Number
180116
Version
SUBSTITUTE 1
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. MURPHY
Title
Substitute resolution relating to the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Lubar Executive MBA program’s development of a marketing and growth strategy for MKE Plays.
Analysis
This resolution expresses the City’s support for cooperation with the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Lubar Executive MBA program relating to the development of a marketing and growth strategy for MKE Plays.
Body
Whereas, MKE Plays is an award-winning public-private initiative, created in 2015 as a way to reprioritize parks for local government while soliciting additional help from private sector partners; and
Whereas, MKE Plays set out to transform the City’s most deteriorated playgrounds over a three-year period and has raised more than $1.575 million in private contributions, which will support reconstruction at 14 sites by the summer of 2018; and
Whereas, The restoration of the City’s playgrounds will bring much-needed improvement to many of the city’s poorest neighborhoods by creating safe and attractive places for families to play; and
Whereas, At a time when obesity is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States and when close to 35% of Milwaukee high school students are either overweight or obese, the transformation of Milwaukee’s play areas can make a significant impact on the health of Milwaukee’s youth; and
Whereas, Involving area residents in playground restoration also provides opportunities for people to get to know one another and develop a sense of ownership in their community, while the social capital needed to improve neighborhood playgrounds through the MKE Plays initiative is as much an asset as the required financial capital, and is more likely to lead to additional community action; and
Whereas, In collaboration with Milwaukee Public Schools, MKE Plays plans to provide older youth with summer job opportunities as “play leaders” trained to help younger children engage in safe, organized games and other play at the playgrounds; and
Whereas, MKE Plays plans to accomplish its vision of better playgrounds for Milwaukee youth by:
1. Matching private funds with public dollars.
2. Offering various financing structures to inspire playground sponsorship.
3. Involving community residents in the design and construction process.
4. Encouraging the use of nationally-demonstrated playground building models.
5. Assessing the impacts of program activities on the lives of beneficiary communities through transparent and methodical evaluations.
; and
Whereas, MKE Plays continues to grow, and as a result of this growth, the MKE Plays team requires additional capacity to create a sustainable growth plan and marketing initiative to encourage investment in the community; and
Whereas, The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Lubar School of Business is ranked among universities nationwide for its business programs by U.S. News & World Report; and
Whereas, The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Lubar School of Business Executive MBA program provides a graduate-level curriculum designed for experienced managers to build business acumen and managerial and leadership skill sets; and
Whereas, The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Lubar Executive MBA program has offered to provide resources and assistance for the development of a marketing and growth strategy for MKE Plays; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee, that the City of Milwaukee expresses its support to the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Lubar Executive MBA program relating to the development of a marketing and growth strategy for MKE Plays; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the appropriate City officials are directed to cooperate with the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Lubar Executive MBA program in the development of a marketing and growth strategy for MKE Plays.
Requestor
Drafter
LRB171182-2
Dana J. Zelazny
April 24, 2018