Milwaukee’s First Universally Accessible Playground Targets 2027 Finish
Late summer site work at Kilbourn Reservoir Park would replace 2006-era equipment years ahead of schedule.
2026 design for Stella’s Playground. Image from campaign.
One year after a promise to make Milwaukee playgrounds more inclusive for children like her daughter, Therese Cluck Schneider says the community response has moved Stella’s Playground from an emotional idea to an emerging reality.
The effort to build the city of Milwaukee’s first universally accessible playground at Kilbourn Reservoir Park has now raised $1.2 million toward its $2 million fundraising goal, according to organizers. The project also unveiled updated renderings this week that incorporate feedback from disability advocates, families and community organizations.
The fundraising milestone comes as Stella Schneider celebrates her 10th birthday, exactly one year after the public launch of the campaign inspired by her experience returning to the park after treatment for a cancerous brain tumor.
“To date, the community has raised $1.2 million toward its $2 million goal, and the project is entering its most exciting phase yet,” organizers said in a press statement announcing a one-day fundraising push aimed at raising another $10,000 or more.
The project timeline has also become more defined over the past year. Construction documents are now being finalized, site work is expected to begin in late summer and major construction is scheduled to continue through early 2027.
The City of Milwaukee recently affirmed its commitment to the project and approved a maintenance agreement.
The updated renderings show expanded accessible play routes, sensory-oriented features and designated quiet spaces intended to better serve children with a wide range of physical, developmental and sensory needs.
Organizers said the latest design changes were heavily influenced by feedback gathered over the past year from disability advocates, area organizations and families with firsthand experience navigating inaccessible playgrounds.
The playground is planned as a public-private partnership with the city through the Department of Public Works’ MKE Plays program. The city previously committed $200,000 to the project.
When the campaign launched in 2025, Schneider said she was motivated by a moment when Stella, then recovering from surgeries that affected her ability to walk and speak, realized she could no longer comfortably use the existing playground equipment.
“This playground isn’t for me,” Stella told her mother during that visit to the park, prompting Schneider to promise to build a playground that would be.
The effort has since become one of the city’s most prominent accessibility-focused fundraising campaigns, drawing support from community groups, disability advocates and neighborhood organizations in Riverwest and beyond.
The playground site currently sits along E. Meinecke Avenue within the park. Without the privately led campaign, according to city officials, the existing playground likely would not have been replaced until approximately 2029. The existing playground is from 2006.
Organizers are encouraging supporters to donate as part of Thursday’s birthday fundraising campaign through the project website.
Photos
Existing members must be signed in to see the interactive map. Sign in.
If you think stories like this are important, become a member of Urban Milwaukee and help support real, independent journalism. Plus you get some cool added benefits.
