GREENDALE, WI — A degraded section of residential road in Greendale that makes up part of the Oak Leaf Trail is expected to see repairs after lasting concerns about its quality and safety.
The Milwaukee County Board this week adopted a $225,000 mill and overlay project to temporarily repair a 0.38-mile section of Old Loomis Road between South 76th Street and Hollow Lane. Part of the road also falls in Franklin.
The condition of the road was considered “20 out of 100” by the county’s parks department in June 2021, according to the project’s resolution. The road is under county parks control, as opposed to local city or state control, because it links parts of the Oak Leaf Trail.
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The mill and overlay project will grind down the existing asphalt and base material and apply new pavement, the resolution said. A more long-term major reconstruction solution could come later as the county seeks funds, the resolution said.
The road was putting drivers, pedestrians, pets and other Oak Leaf Trail users at risk because of its disrepair, according to Supervisor Kathleen Vincent, who said she was proud to author and see the resolution through.
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“The reality is, there have been some injuries on this road,” Vincent told Patch in a phone call. “And my biggest concern is, what is it going to take? How serious of an injury do we want to have before this does get addressed.”
Vincent, first elected to her seat in 2022, said she had to rally support from other supervisors to point the county funds at the road.
“Every supervisor has things within their district that have deferred maintenance and things like that,” Vincent said. “I’m very proud as a newer supervisor, this is one of my first fiscal resolutions and I’m not even gonna say it’s just benefiting my district, but it is a fiscal resolution that has the ability to safeguard all of Milwaukee County Residents because it is part of our trail system.”
Just one supervisor who attended the meeting voted against the road repair resolution, Steve Taylor. Taylor said the measure raised “grave concerns about fiscal responsibility” and pointed toward an opportunity for the board in June 2021 that he claimed could have fully reconstructed the road for nearly $75,000 less than the planned mill and overlay.
Vincent, who was elected to office after that opportunity came and went, told Patch she wasn’t sure how she may have voted back then. Supervisor Patti Logsdon, who also authored the resolution, told Patch the board voted against the 2021 reconstruction opportunity partly over concerns it may be decommissioned from county responsibility. Plus, the board was looking to fund another project at the time that needed the money, Logsdon said.
“This resolution not only demonstrates our collective commitment to the safety of our residents but is also fiscally responsible as it preserves the integrity of our infrastructure before it can deteriorate further, Vincent said in a news release after the resolution passed. “Politics should never interfere with taking care of our respective districts and constituents.”
The resolution has to make it past the desk of County Executive David Crowley before repairs materialize.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article may have said Old Loomis Road is in Franklin, although the majority of the road and its residents are in Greendale.
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