A new park, homeowner loans and other takeaways from Tosa's 'State of the City' address

Yahoo

26-04-2025

Wauwatosa residents, business owners, developers, and nonprofit leaders filled Hart Park's Muellner Building on the evening of April 23 to hear the mayor and city staff deliver the first "State of the City" address.
Under the historic building's newly revealed "barrel" wooden ceiling, leaders shared the latest on a new park, homeowner loans, city funding challenges and public health initiatives.
Here are four takeaways from the evening.
Wauwatosa's Public Works Department has had no shortage of projects over the last few years.
The department completed the Muellner Building's renovation, oversees street construction, and has added solar paneling to many more city buildings, Public Works Director Dave Simpson told attendees.
But perhaps the most anticipated project nearing completion is a new $4 million city park, the first ever on the city's west side.
Firefly Grove Park, at North 116th Street and West Gilbert Avenue, will open Wednesday, May 28. It will include walking trails, a sledding hill, a playground, a pavilion and a sculpture garden.
It'll also be the home to a giant troll by recycling artist Thomas Dambo, Wauwatosa Tourism Specialist Beth Gleesing told the audience. More information is coming soon on how volunteers can get involved in the building process, she said.
A bike pump track, estimated to be completed in July, is another highly-anticipated amenity at the park. A pump track is a looped circuit path, often made out of asphalt or dirt, for cyclists, people on scooters and skateboarders to enjoy.
The park was paid for without taxpayer dollars and completely through grants, including American Rescue Act funds.
Mark Hammond, Wauwatosa's development director, talked about two city programs that provide financial incentives for eligible homeowners looking to improve their properties.
The Housing Rehabilitation Program offers zero-interest loans for low- to moderate-income residents looking to improve things like accessibility, plumbing, electrical or windows in their home.
Wauwatosa residents can contact 414-479-8933 or email [e-mail] to get in touch with a rehabilitation specialist.
Another program offers a limited number of forgivable loans for homeowners who want to build Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs. These are additional living spaces that act like a backyard apartment.
ADUs can generate rental income for homeowners and add to the city's housing stock without drastically changing the look of a neighborhood, Hammond told the crowd.
The loans are offered on a first come first served basis. For details on design requirements, residents should submit the ADU interest form online or contact the Wauwatosa's Planning Division at 414-479-3522 to setup a consultation.
Hammond also described how the city is trying to strike a balance between developing needed affordable housing, investing in business corridors and building in a land-locked community.
The city's plans at Mayfair Mall to bring new apartments and replace the former Boston store with Scheels Sporting Goods is an example of adding "density where it makes sense," he said.
About 43% of adults over the age of 65 report feeling lonely, according to Wauwatosa Health Department Officer and Director Laura Stephens. That's why the department has focused many mental health efforts on social connection, particularly with an intergenerational approach.
Tosa Tech Time is a Wauwatosa Health Department program that empowers young people to help seniors learn to use their cell phones and other technology.
Through regular meetings, the program has helped seniors connect glucose monitors to their phone, log into their online medical accounts and message or call friends and family, Stephens said.
Other health department programs focus on harm reduction, short-term rental checks, sexual health education, and reviews of reports of animal issues in the community.
More information can be found online at the health department website.
Additionally, a trained police officer and behavioral health clinician are now responding to crisis calls Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
When available, the Wauwatosa Crisis Assessment Response Team is dispatched by contacting 911 or the Wauwatosa non-emergency line at 414-471-8430 and asking for the CART responders.
In closing, Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride said that Wauwatosa is strong, but like other cities, it's had to tighten the belt on spending in recent budgets in the face of levy limits and low amounts of state aid that come through shared revenue.
Roughly 2% of Wauwatosa's total revenue comes from state shared revenue, according to McBride.
That leaves communities limited in ways to generate revenue, relying heavily on net-new construction, which can only go so far in municipalities like Wauwatosa which has little undeveloped land.
Wauwatosa hasn't had to cut city services or staff yet like Brookfield may have to do after a taxpayer referendum failed, McBride said. But "the threat and possibility are always with us" as the city approaches a fiscal cliff, he told the crowd.
McBride called on attendees at the State of the City address to reach out to their legislators in Madison to revise how the state structures municipal finances. "This is not a partisan issue," he said.
McBride ended the evening asking residents to consider running for local office. The spring 2026 election on Tuesday, April 6 will include Wauwatosa aldermanic seats and a race for Wauwatosa municipal judge.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Here are 4 takeaways from Wauwatosa's 'State of the City' address