Alcott Park - 3751 S. 97th St, Milwaukee. South Region. 16.6 acres. 1968. Visitors spent 2.25 hours over the course of five visits to Alcott Park. The weather conditions ranged from partly cloudy to sunny and from 68 to 85 degrees. Our assessors describe Alcott Park as a somewhat secluded neighborhood park that is bordered by the expressway right-of-way and Alcott School on two sides and residential homes on the other two. The number of people in the park ranged from zero on the first visit a Sunday in early June, to about 35 people a Sunday in mid-july when a volleyball league was using the park. In general, park users were using the wading pool (on hot days) or the playground. Most of the users were young children, supervised by a parent. On two occasions, city workers were lunching in the picnic area. A notice posted on the park building indicated that the volleyball league rents the picnic area eight times during the summer (they set up their own volleyball nets). The park is also host an annual Fourth of July event. 2.7 Picnic Area 2.8 Buildings 2.3 Picnic Tables 2.9 Restrooms 2.4 Garbage Receptacles --- Parking Lots 3.0 Playground Areas --- Streets 3.2 Playground Equipment 2.7 Bike Racks 2.6 Park Benches 2.6 Water Fountains 2.9 Lawns 2.9 Trees/Shrubs/Plants Score Recreational Activities --- Ravines/Bluff 2.4 Softball 3.5 Walkways (Paved) 2.9 Wading Pool --- Foot Bridges / Foot Paths With the exception of the first visit, there were park workers sometimes as many as five present on each visit. The park is nicely landscaped and consistently well maintained. The brick park building (2.8) is small, but attractive and well maintained, with a neat, but mostly baron interior. The park worker indicated that the building is used only by the neighborhood association for (occasional) meetings. The park has a newer, nicely paved walkway (3.5). The one, small picnic area (2.7) is close to the street, but well situated it s not elaborate, but serves its purpose. The only recreational activity besides the well-used wading pool (2.9) is the little used softball field, which scored a 2.4. Although the sand in the field is groomed regularly, there are weeds growing in both the in and out-fields and there is little evidence of regular use. Although the park lacks a range of recreational activities, the adjacent Alcott School property has very impressive MPS maintained recreational activities, including tennis and basketball. 1
Brown Deer Park - 7835 N. Green Bay Rd., Brown Deer. North Region. 367.3 acres. 1927. Visitors spent almost 16 hours over the course of 5 visits to Brown Deer Park. Weather conditions ranged from 72 degrees and overcast to 85 degrees and sunny. Our assessors describe Brown Deer Park as a destination park. The park encompasses a large, heavily wooded area on Milwaukee's far north side. Brown Deer Park's major attraction is the 18- hole PGA level golf course, which sponsors the Greater Milwaukee Open each summer. However, one drawback to this event is that much of the spring and summer was devoted to preparing for and cleaning up after the event. Most of the park users our assessors came in contact with were there for a family or organizational picnic, for a soccer game or to golf. To a lesser extent, they came across patrons biking, fishing and enjoying the lagoon. The only walkways in the park are around the lagoon; therefore, the primary mode of transport seemed to be the auto. 2.6 Picnic Area 3.3 Buildings 2.3 Picnic Tables 1.8 Restrooms 2.3 Garbage Receptacles 2.2 Parking Lots 2.2 Playground Areas 2.8 Streets 2.3 Playground Equipment --- Monuments 2.0 Park Benches 2.8 Lawns Score Recreational Activities 3.1 Trees/Shrubs/Plants 2.3 Fishing 3.0 Ravines/Bluffs 4.0 Golf 2.0 Walkways (Paved) 2.3 Sand Volleyball 2.5 Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 2.8 Soccer --- Bike Racks 2.6 Softball 1.8 Water Fountains 1.9 Tennis Brown Deer Park is a popular park for large picnic groups, although there were always picnic areas available even on weekend visits. The pavilion is an impressive lannon stone structure overlooking the lagoon and golf course; however, the upper part is only open to rental groups. The lower part of the pavilion has not been updated, as reflected in the 1.8 score for the restrooms the restrooms for the general public are in poor condition. The stone restroom building by picnic area #3 provides the only other restrooms for park patrons other than the (un) popular "Porta Johns." While the lagoon is an important asset to the park, all assessors complained about the geese droppings on the walk around the lagoon (the only paved walkway in the park). The tennis courts scored a low 1.9, in part due to all of the clutter stored around them--it is unknown if this is due to GMO equipment it seems the snow fences are stored next to the courts also. One sand volleyball court seemed to be maintained and the other not--giving them a 2.3 average. Because the park is densely forested, the grass in the picnic areas (2.6) was pretty worn (little sun reaches the grass); however, the heavily shaded areas do provide a cool spot for picnickers. The lawn areas like the soccer fields looked very nice. The park scored highest (4.0) for its impressive PGA-level golf course. The course, as well as the landscaping along the course and around the clubhouse was very impressive the effort put into preparing for the GMO cannot be overstated great results. 2
Cannon Park - 303 N. 95 th St, Milwaukee. Central Region. 8.5 acres. 1964. Visitors spent 6.0 hours over the course of five visits to Cannon Park. The weather conditions ranged from a cloudy 70 degrees to a sunny 90 degrees. Our assessors describe Cannon Park as a small, neighborhood park on Milwaukee's far west side. The park is nestled into a wooded area and surrounded by an apartment complex on one side and homes on the others. The park has a wading pool, basketball courts, softball and soccer fields and a park building, which is available for group to rentals. Park users ranged in number from 15 to 45 people on the various visits. During one visit a soccer camp was taking place for children ages 9-16. 2.6 Picnic Area 2.6 Buildings 2.3 Picnic Tables 2.1 Restrooms 2.2 Garbage Receptacles --- Parking Lots 2.6 Playground Areas --- Streets 2.4 Playground Equipment --- Monuments 2.9 Park Benches 2.7 Lawns Score Recreational Activities 3.3 Trees/Shrubs/Plants 2.5 Basketball --- Ravines/Bluff 2.0 Soccer 2.3 Walkways (Paved) 1.7 Softball --- Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 3.0 Wading Pool 2.5 Bike Racks 2.5 Water Fountains The overall impression of Cannon Park is that this is a rather nice, though average neighborhood park. The park falls into the low range (although not the lowest) in three categories: overall score, recreation and non-green spaces. The softball (1.7) and soccer (2.0) scores brought down the recreation category in spite of the higher score of 3.0 for the wading pool. Additionally, the basketball courts (2.5) were in good shape and kids were always observed playing on them. The only amenity in the non-green space was the sidewalks, which scored a 2.3. The playground equipment (2.4) was relatively new; however, the older swing set brought the score down. The play area (2.6), although well situated, was of the old sand variety with more sand on the grass outside the area than inside of it, which resulted in some sand levels being quite low in the actual play area. The park building, which is available to rental groups scored a solid 2.6 and "seemed nice and useful for large groups of people." Cannon's highest ranking came in the category of green space with a 3.0 average, due largely to its very high score of 3.3 for trees, shrubs and plants. One assessor noted, "Cannon Park had great shade trees and the shrubs and trees were nicely situated in the park." In general, Cannon Park was clean and the lawns were well maintained. 3
Carver Park - 911 W. Brown St., Milwaukee. Central Region. 20 acres. 1939. Visitors spent 6.5 hours over the course of five visits to Carver Park. The weather conditions ranged from partly cloudy to sunny, with the temperature ranging from 72 to 88 degrees. Our assessors describe Carver Park as a newer (actually updated) urban park. The highlights of the park are the well-maintained fenced little league fields and the very impressive water playground for younger children. Also, under construction is an indoor batting practice center, which will also provide more restrooms for park users. The park was generally well attended, with a shortage of picnic areas on weekends. Many park goers liked to use the picnic tables for smaller, informal groups ("pick-up picnics'). The water playground was well attended only on the hottest days. On the three cooler days, there were less than 1/2 dozen users. The majority of park users had high praise for the park. 2.5 Picnic Area 3.1 Buildings 2.5 Picnic Tables 2.9 Restrooms 2.1 Garbage Receptacles 2.4 Parking Lots 3.2 Playground Areas --- Streets 3.4 Playground Equipment 1.9 Bike Racks 2.2 Park Benches 2.9 Lawns Score Recreational Activities 2.7 Trees/Shrubs/Plants 3.3 Baseball --- Ravines/Bluffs 1.9 Basketball 2.8 Walkways (Paved) 3.3 Fenced Little League --- Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 2.4 Softball 1.9 Water Fountains 1.4 Tennis 3.8 Water Playground The most utilized areas of the park were the picnic areas and the picnic shelter. Brown Street separates the park with a picnic area and formal shelter on the south side and a picnic area adjacent to a restroom/concession stand building on the north side. The 2.5 picnic area score reflects the average of the two as the south side of the park has a much nicer picnic shelter and picnic areas, with more trees and situated closer to the very impressive playground and the excellent restrooms off of the water playground. However, these restrooms are only open during the water playground hours and close by 5:00PM, which forces park users to cross Brown Street to access the older, less appealing restrooms in the concession stand building again lowering the score to 2.9. The great layout and condition of the play area (3.2) is underscored a bit by the excess of litter, soda cans, etc.; the equipment (3.4) is some of the best. The basketball court (1.9) was in poor shape, yet always had activity. Because the court is so close to the new Townhomes at Carver Park, it is unknown whether basketball will be expanded. The tennis courts are completely neglected the area is used for storage (note: the Rec Dept. does not list tennis as an activity here). The Beckum-Stapleton Little League facilities fenced fields, parking, restrooms, bleachers and concession stand were all in good condition and provided a welcoming atmosphere for visiting teams. And finally, the staff at Carver was very helpful. 4
Cooper Park - 8701 W. Chambers St., Milwaukee. North Region. 8.4 acres. 1953. Park visitors spent almost 3.0 hours over the course of four visits to Cooper Park. The weather conditions ranged from a partly cloudy 72 degrees to a hot and humid 90 degrees. Our assessors describe Cooper Park as a small, but nice neighborhood park on Milwaukee's far west side. The park has a nice bi-level pavilion with a rental area in the top portion. Although the building is small, its large windows overlooking the park provide a very nice view. On one visit the room was being set up for a party. A park supervisor indicated that the park was well used families use the playground and pool, teams use the ball fields, and the building was used by many groups throughout the week. The play area is well situated near the pool and restrooms and is fenced off from the street and away from the ball fields. However, one of our assessors noted the lack of restroom access for people with baby strollers or handicapped people: the lower level was frequently locked, which means people have to access the restrooms through the upper level and go down a flight of stairs to get to the restrooms. The most common park patrons at Cooper Park on our visits were families or children supervised by an adult. 3.2 Picnic Area 3.1 Buildings 2.2 Picnic Tables NR Restrooms 3.0 Garbage Receptacles --- Parking Lots 3.7 Playground Areas --- Streets 3.9 Playground Equipment --- Monuments 2.8 Park Benches 2.8 Lawns Score Recreational Activities 3.0 Trees/Shrubs/Plants 2.8 Baseball --- Ravines/Bluffs 1.1 Basketball 2.1 Walkways (Paved) 2.9 Softball --- Foot Bridges / Foot Paths NR Volleyball --- Bike Racks 3.0 Wading Pool 2.8 Water Fountains Cooper Park scored well in some key areas: playground area (3.7) and equipment (3.9), picnic area (3.2), and the pavilion (3.1). The park has a cement volleyball court (not rated, as most are sand) adjacent to basketball half-court (1.1), which was in very poor shape. In general, the pavement both on the walkways (2.1) and in the court area was in poor shape and in need of replacement. One assessor commented that the park has less green space than others its size, and noted that there were areas by the basketball hoops and softball diamonds that could be green space. The baseball and softball fields scored well with scores of 2.8 and 2.9 respectively; some evening leagues play at the park on weeknights. The park scored well in the green space category with a 3.0 in trees, shrubs and plants. There are plenty of mature trees and nice shrub landscaping along the perimeter and inside the park. The only landscape problem was with overgrown shrubs that needed pruning. 5
Cudahy Park - 3000 E. Ramsey, Cudahy. South Region. 17.6 acres. 1967. Park visitors spent 6.5 hours over the course of five visits to Cudahy Park. Each visit to the park was on a sunny though somewhat hot day, temperatures ranging from 70 to 93 degrees. Our assessors describe Cudahy Park as a smaller neighborhood park across the street from Mitchell School. The number of people in the park during the five visits ranged from a low of eight children on one visit to a high of 40 people on another. One main summer event at the park, a carnival hosted by the Lion s Club, attracted a large number of users. In general, park users were playing basketball, and using the playground or picnic areas. One problem noted by an assessor was the absence of adult supervision, At times the atmosphere was quite rowdy, there were often few adults in the park and there was a lot of noise and inappropriate language from the young people at the park. 2.3 Picnic Area 1.1 Buildings 2.6 Picnic Tables 1.5 Restrooms 3.0 Garbage Receptacles --- Parking Lots 2.7 Playground Areas --- Streets 3.1 Playground Equipment --- Monuments 2.4 Park Benches --- Bike Racks 2.7 Lawns 2.6 Trees/Shrubs/Plants Score Recreational Activities --- Ravines/Bluff 2.2 Basketball 2.2 Walkways (Paved) 2.3 Softball --- Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 2.4 Water Fountains Cudahy Park fell into the low or lowest range in every category except for green spaces, where the park scored in the mid-range with scores of 2.7 for lawns and 2.6 for trees, shrubs and plants. The low overall impression of Cudahy Park is summed up with a few comments from our park assessors. In two of the five visits to the park, the assessors noted that there was trash all over the park and that the park was very dirty. After a fourth visit to the park the assessor noted, that a recently held carnival at the park sponsored by the Lions Club left the lawn area in bad shape and very worn down. The only park building (1.1) was always closed except for the restrooms (1.5), which were in rather poor condition. The building itself was in terrible shape with vandalism on one side of the building. On a brighter note the playground equipment (3.1), which had been replaced two years ago, was in good shape, though the sand from the playground area (2.7) was often in the grass outside of the play area (a common complaint with sand playgrounds unless they have a good border around them). 6
Dineen Park - 6901 W. Vienna Ave., Milwaukee. North Region. 59.2 acres. 1956 Visitors spent 10.5 hours over the course of five visits to Dineen Park. The weather conditions ranged from a partly cloudy 72 degrees to a hot sunny 93 degrees. Our assessors describe Dineen Park as a large park with something to please just about every-one. Indeed, the main strength of Dineen Park is the variety of things to do in the park, as evidenced in the long list of recreational activities. The majority of users were families, but there was also a large day care group present on one visit. The most popular activities were the play area, pool and basketball courts. Park patrons ranged in number from 25 to 70 during the weekday visits. No golfers were observed on the par-three golf course on 4 of the 5 visits. A standout attraction was the well-maintained lawn bowling area; however, nobody was seen using it on any of the (weekday) visits. On the other hand, the heavily used basketball courts had several maintenance issues with bent rims and a missing hoop by the end of the summer. 1.6 Picnic Area 2.0 Buildings 2.0 Picnic Tables 3.0 Restrooms 2.8 Garbage Receptacles 2.4 Parking Lots 2.9 Playground Areas 3.3 Playground Equipment Score Recreational Activities 2.7 Park Benches 1.8 Baseball 2.9 Lawns 2.5 Basketball 2.8 Trees/Shrubs/Plants 3.0 Fishing 2.8 Ravines/Bluff 2.8 Golf 2.7 Walkways (Paved) 3.3 Lawn Bowling 2.8 Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 2.5 Soccer 2.1 Bike Racks 2.1 Softball 3.2 Water Fountains 2.8 Tennis 3.1 Wading Pool With all the amenities at Dineen, park workers were kept busy. It was the view of our assessors that they did more than adequate job in the majority of areas. Some standout areas were the maintenance and cleanliness of the wading pool (3.1), water fountains (3.2) and lawn bowling (3.3). All of the other recreational activities received good scores (from 2.1 to 2.8), except for the baseball field, which received a 1.8. However, one assessor noted that two of the baseball fields had been seeded over by the end of the summer. Moreover, the sidewalks that received poor scores early on were replaced over the course of the summer, leading to an overall score of 2.7. The picnic area and tables rated low scores of 1.6 and 2.0: the picnic area was small for the size of the park and hard to find, and the inadequate number of picnic tables were in rather poor shape-- many were covered with bird droppings. The trees, shrubs and plants (2.8) not only improved the park, but generally enhanced the surrounding neighborhood. Though only a few users were seen fishing (3.0), the pond looked nice and appeared clean and well maintained. With the main pool being closed this summer, many young visitors were observed in the wading pool, which was well maintained and staffed to accommodate the increased use. 7
Doctors Park - 1870 E. Fox Ln., Fox Point. North Region. 49.5 acres. 1930. Park visitors spent 7.5 hours over the course of four visits at Doctors Park. The weather conditions ranged from sunny to cloudy, with temperatures from 72 to 90 degrees. Our assessors describe Doctors Park as a secluded park sandwiched between an exclusive Fox Point neighborhood and Lake Michigan. With the exception of the beach and the natural beauty of a park on the bluffs of Lake Michigan, Doctors Park doesn't have standout amenities that would draw crowds from outside the neighborhood. With the exception of a day care center group on one occasion, the number of patrons ranged from 15 to 25; many of the park patrons seem to be from the neighborhood, strolling, walking dogs (in spite of No Dogs Allowed signs) and using the playground equipment. While the natural beauty of Doctors Park cannot be understated, aspects of the park that would draw outside visitors seem to be rundown or unavailable. The picnic tables are some of the worst in the system, the main restroom building was quite rundown, the bathhouse/ concession stand although well designed had maintenance issues and was always locked (a Porta-John served beach goers), and the trail leading down to the beach was somewhat obscured (not obvious to those unfamiliar with the park). This is unfortunate, because as one assessor notes, "Doctors Park is the jewel of the neighborhood." The playground was large and in excellent shape, the picnic areas were well laid out, the bluffs and beach were clean and the view although partially obscured by trees was excellent. 3.2 Picnic Area 1.9 Buildings 2.3 Picnic Tables 2.4 Restrooms 2.7 Garbage Receptacles 2.6 Parking Lots 2.8 Playground Areas --- Streets 3.4 Playground Equipment 2.2 Monuments 3.3 Park Benches 2.5 Bike Racks 2.6 Lawns 1.9 Water Fountains 3.0 Trees/Shrubs/Plants Score Recreational Activities 3.6 Ravines/Bluff 1.9 Soccer 3.0 Walkways (Paved) 2.1 Softball 2.5 Foot Bridges / Foot Bridges 2.9 Swim Beach Doctors Park picnic areas were very attractive and well situated, as reflected in a score of 3.2. However, the picnic tables (2.3), while plentiful and scattered nicely throughout the park, were in very poor shape, "chunks missing, broken boards, gray and slivery." The playground equipment scored a 3.4; however, the play area, while centrally located, scored lower (2.8) due to an absence of any shade trees close by. Many aspects of the park reflect the feel of being run down: the buildings and water fountains scored the lowest with 1.9 each, while the monument, rest-rooms and parking lot scored better with 2.2, 2.4 and 2.6 respectively. The soccer and softball fields fall into the low range with scores of 1.9 and 2.1. The swim beach scored a respectable 2.9 this may have been higher had the amenities on the beach been available. As expected, Doctors Park, situated on a bluff overlooking a fairly remote area of Lake Michigan, scores well for its natural beauty as reflected in scores of 3.0 for trees/shrubs/plants and 3.6 for ravines/bluffs. 8
Dretzka Park - 12020 W. Bradley Rd., Milwaukee. North Region. 326.6 acres. 1960. Visitors spent approximately 17 hours over the course of six visits to Dretzka Park. All the visits were on sunny days ranging in temperature from 65 degrees to a hot, humid day in the 90s. Our assessors described Dretzka Park as a popular destination park, since people come to play either golf or disc golf. As noted by one assessor, "although it was a beautiful day, only a handful of people were doing anything other than golf or disc golf. During our visits, park users ranged in number from a low of 55 to a high of 130. The disc golf course is unique to this park and its condition was highly rated on every visit. Since there are no playgrounds or other activities directed at children, the park is primarily used by adults. Our assessors never noticed any children in the park. 2.1 Picnic Area 3.8 Buildings 2.2 Picnic Tables 3.0 Restrooms 2.1 Garbage Receptacles 2.5 Parking Lots --- Playground Areas 3.3 Streets --- Playground Equipment --- Monuments 2.5 Park Benches --- Bike racks 2.7 Lawns 3.4 Trees/Shrubs/Plants Score Recreational Activities --- Ravines/Bluff 3.6 Disc Golf 2.3 Walkways (Paved) 2.9 Football/Rugby --- Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 3.5 Golf 2.7 Water Fountains 2.6 Sand Volleyball The assessors found a lot about Dretzka Park that was extremely positive. The highest reviews were for the standard 18-hole golf course, which received a very high score of 3.5, and the disk golf course, which received another very high score of 3.6. The disk golf course, which is a main attraction of the park, is the only one of its kind in the entire county park system. Since the majority of the park is the golf course, this positive assessment resonates throughout the park. Assessors also noted the nice condition of the park buildings. As one assessor commented, The rental building is the best one I have seen. It is good condition and the log cabin feel is attractive. Dretzka received no average impression marks below 2.1. The lower marks came in the assessment of garbage receptacles, picnic areas and picnic tables. As summed up by one assessor, I noticed a lot of garbage both inside and out of the receptacles on several visits. As for the picnic areas, the assessors felt that they were poorly maintained compared to the other amenities available in the park and generally did not enhance the park. The sand volleyball court improved greatly throughout the summer, ending with an overall good score of 2.6. Dretzka s popularity is no surprise given the upbeat assessment over the course of our six visits. 9
Estabrook Park - 4400 N. Estabrook Dr., Shorewood / Milw. North Region. 115 acres. 1936. Visitors spent just over 15 hours over the course of six visits to Estabrook Park. The weather ranged from cloudy to sunny and from a low 60 degrees to a high 93 degrees. Our assessors describe Estabrook Park as a large, beautiful wooded park on the Milwaukee River. However, this assessment is tempered by the feeling on the part of two assessors that the park seems, at times, to be "somewhat unsafe and may result in people hesitating to take advantage of it." However, the comfort level of the assessors did improve as the summer wore on. One assessor who felt unsafe on the walkways at the beginning of the season felt safer later on after the shrubs had been cut back. Our assessors noted that there were between 20 to 40 people using the park during these visits with usage increasing as the summer went on. The most popular activities included biking, hiking, walking, volleyball and using the playgrounds. 2.6 Picnic Area 2.2 Buildings 2.5 Picnic Tables 2.7 Restrooms 2.1 Garbage Receptacles 2.6 Parking Lots 2.9 Playground Areas 2.9 Streets 2.8 Playground Equipment --- Monuments 1.8 Park Benches 2.5 Lawns Score Recreational Activities 2.5 Trees/Shrubs/Plants 2.9 Fishing 2.2 Ravines/Bluff 2.0 Hockey (Roller) 2.9 Walkways (Paved) 2.8 Sand Volleyball 2.0 Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 2.8 Soccer 1.7 Bike Racks 2.7 Softball 2.4 Water Fountains The standardized score for Estabrook Park fell into the low range. This ranking underscores the contrast of positive and negative impressions that a park visitor will likely encounter. For example, the playground areas differ dramatically in quality resulting in a score of 2.9. In one picnic area, playground equipment is new, safe and in good condition. In another picnic area, equipment need repairs with paint peeling, vinyl coating on chains cracking and chains rusting. On some visits garbage was scattered on the ground and picnic areas, yet on another visit the park workers were picking up garbage. Walkways (2.9) appear to be in various stages of wear, with some being resurfaced while others are rough and cracked. The footbridges (2.0) also present a contrast. One footbridge near picnic area #8 is in excellent condition. However, the footbridge near the pond is in poor condition with fence rails missing and boards starting to decay. In terms of recreation the soccer fields (2.8) and softball fields (2.9) are well maintained, though the bleachers look old, rickety, and unsafe. Though the park lists roller hockey as one available activity it was hard to see where the roller hockey court was. Once it was located the assessors noted that there were weeds everywhere and no one was ever seen using it. 10
Froemming Park - 8801 S. 51st St., Franklin. South Region. 17.3 acres. Visitors spent 3.0 hours over the course of four visits to Froemming Park. sunny on each visit, with temperatures ranging from 72 to 90 degrees. The weather was Our assessors describe Froemming Park as a newer, developing park in need of mature shade trees and other park-like landscaping. The park has a nice picnic shelter attached to a park building with modern restrooms. On the first visit, on a Sunday in June, the assessor met a family reunion group that was having their 3rd reunion at Froemming Park. They were very pleased with the facilities. About 18 people were present on this day, using the volleyball and tennis courts and the playground. However, subsequent visits on a Monday in July, and on a Sunday and Tuesday in August had 2, 0 and 2 park patrons, respectively. The lack of shade trees--especially around the playground made the park unappealing on excessively hot days. 3.0 Picnic Area 2.9 Buildings 2.8 Picnic Tables 3.3 Restrooms 2.2 Garbage Receptacles 3.1 Parking Lots 2.1 Playground Areas --- Streets 2.6 Playground Equipment --- Monuments 2.4 Park Benches 3.1 Lawns Score Recreational Activities 2.5 Trees/Shrubs/Plants 3.2 Baseball --- Ravines 3.2 Softball --- Bluffs 2.2 Sand Volleyball 2.7 Walkways (Paved) 2.5 Tennis --- Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 2.1 Water Fountains 3.2 Bike Racks Both the softball and baseball fields both scored well, with scores of 3.2 a piece: they were modern and fenced; while neither is elaborate, both are clean, well maintained and groomed, with good bleachers, bike racks, and benches for the players. The tennis courts are about average (2.5) as rated by the assessor and by a frequent user, who felt it was comparable to other park tennis courts. The sand volleyball (2.2) court is not groomed users said it used to be groomed a few years ago, but not anymore (they stress that it is better than no court at all). The playground has nice equipment (2.6), but the playground area only scored a 2.1 because it is not groomed or landscaped (the sand runs into the grass) and there are no benches or shade trees for comfort. Additional treed landscaping both within the park and along the park s perimeter would greatly enhance this park. Froemming Park strikes the assessors as still in the development stages. 11
Gordon Park - 1321 E. Locust St., Milwaukee. Central Region. 15.4 acres. Visitors spent 4.5 hours over the course of six visits to Gordon Park. Weather conditions were generally sunny with temperatures ranging from 73 to 88 degrees. Our assessors describe Gordon Park as a both a neighborhood park because of its size and community center, and a destination park because of its new Splash Pad and its summer concerts, which draw people from outside of the neighborhood. Unfortunately, it was this program that was blamed for some trouble with older teens/young adults who hung out down by the river and occasionally came up to "bathe" in the Splash Pad much to the discomfort of the parents and children. The workers indicated that the Milwaukee County Sheriff s Department was very cooperative in handling the situation. The park has been recently updated to include a modern park building for rental and community groups, a new picnic shelter, a Splash Pad (a water play area for young children), updated walks and a new parking lot. This is an older urban park situated on bluffs overlooking the Milwaukee River (which is not always visible due to the trees, vegetation, etc.). Our assessors indicated that the primary patrons are young children and their parents and/or day care providers, with picnic groups on the weekends. 2.4 Picnic Area 3.7 Buildings 2.2 Picnic Tables 3.8 Restrooms 2.0 Garbage Receptacles 3.3 Parking Lots 3.5 Playground Areas --- Streets 3.7 Playground Equipment 0.5 Monuments 2.5 Park Benches 3.6 Bike Racks 2.3 Lawns 3.0 Water Fountains 2.8 Trees/Shrubs/Plants 2.6 Ravines/Bluffs Score Recreational Activities 3.1 Walkways (Paved) 2.6 Soccer 2.5 Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 3.9 Splash Pad The restoration of Gordon Park was not yet complete this summer. As reflected in the score of 2.3, there were many lawn areas under seed a process that did not go well because the areas were not roped off. Hopefully winter seeding will finish the job. The Splash Pad, which scored an impressive 3.9, was a hit among parents and day care providers. The park building (3.7) is open only to rental groups; however, the restrooms have outside access and were in excellent condition (3.8). The newer play area and playground both scored high with a 3.5 and 3.7, respectively. The picnic areas (2.4) were average, although there was a nice shelter. Because of the recent updates, the park scored higher than most parks in water fountains (3.0), bike racks (3.6) and parking lots (3.3). The bluffs, in several areas provided lovely views of the Milwaukee River, but along with the bluffs come ravines that collected more and more litter as the summer went on the litter lowered the score to a 2.6. The only other problem noted by assessors was the stone landscape structure at the one entrance, which was in extreme disrepair and did not provide a very welcoming impression: tear it down or repair it and plant landscape flowers in front of it (its intended purpose). 12
Grant Park - 100 E. Hawthorne Ave., South Milwaukee. South Region. 381.4 acres. 1944. Visitors spent over 20 hours over the course of six visits to Grant Park. The weather conditions ranged from a cloudy 72 degrees to a sunny hot 95 degrees. Our assessors describe Grant Park as a classic destination park, due to its great variety of activities and natural beauty. Located on the bluffs above Lake Michigan, Grant Park's greatest attraction is probably its natural beauty. As summed up by one assessor, Grant is a beautiful park, and a lot of people were taking advantage of this by using the bike paths and trails that pass through the park. However, some poor maintenance conditions and cleanliness issues (noted below) in the park detracted from this beauty leaving Grant mostly in the mid- range. Park users ranged in number from 75 to 150, with 100 being the median. 3.1 Picnic Area 2.7 Buildings 2.4 Picnic Tables 2.4 Restrooms 2.2 Garbage Receptacles 2.6 Parking Lots 3.2 Playground Areas 2.7 Streets 3.3 Playground Equipment 2.7 Park Benches Score Recreational Activities 2.5 Lawns 1.6 Basketball 3.2 Trees/Shrubs/Plants 3.3 Golf 2.9 Ravines/Bluff 2.6 Soccer 2.8 Walkways (Paved) 2.0 Softball 3.1 Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 1.8 Tennis 2.5 Bike Racks 2.5 Wading Pool 2.4 Water Fountains 3.1 Wulff Lodge (Overnight Lodge) There are ten picnic areas (3.1) and some were in excellent shape and in great locations, while others were not well maintained and not clean on four of the six visits. The beach looked excellent and the beach house really enhanced the park. However, on one visit the odor from the lake/beach was strong enough to deter even the hardiest of swimmers; on two other visits the beach was closed. There was a problem with garbage (2.2) in the park: often, there was garbage scattered about the park and both in and around the garbage receptacles, which were often overflowing. Some features of the park were closed to the public raising concern over who is allowed to use them. Though there may be valid reasons for this, without proper signage users might be given the impression that they are not welcome. The walkways (2.8) that wind through the park are quite nice and appear to be heavily used. The trees, shrubs and plants clearly enhance the park, resulting in an average score of 3.1. The bluffs and ravines (2.9) were lovely and appeared well kept and the associated footpaths and bridges are also quite nice scoring a 3.1. Of the recreational activities at Grant, the golf course received a high score of 3.3, and the soccer field a higher than average 2.6. The softball field (2.0) is not regulation and the tennis courts (1.8) needed maintenance resulting in low average scores for these activities. 13
Greene Park - 4235 S. Lipton Ave., St. Francis. South Region. 37.8 acres. 1958. Visitors spent 6.25 hours over the course of five visits to Greene Park. The weather was generally sunny and 85 to 92 degrees, except for one cloudy, humid 80 degree day. Our assessors describe Greene Park as a larger neighborhood park with a good range of recreational activities, including basketball, baseball, football, softball, tennis and a wading pool. Although the park is the Village of St. Francis' primary neighborhood park, it lies on the Cudahy border. While many of these activities were run down, the wading pool was in good shape and was the star attraction on many visits during the hot summer. Park patrons ranged from 20 to 45 people, including a day care center on one visit. With the exception of some ballgames, the most popular amenities were the wading pool, playground and picnic areas. While the assessor noted that the ball fields ranged from marginal to good, the tennis courts and basketball hoops were so bad that they "take away from the park; are not playable [and thus], make the rest of the park seem worse than it is." The park was well staffed on all visits. Impression based assessment of cleanliness, maintenance, placement and adequate number: 2.3 Picnic Area 2.4 Buildings 2.1 Picnic Tables 1.8 Restrooms 2.4 Garbage Receptacles 2.3 Parking Lots 2.6 Playground Areas --- Streets 3.2 Playground Equipment --- Monuments 2.7 Park Benches 2.4 Lawns Score Recreational Activities 2.9 Trees/Shrubs/Plants 2.5 Baseball --- Ravines/Bluffs 1.0 Basketball 1.8 Walkways (Paved) 2.6 Football / Rugby --- Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 1.4 Soccer 2.8 Water Fountains 3.0 Softball 2.6 Bike Racks 0.8 Tennis 3.0 Wading Pool By all accounts, Greene Park is a below average park. It has a good assortment of recreational activities; however, none are standouts, except for softball and the wading pool (both 3.0), which score in the high range. Two activities, in particular, really bring the average score down: the tennis courts (0.8) and the basketball court (1.0) are so bad they need to be repaired or removed. The assessor states that the basketball hoops are not the right height, lean to one side and look like they are ready to fall over. Almost every visit had notations of trash and litter in various parts of the park this would have brought each of the amenities down, for instance, the playground area only scored a 2.6, even though it had good equipment (3.2) and had newly planted trees for shade. The walkways also scored in the low range with a 1.8 some of the walkways have been replaced, yet many are in very poor shape, some too poor to accommodate rollerbladers. The restrooms were not well lit and ranged from "pretty nice inside" to "not a good bathroom; tile floor very dirty," which brought the score down to a 1.8. 14
Greenfield Park - 2028 S. 124th St., West Allis. Central Region. 295.2 acres. 1923. Park visitors spent almost 18 hours over the course of five visits to Greenfield Park. The weather conditions ranged from a partly cloudy 77 degrees to a sunny 91 degrees. Our assessors describe Greenfield Park as a classic destination park with emphasis on the roadways (for walkers, bikers and autos), walking paths, lagoon, picnic areas, golf course, and of course, the famous Cool Waters water park. In spite of its large size, the park seems sheltered by its golf course to the north and heavy vegetation on the other sides. Cool Waters was definitely a star attraction during this summer's long hot drought. However, Greenfield is also a popular picnic park--especially for large family and corporate groups. In addition to the Cool Waters picnic shelters, there are two picnic shelters with attached restrooms, and many more picnic areas with parking and adequate amenities to accommodate large groups. The park has a good balance of both large wooded and open grassy areas. With the exception of the family-oriented water park the park had a diverse range of patrons: old and young, urban and suburban, families and individuals, bikers and walkers--all seemed to find their niche at Greenfield Park. Impression based assessment of cleanliness, maintenance, placement and adequate number: 2.6 Picnic Area 3.2 Buildings 2.4 Picnic Tables 2.3 Restrooms 2.4 Garbage Receptacles 2.7 Parking Lots 2.3 Playground Areas 3.0 Streets 2.4 Playground Equipment 2.3 Park Benches Score Recreational Activities 2.8 Lawns 2.4 Baseball 3.3 Trees/Shrubs/Plants 2.3 Fishing 2.9 Ravines/Bluffs 3.3 Golf 2.7 Walkways (Paved) 3.0 Paddleboats 2.8 Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 2.7 Sand Volleyball 2.7 Bike Racks 2.4 Softball 1.9 Water Fountains 3.9 Water Park The newer Cool Waters facility received an excellent score (3.9); in addition to the zero-depth pool, Cool Waters has picnic shelters, sand volleyball, a playground and a full-menu concession stand. It was a popular attraction and was highly praised by all interviewed. The older, formidable stone pavilion has excellent facilities for rental groups, is air-conditioned and overlooks both the lagoon the water park. The pavilion's lower level, although charming, had many signs of decay--in general has not been updated; it has accommodations for winter ice skaters and leads out to the paddleboat rental area on the lagoon. The picnic areas were popular, although just adequately maintained (2.6); and the conditions of the restrooms (2.3) varied quite a bit and deteriorated as the summer went on. The main playground has older, adequate equipment and is close to a parking lot and picnic shelter. The sand volleyball court was well situated off two picnic areas and a parking lot, but the baseball diamond was hard to find. The standard 18-hole golf course, which scored a 3.3, was well maintained with good attention to landscaping. The older stone clubhouse adds character and aesthetic beauty to both the park and the golf course. 15
Hales Corners Park - 5765 S. New Berlin Rd., Hales Corners. South Region. 33.3 acres. 1961. Visitors spent 4.25 hours over the course of five visits to Hales Corners Park. The weather was usually sunny and ranged in temperature from 75 to 92 degrees. Our assessors describe Hales Corners Park as a picturesque suburban park. The park is two-part, the front half contains all of the activities, but after walking over the footbridge across the small creek, one finds a huge expanse of undisturbed lawn bordered by a layer of thick trees with a nice walkway and another picnic area with more parking. Most of the patrons are young teens and adults utilizing the pool, on the east end of the park, and parents and toddlers utilizing the wading pool and playground on the west end of the park. 2.8 Picnic Area 3.0 Buildings 2.6 Picnic Tables 2.6 Restrooms 2.3 Garbage Receptacles 2.8 Parking Lots 3.2 Playground Areas --- Streets 3.8 Playground Equipment --- Monuments 2.6 Park Benches 3.0 Lawns Score Recreational Activities 3.1 Trees/Shrubs/Plants 2.8 Baseball 3.3 Ravines/Bluffs 2.3 Basketball 3.0 Walkways (Paved) 2.0 In-Line Hockey 3.0 Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 2.8 Softball 2.0 Water Fountains 2.8 Swimming Pool 2.4 Bike Racks 2.8 Wading Pool Park workers indicated that there is a water problem in Hales Corners, so most of the water fountains are not usable--except for the ones on the pool decks. The main playground, which is well laid out with stationary benches and plenty of shade, is one of the finest in the system, with users on every visit. However, there is another older playground off the wading pool, which brought the score down a bit (3.2). The park has an interesting concept: the wading pool and playground area separated--at opposite ends of the park--from the pavilion and main pool. The picnic areas were clean and maintained, but never appeared to be fully utilized. A large flowerbed graced the entrance to the brick pavilion, which was attractive and neat in appearance, with a vaulted ceiling and rustic look in the interior. Despite its rental availability--with the attached swimming pool--park employees said it is rarely rented out. Unfortunately, the drought took a big toll on the lawns, which were never the less always well maintained. The tennis court nets were removed and the court utilized as an informal in-line hockey rink, which received a score of 2.0-- there don't appear to be any lines or permanent goals. The basketball half-court (2.3) was not fenced, but in adequate condition. The only recreation activities utilized during visits were the pools and playground. The pool, while never crowded, seemed to be a popular attraction--even on milder days (unlike some pools that only attract users on 90+ degree days). 16
Holler Park - 5151 S. 6 th St., Milwaukee. South Region. 16.4 acres. 1937. Visitors spent 6.0 hours over the course of five visits to Holler Park. The weather was sunny and hot on each visit, with temperatures ranging from 85 to 93 degrees. Our assessors describe Holler Park as kind of a destination park due to the Easter Seals Center, which serves handicapped youngsters. This theme runs through the entire park, with a handicapped accessible swimming pool and picnic areas. The pool, while reserved for the Easter Seals programs during the weekdays, was open to the general public on weekends. Another unique feature of the park is the haunted house, which operated during the month of October. Additionally, the park has a small fishing pond. There were approximately 20 to 30 people using the park on each visit, primarily on the playground equipment or playing basketball. 2.1 Picnic Area 2.9 Buildings 2.4 Picnic Tables 1.5 Restrooms 2.1 Garbage Receptacles 2.1 Parking Lots 2.4 Playground Areas 2.7 Streets 3.3 Playground Equipment --- Monuments 3.1 Park Benches 1.7 Lawns Score Recreational Activities 3.1 Trees/Shrubs/Plants 3.2 Basketball --- Ravines/Bluff 3.0 Fishing 1.9 Walkways (Paved) 3.0 Soccer 3.0 Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 2.8 Swimming Pool --- Bike Racks 2.8 Wading Pool 2.8 Water Fountains Holler is basically a mid-range park. It falls into the lower range for the poor walkways (1.9) and parking lot (2.1); however, it rises to the higher range in recreational activities. The park scores a 2.8 for the wading and swimming pools both were clean and well-maintained, a 3.0 for soccer and fishing, and its highest, 3.2 for basketball. The mid-range general features category represented some extremes: there were cleanliness issues--the assessors felt that the park was not clean. On many visits there was trash in several areas of the park. The restrooms (1.5) were in bad shape, with no doors on the stalls and no lights inside or out. The sidewalks and walkways (1.9) were generally of average upkeep with some areas in terrible shape. The draught in July left the lawn (1.7) in bad shape. On a positive note, the playground equipment was in top-notch condition (3.3), although the older playground area only came in with a 2.4. However, the assessors noted that few visitors were using the pool and on some visits the pool was closed. It seemed apparent that with the low number of pool users, it might be efficient to close the pool. 17
Hoyt Park - 1800 Swan Blvd., Wauwatosa. Central Region. 35.1 acres. 1936. Visitors spent 7.0 hours over the course of five visits to Hoyt Park. The weather conditions ranged from a cloudy 75 degrees to a sunny 85 degrees. Our assessors describe Hoyt Park as a long narrow park that runs along the Menomonee River and the Menomonee River Parkway in Wauwatosa. Two of the major draws to Hoyt Park are the Oak Leaf trail, which one assessor describes as being in great condition, and the pool, which has a water slide. On several visits the park was full of children and adults, with many using the trail for biking, running, walking or inline-skating. However, just as popular were the pool and playground. During two separate visits, busloads of children came in from daycare centers, most using the pool, playground and picnic areas. 2.9 Picnic Area 2.0 Buildings 2.8 Picnic Tables 1.7 Restrooms 2.1 Garbage Receptacles 3.2 Parking Lots 2.5 Playground Areas --- Streets 3.3 Playground Equipment --- Monuments 1.6 Park Benches 3.3 Bike Racks 2.9 Lawns 3.3 Trees/Shrubs/Plants Score Recreational Activities 3.3 Ravines/Bluff 2.9 Sand Volleyball 3.2 Walkways (Paved) 2.6 Soccer 3.1 Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 3.4 Swimming Pool 1.8 Water Fountains Hoyt Park scored in the highest range in three categories, the high range in one, and just dipped down into the low range for the general features category with a 2.4. In the general features category, the park had some very high scores, playground equipment (3.3), parking lots (3.2), and bike racks (3.3), but some very low scores brought down the average: 1.7 for the restrooms (dirty and poorly maintained), the unexceptional building (2.0), and the park benches or absence of them (1.6). Hoyt Park had some of the top scores for green space (3.2 average) with the ravines and bluffs (3.3), which were without litter and the paths to the river felt safe and appealing, and the trees, shrubs and plants (3.3), which were very nice and truly enhanced the park. In spite of the hot summer and drought, the lawns (2.9) always looked nice and were well maintained. Top grades in the non-green space category were for the shaded parking lot with boulevards (3.2)--one assessor called it the best parking lot in the system, and the walkways (3.2)--including much of the Oak Leaf Trail. As noted above, the older swimming pool ranked very high with a 3.4; the pool is well situated in a treed area and includes a large water slide. 18
Humboldt Park - 3000 S. Howell Ave., Milwaukee. South Region. 70.6 acres. Park assessors spent 9.25 hours over the course of 5 visits to Humboldt Park. The weather conditions were usually sunny, with temperatures ranging from 70 to 90 degrees. Our assessors describe Humboldt Park as a large, older urban park. Located in BayView, on Milwaukee's southeast side, the park has much of the charm and many of the features of older parks, including a monument to WWI Bay View Veterans, a band shell, a lagoon and a drive that winds through the park. For an urban park with many activities, the park still has a surprisingly large amount of green open spaces. Humboldt was the sight of a 4th of July program. The picnic areas seemed to be a popular feature; there was a good variety of sites and most picnic areas had newer tables; however, the assessor felt there was room for and the park could use additional picnic areas. It seemed that the park was compensating for this by spreading out picnic tables between areas. Although many of the sidewalks were either being replaced or in need of replacement, they connected nicely to make for a wonderful walking park. Park patrons ranged from 25 to 65 in number and the park had a good variety of activities--enough to please park users of all ages. Impression based account of cleanliness, maintenance, placement and adequate number: 2.5 Picnic Area 2.2 Buildings 2.9 Picnic Tables 2.5 Restrooms 2.2 Garbage Receptacles --- Parking Lots 3.5 Playground Areas 2.8 Streets 3.4 Playground Equipment 2.2 Monuments 2.6 Park Benches 2.7 Lawns Score Recreational Activities 2.8 Trees/Shrubs/Plants 2.8 Bandshell --- Ravines/Bluff 2.8 Baseball 2.7 Walkways (Paved) 2.2 Fishing --- Foot Bridges / Foot Paths 1.0 Tennis 2.3 Water Fountains 3.1 Wading Pool 2.4 Bike Racks Our assessors noted that, while none of the activities at Humboldt Park were standouts, most were in adequate condition, perhaps with the exception of the poor condition of the tennis courts, which rated a 1.0. Again, there seemed to be a good variety. The picnic areas scored a bit lower than expected, 2.5, this is due to heavy usage and some visits when they weren't clean after events. In addition, it often seemed that the park needed more picnic areas. As with most parks, the play area and equipment scored well (3.5 and 3.4). Overall, Humboldt is a charming and aesthetically pleasing park; however, there were some maintenance issues at Humboldt: plants and shrubs near the building, and signs were not maintained, the lagoon (2.1) needed cleaning and the monument (2.2) had graffiti on it. The restrooms (2.5) were sometimes dirty and dingy, but again adequate. While the assessors noted that the pavilion was clean, the lower level area, which is used for activities and winter ice-skating was dark and dingy. Additionally, skate boarders have taken a toll on park benches. 19