South Milwaukee Blog

I was honored to be asked to speak Wednesday at the South Shore Chamber of Commerce meeting at Papa Luigi’s in Cudahy.

Here is the speech I gave. And I mean every word of it.

My message, for South Milwaukee and the South Shore …

We are just getting started. Our future is bright, and our best days are yet to come. Our potential as a region is still unmet, and that’s why it’s so exciting to be the mayor at this time and place. 

All of the South Shore communities have great stories to share … and are in the process of writing new chapters as I speak.

My ask: Get behind what’s going on here. Get involved. And tell your friends, family, colleagues and business associates just what is happening here. Help write that story.

Let’s go!

From the South Milwaukee Police Department …

On Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at about 9:22pm, the South Milwaukee Police Department took a report of an attempted sexual assault that occurred in Grant Park, South Milwaukee.  The female victim reported she was walking on the sidewalk and noticed a subject following her.  The subject waited until she was in a dimly lit area and then hit the victim from behind. During the attempted assault the victim was able to flee from the subject.

Subject described: Hispanic male, 6-2 to 6-4, heavy build (around 350 pounds), red basketball shorts, dark t-shirt, no facial hair, no glasses, no tattoos, scabs on both shins.  The victim described the subject’s hairstyle as a “Johnny Bravo” style (short on the sides and longer/curly in the front).

If any person knows the subject associated with this crime they are encourage to contact the SMPD at 414-768-8060.

Join me at the 15th-annual South Milwaukee Police Department DARE Golf Outing!

The event is set for Monday, July 25, at Oakwood Golf Course in Franklin. The shotgun start is at 8 a.m.

Cost is $80 per golfer. For that, you get 18 holes of golf, a cart, lunch, all the beer you can drink, a chance at $10,000 hole in one, and many chances to win great raffle prizes.

This golf outing raises money to fund the DARE Program at SMPD. I’m a big fan.

There is plenty to do downtown this week. A glimpse …

• Wednesday, July 13: Guardian Credit Union Movie in the Grass, “Jurassic World.” Show starts at dusk. Learn more here.
• Thursday, July 14: Tweed Funk, a Memphis blues revue, plays at the South Milwaukee Downtown Market, as part of the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center’s Music at the Market series, presented by Classic Cargo International. The show starts at 5. The market runs from 3 to 7, with free face painting presented by Trinity Lutheran Church at the Country Meadows booth.
• Saturday, July 16: History Walking Tour. Join my dad, Pharis Brooks, as he shares the “proud past” of key downtown landmarks, including the railroad depot and post office. And grab a free cup of coffee MKE City Sippers. The tour, the second of three this summer, starts at 9 a.m. at the South Milwaukee Library.
• Bonus: My dad is also leading a free, one-hour lecture on July 23 at the South Milwaukee Historical Society, 717 Milwaukee Ave., about the 1929 fiery end of South Milwaukee High School, and the role of  1935 student Adelaide Cyris, and others. The talk starts at 10 a.m., and bring a lawn chair.

So, lots to do in our city center. And it’s not even Heritage Days yet!

I shared this email with our police department just now.

To the Department –

Thank you. You probably don’t hear it enough, but thank you.

Thank you for your service, for choosing the too often thankless profession you did.  

Thank you for putting yourself in harm’s way to keep us safe every day.

Thank you for running in to the chaos when everyone else is running out.

Thank you for all you do for our community. From Shop with a Cop to Community Night Out to Neighborhood Watch, you work hard to foster positive relationships with residents.

Thank you for your work in our local schools. From DARE to the officer liaison program at the middle and high schools, you have touched thousands of young lives.

Thank you for living up to the high standards of conduct demanded by your department and your profession, despite sometimes terribly challenging situations.

Thank you for your commitment to get better every day, through honing your skills or building new ones through training and education.

Thank you for your courage to press on despite tragedies like we saw last night in Dallas.

Thank you for living up to your mission: “We, the members of the South Milwaukee Police Department, are dedicated to providing a proactive, full service department that enhances the quality of life in our community by reducing crime through the protection of life and property.”

Thank you for showing every day that all … lives … matter.

I stand with you.

See you on Wednesday, July 13!

Note: A previous version of this flyer had the wrong date for the July movie. It’s July 13.

The boys of summer are hot.

The South Milwaukee Rocket baseball team took home the Woodland East Division Championship last week, finishing 12-4 in the league.

The Rockets — led by Ben DeGracie and Matt McCarty — are now 18-9 overall, and they open WIAA tournament play as the fourth seed in their sectional on Thursday, July 15, with a 5 p.m. game at home. Check out the full bracket here.

Go Rockets!

Check out these South Shore headlines …

• South Milwaukee Man Charged with 5th OWI (Racine Journal Times)
• Willow Glen Teacher Accused of Molesting Children at Disney Result (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Oak Creek Reopens Splash Pad with New Hours (NOW)
• Self-Storage Facility Plan in Oak Creek Shelved Pending Review (NOW)
• Oak Creek Police Chief John Edwards to Retire After 31 Years on Force (Journal Sentinel)
• South Shore Frolics Drop “Blow up the Beach” Fireworks Display (TMJ4)

Also, NOW has published a new police blotter.

The former South Shore YMCA has new owners, and there is a chance on Saturday to learn more about their plans for the building.

Details on the event are in the image above, and here is a Fox 6 report.

I’m looking forward to learning more about their plans — and to see new life brought to this property. It’s been vacant too long. From the Fox 6 story …

Fetic says a lot will stay the same. It will be a place to workout, daycare and classes will be offered — but there will be some additions. “We have a lot of things we emphasize here. Education is incredibly important for us here. Multiculturalism, openness and friendship,” said Fetic.

For now, they’re calling themselves, “Youth in Motion.” And while they still have some work to ahead of them to reach their goal of an early September opening, they’re looking forward to it.

Me too.

From the South Milwaukee Police Department …

On July 6, 2016 at about 8:24 pm, the South Milwaukee Police Department responded to 1131 Marquette Avenue (Subway Restaurant) for an armed robbery. According to witnesses, a black Nissan pulled up in front of the restaurant. Two male suspects exited the car from the passenger side and went into the store. One male displayed a handgun while the other male, jumped over the counter. The second male told the employee to open the register. The male took approximately $560 from the register. Both males left and got back into the car. The car fled the area, but was later stopped by Milwaukee Police Department.

The suspects are now in police custody. There were no injuries during the incident.

We’re going even bigger this July 4th.

The latest addition, thanks to new sponsor Mara’s Sewing House, will be patriotic upgrades to the Brown Pavilion, as we help the building look the part as a concert venue for the U.S. Navy Band on Monday night.

Look for red, white and blue throughout historic space, presented by the new local business that specializes in making custom U.S. flags and other items.

This is in addition to the enhanced fireworks show we’re doing this year, bike judging, kids’ games, the Mayor’s Picnic and bouncy houses.

None of this would be possible without our sponsors. In addition to Mara’s, we thank the Milwaukee County Parks, Max A. Sass & Son Funeral Home, TASC Services, Sprecher Brewing, and Beer Capitol.

See you on Independence Day!

With that, I’ll be taking a few days off from blogging. Be sure to like my Facebook page, if you haven’t already. I often post breaking news and share images from local events there. 

Work begins Tuesday on one of our more significant road construction projects in years — and, as anyone who drives it knows, a necessary one.

You’ll recall we’re reconstructing Chicago Avenue from the Oak Creek bridge (near Dairy Queen) north to Pine Street. This includes installation of new sewer and water lines, storm sewer upgrades, median and island reconstruction and more.

The project begins on Tuesday, July 5, with traffic control setup. Work will continue into October. Traffic will remain flowing, with limited exceptions.

Here is the letter we sent to local businesses and others this week with more details.

The project is being funded entirely through the Water Utility, sewer enterprise funds, our stormwater utility, and the city’s general fund (through borrowing) — and not through any special assessments to abutting property owners.

We appreciate your patience as we embark on this significant investment, and improvement, in our city’s roads. We think the short-term inconvenience of the construction project will be worth it for the long term.

In February, the South Milwaukee City Council voted to purchase a new ambulance as part of its regular rotation of vehicles.

That left one vehicle – in this case, a 2001 model with approximately 80,000 of miles on it, the last van-style ambulance in our department — to be “retired.” Typically that means we’d send it to auction, and maybe get $5,000 for it. But Alderwoman Lisa Pieper had a better idea.

She wants to send the ambulance to a country that needs it.

That’s why Lisa is raising funds to reimburse the city for the fair market value of the ambulance, title transferring and any related shipping costs.

Please join me in helping her out on this terrific mission, and put a piece of South Milwaukee in the hands of the less fortunate.

Here is the Go Fund Me page. Please consider a donation, and spread the word!

Once again, the South Milwaukee Historical Society Garden Tour provided a terrific showcase for our city’s top outdoor spaces.

There were six gardens on the tour this year, and all of them were first-class examples of homeowners’ commitment to making South Milwaukee more beautiful. I thank all of the participants for their hard work — it’s not easy to do this, nor is it easy to put yourself out there and show your work to the world. But I also see this is a labor of love. These gardeners have a passion that shines through.

So, who was the best of the best?

For the second year, I was asked to give out a Mayor’s Choice Award, and instead of one, we are giving out two grand prize winners. They are …

• Al and Cath Bassett. The Bassetts’ garden at 3509 Willow Lane is pristine and bursting with color. But the real treat is the handmade art work you discover as you walk through it, especially the glass pieces. There is also a mermaid fountain, a mini-fairy garden and a flower kaleidescope machine that it truly mind-blowing.
• Bryce and Debra Ruddock. You probably saw their home, 1002 Sycamore Ave., featured in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently, and for good reason. As the article stated: This “isn’t the typical garden filled with showy flowers. Here the focus is on plants that can be eaten and/or used for medicinal purposes, and the garden is laid out in a method called integrated forest gardening, which is a system of design using patterns and principles found in nature.” Bryce literally wrote the book on the this type of gardening, and his love of permaculture comes through loud and clear in what is one of the more unique outdoor spaces you’ll find. And it’s beautiful.

Both winners receive a personalized piece of garden art from one of the artisan vendors who set up shop on Milwaukee Avenue on Saturday, as well as a lifetime membership to the South Milwaukee Historical Society. I’ll also present them with a mayoral proclamation at an upcoming ceremony.

Congratulations to everyone who took part in this year’s Garden Tour, and I wish I could have given all of the participants an award. All were worthy of recognition.

And thank you to the volunteers from the Garden Club and Historical Society enough for all the hours they put into this event. It paid off with a wonderful celebration of what makes South Milwaukee so special and so beautiful — our unique neighborhoods, homes, people and, of course, gardens.

P.S. I have lots more photos of all the gardens on my Facebook page.