The nonprofit group Friends of the Domes on Tuesday unveiled a proposed $134 million renovation plan to ensure the future sustainability for the Mitchell Park Domes.
After years of uncertainty about the Domes’ future, Friends of the Domes executive director Christa Beall Diefenbach outlined a “Plan to Revitalize the Domes” at the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors Committee on Parks and Culture meeting on Tuesday. The plan would be implemented in two phases and would address deferred maintenance at the conservatory, build new structures and amenities on the site and implement a sustainable business plan.
FOD was founded in 1989 and manages half of the Domes’ operations, including public events and fundraising.
The revitalization plan would restore the conservatory, which has a number of maintenance issues that have long been unaddressed. Beall Diefenbach said 6,500 panes of glass across the dome structures would be replaced, as many are fractured. The plan would also repair concrete around the site. Netting was previously installed along the interior walls of the Domes after pieces of concrete started falling in 2016.
The plan also aims to address energy inefficiencies by modernizing its 1960s systems. The Domes would also be renovated to meet ADA compliance.
FOD would build a “nature learning center” for more education and event space. Beall Diefenbach said the Domes has reached its capacity for student visits, with about 5,000 children coming through each year. She said the goal would be to enter a contract with Milwaukee Public Schools so that every first- or second-grader can have a school field trip to the Domes.