth of its 2023 budget surplus toward a handful of infrastructure projects in the parks system.

“They’re a little bit more expensive than we can manage in our major maintenance budget,” Jeremy Lucas, director of administration and planning, told the board’s Committee on Finance. “But they are critical to the operations and deferred maintenance items throughout the park system.”

Sup. Peter Burgelis has, so far, successfully attached an amendment to the proposal from Parks that adds $300,000 to the department’s budget. The funding would be earmarked for, “beach, deep well pool, wading pool, and splashpad infrastructure to help ensure as many aquatic facilities as possible that are in working order and ready for the 2024 season,” according to his amendment.

The year-end surplus represents a “unique opportunity,” Burgelis said, adding that he thinks it’s “wholly appropriate” to reinvest the department’s surplus funds back into the parks system. Parks has, in recent years, been forced to adapt to annual budget cuts and generate more of its own revenue in order to maintain budget levels. The department currently funds more than 50% of its budget through net income on services like golf and beer gardens.

“Having pools open in our parks system is a fundamental need that our residents expect,” Burgelis said. “It’s a basic government service that Milwaukee County provides.”

The twin forces of diminishing funding for parks and flagging lifeguard recruitment have left many of the county’s public pools closed and beaches unguarded in recent years. In 2023, the department opened two water parks, two deep well pools, eight splash pads and 16 wading pools.

The department has been trying to beef up its lifeguard ranks, and the supervisors supporting Burgelis’ amendment are betting on recruitment improving for both lifeguards and seasonal workers in 2024.

Though, Parks can’t guarantee that the funds will lead to additional pools or aquatics facilities opening next year. And some supervisors are pushing back against allocating the funding now.

“We always appreciate the funds and resources that this board generously provides us,” said Parks Director Guy Smith. “It is true, in full transparency, I cannot guarantee that we’ll have enough guards to open additional pools.”

Sup. Steve Taylor said the amendment was not drawn up at the request of the department and was “just political spin in campaign election season.” The only thing the amendment guarantees, he said, is “false hope on pools” for constituents and a “good press release” for supervisors. Sup. Shawn Rolland also questioned whether the proposal made sense.

The funding would be restricted to any maintenance needed to reopen aquatic facilities. The department does have a major maintenance fund that it could pull from for these projects, Lucas said. But, if additional facilities are opened, the extra $300,000 could would take the place of maintenance funds that can then be used on other repairs around the parks system.

Sup. Juan Miguel Martinez said he supports Burgelis’ amendment because it simply means more funds for the parks system. “And I really hope that it goes to the aquatics facilities,” he said. “And I really hope to see the splash pads of Mitchell [Park] and Clark Square open this summer.”

The Committee on Finance voted four to three in favor of Burgelis’ amendment, with Supervisors Rolland, Sequanna Taylor and Steve Taylor voting no. But once that amendment was added to the full proposal for funding, all but Taylor voted to approve it. The full county board will vote on the proposal Dec. 21.