South Milwaukee Blog

Downtown South Milwaukee is more beautiful tonight, thanks to a talented local artist and her very cool, locally inspired design.

I was proud to be part of the unveiling of the latest Milwaukee County Bus Shelter Art Project work on Thursday. “Rooted in Nature,” which now adorns the shelter at 10th and Milwaukee Avenues, was designed by South Milwaukeean Kasia Drake-Hames.

She said the piece is inspired by “the natural features in South Milwaukee, including Grant Park, the beach and the Oak Creek. I would like people to consider our interconnectedness to nature every day.”

This work will definitely inspire that, in the heart of our city.

Drive, walk or bike by and see for yourself. You can’t miss it. It really pops.

In addition to Kasia, I say thank you to the Milwaukee County Transit System for bringing the program to South  Milwaukee, and to Lybra Olbrantz, for helping initiate this countywide program. And to the South Milwaukee Beautification Committee, which judged the more than 20 entries, you made the right call.

Now on to our other bus shelters …

More news from the South Milwaukee Beautification Committee …

The South Milwaukee Beautification Committee has announced its fall awards program, the Rocketober Awards, recognizing those with the best fall, Halloween or Thanksgiving-themed decorations on their homes or businesses.

Winners will be selected to receive a cash prize, a sign, and recognition on the city’s/mayor’s digital platforms. All decorations must be up by October 21st, with judging taking place the week after. 

Entries may be submitted on Facebook, online form, and the SM Works app (available for download on the Apple Store and Google Play Store).

Check out these South Milwaukee headlines …

• Buy Caterpillar as Mining, Oil and Gas Producers Replace Equipment, Says Deutsche Bank (CNBC)
• Milwaukee’s Violent Femmes Excited to Make History, Playing 1st Show at Fiserv Forum (Fox 6)
• Blast Fitness Closes in Cudahy; Members Directed to Planet Fitness in South Milwaukee (NOW)
• $1,300 of Prescription Drugs Stolen (NOW)

Also, the police have published a new crime summary on their Facebook page.

What a great way to start the South Milwaukee PAC season!

From the PAC (and tickets are still available) …

Even though the legendary coach has passed on, you don’t have to miss his spirit.

South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center is proud to present The Life and Times of Vince Lombardi on Thursday, September 13, at 7:30.

Some would say he never left at all and that John Pinero is Vince Lombardi! John Pinero’s one-man play portraying the greatest professional coach in football history is a force to be reckoned with. John has won praise and recognition from the professional football community and fans. John’s list of testimonials is extensive and includes praise from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame, and former Lombardi players, Bart Starr, Willie Davis, Fuzzy Thurston, and Jerry Kramer. He has impressed and inspired communities and critics with his highly appraised play.

ABC television hired him to star as Vince Lombardi in the 2006 pre-game Super bowl show. Among the reviews, Mike Downey of the Los Angeles Times told readers it’s “riveting” and to “Go, go, go see Vince!” The Milwaukee Journal wrote, “This is the stage incarnation of Vince Lombardi, brought to you with impeccable care by actor John Pinero”, and the Green Bay Press Gazette declared, “Vince packs a lot into less than two hours. Pinero did his homework, and then some.”

In the continued tradition of providing youth inspirational opportunities when possible, John Pinero will also meet with and provide a motivational presentation for the students of South Milwaukee High School at an outreach event during the school day.

To see a complete list of all shows go to www.southmilwaukeepac.org.

This is really cool — check it out for yourself!

Thanks to the South Milwaukee Beautification Committee for judging these terrific works of art. It wasn’t an easy call, but we made the right one, choosing a talented local artist worthy of this recognition.

From the press release …

Milwaukee, WI – The popular MCTS Bus Shelter Art Project will unveil the final artwork of the year at 4:30pm on Thursday, September 6^th. The last piece titled, Rooted in Nature, will be displayed at a bus shelter at 10^thand Milwaukee Avenue in South Milwaukee.

The original artwork will be unveiled by the artist, Kasia Drake-Hames, and South Milwaukee Mayor Erik Brooks.

Kasia was one of numerous artists who submitted artwork for consideration for this bus shelter. She says her piece is inspired by “the natural features in South Milwaukee, including Grant Park, the beach and the Oak Creek. I would like people to consider our interconnectedness to nature every day.” 

Rooted in Nature is the seventh unique artwork on display in an MCTS shelter.

“I am excited to honor a terrific local artist with this creative piece of public art in the heart of our downtown,” Brooks said. “Our Beautification Committee had some great designs to choose from, and this one was truly special.”

The art shelter program is part of a unique partnership between MCTS and the Bus Art Project MKE, a local effort to spread art across Milwaukee. MCTS has a special webpage with the locations and pictures of all the pieces of art. All artwork is donated by the artists and the cost of printing and installing the art is covered by donations.

I was sad to see news today of Milwaukee’s Holiday Parade coming to an end.

It reminds me to never take for granted the South Milwaukee Lions’ work in presenting our annual Christmas Parade … and this year’s it’s lighted!

Start planning your entries now. Local churches, schools, businesses, organizations, clubs, sports teams, individuals … let’s make this parade one to remember.

Contact details can be found in the image. Merry Christmas!

Here is one more reason to visit Grant Park Beach: to celebrate the love of your life.

You may have noticed the growing number of “love locks” on the chains that line the jetty heading out from the beach parking lot.

I checked them out this weekend and left, well, in love.

Check out coverage from TMJ4 and OnMilwaukee.com. As I said in the TMJ4 story …

“I love the idea of ‘love locks,’ and plan to add one of my own soon, celebrating 19 years of marriage to my sweetheart. What a great way to make a personal connection at a local attraction like Grant Park. There are so many good things happening at Grant Park Beach these days, and I’m glad to add this to the list.”

I spoke to county officials on this, and they are at worst neutral on “love locks.”

I get there have been concerns in other places about the weight of all these locks on bridges, environmental concerns about throwing metal keys in the water, and what thousands of these would look like vs. a dozens.

Certainly, those issues arose in Paris.

Maybe we’ll too have to worry about these negative effects someday, if and when this ever takes off. I hope it does.

For now, let’s just love it for what it is — a fun way to celebrate Grant Park, South Milwaukee, and a feeling the world could use more of these days.

And consider adding a lock of your own.

Our family’s first Kickball for a Cure is over, and it’s heartwarming to see how so many people helped make a real difference in the fight against type 1 diabetes.

This was a truly local effort.

First, there was the incredible support of the South Milwaukee Little League, which opened their doors with open arms to host the tournament, and fielded a team.

We had so many local volunteers, dozens of people who stepped up to make this happen, from family members to family friends to diabetes families to South Milwaukee Little League families to the South Milwaukee Lions, and many, many more. A special shoutout to our umpires — kids and adults, people like Andy Schendel and the Lindner family, who volunteered their time to make sure these spirited games remained fun, yet competitive.

Then there was love shown by local businesses. So many stepped up to donate raffle items and other goods and services, including a huge bratwurst donation by Milwaukee Sausage Co. Moran’s fielded three teams.

Indeed, it was so much fun to see all of the teams who took part, from the South Milwaukee Police Department Porkchops to the Salisott Diabeaters to “It’s a SMLL World” (the Little League group) to the family teams.

Congratulations to Moran’s Pub #3, the tournament winners, led by Chris Stritchko, and to our runner-up squad, Shredder Teens, a group of 14-year-olds from Oak Creek, who made a terrific run. Well done!

We can’t thank everyone enough.

Of course the real winners are those suffering from type 1 diabetes, as we netted … wait for it … more than $2,500 for JDRF Southeastern Wisconsin!

And we’re not done yet. Kickball for a Cure continues with our online auction for four tickets and a parking pass to the Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings game on September 16. Bidding is open and ends Friday. Bid here.

From NOW …

Everhart Van Eimeren was killed when the artillery gun he was operating exploded, probably from a defective shell.

Everhart Van Eimeren was serving in Wisconsin’s 32nd Red Arrow Division when he was killed on Aug. 29, 1918. He and two other soldiers died when the artillery gun they were operating malfunctioned and exploded. The American Legion post in South Milwaukee is named for Van Eimeren. (Photo: South Milwaukee American Legion Post)

Maurice O’Brien, 17, was lying in woods when German shells started falling on his position, killing him instantly. John Libecki, 24, died in a gas attack.

Three Wisconsin soldiers who fell far from their South Milwaukee homes were buried near their battlefields and eventually came home to be laid to rest in the same cemetery. 

The South Milwaukee American Legion Post named after Van Eimeren has scheduled a remembrance ceremony on Wednesday exactly 100 years after the 19-year-old soldier’s death.

Join the remembrance at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 29, the centennial of Van Eimeren’s death. The event will feature a short program, 21-gun volley, taps and laying of wreaths at Holy Sepulcher Cemetery near the intersection of East College Avenue and South Lake Drive in Cudahy. Wreaths will be laid at the graves of Van Eimeren, O’Brien and Libecki.

Thanks to Mr. Ludka and the entire post for all they do to to continue to honor our veterans, those living and some long since passed.

The post celebrates it 100th anniversary in 2019.

John Libecki

Maurice O’Brien

Everheart Van Eimeren (second row, left in photo on right)

From the Rotary Club of Mitchell Field … I love this event!

Sunday, Sept. 9, noon to 4 p.m.

Enjoy delicious fare served from more than a dozen food trucks. Acoustic rock music will be provided by Rohn Larson from 12:30-3:30pm. This is a pet-friendly, family-friendly event with no alcohol served. Come for lunch then finish with a pre-game snack to take home and savor while you watch the Green Bay Packers game in the evening. Food Truck Sunday is presented by the Rotary Club of Mitchell Field and sponsored by Educator’s Credit Union. 

And in time for the start of school.

Thanks, Milwaukee County, for this much-needed infrastructure investment.

See you around town!

Have a plan, work the plan.

If you know me and read this blog with any regularity, you know how important I find planning — and the willingness to not let those plans sit on a shelf collecting dust.

Have a plan: Bring stakeholders together to determine your vision for the future, and what it will take to achieve that vision.

Work the plan: Bring to life the goals and objectives that make up your plan, delivering on the collective vision for a more promising future.

We did it with our 2035 Comprehensive Plan, we will do it with the Oak Creek Watershed restoration plan. Now, I’m proud to say we’re employing this strategy in city government.

The city has begun strategic planning work with Better Dash Faster, a Madison consulting firm that is focused on “helping top executives do business better and faster.” The firm has worked with communities like Oshkosh and Oconomowoc on their plans, came highly recommended and has already shown they will be terrific partners for us.

The work began in July, with an introduction for the common council, and continued earlier this month with a meeting of department heads and senior staff. A survey is underway now, and a planning retreat is scheduled for October.

The end result: We will emerge with a shared vision for city government, our priorities for serving taxpayers, and goals and objectives built around how we will work against those priorities. Along the way, I hope we can answer questions like, “What do we need to do differently, or start doing?” and “What can we stop doing?” Questions like “What do we need to be famous for?” and “What might it take to get there?”

Answers to these and more will guide a plan to be shared with employees, around which they will build their own goals and objectives, as we look to bring our strategic plan to the front lines and make it part of our everyday culture at the city.

We will also share the plan for community feedback.

I’d ultimately like to use that plan to measure and compensate performance of city employees, tying both to the goals and objectives we agree upon. But that is likely years away. The plan is just the start.

Will this be perfect? No. Will we have to regularly refine our plan to adapt to changing realities and city needs? Absolutely.

But as the quote in the headline — from novelist Andy Weir — says: “A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.”

Let’s go.

Back from a week at Mille Lac Lakes in north central Minnesota (and this awesome big walleye statue in Garrison, Minn.), and catching up on a few things …

• Elections. Of course, it as election week in Wisconsin. Find local primary results here. Turnout (36 percent of registered voters) was terrific, as usual: Fifty-two percent voted in the Democratic primary; 38 percent in the Republican primary. Winners in South Milwaukee included Leah Vukmir (U.S. Senate) in the Republican primary, and Tony Evers (governor), Mandela Barnes (lieutenant governor), Douglas La Follette (secretary of state), Sarah Godlewski (state treasurer), Gwen Moore (U.S. House) and Richard Schmidt (Milwaukee County sheriff) in the Democratic primary.
• Night Out. The South Milwaukee Police Department held another successful Community Night Out … check out some pictures on their Facebook page.
• Police Report. The department also published its weekly crime summary on its Facebook page, and this week’s update includes this item: “At 7:39 pm on August 18th, a 14 year old South Milwaukee boy and a 14 year old Cudahy boy reported being confronted by a group of individuals who robbed them of a cellphone, phone chargers, and other personal property at gunpoint while walking along railroad tracks behind WalMart in the 200 Block of North Chicago Avenue.  Some of the suspects were acquaintances of the victims.  Through an investigation, officers identified and arrested four individuals, a 17 year old South Milwaukee boy, a 16 year old South Milwaukee boy, a 17 year old Franklin boy, and a 15 year old Milwaukee girl who all admitted involvement. The weapon used was reported to be a BB gun and all four individuals will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office for charges.”
• Tragic loss. South Milwaukee laid to rest a local sports legend last week: Mike Stojsavljevic. As it so beautifully stated in his obituary: “Stoj always believed in being a part of something larger. He loved sports and believed sports developed a lifetime of memories. Triumphs and defeats stay with you long after a season is over. Kids will one day forget who was in their math class, but their team they will never forget. Mike was honored to be a part of your team. His season may have ended but his legacy will live on.” We could only hope to leave such an imprint on life, and our community. Rest in peace, Mike.
• Ready for some football? The South Milwaukee football team opened its 2018 season with a 43-13 loss to a really good Burlington team. Next up for the Rockets: Friday at Brown Deer.
• Legion Post’s future. NOW wrote about the financial realities of the building South Milwaukee American Legion Post 27 calls home.