The Milwaukee Post

September 19, 2014 • Milwaukee County Post • 3 By RICH ROVITO Special to The Post MILWAUKEE — The success of the beer gardens in Milwaukee County parks has tax- payers raising their glasses in good cheer. The county revived an old tradition by establishing beer gardens at Estabrook Park in Glendale in 2012, Hoyt Park in Wauwatosa in 2013 and Humboldt Park in Bay View this year. The county also added a traveling beer garden this year, which visited six parks or parkways for two-week sessions each over the summer. "They all have been a huge success," said Brendan Conway, spokesman for Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele. "They've brought in revenue we use to improve parks across the county, they attract new people to the parks and they help bring communities together." Abele directed the Parks Department to find new opportunities for food and beverage amenities and focused on adding a new beer garden at Humboldt Park and the traveling beer garden, Conway said. "Both have been very successful and pop- ular," he said. Since their inception, the trio of perma- nent beer gardens, along with the traveling operation, has generated nearly $575,000 in revenue for Milwaukee County, including about $450,000 this year, according to officials. "The beer gardens have met or exceeded expectations," Conway said. Despite a slow start to the summer in terms of nice weather, the beer gardens at Estabrook and Hoyt set revenue records, said Joe Mrozinski, assistant chief of recreation and business development for the Milwaukee County Parks Department. Word-of-mouth testimonials, along with a family-friendly atmosphere in unique park settings are driving business at the beer gar- dens, he said. "They continue to grow in popularity," Mrozinski said. The success of the beer gardens has led to inquiries from parks operators in Madison, Monona, Atlanta, Seattle and Cleveland. Milwaukee County Parks Director John Dargle Jr. is scheduled to speak on the topic in October at the National Recreation and Parks Conference. One of Abele's goals has been to get people more engaged in the parks and this program certainly has done that, Conway said. "We heard this summer from many people who say they came to the park because of the beer garden. That means we are also helping people enjoy a public space they might not otherwise visit," he said. The permanent beer gardens at Estabrook and Hoyt are under contract for 2015 and beyond. A contract for Humboldt Park, which involved a one-year deal for this year's opera- tion, is not yet in place. The Parks Department currently is accepting proposals for two traveling beer gardens for 2015. Expansion into other parks is possible, but details aren't yet final, Conway said. Clean record Beer garden patrons have been well- behaved to this point, with no arrests or tick- ets being issued to patrons, Mrozinski said. "We've actually had less vandalism and crime in the parks with beer gardens," he said. The beer gardens make the parks safer because they draw crowds, including many families, Conway added. "In the three years we've had beer gar- dens we've had zero reported criminal issues associated with them," Conway said. Outside contractors operate the perma- nent beer gardens, while the Parks Department is responsible for the traveling beer garden. Local restaurant owner Hans Weissgerber III operates the Estabrook beer garden. The St. Francis Brewery operates the Humboldt site. Friends of Hoyt Park and Pool handle the operations in Wauwatosa. Sprecher Brewing Co., Glendale, was a ven- dor sponsor the traveling beer garden. The permanent sites will remain open into October, while the traveling beer garden ended its run earlier this month. As an added benefit, partner businesses have spent their own money to fix up the parks in which the beer gardens are situated, Conway said. All of the revenue generated by the beer gardens goes into the Parks Department budget. "Any time we partner with someone we look for the same things — improving value for taxpayers, partnering with good business- es, and improving outcomes for the people who live in Milwaukee County," Conway said. Beer gardens pouring revenue in county budget File photo The beer gardens and traveling beer gardens have generated nearly $575,000 in revenue for Milwaukee County. 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