Tag Archives: College

October 31, 2009 · 11:02 am

Busy Council Meeting Deals with Labor Agreements, Road Projects, Sewer Rates

It’s a full plate for the South Milwaukee Common Council at its November 3 meeting. Among the agenda items:

  • Discussion and possible motions on new labor agreements for our firefighters (South Milwaukee Firefighters Protective Association Local 1633) and police officers (South Milwaukee Professional Police Association Local 201).
  • Discussion and a possible motion regarding plans to be submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for 15th Avenue improvements from College Avenue south to Rawson. We had a Public Works and Property Committee meeting about this issue on Wednesday, and I’m really happy with what our engineering department came up with here. You can learn more about the project in this earlier post. The proposal we’re going to debate is expected to include, among other safety improvements, the addition of medians and left-turn restrictions at Beech, Walnut and Cherry. A median at Maple near Rawson Elementary is no longer under consideration.
  • Discussion and a possible motion on the submission of an application to the state for funding to improve 11th Avenue south of Milwaukee Avenue . I feel this is an important project for our downtown, as it would allow for some much-needed work on the stretch of road that houses the South Milwaukee Downtown Market. The market was a huge success in 2009, and we’re planning to make it bigger and better in 2010. Making 11th Avenue a first-class roadway, as opposed to the current potholed mess it currently is, will help achieve that goal.
  • Discussion and a possible motion on an increase in sewer user rates. This was the subject of a lengthy Wastewater Commission meeting I attended Thursday, and commissioners voted to recommend an increase in sewer rates. The council must approve this. This is a very complicated issue, but I go in to Tuesday’s meeting expecting to support the increase for several reasons. First, it’s what the wastewater facility needs to pay its bills while also beginning to grow the cash balance in its budget. That balance does not currently exist. The recommended increase is also manageable for residents. For the average user, it will equate to an estimated $5.50 increase per tri-annual sewer bill, or $16.50 annually. And I’m told that our sewer bills will remain among the lowest in the area, even with the increase. It’s also the first increase since 2007, and the one previous to that came in 2004. A decline in the volume of sewage treated is also driving this. In short, it seems like a fair request on the part of our Wastewater Commission.

The Common Council meeting begins at 7 p.m. at City Hall. Click here for the full agenda.

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October 21, 2009 · 3:13 am

Working Toward a Wider Nicholson Avenue

I take my life into my own hands twice a day while dodging rush-hour traffic on Nicholson/Pennsylvania Avenue on the way to work. In 2012, my commute, and the commute of thousands of others, might get a bit easier.

Work is progressing toward a project that will widen the road from two to four lanes from College Avenue south to Rawson.

Utility relocation is scheduled to begin in 2011, and roadway construction will start in early 2012, according to a request for proposals that was sent out this summer seeking design firms.

Fifteen proposals were submitted, and the RFP was recently awarded to Foth Infrastructure & Environment LLC, which will handle survey work, preparation of alternatives for layout and stormwater management, public information meetings and final project design.

This will be a long process, one that involves South Milwaukee, Oak Creek and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation working together to come up with the best solution for what I believe is a dangerous roadway. I promise to keep you updated on what’s happening with this project as it moves forward.

Of course, I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter. Do you think widening is necessary? If not, what, if anything, should be done? Post your comments below.

Also, check out this post to learn more about the postal facility project planned for College and Pennsylvania/Nicholson. The status of this project — specifically if the USPS decides to pay for some road improvements — will impact the widening effort. But in the end, no matter what happens with the postal facility, the widening is planned to go on. 

(Thanks to City Engineer Kyle Vandercar for providing these updates.)

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October 20, 2009 · 3:03 am

What’s up with That Postal Facility, Anyway?

Update: South Milwaukee City Engineer Kyle Vandercar says Oak Creek has sent a letter to the USPS with a November 1 deadline requesting that they verify they are still planning to fund improvements on Pennsylvania/Nicholson from Hickory to College. As stated below, this all plays into plans to improve the entire stretch of Pennsylvania/Nicholson from College to Rawson. I’ll post more on that effort soon. Thanks for the update, Kyle.

That’s the question I posed to Oak Creek City City Administrator Patrick DeGrave today. The answer? Not much.

“No new information,” he wrote in an email. “We continue to work to get the USPS to commit financially to the design and construction of Pennsylvania. The County is doing the same for College.”

As you’ll recall, the plans, originally announced in 2008, called for construction of an 870,000 square-foot mail processing and distribution facility southwest of Pennsylvania and College avenues, bordering South Milwaukee’s 4th District. Included in the plans were upgrades to Pennsylvania/Nicholson and College, to be funded by the postal service. (You’ll recall that a roundabout at Hickory was among those discussions.)

Since then, the postal project has been put on hold, although there were some rumblings this spring that it was back on again. Where does it stand now? I’ll let you know as soon as I know more.

A big thanks to Mr. DeGrave for the update.

Click here for a Journal Sentinel story on the project from last December and another story from South Milwaukee NOW on project delays in February. And here is a good Q&A on the project from the Oak Creek website.

As the NOW story states, widening on Pennsylvania/Nicholson is still in the works in the next couple of years, regardless of the postal project. And if you’ve taken the circuitous College Avenue lately, you know work there is proceeding to prepare for the installation of the runway tunnel.

Check back here for an update on the Pennsylvania/Nicholson widening project in coming days.

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October 17, 2009 · 7:53 pm

Solid Plans for 15th Avenue Improvements

Some long overdue road work is coming to 15th Avenue … thanks to federal stimulus dollars.

The project includes full replacement of the travel lanes from College to Rawson avenues, and that’s great. It needs it. It also includes localized replacement of curb, gutter and parking lane concrete.

But the best part of this project is the safety improvements that are planned around South Milwaukee Middle and High School.

At this point, two narrow median strips are planned for intersections at Beech and Cherry streets near the two schools, and a third is being considered at Maple Street near Rawson Elementary.

The medians would allow for more prominent and permanent street safety signage and possible school zone flashing lights. They also would emphasize school zone and pedestrian crossings, slowing traffic. 

I am asking that they also include some sort of decorative landscaping to make the new street a first-class corridor for our city.

The pavement would also be widened on the east side of 15th from Cherry to Beech to accomodate the medians and allow for a designated turn lane to the middle school drop-off area.

Work is scheduled for next summer, and actual construction costs will be entirely funded with stimulus money. (The city is picking up an estimated $125,000 in design and engineering costs.)

The city and Collins Engineering held a public information meeting on the project last week. Only several neighbors attended, despite persistent concerns about traffic around the schools during drop-off and pick-up.

I’ll keep you updated on the status of the project and what the final plans call for. In the meantime, feel free to add a comment here to let me know your suggestions for the project and 15th Avenue traffic concerns.

And a big thanks to the city engineer’s office and Collins Engineering for their work on this so far, including meetings with school officials and neighbors to give them a chance to provide their input on the project.

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