Milwaukee Public Schools will break ground Thursday on a new stadium at Vincent High School on the city's northwest side.
In 2015, the district rebuilt South Stadium at 9th and Windlake on the South Side and renovated Custer Stadium, adjacent to Barack Obama School of Career and Technical Education, on Sherman Boulevard.
The district stopped holding varsity soccer and football games at Vincent in 2016 due to the poor field conditions and spectator seating, as well as a lack of restrooms and a press box.
The new stadium – designed by Graef, and expected to be ready for use by next spring – will include an eight-lane track that meets the requirements for hosting Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) events, as well as synthetic turf on a regular field for football and soccer matches.
Other amenities include outdoor lighting, home and away team rooms, shotput and discus throw stations, new ADA accessible bleachers for up to 1,200 spectators, a locker room for officials, a press box, restrooms, a concession stand and a new scoreboard.
Out front there will be a new entry plaza with a new box office.
The total cost of the new stadium – a contract for which has been awarded to Nicholas & Associates, Inc. – is estimated at $5,656,791, including design, construction and inspection. It will be paid for via the district’s construction fund, as well as from district borrowed funds and qualified school construction bonds.
The district is also seeking to sell naming rights and sponsorships for the new venue.
In the coming year, MPS says it will invest more than $11 million to improve its athletic and recreation facilities. It says a new stadium at Vincent will allow the district to schedule sporting events across the city.
Last spring, MPS schools hosted 169 girls soccer games. In autumn of last year, it hosted 165 boys soccer and 70 varsity football games.
The district expects that a new stadium will create more opportunities for MPS to host WIAA tournament soccer, football and track competitions, as well as its own conference relays and conference outdoor track meets.
The groundbreaking will be held May 10 at Vincent High School, 7501 N. Granville Rd., at 9 a.m.
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.
