South Milwaukee Blog

2/13 Update: Plan is dead. Thanks to everyone who spoke up on this issue. Your voices were heard. And good call, County Executive Abele. Now let’s get to work solving the bigger problem of parks funding, together.

I’ve been asked a lot about this lately: Where do I stand on paying to park in parks?

The short answer: I oppose it, and have made that view known.

The longer answer: While I oppose it, I hate it when people say “no” to things without offering their own solution to the underlying problem — the problem in this case being inadequate funding for parks and the need for more parks revenue.

So I suggest we stop talking about parking fees, take a step back as a Milwaukee County community, and figure this out. Together.

With that in mind, the South Milwaukee Common Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing charging for parking in parks last week. As you can read, the city objects for two primary reasons: its potential to limit access to the parks, and the potential for detrimental impacts on neighborhoods surrounding the parks.

We join with many others in opposing this.

But the resolution adds …

And, recognizing that there are ongoing issues with funding of county parks, we further ask that county leaders consider convening a task force of key stakeholders to discuss and recommend solutions to enhance park revenues that do no limit access or negatively impact the communities in which county parks reside – solutions that should not include parking fees.

In other words, saying no to parking fees for parks is not enough. It does nothing to address the larger issue. Let’s do that.

In communicating with county leaders on this issue in recent weeks, I asked them to consider creating a task force to spend some time exploring alternative revenue sources. I repeated that call when this topic was addressed at today’s Intergovernmental Cooperation Council meeting, the monthly gathering of the county’s 19 mayors, village presidents, and the Milwaukee County executive. At that meeting, upwards of a dozen potential funding ideas were floated in just a 30-minute conversation on this issue. And that’s just the start.

Our parks need money outside of the property tax levy. That is clear. Parking fees are not the right solution.

Let’s get smart, passionate people together to find those solutions.

From the South Milwaukee Police Department …

On the Sunday February 11, 2018 at about 9:56pm the South Milwaukee Police Department received a 911 call from the Little Caesars Restaurant located at 3109 S. Chicago Avenue reporting that they had just been robbed. The suspect depicted below is described as a white male, approximately 5’09”, medium build, wearing a dark colored jacket with hood up, black nylon pants with a wide white stripe on the legs, possibly black or gray athletic shoes. The suspect covered his face with unknown cloth material. The suspect displayed a smaller handgun, grabbed the clerk by the arm, demanded money and fled in an unknown direction. We are investigating the possibility that this suspect could also be responsible for the robbery of the Sunrise Restaurant at 2418 10th Avenue, on January 24, 2018. The SMPD is reaching out to the public for their assistance in helping to identify the person responsible for this incident and are encouraged to contact the South Milwaukee Police Department at 414-768-8060 with any information.

I hear a lot from local leaders who are jealous of what we have in Milwaukee Avenue — a traditional Main Street in a time where more and more people are discovering the benefits of shopping local and shopping small.

That said, that Main Street is in sore need of a facelift. And it’s getting one.

The South Milwaukee Common Council recently backed two measures that will make this effort a reality in 2018. First, the council in January voted 7-1 to spend more than $65,000 with GRAEF consulting for design services on Milwaukee Avenue streetscaping enhancements between Ninth and 12th Avenues, fleshing out a master streetscape plan approved by the council in December of 2016. In addition, $1.2 million for streetscaping was included in the 2018-19 capital project plan, passed 6-1 last week.

This puts us on a path to begin work in August (after Evening on the Avenue) and have it completed by the time the snow flies.

This will be a complete redo from front of store to curb in those three blocks, bringing new lighting, sidewalk, plantings, trees, benches, bike racks and more.

It’s long overdue. It’s hard for even the most ardent opponent of this to say the avenue doesn’t look tired. It’s almost barren of decorative streetscaping currently, despite the hard work of the Beautification Committee, Street Department and others, who have creatively maximized what is there in recent years.

It’s also old infrastructure. The lighting and wiring are more than 60 years old, and simply don’t work in long stretches, and the sidewalk is crumbling. Trees are dead.

In other words, the time has come for this investment, and I’m excited to see it become a reality, the latest example of us bringing to life the comprehensive and downtown redevelopment plan we passed in 2016.

Have a plan, work the plan. This is a key part of working that plan.

Of course, not everyone agrees with this investment, and I get it. We have a lot of funding priorities in this city, and some argue this should wait.

I say, we’ve waited long enough. Let’s make this investment now, making a very visible and lasting public commitment as we continue to build the foundation for long-term growth in our downtown. It’s a top priority for me as mayor.

There will be opportunity for the public to weigh in on this in coming months, especially the business owners downtown. Stay tuned for more information on those opportunities.

Details from Troy and the team at MEARS Auctions, probably the coolest place in South Milwaukee few have seen, and a spectacular reuse of a former church property …

On Monday, February 19th, 2018, we will be hosting an opening house at the MEARS Museum located at 1234 Manitoba Ave., South Milwaukee, WI. The event is open to any and all interested parties. Guests can tour the MEARS Sports museum, see a very special limited run Pop Culture memorabilia display, and enjoy free pizza, snacks, and refreshments. The event runs from 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM CST and is open to all interested parties. During the evening, we want to accomplish the following goals:

From the Da Crusher Statue Facebook page …

BIG NEWS: Molthen-Bell & Son Funeral Home, a South Milwaukee staple for over 100 years, has agreed to contribute $10,000.00 to the statue fund! We are 75% there, folks! Let’s celebrate at Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall tonight!!!!!!

Here is the Go Fund Me page, as the campaign has now raised more than $30,000, almost all of it in the past two weeks. Amazing. (The Molthen-Bell commitment doesn’t show up on the site yet.)

More details on the Kochanski’s event here. See you there!

Check out these South Milwaukee headlines …

• Da Crusher is Crushing it: Crusher Countdown Halfway to Goal (NOW)
• Bucyrus Foundation Awards $200K Grant to South Milwaukee (NOW)
• South Milwaukee Craft Brewery, Apartments Project Dropped, but Grant Will Fund Other Downtown Efforts (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
• Man Arrested After Standoff Involving Rifle, Body Armor (Fox 6)
• Snow Doesn’t Stop Folks from Enjoying South Milwaukee Winter Market (Fox 6)
• Sister Roserita Kimmel Spent Many Years in Service of Others (Racine County Eye)
• Cudahy Sweeps Border Battle with South Milwaukee (Journal Sentinel)

And NOW has published a new police report.

From the South Milwaukee Police Department …

On the evening of February 6, 2018, the South Milwaukee Police Department was notified of a man walking the hallways at 2825 South Chicago Avenue, while holding and pointing a rifle while wearing body armor and a helmet. Upon police arrival, the 62 year old man had barricaded himself in his apartment.  He claimed to be armed with several guns and wearing body armor. The South Shore Joint Tactical Unit responded to the scene.  After talking to the subject on the phone, he eventually surrendered to police and was taken into custody without incident. No persons were harmed during this incident.  This case continues to be investigated and will be referred the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office in the near future for possible charges.

In-person absentee voting for the spring 2018 primary election is now open, and runs through Friday, Feb. 16.

Anyone planning on being out of town or unable to make it to the polling place on election day — or for any reason, really — can cast an absentee ballot at the clerk’s office at City Hall, 2424 15th Ave. Hours are 7:30 to 4 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, and 7:30 to 5 p.m. on Fridays. Remember to bring your photo ID.

• Here is a sample ballot for the spring primary for those in District 1, where there are six aldermanic candidates running for four spots on the April 3 ballot, in addition to a contested race for Milwaukee County Board and State Supreme Court.
• Here is a sample ballot for Districts 2-4, where the only contested races are for County Board and Supreme Court.

More details on the election information page on the city website.

And check out newspaper coverage of the aldermanic and county board races, to learn more about all of the local candidates.

Well, this is officially a thing. And I love it.

A few updates on the now-viral effort to erect a Crusher statue in South Milwaukee …

• In about a week, fundraising has surged to almost $20,000 — almost halfway to the goal — thanks in part to a $10,000 donation on Friday from Craig Kasten, who told organizer Chris Smith “that when he heard about the campaign he wanted to do something because he was a huge Crusher fan when he was young and the statue is something that simply needs to happen.”
• Sal from Papa Luigi’s also gave $1,000!
• In all, more than 130 people have donated on the GoFundMe page.
• Media interest has also been high. If you didn’t see Jim Stingl’s column on this, check it out here. And check out Gene Mueller’s blog post, and coverage from Fox 6.
• There is a new fundraising event, too, next week. Here is a list …
  • Thursday, Feb. 8: Crusher Kickoff Fundraiser, 7:30 p.m. at Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall, 1920 S. 37th St. Details here.
  • Thursday, Feb. 22: Crusher Night at The Vanguard, 2659 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., starting at 4 p.m. Look for a special Crusher sausage! Details here.
  • Thursday, March 15: Look for more details soon on an event at The Tap Room, 1301 Milwaukee Ave. in South Milwaukee. Proceeds from sales that day — the first day of the round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament — will go toward the statue.

Thanks to all the fans who have gotten behind this. I’m one of them — I’m excited to see the community rally behind this effort to memorialize a South Milwaukee icon.

How ’bout dat!?

More details at DaCrusher.org. 

Exciting news today, as the Bucyrus Foundation announced a $200,000 grant to aid in the redevelopment of South Milwaukee.

This is a unique and innovative partnership between South Milwaukee and the iconic company that called us home for more than a century.

As I say in the press release …

In many ways, the story of South Milwaukee is the story of Bucyrus, and vice versa. For many years, we were a  company town – shovels used to build the Panama Canal were built here. Bucyrus proudly defined us. This grant is a reflection of that, and we are so thankful to have attracted these funds. … South Milwaukee is at a crossroads, and the choices we make today will shape the redevelopment future of the city. These funds mean Bucyrus will help shape that future.

I can’t be more excited about this, and I thank City Administrator Tami Mayzik and Economic Development Director Stephanie Hacker for their work in pulling the grant materials together. I also thank Tim Sullivan for his leadership and advocacy in helping secure these funds. As he says, “We hope to continue to support the city that provided us with so much success over so many years as long as we can.”

We have to earn that support, and we are and will.

Check out coverage from BizTimes.

Learn more about Sunday’s South Milwaukee Winter Market here.

And some news from the South Milwaukee School District …

This Saturday night, see Delta V and The PopRockets compete in the International High School a Cappella Quarterfinals right here at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center!  Please come and cheer loud for your friends to show your support.  Buy your tickets online, since tickets usually sell out in advance and might not be available at the door. https://varsityvocals.com/event/2018_ichsa_midwest_qf_south_milwaukee/

Ten high school a cappella groups will be competing:  

• Delta V | South Milwaukee High School, South Milwaukee, WI
• The PopRockets | South Milwaukee High School, South Milwaukee, WI
• Acafellas | Loyola Academy, Wilmette, IL
• Echo Effect | Niles West High School, Skokie, IL
• Incognito | Mayville High School, Mayville, WI
• Knight Club | Oak Creek High School, Oak Creek, WI
• Ladies Knight | Oak Creek High School, Oak Creek, WI
• Minor Renovation | Buffalo Grove High School, Buffalo Grove, IL
• Nothin’ But Treble | Loyola Academy, Wilmette, IL
• Unaccompanied Minors | Brookfield East High School, Brookfield, WI

From the South Milwaukee Health Department …

Citizens need to be mindful of the increase in coyote activity. Especially if they have small pets, they should keep a close eye on their pets when outside. Adult coyotes typically mate in February so residents may see an increase in activity.

Here is a photo of a coyote spotted in the 1700 block of Blake … I’ve also seen reports of them near Grant Park.

I got the text message Saturday afternoon: “Hi Erik. Care to see the improvements here at the bakery anytime this weekend?”

It was from Josh Mertens from Wild Flour Bakery.

Of course I would, I replied, and we (and his father, Greg) met a few hours later at their South Milwaukee store, 1205 Milwaukee Ave.

I’m glad I stopped by, as I got a chance to see and hear about Wild Flour’s growth plans.

The headline: Wild Flour is consolidating all of its baking operations in South Milwaukee in coming weeks, bringing more than a dozen new employees to town. They are also exploring ways to enhance their retail operations locally.

With the new equipment and people (growing from five to around 20 employees), Wild Flour may produce as many as 2,000 loaves of bread a day in their 7,500 square-foot South Milwaukee store, and 3,000 cookies per week, and other treats.

What comes from South Milwaukee ovens will be bound for their farmers’ markets (they do around 25, including the South Milwaukee Downtown Market) and stores like Sendik’s and Woodman’s, as well as retailers like Oscar’s Pub & Grill (Wild Flour makes the brioche buns for the South Side restaurant’s award-winning hamburgers) and Valentine Coffee Co. (they make baked goods for their three busy airport kiosk locations).

I want to thank the Mertens and Wild Flour for investing in downtown South Milwaukee — the latest example of local businesses choosing to grow locally. Heck, it’s second our bakery expansion alone. Look for more sweet success stories soon.

I have humbly accepted a nomination to join the League of Wisconsin Municipalities Board of Directors. I am excited to step up and play a leadership role with this organization, one that I have been very impressed with in my time as mayor.

But it’s not about me. This is really good news for our city.

As they say in this press release, the League is poised to propose sweeping reforms to “examine and reform the state/local partnership” in coming years, and this appointment means South Milwaukee will have a seat at the head table.

Additionally, as I said in the release …

“We are stronger together, and the League’s work is a reflection of that. Now more than ever I’m excited to help guide their efforts in providing a strong, unified voice for cities and villages in Madison, and in sharing best practices we can all learn from.”

Let’s get to work.

Learn more about the League here, and its agenda.