We've got some very exciting news to share regarding the Harbor District's first waterfront public park.  Read below to hear about our amazing funders and learn how you can support the creation of the Greenfield Avenue Public Plaza (shown in the rendering above created by UWM's Community Design Solutions).

We are also excited to announce we have hired a new Community Engagement Manager. Scroll down to the bottom to meet him.

Major Gifts for Greenfield Avenue Public Plaza

Harbor District, Inc. is pleased to announce two major gifts in support of a new public plaza on the waterfront in Milwaukee’s Harbor District: a contribution of $600,000 from the Rockwell Automation Charitable Corporation and $250,000 from the Brico Fund.

“Rockwell Automation has a rich company history in the community and our immediate
neighborhood,” said Blake Moret, Chairman and CEO, Rockwell Automation. “This plaza
will provide a unique recreational and educational destination for our employees,
members of the Greater Milwaukee community and region.”

Both Rockwell Automation and the Brico Fund were early supporters of Harbor District.
Lynde Uihlein, president of the Brico Fund, saw an opportunity in the neglected
waterfront. “At the Brico Fund, we wanted to make sure that redevelopment efforts in the
Harbor District lived up to the extraordinary potential of the location, but also that the
outcomes were community-driven.”

Together with support from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation; Prairie Springs - The
Paul Fleckenstein Trust; and Herb Kohl Charities, these two significant donations brings
Harbor District closer to the goal of constructing the new plaza in the summer of 2018.  For more details, see this Business Journal article on the contributions.  For more details on the Greenfield Avenue Public Plaza, visit the project page online.

Initial funding for the Take Me to the River Initiative and the Greenfield Avenue Public Plaza was provided by the Bloomberg Award for Partners for Places - a project of the Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities; Fund for Lake Michigan; the Brookby Foundation; and the Zilber Family Foundation.

Meet our new Community Engagement Manager, Tony Giron

My name is Tony Giron and I am honored to join Harbor District's rockstar team as the new Community Engagement Manager. 

As a Masters of Urban Planning student at UWM and self-proclaimed urbanist, I've been watching the Harbor District plan progress and, like many of you, can feel the energy behind the potential for new developments and creating neighborhoods for all to enjoy. Building community support is a crucial element to implementing the plan which is where my community organizing background will come in handy.

Most recently I worked at the Wisconsin Bike Federation for three and a half years where I educated, encouraged, and advocated for better walking and biking conditions in Milwaukee and across the state. Before that I worked for Chicago's Active Transportation Alliance for 6 years where I ran community programs that empowered neighbors to improve traffic safety on their streets. I graduated from Loyola Chicago with a degree in business. While there I started and ran a successful Borrow-A-Bike program which is still there ten years later. 

I grew up in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, which is a mostly Mexican immigrant community full of murals, old Czech architecture, and great tacos. Back home my family runs a Spanish language bookstore and distribution company which I am very proud of. Throughout my life, I've always regarded myself as a person for others and aim to show that in my work as we begin to implement the Harbor District plan. I'm looking forward to meeting you all and, should you want to connect, you can contact me at tony@harbordistrict.org.