Cudahy residents say the bluff at Sheridan Park is literally falling into Lake Michigan after a run of intense storms and high water, and they are done quietly watching it slide away. Visitors report trees and soil collapsing near the Oak Leaf Trail, and a popular bench has been cordoned off as unsafe. Neighbors have opened a petition and are pushing the county for emergency stabilization before the trail, and nearby homes, are put at greater risk.
Video, walkers and a fast-vanishing bluff
Video from a news helicopter and interviews show recent storms have chewed away large sections of the park’s bluff and left the shoreline ragged, as reported by WISN. “If there’s anything we could do about it, it’d be nice to try to help out,” local walker Rob Willison told the station.
Sheridan Park Friends volunteer Kirsten Prost told the station the stretch is “one of the most popular sections of the Oak Leaf Trail” and said flooding last August and storms this spring have worsened the bluff’s recession. Regulars say each big storm seems to redraw the edge.
Neighbors rally behind a petition
In response, neighbors launched an online petition calling the bluff loss a crisis and urging Milwaukee County to declare an emergency and move quickly to stabilize the shoreline. The petition, created May 6, cites high lake levels, an August 2025 flood and recent April storms as drivers of the accelerated erosion, per the petition on Change.org. Organizers say they hope the show of public support helps the county secure federal or state dollars needed for construction.
County blueprint is ready, cash is not
Milwaukee County Parks drafted a bluff-stabilization plan last year with an $18 million construction estimate, but the work was not funded in this year’s budget. The county’s 2026 capital-improvement request lists roughly $1,000,110 for a 2026 planning phase and $18,000,000 for construction in later years, and it details options such as installing seven armor stone groins, preloading sand and converting a stretch of South Sheridan Drive to a vegetation buffer. Those project details and cost estimates appear in Milwaukee County.
ARPA study set the stage
County documents show Milwaukee used ARPA funds for a “Lake Michigan Bluff Repairs” study that included Sheridan Park, with about $267,850 allocated to study and design work. That study informed the planning-phase recommendations residents and county engineers are now citing, according to Milwaukee County.
Town hall set for May 19
County Supervisor Steven Shea told WISN he supports emergency action and will host a town hall to talk options and next steps. The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Cudahy Library, where residents and county staff are expected to weigh short-term protections versus long-term construction priorities. Organizers say they plan to press for a concrete timetable and a clear path to funding.
Why this bluff is so fragile
County studies and shoreline inventories warn that sections of Milwaukee County’s Lake Michigan bluffs are steep, unstable and especially vulnerable to wave action and groundwater seepage, making some conventional repairs dangerous and costly. The county’s coastal inventory ranks parts of the coastline as highly vulnerable and recommends construction-ready designs for the worst sections, per Milwaukee County. Residents say interim safety measures, such as roping off hazardous zones and putting up temporary barriers, are needed while officials pursue long-term funding…