WAUWATOSA, Wis. – The new “Mama Rosa” troll sculpture in Wauwatosa has stirred up concerns from neighbors who say traffic and parking have become a headache.
Mama Rosa
The backstory:
Mama Rosa has brought plenty of tourists to Firefly Grove Park since it was unveiled last month.
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“You can go for a walk, play at the playground, play at the park and visit the troll,” said Sarah Jo Tewksbury.
Mama Rosa troll sculpture at Firefly Grove Park, Wauwatosa
Danish artist Thomas Dambo has troll sculptures around the world, but the 24-year-old Mama Rosa is the only one in Wisconsin for enthusiasts to find.
“We are from near Cincinnati, Ohio. We travel a lot to different theme parks, and we try to find different trolls,” Tewksbury said.
Neighborhood headache
Local perspective:
The troll’s popularity has brought a lot of tourism to the neighborhood near 116th and Gilbert, just south of North Avenue and west of I-41. Neighbors said it has also brought a lot of traffic.
“It’s nice that they have it and everybody should enjoy it, but not at everybody else’s cost,” said Clara Williams.
Williams has lived near what is now Firefly Grove Park for 50 years. She said the parking and traffic have become a bit of a headache for people who live nearby.
Parking, traffic near Firefly Grove Park
“They didn’t think it through as far as the parking and the inconvenience for the people who live here,” she said.
Williams said, while tourists try to find the trolls, her neighbors are struggling to find parking. She said one of her neighbors has to put cones out.
What’s next:
The Wauwatosa Common Council’s Transportation Affairs Committee said, in a meeting earlier this week, it anticipated the traffic and crowds will calm down over the next few months as the sculpture’s hype fades.
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“I don’t want them to not be able to park and not have a good time, you know? I am a grandma. Grandmas aren’t like that,” Williams said.
At the same time, the city said it will be working on solutions. Williams suggests creating a space for cars to park or limiting parking to one side of the street.
The transportation committee said it will be monitoring traffic over the next 90 days to determine a solution.
The Source: FOX6 News interviewed people and gathered information from the Wauwatosa Common Council’s Transportation Affairs Committee for this report.