The renaissance of Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley – once a hub of machine tooling and leather tanning – not to mention tens of thousands of jobs - could be described as a brownfield redevelopment project on steroids. Over the last decade, crews have cleaned up or contained more than 300 acres of landfill – gradually drawing commerce and jobs back into the corridor.Tomorrow the valley celebrates another sign of rebirth as the Urban Ecology Center opens a branch on a bluff just “above” the river. WUWM Environmental Reporter Susan Bence popped in for a preview of what the center’s manager, Glenna Holstein describes as a cross betweena nature center and a community center.
The branch – the UEC’s third – opens to the public tomorrow afternoon.