The Milwaukee Post

March 24, 2017 • Milwaukee County Post • 17 The National Trust made a presentation to the county's Domes Task Force Wednesday evening. "The National Trust has a portfolio of national treas- ures that we select and it's one of about 80 in the coun- try that we are working on right now. It's a very select group of projects that we feel are nationally significant and are facing some type of threat or opportunity where we feel we can be part of find- ing some sort of preservation solution," said Jennifer Sandy, senior field officer in the Chicago office of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, before the meeting. The newly released $18.6 million cost estimate by Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates builds on the low- est estimate from a November report by GRAEF Consulting. The GRAEF report ranged from $14 million to replace broken glass and make repairs while keeping wire mesh to catch falling concrete to $64 million to replace the Domes in kind on the present site, 524 S. Layton Blvd. A new facility, domed or otherwise, at Mitchell Park or another site, would cost $50 million to $70 mil- lion, according to that November report. Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele said in an email before Wednesday's meeting that the National Trust's plan "excludes criti- cal elements of work, and importantly, critical needs of the Conservatory." The limit- ed repair would leave the county looking at significant repairs in 10 to 15 years, he said. "We appreciate the thought and effort the National Trust for Historic Preservation put into their plan to restore the Domes 'as is,'" Abele said. "As I have said all along, we are reviewing many dif- ferent options for these icon- ic structures that reflect the diverse opinions of various local, state, and national stakeholders who care about the Domes and what they represent. This plan advo- cates specifically for one of the many options we've heard." A totally new facility has drawn some opposition. The nonprofit National Trust for Historic Preservation captures some of the debate in its statement: "A Milwaukee landmark for generations, a unique engi- neering marvel and a nation- ally significant example of Midcentury Modern archi- tecture, the Mitchell Park Domes have been a center of community life and an inter- national tourism destination for more than 50 years." In addition to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's review, the Domes Task Force on Wednesday had an updated report from GRAEF that examined the Domes' com- munity impact, operating budgets and other aspects as well as other studies. The Domes were built between 1959 and 1967, based on a 1958 award-winning design by Milwaukee archi- tect Donald L. Grieb. They feature the Show Dome, the Tropical Dome and the Desert Dome. The Domes protect a rare plant collection valued at $3.2 million, with the most valu- able specimens in the Desert Dome, the Washington, D.C.- based National Trust said. (Rich Rovito contributed to this story.) that it's his job to bring those options and possibili- ties to the mayor and to the board." Duchniak said that in the long process of getting the application approved, Waukesha and other groups have looked into and "thoroughly vetted" other technologies. He added that using some of those would have an adverse effect on the aquifer and nullify any conservation savings. "I can assure you that the city of Waukesha looked at all of the alterna- tives that are available to us, even emerging tech- nologies," he said. "I would encourage the mayor of the city of Racine to look at the environmental impact statement and the techni- cal analysis, read all the documents available on our website ( G r e a t W a t e r A l l i a n c e . com) and review and read all that info because we have looked at all of it." Perry rips Dickert Waukesha Alderman Aaron Perry, who was vocal on Twitter about Dickert's statement, said that seeing the process per- formed firsthand showed him all the right steps are being taken. "This is the most trans- parent project that the city has ever done," Perry said. "There's been dozens and dozens of meetings — one in every district in this city. To question trustwor- thiness is just crazy." Perry said he and Ald. Joe Pieper attended a pres- entation at Marquette University Law School last year that had Reilly and Dickert talking about specifics of the project. At the event, he heard Dickert's concerns and called them "politics." "That's why I say I haven't heard a true word come out of his mouth," Perry said. "That entire presentation was specula- tion and quite frankly it was politics." What's next? Next, the Great Lakes Compact Council will form a decision on the matter and disclose whether Waukesha can move for- ward with the project, or whether it's back to the drawing board. If approved, construction would likely begin in 2019. Even if the petition is denied, Reilly said, the group of governors could still file a federal court case. The decision from the council may occur as early as April 20; Reilly said he expects it no later than May 20. Chip (alternating between Sydney Grady and Sylvia Kabara) are all well-delin- eated and well-portrayed, but Lumiere is the stand- out. Michael Haws is effec- tive as the befuddled scien- tist and father of Belle. The dance of the wolves along with their clever cos- tumes is a well-executed spot in the show, and the choreography and costum- ing of the dinner utensils pieces, outstanding, too. Gaston, well-played by David Sajewich, is the epit- ome of the guy you love to hate. He's arrogant and obnoxious. His swagger is consistent, and his treat- ment of others makes him beastlier than the beast. We enjoyed watching his well-deserved downfall. It is rare for the signa- ture song to be delivered by a minor character, but that is the case in this script. Mrs. Potts could have put a bit more feeling into her rendition of "Beauty and the Beast," the most melodic tune in the show. The ensemble numbers are all strongly rendered. A few of the effective individual numbers include "Be My Guest" by Lumiere and company, "Is This Home" and "A Change in Me" by Belle, and "If I Can't Love Her" by the Beast. Scenic design is always a challenge in a theater-in- the-round because one can't block sightlines, so the use of transparent cur- tains to represent the Beast's library was partic- ularly ingenious (Rick A. Rasmussen and Ross Zentner). The lighting design by Jason Fassl also added various moods to the piece. As spring approaches, venture out for an easy drive to Fort Atkinson and one of the most successful dinner theaters in the United States. It's no acci- dent that they have man- aged to endure for more than 50 years. Hurry on this one. Tickets are going fast. Domes: Preservation group's estimate questioned by county exec continued from Page 1 "... we are reviewing many different options for these iconic structures that reflect the diverse opinions of various local, state, and national stakeholders who care about the Domes and what they represent." — Chris Abele Milwaukee County executive Water: Objection nothing but 'politics,' decision 'thoroughly vetted' Fireside: 'Beauty and the Beast' clever, well-executed continued from Page 3 devotee. His wife, Mary (Elaine Wyler), was also very effective as the voice of reason in a very embroiled situation. She exuded a lot of strength, despite her fairly mild manner. Lori Woodall captured the fearlessness and anger that epitomized the fiery Ann, and Derrion Brown aced the cool confidence of the suave inter mediary. All the characters changed significantly over time, and the story ends with a ray of hope shining through. When people finally discover that all humans have more simi- larities than differences, there is hope for accept- ance. The play is very well- directed by Erin Nicole Eggers. The Acacia Theatre Company has challenged us again. See it. Enemies: Focus on similarities among all people continued from Page 14 continued from Page 15 MILWAUKEE — To fill nearly 200 seasonal posi- tions, the Milwaukee County Parks will present a job fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Holler Park Lodge, 5151 S. 6th St. The part-time positions, in a variety of areas, are sched- uled from spring through fall or for the summer only. Positions range from Traveling Beer Garden staff, golf starters, and restaurant staff, to pool attendants, park patrol staff, and build- ing- or grounds-mainte- nance workers. All candidates must be Wisconsin residents and at least 16 at the time of appli- cation. If a position includes duties serving beer, the can- didate must be at least 18. Candidates are encour- aged to apply online before attending the event because managers will be on-site ready to conduct interviews. For those candidates who have not completed an appli- cation, staff will provide instructions on how to apply online as well as a brief application to complete at the job fair. The form is at county. milwaukee.gov/ContactUs 1 3 1 1 9 / C o n t a c t H u m a n ResourcesParks. Milwaukee County Parks to host seasonal job fair

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