Adventure Rock will host a groundbreaking Wednesday, May 20 for its new East Side location at 2240 N. Commerce Street, on the corner of North Avenue, according to manager Craig Burzynski.
The Brookfield climbing gym announced last year that it would build a new location on the site and a sign has been there ever since. But, until this week when an excavator arrived on the grassy patch, there had been no further indication that anything was impending.
The facility will be part of a 46-unit Mandel Group apartment development.
"We are hoping to open sometime next winter," says Burzynski this morning. "You will definitely hear more about it in the coming months."
According to the gym's website, "The 17, 000-square foot purpose-built Milwaukee facility will be larger than the current Brookfield location. The facility will feature over 18,000 square feet of climbing with wall heights up to 42 feet, of that terrain, 2,000 square feet will be dedicated to bouldering. The facility will also include a dedicated fitness area, pro-shop and (more)."
The new location will be a boon to East Side families looking for indoor activities. At the moment nearly all the city's bouncy houses, trampoline parks and climbing walls are located in the south and west suburbs.
A Facebook post this morning quickly drew comments from eager future patrons.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
