Monthly Archives: August 2011

by | August 5, 2011 · 9:26 am

$5.5 Million: Cooper Power Making Big Investment in South Milwaukee

Cooper Power is the latest manufacturer to make a big investment in South Milwaukee.

This one, announced today, is for $5.5 million in new machines and more, according to a news release in Energy Central, a trade publication. From it:

The Cooper Power Systems South Milwaukee location, where specific components for switchgear and transformers are manufactured, has seen a significant increase in sales prompting the immediate approval of a $5.5 million capital investment to expand its machining and process capability.

This is great news for our city, which has also seen major expansions from Bucyrus (Caterpillar), Appleton Electric and Metalcut in recent years.

I’ll keep you posted when I learn more.

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by | August 4, 2011 · 10:57 pm

Movie Night Was Groovy Indeed!

Thursday was a great night to be in South Milwaukee.

It started with a successful farmers’ market, which included another memorable jazz concert presented by the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center to go along with the unique shopping and great eats we deliver every week.

Then, starting after the market at 8:15, it was showtime. That’s when the first of three Groovy Movie Nites began. It was a great scene, as hundreds of people — including countless families and children — took in a showing of Megamind on a huge inflatable screen near 11th and Madison Avenues.

Thanks to Alderwoman Lisa Pieper for leading the initiative, which was a wonderful example of the type of special event we can bring downtown to drive its revitalization and growth. And there’s two more to go: Gnomeo & Juliet is August 11, and Kung Fu Panda is August 18.

Were you there Thursday? What did you think? Post your comments below!

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by | August 4, 2011 · 9:26 am

Unleashed Pets, Oak Creek Property Values, Larson Hits Recall Campaign Trail and Other Headlines

Check out these headlines from around the South Shore:

Also, Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik and City Clerk Jim Shelenske have published their monthly email newsletters.

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by | August 2, 2011 · 10:21 pm

City Council Meeting Recap: New Alderman, Stormwater Rate Increase, Funds Transfer

It was a busy City Council meeting Tuesday night, and we ended it with a new alderman.

After several rounds of voting, the council appointed Frank Van Dusen III, 914 Minnesota Ave., to replace Mike Karbowski as a First District alderman.

Frank, who will be sworn in at the Aug. 16 council meeting, joins Craig Maass as aldermen in that district. He will serve until next April, when an election will determine the person to serve the remainder of Mike’s term into 2013.

It was a close vote and a good debate because we had a strong pool of candidates, and I’m excited to work with Frank, an electrician with Patrick Cudahy and lifelong South Milwaukee resident who you may recall was out front as a complainant against The Frozen Rope this spring. Welcome!

The council also voted unanimously on two other items:

  • Stormwater fees. We voted to raise the city’s stormwater utility rate to help fund commitments we’ve made to upgrade our stormwater infrastructure. If you recall, we borrowed approximately $1 million for stormwater management projects earlier this year, and the increases will help pay down that debt — and build up a cash balance that we will use to take on additional projects and perhaps add manpower we desperately need to address these issues. How much will you pay? If you are the owner of a single- or two-family home, your annual stormwater bill will increase $18 this year, from $48 to $66. In 2012, it will increase to $72, as the cost per “equivalent runoff unit” (ERU) increases from its current $4 per month to $5.50 to $6. Owners of large multi-family homes and commercial property and the school district will obviously see bigger increases, some measuring in the thousands of dollars. This is because the utility fees are based on the amount of “impervious surface” properties have, and these properties have a lot. I voted “yes” because this is money well spent. We need to pay back the money we borrowed — money that will be used to improve our stormwater management system and alleviate some of the longstanding flooding concerns in certain areas of the city.
  • Fund transfers. The council also voted to transfer various funds … something we do regularly. Of particular note this time was the transfer of $285,000 from the general fund to the “tax stabilization account.” This is an account we use to “offset” our tax levy, keeping that amount relatively stable from year to year and keeping taxes low. This year, as you will recall, we plan to use about $160,000 to “pay down” our levy and cover our budget. How much will have to set aside for 2012? With sharp cuts in state shared revenue and other declines in revenue on the horizon, that remains to be seen as we enter next year’s budget process.

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by | August 2, 2011 · 11:36 am

A Vision For The Hoan Bridge: Bike And Pedestrian Path … And Why Not Lights?

Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik has a nice piece in the new edition of the Bay View Compass newspaper sharing her vision for the Hoan Bridge — one that includes a bike and pedestrian path.

Read it here. From it (including her thoughts on the broader harbor area):

Starting from the south shore, develop the fill area north of the Lake Express ferry terminal lot (the Confined Disposal Facility) as park space with bike rentals, ice cream stands, and other amenities. From here, a bike lane will run through Jones Island (connecting to the Oak Leaf Trail currently ending in Cupertino Park at Russell Avenue and Lincoln Memorial Drive) to the area near the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District facility.

A beautifully constructed and artistically pleasing bike ramp or spiral form will convey both pedestrians and bicyclists up to the cantilevered bridge that hangs from the arch, roughly parallel to Interstate 794. Beautiful vistas of the lake and Milwaukee skyline award the ascent with a breathtaking view of the Calatrava, Discovery World, and the Lakeshore State Park island. Cyclists and pedestrians would then pass through a fully encased trail, quite safe, and arrive on the other side of the cantilevered span at a second ramp/spiral bikecase that leads them back down to ground level on the north side of the Milwaukee River. Here, a freshly paved path skirts behind the Marcus Amphitheater and connects to the current Lakeshore State Park trail.

With the proper vision and investment, our Hoan Bridge could become the rival of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia, which allows tethered pedestrians to climb on top of the bridge for a fee.

I applaud Pat for thinking big when it comes to the Hoan and the harbor. And I agree with her sentiments. But I’d like to add another element to that vision: lights. I think the Hoan Bridge arch should be lit at night.

Of course, this is purely a cosmetic upgrade, and I am sure it won’t be cheap, but I think the benefits are real. Lighting the bridge would add significantly to Milwaukee’s skyline and make the bridge a real conversation piece among residents and visitors.

Think New York, Boston, even Muscatine, Iowa, and our own Sixth Street Viaduct. Or this unknown location. I hope the Hoan can join that list.

And with advances in lighting technology (LEDs, etc.) I am betting it can be done more cost effectively now than it ever could in years past.

What do you think of the idea? Post your comments below! (And vote in my new poll.)

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Filed under Transportation