'Rough out here:' Harley-Davidson gets to work restoring turf at Veterans Park

Repairing grass at Veterans Park

MILWAUKEE -- The rain Wednesday, Sept. 5 didn't help restoration efforts at Veterans Park. The turf was torn up after heavy rain and Harley-Davidson's 115th anniversary events.

"The lakefront is messed up. The lakefront is tore up, man," said David Brown.

A mix of heavy rain, thousands of visitors and big trucks are to blame for the damaged grass. Harley-Davidson is on a mission to bring it back to its former glory.

Veterans Park

"Excessive mud, dirt and a lot of water," said Scott Fisher, Gift of Wings.

Standing water and slick mud slowed crews down on Wednesday, working to take down tents.

Veterans Park

"I'm getting stuck every time I walk out here. I'm getting stuck. It's rough out here," said Brown.

There is a lot of work that needs to be done. In some spots, we found ankle-deep mud. Harley-Davidson has pledged to restore the grounds to the same or even better condition.

"It may take a little bit for us to do that. If it continues to rain, it may take a bit longer, but the work is underway," said Michael Plughoeft, Harley-Davidson.

Veterans Park

The motorcycle company has hired landscape contractors to restore the turf. They're assigned to fill the ruts, level the surface and replace the grass.

"We're going to start on the perimeter, and work our way into the central of the facility," said Plughoeft.

Veterans Park

Workers began the preliminary restoration process Wednesday morning.

"It's something that happened, and I really don't think it was anybody's fault," said Fisher.

Restoration work at Veterans Park after H-D 115th anniversary celebration

Fisher who runs Gift of Wings next door, said he's trusting the process.

"I've seen it in the past where they have been out here for anniversaries. They always get it 150 percent," said Fisher.

Depending on the weather, H-D officials said it could take one to two weeks before things are fully restored.