South Milwaukee Blog

Here is the update we shared online today, and are hand-delivering to Milwaukee Avenue business and property owners.

Long story short: This long-overdue upgrade to our Main Street is about to begin … and we’re going to do our best to minimize disruptions.

From the letter …

The City of South Milwaukee is moving ahead with a streetscaping project to enhance the look and feel of Milwaukee Avenue. The work will transform our Main Street, with new sidewalks, street lighting, planters, bike racks, trees, traffic signals, benches, and other decorative features. There will also be a limited amount of street repair, and the addition of bicycle lanes to create a spur of the Oak Leaf Trail through downtown.

While this is a significant and positive investment in our city center, the work will bring disruptions to businesses, residents and others who frequent our downtown area. We are committed to reducing those disruptions as much as we can. Open lines of communication will be key.

Check out the schedule in the letter. How will we communicate this?

• On July 29, we will launch a Milwaukee Avenue Streetscaping page on our website with regularly updated information on construction progress, timelines, and other tools likes parking maps. 
• We will also be sharing project updates on the city Facebook page, and starting a Facebook group to share information.
• We will also be sharing updates on the SM Works app. If you have not downloaded it yet, please do from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
• If you would like to receive email updates, please contact Assistant City Administrator Patrick Brever at brever@smwi.org.
• You can also contact Patrick (414-768-8051) or City Engineer Kyle Vandercar (contact information below) with any questions about the improvements.

Thank you ahead of time for your patience, as we make this significant investment in our city center, one that will help us continue our very real downtown momentum. There is much more to come.

Union Pacific continues its work to improve railroad crossings in South Milwaukee, and with that are coming more road closures.

From the city …

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Milwaukee Avenue will be closed to all traffic at the railroad crossing in both directions starting at 6AM on Monday, July 22nd. The crossing is scheduled to reopen on the morning of Wednesday, July 24th. Columbia Avenue will then close at the railroad crossing on Wednesday, July 24th. It is scheduled to reopen on the morning of Friday, July 25th.

Thank you for your patience.

A heat advisory kicks in at noon today for southeastern Wisconsin, with temperatures expected to soar into the 90s (and feel like well over 100 degrees on Friday) after the rain moves out.

With that in mind, South Milwaukee Downtown Market leadership has announced they are cancelling the farmers’ market today. Good call.

From checking out Grobschmidt Pool to visiting the South Milwaukee Library or Grobschmidt Senior Center, here are some ways to beat the heat locally … and please check on your neighbors and loved ones!

I was proud to honor the master gardeners behind the beautiful garden at Wil-o-Way Grant, winner of this year’s South Milwaukee Beautification Committee Best of Tour award. Well done!

Here is the proclamation I presented …

2019 SOUTH MILWAUKEE HISTORICAL SOCIETY GARDEN TOUR

BEAUTIFICATION COMMITTEE “BEST OF TOUR” AWARD

          WHEREAS, the South Milwaukee Historical Society held its 11^th-annual Garden Tour & Art Fair on June 22, 2019, showcasing five local gardens; and

WHEREAS, the event also featured an artisan fair, food, demonstrations and music at the South Milwaukee Historical Society; and

          WHEREAS, the Garden Tour is a great way to celebrate South Milwaukee’s best outdoor spaces and support the South Milwaukee Historical Society; and

            WHEREAS, each participant in the tour had truly outstanding gardens worthy of recognition;

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that I, Mayor Erik Brooks, on behalf of the South Milwaukee Beautification Committee, do hereby award the “Best of Tour” award to Master Gardeners Susan Gresser, Cindy Allen, Chris Marifke, the University of Wisconsin Extension and various other community and youth volunteers for their beautiful garden display at the Wil-O-Way Grant Recreation Center. The demonstration gardens not only have many universally accepted garden styles featured, but also include unique structures and designs not seen in other venues, creating an accessible garden that  constantly evolves and brings gardening to all abled people.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that I, Mayor Erik Brooks, the Beautification Committee and the entire South Milwaukee Common Council do hereby extend our congratulations and thanks to all of the participants who were part of this year’s tour, and offer our sincere appreciation to all of the volunteers who made the 2019 event a success.

I love how this has taken root in South Milwaukee!

Thanks to First Congregational for hosting this monthly event, and a special thanks to the organizations who step up each month to prepare and serve the meal, bringing the community closer together through food and fellowship. 

I’m told 89 guests attended last month, as the South Milwaukee Lions served a delicious meal of burgers, chicken sandwiches, potato salad, macaroni salad, cupcakes and cookies. On July 18, First Congregational will be serving spaghetti and meatballs, tossed salad, garlic bread and ice cream.

Looking ahead for the rest of this year, sponsors include Skyline Catering in August, Masjid Al-Huda in September, South Milwaukee Human Concerns in October, Trinity Lutheran Church in November and Knights of Columbus in December. Thank you, one and all!

More details on the entire week of family fun here.

It’s time for another Coffee with the Mayor!

Join me from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. this Friday, July 19, at Avenue Coffeehouse, 911 Milwaukee Ave. for an open discussion on what’s happening in South Milwaukee.

There is no set agenda, and pretty much anything is fair game. So bring your questions, comments or concerns and grab a drink while you’re there.

Thanks to Sara and Aaron for hosting!

From the engineer’s office … thanks ahead of time for your patience.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Rawson Avenue Closure at Railroad Crossing beginning Wednesday, July 10th. 

Contractors for Union Pacific Railroad will be closing Rawson Avenue to ALL TRAFFIC at the railroad crossing in both directions beginning at 6:00 AM on Wednesday, July 10th. Work is scheduled to be complete by 6:00 PM on Friday, July 12th. 

Please plan your daily commute accordingly.

Nominations for the South Milwaukee Beautification Committee Curb Appeal awards are are now open!

This award is presented to South Milwaukee businesses, homeowners, and civic organizations who devote extra effort to their property’s beautification, through landscaping and other street-facing efforts.

Deadline to submit nominations is July 31. Do so using this online form, or by replying the city’s Facebook post with addresses.

From the city website, where you can find information on all Beautification Awards throughout the year …

The South Milwaukee Curb Appeal Awards are presented annually to South Milwaukee businesses, homeowners and civic organizations who devote extra effort to their property’s beautification, through landscaping and other street-facing efforts. Judging criteria include utilization of color, appropriateness for the architecture of the structure, originality, lawn upkeep, and decorative exterior structures. Properties also will be judged on the overall exterior appearance of their buildings. Current-year Garden Tour entrants are also not eligible.

The recipients of the Beautification Awards are selected by the Beautification Committee in early August. The Beautification Awards are nomination-based, with nominations being solicited using Facebook and this online form.

Each of the homeowners will receive $50 a yard sign. The businesses will receive everything but the cash prize.

See you at Grant Park!

Congratulations to the South Milwaukee Police Department for their work on this tragic case. From the department today …

A summons was issued this week for First Degree Reckless Homicide (Len Bias Law) against a 35-year-old Milwaukee man who allegedly provided drugs to a South Milwaukee woman, causing her death. The incident occurred on December 5th, 2018, in the 300 block of Marquette Avenue. Officers and paramedics were initially dispatched to that location for a suspected overdose, and when they arrived they found an unresponsive 61-year-old South Milwaukee woman. Paramedics attempted to revive her but those efforts were unsuccessful. The victim died as a result of an accidental overdose and a lengthy investigation eventually led to the identification of the alleged drug supplier.

Check out these South Milwaukee headlines …

• Making Thousands While Sitting at Home: The Story of a Milwaukee “Influencer” (TMJ4)
• Ugly Building: Sunrise Plaza (BizTimes)
• Tasty, Fun, Easy and Cheap: It’s Easy to See Why Wisconsin is Hooked on Friday Fish Fries (Newsbug) … Pat’s Oak Manor mention
• Treat Yourself on a Hot Summer Day to Any of These Seven Ice Cream Shops in the Milwaukee Suburbs (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) … AM Ice Cream mention
• Some of Wisconsin’s Best Parks Are Small County and City Ones (Journal Sentinel) … Grant Park mention
• Jen’s Sweet Treats Raised More Than $10,000 for the Families of Fallen Officers Her and Hetland (Journal Sentinel) … Fancypants Cakes mention
• “Very sad incident:” Search for Shipwreck Leads to Death of Two Scuba Divers (Fox 6)

And check out this BizTimes story on Milwaukee-area rent prices. From it:

The cheapest rent prices in the state can be found in South Milwaukee. In May, it recorded an average rent price of $813, which was a $16, or nearly 2%, increase from the previous year. Following South Milwaukee for communities with cheapest rental rates are Kenosha, with an average rate of $1,028 per month, and Waukesha, at $1,028 per month.

From the Mayor’s Picnic to the bouncy houses, I am proud of how we’ve been able to grow this event over the years, thanks to our sponsors.

This year, we’ve added an afternoon and evening of live music, starting with a performance by our high school a cappella groups, and we’ve invested more into the fireworks show.

See you Thursday for another Independence Day of family fun!

We will redevelop South Milwaukee, one small business at a time (and maybe a few big ones too).

In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been proud to help welcome CM Salons (who previously called Oak Creek home), Eberhardy & Eberhardy (previously in Cudahy), and Black Sheep Tattoo to town, and celebrate a nice renovation at one of our longstanding local merchants, Parkway Floral.

There are more wins on the horizon, probably some losses too.

The progress is real. But we have lots of work yet to do. We’re doing it.