Saturday, September 29, 2012

A Note On Milwaukee County Parks

Great vision and leadership were on display when Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele addressed concerns that wealthier neighborhoods' parks are better maintained, "It's not hard to find parks in the inner city that haven't gotten much love in a while. It's a lot easier for parks in the suburbs or the North Shore to have friends groups," said Abele.

Yes, rich people have more money and thus more resources for parks. Truly inspired insight.

As County Executive, part of the job is gathering and redirecting resources where they are needed most in the community to ensure a good quality of life.

Yet, as Dan Cody shows, "When Milwaukee County took over the parks system in 1983, they allocated $41.6 million [$96.2 million in 2012 dollars] to the parks operating budget. The proposal this year: $42 million."

Of the 40 largest parks systems in the U.S., ParkScore ranked Milwaukee County Parks 16th. Spending per resident is $59.54.

For Further Reading:
2011 City Park Facts Report

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