MILWAUKEE — Wellpoint Care Network kicked off a green stormwater infrastructure project on Tuesday, May 21. It's part of the multi-year initiative to transform its 18-acre campus into a neighborhood where families, neighbors, and community partners can connect, collaborate, and care for one another.
The project aims to capture at least 1 million gallons of stormwater and includes constructed wetlands, bioswales, and native landscaping. I spoke to the president of Wellpoint Care Network, Ann Leinfelder Grove.
“The benefit of this massive project is that it will be able to absorb rainwater during heavy rains, helping prevent flooding in the neighborhood and reducing the likelihood of stormwater overflowing into the storage district tunnels,” said Leinfelder Grove.
The entire project includes improvements to the existing building, including a state-of-the-art mental health clinic, a community social hall, a trauma-informed care training center, and a redevelopment of the grounds surrounding the building.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Milwaukee Alderman of District 5 Lamont Westmoreland, WellPoint Care CEO Ann Leinfelder Grove, and Fresh Coast Protection Partnership Market Director Kurt Farrell gave brief remarks in support of the project.
"We’re in the middle of a multiyear, multi-phase construction project, renovating our 1955 building to become modern and serve as a community anchor in our neighborhood for service delivery," she goes on to say. "We have a large mental health clinic here where we do training, share our space with community organizations and elected officials, including MPD, serving as a place on this side of town where people can come and engage with each other.”
The green stormwater infrastructure project is set to be completed by Oct. 2024.
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