Author Archives: Erik Brooks

For Rawson Elementary School families, those who live in the area or those who travel in and around Rawson during the early morning or mid-afternoon, changes are coming on Monday around student dropoff and pickup.

Here is a video of what is happening, as school officials seek to increase safety in and around the campus. The city is also making some changes to parking zones around the school.

I thank new Rawson Principal Nicole Horsley and other school district leaders for driving these changes, and working to improve a challenging situation — something I have seen firsthand as the parent of one current and one former Rawson student.

Please be patient!

Honored to declare Wednesday, Sept. 27, Virginia Cimbalnik Day in South Milwaukee, in honor of her 100th birthday.

It was a pleasure to join in the celebration with her friends and neighbors yesterday evening, and I’ve already marked my calendar for her 101st.

Happy birthday, Virginia!

The City of South Milwaukee will be hosting two informational sessions on the South Milwaukee 2017 Public Safety Referendum and the special election that will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

The dates are …

• Thursday, Oct. 12
• Monday, Oct. 30

Both are from 5 to 7 p.m. at City Hall, 2424 15th Ave.

Representatives will be available to answer your questions, listen to your concerns, and hear your comments.

For additional information about the public safety referendum, please visit our website.

This is in addition to the Meet the Mayor sessions set for Sept. 28 (tomorrow) and Oct. 28. Also, you can submit questions on the referendum to referendum@smwi.org, or by calling 414-768-8051. Or just shoot me an email.

Check out a list of frequently asked questions here.

I’m excited about the new development happening across this city.

The latest example: A $7 million medical office building proposed to replace the former home to Aurora Healthcare/Lakeshore Medical at 15th and College.

The story broke in today’s BizTimes, after city officials met with the developer last week. From the story …

William Ochowicz, of Pewaukee-based Healthcare Real Estate Solutions, is planning the 26,000-square-foot speculative medical center at College and 15th avenues. The building will include underground parking for 28 cars.

Ochowicz’s partner in the $7 million venture, New York-based property owner Amir Wasiullah, is hoping to lease the space to independent physicians.

“We are targeting physicians who do not have an affiliation, like allergists, optometrists and psychologists,” Ochowicz said.

As hospital systems have merged over the years, more and more physician groups have affiliated with systems there are fewer independent doctors. Still, the Milwaukee-based Independent Physicians Network provides services for about 900 independent physicians in the Milwaukee area, according to its website. The building might also end up being purchased by one of the health care systems wanting to have or expand its presence in the South Milwaukee/Cudahy market, Ochowicz said.

This is exciting news for South Milwaukee, and the proposal comes as ground is expected to be broken soon on a $1.4 million facility on 11th and College to house South Shore Family Chiropractic.

And that’s just the start. More significant (re)development news is coming soon.

Promising future, indeed!

Congratulations to all of the winners at Thurdsay’s South Shore Chamber of Commerce – WI Awards Dinner: Howard Village (St Francis), TiPrint (Cudahy) and our own South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center.

All are richly deserving, none more so than the SMPAC. It’s an honor to join with my mayoral colleagues, County Supervisor David Sartori and State Sen. Chris Larson to honor this terrific institution, one the entire South Shore should be proud of.

Come support our local law enforcement professionals … and bring the family!

Check out these South Milwaukee headlines, including word the Violent Femmes have scheduled a second show for the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center …

• Violent Femmes Add Two More Shows to its Wisconsin Tour (Milwaukee Journal Senitnel)
• South Milwaukee Might Triple Opioid Paraphernalia Possession Fine (NOW)
• Oak Creek Restructures Health Department, Decides not to Merge it with South Milwaukee (NOW)
• “Completely Destroyed”: South Milwaukee Couple in Puerto Rico Moved from Hotel Tower Amid Maria (Fox 6)

Also, Broofield police are searching for a man who allegedly robbed an Aldi store there, the same person South Milwaukee police suspect is responsible for a June robbery of our Aldi store.

And NOW has published a new police blotter.

From the Engineering Department …

The City of South Milwaukee has contracted with Earth X, LLC for installation of a 48″ diameter storm sewer to replace a deteriorating box culvert built in the early 1900’s that crosses 5th Avenue, just north of Drexel Boulevard. To complete the work, 5th Avenue will be closed to thru traffic between Drexel Boulevard and Manistique Avenue, starting September 25 or shortly thereafter. 5th Avenue will be detoured to Manistique Avenue and Drexel Boulevard to 8th Avenue. Signs will be posted along the detour route. The City anticipates a 4 week closure to complete the storm sewer installation and pavement replacement. Parking restrictions may be installed along the route. 

For more information on the project, click here.

This is a terrific monthly event, on many levels.

Please stop by for a free meal this and every third Thursday at First Congregational Church, 1111 N. Chicago Ave. This month, the South Milwaukee Lions are serving.

Want to get your organization involved in serving a meal? Contact the Revs. Tom and Debbie Payden at firstcongsm@att.net.

I say this a lot, but I believe it wholeheartedly: We will bring new life to our city center one property owner, one building, one business at a time. And there is some tasty news brewing in the 1200 block of Milwaukee Avenue.

Three food-based business — a bakery and two restaurants — are all making major investments in that block. Let’s head east to west …

• 1224 Milwaukee Ave. With help from our Downtown Revitalization Grant program, China Chef has brought new life to their facade, opening the front of the restaurant with the installation of new windows, as well as installing a new granite base, restoring the building’s masonry brick, and new paint. The transformation is significant. If you haven’t driven by lately, please do — and then stop to enjoy some tasty sesame chicken.
• 1232 Milwaukee Ave. Lee and Yang Lue, the new owners of this building, are hard at work on renovations ahead of the opening of their new ice cream parlor. Yep, an ice cream parlor downtown. I stopped by last week, and spent a few minutes with the Lues, as they took a break from laying the new tile floor. Things are starting to take shape, and it’s exciting to see another small local business open here. Stay tuned for more details on an opening.
• 1234 Milwaukee Ave. Schroeter’s Gluten Free Bakeshop is expanding, with owner Tim Schroeter recently purchasing the former Moxie Fitness/PJ’s Variety Store for use as additional baking space and potentially a small retail operation. Their pizza crust business is booming, and they need more space — and they’ve chosen to expand downtown over other options. That’s the best endorsement we can get.

More details to come on these projects — and others across our downtown.

I love a turn of phrase that Green Bay Packers Coach Mike McCarthy uses, when he references his teams “stacking success.” We are starting to stack success on Milwaukee Avenue, with much more to come.

What a great way to start Rocketober!

From all of the homecoming festivities to the sold-out Blues Brothers show at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center to the South Milwaukee Lions/Educators Credit Union lunch to the Beach Walk to the Food Truck Festival, it was great to see the community (and plenty from outside South Milwaukee) come together at some amazing local events.

Here is the schedule the rest of the way. New additions to this version:

• Saturday, Sept. 23: Police and Fire Department Safety Days
• Saturday, Oct. 14: Friends of the Mill Pond and Oak Creek Watercourse fall cleanup
• Sunday, Oct. 29: South Milwaukee National Honor Society Haunted Hallway

The search for a new South Milwaukee police chief is officially underway.

The Police and Fire Commission approved advertising the position at its meeting last week. You can see the advertisement here.

The goal, in working with McGrath Consulting Group, is to have a final group of candidates in for testing and interviews in late October, and a new chief chosen and in place by early January. Current Chief Ann Wellens is retiring effective Jan. 19.

Chief Wellens leaves big shoes to fill, but I’m confident we will find the right leader for this department going forward, in large part because we have the right process in place, and the right people making the decision. The mayor and council are purposely kept out of this apolitical selection process. Instead, my and our job is in many ways done — naming good, talented people to the Police and Fire Commission who are committed to doing what’s best for our community.

With that in mind, I thank Beth Blackwood, Heather Page, Rick Borowski, Kate Bernovich and Dr. Darrell Francis for their service, and wish them well in filling this critical role.

I’m bringing back Meet the Mayor, with two events starting later this month.

Here is the lineup …

• Thursday, Sept. 28: 4-6 p.m. at the South Milwaukee Downtown Market, 11th and Milwaukee Avenues. Look for City Administrator Tami Mayzik and me in the seating area near the stage.
• Saturday, Oct. 28: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Parkway Floral, 1001 Milwaukee Ave. Stop by before you take the kids out trick-or-treating downtown.

I’d love to hear your feedback and questions on the Nov. 7 public safety referendum and any other (hopefully local) issues you see fit. Or just stop by and say hi.

Thanks to the market management and Leah and the gang at Parkway for hosting!

I’m really proud of the work we’ve done – led by our city attorney, police department, health department and others across the community – in combating drug use in South Milwaukee.

In the past year, we’ve done it through education and outreach, perhaps through our Addiction Information Resource Fair, showings of “Chasing the Dragon,” or informational sessions by the police department, with more to come.

We’ve done it by increasing many amounts in our court deposit schedule – the amount of money lawbreakers may have to pay when they commit crimes (drug crimes and otherwise).

Now we are toughening our ordinances around drug and tobacco paraphernalia.

As we stated in the ordinance to create Section 24.01(E) of our code, given its initial passage by the South Milwaukee City Council last week …

WHEREAS,  in 2016, over 300 drug overdose deaths occurred in Milwaukee County.  It is determined by the Common Council that certain paraphernalia that is used to inhale or ingest potentially fatal controlled substances, such as heroin, should carry a higher forfeiture amount relative to paraphernalia used to ingest or inhale marijuana in an effort to deter and make more difficult the use of potentially fatal controlled substances;

WHEREAS, the Common Council of the City of South Milwaukee has determined that it is in the best interest of the City’s health, safety and welfare and morals to categorize certain drug paraphernalia offenses in terms of forfeiture amount;

WHEREAS, It is determined by the Common Council that the open display and availability for sale of instruments used for inhaling or ingesting controlled substances in places of business within the City suggests and encourages the illegal use of drugs and other controlled substances by the youth of this community; that to protect the health and safety and general welfare of the youth of this community, it is necessary that the regulations herein provided be enacted;

WHEREAS, Upon the recommendation of the Chief of Police, the Common Council having found and determined that creation of such an ordinance adopting certain State offenses as municipal ordinance violations is necessary to protect the public health, safety and welfare.

What are the specifics? The council voted to …

• Adjust our deposit schedule to reflect higher “fines” for those caught with opioid paraphernalia ($1,308, up from $439) vs. cocaine paraphernalia ($565, up from $439) and marijuana paraphernalia (stays the same at $439). The opioid paraphernalia amount is an especially significant increase, in hopes of deterring people from using the drug as we, like many other communities, deal with this epidemic. This “categorized” approach to fines is pretty unique, and requested by our police department.
• Outlaw the sale to consumers of drug paraphernalia, defined as “all equipment, products, and materials of any kind which are used, intended for use or designed for use in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, harvesting, manufacturing, selling, distributing, delivering, compounding, converting, producing, processing, preparing, testing, analyzing, packaging, repackaging, storing, containing, concealing, injecting, ingesting, inhaling or otherwise introducing into the human body a controlled substance.”  This law would now make illegal the sale of items clearly not meant for tobacco use, including bongs and certain types of pipes.
• Ban the sale and possession of tobacco paraphernalia to minors. We already ban sales of tobacco to kids; this adds products like rolling papers and pipes. We also moved to ban the sale and possession vapor smoking products pertaining to minors.

Final passage of these changes is expected at our next meeting, and I wholeheartedly support them. While combating drug use is more than just fine amounts, we have to be proactive in dealing with these issues legislatively, and we are. And I don’t want to stop here – we will always be looking for ways to make our community safer.