Sherman Park Revitalization Project Begins

Groundbreaking for Sherman Park revitalization project. Photo by Graham Kilmer.

A formal groundbreaking ceremony was held Wednesday to mark the beginning of a multi-phase revitalization of Sherman Park.

Called Reimagining Sherman Park, the $2.5 million project was developed by the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee in partnership with Milwaukee County Parks. The Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club clubhouse has been in Sherman Park since the early 1990s.

The funding will go toward more than a dozen individual projects throughout the park. Construction on the first phase of work will begin soon. The projects will include converting the wading pool to a splash pad, removing old pathways and building new ones, installing new lighting, constructing a new bike loop and expanding the staff parking area.

Milwaukee County was the first entity to provide funding for the project. The county board approved $962,000 from the county’s federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) for the project. Several prominent local organizations, including Ascension Wisconsin and the Herb Kohl Philanthropies, have donated to the effort, which involves more than a dozen individual projects around the park.

County Executive David Crowley said the county was able to move the project forward with federal partnerships, noting that Congresswoman Gwen Moore earmarked approximately $724,834 in funding for the project in the latest federal funding bill.

“I’m looking forward to watching this project move forward and positively impact this community for many years to come,” Crowley said.

Ascension Healthcare has operated a mobile dental clinic at the Mary Ryan clubhouse for several years. “While you’re at the club, in the gym, if you’re playing dodgeball and you chip your teeth on the floor, you can just go downstairs and they’ll give you help,” said Deonte Lewis, Vice President of Camp and Club Operations for the Boys and Girls Club.

As part of the Reimagining project, Ascension is installing a permanent dental chair in the clubhouse, said Ascension Wisconsin CEO Daniel Jackson, adding that the health care system estimates it will be able to provide free dental care to 750 children annually through the clubhouse.

“Ascension Wisconsin is pleased to contribute to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, to renovate Sherman Park and to deliver more care to the people in the community,” Jackson said.

The second phase of the project is expected to get underway at this time next year. That phase, according to the Boys and Girls Club, could include a new concession area, outdoor picnic and amphitheater space, new trees and landscaping and new community rooms.

“We’re so excited to champion this reimagining of the park,” Lewis said. “And showcasing what a wonderful community space this is.”

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