Milwaukee County Looks At Growing Hemp In Domes Greenhouse

The Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservancy, fondly known as The Domes, is perhaps equal parts iconic and at risk. Like fellow Milwaukee County facilities, it is woefully in need of maintenance. Supervisor Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, whose district includes The Domes, is proposing a new source of revenue: growing hemp in one of the dome's greenhouses. On Tuesday, she took up the proposal before the Milwaukee County Parks, Energy and Environment Committee. But this wasn't Ortiz-Velez's first attempt to convince fellow county supervisors that cultivating hemp would be both a sound and lucrative move for the future of The Domes. READ: Proposed Plan Restores Mitchell Park Domes & Its Surrounding Green Space A previous plan died in committee. But this time around, Ortiz-Velez came into the meeting chambers with several committee members already having signed on as cosponsors. And Ortiz-Velez has done her homework, including traveling to Madison with Guy Smith, who heads Milwaukee County Parks.