Group posts 'For Sale' signs in Milwaukee County parks

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A bright yellow sign might catch your eye the next time you visit a Milwaukee County park. 

The signs, reading "This Park For Sale", were posted by volunteers with Preserve Our Park. The group says county parks have been neglected for more than 30 years, and require $300 million in maintenance.

A recent study says one solution to the park crisis is to sell the parks off.

"This should not be anything our elected leaders ever consider," said Patricia Jursik, Preserve Our Parks board member. "That was the point we were making. After all, our parents built these parks during the Great Depression. They had less money than we do now. The funding crisis is something that is a political crisis."

The group says they placed nearly 300 signs in numerous parks.

Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele released the following statement on the matter:

“Let me be clear: we have no plans to sell Milwaukee County parks.

That said, as a result of a decade-long funding imbalance with the state, our ability to maintain facilities, preserve community assets and provide high-quality services at the level our residents deserve is approaching the breaking point. We need adequate support from the state or the option to use new tools to generate necessary funding going forward in order to put both Milwaukee County and all of Wisconsin on a path to a sustainable future.

It is time to stop kicking the can down the road, and find a long-term funding solution that charts a new course for our future.”