Work began Wednesday on the first phase of a $6.2 million rebuilding of Johnsons Park, 13 acres of historic but neglected green space on the city's north side.

Milwaukee County Parks Director Sue Black called the project between N. 17th and 20th streets at Fond du Lac Ave. "the only one of its kind" because it involves rebuilding a park from border to border. And it's a project that has been developed with lots of community participation and many partners, she said.

"Johnsons Park is at the top of the list when it comes to bringing people together and, at the end of the day, a park is about bringing people together and that's exciting," she said.

On Wednesday, county crews began work on the first stage of the process, which involves leveling the four berms that create blind spots, although the park is still heavily used, said Marcia Caton Campbell, Milwaukee program director for the Center for Resilient Cities, based in Madison.

When completed in three to five years, plans call for the park to be transformed into an open and inviting environment that will include benches and trees, sports fields, a butterfly garden, children's play space, a pavilion with a stage for community events and concerts, and a historical and cultural walkway, she said. The path will tell the story of the area, which was part of the underground railroad that allowed slaves from the south safe passage to northern states during the Civil War.

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