Garage Architect Was Schulz Pal

There are lots of architect/engineer firms around SE Wisconsin.

But only one was the favorite of Dave Schultz, and (surprise!!) it seems that that one firm had a few problems. Falling-down concrete, cracked roof, and as a bonus, crappy Mental Health Center design, too!

Milwaukee County opened O’Donnell Park in the early 1990s. It covers more than 7 acres and is built atop a 1,250-space parking garage.

When it was built, problems dogged the project, including cracks in the structure because the weight of the park was more than the garage underneath could bear.

The first cracks were discovered in May 1991, prompting removal of tons of dirt that had been piled atop the park for landscaping. Crews also repaired and strengthened the steel-and-concrete skeleton of the structure.

Five months after discovering the cracks, the county fired Jordan Miller, the architect working on the $30 million project.

A subsequent investigation by the Milwaukee Sentinel found that Miller’s firm, Miller Meier Kenyon Cooper Architects and Engineers Inc., was not on the original list of finalists for the job but was added to the list at the request of Dave Schulz, then county parks director and later county executive.

Miller’s firm was selected even though the county was suing it over a defective roof design at the Mental Health Complex in Wauwatosa, a lawsuit that ended with a $700,000 judgment in the county’s favor.

In 1992, the county sued five other firms that worked on the project. Miller, Meier, meanwhile, filed a claim against the county for alleged damages.

Repairs of structural problems at the garage cost the county $3.4 million.

Just so we have this straight:

The Milwaukee County Board (majority Lefty/Democrats) and former Milwaukee County Executives (all Lefty/Democrats) hired an A/E firm which didn't do its job very well.

Now the Milwaukee County Board (majority Lefty/Democrats) blames Scott Walker for problems at the Mental Health Complex.

Not only that, but Lee Holloway, Slumlord/Lefty/Democrat, implies that Walker failed to maintain the Lefty/Democrat design failure.

Sure.