by | June 5, 2014 · 11:14 pm

Meet The Mayor: Join Me Saturday At Studio One Art Glass

What’s on your mind? Let me know.

Don’t forget to stop by Studio One Art Glass from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, for the second Meet the Mayor session.

No topic is off limits, so bring your ideas, concerns, complaints, compliments … or just stop by and say hi. And check out some of Kim’s terrific handmade glass pieces while you’re there.

Studio One is at 1333 Milwaukee Ave.

Here are two other upcoming sessions, each from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

  • Saturday, July 12: Max A. Sass & Sons Funeral Home, 1314 Manitoba Ave. Mike and company have done a lot with the former St. Mary’s School, and it looks great. See for yourself on July 12.
  • Saturday, August 16: Moxie Fitness, 1234 Milwaukee Ave. Stop in learn more about some of the cool programming Tori and Cindy are offering.

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by | June 5, 2014 · 11:08 pm

Headlines!

Check out these South Shore headlines …

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by | June 5, 2014 · 8:51 am

It’s Market Day!

I love Thursdays during the summer.

The South Milwaukee Downtown Market opens its sixth season today, and I hope to see you there.

Hours are 3 to 7 p.m. at its new, temporary location at 12th and Milwaukee Avenue (until the 11th Avenue construction project is complete in July).

More than 50 vendors are expected selling organics, arts, crafts, baked good, prepared foods and more.

Learn more on the market website and Facebook page … and join me in supporting this community attraction.

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by | June 4, 2014 · 10:20 pm

Volleyball Returns To Grant Park — And That’s Just The Start

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This photo is from the Grant Park Beach Facebook page.

Yes, there’s new life at the beach this summer, with four new volleyball courts now up and plans for the reopening of the concession stand, rentals and more. Volleyball leagues are forming now. Register here.

Stay tuned for more information — I promise, it’s really good stuff, for both Grant Park and the entire City of South Milwaukee.

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by | June 4, 2014 · 5:14 pm

Business As Usual At South Shore Y

I just spoke with the interim director of the South Shore Y in Cudahy, and she assured me it’s “business as usual” at the location as the organization enters bankruptcy.

Membership, classes, hours, etc. will remain the same during the bankruptcy process.

“We will operate as we always have,” she told me.

Learn more about what’s next — and check out a Q&A — here. From it …

Operations at each of these centers and Camp Matawa will continue without interruption through the bankruptcy process. The YMCA of Central Waukesha County and Kettle Moraine YMCA are very strong operators. If these transactions are approved, they intend to not only run, but help improve, our West Suburban, Tri-Country, Southwest and Feith Family Ozaukee Y’s. We hope to find similar partners for the South Shore Y and Camp Matawa …

We are open for business as usual during the bankruptcy process. Our intention is that all programs, camps, classes, etc. will continue to operate as normal. Ultimately, our belief is this plan will help reestablish a strong, healthy Y in Milwaukee while preserving the majority of our centers, programs and staff. 

I wish the best for the South Shore Y — and the entire organization. It does so much good in our community, in each community it serves, something my family has witnessed first hand. For example, the Y teaches 9,000 kids to swim each year. My two kids were two of them. So was I.

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by | June 4, 2014 · 12:40 pm

What’s Up With The South Shore Y?

You’ve probably heard the news about the bankruptcy filing of the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee today.

So, what does that mean for the South Shore Y? To be determined.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel …

Under the restructuring plan announced Wednesday, the Y will deliver services through centers that are primarily leased, restricted or gifted and establish “a truly urban mission.”

The centers that will remain include:

  • Rite-Hite Family YMCA, which offers a wellness and prevention partnership and includes the Schroeder Aquatic Center
  • Northside YMCA, in the Lindsay Heights neighborhood
  • Parklawn YMCA
  • Downtown YMCA, in the Shoppes of Grand Avenue
  • John C. Cudahy YMCA, which houses adaptive baseball programs
  • Camp Minikani, on the shores of Amy Belle Lake in Hubertus

The other properties will be sold to “operators better positioned to continue these Ys and invest in these centers for the long term,” the release said.

Those other properties include:

  • The YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee has a letter of intent from the YMCA of Central Waukesha County to purchase the West Suburban YMCA, Tri-County YMCA and Southwest YMCA. A majority of the proceeds from this transaction will be used for debt reduction, officials said. Pending the sale, which requires court approval, operations, membership benefits, programs and services at these facilities will continue as normal.
  • The YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee also has a letter of intent from the Kettle Moraine YMCA to purchase Feith Family Ozaukee YMCA. A majority of the proceeds from this transaction will also be used for debt reduction. Pending the sale, which requires court approval, operations, membership benefits, programs and services at this facility will continue as normal, officials said.

Here is the Y announcement. It says the Y is “seeking long-term strategic partners for both the South Shore YMCA and Camp Matawa that are better suited  to maximize the potential of those operations.”

I’ll keep you posted as to what that means.

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by | June 2, 2014 · 12:19 pm

Welcome Back, Bookmobile

The Bookmobile is back, and I think it’s great.

The van, a partnership between the South Milwaukee Public Library and South Milwaukee School District, will make a number of planned stops this summer around the city.

It will appear at South Milwaukee Little League from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on these days  …

  • June 17
  • July 1
  • July 10
  • July 15

It will also stop at Grobschmidt Pool from 1 to 2 p.m. on these dates …

  •  June 26
  • July 10
  • July 24

The Bookmobile will have books for young readers through teenagers, and kids will be able to sign up for the summer reading program at the stops. There will also be story time.

Kids need to have a library card to check out books.

Sounds like fun … and I’m sure my family will be there.

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by | May 30, 2014 · 10:29 pm

Improving The Look Of Downtown, One Building At A Time

Downtown smallWe have a lot of work to do downtown, and we will do it. We will come together as a community around a plan for our city center — and then commit to work that plan. We will start that process soon.

One thing we can do right away: Be more proactive in enforcing our existing property codes. And that’s what we’re doing.

In my first weeks as mayor, I’ve asked that the city be more out front in ordering downtown property owners to make much-needed improvements to their facades … simply getting them to comply with our property maintenance ordinances.

Broken, cracked or clouded windows. Peeling paint. Dilapidated signs advertising businesses that haven’t operated in years. Those are just some of the issues with select (too many) downtown properties.

So, our property code enforcer is being more aggressive in “writing up” more buildings in our central business district, not waiting for complaints before sending notices to owners mandating that they get their buildings to code — and hopefully more than that, perhaps using our underutilized facade grant program.

This brings me to the photo above. Thursday, I, our code enforcer and city engineer made the first of several downtown walks, discussing problem properties and pointing out issues. We started at 13th and Milwaukee and walked east to 10th and back again. Next up, Milwaukee Avenue east of 10th, then 10th Avenue north and south.

I’m sure I’ll learn a lot as I go … and hopefully this will make a difference in improving the look of our downtown, one building at a time, as we plot a long-term strategy.

Indeed, we’re just getting started!

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by | May 30, 2014 · 10:24 pm

More Details On The Oak Creek Stadium Plan

The Business Journal has more information on what may (stress, may) come to the corner of Pennsylvania/Nicholson and College Avenues — and it’s potentially more than a Frontier League baseball stadium.

Of course, this is all conceptual at this point. I remain in contact with the Oak Creek mayor on this potential development, and I’ll keep you posted.

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by | May 30, 2014 · 12:08 pm

Green Dot Money Card Scam Alert

From the South Milwaukee Police Department’s Crime Alert service …

The use of Green Dot money card scams is on the rise, again.  Green Dot cards are a reloadable card that can be used to transfer funds.  These cards, and those like them are often used to conduct scams because of the anonymity they offer.  Use the attached link to learn about Green Dot cards and the common scams.

www.moneypak.com/protectyourmoney.aspx

Want to get regular updates on local crimes and scams? Sign up here.

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by | May 29, 2014 · 9:51 pm

More Area Headlines, Including A Tragedy In Cudahy

Check out these South Shore headlines … and please keep all those who knew Mr. Koch in your prayers. It sounds like he left quite an impact.

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by | May 28, 2014 · 10:56 pm

“Torpedos” Found In South Milwaukee?

Torpedos - Box

TorpedosFrom South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter …

In another one of those “nothing ever surprises me” moments . . . we had a citizen stop in and report that he was helping a 90-year old friend clean his garage out and was given a cigar box that the 90-year old had hand-written “Danger” and “Torpedos” on and the box contained some type of explosives.  I’ve attached the pictures.  The kicker was that the guy had them in the trunk of his car and transported them to the front of the firehouse without knowing exactly what he was dealing with.  Luckily, I had dealt with similar items in the past at Caterpillar when they found boxes of them while cleaning out an old warehouse.  I removed them from the trunk of the citizens car and placed them behind the fire station for safe storage.  I then called the Southeastern Wisconsin Threat Analysis Center (STAC) which is a cooperative law enforcement group co-located with Milwaukee Police Dept’s Intelligence Fusion Center downtown, and requested they notify MPD’s Bomb Squad (that’s whom I dealt with last time). A Lt. from MPD called me shortly after and arranged to come out to pick them up.  He happened to be the same guy I dealt with during the Caterpillar incident.  In the end, they may or may not have been dangerous . . . it all depends how they are handled and what type of shape they are in. The Lt. stated that he would take them back for safe storage and eventual disposal when they destroy all of their confiscated explosives.

 As a side note, these “torpedos” were used by the railroad (and by Bucyrus on their crane rails) to signify trouble or get the operators attention when the rail car or crane wheels passed over them.  They were affixed to the tracks with the wires that are protruding out of them (see the pictures). While they were not meant to harm anyone, we are told that they are extremely loud and can cause hearing damage and injuries to anyone handling them.

 

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by | May 26, 2014 · 10:12 pm

Catching Up: Sprucing Up The Veterans’ Memorial, Farmers’ Market Music, Police Blotter And More

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10390420_10204284094401582_5727843710078687454_nBack to blogging after the long weekend …

  • First, a big thank you to the volunteers — and Milwaukee County Parks workers — who stepped up to spruce up the South Milwaukee Veterans Memorial over the weekend. Yet again, the community steps up. Be sure to stop by the memorial on 10th Avenue north of Rawson to check out the fruits of their labor — and pay your respects.
  • Second, the South Milwaukee Downtown Market has announced its June music lineup, and it’s terrific. I’ve long thought that this aspect of the market is undervalued. Free, live music every Thursday during the summer is something pretty unique across the region, especially in the suburbs. This alone should be a reason to check out the market each Thursday. Here is the announcement.
  • NOW has a new police blotter, including this disturbing (yet heartwarming, in a way) item: “On May 18 police received a report of a young boy caring for a deer on a porch in the 1900 block of Seventh Avenue. The boy told police that he witnessed four teenagers beating the baby deer with a stick near the lagoon. Police turned the fawn over to the Wisconsin Humane Society’s Wildlife Rehab Center.”
  • And Caterpillar announced a dealer transaction for its Alabama and northwest Florida territory. From the press release:  “Caterpillar has announced similar transactions with other dealers over the last several months. Caterpillar continues to hold discussions with other Cat dealers that have mining activity in their territories and will continue to operate the former Bucyrus distribution business until the transitions have occurred in a given territory.”

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by | May 23, 2014 · 3:41 pm

Historical Society Plans Plant Exchange, Garden Tour

Some news from the South Milwaukee Historical Society …

First, the society is planning a plant exchange on Saturday, May 31, at the society, 717 Milwaukee Ave. Hours are 9 to 11 a.m., rain or shine.

What is a plant exchange, and how can you participate? From the society ..

It’s easy! Bring a plant or plants (perennials, shrubs, vines) from your garden in a pot marked with the type of plant and whether it is sun/part sun/shade. The more variety the better! And it’s not limited to plants!! Bring seeds, bulbs or even garden tools. This is an excellent opportunity to network with other gardeners.

 Please RSVP to either Patti Bergeson at 414-768-9549 or pbergeson@wi.rr.com, or Vicki Maloney at 414-530-6020 or vmaloney@wi.rr.com. 

And don’t forget the society’s annual Garden Tour set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 28. Learn more here.

Learn more about the society here. And here is more about the Civil War book they have for sale.

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by | May 22, 2014 · 11:03 pm

Awarding South Milwaukee’s Firefighters

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At Tuesday’s South Milwaukee City Council meeting, we had the chance to honor a number of firefighters recently cited for their work through Aurora Health Care and Froedtert. It was an honor to be a part of it — and learn more about the difference our people are making everyday. Our folks have earned the respect of others outside our community, and that’s always a good measure. Congratulations to everyone honored Tuesday!

Check out the commendations here and here, and here is the proclamation.

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