Check out these South Shore headlines …
Filed under Headlines, South Milwaukee
Milwaukee County has provided an update on the Beech Street pedestrian bridge, which was removed this spring after officials deemed it unsafe.
The headline: The bridge over Oak Creek is excepted to reopen the week of December 21, about a month behind schedule.
Here is a quick rundown of expected activities in the next six weeks, provided by the county …
I thank the county for their continued work on this, and I appreciate your patience. With funding approved on July 16, I am glad to see work will still be substantially complete before the dead of winter sets in. This is an important connection for a number of residents and our schools, as well as recreational users of the Oak Creek Parkway, me included.
The good news: Once this is done, we should have a bridge built for the long term, another in a line of significant recent investments in the Oak Creek watershed and our local parks.
I think it will be well worth the wait.
Filed under Construction, Milwaukee County, Parks, South Milwaukee
Join the Friends of the Mill Pond and Oak Creek Watercourse for their fall cleanup this Saturday, from 8 a.m. to noon.
Here are details from the group …
Meet in South Milwaukee High School parking lot, North end.
We will provide safety vests, water, bags and vinyl gloves.
Lunch will be provided after the cleanup at the Warming House.
Targeted area is from North Chicago west to Nicholson Avenue
Please bring boots [if you have them] and your enthusiasm!
MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY!
For more information, please visit our website: www.smfomp.org
Filed under Events, Parks, South Milwaukee
Caterpillar announced to its employees on Monday that it will close sell its Oak Creek corporate building and move between 200 and 250 jobs back to South Milwaukee in the first half of 2016.
These are salaried professional workers in finance, human resources, legal, marketing, etc. — many folks who had been working in South Milwaukee prior to the opening of the Oak Creek mining headquarters in the former Midwest Airlines building about five years ago.
The move is not a surprise, given Cat’s announcement last month of up to 10,000 global job cuts and other consolidations coming in light of a continuing slumping mining industry. (Competitor Joy Global also announced job cuts last week.)
While it’s hard to call this great news — certainly when taking a broader perspective with economic development — it does strengthen Cat’s presence in downtown South Milwaukee and should help area businesses.
Cat also continues with its plans to invest in its manufacturing presence here.
A company spokesman tells me that the South Milwaukee plant — now in the company’s Surface Mining and Technology group — will be focusing on rope shovels and draglines going forward, and Caterpillar continues to plan investments in the facility in the next three years to meet eventual demand. Cat had previously announced the closure of 250,000 square feet of manufacturing space, while investing in the space that remains.
I’ll keep you posted.
Filed under Caterpillar, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee
Quick reminder about a few upcoming events in our parks …
Set your calendar for Saturday October 10th, 2015 – we’ll be cleaning the Oak Creek from North Chicago Avenue west to Rawson Avenue. (IF we have enough people we could continue to Nicholson Avenue)
We’ll be meeting at the North end of the SM High School parking lot. at 8:00 am and ending at 12:00 noon. My car is a tan Hyundai Sonata with the license plate WUCK – this is where you’ll sign in, get a safety vest, bags, gloves and water. Once everyone has signed in, we’ll take some pictures and give instructions. We ask that adults be present with your groups, bring EXTRA CLOTHES, SHOES AND SOCKS in case you get wet or fall in. We do have some boots that can be borrowed of if you have wader’s please bring them. Milwaukee County Parts will pick up the bags along the route.
FOMP will host the luncheon at the Warming House after the cleanup.
Filed under Grant Park, Oak Creek, Oak Creek watershed, Park, South Milwaukee
With the start of school fast approaching, the Beech Street foot bridge over Oak Creek has been on many minds of late.
Here is the latest update from Milwaukee County: The bridge, removed in May because it was deemed unsafe, is expected to be rebuilt and reopened for foot traffic by Nov. 15.
I appreciate the Parks Department tackling this project before the snow flies, and while I initially hoped for completion in time for the start of school, I quickly realized this was unrealistic. Four months for planning, designing and building a significant project like this – one that will stand the test of time as a key connection between the northwest side of town and school campuses — is very reasonable.
Of course, it’s unlikely this would be done at all in 2015 without Milwaukee County Supervisor Pat Jursik, who successfully pushed for emergency funding in a resolution approved by the county board in June. So we should all thank Pat for driving that – and thank her and the administration for all of the investments happening in South Milwaukee’s parks this year and beyond.
The best part: Things are just getting started.
With more than 20% of our land mass comprised of parks, enhancing these public spaces is critical for our city. Those enhancements are clearly happening, and will continue to happen if we all work together toward a more promising future for our public spaces.
Filed under Oak Creek, Parks, South Milwaukee
Good news for South Milwaukee from the Milwaukee County Board today, as supervisors overwhelmingly passed a measure to spend $200,000 in emergency funding for reconstruction of the Beech Street foot bridge over Oak Creek.
Here is the press release from County Supervisor Patricia Jursik, who drove this effort.
I thank Pat for her hard work on this, and for all who voted for this important piece of legislation for South Milwaukee. This foot bridge is a vital connection between our middle and high schools and the northwest side of town.
From all the upgrades under way at Grant Park to investments in Grobschmidt Pool to the continued partnership around an Oak Creek watershed restoration study, the county continues to make an investment in South Milwaukee.
I am very appreciative to see this project added to the list, and was happy to get behind this effort.
I will keep you posted on timelines for replacement. The hope: We have a new bridge in place in time for the start of the new school year.
Filed under Milwaukee County, Parks, South Milwaukee
Check out these South Shore headlines …
NOW has published a new police blotter.
Also, County Supervisor Pat Jursik has published a new news update, with information on the Cudahy Sportsman’s Club, an honor for a Cudahy senior and a warning about feeding birds in area parks.
Filed under Cudahy, Headlines, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee
Check out these headlines from around the South Shore …
Also, NOW has published a new police blotter.
Filed under Headlines
Big progress being made in this transformative Oak Creek development …
Check out photos from the Business Journal here.
I’m excited about this development. Projects like this will lift the entire South Shore, including our fair city.
I can’t wait to see it open.
(Here is the Drexel Town Square website.)
Filed under Oak Creek
There is still plenty of time to sign up for the South Suburban Mayors’ Fitness Challenge.
Please do so here … and consider stopping by the Challenge kickoff event at 1 p.m. this Saturday at Oak Creek East Middle School, 9330 S. Shepard Ave.
Even if you can’t take part, there are PLENTY of other opportunities to get fit this fall. The Challenge Facebook page has more information on upcoming events, including joining specials for South Shore YMCA, a weight loss workshop in Oak Creek and a Fall Zumbathon for Human Concerns at 1 p.m. on Oct. 11 at Blakewood School.
I’ll keep you posted on the blog with regular updates, and please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions, comments or concerns. I’m looking forward to getting fit!
Filed under Community, Oak Creek, South Milwaukee
In case you’ve missed it, there are some big changes happening at the Mill Pond Warming House.
Here is the update from Janet Cook, of the Friends of the Mill Pond and Oak Creek Watercourse …
The Warming House is getting a much needed makeover.
The Friends of the Mill Pond have replaced the old doors with steel ones, the ceiling has been sanitized and freshly painted, ceiling fans installed, electrical upgrades done and now the outside is getting a new face. Windows are being worked on and then the entire building will be freshly painted.
The Friends of the Mill Pond will be hosting an “Open House” on September 27th from 1-4 p.m.
Thanks to the Friends for all their work on restoring this community icon.
Filed under Mill Pond, Parks, South Milwaukee
Check out these South Shore headlines …
Filed under Headlines, South Milwaukee
Check out these South Shore headlines …
And there is more bad news for Caterpillar and its global mining business.
Filed under Headlines
The Frontier League team initially proposed for Franklin is now looking at Oak Creek — on a site across the street from South Milwaukee’s Fourth District.
Here is the Business Journal story …
Zimmerman now is working with Cobalt Partners LLC, Milwaukee, to build on a 62-acre property at the southwest corner of East College and South Pennsylvania avenues in Oak Creek. The U.S. Postal Service owns the property, and has been working with Cobalt to develop it.
Oak Creek’s Common Council on Tuesday will consider a proposed tax incremental financing and development agreement that Cobalt submitted. Zimmerman, via email, confirmed the TIF proposal is for his stadium project.
I’ll keep you posted.
Here is the Oak Creek City Council agenda.
Filed under Oak Creek, South Milwaukee
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