by | June 18, 2015 · 11:04 pm

South Milwaukee Police Release Annual Report

It was a busy year for the South Milwaukee Police Department … and their 2014 annual report sums it up well.

Check it out here.

Success piled up, from the department’s successful certification efforts to the addition of body cameras for all officers to all of its efforts in the community, including Shop with a Cop, Justice for a Cure and Community Night Out, among others.

And while crime was up from 2014 in some key areas, longer term trends are still very good … and I am as convinced as ever that our police department is doing all it can to operate effectively with one of the smallest forces per capita in the region.

I thank them for their hard work.

As Chief Ann Wellens put it in the report …

The officers and the staff of the South Milwaukee Police Department take great pride in serving our community. It is their goal to provide the best service possible to the citizens of South Milwaukee. The data found in this Annual Report represents only a snapshot of the total activities of the members of the South Milwaukee Police Department over the past year. … The members of the South Milwaukee Police Department, working cooperatively with our citizens and elected officials, have met many difficult challenges during the past year. The future holds many new and different challenges. Members of the Police Department are dedicated to meeting those challenges with the support of the community and our elected officials. We will continue to work towards the safety and wellbeing of all citizens of South Milwaukee.

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by | June 18, 2015 · 10:43 pm

A Beautiful South Milwaukee Garden And Other Local Headlines

SM garden

The South Milwaukee Garden Tour is coming up Saturday, June 27, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has the first of several garden profiles online now. Check it out here.

And check out these South Shore headlines …

Also, NOW has published a new police blotter.

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by | June 17, 2015 · 8:38 pm

Reminder: Outdoor Movie Friday, Downtown History Walking Tour On Saturday (And The Market On Thursday)

Dinner and a Movie 2 Train station old

Update: Here is a list of participating restaurants for the first “Dinner and a Movie”: Azteca, China Chef, Barbiere’s, Muskie’s Gourmet House and MKE City Sippers. Be sure to patronize these local businesses!

So, it’s farmers’ market on Thursday, outdoor movie on Friday, and then this on Saturday …

The cool downtown events continue with the South Milwaukee Historical Society Downtown Walking Tour starting at 1:30 p.m. this Saturday, June 20.

From local historian Nels Monson, who is leading the walking tour …

Lace up your walking shoes and join us on Saturday June 20 for a walking tour of Downtown South Milwaukee led by City Historian Nels Monson. Tour starts at the Railroad Depot and is expected to last about two hours. Cost is $5 per person. Children under 12 and seniors over 80 are FREE. All proceeds benefit the South Milwaukee Historical Society.

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by | June 17, 2015 · 8:23 pm

More On The Sahagian Auto Body Property

As you may have seen on TMJ4 TV last night, a judge is allowing the city to move ahead with demolition of the Sahagian Auto Body property as early as July 16.

As our city attorney states in the story, the property at 1115 College Ave. has become unsafe and blighted, and after years of attempting to work with the owner to clean it up, our last resort is to move for razing.

I respect very much Pete Sahagian and the business he built there. But property owners have a responsibility to maintain their properties to a minimum standard. That hasn’t happened here.

Now, with an unsafe and non-compliant roof on the building and other issues that continue to go unaddressed, the cost of repair (estimated at $40,000) nearly equals the assessed value of the building ($42,000, with improvements). And it’s clear there aren’t the funds available – either from Pete or Waterstone Bank, which acquired the property through a foreclosure action in 2010 – to make the necessary fixes.

With that in mind, and given years of unheeded orders to repair the building, the city council made a decision to move ahead with removing the structures on the site. I stand behind it.

Pete and Waterstone Bank will continue to own the property once the demolition is complete, and the city has no plans to acquire it. This is simply a property maintenance issue — and about our belief as a city, and mine as mayor, that we must step up our game when it comes to the condition of properties.

We have to be fair and willing to work with owners of properties in bad condition, and we have here. But we also have to enforce our ordinances and do what’s best for our city. We are doing it with Sahagian Auto Body.

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by | June 17, 2015 · 3:29 pm

Welcome Back, Papa Luigi’s II

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“How you doin’?” asked the voice on the other end of the phone, and I knew exactly who it was.

It was Sal Purpora, of course, owner of Salvatore’s/Papa Luigi’s II in downtown South Milwaukee, and he was calling with good news.

His message: He is planning to formally reopen his facility – closed for nearly a year and a half due to more than $1.6 million in water damage from a burst sprinkler system pipe – in phases starting at the end of this month.

First, it will be for bowling leagues and select banquets – with the bar open during times when the facility is in use. Then will come the kitchen, restaurant, and gym space, although remodeling those parts of the building may take a year or more as Sal continues to allocate money from his restaurant supply business and Cudahy location to South Milwaukee.

So, it will take some time. But I am still very excited that Sal, for the first time, is making this formal, public announcement of his plans to reopen – and for what this means for downtown. It is significant progress, and a definitive answer to the question I know many fans of Papa Luigi’s had: “Will Sal ever rebuild?”

One key part of the rebuilding effort was installation a costly new sprinkler system, and that occurred in recent weeks. Our inspectors signed off on it recently. With this in place, this allowed us to grant him permanent occupancy. (Bowling leagues and small events were being held at Papa Luigi’s based on a temporary occupancy permit since 2014.)

I want to thank our fire and inspection departments for their work in assisting Sal in the formal reopening process. Sal was highly complimentary of their efforts, and as mayor that is great to hear. I want South Milwaukee to be known as “open for business,” and we are.

Look for more information soon on the reopening plan.

Sal is already accepting banquet bookings for groups of 50 or more, with food — cooked fresh, made to order and delivered within 15 minutes — for now being catered in from his Cudahy location. Contact Janet (414-807-4965), Frank (414-839-3988) or their Cudahy restaurant location after 4 p.m. for bookings.

And I’ll keep you posted as his phased reopening continues. In the meantime, please join me in officially welcoming Sal back to South Milwaukee. Really, he never left.

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by | June 16, 2015 · 4:49 pm

School District Offers Summer Lunch Program

The South Milwaukee School District will be offering free lunches for children 18 and under Mondays through Fridays from June 22 through August 7.

Lunches will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the High School Commons. Enter at door 29, the field house entrance.

Adults can eat for $3.25, which includes a milk.

Check out the full menu here.

Thanks to the schools for offering this!

These lunches are available to all kids and families, regardless of income level. That said, there are plenty of struggling families in South Milwaukee — and this program is a way to ensure kids are getting a healthy meal throughout the week even when school is out.

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by | June 15, 2015 · 10:59 pm

Mobile Beer Garden Opens Wednesday!

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Beer garden 1 Beer garden 3

The 2015 Milwaukee County Parks Traveling Beer Garden tour makes a stop in South Milwaukee and Grant Park starting Wednesday.

Join me at 4 p.m. for a ceremonial keg tapping at Picnic Areas 5-6. The garden is then open to 10 p.m., with last call at 9.

The garden will appear at Grant Park through June 28.

Check out hours and more information here. From the parks …

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. Authentic German food is available from Sprecher’s Restaurant & Pub. The Traveling Beer Garden™ is run by Milwaukee County Parks concessions staff. All revenue collected goes back into improving the parks across Milwaukee County.

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by | June 11, 2015 · 9:03 pm

Celebrate Flag Day Sunday At City Hall

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Please join us for the city’s annual Flag Day ceremony this Sunday at City Hall.

The brief ceremony starts at 6 p.m. at the gazebo outside of the Grobschmidt Senior Center. It will feature a flag retirement ceremony featuring local veterans and scouts, music from the South Milwaukee Municipal Band, and refreshments. We’ll also read select writings from Rawson Elementary students, who were asked to answer this question: “What does the flag mean to you?”

See you there!

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by | June 10, 2015 · 9:47 pm

Heritage Days Parade: Do Your Part To Help!

Parade 3 Parade 2 Parade 1

The South Milwaukee Heritage Days Parade team is looking for your financial help … and I can’t think of a better event to get behind.

The parade is set for 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 25, and it’s quickly becoming one of the largest in the area.

From the parade committee …

The Parade will be bigger and better in almost all facets. More music including the South Shore Drill Team from Chicago (see You Tube). More Veterans. More special guests including a tribute to the 3 past Mayors, and Green Bay Packers Super Fan St. Vincent and his 1957 Packard Packermobile, and all 5 Brewers Racing Sausages! All of this comes at a bigger and better cost however, and the Committee is asking you to help. You can contribute individually or pool your resources. We have a lot of ground to make up in 8 short weeks and welcome any financial relief. We are now a 501(c)3 so your contributions should be tax deductible. This Committee has almost doubled the size of the Parade in 2 short years. … Thanks in advance and keep up the fight.

Find more details on how to give here. And look for 50-50 raffle tickets around town.

And a big thank you to all of the parade committee members. This is truly a year-round effort, but their efforts will pay off with  a terrific event as they take it to new heights in 2015.

Please support them in their work. It’s an investment in what makes South Milwaukee uniquely South Milwaukee.

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by | June 10, 2015 · 9:15 pm

Read All About It! Summer Reading In South Milwaukee

Summer reading

Update: One more opportunity for summer reading is the Bookmobile, a partnership between the South Milwaukee Library and School District. See a schedule here. The first stop is June 16 at South Milwaukee Little League.

There are some great things happening at the South Milwaukee Library these days, and their summer reading program is the latest example.

Check out the flyer above … and more details on the kids program, teen program and an events and activities calendar.

Keep our kids reading this summer!

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by | June 10, 2015 · 9:13 pm

This Little Free Library Needs A Good Home

Little Free Library

Caterpillar wants to donate the Little Free Library you see here to a loving resident and neighborhood that needs it.

Are you interested, or know a South Milwaukeean who might be? Contact me via email at brooks@smwi.org.

And thanks to Cat for stepping up to donate this library. It used to be at their 11th and Milwaukee entrance, but they realized it would be better served in a neighborhood.

Could that neighborhood be yours?

Learn more about the Little Free Library movement here. I love the concept, and the fact that you already see so many of them around town.

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by | June 9, 2015 · 7:18 pm

Garden Tour Set For June 27

What a terrific way to showcase our city, its homes, its gardens and, most importantly, its gardeners …

Indeed, it’s the people who make South Milwaukee beautiful.

Let’s celebrate them! I hope to see you on June 27.

Garden tour 2 Garden Tour

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by | June 8, 2015 · 9:19 pm

Headlines: Bicyclist Victims Named, Baseball Stadium Effort Back To Franklin And More

Check out these South Shore headlines …

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by | June 8, 2015 · 8:59 pm

Annie! First Outdoor Movie Set For June 19

Just a reminder … see you in 12 days for “Annie”!

Dinner and a Movie 2

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by | June 6, 2015 · 8:38 pm

Beech Street Bridge Update: Working Hard Toward A Replacement

Not surprisingly, there are lots of folks wondering “what’s next?” for the Beech Street foot bridge over Oak Creek. I am one of those people, and continue to press the county for action.

Here is an update from County Supervisor Patricia Jursik …

The Parks Department has gotten initial estimates on the bridge replacement. The figure is in the ball park of $150,000. The bridge can no longer just be repaired as it was last time in 2010 when the flood washed it out. It will now need new bridge footings.

We have been exploring how to pay for this cost since it was not in the county budget. The Parks Department has said they do not have “cash” to pay for this. Parks is exploring whether there may be excess funds available in our capital budget. (This occurs when we borrow for other projects that do not cost as much as planned. Typically the county has excess funds in almost every year because of the amount of borrowing we do in both Parks and Highway among others.) The good news is that replacement of a bridge is an appropriate project to use capital funds (IRS rules).  

I know the City of South Milwaukee would like this bridge replaced ASAP since there are so few routes across the creek for the subdivision in question.  There is an estimate from the schools that about 200 children live in the subdivision and need to have access to a crossing without going to either Rawson or College.  

If county officials can be convinced this is an emergency need, there could be an argument to get cash out of the county’s contingency funds, and it could be done without going through a lengthy RFP process. Without this classification, all projects must go through standard channels that require an RFP. If the county must go through our standard procedure, it will be nearly impossible to get this done by September. As it stands now, we should be signing contracts and getting the work started immediately to meet a September deadline.  

So, where do we go from here? Supervisor Jursik pledges to continue to push hard to get this repaired as soon as possible, and I will stand beside her in making this case with the county executive and others.

We both know how important this bridge is, not just for school traffic, but for all of the recreational users of the Oak Creek Parkway – from joggers to bicyclists to dog walkers.

We will keep you updated throughout the work to replace it.

Also of concern are reports that people (especially kids) are going around the barricades and using the closed (and unsafe) bridge anyway. I have asked the county to step up efforts to prevent this. While the closure is frustrating, we can’t have people ignoring the signage and attempting to cross the bridge. It’s too dangerous.

We ask for patience. This bridge must be fixed for the long term, and done the right way.

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