Honking at Zoo might not be the geese
Walker's Zoo water park idea would require careful traffic planning:
De Bruin

Jan 11 -- Building a year-round water park at the Zoo could be a positive development, but would require careful planning with much attention focused on traffic issues, County Supervisor Lynne DeBruin said Monday.

"Both getting there as well as parking as well as traffic mitigation and traffic flow," she said. "How many more cars are going to be on Highway 100 and Bluemound?"

County Executive Scott Walker floated the water park idea during his State of the County address Monday. The water park, which would be on Zoo-owned land northwest of the Zoo itself, would be privately-operated. The Zoo would collect lease payments from the facility.

DeBruin said that she understood Walker's proposal to include both a year-round water park and a hotel at the site.

She said she would learn more about it Tuesday when she meets with Zoo Director Charles Wikenhauser.

Highway 100 and W. Bluemound Rd. are adjacent to the proposed site, and already are very busy, De Bruin said. They will get even busier with the new expansion at Mayfair mall and continued development of the County Grounds.

Both streets are state highways and it's important that "the state do something about this" as traffic on them increases, she said. DeBruin previously has pushed for a separate off ramp from U.S. 45 to the County Grounds.

DeBruin said Walker's proposal could bring benefits to the area. The hotel idea could well be greeted enthusiastically by officials in Wauwatosa, where space for new hotels is hard to find, she said.

The entire development could also help boost attendance at the Zoo, which is isolated as a cultural facility, despite its proximity to I-94, she said.

"As long as you can do it right, it could really be a positive thing," she said.

It also is possible the proposal could run into opposition if it requires cutting down many of the trees on the site, she said.

Officials also need to ensure that "the county's not going to have a facility that would compete with its own pools that it's trying to keep open," DeBruin said.

Two aerial photos from different elevations of the area proposed by County Executive Scott Walker for a water park.