The two remaining domes undergoing repairs at the Mitchell Park Conservatory are expected to reopen by the end of October, according to a member of the Friends of the Domes Board of Directors.
Board member Sally Sullivan told BizTimes on Tuesday the Tropical Dome is expected to open on Sept. 24 and work on the Desert Dome is expected to be completed sometime in late October, “assuming everything keeps cruising along.”
“Nothing carved in stone, but that‘s the goal,” Sullivan said.
A county representative could not be reached for comment.
All three domes at the conservatory were closed on Feb. 5, a week after a piece of concrete casting fell and prompted county officials to close the Desert Dome.
Over the past six months, crews have been wrapping thousands of concrete-cast joints that make up the Domes’ lattice structures to prevent more chunks from falling. The Show Dome was chosen to repair first because officials said it posed the fewest mechanical challenges, and was reopened on April 29.
County officials said the types of vegetation growing in both the Tropical and Desert domes have made repairs more difficult, expensive and time-consuming.
The closures raised questions about the longevity of the Domes, which County Executive Chris Abele estimated in February may cost between $65 million and $75 million to repair or replace. The steep cost estimate prompted meetings seeking public input on the future of the Domes.
At the time, Abele spokesperson Melissa Baldauff blamed the Domes’ deterioration on what she called an inherited mess of deferred maintenance.
Documents obtained from the county in February indicated the Domes run an average annual deficit of more than $900,000 despite increased attendance and attempts to boost revenue in recent years.
Construction of the Mitchell Park Domes was completed in 1967.
According to reports completed in 2015 and early 2016 by Graef USA, a Milwaukee-based engineering and consulting firm: “The Domes are old structures that are showing the effects of their age. They will continue to deteriorate unless major renovations are completed.”
Graef surveyed the Domes’ structural integrity in May 2015 after the county received reports of “golf ball-sized pieces of concrete found on the ground of the Domes.”
“A sample of the fallen debris was observed with the largest pieces being roughly 1-inch diameter by 1/2-inch thickness,” reads a report Graef submitted to the county after a walk-through. “With continued age and exposure to water on the concrete surfaces, spalls of concrete are expected to continue, which will result in more falling debris.”
The report recommended the county put in place both short and long-term plans to address crumbling infrastructure at the domes.
On July 5, Milwaukee County Parks Director John Dargle submitted a request to the County Board to apply for a $30,000 grant from the Northwestern Mutual Foundation to help pay for a “community celebration” once all three domes are reopened this fall. Details for that event have not been released.
