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Runway Dog Park. Photo courtesy of Milwaukee County Parks.
The query of whether or not or not the county ought to change Runway Dog Park is probably going one many of the Milwaukee County Board can agree on. But when to interchange it, and with what money: that’s one other story.
In 2022, the most important canine park within the Milwaukee County Parks system was shut down after the Federal Aviation Administration decided that the canine park, which sat on Milwaukee Mitchell Airport property, was in violation of federal guidelines concerning airport land use.
A decision allocating $75,000 would provoke a course of to plan and design a alternative. But after listening to issues in regards to the supply of the funding and the timeline to get the work completed, two totally different county board committees have taken totally different positions. The proposal now seems caught earlier than the board’s Committee on Finance.
On Tuesday, the Committee on Parks and Culture voted unanimously in favor of the mission, although not earlier than members aired some reservations. On Thursday, the Committee on Finance, nonetheless, voted to carry the merchandise in committee.
Supervisor Ryan Clancy stated his decision would “start to fix” a difficulty that has dissatisfied his constituents and that the closure of Runway has added visitors and put on and tear to different canine parks.
“Dog parks are great spaces for socialization, both for recreation for peoples and pooches,” Clancy advised his colleagues on the finance committee.
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Parks beforehand submitted the mission as a part of its lengthy listing of mission funding requests for the 2024 finances. But an ad-hoc committee scored the mission close to the underside of a precedence listing.
The funding in Clancy’s decision would come from the county’s wet day account. Given that it’s nonetheless solely the primary month of the 12 months, Parks Director Guy Smith expressed trepidation about pulling from the account to fund the canine park mission, 1214 E. Rawson Ave. “We try to be as fiscally responsible as we can,” he advised the parks committee Tuesday.
The recent chilly snap led to a number of ruptured water mains all through the parks system, Smith stated. The division is at present overlaying repairs with funds inside its finances, he stated, explaining that it’s most of these unexpected bills that would trigger parks to return for funding from the wet day account sooner or later. “There’s a lot more of the year to progress, and I may have to come before you for other issues,” he stated.
Supervisor Steve Taylor stated the disappearance of Runway Dog Park is a matter he has heard quite a bit about in his district. Clancy additionally famous it was one of many points he hears about probably the most. Sup. Juan Miguel Martinez famous that whereas campaigning for re-election he to has heard lots of curiosity from constituents in canine parks.
At the parks committee Sup. Felicia Martin questioned whether or not the board shouldn’t maintain off on funding the mission now and as an alternative attempt to match it within the 2025 finances. Sup. Sheldon Wassermanchair of the committee, joked along with his colleagues, “I will tell you, that to vote against dogs in an election season is stupidity at its finest.”
The committee unanimously endorsed the mission, sending it to the finance committee. But Taylor warned that he could change his vote a number of days later, pending extra data from parks on the timeline and capability to finish the mission this 12 months.
And change his vote he did.
During the finance assembly Thursday, Smith stated it’s unlikely that Parks may full the mission design in time to request building funding for 2025. That would push building again to 2026 on the earliest. The estimate was based mostly on conversations with the departments planners and with the county’s engineering division.
Taylor efficiently moved to carry Clancy’s proposal.
The proposal now sits in an uncommon place: endorsed by one committee however caught in one other. And even underneath an ideal state of affairs, the alternative park may nonetheless be at the least one other election cycle away.
