Milwaukee County Announces Proposal to Relocate Kelly Senior Center to South Milwaukee to Better Serve Older Adults
MILWAUKEE—Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in support of the vision of the county’s Commission on Aging (COA) MKE HUBS Report, is proposing a new senior center in the Heritage Building on the former Bucyrus-Erie campus in South Milwaukee.
The proposed new senior center will be more than 22,000 sq. ft., approximately double the size of the existing center, and will provide dramatic aesthetic, physical space, and programmatic improvements for seniors that currently utilize the Kelly Senior Center. The project will offer southeast Milwaukee County residents access to a newly-renovated and centrally located senior center in a building and campus with historic value. The project is in the very early stages.
“As Milwaukee County’s aging population continues to grow, we must advance creative solutions to ensure our older adults have vibrant, accessible spaces with exceptional programming and amenities,” said County Executive Crowley. “The Bucyrus-Erie site realizes that vison by doubling the space of the existing Kelly Senior Center, bringing this important amenity closer to affordable housing options, and allowing us to expand programming to better serve residents by creating a lively gathering space for members of the community. I’m looking forward to engaging the community on this project as we move forward.”
Over the past few years, both the South Shore YMCA in Cudahy and the Chester W. Grobschmidt Senior Center in South Milwaukee have closed. Older adult participants at those centers have joined the Kelly Senior Center, where participation has significantly increased and there is now insufficient programming space to accommodate all of the center’s members.
“It has been a priority for the City of South Milwaukee to partner with Milwaukee County and create a long-term South Shore solution for senior citizen programming,” said South Milwaukee Mayor James Shelenske. “It’s amazing to see new life breathed into this historic location, and we are pleased to contribute to this project..”
“I’ve been going to Kelly Senior Center for several years for tai chi and other activities, and I’ve been struck by both the welcoming atmosphere and the deteriorating building,” said Janice Wilberg, Ph.D., Chair, COA. “As a volunteer appointed to the Milwaukee County Commission on Aging and the Commission’s current chair, I’ve been part of the effort to reimagine senior centers. This new center at the Bucyrus site holds such amazing potential for both current users of Kelly and for the next generation of older adults. It’s the reimagining that we’ve been pushing for and it’s great to see this moving forward.”
Members of the COA and South Milwaukee representatives did an initial tour of the proposed site and worked with the development team to ensure the future space would meet the needs of seniors, incorporating feedback from listening sessions and a tour of the Kelly Senior Center by the Bucyrus Campus architect in April 2025. This resulted in a request upon the architectural team to put together a development cost estimate of what would be needed for the rehabilitation of the commercial space to realize the initial, proposed need for MKE HUBS and community-aligned senior programming. The build out of this campus will include new green and recreational spaces that will also be available to senior center participants. There is ample parking in a large lot in front of the Heritage Building entrance. Older Adult Transportation Service (OATS) will be available to provide door-through-door service for non-driver participants.
The total development cost estimate is $1.1 million, with a projected construction timeline of approximately nine months of construction upon lease execution.
Based upon a comprehensive facility assessment, the Lawrence P. Kelly Senior Center in Cudahy needs an estimated $2.5 million in capital repairs and maintenance. Capital needs include HVAC system renewal, window and door replacements, flooring remediation, plumbing and natural gas distribution systems, electrical wiring, fire and safety alarms, and roof regrading. Even with a substantial capital investment, the current Kelly Senior Center would not meet the programmatic needs of senior users.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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