South Milwaukee Blog

New this year … Food Truck Saturday!

Be sure to check out the Facebook events page to let us know you’re coming, and for more updates as this weekend-long celebration nears.

Here is something South Milwaukee should shout about: We have live music downtown almost every week during the summer!

I can’t think of another community that offers this.

And we can thank the South Milwaukee Downtown Market and South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center for bringing this lineup to our city center.

The full list and the flyer for the SMPAC’s Summer Concert Series — the first of three special concerts is scheduled for this Thursday, June 9 — are posted below.

Take in some tunes this summer!

Sunday’s storm left some significant tree damage in its wake.

Among reports the city dealt with tonight ..

• A large tree came down near 6th and Marquette, damaging part of a house and  vehicle.
• In the 1800 block of Michigan, a large limb came down and fell on top of a vehicle, causing significant damage.
• A large tree also came down in the 1700 block of Lakeview, and there were downed trees and limbs on power lines in the 600 block between Marquette and Michigan.

There were no reports of injuries, thankfully.

As of 11:15 p.m. on Sunday, there were still a few power outages being reported by customers near 14th and Missouri and 17th and Manistique — with more than 23,000 still without power across the area, according to the We Energies online outing map.

Did you suffer any storm damage. Post your comments below!

Check out these South Shore headlines …

• Ferch’s Beachside Grille Hosts Grand Opening at Grant Park (OnMilwaukee.com)
• Sensory Garden Coming to South Milwaukee (WUWM)
• Officers, Firefighters Rescuing Ducklings in Distress Are Big Hit on Facebook (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• South Milwaukee Senior Awarded Rotary Scholarship (NOW)
• Cudahy School Board Requesting Voters to Approve $7.9 Million Referendum (CBS 58)
• McDonald’s Among Companies Eyeing Projects on 30 Acres in Cudahy Near Airport (Business Journal)
• Large Truck Terminal Proposed for Oak Creek Business Park (Journal Sentinel)

And here is an item submitted by the South Milwaukee School District …

On May 18th the School Board approved the refinancing of long term debt that was originally issued to build the High School.  The refinancing closes on June 8th and will yield a gross savings of $2,192,377 over the next seven years.  As part of the refinancing the School District received a strong credit rating opinion from Moody’s of Aa3.  It should be noted that the savings is entirely tax payer savings and does not result in additional funding to the School District.

It looks like there will be a primary in the 21st Assembly District.

Two Democratic challengers — John Redmond of Oak Creek and Frank Disco Gratke of South Milwaukee — are vying for the opportunity to face incumbent Republican Rep. Jessie Rodriguez in the November 8 general election.

The primary will be August 9.

There are also Democratic primaries shaping up for the U.S. Senate and House.

Here is a rundown of all contested local races, and here is the Government Accountability Board list of candidates.

Look for more information on the candidates as the elections near.

If you haven’t checked out South Milwaukee’s Independence Day celebration recently, you should. And this year brings the biggest news of all: The Navy Band is performing!

Here is the schedule, highlighted by shows from the U.S. Navy Band Great Lakes Brass Ambassadors and Fair Winds quintets, leading into the fireworks:

• 10 a.m. Call to colors, kiddie parade and judging; bouncy houses open until 4 p.m.
• 11 a.m. Games, presented by the South Milwaukee Recreation Department
• 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Mayor’s Picnic (free hot dog lunch, as well as Cracker Jack and ice cream for all attendees)
• 7 p.m. Navy Band Great Lakes Brass Ambassadors and Fair Winds quintets perform
• 9:30 p.m. Fireworks

All events are at Grant Park Picnic Areas 5 and 5A and the Brown Pavilion.

I want to thank the Milwaukee County Parks for bringing the bands to Grant Park (as part of Navy Week), and for partnering with us on the Mayor’s Picnic; they’ll be serving it. And I extend a similar thank you to our other sponsors as well: Max A. Sass & Son Funeral Home, TASC Services, Sprecher Brewing, and Beer Capitol.

None of this would be possible without you.

Mark your calendars for this terrific family event, and celebrate with us. Happy birthday, America … I can’t think of a better place to celebrate than Grant Park.

And don’t forget: The Milwaukee County Traveling Beer Garden will be open throughout the day, providing a great option for food and a cold beer, along with Ferch’s Beachside.

From the South Milwaukee Downtown Market …

SOUTH MILWAUKEE – The South Milwaukee Downtown Market returns for its eighth outdoor market season starting Thursday, June 2nd.

“The Market continues to improve and gain momentum. It has come so far since 2009.” Downtown Market Chairman Carol Rehak said. “It wouldn’t be the success that it is without the support from our dedicated board, market manager, vendors and community. With the recent electrical and land improvements made, the Market Square is becoming a popular city destination for movie nights, food truck events and other seasonal festivals. We are really excited about this season.”

Market hours are 3 to 7 p.m. every Thursday through October 13th at the location of 11th Avenue and Milwaukee Avenue in South Milwaukee’s city center. It features dozens of vendors selling produce, organics, arts, crafts, baked goods and more. Why not give your chef the night off? A variety of prepared foods will also be available for carry out.

In addition to the shopping, three special concerts organized by the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center will be featured this season at the Market Square Stage. Among the other events scheduled, are the return of the popular Market Health Fair in September and the Fall Family Festival to end the season.

Stall space is almost sold out, and a waiting list is being formed. The market focus is to bring fresh, healthy food to South Milwaukee through vendors who make, bake or grow their own produce or merchandise. Vendor applications are available on the market website. Cost is $300 per stall for the entire season, or $25 per week.

Celebrate Summer in South Milwaukee. Come for the shopping, stay for dinner and the live music. Detailed information about the South Milwaukee Downtown Market is at http://www.smmarket.org . For late breaking news about what’s growing, music acts, and vendor changes, check the market Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/smdowntownmarket

The best week of the year to be a South Milwaukeean …

Think summer in the park!

The return of Ferch’s and beach volleyball is just the start of what’s planned at Grant Park this summer.

Coming soon: The Milwaukee County Parks Traveling Beer Garden returns on June 15, and the Parks have unveiled their music schedule. Check it out here. Learn more about the beer garden here, and there is a Beer Garden 5K on July 7.

From the Parks website …

The Milwaukee County Parks Traveling Beer Garden tour has two, simultaneously running, tours traveling throughout the Milwaukee County Park System thanks to the partnership with Sprecher Brewing Co., Inc. Each of the stops on the 16-week tour features craft beer, gourmet sodas, Hard Root Beer, Hard Ginger Beer, and other refreshments from Sprecher Brewing. The Traveling Beer Garden is run by Milwaukee County Parks concessions staff. All revenue collected goes back into improving the parks across Milwaukee County.

These kinds of stories are at the heart of our promising future: Owner of a longstanding, cool, small business outgrows his current space and, liking what he sees, turns to South Milwaukee for its long-term home.

Such is the story with THE SHOP, an antique motorcycle repair business that is moving from the Hyde House in Bay View to the former auto repair shop at 1907 13^th Ave. in South Milwaukee by July 1.

Owner Tim Schneider announced the move on Facebook on Saturday.

I first met Tim at my Meet the Mayor session in March and then visited his shop later that month, and it is really impressive. It is a combination retail store and repair shop that featured, at least when I was there, everything from a rare 1902 motorcycle waiting for a new engine to a just-as-rare Ducati.

It’s a destination business. Almost no one in the area does what Tim does, and he’s been doing it a long time after leaving his job in corporate America almost 20 years to pursue his passion. He started on the East Side, moved to rental space at the Hyde House space on Greeley Avenue in Bay View almost 20 years ago, and has chosen South Milwaukee to buy his first building.

Tim liked the affordable real estate, to be sure, but also likes the direction we’re headed here, and it’s comments like that that make me believe we’re on the right path to revitalizing our fair city.

We’ll do it behind sustainable small businesses like The Shop.

Welcome to South Milwaukee!

Check out the South Shore headlines …

• Family of Foxes Has Captured Attention of Neighbors in Cudahy (Fox 6)
• IKEA Tries to Get into TIF at Oak Creek Site (NOW)
• 15-Year-Old Rescued After Rolling off Bluff in Cudahy (CBS 58)
• Police ID Man Found Dead in Hotel Room After Standoff (WISN)

NOW has published a new police blotter.

Also, this news came from the South Milwaukee Police Department on Tuesday ..

This morning the Police Department took a call of a 35 year old homeless man found deceased by the Oak Creek east of the War Memorial on HWY 32. No foul play is suspected. The public is not in danger.

We’re making significant investments in two key stretches of Highway 32.

First, Marquette Avenue underneath the railroad trestle will reopen later this week, reestablishing a valuable east-west connection for the city.

The finished product will include a new roadway and sidewalk, in addition to upgrades made to the bridge abutment (the reason behind the project). The sidewalk may remain closed for several weeks until a new handrail is fabricated and installed.

Then, in mid-June, construction will begin on the stretch of Highway 32 (North Chicago Avenue), from the Oak Creek bridge north to Pine Street.

The South Milwaukee City Council awarded the nearly $800,000 contract to LaLonde Contractors earlier this month, with funding coming from the city’s general fund, sewer enterprise funds, and the stormwater utility, without special assessments to property owners (except for driveway approaches or service walks).

Work will be done in stages and includes improvements to sanitary sewer, water main, laterals and pavement reconstruction. Construction won’t be completed until mid-October.

More details to come soon.

I appreciate your continued patience with both of these projects, as we look to continue to make investments to address our city’s aging infrastructure.

South Milwaukee will honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice with the annual Memorial Day ceremony set for  Monday, May 30.

At 10:30 a.m.,there will be a procession from American Legion Post 27 to the Veterans Memorial at 10th Avenue north of Rawson.

A ceremony starts at 11 a.m., with lunch to follow at the post, 920 Monroe Ave.

Thanks to the South Milwaukee Veterans Council for organizing this event. The council is a corporation of five chartered Veteran Units in South Milwaukee: the American Legion Post 27, AmVets Post 4, Catholic War Veterans Post 672, Polish Legion of American Veterans Post 49, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3742.

Note: The Plant Swap is May 28. A previous version of this post had the wrong date.

With such terrific weekend weather in store — and gardeners certainly headed outside — here is a reminder about two ways to make your home a bit more beautiful this summer.

First, it’s the South Milwaukee Historical Society Plant Swap, set for 9 to 11 a.m. next Saturday at the Society. Details below.

And don’t forget about the discounts, expertise and more available through the city’s new Neighborhood Beautification Program. Details here.

Tuesday was one of my favorite council meetings of the year …

In conjunction with National Peace Officers Week and National EMS Week, the South Milwaukee Police and Fire Departments held their annual department awards to recognize selected staff and citizens from the community.

You can see the full list of police award winners here. It’s an impressive list, and congratulations to everyone who was honored. I’ll call out the Hintzes and Daniel Smith, citizens who stepped up to help catch a burglar.

On October 21, 2015 Mr. & Mrs. Hintz observed a subject walking in South Milwaukee that resembled a subject they had seen on the news that the Police Department was looking for.  This subject had recently burglarized a business in South Milwaukee.  Officers checked the area where Mr. & Mrs. Hintz had last seen the subject and initially did not locate him. Mr. Smith contacted the South Milwaukee Police Department after viewing surveillance video from a burglary of a local business on Facebook.  He advised the Police Department he recognized the subject and provided a name and address for this subject. With Mr. Smith’s information and Mr. & Mrs. Hintz’s information officers were able to locate this subject and take him into custody for the burglary.  This subject was subsequently charged by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office with several charges of burglary.  Through the investigation it was determined this subject had committed other burglaries in the city.  Without Mr. & Mrs. Hintz and Mr. Smith’s assistance this subject possibly would not have been located and would have continued to commit other crimes in South Milwaukee.        

Daniel Smith was at the meeting and is pictured above.

The EMS award was also special — a great example of people (Recreation Department staff and the police and fire departments) working together to save a life. That person, Dennis Priest, was at Tuesday’s meeting and is also pictured. Here is the story …

In the world of Emergency Medical Services (EMS), the chance of surviving sudden cardiac arrest is directly influenced by a series of actions that has come to be known as the “Chain of Survival.”  This “chain,” when put into motion, reduces the mortality associated with cardiac arrest.  Like any chain, the chain of survival is only as strong as its weakest link. The four interdependent links in the chain of survival are early recognition of cardiac arrest and access to EMS (calling 9-1-1), early CPR, early defibrillation, and early access to advanced life support (paramedic) services.  On September 18, 2015, all of these links fell into place when 67-year old Dennis Priest of Greenfield collapsed while walking the indoor track at the South Milwaukee High School Fitness Center.  Dennis’ collapsed was discovered by a worker at the Fitness Center who recognized the emergency and quickly called 9-1-1 and started CPR. The worker was quickly joined by the SMPD School Liaison Officer who assisted with CPR until the arrival of an on-duty SMFD Fire Lieutenant who just happened to be nearby returning to the station.  These rescuers were soon joined by crews from SMFD who continued advanced life support efforts and got Dennis’ pulse to return.  It is without a doubt that the Chain of Survival fell into place that morning and led to the successful resuscitation of a victim of sudden cardiac arrest.

Forming that chain and honored Tuesday evening were fitness center employee Carolyn Stojsavlevic, South Milwaukee Police Officer Tim Lewison, and South Milwaukee Fire Department members Captain Craig Boschke, Firefighter/Paramedics Jerre Schlax and Ryan Wendt and Firefighter/EMTs Ron Wainio and Nate Fager.