Author Archives: Erik Brooks

Halloween is over. It’s time to focus on Christmas!

I’ll be posting a full holiday events list soon.

For now, I want to call your attention to three big activities coming up, so you can make plans to be a part of them …

• Old Fashioned Christmas/Lighted Christmas Parade. We’re moving our official city celebration up a day this year, to Saturday, Nov. 24 … and the South Milwaukee Lions have added a new Lighted Christmas Parade! Details in the flyer with this post. Sign up your organization — business, team, church, group, you name it — for the parade! And get festively creative on your entries; there will be prizes. 
• Festival of Trees. The Festival returns this holiday season, as South Milwaukee Ace Hardware and Caterpillar employees partner to bring a bit of holiday magic back to the site of the South Milwaukee Downtown Market. Caterpillar is still looking for organizations, businesses, teams, families and others to reserve a tree to decorate — and then trim it ahead of the official unveiling event from 4:30 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7. Interested? Email Karin Wierman (Wierman_Karin_A@cat.com) for more information and to sign up, and please consider being a part of this fun event. Ace has donated more than 30 trees — let’s get them all decorated!
• Light Up South Milwaukee Awards. We’re also bringing back the Beautification Committee holiday lights awards. They were a big hit last year, and we’re hoping for even more entries in 2018! Look for more information on soon how to nominate your home or business and others. Here were last year’s winners.

We are looking for your artistic eye to provide us with photographs of South Milwaukee, as we add to our digital library for use in our blogs, posts, and other material to share, including a new promotional website as part of our ongoing rebranding.

We are looking for photos showcasing the following activities:

• Grant Park (like the photos with this post, which I shot on Sunday);
• Hiking;
• Biking;
• Bird watching;
• Fishing;
• Boating;
• Golfing; and
• Swimming.

The deadline to submit your photographs is this Wednesday, Oct. 31.  Please submit the photo(s) to mattg@smwi.org.

Of course, full credit will go to photographers for all images we use.

From the South Milwaukee Police Department …

Please be advised that on 10/27/18 at about 3:33 p.m., the SMPD received a 911 call that a vehicle had struck a residence in the 1400 block of Willow Lane. Upon arrival, officers observed that a vehicle had struck the south wall of 1410 Willow Lane. The vehicle caused extensive damage to the residence. The residence was occupied at the time of the accident, but no injuries occurred to the occupants.

A 57-year-old South Milwaukee resident was taken into custody at the scene. Alcohol is suspected to be involved. The driver was transported to a local hospital for non-life threatening injuries.

The South Milwaukee building inspector and health department director were called to the scene to inspect the structure of the residence. No further info is being released at this time.

I love to see all of the Halloween decorations around town! The Beautification Committee is honoring the best of the best with their first-annual Rocketober Awards.

A group of us judged the nearly 30 entries in the last couple of days, and here are your winners … be sure to check them out before Halloween to see some terrific displays.

• 1322 Edgewood Ave., worth a trip on its own with a terrific light show set to music. Special shows benefiting type 1 diabetes research are planned for tonight (Saturday, Oct. 26) at 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. Details below.
• 1304 Edgewood Ave.
• 1716 Sherman Ave.
• 1432 Lakeview Ave.
• 1907 17th Ave.

Here are some honorable mentions, a list of every home that received at least one score of four on our unscientific grading scale. Extend your tour with these addresses!

(Pro tip: Visit when the skies are dark. Even though you may miss some detail, many of these houses have good light displays.)

• 1805 Beech St.
• 1644 Milwaukee Ave.
• 1328 Michigan Ave.
• 825 Lakeview Ave.
• 517 Michigan Ave.
• 1203 Milwaukee Ave.
• 1219 Rawson Ave.
• 1229 Rawson Ave.
• 1515 Cherry St.

Thanks to all of our judges — it was fun! — as well as everyone who nominated addresses. From driving around town, I know some terrific displays were missed. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen with our Light Up South Milwaukee holiday lights awards starting next month.

Winners receive a cash prize, a sign, and recognition on the city’s/mayor’s digital platforms

Happy Rocketober!

It’s been a special couple of weeks for South Milwaukee senior cross country runner Aidan Sodemann.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, where he is a candidate for athlete of the week …

The Rockets senior enters his third state meet appearance with consecutive victories in his last two meets. Saturday he won the sectional title, completing the 5,000-meter course at Mitchell Park in 16 minutes 9 seconds. He won the Woodland Conference title a week earlier at Grant Park in 16:30.86.

Vote for Aidan here. And wish him — and girls teammate Katie Keller — well as they prepare for the WIAA state meet on Saturday in Wisconsin Rapids.

Go Aidan and Katie!

Check out these South Milwaukee headlines …

• Death Investigation Underway at Laundromat in South Milwaukee (TMJ4)
• Demolished Gas Station Provides a Key Redevelopment Opportunity in South Milwaukee, Mayor Says (NOW)
• Mother Believes daughter’s Diabetic Testing Machine is Being Used by Others at Her School (Fox 6)
• Jamaican Native Fills Void in South Milwaukee With Island Jam (NOW)
• Wisconsin Referendums Will Test Voter Willingness To Pay More For Schools (WUWM)
• Caterpillar Tries to Allay Earnings Concerns After Shares Tank (Reuters)

Also, the South Milwaukee Police Department has published its weekly crime summary on its Facebook page.

It’s Halloween week in South Milwaukee!

Starting Thursday and running through the weekend — and into Halloween trick-or-treating next Wednesday — there a ton of family-friendly activities to enjoy in South Milwaukee in coming days.

Check out the full schedule below, and on the Rocketober Facebook page.

Happy Rocketober, South Milwaukee, and we’ll see you around town!

In-person absentee voting for the Nov. 6 election is now open, and runs through Friday, Nov. 2.

You can cast an absentee ballot at the clerk’s office at City Hall, 2424 15th Ave. Hours for voting are 7:30 to 4 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, and 7:30 to 5 p.m. on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2.

Remember to bring your photo ID.

There are contested races for Wisconsin governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer; state senator and assembly person; U.S. senator and representative; and U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.

There are also two referendum questions: a countywide question around legalization of marijuana and the school district referendum (on the back of the ballot).

Here is a sample ballot.

To apply for an absentee ballot to be mailed, please visit MyVote Wisconsin.

More details on the election information page on the city website.

Last night, we held the Karla Harris Dinner — our  annual celebration of our city board and commission members and others who give of their time and talents every day to make South Milwaukee a better place.

About 150 people attended this truly special event at the Grobschmidt Senior Center.

We were especially honored to celebrate the longstanding service of two of our board and commission members: Matt Glaske (Water/Wastewater Commission) and Bernice Czarnezki (Board of Appeals/Old Fashioned Christmas).

Combined, they have logged more than 80 years service to the city.

As I said in my remarks …

We could not do any of this without you. Your volunteer spirit is inspiring … and you all make me so excited for the promising future of this great city.

I’m proud to be your mayor. We have so much going for us, and it starts with all of you in this room. When we talk about our promising future, it’s built with people like you all here tonight. Sure, we have work to do. But we are doing it, and we will do it, with your support.

Indeed, it’s all about people. People like Karla.

Also from my remarks …

As you may know, Karla passed away last November after a courageous battle with brain cancer. I have never seen someone so focused on helping others. Karla was tireless in her work to make her community, and world, a better place.

She did so … as a director for Lions International, building on more than two decades as a South Milwaukee Lion. As president of the South Milwaukee Police and Fire Commission. As executive director of the South Milwaukee Community Center. As volunteer coordinator for the American Red Cross and Women’s Center. As a member of the boards of the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, Wisconsin Make-a-Wish, the UW-Milwaukee School of Education, AFS International, and others.

And she did all of this in addition to her professional career in nonprofits.

Yes, Karla was a truly amazing woman, one who left an indelible mark and legacy on this city, and me. She was, and is, an inspiration, and she will be missed deeply.

In other words, she’s a perfect choice to be the namesake of this event.

The South Milwaukee football team is playoff bound, although it faces a tough test in round one, as the eighth-seeded Rockets play at No. 1 seed (and 2017 WIAA state runner-up) Brookfield Central on Friday. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

South Milwaukee finished the regular season 5-3 despite losing its last two games, because of a loss-turned-victory over Milwaukee Lutheran due to a forfeit.

A highlight? South Milwaukee’s 27-0 Homecoming win over Cudahy in September. With the Rocket victory, Cudahy Mayor John Hohenfeldt lost our friendly bet, and he paid it off last night when he wore a Rocket football jersey to Cudahy’s city council meeting.

All in good fun.

Go Rockets!

Here, at 11th and Milwaukee. And it’s the perfect location …

• In the heart of our downtown, so we can prominently show off this soon-to-be fun and iconic part of our city;
• City-owned, making upgrades to the site much easier to accomplish;
• With adjacent parking; and
• With built-in potential event space that’s already being used that way by the South Milwaukee Downtown Market and other events throughout the year.

I thank the South Milwaukee City Council for getting behind this at last night’s meeting, city staff for their review of the several options we looked at, and Chris Smith and Da Crusher Foundation for their continued support and partnership.

Next up: A more detailed design of the conversion of the southern portion of the parking lot to a “pocket park,” and then installation of the statue in summer 2019.

More details here. How ’bout that?!

Check out these South Milwaukee headlines …

• Hidden Gem: The Tap Room (Milwaukee Record)
  • The photos are from The Tap Room, which joined The Golden Lion as two local bars giving out free Miller Lites on Friday, in recognition of the Milwaukee Brewers’ National League Division Series win over the Colorado Rockies.
• September’s Top Teachers: Hallie Schmeling, Joanna Rizzotto; Real Academy (WISN)
• Fearing for Her Life, Woman’s Desperate Text to Sister Leads to South Milwaukee Man Facing Battery Charge (NOW)
• South Milwaukee Fire Department Receives Donation of Carcinogen-Blocking Hoods (NOW)
• Man Attacked a Cudahy Dollar Tree Employee After Being Confronted for Shoplifting, Police Say (NOW)
• 7 Spots Around the Milwaukee Suburbs to Take in the Fall Colors (NOW)

And don’t forget that the South Milwaukee Police Department publishes weekly crime updates on its Facebook page. They just published a new one yesterday.

Demolition of the former Amoco/BP gas station is underway, paving the way for new life on a key blighted corner of the city.

The station closed more than five years ago, and the property has deteriorated since.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which owns the property after the bank that previously owned it failed, decided it would be more cost effective — and provide a better redevelopment opportunity — for them to tear down the building, rather than undertake the significant repairs we were requiring.

This is a win for the city. A key parcel will now have a much better chance of redevelopment in the years ahead, potentially fueled by this site’s (very purposeful) inclusion in our new downtown Tax Incremental District No. 5.

Expect the parcel to listed for sale once there is full closure of the site by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, which has indicated will come in 2019. The underground fuel tanks have already been removed from the site.

The city is doing more than ever to encourage the improvement, redevelopment, rehabilitation, and reuse of underutilized and vacant properties. This is the latest one. It’s hard work, and we have more to do. But we’re doing it.

One demolished gas station at a time.

It’s a busy week of family fun, starting with the final South Milwaukee Downtown Market of the season this Thursday.

Details below, on the Rocketober Facebook page and from each organization.

Here is more on the cleanup from the Friends …

Reminding you of an opportunity to help clean up the Oak Creek Watercourse this Saturday October 13th, 2018.  Our targeted area is: N Chicago Avenue west to Nicholson Avenue.  We meet at 8:00 am in the High School parking lot – a Tan Hyundai Sonata – where you’ll sign in, receive a safety vest to wear, some gloves, bags and a bottle of water.  If you have boots, grabbers etc..please bring them along.  You can even bring a change of clothes in case you get wet.  We work till around noon.  The Friends of the Mill Pond will sponsor the lunch which is at Grobschmidt Pool behind City Hall.  If your group does come, we ask that adults be present and participate too. Milwaukee County Parks will be picking up the garbage along the route.  If you are coming could you give me an estimate amount so we have enough food and drinks. (Email: NancyWucherer@gmail.com)

I love October in South Milwaukee!

I love this. Thanks, St. Mark’s for stepping up! The next one is this Saturday.