From the South Milwaukee/St. Francis Department …
Do you need a place to go to get out of the extreme heat? Visit any of the following Cooling Center locations as needed. Please call your local center or the Health Department with any questions you may have! #StayCool #StayHydrated #StaySafe
Filed under South Milwaukee
With classes beginning Sept. 5 for the South Milwaukee School District, it’s a great time to celebrate the value of public education in our community and all communities — amplifying the message of the Wisconsin Public Education Network, which had its annual conference last week in our fair city.
It was an honor to attend for even half a day and see firsthand the pride and passion shared by educators from the around state to help our kids, and to hear what they are doing to overcome the continued challenges they face each day in doing their jobs.
From fighting for funding in Madison to battling for respect and support and respect in and out of the classroom, this is not easy work. But I am heartened and hope-filled by what educators are doing on behalf of our kids, led by organizations like WPEN and brought to life each day in school hallways.
I saw it in the faces of those at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, including my own daughter, who served as a panelist and singer at the conference. And I see it in the thousands of South Milwaukee families who are made stronger by the quality education their children receives at our local schools.
Strong public schools = strong communities. Public schools unite us, indeed.
Here is a recap from WPEN …
The Summer Summit brought together public education advocates from every part of Wisconsin and every angle or role that reaches our public schools—from administrators and board members to educators and staff to parents and community advocates to students themselves—on the tails of one of the most gutting, shocking, and disappointing state budget cycles we could’ve imagined.
The eagerness to put accountability into action was palpable, and every session was directly tied to this urgent theme. Participants asked tough questions, held themselves accountable for understanding how school funding works, dove into the trickiest topics threatening students’ freedom to learn in urban, suburban, and rural districts alike, and collaborated to build a shared toolkit for better, louder, more effective advocacy in the coming year.
“We want to make sure we’re building and maintaining our collaborative relationships based not only on hard work but also on accountability,” State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly said in her remarks at our Morning Meeting. “And to be clear, accountability is not about expressing disappointment—or at least not exclusively. It can be, and should be, also about expressing appreciation, or communicating importance, or proposing alternatives, all in the furtherance of our goal of stronger public schools.”
That statement captures the work of the Summer Summit perfectly, as we dissected where Wisconsin has gone wrong in delivering yet another less-than-inflationary budget and massive giveaways to private schools, but also where we have gone right, and how we can amplify those successes in order to generate more of them.
To be clear, there’s a lot of work to do, and there’s no time to lose in doing it. Wisconsin continues to sit on a massive budget surplus that could still be put to good use. New legislation is coming down the pike as the school year begins. Many districts face a budget with less state aid in the new year than last year, and all of them face a budget that puts us on a path for 16 consecutive years of falling behind inflation.
“We’re not here to cheer for crumbs,” our executive director Heather DuBois Bourenane declared at the Summer Summit.
That’s why it’s on us—all of us—to hold ourselves accountable for telling our local-level public school stories, demanding strong, equitable public school resources, and staying involved at every level, every day. Please join us in putting Accountability In Action all year.
Summer Summit Archive! Almost all sessions and some breakout sessions are already archived on our website. Follow this page to access video recordings and other resources from the Summer Summit to refer back to sessions you loved, check out the ones you missed, and ensure that what was learned last Thursday stays with us moving forward. (We are continuing to update this page.)
Filed under South Milwaukee
Bucyrus Commons is home to two car shows this week, as the impressive list of summer events in South Milwaukee continues. Click on the images for more details.
Filed under South Milwaukee
From the city …
The current South Milwaukee Water Tower was built in 1999 and is due for significant exterior and interior rehabilitation work. The surface of the tank will be sandblasted and repainted. The water distribution pumping system has already begun to account for the water tank being out of service.
Residents who experience low water pressure or cloudy water should call the South Milwaukee Water Utility at 414-768-8070. This project is expected to be completed by the end of October.
Of note, the water tower is not being rebuilt, just refurbished. So it will look like what you see below in shape. Sandblasting begins this week.
And I’m told there will be a Rocket logo painted on the side facing Bucyrus Stadium.
Thanks, J&JDoubleTake, for the photo. Beautiful shot, as always.
Filed under South Milwaukee
Learn more on the team’s Facebook page. Go Rockets!
Filed under South Milwaukee
From the South Milwaukee Celebrations Committee …
Join us at Bucyrus Commons (1028 Madison Avenue) at 5 p.m. for hot dogs, popcorn, drinks, bouncy houses, and more! The movie starts at 8 p.m.
And bring a lawn chair!
Learn more about all the city Celebrations Committee events here. Next up after Movie Night:
Filed under South Milwaukee
Here is recent local coverage of our fair city …
Filed under Headlines, South Milwaukee
South Milwaukee is our schools. Our schools are South Milwaukee.
The fortunes of both are inexorably linked, their bonds strengthened by issues of common interest and concern, existing (and hopefully new) areas of collaboration, and, most importantly, passionate people who understand just how important the success of one is to the other.
That’s why all of us — whether you have one the nearly 3,000 kids in the South Milwaukee School District or not — should care about what the district’s new superintendent, Diedre Roemer, has to say, from concerns over the state budget to early observations since she joined the district this summer.
Diedre appears in the latest edition of the #SMWay Podcast. Access it (and all of Season 1) here.
From the school district …
We can all learn something, right? The #SMWay podcast answers questions from South Milwaukee parents about education, how the school district operates, what challenges are in front of us, and what we as a community can do about it. When we’re not answering parent questions, we’re sharing what’s best about our schools – our student successes, and our teachers’ dedication.
Today we’re introducing South Milwaukee’s new superintendent, Deidre Roemer. We’ll hear a little bit about her family, her career, where she’s been and what led to South Milwaukee. I’ll ask her about first impressions of the District and the city, about what we should celebrate, and what we need to work on. Spoiler alert, she’s hit the ground running. I’ll also ask her about the state’s education budget, what’s changed since our last podcast episode, and what it means for South Milwaukee.
It’s worth a listen. And welcome, Superintendent Roemer!
Filed under South Milwaukee
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has some beautiful photos from Saturday’s Heritage Days Parade.
Check them out here, and these other Heritage Days headlines …
Filed under Headlines, South Milwaukee
794 is at a crossroads, quite literally.
Should the Lake Interchange be rebuilt essentially as is, or should it be brought to grade level, creating a downtown boulevard? Or is the answer somewhere in the middle?
Those are among the questions in front of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, as it explores concepts related to the upcoming reconstruction.
The DOT wants to know what you think.
Public involvement meetings are planned this Tuesday and Wednesday, August 1 and 2, at the Milwaukee Marriott Downtown and Saint Thomas More High School. Details are in the flyer.
And here are details on the project and concepts under consideration.
South Milwaukee’s Common Council — and those in Cudahy and St. Francis — have already weighed in. Their position: Keep it as is. The South Milwaukee council passed a resolution passed on April 18 to “oppose the replacement of I-794 with surface street ramps.” Cudahy and St. Francis passed similar measures. From the Journal Sentinel story on this …
South Milwaukee Mayor Jim Shelenske said on his Facebook page potential future plans to create a surface boulevard “could significantly increase your drive times.”
South Milwaukee’s resolution opposing the project, passed by the common council April 18, highlights some potential negative affects including the loss of Route 48, an MCTS freeway flyer route. The resolution also asserts a likely increased density of traffic on I-94 from Racine County to downtown Milwaukee as drivers change habits.
The Cudahy Common Council has passed an identical resolution, calling I-794 “an essential transportation connection.”
St. Francis expressed similar opposition to the project, which officials said that “would sever a key economic gateway to the South Shore and increase drive times between Milwaukee and the South Shore, I-43 and I-94.” The St. Francis resolution, which passed May 2, also suggested the proposal would increase congestion on surface streets within the three South Shore cities. “(The resolution is) just to let the powers that be know our citizens are against this,” said St. Francis Mayor Ken Tutaj.
“You’re going to have cars congested on a very small street,” Tutaj said, adding that the skinnier streets are proposed to include longer sidewalks and bike paths.
“The City of St. Francis opposes any transportation alternative that incorporates demolition or decommissioning of the Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge or any other part of the existing I-794 … within the City of Milwaukee,” the St. Francis resolution reads.
My view: It’s too early to make statements like this. And it’s too easy.
As someone who uses 794 daily to get to and from work and has valued this fast and easy connection with downtown and points west, I suggest a key piece of information is missing.
How will travel times be impacted by the various concepts? The answer is, no one knows. Yet.
I asked that question of Project Manager David Pittman, and he responded via email: “At this time, that level of analysis has not been performed. As we further develop our various concepts into alternatives, we anticipate doing more detailed traffic modeling that will be able to provide travel time predictions.”
In other words, we don’t know perhaps the most important data point for those in the South Shore — the ones most likely to use 794 as their connection through downtown — to make up their minds on this.
If travel times are impacted by just a few minutes with even the most “at-grade” concept, then I’m all in on what would be a generational opportunity — a chance to unlock more than $1 billion in development potential, connect the Third Ward to downtown Milwaukee and the lakefront, and breathe new life into streets and public spaces below the bridges. A boulevard would also encourage other modes of transportation beyond the car.
And if the drive times are significantly higher? Then maybe I’ll need to rethink my position.
Either way, why shut down debate now? We may get one chance in my lifetime to do this right.
Filed under South Milwaukee
From the City of South Milwaukee …
Beginning July 31st, 15th Avenue will be closed from Madison Avenue to Missouri Avenue for much needed bridge repair work. The proposed timeframe for the project is July 31st through September 30th (weather dependent).
Please follow the detour signs while navigating an alternative route during this project.
Here is the detour map.
Filed under South Milwaukee
A clinic doing God’s work in Tanzania is not tens of thousands of miles away. It’s down the block — and needs your help. A unique special event gives you a chance to do just that next month.
The Mt. Meru Tumaini Health Clinic — started and operated by the family of Exaudh Mbise, husband of Trinity Lutheran Church (my church) Pastor Denise Mbise — is holding “A Starry Night Dance” fundraiser on Friday, August 11, at the Bucyrus Club.
In addition to Tanzanian-inspired and other appetizers and desserts, dancing (think prom theme, with DJ Pete) and a silent auction, it also features a boutique filled with handmade artisan goods from Tanzania and Exaudh’s terrific Kumbe Coffee, made from beans grown near the Tanzanian clinic. Dress is formal.
Learn more and purchase tickets by August 3 here.
The clinic is making a real difference and can definitely use your help. From its website …
In 2001, work began in the United States to form a non-profit to raise funds for a clinic and to provide ongoing support for the work being done in Ndoombo. By 2002, enough funds were raised to construct a clinic building with running water, electricity and plumbing. The original building was designed by Troy Steege.
In August of 2002, thirty people went on the first mission trip to Ndoombo and witnessed the beginning of building a 9-room building to serve as a clinic for the village and surrounding area. Once completed, Romini could move into the new building.
On this initial trip was one Dr. Deborah Sweet and her sister, Coral Mack. Deborah is an oral surgeon and she worked on patients outside under the bougainvillea. Rev. Moses’ youngest son, Polite Mbise, helped Deborah with her work. Deborah and Coral noticed Polite’s interest in dentistry and subsequently funded his schooling in Dar es Salaam to become a dentist. He started working with his sister Romini at the Mt. Meru Tumaini Health Clinic in 2009.
Continued monetary donations and work performed by volunteers on yearly mission trips have made it possible to maintain and improve clinic services. In 2016, MMTHC received a license to provide healthcare to deliver babies and register births. Because of the wide service area of the clinic (10,000 people living in the area), and a lack of nearby medical services the Tanzanian Ministry of Health upgraded the clinic license to a dispensary. In Tanzania, a dispensary is a step up from a clinic. The staff will now work with the Ministry of Health to provide immunizations, maternity/delivery/well-baby care and health education.
More details here.
Filed under South Milwaukee
I’m not sure I’ve seen a local event calendar this packed. And it starts today.
Here is what’s coming up between now and the end of the month, starting tonight with the Downtown Market and Community Dinner; continuing into the weekend with shows at the South Milwaukee PAC, the Friends of Grant Park Art Fair; and leading into Heritage Days. Enjoy, South Milwaukee!
For a full list of events, please see my blog’s Events page. I updated it frequently.
And let me know if I missed anything …
Filed under South Milwaukee
From the South Milwaukee Lions …
Hello friends, family & community members! We are still in need of several volunteers to fill our festival shifts. If you have 4 hours to donate during festival weekend, we’d love your help! All volunteers get a tshirt & volunteer meal. Thanks, in advance, for your support!
Interested in signing up individually, or as a team or organization? Do so here.
Filed under South Milwaukee
