Hart Park Stadium repairs begin after flood

By BRIDGET FOGARTY

USA Today Network

Repairs at Hart Park‘s stadium and turf are set to begin, seven months after flooding from southeast Wisconsin’s August 2025 storm ripped up the athletic venue and other parts of the Wauwatosa park.

The news is welcome progress for residents after the park sustained an estimated $4 million worth of damage in the historic storm.

Still, questions remain on how other required repairs at the playground and softball field will be paid for because, as of February, federal and state assistance isn’t an option.

When will Hart Park’s stadium reopen for athletics?

In a Jan. 27 meeting, Wauwatosa’s Common Council approved a $607,039 contract to replace the field turf at Hart Park Stadium.

That dips into over half of the million-dollar donation the Tosa Foundation provided the city for flood recovery efforts.

Construction begins this month to clean the stadium’s storm sewer system, which is needed to help the field’s drainage system function properly. Once the ground isn’t frozen – in April or May – the surface repairs, including turf replacement, can begin.

The city estimates all construction will be complete by May 15, but that date is weather dependent.

Here’s what’s still closed in Hart Park

The stadium, track, playground and softball field all remain closed as of March 6, according to the city.

No decisions have been made by elected officials regarding repairs at the softball field, which would require more funding. There’s a chance that with community input, something new could come to the space, too.

City staff “want direction from the community and council on whether [the softball field] should be repaired as it was – or if we should pursue a different park amenity in that space,” according to the city website.

Without FEMA funding, who will pay for remaining Hart Park repairs?

After the historic August 2025 storm in southeast Wisconsin, affected communities like Wauwatosa diligently recorded damage for the state to make its best case to the Federal Emergency Management Agency that the region needed federal assistance to recover.

But the Trump administration on Oct. 23 denied Gov. Tony Evers’ request for funds for local governments across six counties to rebuild. Wisconsin appealed the decision, but the Trump administration denied Wisconsin’s appeal Feb. 9.

In the absence of FEMA funding, Wauwatosa is looking for ways to pay for remaining repairs in Hart Park that the $1 million donation and insurance couldn’t cover.

The city is required to have flood insurance at Hart Park, since it’s located on a floodplain, but that insurance only covers the buildings, John Ruggini, the city’s finance director, told members of the Financial Affairs Committee Sept. 23, 2025.

Wauwatosa received approximately $450,000 from a flood insurance policy payout, which covered repairs at the Muellner Building, the garage and administrative offices, according to the city website.

The flood insurance doesn’t cover the stadium, playground and roads.

Future public meetings at the Common Council will likely decide who will foot the remaining bills. Wauwatosa residents will elect a new 12-person council April 7.