Hopes among advocates that federal dollars could help lay a financial path to restore the Mitchell Park Domes were not answered Thursday.
Four county supervisors asked the Milwaukee County American Rescue Plan Act Task Force for $19 million toward rehabilitating The Domes, including newly elected Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez. He represents the 12th District in which the Domes reside.
Martinez’s District is a diverse, densely populated working-class neighborhood. Green space is scarce, and 42% of its residents live below the poverty level.
“The importance of approving this resolution for the Domes is the fact that it jumpstarts a lot of other possible donations and philanthropy from other donors around the city of Milwaukee. We have to be able to say that we want to see it happen for The Domes,” Martinez said.
The bee-hive-shaped glass structures’ future has been clouded since 2013 when a small piece of concrete reportedly fell from high within the desert dome.
READ County officials express frustration, others determination to save The Domes at county parks meeting
Jeremy Ebersole with Milwaukee Preservation Alliance urged the task force members to support what he called a once-in-a-generation opportunity.
“Our organization has been working with our partners at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and many in the community for seven years under the Save Our Domes banner. The cost of restoring The Domes and lack of available funding has been consistently raised as the primary obstacle to moving forward,” Ebersole said. “The requested amount of $19 million is based a 2019 County commission estimates of the cost of the most critical long-term need at The Domes, the glazing or glass replacement.”
Task force members had little to say other than asking for the parks department’s perspective.
Deputy director James Tarantino said the department is "not actively advocating" for the proposal. He likened it to putting a down payment on a house without having a mortgage approved.
“Saving The Domes means having a serious plan to save the plant collection set the facility on a sustainable path in terms of operations, reduce energy consumption and having an actionable plan to address the other tens of millions of dollars worth of repairs that are still needed to keep The Domes open,” Tarantino said.
A structural engineering firm is evaluating what it would take to restore The Domes intricate glass structure, “to see if the option is feasible and we’ll have an updated cost closer to $30 million than $19 mill that will be presented likely in the December cycle,” Tarrantino said.
After its unanimous rejected the proposal, task force co-chair Shawn Rolland said the vote does not signify a lack of interest in saving the Domes, “It’s just related to the ARPA funding.”
Supporters will continue to advocate for The Domes. Next Tuesday, the Milwaukee County Committee on Parks and Culture will consider a resolution to pursue listing The Domes in the National Register of Historic Places.
If that happens, Milwaukee County would be positioned to apply for up to $7 million in historic tax credit toward The Domes’ restoration.
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