As areas of Hart Park are reopening to the public following historic flooding earlier this month, an organization’s sizable donation will help pay for what’s estimated to be millions of dollars’ worth of damage to the stadium, softball field and other facilities.
The Tosa Foundation is donating $1 million to support recovery efforts, Mayor Dennis McBride announced Aug. 21 at a news conference outside of the park’s Muellner Building. The California-based nonprofit was created by John and Tashia Morgridge, 1951 Wauwatosa High School graduates whose financial gifts have helped their hometown’s facilities in the past.
Hart Park lies on a floodplain and is surrounded by a flood levy built by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District following flooding over two decades ago.
Though this flood hit Hart Park hard, damage could have been worse, McBride said.
“You can only imagine what would have happened if the sewerage district and the city hadn’t collaborated 20 years ago,” the mayor said. “We wouldn’t be having TosaFest, we wouldn’t be having anything in the Village.”
As nearby Village businesses continue to recover from the major flooding, the neighborhood’s TosaFest street festival is indeed still a go for Sept. 5 and 6, Beth Gleesing, tourism specialist for the city of Wauwatosa, told reporters.
Hart Park pathways open up, while hardest hit facilities like the stadium will remain closed long-term
Pathways and green spaces throughout Hark Park, including the pedestrian bridge from the Farmers Market to the park, have reopened to the public. Parking lots and parking on Hart Park Lane are also open.
The Muellner Building’s basement sustained damaged after it was flooded with about 6 feet of water, but the first floor will open for Senior Center classes soon, according to Parks Superintendent Alex Krutsch. The building’s elevator is inaccessible, he said.
The Wauwatosa Curling Club’s facilities, which are in the basement of the Muellner Building, were especially hard hit. The curling club — with a full bar, TVs, photos of past club presidents, trophies and other equipment — was completely underwater following the flooding.
Some of the major renovations that the historic building underwent in 2024 were forward-thinking to prevent worse damage in a flood like the one the city recently experienced. Krutsch said the building’s mechanicals and electronics went undamaged in the storm because they are elevated above the floodplain.
“That work has saved a lot of the building and its mechanical systems from damages in this flood,” Krutsch said.
The grassy areas around the Rotary Stage are open to the public. But any events with large crowds are on hold at least for the next few months, Krutsch told reporters. The city’s equipment for those events was flood damaged.
Tennis and volleyball courts remain closed, but are set to open in the week of Aug. 24.
The park’s playgrounds on the west side of the park remain closed and are cordoned off by police tape and a fence.
The stadium, which includes the football field and track, will be closed long-term. Wauwatosa East High School and Marquette University High School use Hart Park for football and are still planning to move forward with their seasons.
The city is asking residents not to enter the fenced off areas, which have been deemed unsafe to the public.
Bridget Fogarty covers Brookfield, Wauwatosa and Elm Grove for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be contacted at bfogarty@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Hart Park’s extensive flood damage gets a million dollar boost from Tosa Foundation
Reporting by Bridget Fogarty, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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