Milwaukee, WI

A nonprofit pledged to restore the Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse. What happened?

Published

2 years ago

August 21, 2024

A nonprofit pledged to restore the Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse. What happened?

The Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse, which has dotted the city’s landscape since 1926, has been empty since 1966. And despite a local nonprofit’s promises to restore the historical landmark in 2013, it remains untouched and inaccessible.

Brookfield-based nonprofit Optima Enrichment acquired the lighthouse for free from the National Park Service in 2013, promising $2.5 million worth of major renovations in hopes to create a publicly accessible museum by 2015. Now, almost ten years later, not much has changed.

After Madison resident Steve Tyska purchased property in Sheboygan last year, he noticed a lighthouse in the harbor was in need of some renovations. Thinking it could be a fun project to tackle after retirement, he dove into research.

That’s when he stumbled on past Journal Sentinel articles about the Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse. Upon learning of Optima Enrichment’s goals to renovate the building, he called the organization’s owner, Brookfield optometrist Randall Melchert, for some advice.

“This guy tried to do, on a much bigger scale, what I was thinking about doing,” said Tyska.

But Tyska said he was never able to reach Melchert. Disappointed he was unable to find out what came of the project, he contacted Public Investigator.

“10 years later, nothing’s been done,” Tyska said. “Who is overseeing this project? Should the city get involved?”

Despite multiple attempts to reach Melchert through email and phone, Public Investigator was also unable to get in touch with him.

In 2016, Melchert told the Journal Sentinel his nonprofit raised less than $20,000 since it received the deed, which was mostly spent on insurance.

“We were a little optimistic,” Melchert said at the time.

National Park Service spokesperson Jordan Fifer said the lighthouse is still owned by Optima Enrichment.

According to Fifer, the National Park Service is aware that the group hasn’t raised enough money to fulfill its obligations under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000.

Under the act, federally-owned historic lighthouses can be transferred at no cost to federal, state or private entities that pledge to preserve them. The entity that acquires the lighthouse must make it publicly available for educational, recreational, cultural or historic preservation purposes.

If this fails to occur, Fifer said, it’s up to the federal General Services Administration to determine if if the entity should lose ownership.

Fifer said the National Park Service monitors compliance with the act every two years and “maintains regular contact” with the General Services Administration.

Public Investigator asked the General Services Administration whether it has kept tabs on the Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse. The agency did not respond by the time of publication.

Meanwhile, Port Milwaukee spokesperson Madison Goldbeck said the city has no authority or jurisdiction over the lighthouse.

Had no other qualified nonprofits or government agencies expressed interest in the Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse at the time, it would’ve been sold to the highest bidder, according to the Journal Sentinel’s 2013 article.

For now, Tyska said he’s hopeful an article may spark public officials’ interest.

The Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse is one of the last examples of a fully enclosed breakwater lighthouse on the Great Lakes. Its Fresnel lens — the glass that once surrounded the lighthouse’s bulb — is currently on display at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum in Manitowoc.

“It’s something that could potentially be a benefit for the city if it was tended to,” Tyska said, “and it’s certainly something that could be a liability to the city if it’s neglected.”

Quinn Clark is a Public Investigator reporter. She can be emailed at QClark@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Quinn_A_Clark.

About Public Investigator

Government corruption. Corporate wrongdoing. Consumer complaints. Medical scams. Public Investigator is a new initiative of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and its sister newsrooms across Wisconsin. Our team wants to hear your tips, chase the leads and uncover the truth. We’ll investigate anywhere in Wisconsin. Send your tips to watchdog@journalsentinel.com or call 414-319-9061. You can also submit tips at jsonline.com/tips.

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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee Weather – Frosty and cold morning, sunny day ahead

Published

5 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

MILWAUKEE – Forecast from FOX6 Meteorologist Lisa Michaels

Frosty Monday morning with temps in the teens inland to low 20s near the lake.
Mostly sunny to sunny skies on Monday. Highs in the mid-40s inland, upper 30s near the lake.
A total lunar eclipse will happen Tuesday morning, total eclipse from 5-6am. It may be tough to see due to increasing clouds.
Increasing clouds on Tuesday with highs in the low 40s. Chance of rain and storms possible Wednesday through Friday with warming temperatures.

Today: 39 Lake. Mostly sunny.
High: 44°
Wind: SE 5-10

Tonight: Partly cloudy this evening, mostly clear overnight.
Low: 27°
Wind: SE 5

Tuesday: 39 Lake. Mostly cloudy.
High: 43°
Wind: E 5-10

Wednesday:41 Lake. Chance for scattered showers and t-storms.
AM Low: 32° High: 45°
Wind: E 5-10

Thursday: 39 Lake. Mostly cloudy. Chance storms.
AM Low: 37° High: 42°
Wind: NE 5-10

Friday: Chance for showers and t-storms Warmer. Warming at night.
AM Low: 37° High: 57°
Wind: SE 5-15

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with AM rain showers. Blustery with falling afternoon temperatures.
AM Low: 47° High: 53°
Wind: NE 5-10

6-day planner

FOX6 Weather Extras

Local perspective:

Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:

FOX6 Storm Center app

FOX LOCAL Mobile app

FOX Weather app

FOX Weather

Big picture view:

Maps and radar

We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.

School and business closings

When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.

FOX6 Weather Experts in social media

Daily ForecastWeatherMilwaukee

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Milwaukee, WI

Four new community-powered fridges open on Milwaukee’s North Side

Published

17 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Four new community-powered fridges open on Milwaukee’s North Side

Community members and city leaders celebrated the opening of four new community-powered fridges on the North Side of Milwaukee. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Friday, Feb. 27, at Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, 3624 W. North Ave., to mark the occasion.

The effort to fight food scarcity by opening community-powered fridges comes after several grocery stores closed in the area, creating a food desert.

Ald. Russell W. Stamper, II, emceed the ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of four new community-powered fridges.

District 15 Ald. Russell W. Stamper II, who saw several grocery stores in his district close over the past few years, served as the event’s emcee.

“We could either complain about the problem, or we could come together to find a solution,” Stamper said.

People fill up the community-powered fridge with fresh produce.

In July 2025, a Pick ‘n Save on the North Side closed, prompting the opening of a community-powered fridge at Tricklebee Café in the Sherman Park and Uptown area. Since then, several other grocery stores have closed in the area.

This led Stamper, FEED MKE, Metcalfe Park Community Bridges and One MKE to open four more community-powered fridges.

Christie Melby-Gibbons, executive director of Tricklebee Café, talks about opening the first community-powered fridge at her cafe.

Christie Melby-Gibbons, executive director of Tricklebee Café, talked about the organization’s community-powered fridge. About a week ago, the fridge was empty for the first time since its launch, so staff turned to their online community for support.

“Within 20 minutes, a woman came in with bags of food and filled the fridge for less than $100,” Melby-Gibbons said.

Danell Cross (right), executive director at Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, Metcalfe Park resident Farina Brooks (left), and other attendees applaud during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The community-powered fridge network is run by residents on a take-what-you-need, leave-what-you-can model. Taking a grassroots approach to solving food insecurity in the area, community members provide fresh produce and other healthy food options to ensure that their neighbors have access to nutritious foods.

Residents line up to fill the community-powered fridge with fresh produce.

“Everybody deserves to eat. I can’t go to sleep at night knowing my neighbors are hungry,” said Melody McCurtis, deputy director of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges.

Here’s a list of all the community-powered fridges:

Metcalfe Park Community Bridges

3624 W. North Ave.

Rooted & Rising- Washington Park

3940 W. Lisbon Ave.

Sherman Park Community Association

3526 W. Fond du Lac Ave.

Dominican Center

2470 W. Locust St.

Tricklebee Café

4424 W. North Ave.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Milwaukee, WI

At the Bar

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

The bar can be “the place” where memories are made, friendships blossom, and stories live forever. This episode of Real Stories MKE features stories from Dasha Kelly, Kristia Wildflower, Shep Crumrine, and Katelyn Nye. Real Stories MKE is hosted by Kim Shine and Joel Dresang with support from producer Jasmine Gonzalez and audio engineer Sam Woods.

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