South Milwaukee Blog

South Milwaukee’s Grobschmidt Pool will reopen Saturday after being closed since late June due to a chemical spill and flooding, Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik said in an email today.

That’s great news as we approach what could be the hottest stretch of weather in some time for next week.

Learn more about all of the county pools here.

Here is news of note from around the South Shore …

• Ex-Im Bank Bank Advances Loan Guarantees for Bucyrus Equipment (Journal Sentinel)
• Driver Survives Plunge Over Cudahy Cliff (WTMJ radio)
• Youth Football Treasurer Accused of Vacationing on League Funds (Journal Sentinel)
• Motorcyclist Killed in Oak Creek Crash (WISN)
• State Filings Up 27% as Races Draw Many Candidates and 2010 Election Filings (Journal Sentinel)
• Cudahy Man Faces 9th Drunk-Driving Charge (Journal Sentinel)
• Patrick Cudahy, Its Plan Recovering a Year After Blaze (Journal Sentinel)
• Philly Way to Open in Cudahy (Journal Sentinel)
• Oak Creek Wants County to Dredge Bender Park Harbor (Journal Sentinel)

So, the Hoan Bridge will get some immediate repairs after all, according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

Good. It certainly needs it, with chunks of concrete falling from the span and the roadway in pretty poor shape in stretches.

From the Journal Sentinel story:

The work is expected to be completed in 2011 at a cost of $12 million to $17 million, according to the plan outlined by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. While the potholes on the bridge are filled, the state will spend $650,000 on an engineering inspection to guide the decision-making on the future of the Hoan, which opened in 1977.

An “inspection to guide the decision-making on the future of the Hoan” — that is the best news of all coming out of this.

I sincerely hope this engineering “inspection” injects some facts into a debate about the long-term future of the bridge, facts that have until now been lacking in the race to redeck the span. Keep in mind that complete re-decking will likely cost well over $200 million, so I feel strongly that we must do all we can to ensure that keeping the bridge essentially as-is for the next several decades is truly the right course of action here.

This inspection, I hope, provides the information needed to determine that. It’s the right thing to do.

Of course, this is where other area political leaders and I diverge on this issue.

From the Journal Sentinel story:

“I am pleased that the DOT is planning some repair to the Hoan Bridge and am especially glad the DOT will perform an engineering inspection,” said Patricia Jursik, a county supervisor and a founder of the Coalition to Save the Hoan. “However, I am concerned that minor redecking will delay the complete redecking so desperately needed,” she said. “We cannot put this off any longer.”

I disagree. We can, and should, take as much time as we can, until we have the right information to make the right, fact-based decision that is in the best interest of the region for the long term. These upcoming repairs will hopefully buy us that time.

It was a pretty eventful City Council meeting Tuesday night — our only meeting for July.

Among the items discussed were changes to three city ordinances dealing with payday loan stores, portable storage units and open intoxicants. Each amendment passed 7-0, with Ald. Joe Bukowski excused from the meeting. It was the final approval for the open intoxicants ordinance. The others will likely receive final passage — after two more readings — at our next council meeting in August.

Here is a closer look at each:

• “Convenient cash” businesses. After having a complete moratorium on these businesses in recent years, the council passed a fairly strict set of guidelines as it relates to location, hours of operation, security and other requirements for check cashing, payday loan, car title, cash/loan advance and other businesses like this. For instance, such “convenient cash businesses” will not be able to be located within 1,500 feet of each other, and they can’t be located within 250 of residences. The businesses won’t be able to operate between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. All such businesses will also have to have an outdoor surveillance camera and submit a security plan addressing areas like cash on hand, lighting and security.
• Portable storage units. The proposed new ordinance relating to portable storage units is also pretty strict. Among the highlights: There must be no more than one unit per property, and they can not remain at a property in any zoning district for more than 30 straight days, or 30 days total in a 12-month period. The property owner must also ensure that the structure is kept in good condition, and the units (such as PODS) can’t be used for storage of business inventory or commercial goods without approval by the Plan Commission.
• Donation drop-off boxes. We also voted to regulate these, requiring that these boxes be used only by nonprofit organizations and “placed within the buildable area of the lot in a side or rear yard and screened from view of any public right-of-way.”
• Open intoxicants. Under the new ordinance, you can no longer possess any glass or open container containing beer, liquor or other fermented malt beverages “on any thoroughfare, street, sidewalk or other public way” without a permit granted by the Common Council.

Of course, I supported all of these ordinance changes. All of them are examples of common-sense government regulations, areas where government can and should make a difference in making communities better places to live and do business in.

Our next meeting is August 17, keeping with our once-a-month summer schedule. Join us!

Update: There is still no cause determined for the fire, and we may not ever know, according to this report from WISN. And if anyone hears of a fund to help those displaced by the fire, please let me know. I’d like to promote it.

Sixty firefighters from 12 departments responded to a multi-unit housing fire early Monday morning on Manitoba Avenue west of 15th (near Divine Mercy).

The building contained seven apartments, and four occupants were evacuated, Fire Chief Jay Behling said. No one was injured, but at least a few pets were lost, and the damage was significant, as the fire spread quickly.

Click here for the full story and video on the Fox 6 website. Here is the WTMJ version.

Heritage Week — the best time of year to be in South Milwaukee — is coming up.

Things kick off on Sunday, July 18, with the Grant Park centennial celebration and continue with events throughout the week.

See a complete list of events at www.SouthMilwaukee.org.

Of course, new this year is the Bucyrus International Cycling Classic on Tuesday, July 20. I’ve been proud to serve on the committee organizing this event, and I’m really excited to help bring this to life in South Milwaukee.

We need your help! Please consider volunteering a few hours of your time to be a course marshal or otherwise help make this day a reality. Learn more at our website: www.smbikerace.com.

State Sen. Jeff Plale and State Rep. Christine Sinicki are calling for a sizable chunk of the federal stimulus money set aside for high-speed rail to Madison to be redirected to fix the crumbling Hoan Bridge.

Sounds great, right? After all, with chunks of concrete falling from the bridge, something has to be done.  So why not spend some of the $810 million windfall from the Obama administration on the project?

There’s just one problem: It’s not going to happen.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story:

“The $810 million for the rail line was awarded in January as part of a national initiative included in last year’s federal economic stimulus package. Redirecting the money to fix is bridge is not feasible, said Chris Klein, executive assistant to Transportation Secretary Frank Busalacchi.

“This is not how it works,” Klein said. “The passenger rail money is one of the cornerstones of the Obama stimulus effort.”

If the money were diverted from the rail line to the Hoan Bridge, the state would then have to come up with additional funds to pay for the rail line – leaving the state with no net gain, Klein said.

“I don’t think they thought this through,” he said.

I disagree. I think the politicians proposing this know full well there is no chance that the federal money will be spent on this project. But, alas, this is an election year, and saving the Hoan Bridge is an easy issue to champion. Too easy, in fact.

If you’re successful in diverting the money, you’re a hero. If not, you can say, “at least I tried.” It’s a win-win scenario for the politician … and a loser for everyone else, wasted energy spent on a non-solution to a growing problem.

Missing in all of this, of course, are facts, a detailed study about what the long-term future of the bridge should be.

If you read this blog, you know that I support a study of all options for the bridge — a study that can inject some actual facts into a debate that has been noticeably lacking them. Maybe the best option is redecking, keeping the bridge as is. In fact, that’s probably the case. But who’s to say for certain? While a drawbridge certainly doesn’t seem like the answer — Plale, keeping with the trend toward super-heated rhetoric on this issue, called it a “really, really stupid idea” during an interview on WTMJ radio this week — who’s to say there aren’t other options to consider here?

Keep in mind that simple redecking is a 30- to 50-year fix. So we should be certain that we’re keeping the long-term future of the span — and the land underneath it — in mind when making any decisions. That’s where a study comes in.

Of course, such a study seems more and more of an impossibility as time moves on and the bridge’s condition worsens. This is where I blame the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. As the DOT has dragged its feet on this issue — and the political pressure to “Save the Hoan” has increased — the bridge continues to fall apart and the need for redecking grows.

Now, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is propsing using separate DOT money — a portion of a $105 million already mostly earmarked for other projects — to fund Hoan Bridge repairs. This sounds reasonable, but I wish we could avoid spending any significant dollars here until we can look at the bridge’s long-term future.

In other words, let’s not just throw money at the problem.  

But, alas, it’s election season. That means we can expect more of the same with the Hoan Bridge: the playing of politics with an issue that deserves reasonable, informed discussion … and a long-term solution based on facts, not rhetoric and political games.

South Milwaukee’s Grobschmidt Pool will be closed another two to four weeks following the flooding and chemical spill last month, Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik said in an email to city officials Wednesday.

Electricity was restored last week, and the county’s aquatics office is awaiting new pumps for the pool.

I’ll keep you posted on further developments from Pat on the blog.

You may also visit the Outdoor Pools page on the county’s website, or call the aquatics unit at 257-8098.

Here is some more news of note from around the South Shore …

• Bucyrus Chief Dug Deep for Support (Journal Sentinel)
• Bucryus’ Sullivan Wants Vote, and Sleep (Business Journal)
• St. Francis May Waive Residency Requirements for Department Heads (Journal Sentinel)
• St. Francis May Regulate Gold Buyers (Journal Sentinel)
• St. Francis May Contract with Firm for Crossing Guards (Journal Sentinel)
• Oak Creek May Repeal Photo, Fingerprint Requirement for Alcohol Licenses (Journal Sentinel)
• Power Restored for Customers in Oak Creek, Milwaukee (Journal Sentinel)
• Flight for Life Called to South Milwaukee Motorcycle Crash (WTMJ-TV)
• Will Doyle Oppose Dem Sen. Jeff Plale? (Isthmus)
• Oak Creek Football Club’s Former Treasurer Arrested (Journal Sentinel)

Blogging Blue has also blogged extensively about the State Senate race between incumbent Democrat Jeff Plale and challenger Chris Larson, a Milwaukee County supervisor.

The statewide smoking ban is now in effect.

Learn more at the Smoke Free Wisconsin website.

And here is the actual ordinance we passed. It basically mirrors the state law but clarifies issues around definition of an enclosed space, permitted smoking areas at municipal buildings and the use of approved cigarette receptacles.

Most local bars have been proactive about the ordinance, installing outdoor beer gardens, where smoking is allowed. At those bars and restaurants that don’t have them, patrons will have to take their butts outside.

While I enjoyed Sunday’s July 4 events at Grant Park, it left me wondering: Should South Milwaukee have a July 4 parade?

Most other communities _ including Cudahy, St. Francis and Oak Creek — have parades on July 4, and they are wonderful celebrations of those communities.

That said, we also have the Heritage Days parade later in July, a great celebration in its own right.

What do you think? Post your comments below … and vote using the new poll feature on the right-hand side of the main page.

In my first year as alderman, it’s been a pleasure learning more about the South Milwaukee Police Department and the great work it does in our community — all with one of the smallest forces per capita in the area.

The department’s annual report reinforces this reality … and shows a mixed bag of crime statistics.

More on the stats in a second. But first let’s celebrate some of the 2009 successes from the department, including the launch of its new website, email alert service and crime-free multi-housing program. The department also began a check diversion program in cooperation with the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office and a medicine collection program in cooperation with the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.

Of course, there were big wins fighting crime, too. The biggest: the arrest of two people for committing five armed robberies in a two-and-half-week period. Thanks to some great police work and help from local citizens, both subjects have been charged federally and are serving time in federal prison.

Said Chief Ann Wellens in the report: “I feel very proud of the effort department members put forth.” I couldn’t agree more.

Now on to the crime stats. From the report:

• Overall criminal offenses increased 5.6% percent from 2008 (500) to 2009 (528). While that sounds high, keep this in mind: 630 crimes occurred in South Milwaukee in 2006 and 569 in 2007.
• The number of violent crime incidents in South Milwaukee increased from 22 in 2008 to 27 in 2009, including seven more robberies over that span.
• Property crimes also increased, 4.8% from 478 in 2008 to 501 in 2009. That includes 24 more burglaries in 2009, to 96, but decreases in theft and motor vehicle theft.
• The clearance rate was 17.8% in 2009, down from 24.1% in 2008 and 18.1% in 2007, but higher from the 13% in 2006 and 15% in 2006.
• Of the 1,093 arrests in 2009, 759 were adults and 334 were juveniles. Of detentions, 321 were men and 74 were women.
• In the 96 burglaries of 2009, the average amount taken was $2,187, up significantly from 2008. Most break-ins — 58 of the 96 — occurred during the daytime hours of 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Of the 383 reported thefts, 125 were from motor vehicles, with an average dollar loss of $436.
• The city responded to 386 animal-related calls and complaints in 2009, up slightly from 2008. The 553 noise complaints were down slightly from 2008.
• There were 955 disorderly conduct incidents reported in 2009, a decrease of 10.4% from 2008.

There was also some interesting traffic enforcement data in the report, as the department continued its directed traffic enforcement program in 2009. Each week, locations were highlighted for enforcement based on accident statistics, citizen complaints, requests from the traffic commission and high traffic areas, according to the report. Radar and laser speed measuring devices helped with these efforts.

Among the statistics:

• The total number of traffic citations and warnings issued in 2009 was 3,019, or 1,089 more traffic citations than 2008. The significant increase was due to a large increase in OWI arrests (a real success of its own).
• There were 497 written warnings and 115 mandatory seatbelt citations issued in 2009.
• There were 3,686 parking citations issued in 2009.

In all, there were 24,224 calls for service in 2009, up 18.5% percent from 2008.

I know this is a lot of numbers, but I think they tell a story — a story about the difficult job facing the group of dedicated officers and supervisors focused on keeping South Milwaukee the safe community it is.

I thank them and appreciate their service.

(I’ll post a link to the annual report as soon as I can. Hard copies are available.)

July 4 is one of my favorite holidays for a simple reason — it’s a chance for community celebration, a chance to build community pride. South Milwaukee is no different when celebrating our nation’s independence.

Our annual celebration begins at 10 a.m. Sunday at Grant Park’s Brown Pavilion (Picnic Areas 5 and 6). Fireworks are at 9:30 p.m.

Learn more on this page at SouthMilwaukee.org.

I hope to see you there!

Here is some other news of note from around the South Shore …

• South Milwaukee Principal to Lead MFHS (NOW)
• Emerald Ash Borer Strikes Cudahy (Journal Sentinel)
• Oak Creek Considers Tax District for Lakefront Development Effort (Journal Sentinel)
• Family of Oak Creek Man Mourns Death, Looks for Answers (Journal Sentinel)
• Missing Man Found Dead in Van Near Cudahy Park (Journal Sentinel)
• Court Deal Likely in Stolen Wreaths (Journal Sentinel)
• Plea Deal Expected in Football Bets Case (Journal Sentinel)

Also, County Supervisor Pat Jursik has published her July edition of e-News. Click here to see it.

Some good news about the Bucyrus International bank loan mess …

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this afternoon:

The U.S. Export-Import Bank has agreed to reverse a decision to deny $600 million in loan guarantees for mining equipment that would be manufactured in the U.S. for a coal mine in India, saving up to 1,000 jobs, Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) said Wednesday.

Kohl said the bank would support the loan guarantees provided that the Indian borrower, Reliance Power Ltd., moves ahead with renewable energy projects that also could use U.S. made equipment.

Click here for the full story.

While this doesn’t keep the headquarters in South Milwaukee (see the post below), at least we can look forward to some new jobs …