Coalition envisions redevelopment, revitalization
By GEORGIA PABST
gpabst@journalsentinel.comPosted: Nov. 24, 2006
The City of Milwaukee's commitment to build a 2.4-mile bike path along the Kinnickinnic River corridor next year has sparked an ambitious effort by a broad coalition to create a long-term plan for broader redevelopment and revitalization along the long-neglected south side river.
The city plans to build the trail, which would provide a link from the Bay View, Walker's Point and Lincoln Avenue Village areas to downtown, with a $2.4 million federal grant acquired through the Congestion Mitigation Air Quality Program, said Jeff Polenski, city engineer.
Some of the money will be used to buy abandoned railroad right of way for the path, and some will be used to improve the Greenfield Ave. bridge and build a bridge at S. Chase and S. First streets to connect the path, he said. The path would begin at S. 6th St. and W. Rosedale Ave., head north along the river and ultimately proceed to E. Washington and S. Water streets.
The bike trail project has proved a catalyst for consideration of other improvements along the Kinnickinnic River corridor, Polenski said.
The Kinnickinnic River runs for eight miles and is part of the 26-square-mile Kinnickinnic watershed, which includes all of the city of St. Francis and parts of Milwaukee, Cudahy, Greenfield, West Allis and West Milwaukee.
One of three rivers in Milwaukee, "the KK" has been viewed as a liability and not an amenity, according to assessments made by Friends of Milwaukee's Rivers and others. To address flooding issues in the densely urban area, much of the river was lined with concrete 35 years ago and few saw potential for rejuvenation.
"Because of the degraded environmental conditions of the river, there has been little support for protecting and restoring the environmental quality of the river itself," said Ben Gramling of the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center.
The center, which is spearheading the new planning efforts for the KK, undertook a similar process for remediation and redevelopment in the Menomonee Valley in the 1990s.
"The city can now see results of what's happening in the Menomonee Valley because of the work that began 10 to 12 years ago and because of the strong partnership between the city, the Sixteenth Street Health Center and others," said Mayor Tom Barrett at a meeting on the KK project.
"The future of the city depends on the quality of life and on taking advantage of the great natural assets we have - some that have been neglected and fallen into disrepair over time," he told about 65 people. "There's great potential here for plans that can be turned into action," he added.
By remediating some of the environmental conditions along the river, open spaces could be developed along with recreational amenities along the river's corridor, Gramling said. That could bring improvements to the diverse urban neighborhoods in the area, along with new investments by the private sector, he added.
So in addition to city officials, such as the city engineer, and officials from the Department of City Development, the state Department of Natural Resources, the National Parks Service, Community Design Solutions at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, community groups, residents and others were brought together to discuss and dream about what could link the new bike path with its neighboring communities.
This month, more than 100 people from various disciplines, organizations and interests met in small groups and focused on six areas along the path.
They envisioned "creative and practical" amenities that might work within a half-mile or 20-minute walk from the trail, said Ray Isaacs of the UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning. The groups outlined possibilities, from community gardens to recreational, educational and ecology centers, a coffee shop, soccer field and public art.
The sewerage district has also recently approved $400,000 to study the feasibility of removing the concrete along a two-mile stretch of the KK from S. 6th to S. 27th streets, Gramling said.
"It will all take time and resources moving forward," Gramling said. But he and others believe that with planning, education and outreach to all segments of the community, there's "the potential that the river can become a river once again" and a resource for all.
From the Nov. 25, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Link: JS Online:.
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