Posted on May 31, 2023
After almost three summers closed and barricaded, McKinley Beach is getting a much-needed makeover to improve the beach’s overall safety, sustainability and water quality.
The plan is to restore the beach to its original 1989 design after an ongoing effort to reduce significant erosion and tackle rip current concerns. A year ago, Milwaukee County approved more than $700,000 for a restoration aimed at preventing drownings.
When could the beach reopen?
Construction is set to start in June and will last four to eight weeks, depending on weather and lake conditions, with a target reopening set for this summer, the Milwaukee County Parks Department announced.
“The planned solution restores McKinley Beach to its original intended design by re-nourishing the beach with sand, grading, and grooming,” the department wrote in a statement. “The planned solution will also effectively lower the water depth between the breakwaters to help reduce currents and create a shallower beach environment.”
The project faced a setback in the spring when the cost estimates for construction came back higher than initially projected, with bids reaching $350,000 over budget. The Parks Department will be shifting funds from other parks projects to help pay for the McKinley construction, Deputy Director James Tarantino told the Journal Sentinel.
“We need to have this beach open this summer,” said Supervisor Sheldon A. Wasserman, whose east side district includes McKinley Beach. “It’s unacceptable that McKinley Beach is fenced in, closed in the middle of a hot summer in Wisconsin… that beach is essential.”
Wasserman said he worked with the Parks Department and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley to secure the extra funding.
Why did the beach close in 2020?
The beach was closed in August 2020, following growing concerns about riptides, a record number of drownings and several near-drowning incidents.
A report on McKinley carried out between fall 2021 and spring 2022 showed that both the beach’s geometry and high water were the cause of beach erosion and rip currents. It also found that three drownings at the beach were connected to the rip currents.
In 2020 alone, there were at least four drownings at McKinley, including the deaths of a 14-year-old boy and a 50-year-old man.
Struggles with lifeguard staffing
The Parks Department has consistently faced short staffing when it comes to beach safety, particularly with hiring lifeguards despite increasing wages and implementing bonus compensation. Milwaukee’s beaches have relied heavily on a partnership with the Beach Ambassadors program, which deploys intern ambassadors to patrol the shoreline and give beach-goers information about beach safety.
Milwaukee County Parks Executive Director Guy Smith previously said the department would ideally hire 125 lifeguards this season. Only 80 were hired, however, in the previous two years.
As of May 30, the department has commitments from 90 lifeguards for this season, up from 63 in mid-March, Tarantino told the Journal Sentinel.
“We’re super optimistic,” he said.
