A proposed ordinance change would have given the board final authority over major trail alterations. By Graham Kilmer - Apr 22nd, 2021 07:54 pm //end headline wrapper ?>Oak Leaf Trail – Zip Line. Photo taken October 20th, 2020 by Jeramey Jannene.
A controversial change to the way Milwaukee County Parks manages bike trails was narrowly voted down Thursday by the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors.
The proposed legislation would have given the board the final approval of any major alterations made to bike trails in Milwaukee County.
The resolution was originally written in 2019 by Supervisor
John Weishan, Jr. in response to changes the parks department was planning to make to the Kegel-Alpha Trail, which runs through Whitnall Park and the historic Mangan Woods.
Board proposal to oversee all county parks bike trail changes is a head scratcher. By Bruce Murphy - Apr 20th, 2021 05:43 pm //end headline wrapper ?>Oak Leaf Trail. Photo by Dave Reid.
Back in the 1980s I did a story explaining how the Milwaukee County Board worked and didn’t. One of the big complaints was micro-managing of county departments by board members.
The issue has never gone away, as newcomers to the board learned how to conduct themselves from veteran supervisors. Even after board members were reduced to a part-time salary, it seems, they sometimes have the time and temptation to micro-manage.
Parks committee approves resolution giving it approval power over bike trails maintenance, alterations. By Graham Kilmer - Apr 14th, 2021 07:39 pm //end headline wrapper ?>John Weishan, Anthony Staskunas and Patti Logsdon.
What began with complaints about alterations to a mountain bike trail in Franklin may end with the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors giving itself new power over staff in the Milwaukee County Parks department.
The full board will soon consider legislation that would give it the authority and final approval of any major alterations made to bike trails in Milwaukee County. The legislation defines a major alteration as 20% of a trail or more. If the extent of the alteration cannot be determined, the director of the parks department must then consult with the county supervisor representing that area.
A small plot of woods with a mountain biking trail in Whitnall Park has led to a potentially big change for how Milwaukee County manages trails in county parks.
A new ordinance before the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors would require Milwaukee County Parks to get approval from the board to establish new bike trails or alter 20% or more of an existing trail.
“This is not an anti-mountain-biking resolution. … All we’re saying is the parks committee and the board should have oversight, especially when there’s such a new change,” said County Supervisor Anthony Staskunas, one of the co-sponsors of the ordinance that passed the board s Parks, Energy and Environment Committee Tuesday and will now go before the full board.
County Board Debates Expansion of Trails in Mangan Woods
Photo Credit: Virginia Small
A Milwaukee County Parks woodland with rare old-growth trees is the focus of heated debate over new trail development meant to serve both mountain bikers and hikers. The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors role in oversight of parks is also at issue.
Mangan Woodsâ undulating hills and ravines were formed thousands of years ago by glacial events. Strolling its rustic trails offers spectacular vistas year-round and extraordinary seasonal displays. Wedged between Whitnall Park and the Root River, this rare and exquisite landscape includes one of the park system s few woodlands that has never been logged.