Harbor District News, June 2018
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Photo: Lindsay and Erin return from checking on Habitat Hotels on our new kayaks. Come to our upcoming Butterfly Walk to help us name the new kayaks. More info below.
In this issue of Harbor District news
- New park at the east end of Greenfield Avenue has a name!
- First ever open water swim in the Milwaukee River
- Harbor Fest is back this year. Save the date! Saturday, September 8th
- RR Club of Milwaukee inside an old train station
- Upcoming event
- Job opportunities
- Meet our new Habitat Hotels intern
New Park, New Name
Harbor District, Inc. and Rockwell Automation are excited to announce that Harbor View Plaza has been selected as the name for the Harbor District’s first waterfront park. Harbor View Plaza is under development at the east end of Greenfield Avenue and will be the first waterfront public park within the nine miles of waterfront located in the Harbor District. The Plaza includes a canoe/kayak launch, a water feature, and a play structure for children and families.
Rockwell Automation donated $600,000 to the plaza and, as naming sponsor, conducted an internal naming process with their employees. The name immediately conveys the main attraction of the plaza, a fantastic view of Milwaukee’s harbor and port. The plaza will be the go-to destination for Milwaukee residents and visitors interested in watching Lakers and Salties load and unload at Jones Island. Harbor View Plaza will provide a relaxing place to sit, eat lunch, or bring your children to play and experience Milwaukee’s working waterfront. With a lack of public park and green space on the near south side, Harbor View Plaza provides a new place for families to recreate and will reconnect south side residents to the waterways only blocks from their neighborhood. Harbor District Board President Ivan Gamboa, stresses the importance of providing new public space on the water, “We view this as the first step in connecting south side neighborhoods with their waterfront."
Construction on Harbor View Plaza is expected to begin in late summer 2018. In addition to Rockwell Automation’s significant contribution, financial support for the plaza has come from Brico Fund, the Bloomberg Award for Partners for Places - a project of the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, Prairie Springs - Paul Fleckenstein Charitable Trust, the Walter and Olive Stiemke Fund at the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, the Fund for Lake Michigan, Herb Kohl Philanthropies, the Brookby Foundation, and the Zilber Family Foundation.
To date, Harbor District, Inc, has raised almost $1.2 million dollars towards the $1.5 million needed to complete construction of the plaza. A public fundraising campaign was recently launched and a number of private donations have already come in (donations can be made via bit.ly/HDPlaza). Harbor District, Inc. is also partnering with a number of local businesses, listed below, to host fundraisers for Harbor View Plaza.
Transfer Pizzeria (101 W. Mitchell St.) June 1 - June 30 . $2 from every Razzo pizza and Harbor District Cooler
Barnacle Buds (1955 S. Hilbert St.) June 3 - June 30 . $1 from every Harbor Hurricane
Urban Harvest Brewing Company (1024 S. 5th St.) June 24 - June 30 . $1 from every select beer
MKE Kayak Company (318 S. Water St.) July 12 . 50% of tour proceeds
Cream City Classic - Open River Swim
Saturday, August 11 | 8 a.m. | Public Pier at N. Jackson St. and E. Erie St.
Milwaukee Water Commons Announces the First Ever Open Water Swim in the Milwaukee River!
Yes, we said the Milwaukee River.
We are incredibly excited to tell you about a project that has been in the works for almost a year now. In partnership with Milwaukee Riverkeeper and Harbor District, Milwaukee Water Commons are holding the city's first ever open water swim in the Milwaukee River. The event is officially sanctioned by US Masters Swimming and they are working with the US Coast Guard and the Milwaukee Marine Police to ensure a safe experience for swimmers, viewers, and others on the river that day. There will be lifeguards, an EMT, and safety kayakers on duty during the race as well.
But what about water quality?
The question on everyone's mind and a large part of why they are doing this event in the first place.
Our partners at Milwaukee Riverkeeper will be testing the water leading up the event to ensure the water meets all necessary safety standards. The Milwaukee River has come a long way in recent history thanks to dam removals, restored riparian buffers, MMSD's deep tunnel, and green infrastructure installations; however, we still have work to do. This swim is meant to celebrate the progress we have made and foster future stewardship of our waters.
We aim to create a diverse and inclusive event and raise awareness of the disparities in our city around water recreation and education. In the future, we hope this event will raise funds to help ensure all Milwaukee neighborhoods have access to pools and swimming lessons.
Please help us spread the word. Swimmers can register on the
event website. Everyone is encouraged to view the swim from the public Riverwalk.
Hope to see you there!
Harbor Fest is back!
Save the date for Saturday, September 8th from 11am - 4pm. Milwaukee's newest street festival is back for its second round of celebrating all things boats and fish. This family friendly festival sets itself apart with a number of scheduled activities, tours, and workshops. Take a paddling lesson, go for a bike tour, pet a sturgeon fish, and build a boat are just a few of the fun activities you and your family can take part in. Harbor Fest is partnering with Milwaukee Riverkeeper for their annual boat parade. Watch as dozens of decorated boats show off their artistic displays.
We are currently accepting applications for vendors and family-friendly activities. Please fill out and send the vendor form for a chance to be included in the day's festivities.
RR Club of Milwaukee
Founded in 1936, the RR Club of Milwaukee is America's longest running model railroad club in a single location. Their clubhouse is uniquely situated inside the decommissioned Allis train station at National Avenue, just east of Barclay St. (215 E. National Ave). A famous past member of note is former Mayor Frank Zeidler.
The friendly members including George and Mike (pictured above on the right) open their doors to anyone with a fascination for trains. Their usual operating session is the last Sunday of every month. Tony Giron from Harbor District stopped by this past Sunday to learn more about the elusive club. While they don't have much info available to the public, they are very proud of their longstanding club as evidenced in their giddiness about trains. George explained that the current set up is the second iteration which was state of the art in the 1950s. The electrified brass rails power the trains and a series of switches determine their direction. The club meets weekly to talk shop and maintain the nearly 70 year old system. They say they're working to keep the place tidy in anticipation of more visitors.
The RR Club of Milwaukee is truly a hidden gem. Be sure to stop in on the last Sunday of the month or visit them at Harbor Fest, where they will have a booth. The Club will also open their doors to Doors Open on September 23rd and 24th.
More info about the club's history in All Scale Rails magazine.
Upcoming Event
Butterfly Walk
Saturday, July 21 | 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. | Free | Kinnickinnic River Trail entrance at E. Washington St. (220 E. Washington St. is closest address
Together with butterfly experts from Milwaukee Public Museum, Harbor District is hosting it’s first butterfly survey along the Kinnickinnc River Trail, and you are invited!
Join us as we learn about the types of species which once called this place home, learn about identifying butterflies, and take part in a guided walk with great views of the Harbor District as we count butterflies along our very own Kinnickinnic River Trail.
This family-friendly event is open house style – please come any time between 1-3PM to take part in the butterfly walk and other activities, including the naming of Harbor District’s “research kayaks.” We are asking the public to help us name our two new kayaks which helps us complete our species surveys “By Sea.”
Job Opportunities
If you are hiring in the Harbor District please contact tony@harbordistrict.org to get the word out. A healthy harbor is a working harbor that hires locally.
V. Marchese
V. Marchese, Inc., the premier supplier of Food Service Products in Wisconsin, is looking to fill full-time positions for a Route Driver and Warehouse Selector. Established in 1932, this family owned and operated business offers an environment for continued growth that rewards hard work and dedication. This growing business seems to always be hiring. If you or someone you know needs a job, fill out an application here.
Meet our new Habitat Hotels Intern
We'd like to introduce our summer Habitat Hotels Intern, Erin Ganzke. Erin completed her bachelors degree at Carthage College where she majored in Environmental Science with a focus on water, and she minored in both Chemistry and Biology. Currently, she is a Professional Science Masters student at the UW-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences with a focus on urban aquaculture. One of her favorite summer hobbies is paddle boarding on the lake. You will likely see her out this summer kayaking around the Harbor monitoring our Habitat Hotels.
