Friends of the Domes pushing for last chance to raise money to save Mitchell Park Domes

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A meeting on the future of the Mitchell Park Domes went on as planned, Thursday night, Oct. 19, despite a fatal shooting nearby.

The organization Friends of the Domes is pushing for a grassroots effort to raise the tens of the millions of dollars needed to save the domes. And they want Milwaukee County to match them.

Milwaukee County Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman summarized the feeling by telling us, "Where's the beef? Bottom line. It's an old statement, but we need to see the money."

For decades, the costs have been piling up at the domes.

Christa Beall Diefenbach, the Executive Director of Friends of the Domes, told the audience Thursday, "Everybody wants to find a solution, right? Everyone does."

For more than two hours, supporters rose to voice their support for the domes.

Lori Gramling said, "There's something really powerful here. This is a connection that brings all of the city together."

But decades of disrepair has taken a toll.

Milwaukee County Parks Deputy Director Jim Tarantino said, "I think we're all feeling a sense of frustration that nothing has been done."

Repairing the domes will cost more than $21 million. Rebuilding them will cost at least $67 million.

The Friends of the Domes are dreaming big, imagining new offices, entrances, and education spaces. And they want to revitalize Mitchell Park as a whole.

Board member Ellen Wilkinson said, "If this park is activated, we are not going to have shootings happen right outside."

County Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez shared information from the Sheriff's Office on past park restoration projects elsewhere in the city. He said, "After those parks were renovated, crime had decreased by more than... violent crime had decreased by more than 50% in the surrounding areas."

Neighbors shared lots of ideas at the meeting, like pursuing loans, selling naming rights, or starting a capital campaign.

But the big one is a possible matching program, where the county would match whatever the Friends of the Domes raise.

But Wasserman cautioned, "That's not a guarantee yet. That's talk. It sounds interesting."

For now, Friends of the Domes has bought some time. The county will wait to see how much they raise, and how quickly. But the clock is ticking.

Wasserman told the audience, "It's either forward or it's going to be backwards and the end of the domes."

Wasserman said this fundraising idea is the best shot the county has at saving the domes. Next Friends of the Domes will present a plan to the county's parks committee.