The future plans for a new Downtown dog park at 103 W. Clybourn Ave. pawwed even closer to reality today as the Milwaukee Admirals announced it will join as a major corporate sponsor of the project. 

The Admirals joins a list of sponsors headlined by Fromm Family Foods, which announced last fall that it purchased the naming rights to the impending Downtown dog park, mapped for the underused space beneath I-794 between Plankinton Avenue and the Milwaukee River. Other sponsors and area businesses pledging their fundraising support for the project include Hempel Companies, Gardner Builders, St. Paul Fish Company, Explorium Brewery, Physicians Realty Trust and the Pritzlaff Building ownership. 

“Since the launch of the Downtown dog park project, we have found multiple ways to partner with the dog park project leaders, including collaborations with our Dog Day games,” said Harris Turer, owner and CEO of the Milwaukee Admirals Hockey Club, in a release. "As a team that is active in the community, we understand the important role that pets play in people’s lives. For this reason, we’ve had serious interest in supporting the project from the beginning. We are excited to join other business leaders in improving the quality of life for the greater Milwaukee dog community and their owners with the addition of this much-needed amenity."

“We are thrilled to see the response from the corporate and donor community. Businesses of all sizes and individuals from across the region are seeing the unique value in supporting this project. Not only will it deliver a much-needed community amenity, but it also will redevelop a highly visible, but underutilized site at the juncture of the central business district and the Historic Third Ward,” said Matt Dorner, economic development director of Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21, and co-lead on the Downtown dog park project, in the release. 

The Downtown dog park project currently includes seperately fenced off-leash small and large dog green areas, water stations, spaces for public art and additional pet amenities. The pet-friendly space will sit adjacent and adjoined to the future Foxtown Landing, a 28,000-square-foot Downtown development featuring a three-story Foxtown brewery, distillery, taproom, restaurant and riverfront outdoor space. The two partner projects will be connected by 400 feet of new additional riverwalk running between St. Paul Avenue to Clybourn Street.

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“These commitments, along with the ongoing conversations we are having with additional sponsors, reinforces the fact that this project resonates with stakeholders of all sizes," said Paul Schwartz, executive director of the Milwaukee Public Market and Third Ward, BID #2, and project co-lead, in a release. "The dog park’s value is not only seen by the thousands of residents and individuals who have supported the project, but also by the business community who correlates their company values with the dog park’s mission to continue advancing the greater Downtown community."

The Admirals have taken to their new sponsor role quickly, as a portion of the proceeds from all tickets sold to their upcoming Dog Day game at UWM Panther Arena on Friday night will go toward the Downtown dog park. A part of the proceeds will also go toward other select dog-related charities and organizations. For more information about Dog Day with the Admirals and tickets, click here. 

And for more information about the future Downtown dog park and Foxtown Landing plans – such as additional sponsors and projected timelines – visit the project's website and stay tuned to OnMilwaukee.