Author Archives: Erik Brooks

Another Garden Tour is in the books, and the Mayor’s Choice winners are …

• Grand Prize: The Webbs, 1013 Elm Avenue
• Honorable Mention: the Chodkowskis, 1402 Marion Avenue; the Zinkiewiczes, 1515 16th Avenue; and the Maloneys, 1710 Cherry Street.

Well done, all! It was my toughest choice yet. All participants were deserving of recognition. South Milwaukee is getting more beautiful by the day, and these homeowners — all of them on the tour, really — are leading the way.

And thanks to the South Milwaukee Historical Society and Garden Club for putting on such a terrific event. It gets bigger and better every year, and that’s a credit to the dozens of volunteers who make it happen.

I’m proud of the work we’ve done to continue to build on our July 4th activities, and this year promises to our biggest one yet. Check out the schedule below.

And thank to you to our sponsors! Without these businesses and organizations, this event would not be possible: Max A. Sass & Sons, TASC Services, Ace Hardware, Mara’s Sewing House, Caterpillar, Nicholson Realty, Sprecher Brewing, Beer Capitol, the South Milwaukee Rec Department and Milwaukee County Parks.

Check out these South Milwaukee headlines …

For starters, I have no interest in Chicago being renamed “South Milwaukee.”

• Character Counts — And These Six Schools Prove It (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Odometer Adjustments Result in Suspension for South Milwaukee Auto Dealer (BizTimes)
• South Milwaukee Man Sentenced to 7 Years for Crash that Killed Two Cyclists in Muskego (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

And South Shore NOW has published a new police blotter.

Mark your calendars for July 1!

Note: The July 1 event is at South Milwaukee City Hall, 2424 15th Ave. 

Residents have spoken, and the message is clear: You value our first-class fire and police services.

In all, 1,351 residents responded our recent community-wide survey on public safety funding. Thank you to everyone who filled one out. This feedback will help the city decide how to address our budget challenges moving forward.

The survey results were presented at last night’s council meeting. The presentation is available on the city website.

Highlights from the presentation include:

• 88% of respondents indicated that maintaining the current level of emergency services is important to them and their families.
• Three-quarters of the respondents encouraged the city to explore additional funding options to maintain the current level of EMS services rather than reducing services to balance the budget.
• A majority of respondents support a referendum to increase local property taxes in order to maintain existing fire and emergency medical services and hire two additional police officers.

As I have posted previously, a continuing decline in outside funding for paramedic services – especially funding from Milwaukee County – has created a significant budget gap that continues to grow. The city must take action if it is to preserve locally provided paramedic services into the future. We have also identified a need for additional police officers to fulfill all of the department’s response and preventative responsibilities.

The question is, how do we accomplish that? That is where the survey comes in — making sure your voice is heard loud and clear as we plan for the future.

Again, thank you for stepping up.

Next steps: The common council will continue to evaluate the community’s feedback before making a final decision on whether or not to proceed with a referendum as part of the 2018 budget process. If a referendum is scheduled, it would likely be in early November. We will keep you posted.

My ask: Continue to educate yourself on these issues, and be heard. Your voices always matter.

As a reminder, the city developed an Assessment of Public Safety Funding Options to provide additional information on this issue.

I was lucky to get a pre-tour of the gardens last weekend, and they are terrific.

See for yourself this Saturday, and check out all the terrific vendors on Milwaukee Avenue, too. It should be a fun day.

Learn more on the Garden Club Facebook page.

I love outdoor dining — and its potential for South Milwaukee.

Thankfully, we already have a few pretty cool options in town. I’m partial to Taco Stop and Azteca Restaurant, and what can beat Ferch’s burgers, custard and beer at Grant Park Beach?

I’m hoping that’s just the start, and that a couple new ordinances will lead to more outdoor dining opportunities in South Milwaukee.

Last month, the South Milwaukee Common Council passed an ordinance authorizing and regulating the use of pedlets and parklets.

Learn more on the city website. From it …

• A pedlet is a structure that acts as a sidewalk extension beyond the curb line.  It is utilized to allow for a business to use the existing sidewalk as an extension of the business, and the pedlet acts as a new route for pedestrians.
• A parklet is a platform which is located in the parking lane of the street, is at the same level as the sidewalk, and is intended to provide additional space and amenities for the adjacent business establishment and its patrons.

You’ve probably seen a parklet before, and, if done well, they are terrific. Below is one at Shaker’s Cigar Bar in Walker’s Point, which I visited on Friday. And the above pictures are from West Allis, which has been at the forefront of instituting pedlets.

Beautiful. Let’s bring this to South Milwaukee!

Update from June 23, 2017: The South Milwaukee Police Department is pleased to announce the arrest of 43yr old Milwaukee resident Eddie L. Johnikin for the robbery of the Guardian Credit Union which took place on Friday June 16th at 8:35am. Through the hard work of many members of the SMPD, the suspect was identified within a few short hours of the robbery and worked diligently in locating Johnikin. Johnikin was arrested on Tuesday June 20th by the Milwaukee Police Dept. and was subsequently charged today at the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office with one count of Robbery of a Financial Institution of the Guardian Credit Union. The SMPD would like to thank the WI Dept of Corrections-Probation & Parole and the Milwaukee Police Dept. for their assistance in helping with this investigation.

Two armed robberies were reported in South Milwaukee in the past 24 hours.

From the South Milwaukee Police Department …

On Friday June 16, 2017 at about 8:35am, the SMPD received a report of a bank robbery which had just occurred at the Guardian Credit Union located at 1025 Milwaukee Ave. in South Milwaukee. The suspect contained in the photos above is described as an African American male, approximately 5’10”, 220lbs, 35-50yrs of age, bald head, graying goatee, wearing a white shirt and black shorts, black athletic style shoes, and last seen leaving in a silver colored boxy SUV or mini-van. No weapon was displayed.

Here is the second installment of South Milwaukee Business Spotlight, a collaboration with the South Milwaukee Community & Business Association where we’ll spotlight a local small business each month. Businesses will be chosen by the SMCBA.

This month, we profile Molthen-Bell Funeral Home.

The Basics

• Business name: Molthen-Bell Funeral Home
• Address: 700 Milwaukee Ave.
• Hours: 8 to 4:30pm Monday through Friday – Available 24 hours/7 days
  a week
• Phone number: (414) 762-0154
• Website: www.molthenbell.com
• Social media: Facebook
• Founded: 1916
• Owner(s): Pinnacle of Wisconsin LLC
• No. of employees: 14
  • John D. Klein – General Manager
  • Colette Maass – Office Manager
  • Jeff Bell – Funeral Director and Pre Arrangement Specialist
  • Jerry Werth- Funeral Director and Pre Arrangement Specialist
  • Nick Schilling – Funeral Director
  • Alex Salisott – Funeral Director
  • Tajai Turner – Funer Director and Pre Arrangement Specialist
  • Jack Mani – Funeral Assistant and Community Projects
  • Pam Bierbach – Office Administrator and Community Projects
  • Laura Klein – Funeral Director and Community Projects
  • Corey Stephens – 4th Generation Molthen Funeral Director
  • JoAnn Brockman – Funeral Assistant
  • Deb Wilson – Funeral Assistant
  • Lisa Comp-Manley – Funeral Assistant and Office Administrator

Learning More

How did you get involved in the business? The staff of Molthen-Bell is a dedicated group of individuals with over 230 years of combined experience in funeral service. Each of us has our own story as to how we chose funeral service and Molthen-Bell as their career of choice, but the one thing that is the same for all is our passion for serving families in their most difficult times. We pride ourselves on carrying out the traditions that the Molthen-Bell families set forth. Although the titles we each hold are different, we strive for a common goal to be strong pillars in the community as well as compassionate care-givers to the families who live here.

What sets your business apart? We have over 100 years in the South Milwaukee community and have become a staple that offers families in need compassionate and quality service. In keeping with the traditions in family care, and moving forward with the ever changing needs of families, Molthen-Bell has created a comfortable atmosphere for all families that enter our facilities. We take pride in the community projects we are involved with and look forward to continuing those traditions.

What is your business’ biggest challenge? We have found that misinformation has been the biggest challenge we have faced. There are many TV and radio commercials that try to give information on funerals in just 30 seconds. We understand that there are a lot of questions families have and there is no way a simple commercial can answer this large array of questions. Our goal is to educate families on ALL of their options and the costs associated with them.

What is your business’ biggest opportunity? If given the opportunity, it is our primary goal to educate families on the different services we provide. By being in the community for over 100 years, we have built a strong trust with our families and with our continued community involvement we hope to solidify our place in South Milwaukee. We are proud of our relationships with the business community and are looking forward to seeing positive changes in South Milwaukee.

What are your growth plans? We have plans to continue updating our chapels and facilities so they are more accommodating to families and offer a comfortable place to visit with friends and family when they are faced with a difficult time on their lives. In all honesty, we understand that funeral homes are the last place people want to be, so if we can make the environment brighter and more comfortable, it helps ease the grieving process.

Why should others consider doing business in South Milwaukee? Anyone who attends a community event in South Milwaukee can see that the businesses and residents all care greatly about their community. Just come to Evening on the Avenue or Heritage Days, just to name a couple, and you will see the pride the community has and the generosity the businesses offer.

If you could change one thing about South Milwaukee, what would it be? I would definitely love to see more businesses, and a greater variety of businesses come to the area. The only way to achieve this is to make the vacant buildings more presentable for future owners and/or renters.

What is something people would be surprised to know about you or your business? Molthen-Bell is very grateful to the men and women who protect us on a daily basis including: police officers, fire fighters, first responders, all branches of the military, etc. In appreciation, we offer a 5% savings on services and merchandise to those who have served.

It is an honor to be a part of South Milwaukee and we look forward to continuing the traditions that have made us a staple in the community.

Please join me!

Our city shines on days like this … I hope to see you at one or all of these events!

• 4 p.m. Keg tapping at the Milwaukee County Traveling Beer Garden, Grant Park Area 5.
• 6 p.m. Flag Day ceremony at South Milwaukee City Hall. More details here.
• Dusk. Guardian Credit Union Movies on the Beach, “Sing.” Grant Park Beach.

More details on the beer garden and movies here.

Check out these South Shore headlines …

• Garden Tours Cover Every Corner of Southeast Wisconsin (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Bike Sale Benefits South Milwaukee Human Concerns (NOW)
• Milwaukee Biz Blog: Award-Winning Schools (BizTimes)
• Cudahy and South Milwaukee Vets Join June 9 Honor Flights (NOW)
• Kids Storytime Brings Ocean to Humboldt Park (NOW)
• Groundbreaking for Oak Creek IKEA Set for Thursday, June 29 (Fox 6)
• Cudahy Babysitter Gets 60 Days in Jail for Obstruction in Infant’s Death (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Also, NOW has published new police blotters here and here.

The South Milwaukee Police and Fire Departments have filed their 2016 annual reports. The city council accepted both last Tuesday.

• Here is the Police Department report.
• Here is the Fire Department report.

There is obviously lots of information in both of these, and I encourage you to read at least the chiefs’ letters. Both provide an excellent summary of what their departments are doing to make a difference in our community every day.

I summarize both this way: Both departments continue to deliver excellent service, even as demands increase and budgets are increasingly challenged.

I thank them for what they do to keep South Milwaukee safe. I never take it for granted.

To our firefighters and police officers: We’ve got your back!