Walker Square Park is 2.1 acres of buzzing activity. Daily, the park is home to recess for more than 1,400 students at Bruce Guadalupe Community School. In addition to students, the park sees more than 32,100 visitors annually. The park includes a playground, wading pool, pavilion, and green space. Walker Square Park has been active and appreciated for years.
An outcome of the continued love and appreciation of Walker Square Park is deferred maintenance and renovation needs. While the usage of the park has increased, Milwaukee County Parks’ budget has decreased. This means the park has seen significant disinvestment leading to patchy grass, amenities in need of repair, and a lack of upgrades to the park. All of that is changing in 2024: thanks to the City of Milwaukee Department of City Development and Milwaukee County Parks, $850,000+ is now available to begin addressing the needs of Walker Square Park. Additional funding is needed to complement public dollars and address all critical priorities.
investments needed
MPF is seeking philanthropic funding to further invest in physical infrastructure (seeds) and community infrastructure (sprouts) in Walker Square Park so the park can better serve neighbors and families.
Seeds Priorities:
- Landscaping & synthetic turf
- Pavilion upgrades
- Convert wading pool to splash pad
- Playground replacement
- Pathway repair and new pathways
- Trash cans
Sprouts Priorities:
- Investing in family and neighbor programming with the Friends of Walker Square, Walker Square Neighborhood Association, and United Community Center
- Community engagement ideas from grassroots leaders include: music festivals and celebrations, reviving the neighborhood farmers market in the park, building a memorial pollinator garden, and much more
support needed
Estimated Project Cost
$2,580,000
MPF Investment Goal 2025-2026
$250,000
Investment Examples:
- A $10,000 gift could support one season of programming in Walker Square Park including farmers market(s), performances, café pop ups, cultural celebrations and more
- A $25,000 contribution represents the cost for annual park maintenance and upkeep once improvements have been made
- A $100,000 contribution would lead to significant playground improvements
- It would cost approximately $550,000 to upgrade the underutilized wading pool in the park which is in a state of disrepair
Additional financial information can be provided upon request. Please note: until a project is underway it is impossible to know the real costs, our best estimates are provided here.