Author Archives: Erik Brooks

The South Milwaukee Community & Business Association has a pretty amazing post on their Facebook page that I wanted to share here …

Can we just talk about how cool #SoMKE is for a sec?

According to the polls on Milwaukee A-List, in our membership alone, South Milwaukee hosts EIGHT of Milwaukee’s top dogs.

• Parkway Floral ranked 2nd best wedding flowers
• Jen’s Sweet Treats ranked 2nd best bakery
• Ninth Ave Autobody ranked 2nd best body shop
• South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center ranked 3rd best theater
• Emerald City Catering and Events ranked 3rd best caterer
• Pink Bunny Games ranked 7th best place for kids activities
• Sorce Martial Arts ranked 9th best martial arts studio
• Barbiere’s Italian Inn South Milwaukee ranked 10th best wine

Check these A-listers out @ www.visitSM.org.

I’m excited to announce the We Energies Foundation has awarded the South Milwaukee Police Department a $10,000 grant to support our student bike safety program.

The pledge – $2,500 per year over four years – will help fund Basics of Safe Bicycling, which has educated more than 5,600 local third-graders since its inception more than 30 years ago, providing a state-approved bicycle safety curriculum that gives kids the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe on the road heading into the summer riding season.

Activities are held during the normal school day at each of our local schools, public and private. This includes students riding bicycles, provided by the police, through several practical exercises designed to reinforce basic lessons and traffic safety rules taught in the classroom by the teachers. The program also emphasizes helmet usage. Students write essays on what they have learned and participate in other fun activities to reinforce the safety theme.

The program has unique and inspiring history. More than 30 years ago, SMPD Officer John Stoll developed the Bike Rodeo program, which allowed kids to come to the “rodeo” on their own bicycles and participate in bike safety events at the department. Officer Stoll was tragically killed in the line of duty in 1987.

In 2002, the current program started, and it grew to include all third graders, and officers brought it into the schools. The department used money from the John Stoll Memorial Fund, along with money from community sponsors, to help fund its revival. A separate grant funded the purchase 30 BMX-style bikes and a trailer to house them. Officers now bring bikes to each school to ensure everyone can participate in the program.

Three officers staff the program, and it takes about five hours to complete each one. That cost adds up – we spend more than $10,000 from the department operating budget on the bicycle safety program each year. Most of those costs are overtime costs.

The We Energies Foundation funds will help defray those costs.

Despite its clear benefits, in an era of increasingly tight budgets for municipalities, it is getting harder and harder to fund this program. That is why we sought support from the We Energies Foundation – and are so happy they stepped up to help sustain this program.

The foundation’s mission is to create brighter futures for the communities in which you do business. This donation brings that mission to life.

Police are the good guys. They are here to help. And it is programs like this that teach those lessons to our children, building stronger and safer communities along the way.

Thanks, We Energies Foundation, for standing behind that.

I also want to thank the Rawson Elementary students who submitted essays about what they learned from the bike safety program. Well done, kids!

With our first significant storm of the season winding down, here is a reminder of the responsibilities of property owners around clearing snow from public walkways.

From Chapter 12 of the municipal code …

12.20 REMOVAL OF SNOW AND ICE ON SIDEWALKS. It shall be the duty of every property owner of each and every parcel of real estate abutting on or bordering upon any street, avenue or highway or other public place to remove or cause to be removed all snow and ice from the sidewalk in front of or adjacent to such premises to the full-paved width of such sidewalks within 24 hours after such snow or ice shall have fallen or accumulated thereon. Determination of the ending of such twenty-four hour period shall be made by the Police Department. Rep. & Recr. 01/02/85, 1284, Rep. & Recr. 2/2/16, 2121 12.21

USE OF SAND OR SALT ON SIDEWALKS. In case the snow and ice on the sidewalk shall be frozen so hard that it cannot be removed without damage to the sidewalk, the owner of every parcel of real estate shall, within the time specified in the preceding section, ensure the safe traversing of the sidewalk abutting or adjacent to such premises by applying an abrasive material such as sand or salt and as soon thereafter as the weather shall permit, thoroughly clean such sidewalk. Rep. & Recr. 2/2/16, 2121

And if you don’t do this?

12.26 CITY MAY REMOVE SNOW. Whenever any property owner shall fail or neglect to remove snow and/or ice from any public sidewalk or roof as provided in this chapter, the Street Superintendent may without notice to the property owner, have the ice and/or snow removed. The fee for the City removing the snow and ice shall be set by the Common Council and included in the City’s Administrative Fee Schedule. The Street Superintendent shall keep an accurate account of the occurrences of the City clearing the snow and ice in all cases where property owners of abutting lots fail to do so and report the same to the City Clerk who shall prepare at least annually invoices for the affected property owners. If the property owner fails to pay the invoice, the amount therein charged to each lot or parcel of land shall be entered in the tax roll as a special charge against said lot or parcel of land and the same shall be collected in all respects like other taxes upon real estate. The imposition and collection of any fine or penalty prescribed for violation of Section 12.20 and 12.26 inclusive of the South Milwaukee code shall not bar the right of the City to collect the cost of the removal and cleaning of snow and ice from the sidewalk as herein provided. Repl. & Recr. 2/2/16, 2121

See the entire code chapter here. There are also rules around use of sand and salt; throwing snow on railroad tracks or into city streets; and removal of snow from roofs, canopies and awnings. Report violators to the South Milwaukee Police Department, non-emergency line, at 414-768-8060.

One addendum to the “giving back list” I published the other day …

The Brooks family is continuing a holiday tradition started four years ago.

We’re taking the kids shopping for toys, games, etc. in the next couple weeks and then delivering those Christmas gifts to three local homeless/domestic violence shelters on Christmas Eve: Hope House, Milwaukee Women’s Center and the Salvation Army Emergency Lodge. We’ll also donate toys to South Milwaukee Human Concerns before the holidays.

So here is the ask: If anyone wants to donate gifts for us to take, or donate money for us to spend on gifts when we go shopping, drop them off with Sarah or me any time before Christmas Eve.

New, unwrapped items, please.

Already, Thrivent Financial has stepped up with a $250 grant for this effort, which we’ll use to buy dozens of toys for kids. Anything you can provide is appreciated.

And if you’d like to come with us on Dec. 24 — and show your kids the true meaning of the season — please join us. We’d love to have you. We leave from our house around 9 a.m. and will stop for lunch afterward.

Post a comment here, or feel free to email me at erikbrooks32@gmail.com for more information.

Thanks for helping make a child’s life more merry this Christmas.

South Milwaukeeans always step up to help those in need — and that’s especially the case around Christmas.

Don’t know where to start? Here are some opportunities to give back.

• I always start with Human Concerns, and they are serving more people than ever. I’m told they can especially use food, kids’ clothes and toys this time of year, but please consider giving money, too. I know they can use it not only during the holiday season, but all year long. And why not give your time?
• Interfaith is a great organization aimed at serving our seniors that just happens to be based locally at my church. Their mission: “help older adults in the neighborhood remain living in their own homes in a safe and dignified manner.”
• “We serve.” That’s our motto as South Milwaukee Lions. They can use your support throughout the year, financial and in man and woman power, to in turn give back to local organizations in need. The impact they have is real.
• The Rotary Club of Mitchell Field — serving five cities, including South Milwaukee — and Bay View — is also doing some great things, from serving Thanksgiving dinners to needy families to providing college scholarships to high school seniors, and much, much more.
• South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center. Support the terrific performing arts in South Milwaukee!
• Want to support classroom and other projects in our terrific local schools? Start with South Milwaukee Legacy.
• Get behind local athletes by donating to the local sports booster clubs, or give the gift of music by donating to help the South Milwaukee Music Parents and various needs in the school’s Music Department.
• Or maybe help one of the groups supporting our terrific green spaces: Friends of the Mill Pond and Oak Creek Watercourse, Friends of Grant Park or Restore the Lagoon. And how about the Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network? They are the nonprofit leading the public information efforts for the ongoing Oak Creek watershed restoration study.
• Help the South Milwaukee Historical Society preserve our proud past, for our promising future.
• Maybe you’d like to donate to the Andrew Wszelaki Memorial Foundation, which honors the legacy of Andrew by sponsoring wishes of children who have life-threatening conditions and providing scholarships to students.
• Our businesses are getting involved too. For example, Jen’s Sweet Treats is looking for volunteers for a Community Christmas Dinner at Cudahy United Methodist Church on Dec. 25 (and to help wrap gifts on Dec. 19).

Did I miss any? I’m sure I did. Send your favorite local charities along, and I’ll add them!

Check out these South Shore headlines …

• Aurora QuickCare Clinics Moving into Eight Walgreens (Business Journal)
• Recount Enters Day Five with no Significant Issues (WDJT)
• Power Outages Affect Thousands in Milwaukee Area (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Froedtert Oak Creek Health Center Takes Shape (Journal Sentinel)
• Value Cinema in Oak Creek Being Sold to Church (NOW)
• Oak Creek Set to Create New TIF District at Lake Vista (NOW)
• Retail Development Planned Along I-94 Across from Ikea Site in Oak Creek (Business Journal)
• Caterpillar CEO Likes Trump’s Business Focus, but not Anti-trade ‘Rhetoric’ (Chicago Tribune)

Also, NOW has published a new police blotter.

Still lots of holiday happenings around town, including a South Milwaukee Christmas Market with more than 110 vendors this Saturday and a special show at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center next week.

• Saturday, December 3: South Milwaukee Christmas Market. Enjoy more than 110 vendors and live music, and meet Santa.9 a.m. to 3 p.m., South Milwaukee High School, 801 15^th Ave.
• Sunday, December 4
  • Breakfast with Santa. Santa will be at Pat’s Oak Manor, 1804 15th Ave., giving out stockings for the kids. Feel free to bring your camera. Reservations please at 414-762-4660. Cost is $8.75 for adults, $5.25 for children 3-1o years and $2 for children 2 and under. Breakfast starts at 8:30 a.m.
  • Christmas Choir Concert. 4 p.m., Sts. Peter & Paul Polish National Catholic Church, 1308 15th Ave.
• Thursday, December 8: Cantus: “We All Will be Together.” The premier men’s vocal ensemble in the U.S. comes to South Milwaukee. 7:30 p.m., South Milwaukee PAC, 901 15^th Ave.
• Saturday and Sunday, December 10-11: Ye Old Christmas Feaste. Pre-dinner music at 4, dinner (prepared by students) at 4:30 p.m., South Milwaukee High School. More details here.
• Saturday, December 10
  • Live reindeer visit and photos. 10 a.m. to noon, South Milwaukee Ace Hardware, 1009 Marquette Ave. It’s one of a variety of activities Ace has planned for the Christmas season; other activities include tree sales, a “Letters to Santa” mailbox and a giant stocking giveaway. More details here, as Ace goes all in on Christmas — I love it!
  • South Milwaukee High School’s National Honor Society presents Santa’s Workshop in the Heritage Hallway at the high school. The free event for preschool to elementary school-aged kids includes cookie decorating, ornament making, crafts and more. 9 a.m. to noon
• Sunday, December 11: Breakfast with Santa. 9 a.m., American Legion Post 27, 920 Monroe Ave.
• Thursday, December 15: South Milwaukee Library Holiday Party. 6-7:30 p.m. Family fun for all ages.

Did I miss anything? Please contact me!

Winter parking restrictions are now underway, so be sure to purchase your parking permits.

From the South Milwaukee Police Department website …

Winter Parking Permits

Cost of the permits is $30.00 per month or $100.00 for the entire 4 month season.  Any resident who wishes to park on the street between the hours of 3am and 6am must purchase a parking permit.  Alternate side parking rules also apply.  Winter parking is enforced 7 days a week.

Residents can purchase Winter Parking Permits at the Police Department Monday-Friday from 7am – 8pm.  There will be no permit sales, or citation payments accepted, outside of these hours OR on weekends and Holidays. 

PLAN AHEAD, get your permits early.  Parking permission will not be given because you did not have time to purchase a permit.   Get in early and get your permit purchased.

Winter Parking Restrictions

During the period from December 1st to March 31st, no person shall park a vehicle on any street in the City of South Milwaukee between the hours of 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM.

However, vehicles may be parked during such hours if a permit is obtained from the Police Department after the filing of an application and the payment of $30.00 per month permit fee, $27.00 if obtained after the 15th of the month, or $100.00 for a 4-month permit.

Any vehicle parked in accordance with the above shall only be permitted to park on the EVEN numbered side of the street on those nights whose calendar date before midnight is even (N and W sides of the street are even), *Where parking is normally permitted only on one side of the street this section shall apply.

We are being more proactive than ever when it comes shaping the future of South Milwaukee, especially our downtown. We have to be.

From our comprehensive and downtown planning efforts completed last spring to our new downtown grant program to our work on designing streetscaping upgrades to our ongoing study of downtown management/ownership structures, we are taking real action to control our own destiny in the heart of our city.

One more example of this: Work we’re contemplating around planning for the redevelopment of the evolving Caterpillar campus, which the company has said will shrink to become primarily a manufacturing facility in coming years.

We’re just getting started on this important effort, and a proposal from Graef Consulting to potentially develop design guidelines and a site master plan for the handful of properties coming available was first discussed at our Plan Commission meeting on Monday night. I expect we’ll see a more detailed plan for potential action in early 2017.

The Business Journal and Biz Times published stories about this work today.

As the Business Journal story noted …

Caterpillar leases the campus buildings south of Rawson Avenue from real estate investor One Liberty Partners Inc., of Great Neck, N.Y. An 86,391-square-foot warehouse on 10th Avenue is on the market for lease, or possible sale, to new occupants, said Pat Hake, Colliers International/Wisconsin associate broker who is marketing the warehouse building with Steve Sewart of Colliers.

In Colliers’ marketing materials, it also says four more buildings, with a combined 429,110 square feet of office and warehouse space, could become available to new tenants in 2017 or 2018. Those include the sprawling Machine Shop building and the corporate office building at the south end of the campus near Milwaukee Avenue.

In other words, even with a significant manufacturing presence remaining in town (the good news in this scenario), much of the Cat campus south of Rawson Avenue is coming available for reuse in the next two years. While I wish things were different — I’d much rather have Cat bursting at the seams, with employment levels similar to those at the heights of mining booms — this is an opportunity for us. We need to take it, and to play a role in shaping the future of that property.

We need a holistic perspective on what we want on the bulk of the site — and, just as importantly, what we don’t want. At the same time,  we need flexibility; we can’t overplan. We will make sure to strike that balance in whatever plan we embark on.

And we will avoid the alternative: sitting by and simply waiting for something to happen with perhaps our city’s most important parcel of land, just hoping for the best.

Much more to come.

The South Milwaukee Police Department has worked hard to enhance its communications with residents.

Led by Officers Hill, Shields and Fournier, they’re now active on NextDoor.com, and they continue to share valuable crime fighting information via email alerts, where they now regularly share a list of calls for service.

To sign up for the email list, send an email to mhill@smwi.org.

This week’s update includes this item …

Please remember to lock your doors to help prevent theft. It is especially important now, with Christmas shopping, that you lock you car door doors and put packages in the trunk so they are out of view. If you purchase expensive items (TVs, computers, appliances, etc) consider not putting the boxes out at the curb, it is an advertisement as to what is inside your house. Take the boxes to the local dump to dispose of them. Also, consider having purchases shipped to your place of work, or other location where they can be received in person, rather than your home to help prevent thefts. Boxes left on doorsteps while you are at work are an easy target for theft.

I also encourage residents to sign up for Neighborhood Watch. Contact Officer Hill at hill@smwi.org for more information.

And here is the department website.

Stay safe this holiday season!

South Milwaukee lost a dedicated community servant last week, one who also left his mark on his employer, his church and the South Milwaukee Lions.

Blaine Schultz passed away at the age of 94 on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.

Here is his obituary. From it:

Blaine was an active involved citizen, serving on the South Milwaukee Redevelopment Committee, SM Street Beautification Committee, and the Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Committee and more. He was an election proctor for 20+ years. A member of St. John Lutheran Church in Cudahy since 1959, he served there as President of the congregation, on the Board of Elders, Head of Education Building committee, the evangelism committee, taught Bible study and was a lay liturgist. He also dedicated 49 years of active membership to the South Milwaukee Lions Club where he was awarded the Birch-Strum Fellowship, Presidents Award, named a Knight of Sight, Eye Bank transport driver and was twice awarded the Lions Club’s highest honor, the Melvin Jones Award.

Services are Thursday at St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Cudahy, 4850 S. Lake Drive. Please join me in offering prayers for the entire Schultz family.

One thing our new city attorney, Chris Smith, has focused on in his first six months on the job: working proactively to tighten some of our city ordinances to hold would-be lawbreakers more accountable and help our police officers better do their jobs.

Proof: Two changes to our municipal code passed at Tuesday night’s council meeting.

First, the council voted 8-0 to repeal and re-create Section 24.01 of the municipal code to adopt various state offenses as violations of our municipal ordinances.

Simply put, by doing what we did, police officers will now have the option of writing a ticket for various offenses, if the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office chooses not file formal state charges. These are the offenses can now be subject to municipal ordinance violations: unauthorized presence on school grounds, reckless use of a dangerous weapon, entry into a locked vehicle or locked coin box, identify theft and forgery, and various prostitution offenses.

Without passage of these ordinance changes, people who commit these crimes could face no consequences if the DA chose not to prosecute. Not anymore.

The council also passed changes to our ordinances requiring city licensees, including bar and liquor store owners, to cooperate with law enforcement investigation, or face penalties if they don’t.

In addition, the council recently passed changes to the truancy code that will give school officials the ability to recommend that a student be issued a truancy citation before the student is considered a habitual truant. This early intervention technique will stop students from ever getting to a habitual status.

I support all of these changes — reasonable enhancements to our code that may make would-be criminals think twice about breaking the law in our fair city. I thank Chris for driving this, in partnership with our police department, applying what he’s learned from other communities in how they approach these situations.

I’m told there will be more proposed changes to come. Good.

I am thankful for so many things this holiday — family, friends, food on the table, a roof over my family’s heads.

I know it could be very different. We are blessed.

I am also thankful for the opportunity to lead this city. We’ve accomplished a lot, and there is much more to come in the days, months and years ahead. I’m excited for the future. But, for today, and every day, let’s be thankful for what we’ve done, together.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s one of the most important things we do — and this year, it was perhaps the most difficult.

The South Milwaukee City Council unanimously voted to pass the 2017 city budget on Tuesday night. It’s a document that again shows our commitment to being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars, your money.

I shared a lot of context in a previous post. Here are the final, updated details …

• Expenditures increase 1 percent to $19.7 million.
• Revenue falls 0.8 percent to $8.95 million.
• The tax levy increases 2.3 percent to $10.76 million.
• The city tax rate increases 3 percent from $8.82 per $1,000 of assessed valuation to $9.09 per $1,000. So, for my house (assessed at $160,000), that means the city portion of my tax bill will be $1,454.34, or $43.44 more than my 2015 bill.

The biggest change from the budget published last month is a 3 percent (or $88,000) increase in health insurance costs for the city — a figure that we brought down, with increased out-of-pocket costs and switching providers, from an initial 25 percent renewal. To fund the added cost, we cut from a number of areas, including $20,000 in seasonal help from the Street Department.

In the end, we found a way to work, once again, within the significant constraints put us on by the state and deliver maximum value for your tax dollar. This is getting harder and harder, and continue to make the case for legislative remedies.

Residents have come to expect a certain standard of city services, and it is my job as mayor to make sure we deliver on that expectation, while also driving innovation and efficiency around how we deliver those services. And we’re doing that.

This budget delivers on that promise.

Adding even more events to make South Milwaukee merry, highlighting the big events next weekend … hope to see you around town!

• Saturday, November 26: Downtown Tree Lighting. Meet Santa, purchase the SMCBA’s annual ornament, donate to the Human Concerns food drive and listen to live music and grade school choirs. 4-5:30 p.m., Heritage Place (10^th and Milwaukee).
• Sunday, November 27: South Milwaukee Old Fashioned Christmas
  • 1 p.m. South Milwaukee Lions Christmas Parade from 12^th and Milwaukee to City Hall.
  • After the parade at City Hall: Pictures with Santa, arts, crafts, food and more.
  • 4 p.m. Enjoy a free show by South Milwaukee High School a cappella groups Delta V and the Pop Rockets, as well as the madrigal singers, and a special guest to light the tree.
• Saturday, December 3: South Milwaukee Christmas Market. Enjoy more than 100 vendors and live music, and meet Santa.9 a.m. to 3 p.m., South Milwaukee High School, 801 15^th Ave.
• Sunday, December 4
  • Breakfast with Santa. Santa will be at Pat’s Oak Manor, 1804 15th Ave., giving out stockings for the kids. Feel free to bring your camera. Reservations please at 414-762-4660. Cost is $8.75 for adults, $5.25 for children 3-1o years and $2 for children 2 and under. Breakfast starts at 8:30 a.m.
  • Christmas Choir Concert. 4 p.m., Sts. Peter & Paul Polish National Catholic Church, 1308 15th Ave.
• Thursday, December 8: Cantus: “We All Will be Together.” The premier men’s vocal ensemble in the U.S. comes to South Milwaukee. 7:30 p.m., South Milwaukee PAC, 901 15^th Ave.
• Saturday and Sunday, December 10-11: Ye Old Christmas Feaste. Pre-dinner music at 4, dinner (prepared by students) at 4:30 p.m., South Milwaukee High School. More details here.
• Saturday, December 10
  • Live reindeer visit and photos. 10 a.m. to noon, South Milwaukee Ace Hardware, 1009 Marquette Ave. It’s one of a variety of activities Ace has planned for the Christmas season; other activities include tree sales, a “Letters to Santa” mailbox and a giant stocking giveaway. More details here, as Ace goes all in on Christmas — I love it!
  • South Milwaukee High School’s National Honor Society presents Santa’s Workshop in the Heritage Hallway at the high school. The free event for preschool to elementary school-aged kids includes cookie decorating, ornament making, crafts and more. 9 a.m. to noon
• Sunday, December 11: Breakfast with Santa. 9 a.m., American Legion Post 27, 920 Monroe Ave.
• Thursday, December 15: South Milwaukee Library Holiday Party. 6-7:30 p.m. Family fun for all ages.

Did I miss anything? Please contact me!