A few months ago, we covered the difficult budget situation facing the Milwaukee County Parks system in a Uniquely Milwaukee episode. Among the many areas of need are the parks’ basketball courts, some of which received overdue attention recently from a group of familiar names.
The Milwaukee Bucks partnered with Colectivo last season on a “Bucks in 6 Blend,” and a dollar from each sale went to the team’s foundation. The effort raised more than $26,000, a total matched by former Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele and his wife, Jennifer.
Using factors such as maintenance needs and the county’s racial equity index, the group, which included Milwaukee Parks Foundation, chose 22 basketball courts at 11 parks to receive a fresh coat of paint and new nets in what they described as phase one of the project.
“This investment ensures that all of us have access to improved spaces to come together in a healthy way, especially in parks that have seen historic disinvestment,” Milwaukee Parks Foundation Executive Director Rebecca Stoner said in a release.
Even better, this isn’t the end of the project. Phase two will see even more courts get some much-needed love, and a team spokesperson indicated that resurfacing will happen in future years. You can check out the new paint job on the courts at Atkinson Triangle Park in a gallery below, as well as a full list of the courts addressed in phase one:
- King Park, two full-courts
- Kosciuszko Park, one half-court
- Madison Park, two full-courts
- Atkinson Triangle Park, two full-courts
- Carver Park, two full-courts
- Zablocki Park, one full-court
- Berrien Park, two half-courts
- Mitchell Park, four half-courts
- Doyne Park, one full-court and two half-courts
- Holler Park, one full-court
- Popuch Park, two half-courts
