A firsthand account of Summerfest's escalating demands to bar public access

This perspective on the question of Summerfest fireworks and public access to Lake Michigan and Lakeshore State Park is by Kris Martinsek.

She knows the issue inside and out. Martinsek was:

-- A sewerage commissioner when the island was built using rock excavated from the deep tunnel

-- The General Manager of Summerfest who negotiated the first fireworks contract with Bartolottas and helped start four ethnic festivals

-- An employee of Milwaukee's Dept. of City Development when the Lakewalk plans were developed

-- The current owner of a firm that has produced special events including those with fireworks over water -– Riversplash, the National Association of State Legislators convention

-- And a current Harbor Commissioner who was assigned to be the point person on the transfer of the island from the City to the State.

She says:

I’ve been a participant in the negotiations for the last several years. From the beginning, Milwaukee World Festival wanted control over what happens on the Lakeshore State Park. They have come up with one demand after another as we worked to try to reach agreement on language to transfer the island from the City to the State.

It started with Milwaukee World Festival trying unsuccessfully to get “right of first refusal” for any activities that would be scheduled on the island. They didn’t want anything to occur there that might compete for revenue.

When that was denied, they submitted a wish list that included the right to conduct (and this is a direct quote) “Demonstrations of and public participation in recreational sports, and other outdoor activities including sports clinics, soccer, walks, runs and other competitions; Live entertainment, visual, musical and other activities including musical or other artists performances and the installation of a stage with bleachers or viewing areas for the general public; An amusement ride area, other activities, games, exhibits and events mobile marketers, etc. this could include public viewing and while the area is open to the public, rides or other activities may be individually or group ticketed and there may be concession sales for food, beverage, clothing and other items; Fireworks or other displays for the general public; and public and event related parking to facilitate the above events.”

When that didn’t fly, they requested and received an amendment to their lease that allowed them to keep the public lakewalk along Lake Michigan closed to the public any time that an event was setting up, running, or tearing down on the Henry Maier Festival Grounds. The DNR agreed to that providing MWF would open if there were any periods of more than 5 days with no activity.

That action, in effect, based on the 2005 calendar of events, allows Milwaukee World Festival to close their lakewalk to public access from the beginning of June to the end of September once the island park is completed. That’s a big deal and it was granted with the understanding that the island was to be open 365 days a year as alternative public access to the lakefront. The amendment was made to the lease, approved by the City, but has not been executed by MWF.

And that didn’t satisfy them either. When pushed to sign the lease amendment, they said they needed another agreement that specifically allowed them to do VIP services behind the amphitheater “ pickup and drop-off of vehicles for valet parking and access for commercial vehicles for the staging of events on the Henry Maier Festival Grounds, installing bleachers or viewing areas along a potion (but not the entirety) of the dock wall and other reasonable festival activities or operations.” We provided that amendment to the conservation easement – which they still have not signed.

The DNR agreed that MWF could continue to use the fireworks in 2006 when the island is still under construction – AND offered to let them continue through 2008 as the groups worked to find alternative locations for fireworks displays.

NOW – when everyone involved in the negotiations including the Third Ward Association, Pier Wisconsin, the Art Museum, the DNR and MWF agreed to move forward so the land could be transferred and construction of the breakwall to protect the new Pier Wisconsin development could begin - someone circumvented all of us and went to Sen. Grothman for what they thought would be a quiet little change of administrative rules.

George Meyer was right on. MWF reneged on their deal and are using the smoke screen of “loss of fireworks on the lakefront” to cloud the real issue. The island is being built with public funds on public trust land and all of it should remain free and open to the public.

Earlier post: What Summerfest wants, Summerfest gets.