Next up in “12 Days,” an anchor businesses of downtown South Milwaukee … Parkway Floral.
Why not give the gift of flowers this Christmas? Or maybe pick up that perfect poinsettia.
We’re lucky to have such a first-class florist in town. Please support them this holiday season — and all year long.
Give the gift of performance art this Christmas!
Perhaps a St. Nick stocking stuffer to one of the great Christmas shows coming up …
Or tickets to another show that is part of the PAC’s 10th anniversary Performing Arts Series … learn more here.
Update: Check out coverage from TMJ 4, WISN and Fox 6.
Here is the press release …
And great work by the South Milwaukee Police Department and the school district to get to the bottom of this.
Thankfully it was only a threat.
Filed under Police, Schools, South Milwaukee
Happy to kick off another “12 Days of South Milwaukee Christmas” series — an annual look at some of our best local shopping options …
And I start with information on a couple big “shop local” events this Saturday.
First, there is the annual South Milwaukee Christmas Market, set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at South Milwaukee High School. It’s a full house once again, with more than 60 vendors selling terrific locally made gift items. Live music is also scheduled throughout the day.
Learn more on the market Facebook page.
I also want to call out a special event presented by the South Shore Chamber of Commerce. Check out the flyer above, and like their Facebook page for more.
And shop local!
Check out coverage from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Business Journal. And here is the press release.
So, what does it mean for the South Shore Y? From the Business Journal story …
The buyer of the Wauwatosa, Greenfield and Menomonee Falls branches was the YMCA of Central Waukesha County. The Feith Family Ozaukee YMCA in Saukville was sold to the Kettle Moraine YMCA of West Bend.
Three other properties the Milwaukee Y owns will be placed in a trust until the properties are sold with proceeds going to the bank group. The properties are: undeveloped land in Franklin, the downtown Milwaukee branch in the Plankinton Building condo and the South Shore branch in Cudahy. …
The Milwaukee Y will focus on health and wellness and youth development not directly related to academics. The organization will emphasize swimming classes, corporate and community wellness, senior wellness, before and after-school care, day and overnight camps. The Y will continue running the following branches: downtown Milwaukee; at the Parklawn city of Milwaukee housing project; 1350 W. North Ave.; 9250 N. Green Bay Road in Brown Deer; and 3244 E. College Ave. in Cudahy.
The South Shore branch in Cudahy could close if a buyer cannot be found, Tolan said.
I’ll keep you posted.
Filed under Community, Cudahy, South Milwaukee
Thanks again to all of our public safety workers. They never know what the next call will bring.
From the fire chief …
Earlier today, SMFD units assisted the Oak Creek Fire Department at the scene of a mobile home fire in the area of 27th & College Avenue’s. Upon returning to the station from that fire, personnel were closely monitoring radio traffic from the Oak Creek Fire Department who were now responding to a report of a large excavator that was driven over the lake bank and ended up in Lake Michigan, approximately 25’ from the shore. The lake bank at the location is approximately 200’ high and very inaccessible because of brush and construction debris. Hearing that OCFD had no way to conduct a search of the cab of the excavator to determine if there were any occupants, SMFD offered up the services of their inflatable rescue raft and personnel to perform the search. Our larger rescue boat is currently in storage for the winter and unavailable. Oak Creek accepted the offer and our inflatable raft was launched from the South Milwaukee Yacht Club with two personnel in cold water suits on board. Upon arriving at the scene, the crew in the rescue raft conducted a cursory search of the machine from the boat and then beached the boat in order to conduct a more in-depth search of the cab and surrounding shoreline area. All searches turned up negative.
Once again, the crew from SMFD did an outstanding job of maintaining their personal safety while completing their mission under very difficult conditions. The air temperature at the time of the incident was 18 degrees with winds out of the North at 10-15mph resulting in wind chills near 5 degrees. In addition, the Lake Michigan water temperature is approximately 40 degrees with 3’-5’ waves.
More details on the department’s Facebook page.
Filed under Fire
By the end of today, city crews will be done with loose leaf collection for the season.
Crews made last passes through the city in the last several weeks, including working overtime on Saturdays, to rid the streets of leaves.
Now, with winter fully here, leaf equipment is coming off the trucks by end of day today (after one last pass).
I thank our Street Department for their hard work on this — and thank you for your patience. As I’ve said, I expect we will continue to offer this service going forward, but we will also take a hard look at how we deliver it in 2015 and beyond.
And my ask will always be the same: If, when and where possible (and I realize it’s not possible for some residents) I strongly encourage residents to mulch. It’s better for the environment, better for your lawn, and, due to the inefficiency of collection, helps our budget, freeing up time and manpower to tackle more core services.
Filed under City Services, South Milwaukee
Just a quick reminder that winter parking restrictions kick in on Monday …
From the South Milwaukee Police Department website:
During the period from December 1st to March 31st, no person shall park a vehicle on any street in the City of South Milwaukee between the hours of 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM.
However, vehicles may be parked during such hours if a permit is obtained from the Police Department …
Any vehicle parked in accordance with the above shall only be permitted to park on the EVEN numbered side of the street on those nights whose calendar date before midnight is even (N and W sides of the street are even), *Where parking is normally permitted only on one side of the street this section shall apply.
Learn more about buying a permit in my previous post.
Filed under Police, South Milwaukee
From the South Milwaukee Fire Department …
At approximately 3:43 AM this morning (Sunday, Nov. 30), SMFD rec’d a 9-1-1 call reporting a house fire at 509 Madison Avenue. Upon arrival of SMFD units, light to moderate smoke was found issuing from the basement and 1st floor of a two-story residential dwelling. SMPD units were already on scene and could not confirm the presence of any occupants, so a hoseline was stretched to the interior and a primary search was conducted while a fire in the basement was extinguished. Additional arriving mutual aid companies were assigned to search the rest of the building. All searches were negative, however, fire was also located on the first floor and extinguished. Overhaul was conducted and all areas of potential fire spread checked for extension. Damage to the building was limited to one room on the first floor and a small area of the basement. The fire is currently under investigation by SMFD and SMPD investigators. No injuries were reported.
Filed under Fire, South Milwaukee
Barring a big breaking news event, I’ll be taking a few days off from blogging to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Please have a happy holiday. I hope you, too, can spend it surrounded by family, friends, great food, and football.
And shopping.
Indeed, if you plan to head out to stores this weekend — and I’m assuming many of you will — please consider shopping local.
There are a growing number of South Milwaukee merchants that would love to earn your business. Keep them in mind as you head out on Black Friday (or even Thursday night), or Small Business Saturday.
I created a Facebook page to tell some of their stories. And, in early December, look for my annual “12 Days” series on the blog highlighting some unique local shopping opportunities. Also, please post your favorites in the comments section.
Thanks for your continued support … of this blog, of our city, and of the work we’re doing to move South Milwaukee forward. I love being the mayor of this city, and am thankful every day for the opportunity to serve.
Filed under Local Business, South Milwaukee
Economic development in South Milwaukee took two big steps forward Tuesday, with the City Council backing two key measures.
First, the council approved the hiring of an economic development coordinator for 2015. This 20-hour-per-week position will be a single point of contact when it comes to attracting and retaining business in South Milwaukee.
Marketing, relationship building, connecting business owners with assistance programs, ensuring proper procedures are being followed for opening a new business, coordinating our downtown efforts … all of these duties and more will be the responsibility of this critical new hire.
We’ll be posting the description soon. Stay tuned.
The council also approved the formation of a downtown advisory committee — another key part of our work in revitalizing our city center. This will be a nine-person committee that advises the Plan Commission and ultimately the council on issues related to downtown. It will be a key player in developing the downtown plan we’ll be embarking on in early 2015, but also regularly surface other ideas and issues related to our central business district.
The voice of business will be key here — the committee will include at least four downtown business/property owners, by design. There will also be four at-large members … and they’ll be asked to apply to be part of this group. It will be a brief application, but doing it this way will allow us to find people with the passion and skills necessary to lead this important effort. Stay tuned.
Here is the description of the committee.
Thanks for your continued support as we continue to drive economic development in South Milwaukee. I hope you’re as excited as I am about the progress we’re making.
Filed under City Council, Development, South Milwaukee
The South Milwaukee City Council unanimously passed the 2015 budget Tuesday night … one that maintains our first-class services while providing needed investments in some key areas to better our city.
You can see the document here. Some highlights …
Obviously, there is a lot more detail behind all of this, and I share a lot of those details in my previous post.
In the end, I am proud of this first budget — proud of the investments it makes in our people, services and promising future. We are spending wisely to grow our city, and stepping up our game in key areas like economic development, downtown planning, urban forestry and human resources.
And we’re just getting started.
On, South Milwaukee!
Filed under 2015 Budget, City Council, City Services, South Milwaukee
Plenty of South Milwaukee commuters will find this update from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation valuable …
Construction on the I-794 Lake Freeway / Hoan Bridge Project is about to reach the halfway point.
Despite a frigid winter, crews were able to stay on schedule and are nearing completion of the eastbound (southbound) leg of the I-794 Lake Freeway / Hoan Bridge Project. In early December, the project will officially transition to the second and final stage of construction with an intended completion date of Fall 2015. During Stage 2 of the I-794 Lake Freeway / Hoan Bridge Project, bidirectional traffic will be placed in the eastbound (southbound) lanes of I-794, from a temporary crossover south of Carferry Drive. Traffic will remain in this configuration for the remainder of the project. To maintain as much access as possible during construction, other new configurations will include:
As seen during Stage 1, periodic updates will continue to be sent throughout the project to remind motorists of upcoming closures, detour routes and other project related impacts. The project team appreciates your patience and understanding during this time of intense construction in your area.
Learn more about the project on its website, Facebook and Twitter.
Filed under Construction, South Milwaukee
Some headlines from around the South Shore, including a touching story from South Milwaukee …
NOW has published a new police blotter.
And the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had great review of the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center’s performance over the weekend …
“Br(OK)en Genius” at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center: The best thing about this spoken-word event was its truth-telling about issues of race and inequality in Milwaukee. The operative word for the evening may have been “but,” placing an array of ideas in opposition to raw realities. Some of the best performances were the most minimal. Christopher McIntyre, the impresario of the night, contributed photography, which set the tone as much as anything else. His willful hopefulness is something to behold. It’s forceful but fragile. I wonder if the world — and the art world — will disappoint.
From the South Milwaukee School District …
The Rocket boys’ basketball teams open up their season tonight at Oak Creek.
Please see the this poster from the OC National Honor Society for the food drive they are doing. Their goal is to collect at least 100 boxes of cereal, so if you are going to the games, please try to bring a box of cereal. Any non-perishable food will be accepted, however, every box of cereal you bring will earn a raffle ticket for a halftime drawing (during Varsity) for gift cards.
TREVOR STAUNER (Class of 2012)
Trevor Stauner was a standout 3-year varsity linebacker (Honorable Mention All-State as a senior) and All-Woodland running back for the Rockets as they started their playoff streak in 2009. Trevor has continued to stand out as a collegiate football player and was named 2nd Team All-IIAC, He is #1 in the IIAC for total tackles and he is also ranked #9 for total tackles in the NCAA for all Division III Football.
CHAD SADOWSKI (Class of 2012)
Chad was also a standout All-Woodland Safety for the Rockets as they began their football playoff streak. Chad was also a starting LB this year for Dubuque and he recorded 13 tackles in the first 2 games of the season before sustaining an injury. Here is a link to the team page:
Filed under Schools, South Milwaukee, Sports
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