Category Archives: Community

by | September 25, 2011 · 3:07 pm

Get Educated: Plan Commission Considers Walmart, State Superintendent Speaks At Monday Meetings

There’s a couple of interesting and sure-to-be-thought-provoking meetings plan for Monday night in South Milwaukee.

Unfortunately, they begin at 6 p.m., so attending both will be difficult.

  • First, the South Milwaukee Plan Commission is considering the site plan and zoning for the proposed Walmart development on north Chicago Avenue. Check out the agenda here.
  • Also, the Wisconsin Education Association Council is sponsoring an education forum — one of seven being held across the state into October — at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center. State Superintendent Tony Evers is attending. Topics of discussion will include: school quality and accountability, community/parent involvement in schools, student progress, teaching quality and how programs and resources are distributed and used in the school system. Learn more in this New Kid’s View blog post.
I’m planning to (and kind of have to) attend the Plan Commission meeting. Please post comments below on how the school forum goes.

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by | September 22, 2011 · 2:41 pm

Local Arts: Preservation Hall Jazz Band Kicks Off SMPAC Season On Sunday

The South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center is something for the city to cherish — a point of difference that few communities our size can boast.

From its annual performance series to its jazz concerts at the farmers’ market, the SMPAC is terrific attraction that is only getting bigger and better as its offerings improve.

See for yourself Sunday, as the center’s 2011-12 season kicks off with a performance by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, a popular group and “good get” for the SMPAC out of New Orleans. Tickets are still available for the show, which starts at 7:30 p.m. at the high school.

Learn more at the new SMPAC website.

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by | September 21, 2011 · 5:01 pm

A Big Loss For South Milwaukee: Jim Nelson Passes Away

Jim Nelson, well-known throughout South Milwaukee for his civic and community involvement, died Monday at the age of 87.

You can view the obituary at the Molthen-Bell & Son Funeral Home website here.

Visitation is from 3 to 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, at Divine Mercy, 800 Marquette Ave. A memorial service follows.

Please keep the Nelson family in your thoughts and prayers. And if you have any memories of Jim, please post them below.

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by | September 14, 2011 · 10:34 pm

Still Going Strong: South Milwaukee Farmers’ Market Health Fair Is Thursday

The South Milwaukee Downtown Market is partnering with South Shore Family Chiropractic to host the “10 Steps to Wellness” Health Fair on Thursday, September 15, at the market.

The free event is scheduled for 3 to 7 p.m. – the regular hours of the market – and will feature a variety of local health care providers providing wellness information, demonstrations and other services.

These vendors will be in addition to the dozens of produce, organics, baked goods, prepared food, arts and crafts and other vendors who call the market at 11th and Milwaukee Avenue in South Milwaukee home every week.

Learn more in this press release, and I hope to see you there!

(And mark your calendars now for our Oct. 15 Fall Family Festival at the market. This free event includes pumpkin decorating, apple bobbing, trick or treating and even a tamale eating contest. Stay tuned for details.)

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by | September 9, 2011 · 12:07 pm

South Milwaukee Trick Or Treating Set For Sunday, Oct. 30 — But Why Not Halloween?

South Milwaukee has set its trick-or-treat times for 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30.

This is traditionally when the city has had it — the Sunday afternoon before Halloween. I wish it was different.

I voted no on this issue at Tuesday’s City Council meeting because I think trick-or-treating should be on Halloween evening, like many other communities across the area and state.

Check out a running list from Haunted Wisconsin here.

I was surprised to see how many communities will hold trick or treating in the late afternoon or early evening of Halloween this year. Locally, they include Hartland, Germantown, Brookfield, Cedarburg and Waukesha.

Other larger cities in the state holding Halloween trick-or-treating include Madison and Appleton.

I think we should join them and start a new tradition of celebrating Halloween on, well, Halloween — every year. To me, 4 to 6 p.m. seems reasonable, as this would mean that younger kids (including my own) could trick-or-treat in daylight hours while others, if they choose, could do it at night.

What do you think? Should South Milwaukee hold trick-or-treating on Halloween no matter the day of the week? Post your comments below!

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by | September 7, 2011 · 2:48 pm

Redistricting In South Milwaukee: Minimal Changes

The 4th District just got a bit smaller – by a few blocks. It had to by law.

The City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved a redistricting plan that includes a minor reshaping of the city’s four aldermanic districts to reflect population changes with the 2010 Census.

This process must happen every 10 years to ensure that each aldermanic district includes approximately the same amount of people – plus or minus 2 percent of the average.

In this case, the 4th District was a bit too large, so it “lost” a few blocks to other districts. Essentially, the district now ends at Milwaukee Avenue to the south, with residents on Madison and Michigan Avenues previously served by the 4th District now moving into the 3rd District. Other wards saw minor changes in the Third District as well.

We didn’t see much change this time around because of the city’s relatively static population, and because the county and state didn’t make any changes to the definition of its South Milwaukee districts.

The changes that did occur actually clean up the aldermanic map, making it look more like four square quadrants than the jagged-line map of old. This is a good thing, as it reduces some of the complexity of districts (and the wards that make up them) and gives people a better idea of who represents them on the City Council.

See what I mean here.

The changes take effect immediately. Those affected will get a postcard informing them of the changes before the spring election.

If you have any questions on this process, please do not hesitate to contact me. And, of course, please post your comments below.

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by | September 2, 2011 · 3:23 pm

Taking A Short Break From Blogging … And I’ll See You Next Week

I’m taking a few days off from blogging, but I’ll return after the long weekend with more news, information and perspective from around South Milwaukee and the South Shore.

Enjoy the Labor Day weekend!

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by | September 1, 2011 · 3:43 pm

Oak Creek Watercourse Update

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the most recent meeting of the group of local, county and state officials discussing the future of the Oak Creek watercourse through South Milwaukee.

But Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik, who has led the effort to at least get everyone to the table on this important issue, has an update on progress in her most recent eNews update.

And here it is …

The Oak Creek Watershed (including the Cities of Oak Creek, South Milwaukee and Cudahy as well as the Airport) drains into the Oak Creek Watercourse.  There are many issues of concern surrounding this Watercourse, including recent extreme storm events resulting in flooding around the Watercourse; contaminated sediment at Mill Pond; the condition of the dam; aging sewer infrastructure in Grant Park and Oak Creek Parkway; and streambank and Lake Michigan bluff erosion which threatens property.

I have worked with our regional planning agency to facilitate meetings with the City of South Milwaukee and the Milwaukee County Parks Department.  We have drawn on the knowledge of other agencies including the Department of Natural Resources. As a result of these talks, the City of South Milwaukee and the County Parks Department will create an agreement defining responsibility for emergencies,  maintenance and improvement of the Oak Creek Watercourse.  Following is a brief explanation of some relevant concerns. 

  • Long ago, the City placed concrete channels in parts of the Creek.  Now, vegetation in the streambed and the structural soundness of bridges over the stream are of concern.
  • The Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission may be able to research the options for resolving dam issues and the potential for additional washouts of the road at the Mill Pond.  The community would need to consider this data and reach a conclusion on the best future for the area.  Policymakers would need to execute and seek funding for any decision.
  • Farther downstream, sediment, stormwater and antiquated infrastructure have eroded the Creek banks and Lake Michigan bluffs, resulting in slumping slopes, an eroded coastline, and imminent loss of more parkland.  Milwaukee County has proposed a project to resolve the eroding bluff.  Storm and sanitary sewer structures need to be repaired.
  • Finally, the community needs to determine priorities.  It may wish to invest in protection for structures that are threatened by extreme rainfall and buildings experiencing sanitary sewer backups.

These are just a few of the many issues that must be resolved.

In other words, there is a lot of work to yet to do here — and tough decisions to be made. But at least the discussions continue. I’ll keep you posted.

You can access Pat’s entire newsletter here.

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by | August 19, 2011 · 10:56 am

South Milwaukee Blog Hits Milestone: Thank You!

Fifty thousand. That’s how many page views my blog has registered since I launched it more than 21 months ago. It hit that milestone today.

The only thing I can say is, thank you!

Thank you for reading and supporting me in my efforts to keep 4th District residents and others informed on local news and information. Thank you for sharing your comments — more than 830 so far — and creating a dialog on key issues. And thank you for keeping that dialog civil and constructive – something that hasn’t been the easiest to do in our political climate these days.

Readership has steadily increased since I began doing this in October of 2009. Please keep reading, and tell your friends.

On to 100,000!

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by | August 16, 2011 · 10:01 pm

See You Thursday: Groovy Movie Nites Wrap With Kung Fu Panda

The first two Groovy Movie Nites following the South Milwaukee Downtown Market have been a big success.

My estimates put crowds at more than 300 for each show, with a number of families taking advantage of this great downtown offering.

This week is the third and final movie night, and it’s Kung Fu Panda. Showtime is 8:15 p.m., but the festivities start at 7:30 with games and music, followed around 7:45 with a demonstration by students of Sorce Martial Arts.

And the big screen from week one is back!

So stop by the market first, do some shopping, grab dinner and enjoy a movie. The weather is looking great.

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by | August 8, 2011 · 9:58 pm

Reminder: Community Night Out Is Wednesday, Market And Outdoor Movies On Thursday

It’s a great week for some family-friendly fun in South Milwaukee.

For starters, don’t forget about Community Night Out on Wednesday, Aug. 10. The celebration presented by the South Milwaukee Police Department runs from 5 to 9 p.m. behind City Hall.

The family fun doesn’t end there, however. Be sure to stop by the South Milwaukee Downtown Market from 3 to 7 p.m. on Thursday for some shopping, dinner and music. And stick around following the market for the second of three family-friendly Groovy Movie Nites.

Gnomeo & Juliet will be shown starting at 8:15. Games and music start at 7:30.

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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 | July 31, 2011 · 10:07 pm

Mark Your Calendars: Community Night Out Set For Wednesday, August 10

The South Milwaukee Police Department does a lot of great things in, and for, our community. Community Night Out is one of them.

This year’s celebration is set for 5 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 10, behind City Hall.

Attendees can learn about safety, play games, enjoy a good meal, enter raffles and watch fireworks. Learn more about Community Night Out, and other police department special events, on the department’s website.

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by | July 27, 2011 · 2:23 pm

Post Office Update … is it “Dead”?

The long-discussed postal facility planned for the southwest corner of Pennsylvania and College Avenues may be “dead,” as the postal service continues to close facilities nationwide, according to BizTimes.com.

Check out the column here. From it:

The declining use of postal mail and the closures of many local postal offices could also signal the demise of a proposed new 820,000-square-foot mail center on 64 acres of vacant land at the southwest corner of College Avenue and Pennsylvania Road in Oak Creek. The new facility was proposed in 2008 with plans to replace the distribution center and mail processing facility at 345 W. St. Paul Ave. in downtown Milwaukee and a warehouse on South Second Street in Milwaukee.

The Oak Creek site is a prime real estate parcel at the city’s borders with South Milwaukee and Cudahy. The site also is near General Mitchell International Airport.

However, the project has been delayed indefinitely since the Great Recession began.

One postal official told BizTimes he believed the Oak Creek project is dead, but he had no official declaration.

Another Postal Service spokesman, James Mruk, said in an e-mail to BizTimes today, “Right now the Postal Service has more facilities, equipment, workroom floor space and staffing than it needs to handle our current volume of mail and retail lobby transactions. We expect this trend to continue in the near future. We still own the property in Oak Creek, WI, but have not made a decision regarding how we plan to use in the future.”

The last I heard about this project a few weeks ago was it is still on hold. I will keep you posted.

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by | July 23, 2011 · 10:29 pm

$32,000

That’s how much value my home lost from 2010 to 2011 due to the revaluation.

Revaluation notices have been arriving in the last few weeks, and I thought I’d share details of my own, which is worse than the average anticipated decline of our around 10 percent across the city. Here are the messy details …

  • In 2010, my four bedroom, 1.5-bath home at 1713 Cedar St. was assessed at $192,000, just shy of the $192,500 we paid for the house in November of 2006.
  • In 2011, that had fallen $32,000 to $160,000, or 16.7 percent.

Is this disappointing? Yes, especially because this puts our refinancing plans in some jeopardy. Is it surprising? No.

I think we all know property values have fallen in recent years, and even a 16.7 percent decline over four years is honestly not that bad compared to some other areas across the country (even the state). We never had a bubble in South Milwaukee, so it never burst. But we also weren’t immune to the realities of the recession.

So I don’t plan to fight the revaluation, but details on how to do so can be found in my previous post on this topic and in this Q&A document prepared by the city.

Among the other key points to keep in mind:

  • The new values take effect with your 2011 tax bill, which will be issued this December.
  • Unless your property lost more value than the average for the city, your taxes will not go down due to the revaluation. The tax rate per $1,000 of value will go up because less value exists to share the tax burden.
What did your assessment show? Post your comments below, or vote in the poll on the right-hand side of this page.

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