South Milwaukee Blog

Learn more about the major investment coming to Milwaukee Avenue at an information meeting set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, at City Hall.

Details here and here. From the city Facebook page …

The city is in the final phase of preparing streetscaping improvement plans for Milwaukee Avenue. We are planning to present the final plan layout, address questions and to solicit public comments on our final details for Milwaukee Avenue at our public informational meeting. If you’d like to learn more about our plans, we encourage you to attend.

I’m excited to see our Main Street transform later this year, as we continue the even more important work of filling empty storefronts. Together, this will bring new life to our city center, and we’re well on our way.

Love this effort by the Lakeview PTO and Student Council …

The news remains positive and the momentum remains strong in the redevelopment of the former Bucyrus campus.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel covered the the issue extensively in a story posted to its website Friday afternoon, and I expect it will appear in Sunday’s print edition. Check it out here. From it …

A Reich Brothers affiliate in August paid $13.3 million for eight buildings between Rawson Avenue, Milwaukee Avenue, 10th Avenue and the railroad tracks, according to state real estate records.

Reich Brothers in January took full control of the site after Caterpillar finished moving out its equipment.

“Everything is tenant-ready,” said Michael Reich, of Reich Brothers.

“And we’re open for business,” said Reich, co-director of business development and acquisitions.

The White Plains, New York-based firm has cleaned up the buildings now that Caterpillar has left the house. That’s brought an increase in visits from prospective tenants, Reich said.

“They look and show very well,” he said.

A few news and notes about the campus …

• Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue officially certified the new tax incremental financing district created for the campus redevelopment and other downtown properties. It is now ready to support to redevelopment costs and drive growth the downtown district. This is significant news, and the culmination of more than a year of work by many people inside City Hall.
• Forbes published a story last week about an additional investor in the property, HFZ Capital Group. See it here. I was happy to see them double down on a commitment to mixed use for the property. Said Adam Feldman of HFZ: “ur collective goal is to rehabilitate and re-purpose these properties. These are places where a big company shut down and the community lost a big piece of the tax base. We want to bring in new companies and revitalize those areas.”
• The firm representing Reich Brothers had an open house for brokers on Thursday, and it was really well attended. I joined more than two dozen brokers who toured the space, and feedback was very positive.

The postseason journeys for the South Milwaukee basketball teams start tonight, when the Woodland East champion Rocket girls, seeded third in their sectional, host New Berlin West in a regional semifinal game at the Sullivan Gym. Game time is 7 p.m.

No. 2 seed Pewaukee likely looms for the winner on Saturday, and top-seeded New Berlin Eisenhower could be a sectional semifinal foe.

But, first, tonight. Check out the brackets here.

The seventh-seeded boys open postseason play at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, as they host No. 10 New Berlin West in regionals. The winner plays No. 2 Pewaukee. Check out the boys’ bracket here.

Go Rockets!

First, dinner to support the American Legion Post, followed by a Game Night to support the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center.

Sounds like a date night to me!

Voters in the second and fourth districts will be casting their ballots in new locations starting with the April 2 general election.

District 2 voters (southeast side of town) will now vote at the Divine Mercy Gathering Room, 800 Marquette Ave., and District 4 voters (northwest side of town) will now vote at the Grobschmidt Senior Center, 2424 15th Ave. They previously voted at Lakeview Elementary and Rawson Elementary.

The decision means voters will no longer be in schools on Election Day in South Milwaukee. From the press release …

In a combined effort with the School District of South Milwaukee, it was recommended to relocate any polling locations away from the schools in order to maintain security and the safety of students. …

During the next few elections, signage will be used to help guide voters on how to navigate their new polling locations. The City will also provide signage at the old polling locations to remind voters of the polling place relocation.

Voting locations for Districts 1 (Divine Mercy School, in the cafeteria, separated from students) and 3 (City Hall) will remain the same.

More details on our elections can be found on our Elections home page.

I want to thank our city clerk, our entire elections team and the school district for their work on this. It was a long time coming, and it’s all about safety and security. Our local schools have really stepped up their security measures in recent years, and those efforts should be in place every day kids are in school.

Separating voters from students on Election Day is the right call.

Check out these South Milwaukee headlines ..

• Boy Clears Snow and Ice Around Fire Hydrant (TMJ4)
• Local Fire Departments Move Forward with Peanut Butter Drive, Hold Kickoff Event (CBS 58)
• Owner Claims Cat Found Taped Inside Box by Garbage Can at Seven Bridges in South Milwaukee (NOW)
• “I Can’t Stand Clothes,” South Milwaukee Man Says While Getting Second Citation for Sunbathing Naked (NOW)
• South Milwaukee Police Searching for Red Bull Thieves (CBS 58)
• South Milwaukee Woman Assaulted Her Boyfriend After Night of Drinking, Police Say (NOW)

The funeral procession for fallen Milwaukee Police Department Officer Matthew Rittner will pass through South Milwaukee later this afternoon (Wednesday, Feb. 13). The exact route can be found in this post.  

Note that it calls for the procession to head east on Rawson Avenue from Oak Creek, then north on Nicholson Avenue past College and into Cudahy, on its way to 794 and eventually Brookfield. Our police and street departments are supporting the processional, and we will have squads taking part in it. The South Milwaukee Fire Department will have an engine parked at Rawson and Nicholson with a large flag. 

The Milwaukee Police Department has indicated the procession will leave Oak Creek Assembly of God around 4:30 p.m., but please monitor it on TV, as that time may change.

I have encouraged our city workers to view the procession — which may mean some non-essential city functions will close early today — and I encourage you to do the same.

Let’s join together as a city in honoring Officer Rittner, and in supporting and thanking our police officers — and all public safety officers everywhere — on this day, and every day.

We also offer thoughts and prayers for the family of Bryan Rodriguez, the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works employee who was killed in a hit-and-run crash on the job this week. We thank all of our employees for their dedication during these difficult times. 

Updated at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 12.

News and notes from our latest winter storm …

• Local schools are closed today. The South Milwaukee School District made the call around 5:45 a.m.
• The district posted on their Feacbeook page that all after school events are cancelled today. This includes games, practices, events, recreation department activities and the superintendent feedback meeting. The feedback meeting has been rescheduled for Feb. 20.
• The high school girls’ basketball game — a key intradivision crossover game in the Woodland — between South Milwaukee and New Berlin Eisenhower has been moved to Thursday at Eisenhower.
• The Grobschmidt Senior Center is also closed due to the weather. So is our Self-Deposit Station. Otherwise, City Hall is open.
• The South Milwaukee Library is open regular hours, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Garbage and recycling are being picked today, as usual. Commercial garbage pickup has been rescheduled for Thursday.
• Plows have been out since around 2 a.m., including alley plows.
• The Friends of the Mill Pond have cancelled their meeting scheduled for this evening.

I also want to share a couple of messages I received from local residents today … well done, guys!

First, there was this one about the actions of one of our plow crews this morning around 6th and Sherman …

“Mayor Brooks: Just wanted to give a shout out to a couple of snowplow drivers who just pushed a woman’s car out of a snowdrift. The car was on the side of the road that had already been plowed, so it wasn’t stopping them from doing their job. South Milwaukee spirit at its best!”

And then this one came in … a call from a resident thanking our guys for helping him get up from the snow, after he had fallen, early this morning. They also helped get his daughter’s car unstuck. Well done!

And another one! Just got this for the 4:30 update, our plow drivers stepping up again, this time near 7th and Lakeview this afternoon …

The South Milwaukee Health Department is partnering with Prevent Suicide Greater Milwaukee and Oak Creek filmmaker Aaron Johnson to host a suicide prevention and awareness event on March 14 at City Hall.

The event begins at 6 p.m. From the Facebook event page …

Learn to recognize the risk factors and warning signs associated with suicidal thoughts and how to offer hope and help with QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Training. Also view the award winning documentary, “Hoan Alone,” which was created by Milwaukee’s own Aaron Johnson. QPR is for anyone who wants to know more about keeping loved ones from dying by suicide.

The event includes the South Milwaukee debut of Johnson’s short film, which has already been recognized at dozens of film festivals. It tells the stories of families and first responders impacted by those who took their own lives jumping from the iconic Milwaukee bridge.

Check out a trailer here.

Thank you to our health department for leading the dialog and planning this event. South Milwaukee is blessed to have such a dedicated group of professionals focused on public health issues like this.

And congratulations to Aaron, who attends Trinity Lutheran Church in South Milwaukee. His film is deserving of all the accolades it is receiving. See for yourself on March 14.

Crime in South Milwaukee was down significantly for the second straight year in 2018, but we’re not resting on that positive trend.

That is the message South Milwaukee Police Chief William Jessup shared in a video message posted to the department Facebook page today.

Said Jessup in the video …

“I give you these numbers knowing full well that for anyone who has been a victim of crime, these stats do not alleviate your anger or your fear. Crime can have an immense impact on your sense of security, so we continue to work at reducing these numbers even further. Our officers are active day and night. They have stepped up their enforcement of traffic laws to make our streets safer, and have increased their attention to neighborhoods and businesses in an effort to reduce crime and disorder.

“We encourage you to work with us in our crime-fighting efforts by becoming involved in a block watch, or simply calling us when you see something amiss. Together, we can make a difference in our community.”

This is obviously good news, but Chief Jessup is right in saying that all crime is personal, and even one is too many.

I want to thank our entire department for their work in helping to reduce crime and keep us safe. But, as Chief Jessup said, this is a partnership — we can not do this without our residents, property owners and others stepping up to do their part. Together, we will keep South Milwaukee a safe community in which to live, work and play.

Mark your calendars for this free community family event!

From the South Milwaukee Police Department …

The Sunrise Restaurant in South Milwaukee was robbed on January 20th, 2018 and the Little Cesar’s Pizza in South Milwaukee was robbed on February 11th, 2018. In both incidents, a single male suspect entered the business and committed the robberies. A lengthy investigation into these armed robberies has resulted in the arrest of a 32-year-old man, Matthew Mercil, of Oak Creek. Mercil is facing a total of 7 felony charges, which include the robberies, as well as Felony Shoplifting at the South Milwaukee Walmart. He is also charged with Fleeing an Officer and Recklessly Endangering Safety as a result of a vehicle pursuit on January 6th, 2019. A female accomplice has also been charged with felony shoplifting.