Red Arrow Park receives $175K in county funding for seasonal roller skating rink
It’s a classic tale of winter in Milwaukee: hot chocolate, holiday music, and ice skating at Red Arrow Park under soft flurries.
Now imagine a warm-weather version of that scene. Iced drinks instead of cocoa. Wheeled skates instead of bladed ones. Sunshine, and no snow.
That’s what could be coming to Milwaukee as soon as this summer. The county approved a plan Thursday to funnel $175,000 toward a pilot program for transforming the Red Arrow iceskating rink into a roller skating rink.
That could involve laying a protective barrier over the rink’s concrete base and installing temporary framing around the rink.
The funding is flexible; the parks department has the option to quickly implement the skating program this summer, or prepare long-term for a program in 2023. Officials are still considering vendors and pricing options.
The county board approved the funding through contingency funds 12-6 on Thursday. The last-minute resolution, introduced by County Board Chairwoman Marcelia Nicholson after an hours-long session, faced significant opposition from supervisors hawkish about the county’s fiscal woes.
“It’s a worthy idea,” Supervisor Anthony Staskunas said. “I still would like to know where the money is coming from. It seems irresponsible when we don’t know where the money is coming from.”
Officials have long warned of structural budget problems. Unless the county is allowed by state legislators to raise local sales taxes, County Executive David Crowley said in February, services like parks, youth services and buses could be cut from budgets beginning in 2027.
“This county is heading towards a fiscal cliff,” Supervisor Steve Taylor said. “So when we’re spending money we have to be cautious.”
The parks system in particular faces a fiscal crisis. The department has seen expenditures outpace funding as dollars are pulled toward state-mandated services.
Also controversial was the proposed use of contingency funds. Such funds are typically reserved for emergency expenditures, though supervisors disagreed on what could be defined as an emergency and whether the funds were explicitly barred from being spent on non-emergency items.
The county comptroller reported that the county should expect to see a contingency deficit of $1 million at the end of the fiscal year. Spending the $175,000 would add to that amount, leading some supervisors to advocate placing the item on next year’s budget.
Supporters, meanwhile, framed the rink as an issue of racial equity. Nicholson noted that roller skating is particularly popular among the Black community, as well as youth and seniors. Several supervisors recalled a committee meeting where the public showed “overwhelming” support for the project.
“We have to put our money where our mouth is,” said Nicholson, who introduced the resolution. Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman, who chairs the park committee and represents the district containing Red Arrow Park, also voted in the resolution’s favor.
“We will always find the dollars for the things we prioritize as a board,” Supervisor Ryan Clancy said. “The dollar value is so very low and the public’s support is so very high.”
Plus, Nicholson said, the rink is projected to be a revenue generator. That might ease the parks department’s budget woes in the long term.
Red Arrow Park was last redesigned in 1999 with the ice skating rink known as the “Slice of Ice.” The ice rink is typically maintained between December and February.
“It’s a worthy idea. I still would like to know where the money is coming from. It seems irresponsible when we don’t know where the money is coming from.” Supervisor Anthony Staskunas