South Milwaukee Blog

Parents, students and others upset at the proposed cuts to the South Milwaukee school music program are making their voices heard on the issue.

Click here to see a WISN-TV story on the topic. From the story:

In South Milwaukee, the music has played as long as anybody can remember, but unless there is a dramatic change for the good in the district’s school budget in the next few weeks, the entire string orchestra could be cut. “I came from a broken family and the orchestra program saved my life, so I’m very strongly opposed to them cutting this program,” Music Alumni South Milwaukee member Carol Rehak said.

Parents, students and citizens are outraged at the mere thought of it. “I really don’t want them to cancel the music program, cause it’s pretty much everything to me,” student Travis Paget said.

Said Superintendent David Ewald: “We’ve tried not to gore anybody’s oxen, at this point, though, we can’t not do that. Things that we treasure are being eliminated and they will be eliminated because we have no choices except to do that.”

Be sure to check out Blogging Blue, a blog run by former South Milwaukee School Board candidate Zach Wisniewski, for more thoughts on the topic. And you can visit the South Milwaukee Music Portal, which has even more information, including links to join a Forward South Milwaukee Facebook page devoted to the issue.

Also check out my previous post for links to the key budget documents.

So, what do you think?

Learn more at the South Milwaukee School Board meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 3, when a public hearing on the preliminary budget recommendations is planned.

Here is the meeting agenda.

A stabbing was reported at Sportz Medicine II on Milwaukee Avenue last night.

Click here to see the story from WTMJ. From the story:

A fight over a woman, or possibly even the song selection at one South Milwaukee bar, ends in a stabbing. Police in South Milwaukee say a 29-year old man reportedly stabbed another 29-year old man inside the tavern Sportz Medicine II, on the 1100 block of Milwaukee Avenue. Authorities have arrested a suspect after a chase. Police caught up to him two blocks away.

I’ll post an update as I get one.

When I was elected alderman last April, I wanted to hit the ground running, tackling some of the biggest issues I raised in my campaign quickly. Downtown development was, and still is, the biggest one.

That’s why I am so glad to have co-founded (with Alderman Jim Shelenske) the South Milwaukee Downtown Market.

It launched last July and quickly grew into an amazing success with the help of a dedicated committee of volunteers and others.

Unlike other farmers’ markets, our goal is to use the event to help get people excited about coming downtown again … and open their eyes to the opportunity of our city center. We achieved that goal in 2009.

We want the same thing in 2010, as we bring back the market even bigger and better this summer. We hope can join us.

The Downtown Market, located at 11^th and Milwaukee Avenues, will again be held on Thursday afternoon and evenings from June 3 through October 14. It will be open from 3 to 7:30 p.m. in June, July and August and from 3 to 7 p.m. in September and October.

We’re also holding a one-day Downtown Spring Market and Business Fair on Saturday, April 10, at Bucyrus International. The market, which will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will feature many of the same vendors found at the summer version of the market, including produce, food, jewelry, art and craft vendors. It will also feature a South Milwaukee Chamber of Commerce Business Fair showcasing some of the city’s top merchants.

 The spring event will be held at the remodeled Bucyrus Heritage Building on 10^th Avenue just north of Milwaukee. The hours coincide with those of the Bucyrus History Museum, which is also located in the Heritage Building.

Learn more about both events in this press release, and check out our website at www.smdowntownmarket.org for more information, including information on how to sign up as a vendor at both the spring and summer markets.

To all who supported the 2009 market, thank you. We can’t wait until 2010.

It’s a relatively light agenda for Tuesday’s South Milwaukee City Council meeting, but there are a few interesting items we’ll be considering.

Two are related to the potential summer cycling events I wrote about earlier this week.

We’re also taking up a resolution requesting that the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission create a study committee to investigate the potential extension of the Lake Parkway south to Ryan Road or even Racine County.

This is an easy vote in mind, so I expect it will pass unanimously. This deserves a study, even if the project may not happen for 15 years or more.

The meeting is at 7 p.m. at City Hall. Join us!

You can read the entire agenda here. And click here to read a press release about the 794 project from County Supervisor Pat Jursik.

Here are some headlines of note about South Milwaukee and the area …

• South Milwaukee Promotes Superintendent from Within: A Journal Sentinel story on the naming of the new head of South Milwaukee schools. As best I can tell, my blog was the first to report this other than the district’s website. Disappointing, but not surprising … and proof of how much the Journal Sentinel has cut back its suburban coverage.
• Good Samaritan Gets Helping Hand: A WISN.com story about a benefit for the son of a South Milwaukee firefighter.
• Cudahy Development Plan Shows New Life: A Journal Sentinel story on the development prospects of a key corner of Cudahy at 794 and Layton Avenue.
• Bucyrus Completes Acquisition of Terex Business: A Business Journal story on the major Bucyrus deal that promises to bring hundreds of jobs to South Milwaukee.

It didn’t take long to replace David Ewald as South Milwaukee School District superintendent.

A little over a month after Ewald announced his retirement, the School Board looked in-house to hire Dr. Rita Olson as its new leader.

Dr. Olson has served as the district’s director of instruction the past six years after spending more than 20 years in a variety of roles, ranging from German and French teacher to elementary principal. Learn more on the School District website.

Dr. Olson certainly has her work cut out for her.

The district also released its 2010-11 budget assumptions this week, and it’s not pretty.

The district is facing structural deficit of more than $900,000 this year after already having reuced staffing, programs and individual budgets by more than $6 million since the 2003-04 school year. Learn more here.

Of particular note in the document: The district is aiming to reduce its projected salary and benefit increases from $1.2 million to $600,000, but only if approved by the distict’s five unions and non-represented personnel. That certainly won’t be easy.

Without the $600,000 reduction, the district will have to consider a number of significant changes and cuts, including increasing student and athlete fees and eliminating orchestra, the high school golf team and a variety of teacher positions.

Congratulations, Dr. Olson. I don’t envy the tough decisions ahead of you.

I’ve said for quite a while that we need to find new and innovative ways to introduce people to South Milwaukee and let them know about all that South Milwaukee has to offer.

My contention is that when people learn more about our great city — and its safe streets, affordable housing, downtown opportunity good schools and great recreation opportunities — their perceptions of South Milwaukee will forever change.

So when you get the chance to bring thousands of visitors here, count me in.

That’s the opportunity we’re faced with this summer, as two large cycling events consider riding through South Milwaukee.

One, the Miller Lite Ride for the Arts, is a South Milwaukee regular. Its 25-mile route, the most popular of its five routes, winds through South Milwaukee every year, with an oasis stop in Grant Park. The Ride is looking to return again in 2010, bringing a couple thousand people into the park and onto the streets of our city on June 6. 

An even bigger opportunity, however, is the International Cycling Classic. This is a series of more than two weeks of races in communities throughout southeastern Wisconsin, and they want to stop in South Milwaukee the next three years.

This will bring hundreds more bicyclists to our city, and, more importantly, the chance to hold a true city celebration built around cycling.

My vision is the Food, Folks and Spokes event held annually to coincide with the Kenosha stop. It’s a great family festival that is a true community event, all built around the Classic. Why not consider doing something similar in South Milwaukee?

Of course, neither event, the Cycling Classic specifically, comes free. For instance, there is a $15,000 annual “site fee” for the Classic, which is seeking to come to South Milwaukee on July 19. That money has to be found somewhere — ideally through sponsorships, and no city tax dollars. 

The Miller Lite Ride and International Cycling Classic will be discussed at a joint meeting of the Public Works and Property and Finance committees at 6:15 p.m. on Monday. Click here for an agenda. I’ll keep you posted on what happens here.

Stories like this remind you to always be thankful of what you have … and recognize what’s really important. 

Fox 6 has a story of a South Milwaukee house fire late Monday morning that left nine people homeless. No one was hurt in the blaze at 3424 S. Chicago Avenue thanks in part to an observant three-year-old.

Check out the full story and video on Fox6Now.com. From the story:

The Herzog family had many to get out of the burning house. The kids had no school, and were home. All except one child who’s in a program for autism. Three-year-old Hannah was the first to see fire shooting out of the basement dryer. Another family was trapped on the upstairs porch of the duplex. Bobbie Herzog says, “The people outside were yelling. The girl’s standing out there yelling. ‘Get me down, get me down’ and we couldn’t find a ladder so he says ‘Slide over the side, I’ll just catch you’ So we all helped her down.”

The Herzogs have no renter’s insurance and have to start from scratch. There’s not much left to salvage.

At least they have their lives … and, hopefully, your prayers.

This from the South Milwaukee city website …

Attention:  Many residents have not been placing their recycling carts at the proper place for collection prior to 7:00 a.m. as required.  To ensure pick up of recyclables, please make sure to place your recycling cart at the appropriate place for collection after 7:00 p.m. on the evening before collection, and before 7:00 a.m. on the day of collection.  If you have any questions, please contact the Street Department at 768-8075.

I must admit I’ve been an occasional offender.

A hearty and well-deserved congratulations to South Milwaukee City Adminstrator Tami Mayzik, who has been named one of The Business Journal of Milwaukee’s 40 Under 40 Award recipients.

You can learn more about the award and see a list of the other honorees here.

Look for a profile of Tami in an upcoming edition of The Business Journal, and she and the other 39 will be honored at a reception April 12 at The Pfister.

Tami (who is 35) richly deserves this honor for her commitment to keeping the wheels of South Milwaukee government running remarkably smoothly — and her strong leadership during tough times, from the 2009 budget process to this month’s water emergency. This city is truly blessed to have her.

Well done!

Bucyrus International reported mixed quarterly results on Thursday.

Fourth-quarter 2009 sales were down, but profits were up for the mining equipment manufacturer that is so vital to our city.

For all of 2009, both profits and sales increased, as Bucyrus earned $312.7 million last year, the company reported, even as “all product lines were negatively impacted in 2009 as a result of current global economic conditions.”

Also of note from the release:

Capital expenditures for 2009 were $54.6 million, which included $13.4 million related to the expansion and additional renovation of Bucyrus’ South Milwaukee facilities. Bucyrus’ capital expenditures for 2010 are expected to be between $60 million and $70 million, which does not include its pending Terex Mining acquisition.

You can read the full earnings release here, and click here to see a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story.

In what is shaping up to be a fascinating race for mayor in Cudahy, newcomer Tony Day and incumbent Ryan McCue will advance to the general election on April 6. It’s far from great news for McCue, however. He finished second in Tuesday’s primary, and it wasn’t really that close.

Embattled incumbent Cudahy Municipal Court Judge John Zodrow also finished a distant second in his primary.

You can see the Journal Sentinel story here.

There were no primary races in South Milwaukee today. The three contested races on the April 6 ballot in South Milwaukee are mayor (incumbent Tom Zepecki vs. former Alderman Richard Raduenz), clerk (incumbent Kathleen Lisowski vs. Alderman Jim Shelenske) and School Board.

I’ll keep you posted on these local races as they draw nearer.

It came together quickly … and it easily exceeded expectations.

Fresh Water Days drew patrons out to South Milwaukee restaurants and bars in big numbers last Thursday and Friday.

Want proof? Consider that more than 1,600 people entered to win the more than $600 in gift certificates given out as part of the promotion, prizes that ranged from free drinks to South Milwaukee Downtown Market gift certificates to tickets to a South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center performance.

Third District Alderman Jim Shelenske and I drew the winners on Monday. Visit SouthMilwaukee.org to see if you won.

Again, thanks to everyone who took part. I was proud to be a part of this.

It’s a light agenda for Tuesday’s South Milwaukee Common Council meeting.

Here’s a quick preview:

• The council will likely accept a Department of Homeland Security FEMA port security grant for $82,163 for the purchase of a replacement rescue boat for the South Milwaukee Fire Department. The grant requires a 25 percent, or $27,387, match. To help make up the difference, we are asking the St. Francis, Cudahy and Oak Creek fire departments to make a one-time investment of $6,800 each. The boat will be used to respond to emergencies off all of the communities’ shorelines, to assist the U.S. Coast Guard in search and resue sorties and to tow boats back to the docks of Bender Park and the South Milwaukee Yacht Club.
• The Council will also consider a liquor license for Giuseppi’s Cucina & Pizzeria, 1117 Marquette Avenue. I’ll keep you posted as to when this new restaurant will open.
• We’ll also be discussing noise complaints made about the Appleton Electric foundry on 5th Avenue.

You can see the full agenda here. I hope to see you at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 2424 15th Avenue.

Here are some more South Milwaukee headlines of note:

• State Dogs Take Stage at Westminster
• Fingerprint Scan Proposed to Fight Child-Care Fraud
• She Said YES! Reader-Submitted Proposal Stories: Check out the “Rumble Ride” entry.