More Improvements Coming to Craig Counsell Park

The Pee Wee field at Craig Counsel Park

Whitefish Bay Little League has already helped transform Craig Counsell Park over the past several years.

Now another round of improvements are on the way.

The Whitefish Bay Village Board approved the latest Craig Counsell Park improvements on Sept. 21, clearing the way for new trees and a Little League-funded rebuild of the Pee Wee field.

The updates have two main components: additional trees throughout portions of the park and rehabilitation of the Pee Wee field, where ages 6-8 get their start in baseball and softball.

New trees will primarily be planted around the exterior of the Minors left field area, where they could provide additional wind protection, shade and landscaping.

If funding allows, additional trees could also be added near spectator areas around the Pee Wee field. Final species and locations would be approved by Village staff.

Pee Wee field will get a major rebuild

The field project is much more substantial than simply replacing grass.

The work includes removing and regrading the existing outfield to improve drainage, installing new sod, rebuilding portions of the infield and replacing playing-surface materials.

The field itself will also shift approximately seven feet toward the home-plate fence to create more usable outfield space and improve the overall layout.

Drainage is a major part of the project

Anyone who has spent a wet spring around youth baseball knows how quickly drainage problems can wipe out practices and games.

The Craig Counsell Park project is designed specifically to address that.

Plans call for reshaping the field so stormwater moves away from the infield and toward the outside fence lines.

An existing French drain along the outfield perimeter will also be rehabilitated. Accumulated soil and material above the drain will be removed and replaced with clean drainage stone to help water reach the system more effectively.

How much will the project cost?

The Pee Wee field rebuild is estimated at $39,575 plus tax.

Whitefish Bay Little League will fund and manage the park improvements, including construction restoration.

The Village’s Public Works Committee recommended accepting the improvements at no cost to the Village.

Craig Counsell Park has already changed a lot

The latest project follows several years of investment at the park.

Recent project improvements have included permeable spectator walkways and ADA accessibility improvements, synthetic turf for the Majors and Minors infields, expanded spectator safety netting and new dugouts.

You can learn more about the park on the Village of Whitefish Bay’s Craig Counsell Park page.

You can also find Craig Counsell Park along with playgrounds, trails and other outdoor destinations in our Ultimate Guide to Parks in Milwaukee’s North Shore.

Most of the proposed improvements are not flashy, but they could have a noticeable effect on families who spend spring and summer weekends at the park.

Better drainage means fewer muddy fields and weather cancellations. More trees mean more shade for spectators. And continued investment in the youngest baseball field extends improvements that have already reached the park’s older divisions.

Whitefish Bay Little League has been on a run

The new investment comes after several remarkable summers for Whitefish Bay Little League.

In 2026 alone, Whitefish Bay teams made deep postseason runs across multiple age divisions.

The 12U All-Stars captured the Wisconsin championship and advanced to the Little League Baseball Midwest Region Tournament in Whitestown, Indiana. After dropping an early game to Missouri, Whitefish Bay won three straight elimination games — including a walk-off victory over Minnesota and a 9-4 rematch win over Missouri — to reach the Midwest Region championship.

Whitefish Bay ultimately fell to Iowa champion Davenport Northwest, 7-6, finishing one victory short of becoming the first Wisconsin team to reach the flagship Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport. North Shore Family Adventures followed that run closely in Whitefish Bay Defeats Missouri, Will Play for Trip to Williamsport.

The success went well beyond the 12U team.

Whitefish Bay’s Intermediate team also won Wisconsin and Central Region championships in 2026, while its Junior League team represented the Central Region at the Junior League Baseball World Series.

Those results continued a run that was already underway. Whitefish Bay became the first Wisconsin team to reach the Intermediate Little League World Series in 2025, and the program also advanced to the Junior League Baseball World Series in 2022.

Earlier in the 2026 season, we looked at the program’s success across several age groups in Little League State Titles, Playoffs and Softball Champions.

That article also highlighted the growth of Whitefish Bay Little League beyond baseball, including the inaugural Pee Wee softball program and its first league championship.

The result is a youth baseball and softball program that has become increasingly visible well beyond Whitefish Bay.