The Business Journal has more information on what may (stress, may) come to the corner of Pennsylvania/Nicholson and College Avenues — and it’s potentially more than a Frontier League baseball stadium.
Of course, this is all conceptual at this point. I remain in contact with the Oak Creek mayor on this potential development, and I’ll keep you posted.
Filed under Oak Creek
Check out these South Shore headlines … and please keep all those who knew Mr. Koch in your prayers. It sounds like he left quite an impact.
Filed under Cudahy, Headlines, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee
The Frontier League team initially proposed for Franklin is now looking at Oak Creek — on a site across the street from South Milwaukee’s Fourth District.
Here is the Business Journal story …
Zimmerman now is working with Cobalt Partners LLC, Milwaukee, to build on a 62-acre property at the southwest corner of East College and South Pennsylvania avenues in Oak Creek. The U.S. Postal Service owns the property, and has been working with Cobalt to develop it.
Oak Creek’s Common Council on Tuesday will consider a proposed tax incremental financing and development agreement that Cobalt submitted. Zimmerman, via email, confirmed the TIF proposal is for his stadium project.
I’ll keep you posted.
Here is the Oak Creek City Council agenda.
Filed under Oak Creek, South Milwaukee
I was happy to attend today’s formal groundbreaking of Oak Creek’s Drexel Town Square downtown development, and I left impressed.
The project was called “transformational,” and I can’t disagree. What an opportunity for Oak Creek — a chance to create a city center from scratch with a mix of civic, retail, residential and other uses.
Over the next five to seven years, you’ll see a new city hall, library, hotel (Four Points Sheraton), big box retailer (Meijer), apartments and small Main Street merchants rise from the site at Howell and Drexel Avenues. Farmers’ market, splash pad, ice skating, a town square, greenspace … the list goes on. Added to that list Saturday was Water Street Brewery, which announced its plans to build at Drexel Town Square at a ceremony held at the site.
I’m excited about the project. Some might view it as a negative for South Milwaukee — simply more competition for us when it comes to attracting retailers to our city. I take a different view. This is not “us vs. them,” not zero sum. Yes, Drexel Town Square ratchets up competition, but a project like this lifts the entire region, the entire South Shore, South Milwaukee included. We are all better because of projects like Drexel Town Square.
Learn more details on Drexel Town Square here, and check out more coverage from Saturday’s groundbreaking from Fox 6, CBS 58 and the Business Journal.
Filed under Local Business, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee
From the Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network …
Join us on Saturday, May 3rd from 2:30-4:30 p.m. at the South Milwaukee City Hall, Common Council Chambers, 2424 15th Ave., South Milwaukee.
This workshop will feature a classroom presentation on the causes of polluted storm water runoff and the role of rain gardens, rain barrels, composting and other yard care practices to reduce polluted runoff to our streams, river and Lake Michigan.
Our instructors are experts in the field and teach workshop participants about actions they can take in their yards and neighborhoods to reduce stormwater pollution and protect our streams, rivers and lakes. A rain barrel will be given away at each workshop in a free drawing.
Pre-registration is required here.
Questions? Contact Allison Chernouski at Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network, 262-898-2055 or allison@rootpikewin.org.
Filed under Community, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee
The Oak Creek property previously eyed for a U.S. Postal Service facility — located across Nicholson Avenue from South Milwaukee — is now a “leading alternative” for a Frontier League baseball stadium.
That’s according to this story from the Business Journal. From it …
The Rock Sports Complex CEO Mike Zimmerman said his top alternate location for a proposed Frontier League baseball stadium is the U.S. Postal Service site in Oak Creek.
That is emerging as Plan B if Zimmerman cannot come to financing terms with Franklin officials, he said. Discussions with Franklin are ongoing, Zimmerman said.
However, facing a tight deadline and hoping to start construction next month, Zimmerman said he is exploring other options. On Friday, he toured the Post Office’s 62-acre property at the southwest corner of East College and South Pennsylvania avenues in Oak Creek. He also had a “quick” conference call with Oak Creek Mayor Steve Scaffidi.
“We walked the site Friday afternoon,” he said. “I really like the site. It think it’s in a really interesting area.”
I’ll keep you posted.
Filed under Oak Creek, South Milwaukee, Sports
Well, it appears those booms on Tuesday night were from four grenades being detonated by the Oak Creek Police Department.
Here is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story. It says they were detonated in a “remote location” of the city.
A dog named Hooch went missing from a South Milwaukee home more than a week ago — including during some of the coldest weather in years — and lived to tell about it.
Check out the story from WISN and NOW. From WISN:
“It is a miracle he survived,” owner Joe Bellehumeur said.
Bellehumeur is elated to have his 6-year-old Rottweiler, Hooch, back in his life after the dog went missing on New Year’s Eve.
“I was starting to write him off. Come on, it was the worst days money could buy,” Bellehumeur said.
The dog took off from his brother’s house in South Milwaukee.
“This little guy can run, and he couldn’t catch him,” Bellehumeur said.
Hooch was out in the cold for seven days before he was spotted under a bridge over a creek Tuesday morning by Oak Creek utility service worker Ryan Maughan.
“As I came down, it barked at me, and it was very startling because you don’t come across that,” Maughan said.
Maughan said he went back to his truck to call his office and let them know what he had discovered.
His co-workers found a post on Lost Dogs of Wisconsin.
“They had it on Facebook, and they found the dog’s name was Hooch, and so I’m calling it and trying to coax it out, and it wouldn’t come anywhere near me,” Maughan said.
Maughan said it was when Bellehumeur showed up and walked down to the edge that Hooch recognized his owner and walked across the ice, but only halfway. Bellehumeur actually had to walk down there and grab him.
“I couldn’t help it, I just started busting out crying, you know?” Bellehumeur said.
Filed under Oak Creek, South Milwaukee
Check out these South Shore headlines …
And NOW has published a new police blotter, including this …
A 24-year-old South Milwaukee man was arrested for stealing several aerosol cans from Walmart, 222 N. Chicago Ave., and inhaling them in the parking lot at 4:45 p.m. Sept. 30.
And this …
A 51-year-old South Milwaukee man was arrested for recklessly endangering safety, second degree, and causing a hit-and-run accident causing injury in the 2300 block of 15th Avenue after rammed his car into the front end of a car backing into a driveway in the 1400 block of Madison Avenue at 8:04 p.m. Oct. 7. He was reportedly mad that his neighbor routinely parked a vehicle in front of his residence.
And these …
A malamute shepherd dog was put down by its owner was after it escaped from its yard, jumped over a fence into another yard in the 700 block of Marquette Avenue at 8:21 a.m. Sept. 29, where it attacked and killed a morkie living at that residence. The owner of the dog was later cited for having a dog at large.
A 16-year-old South Milwaukee boy was arrested in the 1200 block of Williams Avenue after a 17-year-old South Milwaukee boy reported being shot by a BB in the area at 10:13 p.m. Oct. 3. The boy was also found to be responsible for shooting a window on the block with an airsoft gun from his car. Three other boys in the car were also detained at the scene and released to their parents there, but not cited.
Filed under Cudahy, Headlines, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee
I’ve said all along I hope this blog gets put out of business one day — that an actual media outlet comes along and devotes the time and energy necessary to cover South Milwaukee and the South Shore the way it deserves to be.
Well, it seems like the trend is moving the other way.
The latest example of the decline of local news coverage: The laying off of a number of local Patch editors later this week … Oak Creek included. I expect that will also mean the end of the actual Oak Creek Patch website, but who knows?
In the end, it doesn’t much matter. Without an actual journalist covering Oak Creek, it joins the long list of local communities lacking regular, independent news coverage — and that’s a loss for all of us.
We need more Patches, not less.
We are all better served when we have a media outlet or outlets truly interested in what’s happening locally. Important news and information gets disseminated. Events and activities get promoted. And government officials get a watchdog.
We don’t have this currently. NOW may be printed on newsprint, but with only user-generated content, a police blotter and legal notices, it’s not a newspaper. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel rarely shows an interest in South Milwaukee. And the television and radio news stations only show up when something is bleeding.
The loss of Patch is yet another blow — another reason that I’ll keep on keeping on with South Milwaukee Blog. I am happy to do what I can to keep residents informed on key news and information. Someone has to.
Filed under Community, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee
Here are the details from SouthMilwaukee.org and City Clerk Jim Shelenske’s events email newsletter … hope you can make it!
October 12th, Saturday – 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon
Pick up trash and debris from selected areas along the Oak Creek watercourse. Meet at the South Milwaukee High School parking lot where you’re to sign in and get your safety vest, bags, gloves, water and instructions, provided by the Friends of Mill Pond and Oak Creek Watercourse. We ask that adults be present with your groups, bring extra clothes, shoes and socks in case you get wet or fall in. If you have a tall pair of boots, bring them. Targeted area is N Chicago Avenue west to Rawson Avenue. Milwaukee County Parks will be picking up the bags along the parkway. Shortly after noon we’ll all meet at the Warming House for lunch which is provided by FOMP. We’d like to know how many in your group will be coming so we have enough food for everyone. (414) 571-1191
Update: And, now, a fourth …
Three Republicans have stepped up so far …
An Oak Creek alderman, a school choice champion and tea party leader.
Here is the Oak Creek Patch story on Jessie Rodriguez and Larry Gamble. And here is the story on Ken Gehl.
I’ll keep you posted … and post your comments below!
Filed under 2012 Elections, Oak Creek, Politics, South Milwaukee, State Lawmakers
Now we just need some candidates …
Here is the Oak Creek Patch story. The special election in the race to replace South Milwaukee Republican Mark Honadel for his 21st Assembly District seat is set for Nov. 19, with any primary being held on Oct. 22.
Also, check out the press release and executive order. Nomination papers are due Sept. 24.
Filed under 2013 Elections, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee, State Lawmakers
Oak Creek Mayor Steve Scaffidi won’t run after all for the Assembly seat Mark Honadel plans to vacate next month.
Oak Creek Patch has the story. From it:
Scaffidi told Patch earlier this week he wanted to take on both the roles of mayor and state representative. His remarks came shortly after state Rep. Mark Honadel announced he would resign the 21st Assembly seat in mid-September.But after a few days of consideration, he said Friday it became apparent that wouldn’t be possible.
“The residents of Oak Creek elected me to represent their city, so I feel it is important to continue to serve as mayor and focus my efforts on the considerable opportunities that lie ahead of us,” Scaffidi said.
Those “opportunities” include the massive Drexel Town Square project, which will feature a “new downtown” for Oak Creek, as well as a new business park on Oakwood Road and a redevelopment of the city’s lakefront.
“Oak Creek is poised to take a leadership role in southeastern Wisconsin in new business development and job creation,” Scaffidi said. “I’m honored and privileged to be a part of that story, and will continue to do whatever I can to make that a reality.”
So, what’s next? Who would you like to see run?
Post your comments below!
Filed under Oak Creek, South Milwaukee, State Lawmakers
Media reports are filling in some of the blanks around South Milwaukee Rep. Mark Honadel’s decision to step down early from his fifth term in office.
Check out reports from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Oak Creek Patch. Patch is also reporting Oak Creek Mayor Steve Scaffidi will run in a special election as a Republican …
Scaffidi, who will run as a Republican, said he would continue to serve as Oak Creek mayor if elected. His term expires in April 2015.
“I have no intention of leaving Oak Creek,” Scaffidi said. “I will do both jobs if I’m lucky enough to get the opportunity to serve.”
And there is this from the Journal Sentinel:
Honadel, a former metal fabricator and welding instructor, said in an interview that he had one job opportunity lined up but would consider others and announce the final decision next month.
His last day will be sometime in mid-September, Honadel said. He said he expected a Republican primary for his seat as well as a general election contest but said he wasn’t sure yet who the potential candidates might be.
Gov. Scott Walker spokesman Tom Evenson said the governor would call a special election soon.
“By law, the formal date of vacancy must come first,” Evenson said.
Filed under Oak Creek, South Milwaukee, State Lawmakers
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