Rotting stairs cause concern; county leaders optimistic sales tax will spur quicker repairs

 

WAUWATOSA, Wis. (CBS 58) -- It's easy to not notice these 19 steps. Set across from Hoyt Park, a wooden stairway at the end of Kenyon Avenue doesn't see much traffic. 

However, Jim Maurer insisted Tuesday afternoon he still sees a hazard.

"I think they should cordon them off," Maurer said of the stairs. "And they should have a little sign there saying that they're dangerous and take a different route."

While park visitors are much more likely to arrive via Hoyt Park Drive to the north or Charles Hart Parkway to the south, Maurer said those who live near the stairway should have a stable way to get down to Menomonee River Parkway.

"Some of the treads are rotten, and some of them are kind of spongey," Maurer said. "And then, at the bottom of the steps, the last tread is missing completely."

The last step was not completely missing as of Tuesday; one of the two planks composing a step wasn't there. Another step was quite rotten, with screws visibly sticking out. The thick, log-shaped handrails were eaten away at various points. 

Rotting wood has led to exposed screws and unstable steps on a stairway across from Hoyt Park in Wauwatosa.

County Board Supervisor Shawn Rolland said he first became aware of the stairway issue Monday, when Maurer posted about it on NextDoor.

While the stairway didn't appear to be in imminent structural danger, he agreed it's a potential liability if someone misses the last half-step or if a wobbly board breaks. Beyond that, he said it's just a bad look.

"I think whether it's a small issue or a big issue, it's about quality of life," Rolland said. "Like, what kind of community do we want to have? What kind of staircase do we want to have in our community that leads right to this beautiful parkway? So, yeah, I think that it does matter."

Rolland said when people see parks property that's in disrepair, the best thing to do is submit a report through the county's online issue tracker.

A Milwaukee County Parks spokesperson said Tuesday there were currently 475 open service requests in the system.

Rolland said the county is optimistic new revenue, made possible by a new state law that allowed Milwaukee County to increase its sales tax from 0.5% to 0.9%, would allow the parks department to ramp up its maintenance efforts.

"The good news is that we don't have to cut anymore," Rolland said. "The sales tax, for the first time, enables us to change the direction and start adding staff."

A 2021 analysis by the nonpartisan Wisconsin Policy Forum found Milwaukee County Parks had 1,073 full-time workers in 1989, but that number dwindled to 469 in 2019.

By the 2021 budget, the county's parks department had 406 employees, according to a review of county budget records. Since then, however, that trend has reversed, with parks staffing growing to 421 in 2022 and 445 in 2023.

The county's 2024 budget, which was able to account for a projected $80 million revenue increase, funds 466 parks positions.

Maurer said he hoped the increased staffing would lead to speedier repairs, especially to the staircase across from Hoyt Park.

"It's not fun breaking your ankle," he said.