Category Archives: South Milwaukee

by | May 30, 2014 · 10:29 pm

Improving The Look Of Downtown, One Building At A Time

Downtown smallWe have a lot of work to do downtown, and we will do it. We will come together as a community around a plan for our city center — and then commit to work that plan. We will start that process soon.

One thing we can do right away: Be more proactive in enforcing our existing property codes. And that’s what we’re doing.

In my first weeks as mayor, I’ve asked that the city be more out front in ordering downtown property owners to make much-needed improvements to their facades … simply getting them to comply with our property maintenance ordinances.

Broken, cracked or clouded windows. Peeling paint. Dilapidated signs advertising businesses that haven’t operated in years. Those are just some of the issues with select (too many) downtown properties.

So, our property code enforcer is being more aggressive in “writing up” more buildings in our central business district, not waiting for complaints before sending notices to owners mandating that they get their buildings to code — and hopefully more than that, perhaps using our underutilized facade grant program.

This brings me to the photo above. Thursday, I, our code enforcer and city engineer made the first of several downtown walks, discussing problem properties and pointing out issues. We started at 13th and Milwaukee and walked east to 10th and back again. Next up, Milwaukee Avenue east of 10th, then 10th Avenue north and south.

I’m sure I’ll learn a lot as I go … and hopefully this will make a difference in improving the look of our downtown, one building at a time, as we plot a long-term strategy.

Indeed, we’re just getting started!

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by | May 30, 2014 · 12:08 pm

Green Dot Money Card Scam Alert

From the South Milwaukee Police Department’s Crime Alert service …

The use of Green Dot money card scams is on the rise, again.  Green Dot cards are a reloadable card that can be used to transfer funds.  These cards, and those like them are often used to conduct scams because of the anonymity they offer.  Use the attached link to learn about Green Dot cards and the common scams.

www.moneypak.com/protectyourmoney.aspx

Want to get regular updates on local crimes and scams? Sign up here.

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by | May 29, 2014 · 9:51 pm

More Area Headlines, Including A Tragedy In Cudahy

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.

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by | May 26, 2014 · 10:12 pm

Catching Up: Sprucing Up The Veterans’ Memorial, Farmers’ Market Music, Police Blotter And More

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10390420_10204284094401582_5727843710078687454_nBack to blogging after the long weekend …

  • First, a big thank you to the volunteers — and Milwaukee County Parks workers — who stepped up to spruce up the South Milwaukee Veterans Memorial over the weekend. Yet again, the community steps up. Be sure to stop by the memorial on 10th Avenue north of Rawson to check out the fruits of their labor — and pay your respects.
  • Second, the South Milwaukee Downtown Market has announced its June music lineup, and it’s terrific. I’ve long thought that this aspect of the market is undervalued. Free, live music every Thursday during the summer is something pretty unique across the region, especially in the suburbs. This alone should be a reason to check out the market each Thursday. Here is the announcement.
  • NOW has a new police blotter, including this disturbing (yet heartwarming, in a way) item: “On May 18 police received a report of a young boy caring for a deer on a porch in the 1900 block of Seventh Avenue. The boy told police that he witnessed four teenagers beating the baby deer with a stick near the lagoon. Police turned the fawn over to the Wisconsin Humane Society’s Wildlife Rehab Center.”
  • And Caterpillar announced a dealer transaction for its Alabama and northwest Florida territory. From the press release:  “Caterpillar has announced similar transactions with other dealers over the last several months. Caterpillar continues to hold discussions with other Cat dealers that have mining activity in their territories and will continue to operate the former Bucyrus distribution business until the transitions have occurred in a given territory.”

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by | May 22, 2014 · 11:03 pm

Awarding South Milwaukee’s Firefighters

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At Tuesday’s South Milwaukee City Council meeting, we had the chance to honor a number of firefighters recently cited for their work through Aurora Health Care and Froedtert. It was an honor to be a part of it — and learn more about the difference our people are making everyday. Our folks have earned the respect of others outside our community, and that’s always a good measure. Congratulations to everyone honored Tuesday!

Check out the commendations here and here, and here is the proclamation.

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by | May 21, 2014 · 1:35 pm

Rocket Sports Update: Softball Team Clinches At Least Share Of Woodland Title

Congratulations to the Rocket softball team!

From the school district …

SOFTBALL

Congratulations to the Varsity Softball team as they finished the regular season with a 19-3 record and 16-2 mark in the Woodland Conference. That record has earned them at least a share of the Woodland Conference Championship for the 2nd year in a row!

The Rockets swept a Doubleheader against Brown Deer last night, both games by run rule.

The Rockets put themselves in position to capture the crown with a 13-4 extra-inning win at Greenfield on Monday with a stupendous NINE (9) runs in the top of the 8th inning! Maddie Veres (9) had a HR and 5 RBI while Abby Mahsem (11) continued her stellar pitching throwing 13 K’s in the win.

Next up for the Rockets is the WIAA Playoffs. Seeding is yet to be determined, but they will either start next week Tuesday or Thursday at home, depending on their seed.

 GIRLS’ SOCCER

The Rocket JV Soccer team is on a roll! They beat Cudahy 4-0 on Monday and defeated Greenfield by the same score of 4-0 last night! Great job girls!

The Rocket Varsity Girls’ Soccer team lost a tough one last night to Greenfield 2-0 while playing pretty short handed, but they did beat Cudahy 3-0 on Monday in yet another crazy weather game (stopped in the 71st minute due to lightning). Nicole Adamec (10), Megan Hilbelink (11) & Emily Grunert (10) scored goals in the win!

The Rockets host Wauwatosa West tomorrow night (4:30pm JV and 6:30pm Varsity) so come on out and cheer the Rockets on at the SM Memorial Soccer Complex (old site of the Junior High).

BOYS’ TRACK

The Rockets took 2nd in the Woodland Conference Outdoor meet last night in a lightning-delayed affair. Alex Hoover (12) set the school record in the pole vaiult with a vault of 14’0″ making him the Woodland Conference Champion! Andrew O’Neill (12) also was Woodland Conference Champion in the Intermediate Hurdles and AJ Plewa (12) was Woodland Conference Champion in the Long Jump with a jump of 21′ 5″! Andrew O’Neill also took 2nd in the High Hurdles.

I will get an update on the Girls’ Track highlights later on today.

GOLF

Congrats to the rocket golfers for winning the 6th and final mini at Oakwood golf course shooting a team score of 168, making it a clean sweep 6-0 in the woodland east division! Matthew Boyle (10) lead the way with a 40, making him the woodland east division champion.  Ryan Graber (10) also shot a 40.  Ben Rosploch (11) andAndrew Manikham (12) shot 44’s, and Brian Hofer (12) came in with a 47.

The Rockets travel to Washington County Golf Course today for the Woodland Conference Championships. Good luck Coach Kubel and Rockets!!

BOYS’ TENNIS

The Rockets start day 2 of the Woodland Conference Tournament this afternoon at Hart Park in Wauwatosa. In the semifinals of the backdraw shooting for the Consolation Championship are #1 Singles player JP Saskowski (12), #1 Doubles team Tyler Stuhr (12) & Mathias Chapa (12) and #3 Doubles team Corey Wolf (12) & Adam Klosiewski (11). Matches begin to get called at 1:30pm.

Good luck this afternoon!

BASEBALL

The Rockets summer baseball season kicks off this Saturday at home at 11:00amagainst longtime rival Franklin! The forecast calls for 66 degrees and some sun…perfect baseball weather so come on out and check the Rockets out in their Home Opener!

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by | May 20, 2014 · 8:41 am

Partnering To Improve July 4th

I’m proud to announce that our July 4th celebration at Grant Park is getting bigger and better in 2014, thanks to the generosity of two local businesses: TASC Services and Max A. Sass & Sons Funeral and Cremation Service.

New this year: a Mayor’s Picnic (free lunch for all attendees) and bouncy houses.

As always, the festivities start at 10 a.m. at Picnic Areas 5, 5a and 6 with bike judging, followed by games and the penny scramble.

But this year all attendees are invited to the Mayor’s Picnic, where we’ll serve hot dogs, chips, ice cream, soda and water, thanks to a generous donation by TASC Services, a local commercial cleaning company.

And that’s not all: We’re also offering bouncy houses, courtesy of Max A. Sass, temporary tattoos for the kids, courtesy of the South Milwaukee Rec Department, and more … all ending with fireworks that night.

My goal is to find new ways to get more families to our July 4th events and keep those families at Grant Park longer. Thanks to these donations, I think we’ll accomplish that this year.

Thanks to TASC and Max A. Sass for stepping up!  Mark your calendars, and make Grant Park part of your July 4th plans.

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by | May 19, 2014 · 3:34 pm

About Our Newest Firefighter Appointee

You may have seen this item on JSOnline — a story about one of the city’s newest firefighters.

The South Milwaukee Police and Fire Commission appointed Nathan Fager to the role of firefighter on May 13, and the City Council will vote on recognizing that appointment at its meeting Tuesday night. Mr. Fager is expected to start with the SMFD on June 1.

I stand behind the selection made by the PFC, which, per state statute, handles all police and fire hiring, discipline, etc., so as to remove politics from the process. The PFC, department and others fully vetted Mr. Fager prior to his appointment and were assured by a number of Milwaukee department officials that, while he was assigned to the station in question as a probationary firefighter, he was not part of the vandalism, nor did he witness it.

Moreover, Mr. Fager was a highly decorated member of the Milwaukee Police Department before seeking to move to the fire department, and he was at the top of his MFD Fire Academy class, well-regarded by instructors. He also went through our very comprehensive employment process, which includes a written exam, psychological evaluation, interviews and a background investigation.

I wish Mr. Fager well in joining a first-class department.

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by | May 17, 2014 · 5:20 pm

South Milwaukee Fire Department Files Annual Report

Check out the report here, and learn more about the department, its people, and its work in keeping our community safe.

From it …

Once again, the members of the South Milwaukee Fire Department demonstrated their commitment to providing an exceptionally high level of service and standard of coverage with the limited resources at hand.

Call volume remained relatively stable during 2013 with a slight increase in the number of emergency medical service (EMS) calls. This increase is something that is being realized across our country as the demographics of our society change to reveal an aging population. While the number of incidents classified as “building fires” was less, the number of actual working fires increased. Our department requested mutual aid from our neighbors for 7 working structure fires in 2013. Dollar loss from these fires remained relatively unchanged when compared to 2012. Unfortunately, the fire department experienced its first fire fatality in a residential house fire in over 10 years in a fire that occurred on December 21st in a single-family home that claimed the life of an 80-year male. The cause of this fire remains undetermined. 

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by | May 16, 2014 · 5:02 pm

Play Ball? Oak Creek Reportedly To Consider Baseball Stadium Funding Plan

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.

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by | May 15, 2014 · 11:29 pm

128th Honors Former South Milwaukeean

Thursday night brought one of my favorite events of the year: the 128th Air Refueling Wing Civic Dinner Dance. And the event had a local flavor.

Among the honorees from retired Chief Master Sergeant Tom Ludka, a former South Milwaukee resident who, along with his wife Barb, still has strong roots in the community.

Ludka, who spent nearly 30 years in our fair city, was inducted into the Wisconsin Air National Guard Hall of Fame, which was established in 1982 as a way to honor “enlisted or commissioned airmen who have greatly contributed to the success of the mission of the Wisconsin Air National Guard.”

That certainly sums up Chief Ludka, whose biography is as impressive as his commitment to community. Congratulations!

The Honored Citizen recipient was Richard Paradowski of St. Francis.

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by | May 14, 2014 · 9:19 pm

REAL Academy Makes A Real Difference

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South Milwaukee High School’s REAL Academy — an alternative school within a school serving high-need, at-risk, special education youth — is a terrific example of education innovation, a sign of the district’s commitment to do everything in its power to educate all students and engage all students in the community.

Here is a recent example provided by academy teacher Joanna Rizzotto …

On Friday, May 9th, students from the South Milwaukee High School REAL Academy participated in rain garden planting and water quality testing at Grant Park in partnership with Milwaukee County Parks and the Great Lakes Alliance.  Students surveyed the natural areas, planted a rain garden in a parking lot median near picnic area 3&4, and evaluated the health of water on the beach and in creek beds.  This was the third event the students have participated in partnership with Milwaukee County Parks to prevent erosion and work toward coastal restoration at Grant Park.  Earlier in the year the students planted trees and removed invasive species.  Grant Park is a South Milwaukee community treasure.  The REAL Academy students will continue the partnership with Milwaukee County Parks into next school year and are proud to contribute to the stewardship of a park they use often and know so well.  

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by | May 14, 2014 · 6:47 am

Market Season Is Almost Here … At A New Temporary Home

The South Milwaukee Downtown Market begins its sixth summer season on Thursday, June 5 … one block away from its traditional home.

You’ve probably noticed construction on 11th Avenue, which is expected to continue through July. Until then, the market will set up in the Salvatore’s/Papa Luigi’s II/Caterpillar parking lot on 12th and Milwaukee. The market will move back to its current home when the work is done.

Hours are the same: 3 to 7 p.m. each week. And the market will still feature the same vendors and weekly live music at its new (two-month) home.

So mark your calendar, and we’ll see you June 5!

Check out the NOW story for more.

(And look forward to the new-look 11th Avenue, too. When it’s done, besides a new road, the project will deliver decorative lighting, enhanced landscaping and other improvements.)

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by | May 13, 2014 · 9:12 am

More On Sunday’s Bank Robbery

Bank robbery suspectThe FBI has more details on the robbery Sunday evening at South Milwaukee’s Tri-City Pick ‘n Save location, with an image of the suspect and word that they are looking at the man for other crimes …

Here is the press release.

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by | May 13, 2014 · 9:00 am

Headlines!

Check out these South Shore headlines …

And NOW has published a couple new police blotters, from May 5 and May 12, including this item …

Police are seeking a South Milwaukee man suspected of taking $1,780 in cash from Marquette Liquor, 1123 Marquette Ave., just after 9 p.m. April 28. According to police reports the man was helping close the store, but was seen on a surveillance video re-entering the store at about 9:06 p.m. He went to where receipts were kept, then left immediately. The man’s mother told police he had left home early the next morning.

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