It’s the best week of the year to be a South Milwaukeean … we’ll see you at one of these terrific events.
Full details at SMHeritageDays.org.
Steady Stream Of Progress For The Oak Creek Watershed
Momentum continues to build toward sustainable, long-term solutions for the Oak Creek watershed.
Two key things happened this week in our ongoing work to clean up the watercourse and set us on a path to a healthier, more vibrant watershed, one that we and our kids our kids’ kids can be proud of.
- First, the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council — a group comprised of each mayor and village president in the county — unanimously endorsed this week a resolution in support of the development of an Oak Creek watershed restoration study. You can see the resolution they endorsed here. It’s similar to the one endorsed by the South Milwaukee City Council in May, and it reinforces how much broad support there is for what we’re doing here. I thank my colleagues for their support. Next up: Securing funding for a January 1, 2016, start, and we’re working hard to make that happen.
- Also this week, the Fund for Lake Michigan announced $107,500 in grant funding for a water quality testing initiative in the Oak Creek watershed. The Racine Health Department is leading these efforts, and I can’t thank our neighbors to the south enough for stepping up here. Testing has already begun, and that data will be instrumental in informing the watershed restoration study to come, and in efforts to improve Lake Michigan water quality. Here is the Fund for Lake Michigan news release, which details $1.9 million in overall funding for 27 projects across the region. I thank the Fund for their strong support.
And that’s not all. We’re also making investments in the creek today, from the upcoming replacement of the Beech Street Bridge to installation of new fascia underneath the Milwaukee Avenue bridge to vegetation removal in the channel near 15th and Milwaukee.
None of this would happen alone. MMSD, the county, communities across the region, grant funding agencies like the Fund for Lake Michigan, Friends groups and more … they’re all uniting around this common cause. And that’s what has me so excited.
Here’s to a cleaner Oak Creek!
Filed under Oak Creek watershed, South Milwaukee
Cudahy School District: Community Center Plans Off For South Shore Y
The Cudahy School District has posted an update on the South Shore YMCA on its Facebook page …
Recently School District Officials learned that BMO Harris Bank has accepted an offer from a religious organization for the former YMCA property thus ending the District’s quest to create a community center at the Barland Avenue site.
Superintendent James Heiden would like to thank the numerous supporters of that endeavor. “While a community center would be a great use for the facility, knowing that the building will not become another vacant building in Cudahy is more important.”
I’ll keep you posted.
Filed under Cudahy, South Milwaukee
Art City: Youth Theater Performances Set For Next Two Weekends
South Milwaukee has a strong local theater scene, and that starts with our kids, including mine. See for yourself the next two weekends, with South Milwaukee Youth Theatre performances of “Cinderella” and “Legally Blonde.”
Christian and Shelby Brooks are two of the more than 50 kids acting in “Cinderella” alone.
Thanks to Pam Cullen and all the volunteers who make this happen!
More Headlines: South Milwaukeean Injured In Copter Crash, Oak Creek Meijer Opening Set And More
Check out these South Shore headlines …
- 61-year-old South Milwaukee Pilot Injured When Helicopter Crashed In Town of Norway (Fox 6)
- Meijer Stores Will Open In Oak Creek And Wauwatosa Aug. 4 (Business Journal)
- Downtown Businesses Get Creative During Packard Avenue Reconstruction (WTMJ radio)
- Cudahy Considers Spending To Encourage Development East Of General Mitchell Airport (Business Journal)
- Man, Boy Rescued From Bluff In Sheridan Park (WISN)
- Eder Flag Manufacturing Company In Oak Creek Will No Longer Manufacture, Sell Confederate Flag (Fox 6)
- Oak Creek Man Among 46 Federal Inmates Having Sentences Commuted (WSAU)
Filed under Headlines, South Milwaukee
Showing This Friday: “Finding Nemo”
Guardian Credit Union’s outdoor movie series continues this Friday, July 17, with “Finding Nemo.”
Showtime is at dusk, around 8:15 or 8:30 p.m., at the site of the farmers’ market on 11th and Madison.
Bring your blankets and lawn chairs, and consider grabbing dinner first at one of the participating restaurants. Look for an updated list later this week. GCU is providing free popcorn, too.
Hope to see you there!
Filed under South Milwaukee
Council Roundup: Debating Guns At City Hall, Refinancing To Save, Beer And Wine Approved For MKE City Sippers, Vicious Dogs
It was an eventful City Council meeting Tuesday night.
Some of the key votes, in addition to honoring Kris Schell upon her retirement from Human Concerns …
- Aldermen carrying guns. The council split, 4-4, on a proposal that would have allowed alderpersons to carry weapons, concealed or otherwise, inside City Hall. Currently, only sworn police officers are allowed to do so. With a tie vote, I cast a deciding “no” vote, and the motion failed. I voted this way because I don’t believe that allowing council members to arm themselves makes us any safer inside City Hall, be it at meetings or not. We have added several measures in recent years to increase safety in the main council chambers – including adding panic buttons and phones that ring right to the police department, located just down the hall from the chambers, and asking officers to attend meetings where we sense a debate may become contentious – and I am comfortable with those measures. While reasonable people can disagree on this, and there is obviously a much larger and polarized debate on the issue of guns, I would rather leave law enforcement in the hands of professionals trained to keep us safe from those who want to hurt us.
- Refinancing. The council also voted to refinance $1.64 million in city debt, delivering significant savings: more than $200,000 in interest payments over the next decade. Consider it another example of our strong Aa2 bond rating – thanks to sound and responsible financial management over the years — at work.
- MKE City Sippers. The council also unanimously voted to issue Class B beer and Class C wine licenses to MKE City Sippers, where Nicole plans to sell local craft beer from Brenner Brewing Co. on Milwaukee’s South Side and wines from Forgotten Fire in Peshtigo for her music and other events, to start. She started selling tonight.
The council also gave initial approval to a change in the ordinance to require the council give approval to the city attorney before he or she seeks, in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, to have a vicious dog euthanized. The council also clarified language regarding departmental enforcement and impoundment of animals suspected of being dangerous or vicious. This is another in a series of updates we’ve made to our city code around how the city handles vicious dogs. Previous changes include moving the burden of proving whether or not a dog is dangerous, vicious, or a pit bull from the police department to the health department.
(Note: The ordinance that bans pit bulls or pit bull mixes in South Milwaukee remains unchanged.)
Filed under South Milwaukee
Celebrating South Milwaukee, With T-Shirts
JB’s Tee Shirt Factory is giving South Milwaukeeans a chance to wear their community pride.
The new downtown t-shirt shop, which opened at 1233 Milwaukee Ave.. earlier this year, has designed three t-shirts featuring local scenes they aim to sell starting later this month.
First, they want your help in choosing the top designs.
See the three options and vote for your favorite from their Facebook page here.
(For those not on Facebook, here is a link right to the voting document.)
The shirts portray iconic parts of our city like Grant Park’s Seven Bridges and the downtown railroad depot, as well as a modernized version of the old “Homes | Parks | Industries” city welcome signs (which I love, by the way).
The two designs with the most votes will be sold at the Firehouse Spaghetti Dinner on July 22 and the South Milwaukee Downtown Market/Evening on the Avenue on July 23, and other community events. You can also buy the shirts at the t-shirt shop, with more retail opportunities coming soon.
Each shirt will cost $15, with $5 of each sale going to support and grow city-sponsored celebrations like July 4th, Community Night Out, and our Christmas festivities.
I want to thank Aaron and his team at JB’s for driving this great community- and business-building effort, and I’m happy to get behind it. I love these kinds of things.
I can’t wait to get my hands on a shirt, and show my South Milwaukee pride. Join me!
Filed under Local Business, South Milwaukee
Live Music Downtown … Every Week
The South Milwaukee Downtown Market has announced its July music lineup, and it’s as strong as ever.
Many communities offer live music, most several weeks during the summer. Well, South Milwaukee has live music downtown every week from late May through early October. Just sayin’.
Check out the press release here, and check out some of these terrific acts every Thursday evening at the market.
In other words, come for the food, stay for the music.
More updates on the market’s Facebook page.
Filed under Events, South Milwaukee, South Milwaukee Farmers' Market
Long-Overdue Recognition
We honored Kris Schell, the now-retired director of Human Concerns, at Tuesday’s Common Council meeting, and I was proud to be a part of it.
Kris, a lifelong resident of South Milwaukee, has been a great asset to the community with her tireless efforts in promoting Human Concerns and working with the community to help countless families in need throughout the years.
I wish Kris the best in her retirement.
Check out the proclamation here.
Filed under South Milwaukee
Heritage Days Are Two Weeks Away
The best week of the year to be a South Milwaukeean. Here’s a schedule and a press release.
And be sure to check out the website for more! It’s SMHeritageDays.org.
Filed under Events, South Milwaukee
Responding To The Saloon Fire In Oak Creek
From South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter …
At approximate 6:38PM this evening (July 4), the SMFD ladder truck and I responded to a report of flames and smoke coming from The Saloon at 120 East Rawson Avenue in Oak Creek. Upon their arrival, OCFD units encountered a well-involved fire in the main bar area and attic of the structure. SMFD truck 1671 was assigned to set up for possible defensive operations from the Howell Avenue side and I was assigned the Operations Chief role, coordinating fireground operations alongside the OCFD Battalion Chief who was in Command. The building suffered extensive damage and the cause is still under investigation by OCFD and OCPD.
Filed under Fire, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee
Funfest!
July 10-12 at Divine Mercy, 695 College Ave. Should be a great weekend!
Filed under Events, South Milwaukee
Christmas, In July! Let’s Plan Now
Merry Christmas!
OK, so it’s a few months away, but it’s never too early to start thinking about it, right?
With the Christmas spirit in mind, I want to bring together all of the folks leading the city’s top holiday events together — and anyone else interested in being part of the dialog — for a meeting at 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 12, at City Hall.
The goal: Start talking now, as we look to jointly plan, brand and market these events.
We delivered a similar effort with Rocketober last year, to great success, and we’re working on Heritage Days. I think it’s time to do it with Christmas.
I am confident that by collaborating we can make the holiday season feel even more special in South Milwaukee … and help all of our individual events be better.
I also hope we can look to add a new event or two. One big one on my mind: a significant downtown event, one that could incorporate the existing chamber tree lighting along with activities like food, music, caroling, carriage rides, reindeer and more. Similar to what Greendale (pictures in this post from their 2014 event) and a number of other communities do.
I would also love to see a lighted Christmas parade, like this.
I ask you to join the conversation … and celebrate the season, a bit early.
Filed under South Milwaukee
Beach Food: Limited Opening For Ferch’s This Week
Just in time for the holiday weekend … some good news for Grant Park, and South Milwaukee.
The owners of Ferch’s Beachside tell me they plan to open Friday with a temporary menu of hot, dogs, brats, beer, soda and water, as buildout of their beach concession space continues.
For now, until they are open with a full menu in a fully renovated new space, days of operation will include weekends and volleyball league nights (Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays), with hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Let’s welcome Ferch’s to town … and be patient for their more formal opening (with burgers, custard, etc.) later this summer.
Filed under Grant Park, Parks, South Milwaukee
