There will be a 2021 Memorial Day ceremony in South Milwaukee, minus the march.
Here is the schedule, with the ceremonies set for May 31 at the War Memorial near 10th Avenue and Rawson …
11 a.m. Welcome / Pledge of Allegiance
11:05 Chaplain Invocation
11:08 Place Wreaths
11:18 Roll Call of the Dead
11:28 Rifle Salute
11:30 Taps/Present Arms
11:31 Present SMVC Veteran of the Year Tom Milnar to Mike Milnar (Son)
11:35 Benediction
11:37 End Event/Thank Attendees
11:45 Dismissal
Thank you the Veterans Council, Van Eimeren-Kolonka American Legion Post #27, Boy Scout Trop 252, and everyone else who is helping plan and execute this event.
The 2021 Police and Fire Department Award Ceremony was held on Tuesday, May 18, at the South Milwaukee Common Council meeting.
We want to thank all our officers, firefighters, and citizens for the work they do each day to make our city safer, and we want to especially thank our award recipients for their exceptional acts.
You can read about a few of the South Milwaukee Fire Department award recipients below. Here are the remarks from Fire Chief Joseph Knitter …
As you know, due to the pandemic, EMS Awards were not presented last year. However, tonight I am going to highlight a call that would have been included in last year’s presentation that took place in the early morning hours of November 6, 2019. From the SMFD, I’d like to call up Lt. Andy Mahn, Lt. Ryan Wendt, FF/P Ryan Miksa, and FF/EMT Nate Christensen.
But, before I provide details of this specific incident, let me provide a little background information . . . please keep in mind that, in 2019, throughout Milwaukee County, the survival rate for a person that suffered sudden cardiac arrest was only 13%. Of those 13% that experience the Return of Spontaneous Circulation, around 45% are discharged alive from the hospital. And, even less are discharged with no deficits and go on to make a full recovery.
So, this is where the call that took place in the early morning hours of November 6, 2019, comes into play . . . At approximately, 1:40AM that morning, SMFD received a 9-1-1 call for an unresponsive female at a single-family residence. Upon arrival, SMFD crews found the female to be without a pulse and not breathing. They immediately began providing Advanced Life Support measures for a sudden cardiac arrest by starting CPR with our LUCAS CPR Device, placing an airway to breath for the patient, and administering medications to attempt to convert her heart’s rhythm. After what probably seemed like an eternity to the patient’s husband, who had originally started CPR and called 9-1-1, but was documented at about 32 minutes, the patient regained her pulse and started to attempt to breath on her own. The patient was transported to Ascension – Franklin Hospital for definitive care, and eventually was discharged and has made a full recovery.
This patient and her family are joining us tonight via Zoom from her daughter’s house in Las Vegas. I’d like to introduce you to the Schweikl Family – Debbie, our patient; Jay – her husband whose efforts, by the way, cannot go unmentioned because he played a significant role in Debbie’s survival by calling 9-1-1 early and attempting CPR. When we talk about the chain of survival, the first two links for a bystander are activation of emergency response (9-1-1) and high-quality CPR. …
So, with that . . . I’d like to present our SMFD EMS Heroes their Letter of Commendation.
On Wednesday, November 6th, 2019, you were part of an EMS crew that responded to a 9-1-1 call to a residence for a report of an unresponsive female. Upon your arrival, your crew determined the patient was pulseless and non-breathing and Advanced Life Support (ALS) efforts were initiated. The patient experienced the return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) and was transported to Ascension – Franklin Hospital for definitive care and, subsequently, made a full and remarkable recovery.
Your professionalism, proficiency and skill in treating this patient undoubtedly contributed to saving her life. On behalf of the South Milwaukee Fire Department and the citizens of our community, I would like to commend you for your actions that day. Your dedication to providing such excellent patient care clearly demonstrates your commitment to carrying on the South Milwaukee Fire Department’s proud reputation of Excellence in Public Service.
The 2021 Police and Fire Department Award Ceremony was held on Tuesday, May 18, at the South Milwaukee Common Council meeting.
We want to thank all our officers, firefighters, and citizens for the work they do each day to make our city safer, and we want to especially thank our award recipients for their exceptional acts.
On January 28, 2021, Officer Brenna Sibley was dispatched to the 2600 Block of 5th Avenue for a report of a woman who was passed out and not breathing. Officer Sibley found the 50-year-old woman in a second floor bedroom and she was being attended to by her husband. She was pulseless so Officer Sibley placed her on the floor and began performing CPR. Seconds later, the woman, Maria Florez, began breathing on her own and South Milwaukee Fire Department personnel arrived on scene to provide additional medical care. She was then conveyed to St. Luke’s South Shore for treatment and eventually made a full recovery. Maria had a history of diabetic seizures and it is believed that may have been the cause of this incident. Officer Sibley’s quick assessment and action during a medical emergency prevented a potential loss of life and for this reason Officer Brenna Sibley is hereby presented a lifesaving award.
Merit Award: Officer Kadija Walusay and Officer Steven Streicher
On July 31, 2020, at approximately 9:00pm, several adults entered the Walgreen’s at 2985 S Chicago Avenue and stole items, physically struggling with the employees and doing damage to Walgreen’s property. Fifteen minutes later, the same group of suspects entered the Family Dollar at 1131 Marquette Ave. and used a handgun to threaten the clerk and steal merchandise. Officers Walusay and Streicher began investigating the related robberies and used technology, such as a Walgreen’s reward card, to develop possible suspects. While this investigation was a group effort, with several other officers contributing to the investigation, Officers Walusay and Streicher put many hours into the case. Utilizing surveillance video from surrounding jurisdictions and based on numerous interviews of potential suspects, Officers Walusay and Streicher were able to identify and arrest three women and one man who were responsible for a series of robberies throughout the metro area, including the incidents in South Milwaukee. The Milwaukee County DA’S Office issued felony robbery charges against the defendants and those cases are pending in circuit court. Officer Kadija Walusay and Officer Steven Streicher are to be commended for conducting a detailed investigation that resulted in the apprehension of dangerous criminals. Their diligence and perseverance brought an end to a crime spree and made our community safer.
Citizen Recognition Award: Heather Burns, South Milwaukee Walmart
A community offers many appealing features, including safety, familiarity, loyalty and support, but it is important to remember that those features don’t simply exist without effort. Those desirable qualities are the result of many individual efforts and distinct contributions to the community itself. For the past several years the South Milwaukee Walmart has made an impact on the quality of life in our community through their partnership with the police department and their generous donations to many events.
While the gifts may be too numerous to list, some notable examples are their contributions to our Community Night Out events and our annual Shop with a Cop event. In 2019, Walmart donated money to fund the fireworks for our Night Out event, supplied 6 free bicycles for the raffle and also provided several volunteers to help make the event a success. For over ten years, Walmart has supported our annual Shop with a Cop event by donating gift cards and gift baskets for the children, and providing lunch for the entire group. In 2020, Walmart also gave new bicycles to each of the children that participated in this event.
In addition to these generous donations, Walmart has provided raffle prizes to the Police Department for Evening on the Avenue and recently provided snacks and beverages for almost 200 children that participated in our 2021 bike safety events.
Throughout the years, the South Milwaukee Walmart and its manager, Heather Burns, have demonstrated a strong and steadfast commitment to the South Milwaukee Police Department and the City of South Milwaukee through its many donations and collaborations. We are grateful for their assistance and are lucky to have them as an incredibly reliable partner that helps enhance the quality of life in our community.
The City of South Milwaukee, along with six other Milwaukee County municipalities, filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against various opioid manufacturers and distributors.
“South Milwaukee is proud to stand with six other Milwaukee County communities in bringing legal action against the various opioid manufacturers and distributors named in the lawsuit filed today. Due to the named defendants’ conduct, opioid addiction has ravaged our county. Like other municipalities, South Milwaukee has expended an enormous amount of resources to combat the epidemic. Opioids have taken an intensely personal toll on our community. Too many people have become addicted. Too many families have been broken. Too many have died. It is time for these defendants to answer these charges locally.”
I love the energy at Grant Park Beach in recent years, and the summer of 2021 promises to be another fun one at this community treasure.
First, I want to thank Milwaukee County Parks for their work in recent weeks cleaning up a lot of the larger wood debris that marked the beach throughout the summer of 2020. If you haven’t seen the beach lately, take a drive down — and enjoy the smooth road when you do. The access road is looking great after being resurfaced last year, thanks to advocacy from the Friends of Grant Park and Supervisor Steven Shea.
And then there is what is inceasingly making the beach a destination these days: Ferch’s Beachside Grille and Volley Life beach vollyeball leagues. Both are back in 2021.
Ferch’s reopens the weekend of May 21, and beach volleyball returns in June, after a pandemic summer off.
Details on the Ferch’s and Volley Life Facebook pages. And here is a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story on the volleyball. Registration is open now.
Spread the word, and we’ll see you at the beach, South Milwaukee!
Redevelopment is happening all over South Milwaukee these days.
I am excited to see work well under way on a roughly $750,000 expansion of South Milwaukee Self Storage, 1005 Columbia Ave. Two new storage buildings are being erected to open in August, with plans for another three in 2022.
All in, it will be more than 27,000 new square feet for the facility that first opened in 2017.
I recently spoke to the owner of South Milwaukee Self Storage, Chris Hitler, and here is what he had to say …
“It has been exciting to be part of the transformation of South Milwaukee. We appreciate the assistance the City has given us to redevelop this dilapidated lot into a safe and secure location for area residents and businesses to store their personal belongings, household items, vehicles and much more.”
The expansion will add 137 units to the 290-unit facility, which includes a variety of options, from small outdoor units to large, climate-controlled indoor units with indoor vehicle loading and unloading. The facility offers 24/7 access, gated entry with key pads and security cameras. More information here.
I want to thank owner Chris for his continued investment in our city. His company has transfomed an eyesore trucking hub and vehicle storage lot into a very positive development for the Second District, and city.
In a normal year, I will put our list of South Milwaukee special events against any community.
And while this will not be an entirely normal summer event calendar due to the pandemic, there will be plenty of opportunities to step out in coming months.
Onsite registration and t-shirt pickup from 8 a.m. to noon. The Walk/Run starts at the high school any time between 9 a.m. and noon. Learn more and sign up here. Here is the Facebook event listing.
South Milwaukee Little League Opening Day
9:30 a.m. Players begin assembling at 9th & Madison Ave parking lot for parade
10 a.m. Parade begins – 9th & Madison parking lot to SMLL Park
Did you receive a phone call from a local number Monday evening? It may have been a message from me regarding COVID-19 vaccines. You can read the text of the call here and below: http://bit.ly/MayorBrooksCall05032021
Good evening, this is South Milwaukee Mayor Erik Brooks with important news on the Health Department’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
The South Milwaukee/St. Francis, Cudahy, and Oak Creek health departments continue to staff a South Shore COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the former K-Mart store in Cudahy.
We have plenty of vaccine supply, and we are making it as easy as possible to get vaccines.
To sign up to receive the vaccine through our clinic, please visit the city’s website at smwi.org and click on the COVID-19 alert at the top. Our preference is that you sign up for your vaccine this way. If you are unable to schedule an appointment online, you may call the Health Department at 414-768-8055.
Walk-in opportunities are also now available many days, including during select times every day this week.
To see the specific times when you can walk in this week, and to see future walk-in opportunities, please visit our website and social media accounts. You also may call the Health Department for exact days and times when walk-in spots are available.
We are also offering a free COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic for students, parents and the community on Wednesday, May 12, at South Milwaukee High School. You can get more details on the city website.
Please, South Milwaukee, get the shot. More than 8,500 South Milwaukeeans have already received at least one dose of the vaccine, but we can’t stop there. We need to get more shots in arms if we are going to truly beat COVID-19.
Our team stands ready to help. Please join me in thanking our Health Department and all of the city employees who are coordinating these efforts.
I always smile a little bit when I hear community leaders brag about their summer concert series, usually thinking this in the back of mind: “How many communities can boast of 19 weeks of live music?”
My guess: Not many, maybe no one. South Milwaukee can.
Check out the list of music coming to the South MIlwaukee Downtown Market this summer. It’s a terrific collection of artists that will lift up the market, our city center and our city every week starting in June. Mark your calendars!
As South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center Executive Director Rachel Sorce said so well …
This is an incredible line up of outstanding musical talent for our community. THANK YOU to all of the sponsors and organizers for your coordinated effort to make these concerts possible!
At approximately 12:54PM this afternoon, SMFD responded to a report of a garage on fire in the 1600 blk. of Madison Avenue. Upon arrival, crews encountered one detached garage that was fully involved with fire extending to a garage to the west and extending across the alley to a garage to the south. Multiple power lines were also down in the area after being affected by the fire, creating additional hazards to firefighters. The fire was extinguished with the assistance of our mutual aid partners and no injuries have been reported.
The fire remains under investigation by the South Milwaukee Police and Fire Departments.
Each spring, the city celebrates Arbor Day by planting a new tree at each elementary school. The students all gather around and assist in planting “their tree.” However, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused us to modify this year’s ceremony.
To commemorate this annual springtime tradition, the South Milwaukee Street Department’s tree crew planted three trees at the Mary Nelson Arboretum, located at 8th & Drexel Avenues.
Help us celebrate Arbor Day by visiting the Mary Nelson Arboretum and taking a stroll through the park! Many of the trees in the Arboretum have plaques identifying the species of trees. Some are also planted in memory of a loved one.
Another way to celebrate is to Adopt a Tree!
Each year the City of South Milwaukee leads an Adopt-A-Tree program. This year’s effort is aimed at properties that had a street tree removed in 2020.
The Adopt-A-Tree program consists of the property owner making a one-time donation of $100 to receive a 1.5” to 2” trunk diameter tree planted at their curb line or terrace.
If interested please call the Street Department at (414) 768-8075 by Friday, May 7. We have a few limited tree slots available. Openings will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Thanks to organizer Brian Morrison for leading this effort against in 2021, and to the Friends of Grant Park for sponsoring these special community events.
It’s another great lineup this year — 11 reasons to get out and enjoy nature this spring, summer and fall.
From Brian …
Back by popular demand, Suburban Soles nature hike is ready for our third season. Friends of Grant Park is proud to sponsor this program, starting on Sunday, the 2nd of May, and running every 2 weeks through Sept. 19th. You can join the Sunday morning hike at 10 am. Each walk lasts about 90 minutes and may involve stairs. Consider bringing along a water bottle and/or bug spray as needed, and comfortable shoes or boots which may prove ideal when walking along muddy paths. Check the schedule for meeting location which varies from hike to hike.
These events will follow 6 ft. social distancing guidelines. Face masks are strongly encouraged. Please consider others and do not attend this event if you have any suspicion of illness or may have been in contact with anyone who has tested positive for Covid-19.
Local companies, schools, churches, volunteer organizations, and many others made Earth Day 2021 a true communitywide effort. Thank you to everyone, young and old, who stepped up to help last week!
Here are a few photos, some from me, some from Facebook …
Moderna & Pfizer vaccine appointments are available this week. For appointments & walk-in hours visit our website http://bit.ly/SSVaccineClinic
If you are eligible for a vaccation and have not yet gotten your first shot, please take this opportunity to do so. The process is incredibly efficient and convenient, made possible by the workers and volunteers who step up each day to deliver this life-saving service. I can’t thank them enough.
South Milwaukee reported 24 new cases of COVID-19 last week, one of our worst weeks in months, as our burden rate went to more than 183. In other words, coronavirus is still a reality in South Milwaukee.
At the same time, COVID fatigue is real — I get it, and I share it. But we must continue to take this seriously — and get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible.
It’s a race to avoid another spike in cases. And our local health departments are doing their part to help.
It’s Da Crusher, of course! Shot the night of Crusherfest, as we unveiled this statue to the world. Do you have a photo you’d like to share on the blog? Send it along.
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