The City of South Milwaukee is committed to making public health supplies available to anyone and everyone who needs them. With that commitment in mind, the South Milwaukee-St. Francis Health Department secured grant funding to place a public health vending machine outside of the City of South Milwaukee Municipal Building (City Hall), located at 2424 15th Avenue.
Placement of the vending machine at City Hall was unanimously approved at the South Milwaukee Common Council meeting on September 3, 2024.
The public health vending machine offers the following items at no cost: nasal Narcan (Naloxone), fentanyl test strip kits, Deterra medication disposal bags, gun locks, and condom kits. These items are always available for free at the Health Department; now, they will be available outside of normal business hours.
“The Health Department appreciates this opportunity from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and is excited to be able to offer our residents the option of obtaining these life-saving items 24/7,” said Jacqueline Ove, Public Health Administrator for the South Milwaukee-St. Francis Health Department.
Incredibly sad news, as Sandy Quinlan passsed away from cancer on December 27.
Sandy served the City of South Milwaukee for more than 34 years as the director of the Grobschmidt Senior Center, and I have never met someone more passionate about her work.
She attended UW-Milwaukee, where she met her husband Kevin. They both graduated in 1984 and began building their life together. Sandy was the Director of the Grobschmidt Senior Center in South Milwaukee for 34 years. She was just a few weeks away from retiring.
Sandy loved scrapbooking all of her family’s events, painting, cruising the Caribbean, and enjoying the relaxing scenes of local beer gardens. She was an avid volunteer within her community, especially the 40 years she dedicated to volunteering for Irish Fest. Most of all, Sandy enjoyed being with her family. Her family was the center of her world. She loved being a grandma and made sure everyone in her family felt loved when she was around. She created cherished memories each and every day with her family and friends.
Sandy was known for her kindness, compassion, warm hugs, and unwavering support for her family. Her smile was made of sunshine and her heart of gold. She touched the lives of many through out the years. Her stories, memories, and impact will live on forever.
Services are January 9. Details can be found in the obituary.
Rest in peace, Sandy, and thank you for your dedicated service to our city — which the city detailed in a proclamation from Acting Mayor Brett Breisemeister just last week.
Starting January 1, 2025, the fee at the Self-Deposit Station will increase to $5 per vehicle and $10 per vehicle with trailer. This change is necessary to help cover rising operational costs and ensure we can continue providing efficient and reliable services.
Mayor Shelenske and the Common Council are thrilled to announce that we have eliminated the $20 fee for electronics collection at the Self-Deposit Station! Dispose of your old electronics responsibly and without the $20 fee starting January 1, 2025. Please note that the Self-Deposit Station trip fee will still apply.
There are still plenty of ways to make merry in South Milwaukee this month! That includes the return of Lights on Edgewood, as well as Christmas at the Commons, “Flamenco Nutcracker,” and a Sts. Peter & Paul concert this weekend.
From the blog’s Events page … and please let me know if I missed something!
December 2024
Friday, December 6: Lights on Edgewood, 7 p.m. Details
Saturday, December 7: Christmas at the Commons, 3-5 p.m., Bucyrus Commons. Details
Saturday, December 7: Lights on Edgewood, 7 p.m. Details
Saturday, December 7: The Flamenco Nutcracker, presented by Studio K Flamenco, 3 and 7 p.m., South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center. Details
Sunday, December 8: “A Noel Celebration,” a Christmas Concert by the Milwaukee Circle Choir, 2:30-4 p.m., Sts. Peter & Paul Polish National Catholic Churt. Details
Sunday, December 8: Lights on Edgewood, 7 p.m. Details
Friday, December 13: Lights on Edgewood, 7 p.m. Details
Saturday, December 14: South Milwaukee Christmas Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., South Milwaukee High School. Details
Saturday, December 14: Lights on Edgewood, 7 p.m. Details
Sunday, December 15: Lights on Edgewood, 7 p.m. Details
Wednesday, December 18: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party, 7:30 p.m., South Milwaukee PAC. Details
Thursday, December 19: South Milwaukee Community Meal, 5-6:30 p.m., First Congregational Church Hall. Meal, provided by local organizations, is free of charge. Details
Friday, December 20: Lights on Edgewood, 7 p.m. Details
Saturday, December 21: Lights on Edgewood, 7 p.m. Details
Sunday, December 22: Lights on Edgewood, 7 p.m. Details
Tuesday, December 24: Lights on Edgewood, 7 p.m. Details
Wednesday, December 25: Lights on Edgewood, 7 p.m. Details
We are pleased to share details of the City’s 2025 budget, which reflects our commitment to fiscal responsibility and delivering essential services to the community.
The total levy for the 2025 budget is $13,127,877, representing a modest 0.25% increase over the 2024 budget. While inflation, measured at 3.2% by the Consumer Price Index, presents challenges, we are keeping increases in check. The City’s portion of the tax rate will rise from $7.83 to $7.89 per $1,000 of assessed value (a 0.77% increase). For example, a home assessed at $250,000 will see a $15 property tax increase for the City’s portion. The overall tax rate, which includes the School District, Milwaukee County, and MATC, will increase by 7.12%.
We have also made difficult but necessary reductions to meet our financial goals. These include closing the Senior Center at the end of 2024, reducing staffing in the Street Department, scaling back the Public Library’s allocation by 5%, and trimming seasonal help. Beyond these specifics, every major category of the City’s budget is being reduced aside from Public Safety and Debt Service. Public Safety remains our top priority.See the full budget document here: https://bit.ly/SM2025Budget
I shared my thoughts about the Senior Center closure here.
The city tells me the Street Department cuts will result in the reduction of staff by one full-time position and the hiring of only two seasonal helpers instead of the five employed in 2024.
As to the library funding cut, which comes as the Wisconsin Policy Forum continues its study of the future of the local institution, I asked Library Board President David Maass for his reaction:
Other than the continuation of reduced hours of operation, the effect of the five percent budget cut on library services will not affect patrons. Budget adjustments were made to non-public areas, one-time savings, and other shared Federated library costs. All parties entrusted with library services are committed to library services for the long run. The goal of the Wisconsin policy Forum study is to study how best to provide a wide array of library services within the city budget that is permitted by the state.
Also, starting in 2025, the library’s financial management functions will be handled by the city’s Clerk and Treasurer offices, instead of the library director. From the city …
To support this transition and cover the additional workload, the Library has agreed to fund an extra eight hours per week (416 hours annually) for the part-time employee in the Clerk’s Office, at an approximate cost of $12,800 per year. With this shift in responsibilities, the Library Board has decided not to proceed with hiring an Assistant Director, a position previously budgeted for. Instead, a 28-hour per week librarian will be hired to assist with reference desk responsibilities. Overall, this plan is expected to save the Library and the City up to $22,000 annually.
Efficiencies aside, all in, this was a really difficult budget, with the most signficant cuts seen in years. And much of it comes back to a challenge that has faced communities across the state for more than a decade: State-imposed levy limits. While the shared revenue increases in the current biennial budget helped, they did not make up for decades of disinvestment in the program, and they didn’t solve the core problem: The inability of local governments to raise revenue to fund city services.
In some ways, they are the same constraints put on local school districts. And their impact is real, across the state.
Consider: The City of South Milwaukee initially faced a negative levy limit for its 2025 budget, as the amount of “net new construction” — which determines how much a government can increase its tax levy, by far its largest revenue source — fell year over year. That means fully developed, small- or no-growth communities like South Milwaukee, and even those on the other end of the growth spectrum, can’t easily raise revenue to adequately fund current services, much less add new ones or innovate, or even fund pay raises.
That is a travesty, and I hope lawmakers in the increasingly purple legislature have the courage to address it in their upcoming budget.
News flash: They probably won’t. And we will be back here again in 2025.
Still in need of a permit? Visit the South Milwaukee Police Department to obtain one. Parking permits are available to purchase Monday – Friday, from 7:00 am – 6:00 pm. Have an overnight guest? A vehicle breakdown? Request Winter Parking Permission using our new Google Form: https://bit.ly/SMWinterParkingPermission. **Permission is at the discretion of the South Milwaukee Police Department for unusual circumstances. The South Milwaukee Police Department reserves the right to approve requests three (3) times per month per vehicle. **
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, $20.00 if obtained after the 15th of the month, or $100.00 for a 4-month permit. Hours: Monday – Friday 7:00 AM – 6:00 PM. Excluding Holidays and Holidays observed (November 28 – 29; December 24 – 25; December 31- January 1)
Any vehicle parked according to (1) or (2) above shall only be permitted to park on the EVEN numbered side of the street on those nights when the calendar date before midnight is even (N and W sides of the street are even) and on the ODD side of the street on those nights when the calendar date before midnight is odd (S and E sides of the street are odd), *Where parking is normally permitted only on one side of the street this section (3) shall not apply.
In December 2021, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commision (SEWRPC) released its Restoration Plan for the Oak Creek Watershed report. As part of this report, SEWRPC presented several alternatives for the future of Mill Pond and the Mill Pond Dam. The next steps for Milwaukee County Parks involve exploring funding opportunities to pursue one of the options for Mill Pond and the dam. Milwaukee County Parks invites you to attend a Public Information Meeting to learn more about the proposed alternatives, ask questions and provide feedback.
The Small Business Saturday initiative has sparked a creative spirit – big time. Last year, South Milwaukee hosted what organizers called the Shop Small World Tour. The culturally inclusive holiday shopping event was such a success last year, they’re doing it again.
It works like this: All the participating businesses – and at last count, there are 15 – choose a country to represent, and for the day – Saturday, Nov. 30 – they honor that country with music, sales and bonus treats. They create the atmosphere of that country inside their retail establishments, says Sarah Mironczuk, co-owner of Bakehouse 23 (1309 Milwaukee Ave.), one of the participating businesses. “We kind of look at it like you’re shopping around the world,” says Mironczuk, whose bakery will represent Ukraine. “We’ll have borscht, we’ll have stew, we’ll have some Ukrainian treats, as well as our regular treats and holiday gift packs.”
Each store will have a raffle, and there will also be one giant raffle as well. Shoppers will be able to pick up a map/passport – designed by Lauren Marvell Illustrations – at each shop so they can plan their visits. Getting your passport stamped at the various locations will allow you to enter the raffles.
They’re also running a shuttle for businesses that aren’t located right on the main strip. Each shuttle stop will have a hot chocolate station sponsored by Bakehouse 23.
The extravaganza is spearheaded by Natalie Gajewski (owner of Omen, 1310 Milwaukee Ave.), along Mironczuk and Leah Minue, owner of Parkway Floral (1001 Milwaukee Ave.).
I love this time of year in South Milwaukee! From the blog’s Events page …
If I missed something, email me at erikbrooks32@gmail.com. And merry Christmas!
Saturday, November 23: South Milwaukee Old Fashioned Christmas, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Grobschmidt Senior Center. Details
Wednesday, November 27: MIAW and Brew City “Thanksgiving Eve Thunder,” 7:30 p.m., Bucyrus Club. Details
Saturday, November 30: Shop Small World Tour II, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.. Details
Saturday, December 7: Christmas at the Commons. Details TBD.
Saturday, December 7: The Flamenco Nutcracker, presented by Studio K Flamenco, 3 and 7 p.m., South Milwauukee Performing Arts Center. Details
Sunday, December 8: “A Noel Celebration,” a Christmas Concert by the Milwaukee Circle Choir, 2:30-4 p.m., Sts. Peter & Paul Polish National Catholic Churt. Details
Saturday, December 14: South Milwaukee Christmas Market, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., South Milwaukee High School. Details
Wednesday, December 18: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy Wild and Swingin’ Holiday Party, 7:30 p.m., South Milwaukee PAC. Details
Thursday, December 19: South Milwaukee Community Meal, 5-6:30 p.m., First Congregational Church Hall. Meal, provided by local organizations, is free of charge. Details
The Girls Swim team recorded personal bests in all WIAA State performances last week. Congratulations to Nadia Blackmore, who was seeded 7th in the 100 yard breaststroke and placed 2nd! That is the highest podium finish in school history for the girls’ swim team!
Ella Foster finished 14th in the same event. The medley relay team of Ceci Nicholson, Ella Foster, Nadia Blackmore, and Sophia Palacios were seeded 14th, beat 7 teams in their heat, 2 teams the next heat and got 7th place! With 3 events swam, SM took 16th out of 34 teams. Go Rockets!
Thanks to J and J Doubletake Photography for the following photos from the state meet. Julie and Jodi continue to do an incredible job in capturing the story of South Milwaukee High School activities and athletics, through photos. Beautiful!
Six years ago, the former Bucyrus campus — east and west of the tracks — was 100% vacant, a ghost town in the middle of the city facing an uncertain fate in uncertain times.
Would it go the route of so many white elephant industrial complexes across the country and sit vacant for decades, awaiting new owners and new life? Would it be razed? Or would the owners (and the city) settle for something less than the site’s true potential for some quick cash?
Thankfully the answer has been an emphatic “hell no” to all of those questions.
Instead, we are witnessing a complete turnaround of this property in less than seven years, with an innovative mixed-use development taking shape, one piece at a time. The latest (and final) addition: 171 new apartments as part of a $50 million development by Scott Crawford Inc. announced on Monday.
Crowley and South Milwaukee Mayor Jim Shelenske both thanked El-Amin for his persistence and hard work to make the project happen. Shelenske said projects like these are what can be accomplished when multiple levels of government work together.
Crowley told reporters the development furthers the County’s vision “of developing safe, quality, and affordable housing.” “This project is a continuation of our work to make critical investments in suburban communities to provide residents equitable access to affordable housing and homeownership opportunities,” Crowley said.
El-Amin said South Milwaukee was one of the last suburbs in the area to be developed and that’s one thing that attracted him to the project. “I like the areas other people neglect,” he said of his decision to develop in the city. He added he is passionate about the area and the people, and his biggest hurdle was finding partners that shared that passion.
Public-private partnerships to redefine a downtown — that’s the story here. The affordable housing portion of this is important, and needed. But we can’t lose sight of the significance of the development as perhaps the final chapter of a book that wasn’t even being written in 2016.
Think of what’s happened on this campus since then. The purchase, rehabiliitation and transformation of the former Bucyrus Employee Club into the Bucyrus Club and Museum. The relocation of the Steele Solutions headquarters. The opening of Styled Aesthetic, showing there was room for the “little guy” in this redevelopment. And now a transformational project that will inject new life into our city center in a way our city (in a way most cities) hasn’t seen before.
The South Milwaukee High School Career and Technical Education Program has a unique opportunity to give our students hands-on homebuilding experience.
The School District is considering developing a number of parcels near Blakewood Elementary School into homes. The current proposal would be to construct one house a year for the next several years.
This program could begin in the 24-25 school year in partnership with the Oak Creek-Franklin School District. OCFD has a robust program that teaches homebuilding to its students. South Milwaukee High School’s partnership with OCFSD would ideally lead to South Milwaukee being able to develop its own construction program in the future.
If the two districts agree to the partnership, South Milwaukee students could begin receiving on-site building instruction while adding to South Milwaukee’s building stock during the 2025-26 school year (at the earliest).
Learn more at the project informational meeting at 5 p.m. this Thursday, November 14. Details here.
Start there – at a place too many never got to the last time we did this. Donald Trump won. You may not like it, but win or lose, you accept the results. That’s what we do as American citizens. You don’t try to undo the results, lie about them, and stand by while others use violence to invalidate them.
That’s life lesson #1: Lose the right way.
Then you live your life. You get up, go to school, go to work, go to theater and choir rehearsal. You keep working hard in the classroom. You hang out with your friends and family. You keep volunteering. You keep helping others. You keep being a 16-year-old girl who is so much more than one political outcome.
You also keep fighting for what you believe in. Work for positive change, resisting the urge to go low. Let others spew hate and divide. You love and unite.
Stand up for LGBTQ+ rights, a woman’s right to choose, common sense gun control, immigrants, and the countless other issues you are so passionate about. Do your part to lift up the most vulnerable among us. Resist those bent on doing otherwise … while always remembering, despite Tuesday’s results, how you act, what you say and how you say it, matters. I will always believe that.
Do good, embrace hope, and get to work. Start with your family, your school, and in your community. Then go bigger. I can help.
Also, keep your head up. I say it all the time to my family, the athletes I coach, and anyone who will listen: It is what is next that matters most. Focus on that.
And this, too, from Matthew 6:4: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
Yes, Shelby, don’t worry about tomorrow. Work to make tomorrow better!
The United States turns 250 in 2026, and let’s use that as a milestone moment for the future of this country. Let’s learn from what happened last night, as Democrats and citizens. In doing so, let’s listen to those who don’t agree with us politically – assume that is 50% of the people you come across; that is the city, state and country we live in – and find a middle ground that this divided place so desperately needs.
For as long as I’ve been involved in local politics, I’ve considered South Milwaukee a 50-50 city politically, and the 2024 results do not change my thinking.
Of note: South Milwaukeeans have supported Democrats (albeit narrowly) for president in each of the last four elections, state and U.S. Senate in the last three, and governor in our last two — while also backing Republicans at various points in the last 14 years, often splitting our vote.
Here are those historical results … and you can draw your own conclusions.
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It’s Da Crusher, of course! Shot the night of Crusherfest, as we unveiled this statue to the world. Do you have a photo you’d like to share on the blog? Send it along.
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