The WFB NOW article, "Residents question leadership on flooding" explains the frustration many villagers have after the July rain events that caused so much damage.  I'll take a shot at explaining what the Village has done over the past weeks, and where it is going.

First, I'll to suggest there are two aspects to this issue.  The first is communication.  The second is action.

COMMUNICATION 

While the Village did a decent job communicating with Villagers in the first few days after the flooding event, I doubt many are happy with the effort since.    Many residents are frustrated with the lack of explanations and answers.    At the August 2nd Trustee meeting, many expected a solid presentation with maps, charts, and a history of past events and discussion of historic analysis that was performed on our sewer systems.    Shorewood, by example, gets high marks in this category, with a 22 page presentation and no fewer than four public meetings on the matter.

If you are a long-time reader, you'd know half the reason I created this blog was due to the lack of communication within the Village.   As a Trustee, I've failed to get traction to improve these communication issues.  However -- this issue did surface at Monday's Trustee meeting, and I suspect we'll discuss the issue many more times in the month ahead. 

ACTION

Firstly, I'd like to explain that there are a number of groups involved, each with its own strengths and weaknesses -- how I see it.

• Trustees - As witnessed at the August 2nd meeting, the Trustees, two social workers, a banker, a webmaster, and retired lawyer, retired journalist, and retired engineer .. are not hydrological experts.   We volunteer to serve, to ask reasoned questions, and set the mission on dozens of topics from the technical to the mundane.  I'm not passing the buck here.  You don't want us fixing your sewers -- You want us finding the right people to fix your sewers, then making sure the job gets done.
• The Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC) - This committee has some advantages with its membership, as it does have an environmental attorney, an MMSD manager, and an environmental engineer.  This group is comprised of your neighbors, volunteering their time.  They can ask questions and make recommendations, but only on the information placed in front of them, plus their own knowledge.
• Village Staff - The Village employs an engineer, an assistant engineer, and a engineer tech, as well as DPW staff.   They're the ones who've spent the most time "down under" in our sewers, and should have an intimate knowledge of the system.  However.  They are also managing and executing dozens of other projects, from pot holes to street lights, from sidewalk construction to playground design.
• Stormwater Management Engineers/Consulting firm - A big part of "finding the right people" is that the Village is putting out an RFP to hire a firm to address the sewer backup issues, to issue a comprehensive report on our systems' capacity and possible improvements to municipal and private sewer lines.

Eventually, these groups will recommend many items, small and large, expensive and not, short term, and long.  It is obvious due to the complexity, that the short term solutions will help, but not solve, and we need to be prepared for a lengthy effort.

The analysis comes first .. prompted by a 1998 rain event, a 1999 study was issued that should be somewhat duplicated and updated with 2010 information.  The "Earth Tech" study is a good read for anyone interested in our sewer topography (as it was in 1999.)  Clearly, one first question is to examine each recommendation and its final execution.  (And yes, I realize there are other reports that have been issued over the past 10-15 years.  All of them should and will be examined.)

So here's a few items that have occurred since the 11" rain 4 weeks ago:

• The DPW has jumped on the items they can do, namely, sewer inspection, televising, and root cutting in the areas identified by the large clusters of reported backups.  In a normal year, the Village inspects 20-25% of all sewers on a rotating basis.
• The Village has collected 710 flooding reports.  54% (388) were reports of clear water only, 46% (322) reported some element of sewer backup.    (Clear water usually comes from walls/floors, but could come from the sanitary / floor drain.  I was one of the 388 who reported clear water leaking from my walls.)  If you haven't reported, you can click the link and report via email or call village hall.
• The EAC held a 3 hour meeting last week to debate and augment the Village Staff's recommended work outline.    The plan consists of about 30 items, covering municipal storm and sanitary, and municipal storm and private laterals/runoff issues.   Click here to read.  (I believe this is the first draft, without the edits discussed at the meeting.)   The document is a good read, in that it shows a decent level of detail on the many bullet points that will be addressed over the next several months.
• The Trustees met again this week and identified funding sources for, and approved the issuance of an RFP for a stormwater management engineering firm.  Over the next month, one would expect the RFP to be crafted and issued. 

A few next steps:

• Village staff sketched out an ambitious agenda for the next EAC meeting, .. "Explore potential for larger sanitary sewers .. additional by-pass points  .. larger storm sewers .. discuss possible changes to current ordinances" and a dozen other topics.  Representatives from MMSD will be present.  Some of these sewer topics are obvious tasks for the eventual sewer consulting firm. 
   
• An RFP for a stormwater engineering firm will go out to bid with final approval from the Trustees.
   
• A lengthy article will be inserted in the next Bay Leaves, entitled "What can I do to reduce the chance of water in my basement?"

In summary .. while I believe the Village must do far better with its communication efforts, they are secondary to the action items that are currently in the works.

The true test will be in 2 years, 4 years, 7 years, when one can judge whether Whitefish Bay has kept the issue on the front burner and designed and constructed a better sewer system to handle mother nature's assaults.

*** Subscribe via email.  Free, of course.  Just click here, and you can have this blog covering WFB delivered to your email box whenever it's updated.

On Wednesday, the first informal gathering of the "Friends of Klode" group was held.   The turnout was very encouraging, attracting 23 people to discuss Klode's past and future, mostly around the topic of the playground.

To review, the current wooden structures were installed around 1993, paid for by donations from residents and businesses, putting the equipment a little under 17 years old.

Last year, the Village removed the parking lot fence and a slide, and installed a structure geared for ages 5 and up with mostly CDBG grant money meant to improve handicapped accessibility of play structures.

This year, the Village again has grant money to spend, and is proposing to remove the structure to the left (east) of the "toddler" swings and replace it with a new structure aimed at 2-5 year olds. (Click picture on right for larger image.)

Generally speaking, these grant funds must be spent by the end of the year.  On the agenda for Monday's WFB Trustee meeting is an item to approve this design and send the item out to bid in time for a Fall 2010 installation.  Currently, the Klode agenda item is after the flooding item.

To that end, the Friends of Klode have created an on-line survey, which takes about 3-4 minutes to fill out.  Please take a moment and share your thoughts on Klode Park.  It's very important the group receive feedback from as many park users as possible.

Click here for the survey:  http://klodesurvey.questionpro.com

---------

FLOODING

On Monday, August 2nd at 7pm, the WFB Village Trustee meeting has been moved to the 2nd floor of the WFB Library.  Village Hall's elevator is broken (flood damage) and due to the topic, a larger crowd is expected and the library room can hold more people.   160 chairs will be set up.  I am uncertain as to whether standing room will be allowed, due to room maximums.

Village staff will present information about the rain event, the flooding, damage to property, our sewer systems, etc.   Trustees will question staff, and later open the forum to the public. 

I encourage all who come to the meeting to first read the letter the Village sent out yesterday to about 500 homes that reported flood damage to the Village.  Click here to read the letter.

In the letter, it firsts describes how that the Village is "disturbed, saddened, and concerned regarding the damage that residents have suffered in these torrential storms."   Please understand how true that is. 

The letter goes on to describe how flooding locations are being compiled and analyzed by staff, and engineers and consultants will try to pinpoint problem areas and find solutions.

The Village will be reviewing their 5 year Capital Improvement Plan to provide a timetable and financing for any recommendations from the analysis.

For meeting attendees, I would also recommend reading up on the Village's systems, as there is a lot of misinformation rolling around.   For example, as opposed to Shorewood, Whitefish Bay does indeed have separate storm sewers that take water from our roads directly to Lake Michigan and the river, depending on where you live.  When this 500-year flood hit our area, the storm sewers were inundated.

The Village Engineer will present more detail at the meeting.

The Village website put out another solid update today .. highlights:

• The DPW will be picking up flood debris for several weeks.  They cannot pick up e-waste like TVs and computers, but will do so at a later date.  Chipping / yard waste collection has been suspended as priority is given to collecting flood debris.
• Flood kits are available at the WFB police station with bleach, mops, gloves, etc.  Free of charge.
• The Shorewood/WFB health department can provide tetanus shots at no cost.  414-847-2710 for more information.
• Electrical, HVAC, plumbing permits are still necessary.. but the Village will not be charging for them at this time.   I know getting a permit is a pain, but think of it this way:  It's a free check of your contractor's work by a trained Village inspector. (EDIT: Reminder, this is for flood-related items.)

Finally, an item was forwarded to me about what a "100 year flood" really means.  It's a good read.

Sadly .. a 100 year flood doesn't mean Whitefish Bay is good for another 99 years.

Read on:

The phrase "100-year flood" has caused much confusion over the years.  Many mistakenly believe that it is a flood that occurs every 100 years. However, the phrase really means a flood that has a 1% chance of occurring in any given year. Floods are classified according to their frequency and depth.

For instance, there are 10-year, 25-year, 50-year, 100-year, and 500-year floods. A 100-year flood, although less frequent than a 10-year flood, is deeper—and far more destructive. For this reason, the 100-year flood is now more commonly called the "base flood."  

The chart below shows the statistical chances of flooding a building located in one of these higher risk flood areas has over different periods of time. Buildings located in 100-year flood areas are required to have flood insurance as a condition of receiving a federally backed mortgage loan or home equity loan.

Given that many mortgages have a repayment period of 30 years, you may want to point out that buildings in areas subject to a 100-year flood have a 26 percent chance of experiencing that flood during the life of the loan.

However, during that same period, there is only a 4 percent chance of a fire. So, the next time people say that they live in a 100-year floodplain, and the last 100-year flood was three years ago, so they don’t have to worry about another flood like that for the next 97 years, use this information to explain the real meaning of a 100-year flood.

Tired of cleaning your basement? 

Tomorrow, Sunday 7/25 the annual "Whitefish Bay Classic" bike race is running.  The first race starts at 11:30 and more follow until 8:30pm.  The "pro" race starts at 5:45.  Website here. 

I believe the race route is the same as 2009, so here's the map (note last year's date) .. There are many good public viewing spots along the entire route.

--------------------------

FRIENDS OF KLODE PARK

Next up, the Friends of Klode Park is having their first meeting at Klode Park on Wednesday, July 28th at 7pm.    Below is an email that has been circulating through the Village.

If you'd like to be a part of this group and are on Facebook, please view the Friends of Klode group page by clicking here.  Then click 'join'.

To:             Residents of Whitefish Bay
From:         Newly Formed “FRIENDS OF KLODE PARK” Group

Important Community Meeting about Future Plans for Klode Park
Wednesday, July 28th – 7PM – Klode Park

Mission:

To encourage the development of a safe, healthy, environmentally-aware, universally-accessible comprehensive plan for the future of Klode Park based on child safety research and input from residents of Whitefish Bay

Purpose of meeting:

To come together with other concerned residents to discuss our wishes prior to the Village Board approving any more changes at Klode Park at the upcoming August 2nd Village Board Meeting

What we will do at the July 28th Community Meeting:

A Klode Park survey will be available for expressing your wishes and ideas.  We will compile these ideas with the research we are doing to share at the August 2nd Village Board Meeting.  There will also be a place to designate ways you can get involved by volunteering your time, energy, and expertise.

How you can help:

1. Attend “Friends of Klode Park” community meeting at Klode on July 28th at 7pm.
2. Invite your neighbors to come, too.
3. Join the “Friends of Klode Park” group on Facebook to stay informed.
4. Attend the August 2nd Village Board Meeting at 7pm to show support when we present a request to please halt continued plans at Klode until a comprehensive review can be made and an appropriate plan developed based on community input and safety standards.

-------------

FLOODING UPDATE:

First off, the special garbage pickups will be rolling today, Saturday.  Clearly, they will not be able to reach the entire Village in one day, as the amount of garbage on curbs is enormous and includes large items requiring many trips.

The Village will be running these special pickups -- at no cost -- for at least two weeks, so be patient.

NOTE: They will NOT be able to pick up "electronic waste" which includes TVs, dehumidifiers, computers, due to new 2010 Wisconsin regulations.  HOWEVER.  The Village is planning another special pickup of these items, so they can be properly disposed of, but they will be left behind in these initial runs.

The WFB Library is now open.

I've toured around WFB, and it's pretty clear, the closer to Shorewood (and their combined sewers) you were, the worse the damage .. while the entire village was hit hard, the the 4700 blocks, east to west are the hardest hit.  Admittedly, I'm not expert enough to understand the sewer topography.  The biggest culprit is Mother Nature herself, dumping 11 inches of rain upon us.

I did receive a report that really made me unhappy.  A village worker was "booed" recently by residents.   I understand there's a tendency to look for someone to blame for woes, but booing a Village staff member is uncalled for.

A great number of village staff have been working around the clock since Thursday, let alone the efforts from the rain event last week.   One staff member was on vacation 250 miles away, and at 1 a.m. made the decision to drive through the night to help the effort in WFB. 

Village staff are trying to be as responsive as possible with the resources they have.  --  As a Trustee, I've asked dozens of questions and have been privy to the Village activities over the past two weeks and I'm confident they made the right moves at the right time with the systems they had to use. 

In the end, we had 8-11 inches of rain dumped upon us, and sewer systems that were designed decades ago.   2010's (and 2009) construction spending in WFB is the highest it has been in decades, as we systematically replace and upgrade systems that have been in place for 70-90 years.

It's a very long and expensive process, and Mother Nature works by different rules. 

Thank a village staff worker today.

Just a few updates..

First off, the Village Hall is mostly without power, as water ruined their electrical panel.  Some phones and computers are running off a portable generator.    911 operations have been moved to Bayside.

If you'd like to report water damage, please do so online at the Village website .. click on this link to fill out an online contact formthrough the website:

• Name, Address, Phone
• Did the water come through the floor drain?
  • How deep was it?
  • Did it smell of sewage?
  • Did the water come from the wall or windows?

Please continue to check the

WFB Website

for more information, as they are updating it throughout the day.

The WFB Library is closed today due to water damage.  With luck, will be open Saturday.

The southern half of WFB got hit far worse than the northern half.   The 4700 blocks on the southern border got hit very hard.

WFB did perform active bypass of the sanitary sewers, trying to reduce the volume in the sanitary sewers, reducing basement overflows.  Clearly, that didn't prevent many sewage backups in homes, but it's one of the few tools in the box.

WFB will have a number of garbage crews out soon, picking up curb refuse. 

The WFB High School, Cumberland, and Richards all had "a lot" of water and they are working to mitigate now.  I've heard the Middle School fared better.

Here's a great 2 minute YouTube video on the WFB flood.   Shows a number of flooded streets. 

As for Shorewood .. apparently some of the bike trails have washed away.  A part of Atwater beach/bluff has fallen down.  Their police station had tremendous damage.

Brutal night last night .. there's a report from a rain gauge in Shorewood that recorded 11.6 inches of rain.  

Suffice it to say, we got an overwhelming amount of rain last night.  If there's a dry basement in Whitefish Bay, I'd like to hear about it.  My street (5400 block of Kent) was flooded in the middle, with water lapping up against our front steps, and across the street, a home's basement window was partially submerged.   A neighbor busted out his canoe and floated down the street.   Brutal.

Here's a picture my wife took out my front window.  I'm actually in the middle of the picture, out in the road trying to clear the storm drain to no avail.

I haven't received other reports yet this morning, but I assume it is brutal Village wide.  WFB Village Hall is partially operating.

Below is an email I received from our Assistant Village Manager:

            Village Hall is not fully functional and we are running on some power from the generator that is located in the basement.  Our phone system for the moment is currently working and we have some computers running.  We expect to be operating like this all day.  If we completely lose power, the Library will be used as an alternative contact point for information.

The Village website has more information in regards to last night’s flooding and can be found through this link.  We will update it as more information becomes available. 

We will be taking calls throughout the day, but our response will be focused on getting people to the website to contact the County 211 number and follow the other information on there as this is a public safety issue as well.  Please continue to direct people to the website as much as possible for this information.  The information is on the front page.  We will try to assist people as much as we can through the phone or in person, but our response is limited due to available resources.

The Village website is located here:  http://www.wfbvillage.org

The Village has been sending trucks to pick up items (from basements) on curbs this week from LAST week's storm .. and will be doing so again.  Clearly, resources are stretched very thin at this point.

Concerning reporting your water damage to the County 211 number .. Here's a quote from the JS:

211 is not an emergency response number. The information will be used to build a damage estimate for Milwaukee County that will be used to seek state and federal disaster aid.

Callers should have the following information available: Contact name and phone number, address of damaged property, name of property owner or renter, type of damage, a brief description of damage and estimated dollar amount, and the percentage of damage covered by insurance.

Looks like there's more rain coming today.  AQUAMAN .. SAVE US!

A few items of note:

First up, Whitefish Bay’s 4th of July was a huge success, albeit a sweaty one.   Thousands packed Silver Spring for the parade & Klode for the festival.   Hats off to the WFB Civic Foundation for donating hundreds of volunteer hours, giving up their time for what is Whitefish Bay’s biggest party.   They do an amazing service for our community.

As a reminder, those festivities are not funded by tax dollars.   The WFB Civic Foundation is funded by the individual donations of your Whitefish Bay neighbors.  Take a minute and think of what Bay would be like without a 4th parade, without the Pumpkin festival, without the Ice Cream Socials, without Sounds of Summer --  then please consider supporting your Civic Foundation with a few bucks.  Click here to do so online. 

You're probably tired of me beating that drum.  Sorry.   As long as these Bay traditions continue, the need for financial support will as well.

Next up .. Silver Spring will be hosting "red wagon days" next weekend, July 16 and 17.   It's a sidewalk sale, silent auction (to benefit the new Silver Spring Art Fund).. with wagon decorating and live entertainment.   If you ever wanted to shop local, now's your chance.

Two weeks from now, Sunday, July 25th, the annual bicycle race will be running on Silver Spring again .. same route as last year. 

Finally .. at tomorrow's Village Trustee meeting, there's a few items of interest.    We will be discussing for-profit use of Klode again, and with the throngs of friends and neighbors excited about Boot Camp, this may be a hot topic.

We're also going to discuss the future of Klode's playground structures, as they are being slowly replaced.   Personally, I think we missed the boat last year, not getting enough public input on the new structure installed in October 2009.

If you have an interest in Klode's playground, it's important to come to this meeting.

A while ago I was flipping through Google's news archive .. it's very cool.   Didn't know in 1965, they considered putting Village Hall at Klode.  (yikes.)    In 1995, an article was entitled "Neighbors complain about sex, nudity at Klode Park beach"  (wow!)

The article that made me think of blogging was from 1987, where they were discussing several Klode projects and 350 villagers showed up.  What a different time.  In my tenure, 350 is a few years' attendance.

Today, thousands use Klode playground each year.   Are you interested in its future?  C'mon over, Monday July 12, 7pm at Village Hall. 

There's a public information meeting that I think many will be interested in, yet few will know about without some additional help.  I'm a Trustee, and I didn't know about it until I received an email forwarded three times!

Tomorrow, the Village Engineer will be having an informational public meeting "Regarding Klode Park Playground Handicap Accessibility Improvements and Rehabilitation."

The meeting will be at Village Hall, in the upstairs board room, Wednesday, June 23 (tomorrow) at 1pm.   Kids are welcome.

Last fall, the Village installed a new piece of playground equipment that has garnered mixed reviews, especially concerning the safety of the "danger" slide.   Eventually, more pieces of the old playground equipment will be replaced in a phased roll-out.  

If you are interested in discussing the future of Klode's playground, please try to make the 1pm meeting, or perhaps email your comments to the Village Engineer.

--

Speaking of Klode .. I'll beat the drum again: The 4th of July festival still needs about 50 more volunteers. 

Please click here to sign up and see the 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm shifts:  http://www.volunteerspot.com/login/entry/92-621829048106  --  Middle-school kids and up are welcome to volunteer.    Please consider giving an hour of your time.

--

And don't forget .. tomorrow (Wednesday, June 23) at 7pm is the first Ice Cream Social of the season at Schoolhouse Park, in front of the Library.   The WFB Community Band will be playing.  

Hard to turn down FREE ice cream.

Two quick hits:

First, the 4th of July Klode festival needs help.. Your WFB Civic Foundation needs volunteers to run the festival games.  Please consider spending an hour helping out, as they have about 95 one hour shifts that need to be filled.

Games workers work in pairs and must be middle school students or older, or sign up to work with a parent.  If your children need community service "hours" for any group of which they are a part (NHS, Milwaukee Service Club, Key Club, church confirmation class, etc.), these hours usually qualify. 

Please click here to sign up and see the 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm shifts:  http://www.volunteerspot.com/login/entry/92-621829048106

Please forward this message to your friends & neighbors who could volunteer.  

Naturally, many gravitate to volunteering at the beer tent, making those shifts very easy to fill.  Beer shifts will be posted later, once they have enough to staff the other parts of the festival.

The 4th of July schedule can be found here.

---

Has your group signed up to march in the 4th of July Parade yet?   The deadline to sign up has been extended.    Click here to view and print the parade entrance form. or email Brian Gaertner at bgaertner@wi.rr.com

So if you have a church group, baseball team, pom-pom squad, drum corps, or kung fu posse, let's see your stuff in the Parade.

Remember the hotly debated school referendum that passed 9 months ago?

Back in November 2009, Whitefish Bay voted (in large numbers) to approve borrowing $22.9 million in bonds to finance school maintenance and improvements.

Further 2009 calculations estimated a 5.5% bond interest cost, and the loss of $5m in Wisconsin State Aid.   Using this estimate, the Schools suggested passing the referendum questions would cost a $350k homeowner, about $248 per year.

Referendum opponents claimed the "true" cost of the referendum was a whopping $40 million. 

Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the bank.  While the District conservatively used a 5.5% interest cost in their calculations for the public .. it turns out the total rate is now estimated at an incredible 1.91%.  --- And remember the possibility the School District could get some 0% interest loans?   To be announced next week, the District should be receiving about a third of the total cost in 0% Qualified School Construction Bonds.

Oh, and total amount borrowed is less, too.  Instead of $22.9m, the schools are projecting a cost of $20m due to lower construction costs.    Net, net, instead of the $248/year 2009 estimate on your taxes, it should fall to about $175.  Still a chunk of change, but about 30% less than originally estimated.

The 1.91% interest rate is really amazing, in light of April's credit rating downgrade.

So, good morning:  The construction costs are lower than expected.  The borrowing costs are far less than expected.   That's outstanding. 

 Doug Armstrong at the YesYesProgress blog has done a tremendous job covering this story.  Make sure you read his account, and check his wonderful blog for WFB school board updates.

This Monday, Whitefish Bay will celebrate Memorial Day by dedicating the Veterans Memorial & Gardens at Armory Park.  The public is invited.

Officiated by Brigadier General Dunbar & Rev. Ray Stubbe, the ceremony begins at 11am.  

Armory Park is located on the corner of Lake and Henry Clay. 

--

As a follow up to the Armory Park dedication, the Friends of the Whitefish Bay Library has arranged to have noted Wisconsin author, James Campbell, give a talk on Monday, June 1st at 7pm.

James Campbell, author of The Ghost Mountain Boys will discuss the book and expects to be joined in this talk by two Red Arrow veterans from the Oconomowoc area. The Red Arrow Division, more formally known at the 32nd Division, was principally made up of soldiers from Wisconsin and Michigan.

So why this guy?   The WFB Armory was part of the 32nd Division.  Ever notice all those Highway 32 signs on Lake Drive?   The full name is the 32nd Division Memorial Highway. 

Those little red arrows on the sign?  The 32nd Division's insignia was a red arrow.

The new Armory Park, from above, looks like an arrow.

I hope to see you Monday & Tuesday night!

This past Monday was the deadline for Bay Ball tickets.   I've heard from the organizers and they are extending the deadline this week, until the spots are gone.  If you were on the fence, tip over.  They need to fill the place.

I've never been to Bay Ball before .. but my wife and I will be going this year, even though we don't have kids in school.

The Harley Museum is easily the coolest venue in town.   One thing you might not have noticed is with every Bay Ball ticket, you receive a free ticket to the HD Museum to be used at a future date, normally $16 a pop.

As a note, this event is not reserved for School families, it’s open to the public.   Besides the 4th of July Klode festival, this is the biggest event Whitefish Bay has to offer, and the proceeds benefit the schools.   It's a big, Whitefish Bay party.   

And apparently, it is not fancy schmancy.  No tuxes allowed "unless they come with chaps." 

No reason not to go.  Swing by and say hello to my wife and me.

Call/email Lori Kampschroer for tickets at 414-688-6244.  Click the ticket form on the right (a bigger copy should appear).

--

The WFB Business Improvement District will be hosting a local Farmers' Market for eight Saturdays in August & September, from 8-noon.  -- The market will be located across the street from the Fox Bay, on Berkeley, which will be blocked off.

--

The construction on Lake Drive is progressing normally.  We're finishing week 4 of the 6 week project.   With good weather, it will wrap up in a couple weeks, and it'll be opened for traffic once again.

I know the detour has been a pain for many, and I've received many emails from concerned parties, and have had a number of conversations with the Chief of Police.  I am comfortable that all parties are doing the best they can with the resources they have available. 

Speaking of Lake Drive, WFB will be improving pedestrian safety with some traffic calming measures, namely "continental crosswalks" (think 'big rectangles') and white edge lines that delineate the driving lanes.   Should be implemented this summer.

--

Finally, as a follow up to the Richards School tennis court issue .. there is a new Facebook group that has information on the subject.  Click here to view. (Don't have to be a Facebook user.)

There are two opportunities for public input on the school construction:

• Architectural Review Committee, Thursday (tomorrow), May 20 at 5:30pm in board room at Village Hall
• WFB School Board Open House & Meeting, Wednesday, May 26 at 6:00pm in Rm. 47 of the WFB High School

A loyal reader has sent an email with some interesting commentary about Richards school's construction.  Admittedly, I am no expert on the subject, so he's given me permission to republish his email.

I have bolded a few items below to draw out the most pertinent items.

(Additionally, check out the YesYes Blog which covers this subject as well.)

From: Seth Zlotocha szlotocha@gmail.com

As most of you probably know, voters in the village approved a referendum last November to conduct renovations and expansions at all of the district schools, including Richards.  My neighbors are probably aware that I actively supported the referendum, and still support what was approved last November. 

However, what is less known is that this construction -- as detailed in plans just this spring, after the referendum vote -- is going to result in the permanent elimination of the Richards tennis courts and the temporary removal, with no determined date of reconstruction, of the north end playground on the corner of Santa Monica and Belle.

The main project at Richards involves the construction of a new multipurpose room on the north end of the building.  The planned location of the new room is on top of the current teacher parking lot and playground on that side of the building.  The plans that were publicly available at the time of the referendum last fall indicated the playground would need to be relocated, and plans were to move the parking lot to the location in between the tennis courts and the back of the building (current location of bike racks).

In email communications with the superintendent this spring, however, it's come to my attention that plans have changed for the parking lot, and it's now scheduled to be placed on top of the current tennis courts rather than next to them.  The attached diagram was sent to me by the superintendent, and it outlines the new plan. 

This new plan results in the elimination of 4 of the 6 tennis courts currently available on the north end of the village (leaving just the two courts at Klode), which effectively eliminates (or at least greatly complicates) the tennis instruction Richards students currently get during gym class (the big kids are actually getting that instruction now), and eliminates a popular spot for tennis and play for kids, families, and the recreation department.

In terms of the playground, although initial plans suggested the relocation would be part of the construction process, my emails with the superintendent indicate now that replacement of the playground is only something "Richards hopes" to complete "in the future."  This is concerning for a few reasons: 1) the emphasis on Richards replacing it, as opposed to emphasizing it as a district issue, 2) the word "hope," suggesting a replacement isn't a guaranteed, and 3) the "in the future" phrase, which means, at the least, the loss of the only playground on site that's well-suited for younger children for an undetermined amount of time.

More information on the Richards construction can be found here: http://yesyesprogress.com/richards

For those who are interested, the school board is planning to hold an open house in a couple of weeks where the architects of the construction will be on hand to talk about the current plans, and board members will be on hand to hear your comments, as well.  That open house is scheduled to take place from 6:00-7:00pm on Wednesday, May 26 in Room 47 of the WFB High School.  A school board meeting will immediately follow the open house.

Thanks, and feel free to let me know if you have any questions.

Seth Zlotocha szlotocha@gmail.com

This is really cool.   Whitefish Bay residents Ted Perry (Fox6) and Molly Fay (Morning Blend) have lent their mugs for a "commercial" for Bay Ball 2010.

Click here to watch the video on YouTube .. it's worth a 90 second look.

RSVP's are due this coming MONDAY, May 17th. .. For Tickets call Lori Kampschroer at 414-688-6244 (email: lkamp@att.net) . Proceeds go to the Whitefish Bay Public Education Foundation.

Check out Bay Ball's Facebook page, here. 

First off, our long local nightmare is over! Last week, City Market "closed" on the property formerly known as Mike Crivello's.

Word is, they start construction in September. I have no idea why they'd wait 4 months to start, but that's what I was told. If true, figure them opening sometime in 2011.

--

Next .. "TNT Nails" is history. On the Plan Commission's agenda is its replacement "Minoan Intimate Apparel (retail-foundation and accessory boutique)."

A google search turns up nothing on Minoan Intimate Apparel, but it does return a bit about "some artifacts depict the Minoan women who inhabited the island of Crete wearing primitive bodices made of bone, which fully exposed their breasts, emphasizing women’s role as the creators of life."

The horror! Won't somebody think of the children?

--

Construction-

As many would now know, Lake Drive is undergoing construction. The first few days of the detour haven't been as smooth as one would like. Everyone, from the Police Department, Village Engineer, DPW, down to the school crossing guards are working on the issue, tweaking the signage, cones, and barrels. It will get better.

Truth is, human nature will take care of a chunk of this problem. Within a week, drivers will alter their driving routes beyond the "official" detour. Naturally, that's good and bad, but it is to be expected.

The official detour map can be found by clicking here.

Further information will be posted at the Village's Construction Update page. -- Indeed, you might want to check out the map of ALL 2010 scheduled projects. Whitefish Bay will see the most construction in 2010 than in recent memory.

--

Green Day in the Bay was a success, even though for the third year running, Mother Nature did not cooperate and rained upon us. Gordy Lang has some pictures of the event here.

One blog commenter said they wouldn't participate because WFB was already clean. I picked up about a pound of garbage in the hour long cleanup. 32 teams, around 200 people = 200 pounds of garbage no longer on our streets. Not a tough call.

Thanks to Amy Lukas, Gwen Koscinski, and Bob Kuesel and the rest of the Whitefish Bay Civic Foundation for putting this event on every year.

.. Speaking of the CF, the WFB 4th of July parade is just two months away .. if you or your group would like to participate, click here for the parade form.

--

El Guapo's is having their "first annual" Cinco de Mayo festival next week.

May 5th - 6:30 - Man vs. Burrito and Taco Eating Contest - 7-9pm Live Music
May 6th & 7th, 7-10pm - Live Music
May 8th - Live Music at noon, and 6-8pm.

Take a look at EG's new website and details about the Cinco de Mayo week.

Has WFB ever had a taco eating contest? My guess is that this will be a historic event, with the winner being spoken about for years.

--

Finally, unless you've been attending WFB School Board meetings, or perhaps reading the YesYesProgress blog, you wouldn't know that an elected official, WFB School Board member Joe Martinelli resigned this month.

The School Board accepted his resignation at the April 14th meeting and later interviewed 3 residents who heard about the vacancy and applied.

On April 28th, the SB decided to select former School Board member Pam Woodard over the 3 who had been interviewed. (14 days from public notice to selection. Now that's what I call .. efficiency!)

One would assume that about 98% of the WFB electorate had no idea any of that happened because .. drum roll .. not one word was written in the newspaper. The only reason I knew was because I read the YesYes blog last week.

Nice going, Journal Sentinel/WhitefishBayNOW. Not that big a deal. Just the selection of an official that approves a $31 million budget accounting for most of the property tax bill. No one would care about that, right?


(Also, hey, what's the deal with 3 people interviewing for the School Board opening? Not three weeks ago, we had an election for two School Board seats, and could only scrape up two candidates to run unopposed.)


Read more at the YesYes Progress Blog:

School Board mulls whether to fill vacant seat

Pam Woodard returns to School Board

The WFB Civic Foundation's 3rd Annual Green Day in the Bay is a week from Saturday, April 24th.

One of the main elements of GDIB is a Village-wide cleanup, which takes place from 9-10am. It's Whitefish Bay's one hour spring cleaning, powered by you and your neighbors.

Naturally, it takes tons of volunteers .. GDIB organizers have had a good response this year, but need 10-20 more people to cover the Village.

If you have an hour, please email Amy Lucas (Amy-Lukas@wi.rr.com) today and she'll give you a location to clean.

I did it last year, and it's simply amazing the amount of crud on our streets, boulevards and parks.  Please consider giving up an hour of your time!

From 10am till Noon on Saturday, there are several events going on at Cahill Park, with electronics recycling, free samples of eco-friendly goods, free reusable bags, electric bike rides, and chair massages by Elements.

All details can be found at the WFB Civic Foundation website: http://www.wfbcivicfoundation.org

-- Not much news in WFB these days.  Everyone always asks about City Market: I have no news.  They continue to seek financing.  And yes, the Village has put forth substantial financial help for CM already. 

-- Remember that mystery development discussed at the CDA last month, for the entire block on Silver Spring, from Lydell to Bay Ridge?  (See pic)  (It includes the Bailey Law Office and Schmidt & Bartelt funeral home.)

The future tenant is .. PNC Bank.

Fear not, Whitefish Bay villagers .. your vast unfilled banking thirst, not covered by Associated, M&I, Johnson Bank, Guaranty and US Bank might now be quenched.

I smell an exciting new WFB BID slogan:  Silver Spring .. Where Milwaukee Comes to Bank!

Sweet.

A few quick hits:

First up, the next Plan Commission meeting has an item to discuss a permit for Penzey's Spices, who appear to be moving in to the 629 E. Silver Spring complex (Winkie's) across from Sendik's.  That's a quality pick-up for Silver Spring. 

The Plan Commission will also be discussing Sendik's expansion & remodeling effort, and alterations to the Sign Code.

--

Second .. the 3rd Annual Green Day in the Bay is scheduled for Saturday, April 24th, put on by your WFB Civic Foundation.

From 9-10am that Saturday, is the annual "WFB Cleanup" -- GDIB is looking for volunteers and families to form "Green Teams" to pick-up trash in our streets, parks and beaches. 

If you would like to help clean up Whitefish Bay,  please contact Amy Lukas at amy-lukas@wi.rr.com 

There are a number of GDIB events at Cahill Park after the cleanup .. for details, click here.

--

Last .. the Bay has been hit by another round of vechicle break-ins yesterday.  Six unlocked cars .. another ten in Shorewood.

Watch TMJ4 tonight to see our Police Chief Jacobs explaining .. Lock Your Cars, People!

*** Subscribe via email.  Free, of course.  Just click here, and you can have this blog covering WFB delivered to your email box whenever it's updated.

Haven't blogged in quite some time.  No particular reason, but mostly I haven't been inspired, letting the blog wither on the vine. 

Onward.

Peabody's is closing on Silver Spring and moving to Brown Deer by the end of May.  No word on what might replace their large footprint.

I visited Sport n' Cuts, which opened at the end of February next to What's Poppin'.

Honestly, the interior is spectacular.  The barber chairs alone are incredible .. looks like they've been ripped out of a Rolls Royce, with tight black leather and burlwood arms.  Each barber station has its own TV.

Customers receive a complimentary soda/coffee, and popcorn while they wait.  They can play a game of pool on the table in the back.  

The men's haircut is $24.95, which includes hot towels & massage.   They are running a welcome-to-the block special, so tell 'em you read this on the blog, and they'll knock $5 off your first cut.

Interestingly .. the price for kids is $14.95 .. which is competes with Just Kidding's $19.50 cut. 

A couple other Village Hall items:

The CDA meets tonight (March 10, 7pm) to discuss 3 interesting items:

• A "Presentation by business potentially interested in property on the north side of Silver Spring between Lydell and Bay Ridge."  -- That's the Bailey Law Office building and its parking lot.  
   
• Discussion on changing WFB's sign codes.  At the Trustee level, we've seen some high-level suggestions for altering the sign code, of which, dozens (yes, dozens) of merchants are afoul, some of whom have been issued municipal late fees of over $30k last year for their violations.  The WFB BID and Building Inspector will present suggestions to relax some of the more onerous codes.
• The CDA will also look at the possibility of allowing an antenna pole in the municipal parking lot behind the Fox-Bay.  These cell phone/internet towers are a giant source of revenue for the Village, with expected cash flow of $100k/year.
  
  For some context on what $100k means to the Village .. we're always interested in development, right?  With the Village's mill rate of $5.04, erecting a tower that generates $100k per year is the equivalent of having a $19.8m building constructed -- or fifty $400k new houses built.
  
  The price to pay for that revenue is that this "monopole" will tower over Silver Spring, clearly visible for blocks.   Will we get used to it?  Maybe.   
  
  On the other hand, hello 5-bars on your cell phone. 

First up, the highlight of yesterday's Trustee meeting was that WFB participated in a sale of bonds.  One was a re-funding of higher-rate bonds to lower, saving the Village $335k at a paltry 2.7% interest rate, near the 42-year low for rates.   Amazing.

--

The Civic Foundation is hosting a new event in 2010 .. the First Annual Skate Date at Cahill Ice Rink this Saturday, Jan. 23, starting at 4pm.

From 5-6pm, the First Annual WFB Broom Ball Bowl will commence.  (Ok, I made that up.  But there will be broom ball games at 5pm.)

The Civic Foundation will provide brooms & ball as well as hot water and hot chocolate mix. Bowls, spoons, and napkins will also be available for residents who bring their own pot of chili to eat.  (Which reminds me, if you've ever wanted to make home-made "Real Chili" here's a link to a few recipes -- we've made #2 several times.  It's not exactly Real Chili, but it's close enough.)

Hopefully, the ice rink will stay frozen for this new Civic Foundation event.

Here's the Facebook event link, and please join the Civic Foundation Group, if you're a Facebook fan.

--

Do you use the Whitefish Bay Library?

The Library Board wants your input on their long-range plan.  Click here to take a moment and fill their survey. 

--

Finally, Bay Ball is going to happen this year on Friday June 4th at the new Harley Museum.

Pulling off the Bay Ball takes a load of volunteers.  If you could help out with publicity, raffles, logistics, baskets, reservations .. whatever, please drop an email to one of these co-chairs:

Joe & Lori Kampschroer:  lkamp@att.net

Larry & Rega Plaster:  regap@sbcglobal.net

Michael Pyter & Mary Beth Jacobs: mjacobs10@wi.rr.com

Hello?  Is this thing on?    There hasn't been much to blog about since the holidays, so this is the first blog post of 2010 .. and it's a grab-bag.

Grab Bag Story Number 1:  Trick or Treat

The JS has an interesting story about Milwaukee County municipalities discussing Trick-or-Treating times, with local City Mayors and Village Presidents at their monthly meeting .. some suburbs want a unified time, so that children from other cities stay in their own city to Trick or Treat.

Marauding, candy-hoarding kids descending on the suburbs by the vanload? For trick-or-treating? Where are all the mayors and the village presidents in the face of this debauchery?

They plan to tackle the problem Monday - 9 1/2 months before Halloween.

On Monday .. the Milwaukee County mayors and village presidents will discuss trick-or-treating at their monthly meeting. At their last meeting, they discussed a proposal to have it on Oct. 31 every year from 2010 through 2020. This year, Oct. 31 is a Sunday.

I will say .. of the 500-600 kids that come to my house, the number of non-residents is 50-60% .. while I see it as a moment of charity, there's a point it gets a bit ridiculous. 

Long time readers of the blog would know .. I'm a fan of having Halloween on, you know, Halloween, like the rest of the United States.  

Somehow, the people in Waukesha, Brookfield, Big Bend, Cedarburg, Racine, Sheboygan, Waterford, Elm Grove, Dousman, and Menomonee Falls, not to mention .. Cleveland, St. Paul, Des Moines, Boston, Phoenix .. Chicago, Detroit, Bismark .. somehow people across our country figure out how to trick or treat at the traditional moment:  On October 31st, usually when it gets dark.   How millions of people do it without ruining their children, screwing up homework time, messing up their sleep pattern, foiling soccer practice, and not running over dozens of children each year is a total mystery!

Perhaps this Milwaukee County meeting will end our long, regional nightmare and align us with the rest of the United States.

Grab Bag Story Number 2:

Jessica Jubelirer Design has opened, kitty-corner from Sendik's.  It's a corner lot, and I must say, the exterior and big windows definitely dress up the corner.

JJD is an interior design firm, mostly for the residential set, but they do some commercial work as well. 

Website: http://www.jubelirerdesign.com

Number 3:

Jill Stock, Whitefish Bay resident (and blog reader) is having an Open House / Ribbon Cutting of Real Fit at 409 E. Silver Spring, next Saturday 1/16 from 3-7pm.  Real Fit is personal training studio.

Number 4:

A new barbershop will open in the long vacant Cingular store (next to What's Poppin') called "Sports 'n Cuts Clubhouse" an "upscale mens/boys barbershop."

When City Market opens .. how many vacant spots are left on Silver Spring?  Two?  Not bad for a recession.

Number 5:

Lastly, the WFB Business Improvement District has opened its search for a BID Director.  Full release can be found here.

The part-time position will be responsible for developing marketing and advertising initiatives, communicating with various community groups to establish partnerships, providing administrative support to the BID Board, organizing and developing special events...

The base contracted salary range is $20,000 to $25,000 with additional compensation possible through performance bonuses.  Additional compensation potential from the Village of Whitefish Bay in connection with retail recruitment initiative.

Please send resume, cover letter, and references to Whitefish Bay BID Director Position, attention to Matt Schuenke, at 5300 N. Marlborough Drive, Whitefish Bay, WI 53217.  The deadline for submitting this information is January 27, 2010.  Please direct all questions to Matt Schuenke at (414) 962-6690 or m.schuenke@wfbvillage.org.

Number 6:

The WFB Ice Rinks are open at Klode and Cahill.