by | November 4, 2012 · 11:25 pm

Parks Update: Lakefront Parks Joint Meeting, Seven Bridges Repair

Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik’s eNews update has a couple of updates involving Grant Park, including word of joint meeting of lakefront park Friends groups set for 6 p.m. Thursday at the Grant Park clubhouse.

The goal: increased cooperation around common issues like erosion, beach health and safety.

There is also good news on Grant Park’s Seven Bridges:

The Parks Department plans to restore the large lakeside bridge at Seven Bridges soon. The contractors hope to begin construction in late November and complete work by the end of 2012.  While Seven Bridges shall remain open to the public, some areas will be obstructed to accommodate heavy machinery.  Reconstruction of the large lakeside bridge will be prioritized.   The crew will then repair the footbridge by Wil-O-Way.

To protect this sensitive area, we need to use the official paths.  Unfortunately, visitors have climbed down and eroded the ravine while the bridge has been out of service.

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by | November 4, 2012 · 3:33 pm

Downtown Apartment Fire Reported

Thankfully, no one was hurt, and damage doesn’t appear too major from the early-morning apartment fire Sunday at 1231 Milwaukee Avenue.

Here are details from Acting South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter …

At 2:12 this morning, SMFD crews responded to a 9-1-1 call from a tenant at 1231 Milwaukee Avenue reporting the smell of smoke in his apartment on the second floor at that address. Crews arrived on the scene and found smoke issuing from the attic area and eaves of the building. Lt. Boschke upgraded the response to include our mutual aid neighbors due to the size of the building and number of apartments (10).  Crews accessed the attic via an exterior panel and found an area approximately 8’ in diameter burning away at the ceiling joists, wood ceiling lath and blown-in insulation.  SMPD personnel knocked on doors and evacuated residents as SMFD crews worked to extinguish the fire.  Damage to the ceiling area above the bedroom of this apartment was extensive with the ceiling joists being totally consumed and the lath-and-plaster weakening to the point of collapsing into the apartment.  This apartment was the only one affected by the fire and the tenant was assisted by SMFD in finding alternate living arrangements since crews turned off power to the entire apartment and damage prevented him from staying there.  The area of the fire origin was at the ceiling level concentrated around an electrical light fixture.  Closer examination by an electrical expert will be necessary to determine if the electrical system was involved in the cause of the fire.  No injuries were reported by tenants or fire/police personnel. Damage is estimated to be $15,000 to the structure and $5,000 to the contents. 

I’ll keep you posted if I learn more.

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by | November 4, 2012 · 10:07 am

Nicholson Avenue To Reopen Tuesday

A widened Nicholson/Pennsylvania Avenue is scheduled to reopen late Tuesday — in time for Wednesday morning commuter traffic.

I look forward to seeing the new road, even if it took a couple weeks longer than anticipated.

The reason for the delay: The Wisconsin Department of Transportation, which is administering the contract as part of its local improvement program, has granted the contractor extra time due to recent weather and additional work — work that the South Milwaukee, Oak Creek, the DOT and the contractor agreed a while back must be complete before it would reopen.

I’ll keep you posted if anything changes. Thanks for your continued patience.

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by | November 2, 2012 · 10:39 pm

More On The Assembly Race

Oak Creek Patch has a story previewing the race for the 21st Assembly District, which includes all of South Milwaukee and Oak Creek and a small part of Franklin.

See it here … and be sure to vote in my poll.

Mark Honadel or Bill Kurtz?

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by | November 2, 2012 · 7:58 pm

Jursik: “Disappointed” With Proposed Budget

Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik shares her thoughts on the proposed 2013 county budget in her latest eNews update.

Check it out here. From it:

The County Executive’s proposed budget includes some upgrades for our district. We will see traffic cameras at Layton & Packard Avenues. Grant Park’s Wil-O-Way will receive needed repairs. The Oak Creek Parkway in South Milwaukee will have lighting replaced in advance of expected road repairs in future years. I have worked with our parks and environmental engineering staff to fund stream bank stabilization for the Oak Creek in 2014. This bank restoration will keep much sediment from accumulating in the Creek and in the Mill Pond downstream. However, in many ways, I was disappointed with the proposed budget.

The update also includes on park patrolling, paramedic funding, long-range facility planning and other issues.

The item on paramedic funding is especially good news:

The FPA Committee added $500,000 in funding for Emergency Medical Services (EMS), bringing the total allocation to $2 million.  The countywide EMS program is a successful cooperative model that includes training, certification and continuing education of Emergency Medical Technicians (basic and paramedic).  Milwaukee County EMS hosts the Communications Center which provides consultation to  paramedics onsite and shares information among dispatched paramedics, ambulances, medical control physicians, hospitals and other emergency personnel.  Milwaukee County EMS uses state-of-the-art technology to develop electronic patient care records. 

This program improves the quality and efficiency of emergency response in our community. Under the EMS program, eight municipalities have contractual agreements to provide Advanced Life Support (paramedic-level emergency medical services).  The City of South Milwaukee provides service to Cudahy while St. Francis is served by Milwaukee.  Oak Creek provides service in its own city and back-up service to other cities.  This is truly a metro government approach.

The County Board will likely adopt a budget on Monday.

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by | November 1, 2012 · 11:57 pm

Last Day For In-Person Absentee Voting Is Friday

Update: Through Thursday, we have had more than 2,000 people come to City Hall to vote or register to vote in the last couple weeks, with more today, our city clerk reports. Impressive.

Just a reminder that early in-person voting at City Hall ends at 5 p.m. Friday.

Learn more in my previous post.

If you don’t vote by end day Friday, we’ll see you at the polls on Tuesday.

And if you haven’t voted in my presidential poll on the right side of the page, please do so. Go, democracy!

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by | November 1, 2012 · 11:45 pm

More Headlines

Check out these headlines from around the South Shore …

Also, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation appears close to making major changes to westbound 794 at the Marquette Interchange, a popular route for South Shore folks, including me (on my way to work). It’s about time.

And State Sen. Chris Larson has published a new Larson Report, headlined “Where Did All The Money Go?”

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by | October 31, 2012 · 8:56 pm

Trick-or-Treating On Halloween Night: So, How Did It Go?

It’s been decades since South Milwaukee had trick-or-treating on Halloween night — until Wednesday.

So, what do you think? How did it go? Did you see more kids than usual? Less? Did you encounter any problems?

Police reported no incident calls related to trick-or-treating this evening, so that’s good.

My experience was great: There were lots of kids out and about, along with mine, in my neighborhood, and we had more than 70 people come by the house for candy (a record, my wife reports).

Everyone I spoke with tonight supported the move from weekend afternoon trick-or-treating to Halloween night.

But, what say you? Post your comments below!

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by | October 30, 2012 · 9:38 pm

First Interviews For Oak Creek Police Officers And Other Local Headlines

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had a couple well-done stories looking back at the August Sikh Temple shootings.

Check out the feature on Oak Creek Police Officers Murphy and Lenda and on the emergency care Murphy received. (By the way: Sam Lenda is a South Milwaukee native.)

And check out these other South Shore headlines …

Also, NOW has published a new police blotter, which includes this item: “A vehicle drove over the Grant Park Golf Course, 100 Hawthorne Ave., near hole No. 1 the night of Oct. 24. Damage is estimated at $3,000.”

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by | October 29, 2012 · 5:01 pm

Grant Park Closed Due To Concerns Over Hurricane Sandy’s Waves

Update: Bender Park is also closed until Friday, according to the Oak Creek website. Here is some YouTube footage of waves at Grant Park.

In an amazing testatment to the power of Hurricane Sandy, weather officials are predicting waves higher than 15 feet on Lake Michigan on Tuesday. Winds are expected to gust to 40 mph or more.

In preparation for the storm, the access gates to Grant Park were going to close at 5 p.m. Monday, according to Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik.

“We are doing our best to keep visitors away from the dangerous waves,” she wrote in an email.

Here is Milwaukee Journal Sentinel coverage of the storm’s local impact.

I’ll keep you posted.

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by | October 29, 2012 · 4:29 pm

South Milwaukee Fire Department Responds To Oak Creek Mobile Home Blaze

Here is the story from Oak Creek Patch.

The South Milwaukee Fire Department was one of a number of departments called to the fire, according to Chief Joe Knitter (who I think is the guy pictured in the red helmet).

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by | October 28, 2012 · 10:11 pm

More Headlines

Check out these headlines from around the South Shore:

Also, NOW has published a new police blotter.

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by | October 26, 2012 · 9:11 pm

Reminder: Trick-or-Treating Is Not This Weekend … It’s Halloween (Wednesday Evening)

Official South Milwaukee trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Halloween evening.

If you plan on handing out candy — and my kids hope you do 🙂 — please leave your porch light on.

Please continue to help spread the word about the time change, especially with your older neighbors and family.

See my previous post for more details.

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by | October 26, 2012 · 9:05 pm

Nicholson Avenue Update

A reconstructed and widened Nicholson Avenue will fully reopen by Nov. 9, a little later than initially thought.

The delay is due to recent weather delays and extra work to complete the laying of new asphalt. Paving was completed on Thursday, but remaining work includes pavement marking and signage, energizing the street lights, and sod installation.

I appreciate your patience, and I’ll keep you posted if anything changes. 

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by | October 25, 2012 · 7:03 pm

Alertness Pays Off: More On How A Cat Security Guard Caught A Suspected Bank Robber

Update: Fox 6 has a story on the criminal complaint alleging the suspect “wanted to be caught.”

Oak Creek Patch has the story of Josh Najda, a Caterpillar security guard whose oberservation skills helped nab a South Milwaukee man suspected in an Oak Creek bank robbery.

Here is the story. From it:

Najda is a firefighter with the town of Vernon who was off duty at the time but listening to his police scanner about 11 a.m., when word came of a robbery of TCF Bank in Oak Creek. He heard the initial description of the suspect — a white man with thin build, wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt and tan pants — and filed it away in his memory.

Later that day, he was at his job at Caterpillar’s South Milwaukee facility when he saw a person walk past his guard house and speak with a CAT employee. The man seemed nervous and made a lot of unusual movements, Najda told me. But his actions didn’t pose a threat, so Najda didn’t call police.

“Honestly, I just thought that he may have been talking to a family member,” Najda said.

It was what he did next that gave Najda pause. The man put on a fake black mustache and a pair of sunglasses, which struck Najda as weird (rightfully so, I might add). So he wrote down his exact description and tucked it into his pocket.

And the rest is history …

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