The Department of Administrative Services’ Facilities Management Division and the Department of Health & Human Services are requesting a $100,000 contingency fund from the Milwaukee County Board to help plan for the future of the McGovern Park Senior Center, 4500 W. Custer Ave.
The center has been closed since August, when historic flooding in the area created mold, poor air quality and caused other damage to the 52-year-old county-owned facility.
The funds and other issues related to the senior center will be discussed Thursday, March 5 at 3 p.m. during the county’s Committee on Health Equity, Human Needs and Strategic Planning meeting.
The county addressed flooding at the center multiple times in recent years. But last year’s flooding caused significantly higher damage, which led the Department of Administrative Services’ Facilities Management Division to close it. The building’s age was a factor.
“All of our senior centers are getting to the end of their useful age,” Aaron Hertzberg, director of the Department of Administrative Services, said. “We’re coming to that crossroads of trying to make decisions about continuing to invest in the existing facility or needing to start thinking about alternative solutions.”
There have been remediation and testing efforts, but they’ve been unsuccessful in restoring conditions safe enough to reopen the center.
After an analysis from the county’s Architecture, Engineering and Environmental Services team in January, engineers recommended that the county stop spending money on mold cleanup until the water problem is fixed.
A report based on the analysis found that unless the root causes of the damage were addressed, there would be a high likelihood of recurrence, resulting in additional closures, continued remediation costs and disruptions to programming.
“We felt like it wasn’t in the best interest of Milwaukee County and the people that we serve to continue investing in a building if we can’t consistently commit to being able to provide the services,” Hertzberg said.
Repair options for the senior center
The Architecture, Engineering and Environmental Services team has presented the county with two repair options: $905,000 for minimal repairs or an investment of $1.9 million for comprehensive repairs, which is the recommended approach and would take 12 to 16 months to complete.
“We looked at what facility investment was needed because it’s just not about cleaning it up,” Hertzberg said.
There are no funds currently budgeted for those repairs.
The senior center has other long-term needs like HVAC and structural flaws that could cost $3 million for the next five years.
Milwaukee County’s five-year capital plan includes $1.8 million in additional investment in the McGovern Park Senior Center through 2030.
Developing short- and long-term plans
Hertzberg said he would rather take a long-term approach than lean on the short-term alternatives, which include senior programs taking place in other shared spaces with non-county program users.
The long-term alternative includes creating MKE HUBS facilities, a vision endorsed by the Milwaukee County Commission on Aging in 2023.
MKE HUBS facilities would feature more accessibility, physical improvements and expanded services.
However, according to the MKE HUBS report, McGovern Park was not designed to be used as a senior center and doesn’t meet the vision’s attributes.
Instead of fixing the old buildings that don’t meet the vision’s requirements, the report found that building new and larger senior centers would be better.
“We made the difficult decision to no longer invest in the existing McGovern Senior Center and will put all our resources, time and effort into working to figure out a long-term strategy rather than creating a stop-gap,” Hertzberg said.
For now, seniors on Milwaukee’s Northwest Side have been attending other nearby centers including the Clinton Rose Senior Center, 3045 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Staying updated on next steps
Hertzberg said he expects that within weeks there will be a recommendation brought to the full County Board of Supervisors who could take action on the plans by March 19.
You can submit a public comment on the issue here or find a link to a livestream for Thursday’s committee meeting here.
You can also learn more about the future of the McGovern Park Senior Center at two public informational sessions held at the Washington Park Senior Center, 4420 W. Vliet St. One session takes place from 5 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 12 and the other on Friday, March 13 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
County officials and representatives of the Milwaukee County Commission on Aging will be on hand to speak to residents.
Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.
