Please continue to shop local during “Safer at Home” order, supporting local essential businesses wherever possible.
Click here to see the Shop Local South Milwaukee Facebook page.
There are two resources to lean on during the emergency (and beyond): the Shop Local South Milwaukee Facebook page, which I am regularly updating throughout the day, and this page from MJ Media and Jim Shelenske.
And here are some South Milwaukee options for your Friday fish fry!
All of these restaurants are offering takeout or delivery service …
And if you’re not in the mood for fish, try China Chef, Cousins, Island Jam, San Fong, and Taco Stop MKE. Or eat at chains like McDonald’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Toppers, and Subway, Dunkin’ Donuts and more — many of these owned by local franchisees.
If I missed one or two that are open, I apologize. Please comment below!
According to the order, “each government body shall determine its essential government function, if any, and identify employees and contractors necessary to the performance of those functions.” And while that statement gives us a lot of latitude and discretion, we are leaning on our department heads to drive our execution of the directive.
Those leaders have been working on plans for two weeks, and are ready to put them in place. In consultation with the administration, we have asked them to determine what services we should continue during the order, and how.
They are bringing those plans to life now.
Those services will obviously include our police, fire and health departments, as well as those supporting our elections, utilities, and garbage pickup, among others. There are also more internal-facing functions that must continue to ensure bills are paid, administrative support is available, engineering projects continue, etc.
Some will work from home, where possible, and some may not be asked to work at all — with a need to remain flexible based on staffing needs. Other employees will be asked to redeploy to other functions where needed, based on their skills and the city’s needs, and we have been doing this very well on a small scale for a week. We will be stepping up those efforts in the days, weeks and likely months ahead.
Our employees have been stepping up throughout the pandemic, and I can’t thank them enough. I detailed a lot of their work in a previous Mayor’s Message.
Our department heads lead the way, and they have hundreds of years of experience behind them as they take the steps necessary today to confront this “new normal.” I have leaned on them throughout this effort, and will continue to, as we adapt to delivering services in a “Safer at Home” environment and make collaborative decisions necessary along the way.
The health and safety of our people — and all of you — will be our first priority at all times. Please heed the order.
Stay safer at home, knowing that there are lots of people who may not be able to do that because of the jobs they do.
For More Information
If you have any questions about a certain service, please contact us at 414-762-2222. You can also get regular updates on COVID-19 on the city’s website and on our Facebook page. We will also be using the SM Works platform to share information on our response to COVID-19 via email to interested individuals. To join the email list, please sign up for the service and/or app, and submit your email address.
Also, we are using our AlertSense platform to share updates during the pandemic via phones. Sign up here, and ask others to do so, too. You can also sign up for text alerts. All landlines are already included in the service, but mobile phone lines must be added individually.
It goes into effect on Wednesday at 8 a.m. and expires on April 24.
And here is a statement from me and South Milwaukee Police Chief William Jessup on the order.
Remember, you can get regular updates on COVID-19 on the city’s website and on our Facebook page. We will also be using the SM Works platform to share information on our response to COVID-19 via email to interested individuals. To join the email list, please sign up for the service and/or app, and submit your email address.
Also, we are using our AlertSense platform to share updates during the pandemic via phones. Sign up here, and ask others to do so, too. You can also sign up for text alerts. All landlines are already included in the service, but mobile phone lines must be added individually.
A few updates on this continually changing emergency …
First, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is issuing a “Safer at Home” order on Tuesday related to the COVID-19 Pandemic. We will share the order and additional information on our city communication platforms as soon as it is made available.
Statement from South Milwaukee Mayor Erik Brooks
I stand behind the decision of the governor, with the support of our health administrator. Decisions we make will be, and need to be, guided by our health officers. This order — as with other rules, guidance and recommendations issued during the pandemic – are being put in place to slow the spread of the virus and improve public health. We need compliance from the community for this to make a difference. Please read the order when it is issued, and act accordingly. Stay home.
Statement from South Milwaukee Police Chief William Jessup
We are going to work in concert with our Health Department to ensure orders are followed. We believe the vast majority of the community is concerned for themselves, their families and their neighbors, and fully intend to voluntarily comply with this order. If violations arise, law enforcement will take note and educate and inform those individuals. Enforcement will be a last step.
Positive Case Reported
Also, the South Milwaukee/St. Francis Health Department has become aware that an individual residing in South Milwaukee has tested positive for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).
It is the city’s first positive case.
Following private testing, the individual returned directly home and has remained under isolation. To prevent the spread of illness, the South Milwaukee/St. Francis Health Department is conducting a contact investigation to identify and follow up with any individual who had close contact with this person.
Close contacts will be monitored by local public health department staff, do daily symptom and temperature checks, and self-quarantine.
I proudly signed on to a letter being circulated by the League of Wisconsin Municipalities circulated Friday and Saturday asking Governor Evers and legislative leaders to offer options and solutions to local communities, like us, poised to begin early in-person absentee voting on Monday.
In fact, I helped write the letter the League then shared with all of its members seeking support on Friday. That’s how strongly I feel about this.
And I’m proud to say almost 300 local leaders from across the state signed on. More details here. Here is the letter.
Now, let me be clear: We have taken sensible measures to protect everyone who will be coming to City Hall to vote in the next two weeks, and at polling locations on Election Day. You can see them in the pictures with this post: dots on the sidewalk leading into the building, allowing only a limited number of people in at once, confining voters to only the lobby of City Hall, separating our clerk’s staff by plastic glass, even handing out pens to be thrown away once people use them.
And we will be staffing up to enforce these measures.
But I hope it doesn’t come to that. Request a ballot online, via email or by mail. Details here.
Or, better still, act, Governor Evers, Sen. Fitzgerald and Rep. Vos.
Here is the full text of the letter …
Dear Governor Evers,
We want to thank you for your leadership during the past couple weeks related to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been thoughtful, responsible, and smartly aggressive, as you take the actions necessary to reduce spread of the illness and keep Wisconsinites safe.
We urgently ask you to apply that same approach to voting. Please take action now to reduce the risk of our residents, members of our staff and our election workers, and to avoid unnecessary disenfranchisement of voters.
In almost all communities across Wisconsin, in-person absentee voting will start on Monday, and continue for the next two weeks. Based on our experience in the last few days, it is almost certain that large numbers of people will show up at government buildings to vote this way. The health risks involved will become a bigger issue with even more coming to vote on the actual Election Day, April 7.
Please offer us solutions to prevent this from happening.
Your office has been presented with a number of options for protecting citizens’ health and rights to vote by various local government organizations. But as yet we have not seen a sufficient response from the state.
Advice and orders from federal, state and local public health professionals is clear: Limit personal contact, especially in large groups (more than 10 currently). Please give us the tools to live by this when it comes to voting.
We recognize concerns about disenfranchisement, and we fully support our rules around elections in normal situations. But these are not normal circumstances — and the potential for disenfranchisement is actually higher if we proceed like we are. Many people will stay away from the polls for fear of contacting COVID-19, or spreading it, unless something changes.
Please do not force citizens to choose between getting sick, or voting. Act now.
We are only as strong as our people, especially in times of crisis. And, South Milwaukee, you can rest assured we are as strong as ever during this pandemic.
And that’s because of a team that is demonstrating the focus, resiliency, flexibility and “all hands on deck,” team-first mentality needed now, more than ever. I knew this was the case for years. I have seen it in action every day the past two weeks.
Be confident in that as we continue to navigate these uncharted waters and continue to make collaborative and informed decisions in the best interest of the city.
Public Health
I start with our Health Department because this is where we have to start in an emergency like this. We rely on their experience in making sometimes terribly difficult decisions like closing city buildings, and we full-throatedly stand behind their orders like closing bars and restaurants. This is a public health crisis, and our actions are and will always be guided by these too-often overlooked professionals.
It has been especially inspiring and reassuring to see the leadership of Health Administrator Jackie Ove and the dedicated work of her team the South Milwaukee and St. Francis Health Departments. They are showing why our investments in public health are so critical, and it’s been easy to see in the past week that Jackie has earned her positions as a trusted and respected voice in the county, region and state. There is a lot more work to do with this group, and we have the right team and leader in place.
First Responders
They continue to step up in really difficult situations, and I am so, so grateful. They will need to continue to do that, and I have complete confidence they will. These people are heroes, and there will be more lives to save. They are more than up for the challenge. And that starts at the top, with two incredible leaders. We are blessed to have Police Chief William Jessup and South Milwaukee Fire Chief Joe Knitter, and their combined nearly 70 years of experience, guiding those departments. Chief Jessup is the head of MCLEA, the organization of chiefs and other law enforcement leaders across the county, and is speaking on behalf of that organization at all major county emergency operations meetings. Chief Knitter has just as strong a voice with the fire department chiefs organization, and is also playing a leadership role in the countywide emergency response.
Clerk and Treasurer’s Offices
We are trying our best to run an election in the middle of this, and are adapting to a huge shift in how people vote, on the fly. Absentee ballot requests have been pouring in by the thousands, and it’s been “all hands on deck” to process those and get them in the mail. We are also preparing for in-person absentee voting starting on Monday, reworking our process to ensure we are keeping social distancing, and making similar plans for Election Day on April 7. (Again, we are strongly advising people to order a ballot online. Details here.) This work is led by City Clerk Karen Kastenson, and I can’t thank her enough for her leadership, dedication and willingness to adapt age-old voting processes to our current reality. Her team is making it happen and will in the next two weeks.
Our payroll clerk, Katie Crosby, also doubles as our communications coordinator, and she, along with Assistant City Administrator Patrick Brever, have done some amazing work in this area the past couple of weeks. From the day it became clear this might be where we were headed, we decided to focus on communications, knowing the sharing of timely, clear, relevant and, most importantly, accurate information would be vital. I’m proud of what we — they — have delivered, and we will continue to.
Bills still must be paid, and payments collected, and that is the work of our treasurer’s team, led by Treasurer Karen Skowronski. Her steady hand and the hard work of her team never wavers, and their teamwork in supporting the Clerk’s Office work is appreciated.
Street Department
Garbage is still being picked up, and our Self-Deposit Station remains open. Signs are being made (especially critical these days), and vehicles are being maintained. While they are taking measures to protect themselves and you, the fact that we continue to deliver these services — and the many others performed by our Street Department — so seamlessly is a testimony to the leadership of Superintendent Dan Ratajski and the hard work of his team. Now hopefully we can hold off on any more salt or plow operations this season …
Water and Sewer Utilities
Our investments in fresh water pay off now, as what happens when you turn on your faucet and flush your toilet is no different now than it was two weeks ago. That won’t change. Thanks, Doug Fischer and Ben Huffman, and your teams, for your continued focus on these critical services, especially in difficult times.
Grobschmidt Senior Center
We acted quickly to shut down the senior center, out of an abundance of caution. But that doesn’t mean the work of Director Sandy Quinlan has stopped. She now leads our senior meal program dropoff site at the center and pitches in in other ways. If you are a senior who could use a free lunch each weekday — or know of one who does — check out information on the front page of our website. Thanks to Sandy and her group of volunteers for leading this important part of our safety net.
South Milwaukee Public Library
The library shut down on Tuesday, and after trying curbside pickup briefly, have instead turned to some really cool virtual efforts like a book club and storytime. (Details on their Facebook page.) And they are using this downtime to catalog materials to support the new RFID checkout system being installed. We are also redeploying resources to help in the clerk’s office on elections.
Sorry for the long post, but every city service is impacted by COVID-19 — and every city department is stepping up. There are plenty more to thank here — work is still happening in engineering, inspections, assessment, etc. — and I thank them every chance I get.
But I want to close with a word about our city administrator, Tami Mayzik. Mayors come and go, and I’ll do the same at some point. I suppose Tami will retire at some point, hopefully many years from now. Until she does, she will continue providing the same strong, steady, thoughtful, compassionate, and unbreakable leadership she has for well over a decade. She often works behind the scenes, and wants it that way. But we (I) would never be able to navigate through something like this without her. She is my right and left hand, and I am so blessed to have her by my side every day, especially in these times of crisis. Tami loves this city and wants what is best for it at all times, and that shows through every day.
That last sentence applies to me too. But I could not, would not, do this without my team, in crisis and not.
I made an all-city phone call on Thursday evening, and may make more in coming days and weeks. Here is the transcript of the Thursday call.
Importantly, if you have not added your mobile phone to our phone list, please do ASAP. It is easy to do, and will give another way to stay in touch on updates on COVID-19, in addition to our website, Facebook page, the SM Works app and other platforms.
The impacts of COVID-19 have touched all of us, illness or not. At the top of that list are small, independent businesses, especially bars and restaurants.
They need our help, and it’s time for us to step up and help them.
Shop local. Eat local — takeout or delivery from a local bar or restaurant. Spend local. It’s advice we can live by all the time, especially now.
It’s a matter of survival for some of these businesses.
Here are two resources to help …
Former City Clerk Jim Shelenske has lunched a new web page devoted to sharing information on local businesses, focused on bars and restaurants. Check it out here, and if you want to have your South Milwaukee business listed, email Jim at jim@southmilwaukee.org
I also continue to operate and regularly update the Shop Local South Milwaukee Facebook page, where I share updates from other local business Facebook pages throughout the day. Give it a like, too.
Look for regular updates on both sites. And shop local!
The City of South Milwaukee is sending a citywide mailer on what we are doing locally to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
It may not arrive in mailboxes until early next week, but here is the final file. Please share and post liberally!
It is essentially a single-source recap of information we have shared, but hitting every address.
Its primary audience is the thousands of people who may not be online in South Milwaukee, those who may have limited local information on closures and other city service impacts and voting. The document also includes information on meals for kids and seniors, and an effort to help local businesses, as well as basic information from federal health officials.
Thanks to MJ Media for their work on this, as we do all we can as a city to keep residents informed on this rapidly changing situation.
Look for a citywide phone message from me tonight.
The city has posted updated information on the coming election, which you can see here.
It includes information on in-person absentee (early) voting, which is supposed to start on Monday at City Hall.
Long story short: We are strongly recommending that all registered voters request a mailed ballot online.
You can do so here. It’s very easy. You can also request one via email to elections@smwi.gov, or by mail to City of South Milwaukee – Clerk, 2424 15th Ave., South Milwaukee, WI 53172. You will need to include a scanned image or image from your phone of your ID.
More guidance on Election Day protocols to come, as we seek to balance protecting the vote with reducing risk for our people and voters.
Lost in the craziness of the past week or so are the efforts school districts across the state are undertaking to feed kids during their time away from school. It’s inspiring — great examples of the roles schools play in caring for a community, extending well beyond the classroom.
South Milwaukee is stepping up, too. Its meal service starts today (Wednesday, March 18) and continues through Friday, picking up against on March 30. More details in the Family Letter here.
First, we want to be sure to offer free meals to our students who depend on the schools for meals. Our School Nutrition Services Department will be providing “grab and go” lunches along with an additional breakfast offering that is shelf stable for the following morning for all of our students. This option is available for children in South Milwaukee only. Meals are not available for adults.
In order to be as safe as possible regarding food handling, there will be a limited menu each day. Meals may include items such as pre-wrapped ham/cheese sandwich or uncrustables sandwich (peanut butter/jelly), fruit, milk, and a pre-packaged breakfast with juice or similar items.
The meals will be free of charge and be provided Wednesday, March 18th through Friday, March 20th and again March 30th through April 10th, Monday-Friday, at the following sites at the following times:
Site, Time and Location
Blakewood, Door 8, 11:00-11:30 a.m. Playground, drive up or walk up.
Lakeview, Door 11, 11:30-noon, Staff Parking Lot, drive up or walk up.
High School, Door 29 noon-12:45 p.m., Door 29, drive up or walk up.
Our preferred method of delivery is drive up. Please follow the directions available to drive up to the table at the door indicated and take the number of lunches needed. Students may also walk to the locations. All visitors should leave the school property once the lunch is received.
Throughout this time, it is important to keep the social distancing of 6 feet that has been recommended by health professionals. Equally important is to continue to wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. In distributing these meals, we are looking for students to take the meals and go home to eat.Students will not be allowed to play on the playground.
Out of an abundance of caution and after consulting with our Health Department, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, effective at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, March 18, all City of South Milwaukee buildings will be accessible to the public by appointment only, until further notice.
This will not apply to voters, although we strongly encourage residents to request a mailed absentee ballot.
The closure includes City Hall, the Police Department, Fire Department, Street Department, and Water and Wastewater facilities.
The Grobschmidt Senior Center is already closed, and the South Milwaukee Public Library building closed effective Tuesday, and we have now suspended the library’s curbside service that was being offered.
If you have city business that you believe requires you to physically appear at a city building, please call the city’s general number/switchboard line at 414-762-2222 to make an appointment.
You can also do a lot of city business online at our website.
Click here to see directions on how to make payments.
To obtain an absentee ballot, visit the state’s MyVote website. Again, we strongly suggest this. It is easy to use, and you can order a ballot in a few clicks. Please be prepared to take a photo of your ID and upload it into the system, when prompted.
We are keeping the Self-Deposit Station open, but employing practices to keep social distances, including temporarily suspending the $3 per-trip user fee.
We are also limiting non-essential in-home inspections and utility worker home visits.
All non-essential city meetings have been cancelled until further notice. We are working on livestream and teleconference options to hold future meetings, within the law.
We appreciate your patience and flexibility as we continue to operate amid rapidly changing guidance, orders and information. We will always act in the best interest of our employees and the general public.
You can get regular updates on COVID-19 on the city’s website and on our Facebook page. We will also be using the SM Works platform to share information on our response to COVID-19 via email to interested individuals. To join the email list, please sign up for the service and/or app, and submit your email address.
This evening, the City of South Milwaukee is joining with other local communities in issuing an order aimed at reducing the spread of COVID-19, including strictly prohibiting dining-in at restaurants and bars, effective at 2:01 a.m. on Tuesday, March 17.
While we recognize this order is a hardship for small businesses and others, we are doing this out of an abundance of caution and continue to make public health our top priority. Guidance from federal, state and local health professionals and the experience from other communities, states and countries is clear: We need to take these kinds of measures to slow the spread of the illness and protect our community. That has to be our focus.
In consultation with the South Milwaukee and St. Francis Health Departments, and in an abundance of caution due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Milwaukee Library Board is announcing the closure of the library building to the public until further notice, effective Tuesday, March 17, 2020.
The library will offer curbside service for picking up certain library materials put on hold from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday.
We will offer curbside fax and copy services for job-related material only.
Reference Services are available by phone (414-768-8195) 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday.
All returned material should be put in the outside drop box to the left of the front door.
Allow 24 hours for material to be checked-in.
All materials checked out before 3/16/2020, will be due on 5/1/2020.
Book donations will not be accepted until further notice.
South Milwaukee Municipal Court has been cancelled for Tuesday, March 17. The new scheduled court date for those who were to appear is May 21, 2020, at 10:30 a.m. For any questions, please call 414-768-7480.
Please check my March 15 update on guidance related to city services and buildings. In short, most of our buildings are open. But if you do not have essential business at a city building, please consider doing your business over the phone or online. In the case of paying bills at City Hall, please use the drop box near the door.
School District of South Milwaukee Meal Program Launching Wednesday, March 18: “The School District of South Milwaukee wants to be sure to offer free meals to their students who depend on the schools for meals. The School Nutrition Services Department will be providing “grab and go” lunches along with an additional breakfast offering that is shelf stable for the following morning for all students. This option is only for children in South Milwaukee. For more information on the meal program, click here.
The Grant Park Golf Course and clubhouse are now closed.
Check the city website for regular updates, follow the city’s Facebook page, and sign up for our SM Works app. We will be using SM Works to share information on our response to COVID-19 via email to interested individuals. To join the email list, please sign up for the service and/or app, and submit your email address.
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.
South Milwaukee Blog 