Parks Archives | Marek Landscaping

Beerline Multi-Use Trail & Community Park

Megan Foley — Thu, 05 Feb 2026 13:47:25 +0000

This project involved revitalizing an abandoned, blighted railway corridor that crosses through two Milwaukee neighborhoods. Our design included assessing trail connections to existing neighborhood parks and alleys and the existing Beerline Trail, low-maintenance native landscaping, innovative stormwater management practices such as a dry infiltration basin that can double as an ice rink, phyto remediation, stormwater trees for evapo-transpiration, micro-grading to direct runoff, plazas, and erosion control and grading plans. We talked with residents living along the railway, worked with neighborhood leaders, City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works staff, the Riverworks Business Improvement District, and local aldermen, and held numerous public information meetings. The final deliverable was a set of plans and specifications sent out for bidding that was approved through the City of Milwaukee and WisDOT.

The project was a finalist for the Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDI) – Brewers Community Foundation Public Space Award in 2012. Here’s a video about the project that screened at the award ceremony.

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Thompson’s West End Park Expansion Masterplan

Marek — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 03:28:18 +0000

The City of Washburn, located on the Lake Superior shoreline in Bayfield County, Wisconsin, hired Marek Landscaping and Arcint-Architecture to develop a Master Plan for the expansion of Thompson’s West End Park in Washburn, WI. The City of Washburn is prioritizing the input of both local residents and tourists to ensure the park is meeting the needs of all users. Overarching goals for the project are to enhance the park’s natural features and provide more recreational opportunities.

Marek facilitated three design workshops to garner the input of all stakeholders. The Master Plan integrates feedback from each of the public information gathering sessions.

The Master Plan includes suggested improvements for the camping area, circulation, wayfinding, architecture, playspace and natural resources. Specific areas of focus include reconfiguring roads and adding campsites (including four season “glamour camping”, or “glamping”), improving the entranceway, reconfiguring the boat launch and beach areas, adding a kayak launch site, enhancing existing children’s play area, managing storm water, improving the landscape and natural habitat, and enhancing the hiking trails. Overall, the plan emphasizes and celebrates the public waterfront, most prominently demonstrated through the conversion of a shoreline road and parking area into a public car-free boardwalk.

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Menomonee Valley Industrial Center & Community Park

Marek — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 03:32:08 +0000

This riverbank restoration and stormwater park is situated on a 120-acre site in an abandoned industrial and railway corridor in the Menomonee River Valley located in the city of Milwaukee. Marek’s work began along the Menomonee River, where erosion control and streambank stabilization measures were installed and native trees and seed planted. This urban river is flashy and restoration work was performed directly behind earthwork crews to minimize the chance of sediment being released into the waterway. We also worked on the plant lists, construction specifications, and helped organize a design charrette with regional experts in plant ecology. When completed, we placed 80 acres of seeding for erosion control for the industrial development parcels of the site, 5 acres of turf seeding for soccer fields, 20 acres of native seeding in the stormwater treatment train and along the riverbank, 10,000 emergent aquatic plantings, and the installation of more than 400 trees and 500 shrubs.

Marek was awarded a competitive bid/qualification contract for maintenance. This included planning, scheduling, and costing over a five-year term. Strategies for invasive weed control included spot spraying for specific weed species and cutting, bagging, and disposing plants. A stratified random one meter square plot survey was completed to measure species relative abundance and diversity. Maintenance and general care of the site was coordinated with volunteer groups, non-for-profits, and WDNR.

The site has become one of the best examples of a successful native planting in an urban environment, has been nationally recognized for urban revitalization, green infrastructure, and brownfield development, and is recognized by the Sierra Club as “One of the 10 Best Developments in the Nation.”

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