Downtown Milwaukee street closures, cleanup underway ahead of international convention
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) — Downtown Milwaukee is getting a cleanup as street closures are already in place ahead of a major international convention expected to bring about 21,000 people to the city this weekend.
Dozens of Jehovah's Witnesses volunteered to clean up the Baird Center and surrounding area ahead of the Jehovah's Witnesses International Convention, which runs Aug. 28-30.
The cleanup includes pressure washing and scrubbing sidewalks and walls in the Wells Street tunnel. Volunteers are also cleaning 17 nearby parking lots and structures.
Inside the Baird Center, volunteers are scrubbing floors, removing gum and setting up chairs.
"Cleaning up some of the chairs and picking up gum and other things that might be on the floor, just trying to tidy it up and as a thank you for us attending," Williams said.
Convention spokesperson Tyrel Whiting said volunteers want to leave the facility in better condition than they found it.
"The Baird Center is a beautiful facility, but we want to leave it better than we came into it," Whiting said. "Our efforts are scrubbing gum off the floor and leaving it a space that is going to be used by the Milwaukee community."
About 5,000 delegates from 19 countries are expected to attend.
The convention is also bringing changes for downtown drivers. Portions of West Kilbourn Avenue, North King Drive and eastbound West Wells Street are closed to accommodate the event.
Williams said the international gathering will bring attendees together from around the world.
"We're used to our meetings with individuals with different races, different backgrounds, but now on a much greater scale, where we're intentionally coming in from all over the world, it is very exciting," Williams said.
The street closures are expected to remain in place through Sept. 1.