Work starts at Brookfield's Wirth Park to build a $1.2 million inclusive playground

The Wirth Park playground in Brookfield is being removed and will soon become a park unlike any other in the city.

Construction is underway to transform the playground, 2585 Pilgrim Road, into a roughly $1.2 million inclusive park for kids of all abilities by the end of the summer.

Plans for the inclusive park include accessible slides, swings and other playground equipment so that all ― including those who use mobility devices like wheelchairs and those with neurological or developmental conditions ― can play together.

In the future, a second phase of construction will bring ADA-compliant restrooms and a pavilion to the playground, adding that resource for visitors who need it when they use other spaces in the 135-acre Wirth Park. The restroom will cost another $450,000, according to Ald. Mike Hallquist, who is one of many involved in the planning process.

Brookfield is not alone in adding inclusive spaces to its community

Brookfield is one of many communities across Wisconsin seeing the value inclusive spaces bring and investing in them.

The first publicly available universal changing station in Waukesha County was installed in the Brookfield Public Library in February 2023. And Wauwatosa's Wisconsin Avenue Park is being redeveloped into Moss Universal Park with an inclusive playground, restrooms and a pavilion.

The new playground will 'correct a wrong,' Brookfield alderman says

Brookfield and the surrounding communities have needed inclusive parks for years, said Alderman Bob Reddin, whose daughter, a Brookfield East freshman and athlete, uses a wheelchair.

Now, Brookfield families like his won't have to drive far for their kids to be able to play.

“We can correct a wrong by having a playground where children like my daughter will be able to hang with their friends and be able to fully participate within the things you’re supposed to fully participate with in your youth," Reddin told the Journal Sentinel in a phone call. He was on his way to his daughter's track-and-field meet where she would compete in the wheelchair shot put event.

Plans to make Wirth Park truly inclusive have been a community-wide effort, bringing together city staff, residents and members of organizations through the process. Reddin and fellow alderman Hallquist worked with Director of Parks and Recreation John Kelliher and the Playground Committee to bring the idea to life.

“This is how government at the local level should work," Reddin said. “It wasn’t political, it wasn’t left, it wasn’t right, it was what’s right for the community.”

ARPA funds, private and public donations to fund the Wirth Park inclusive playground

The new playground at Wirth Park will be funded in a variety of ways, including donations.

The Playground Committee was tasked with raising $300,000 for the park. So far, residents have donated a total of nearly $287,000 online and at an April 13 fundraiser at the Brookfield Conference Center, Kelliher confirmed to the Journal Sentinel.

Becky Rice, a Brookfield resident and mother of three kids, said she and her husband contributed to the fundraiser because they've wanted to see an updated playground in the neighborhood. With her kids ranging in age from about 2 to 6, Rice said she is always looking for a safe environment where they can play.

“Knowing that (the new playground) is something that's exciting for the community, we’ll definitely be there more," Rice said, adding that between Wirth Park's pool and the new playground, it'll become even more of a destination to go to in the summertime.

Apart from donations, the park is financed by a mix of ARPA funding granted to the city due to the COVID-19 pandemic and private financing from organizations including the Brookfield Jaycees and the Elmbrook Rotary Club, which sponsored the park fundraiser.

The Rotary Club has pledged $100,000 toward the playground project, to be paid to the city over a five-year period.

Kelliher said while they continue to raise money to reach the $300,000 goal, the project is ready to move forward.

“When you have a project that can benefit a lot of different people with a lot of different abilities, people can get behind it," Kelliher said.

He hopes families be patient as the project continues and noted construction will not interfere with the tennis courts, skate park, pool, ball diamonds or picnic areas.

How to support the Wirth Park inclusive playground

Donations toward the park can be made online here. Donations are tax deductible through the Friends of Parks and Recreation, according to the website.

Reach the reporter Bridget Fogarty at bfogarty@gannett.com