For Wauwatosa residents eagerly awaiting the reopening of Hart Park's track and football stadium, good news might be on the way. The Common Council is scheduled next week to consider and possibly approve spending up to $690,000 on a project to repair the stadium's playing surface, which was destroyed by August flooding.
Parks and Forestry Superintendent Alex Krutsch detailed the project request Jan. 20 at a meeting of the council's Finance Committee at City Hall. If the city moves forward with the repairs, the timeline could depend on the weather — "What we really need is for the ground to thaw," Krutsch said — but officials hope to have the stadium ready to reopen in time for Wauwatosa East High School to host a WIAA regionals track meet scheduled for May 26.
The city put out a request for proposals, and the city staff is recommending signing a contract with the company AstroTurf Great Lakes for replacement of the drainage panels and synthetic playing surface. The committee voted unanimously to recommend that contract, which will be taken up by the full council at its Jan. 27 meeting. [Update: The Common Council unanimously approved the contract.]
The company estimates the project will cost about $607,000, and the staff is asking for $690,000 to include design costs and a 10% contingency to cover any unexpected expenses. The recommended materials would be covered by a 10-year warranty, with an anticipated lifespan of 12 to 14 years.
The cost of those repairs would be covered by a portion of the $1 million donation given by Wauwatosa natives John and Tashia Morgridge through their TOSA Foundation in August, after the Menominee River overflowed its banks and overwhelmed Hart Park. The bleachers at Hart Park stadium also were damaged.
"One of the hardest-hit facilities was Hart Park stadium," Krutsch said.
Information on the committee meeting and video of the discussion is available here.
East High School Athletic Director Andrew Thompson is eager for the school's athletes to return to Hart Park, and he is hopeful that the track teams will be able to practice on the stadium's track even while the contractor is still finishing repairs to the football field this spring.
Whatever happens, "we’ll make it work," Thompson told Tosa Forward News.
The track teams typically start practicing at the school in early March and then move down to Hart Park after spring break. The school also tries to host several meets each year, but this year, it already has moved two of its home meets to other tracks. A third home meet, on May 22, is still up in the air.
The May 26 postseason meet would be a major production, drawing athletes from eight schools trying to qualify for sectionals and then the state meet. The city's contract for the Hart Park repairs would commit the contractor to being finished by then, but the track at Wauwatosa West High School could be available as a backup location if needed, Thompson said.
The school's football team was forced to play all of its home games on the road last fall because of the damage at Hart Park, a disappointing disruption to the program that was out of school officials' hands. All are looking forward to returning to Hart Park this fall for a new football season on a newly installed field.
"Hart Park is up there for one of my favorite stadiums in the area," Thompson said, especially on a game night when the stands are packed with fans. "We’re excited to get back there for our football season."
In a separate vote, the Board of Public Works, meeting online Jan. 21, backed a plan to spend $134,000 to hire All-Ways Contractors to complete repairs to a section of 72nd Street through the Hart Park parking lot that was damaged by the flooding.
That contract would include an additional $89,000 to hire All-Ways to complete other flood-related repairs, including to the city's storm sewer system, roads and bridges.
- David Paulsen, editor of Tosa Forward News, is a Tosa East parent who often can be found in the Hart Park stands during the football and track seasons. He has more than 25 years of experience as a professional journalist and can be reached at editor@tosanews.com.
