South Milwaukee Blog

From Rita Wiskowski, who is organizing this event …

We’re celebrating South Milwaukee’s Bird City designation!

Join us at 3 pm on October 21, as Bryan Lenz, Director of Bird City, Mayor Erik Brooks, other city officials, birders, Park Friends representatives, and community people come to Grant Park Picnic Area 5 for a brief presentation of SM’s newly designated Bird City Status. After the presentation we’ll do a little birding, so bring your binoculars and wear comfortable shoes.

Following the bird walk, at about 4:30, we’ll be headed to Moran’s Pub (912 Milwaukee Ave, South Milwaukee). Moran’s has a great selection of beers and offers a menu of sandwiches and soups. This portion of the celebration is known as a “Birds & Beers,” a gathering of birders where we discuss all things birds, over food and libations. Come and meet the birders who know that Grant Park is a great place to bird.

Hope to see you for this fun celebration on the 21st.

Check out these South Milwaukee headlines, including coverage of a native son returning home to share his success story with students …

• Violent Femmes Drummer Visits South Milwaukee Alma Mater (WISN)
• Violent Femmes Drummer John Sparrow Encourages South Milwaukee High School Students to “Bring it” (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• What a Tweet: South Milwaukee Now Listed as Bird City (NOW)
• Senior Center Helps Restock the South Milwaukee Fire Department’s Supply of Stuffed Animals (CBS 58)
• Retiring Germantown Police Officer Reflects on Changes in Law Enforcement (NOW)
• Milwaukee Drug Bust: 18 Arrests, $1.3 Million Seized in Nationwide Trafficking Operation (Journal Sentinel)
• Oak Creek Hires New Health Officer (Journal Sentinel)

Learn more about the Oct. 20-21 Violent Femmes shows at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center here.

What’s happening with the ongoing Oak Creek watershed study? A lot.

From completion of field surveys to gathering voluminous amounts of water and sediment quality data to launching a watershed survey, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission continues its work toward giving us the roadmap we need for a cleaner and revitalized watershed.

Read the full update here. Take the survey here.

From the update provided last week by SEWRPC …

Field efforts completed include the following:

• Cross-section surveys at 166 locations on the three streams. This information will help assess the amount, quality, and diversity of instream habitat.
• During the instream survey, 101 erosion sites were identified and measured along the mainstem, 18 along the North Branch of Oak Creek and 14 along the Mitchell Field Drainage Ditch. These measurements will help estimate the amount of total suspended sediment and phosphorus that is entering the Creek and its tributaries due to bank erosion.

Work is also underway to analyze available information related to the Mill Pond and Dam in Grant Park. Historical information related to the Mill Pond and Dam has been collected and reviewed. An evaluation to quantify the amount of sediment that has accumulated in the Mill Pond as compared to its original volume when constructed in the early 1930s has been started.

We will be discussing this at our city council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 3.

The council will also consider adopting the Wind Point Watershed plan — an important document for us, as a portion of the city lies in that watershed. You can see that plan, recently endorsed by the Environmental Protection Agency, here. Consider it a preview of what you can expect to see with the ongoing Oak Creek watershed work.

Expect more public meetings on the Oak Creek watershed plan beginning in early 2018, with a focus on individual topic areas in the report. I will keep you posted.

For Rawson Elementary School families, those who live in the area or those who travel in and around Rawson during the early morning or mid-afternoon, changes are coming on Monday around student dropoff and pickup.

Here is a video of what is happening, as school officials seek to increase safety in and around the campus. The city is also making some changes to parking zones around the school.

I thank new Rawson Principal Nicole Horsley and other school district leaders for driving these changes, and working to improve a challenging situation — something I have seen firsthand as the parent of one current and one former Rawson student.

Please be patient!

Honored to declare Wednesday, Sept. 27, Virginia Cimbalnik Day in South Milwaukee, in honor of her 100th birthday.

It was a pleasure to join in the celebration with her friends and neighbors yesterday evening, and I’ve already marked my calendar for her 101st.

Happy birthday, Virginia!

The City of South Milwaukee will be hosting two informational sessions on the South Milwaukee 2017 Public Safety Referendum and the special election that will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

The dates are …

• Thursday, Oct. 12
• Monday, Oct. 30

Both are from 5 to 7 p.m. at City Hall, 2424 15th Ave.

Representatives will be available to answer your questions, listen to your concerns, and hear your comments.

For additional information about the public safety referendum, please visit our website.

This is in addition to the Meet the Mayor sessions set for Sept. 28 (tomorrow) and Oct. 28. Also, you can submit questions on the referendum to referendum@smwi.org, or by calling 414-768-8051. Or just shoot me an email.

Check out a list of frequently asked questions here.

I’m excited about the new development happening across this city.

The latest example: A $7 million medical office building proposed to replace the former home to Aurora Healthcare/Lakeshore Medical at 15th and College.

The story broke in today’s BizTimes, after city officials met with the developer last week. From the story …

William Ochowicz, of Pewaukee-based Healthcare Real Estate Solutions, is planning the 26,000-square-foot speculative medical center at College and 15th avenues. The building will include underground parking for 28 cars.

Ochowicz’s partner in the $7 million venture, New York-based property owner Amir Wasiullah, is hoping to lease the space to independent physicians.

“We are targeting physicians who do not have an affiliation, like allergists, optometrists and psychologists,” Ochowicz said.

As hospital systems have merged over the years, more and more physician groups have affiliated with systems there are fewer independent doctors. Still, the Milwaukee-based Independent Physicians Network provides services for about 900 independent physicians in the Milwaukee area, according to its website. The building might also end up being purchased by one of the health care systems wanting to have or expand its presence in the South Milwaukee/Cudahy market, Ochowicz said.

This is exciting news for South Milwaukee, and the proposal comes as ground is expected to be broken soon on a $1.4 million facility on 11th and College to house South Shore Family Chiropractic.

And that’s just the start. More significant (re)development news is coming soon.

Promising future, indeed!

Congratulations to all of the winners at Thurdsay’s South Shore Chamber of Commerce – WI Awards Dinner: Howard Village (St Francis), TiPrint (Cudahy) and our own South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center.

All are richly deserving, none more so than the SMPAC. It’s an honor to join with my mayoral colleagues, County Supervisor David Sartori and State Sen. Chris Larson to honor this terrific institution, one the entire South Shore should be proud of.

Come support our local law enforcement professionals … and bring the family!

Check out these South Milwaukee headlines, including word the Violent Femmes have scheduled a second show for the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center …

• Violent Femmes Add Two More Shows to its Wisconsin Tour (Milwaukee Journal Senitnel)
• South Milwaukee Might Triple Opioid Paraphernalia Possession Fine (NOW)
• Oak Creek Restructures Health Department, Decides not to Merge it with South Milwaukee (NOW)
• “Completely Destroyed”: South Milwaukee Couple in Puerto Rico Moved from Hotel Tower Amid Maria (Fox 6)

Also, Broofield police are searching for a man who allegedly robbed an Aldi store there, the same person South Milwaukee police suspect is responsible for a June robbery of our Aldi store.

And NOW has published a new police blotter.

From the Engineering Department …

The City of South Milwaukee has contracted with Earth X, LLC for installation of a 48″ diameter storm sewer to replace a deteriorating box culvert built in the early 1900’s that crosses 5th Avenue, just north of Drexel Boulevard. To complete the work, 5th Avenue will be closed to thru traffic between Drexel Boulevard and Manistique Avenue, starting September 25 or shortly thereafter. 5th Avenue will be detoured to Manistique Avenue and Drexel Boulevard to 8th Avenue. Signs will be posted along the detour route. The City anticipates a 4 week closure to complete the storm sewer installation and pavement replacement. Parking restrictions may be installed along the route. 

For more information on the project, click here.

This is a terrific monthly event, on many levels.

Please stop by for a free meal this and every third Thursday at First Congregational Church, 1111 N. Chicago Ave. This month, the South Milwaukee Lions are serving.

Want to get your organization involved in serving a meal? Contact the Revs. Tom and Debbie Payden at firstcongsm@att.net.

I say this a lot, but I believe it wholeheartedly: We will bring new life to our city center one property owner, one building, one business at a time. And there is some tasty news brewing in the 1200 block of Milwaukee Avenue.

Three food-based business — a bakery and two restaurants — are all making major investments in that block. Let’s head east to west …

• 1224 Milwaukee Ave. With help from our Downtown Revitalization Grant program, China Chef has brought new life to their facade, opening the front of the restaurant with the installation of new windows, as well as installing a new granite base, restoring the building’s masonry brick, and new paint. The transformation is significant. If you haven’t driven by lately, please do — and then stop to enjoy some tasty sesame chicken.
• 1232 Milwaukee Ave. Lee and Yang Lue, the new owners of this building, are hard at work on renovations ahead of the opening of their new ice cream parlor. Yep, an ice cream parlor downtown. I stopped by last week, and spent a few minutes with the Lues, as they took a break from laying the new tile floor. Things are starting to take shape, and it’s exciting to see another small local business open here. Stay tuned for more details on an opening.
• 1234 Milwaukee Ave. Schroeter’s Gluten Free Bakeshop is expanding, with owner Tim Schroeter recently purchasing the former Moxie Fitness/PJ’s Variety Store for use as additional baking space and potentially a small retail operation. Their pizza crust business is booming, and they need more space — and they’ve chosen to expand downtown over other options. That’s the best endorsement we can get.

More details to come on these projects — and others across our downtown.

I love a turn of phrase that Green Bay Packers Coach Mike McCarthy uses, when he references his teams “stacking success.” We are starting to stack success on Milwaukee Avenue, with much more to come.

What a great way to start Rocketober!

From all of the homecoming festivities to the sold-out Blues Brothers show at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center to the South Milwaukee Lions/Educators Credit Union lunch to the Beach Walk to the Food Truck Festival, it was great to see the community (and plenty from outside South Milwaukee) come together at some amazing local events.

Here is the schedule the rest of the way. New additions to this version:

• Saturday, Sept. 23: Police and Fire Department Safety Days
• Saturday, Oct. 14: Friends of the Mill Pond and Oak Creek Watercourse fall cleanup
• Sunday, Oct. 29: South Milwaukee National Honor Society Haunted Hallway

The search for a new South Milwaukee police chief is officially underway.

The Police and Fire Commission approved advertising the position at its meeting last week. You can see the advertisement here.

The goal, in working with McGrath Consulting Group, is to have a final group of candidates in for testing and interviews in late October, and a new chief chosen and in place by early January. Current Chief Ann Wellens is retiring effective Jan. 19.

Chief Wellens leaves big shoes to fill, but I’m confident we will find the right leader for this department going forward, in large part because we have the right process in place, and the right people making the decision. The mayor and council are purposely kept out of this apolitical selection process. Instead, my and our job is in many ways done — naming good, talented people to the Police and Fire Commission who are committed to doing what’s best for our community.

With that in mind, I thank Beth Blackwood, Heather Page, Rick Borowski, Kate Bernovich and Dr. Darrell Francis for their service, and wish them well in filling this critical role.