State Provides Funding Support for Universal Park

Site plan for  Moss Universal Park.

A universally accessible park project in Wauwatosa received a funding boost from the State of Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources awarded a $827,376 grant to support development of Moss Universal Park, which will be the first universally accessible park in Wisconsin. Every element in the park, from the clubhouse to the playground will be designed to be accessible for children and adults with disabilities.

The $10 million project is being developed by The Ability Center in partnership with Milwaukee County Parks.

“For the first time, families of ALL abilities will be afforded the opportunity to play everywhere, with everyBODY, throughout an entire park,” Damian Buchman, executive director of the Ability Center said in a statement announcing the grant earlier this week.

The park will be developed on the existing site of Wisconsin Avenue Park, 10300 W. Wisconsin Ave. A groundbreaking was held in 2023, but the Ability Center is still fundraising for the project, and construction has not begun.

The organization, which is headquartered in the clubhouse building at Wisconsin Avenue Park, has worked with the county to make accessibility improvements in other county parks, including Bradford Beach. It’s Buchman, whose experience with childhood bone cancer inspired him to create the nonprofit working on projects that improve the daily quality of life for persons with or impacted by disabilities.

The DNR awarded Parks a Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant for the project. The program, which uses funds administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, has for 60 years funded the creation of outdoor recreation projects.

“Parks are for everyone. This grant allows us to continue making good on that promise, investing in improvements that directly impact residents and visitors who have faced barriers to recreation in the past,” said Milwaukee County Parks Director Guy Smith.

Once construction starts, the park will be developed in two phases. First, the clubhouse will be renovated, new universal-accessibility fields built, restrooms upgraded and accessible playgrounds built. The second phase will create a meandering accessible pathway through the park’s woods, add accessible fitness stations and a challenge course.

The new park will be named for the late George F. Moss, a businessman-turned-philanthropist whose charity provided a $2.5 million donation for the new park. The Daniel M. Soref Charitable Trust, the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee and the Anon Foundation have also donated to the project.

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