Mequon neighbors object to proposed subdivision along Milwaukee River
A proposal for a 19-lot conservation subdivision drew a crowd Monday night at the Mequon Plan Commission meeting, with some neighbors upset about the plan that would create lots from half an acre to 5.35 acres in size.
The 42-acre site south of Freistadt Road and east of Oak Shore Lane border the Milwaukee River and is a habitat for many birds and animals and the neighbors would prefer that to houses.
Some had concerns that the subdivision, because of the variety of lot sizes, would have less expensive homes, but David Leszynski, the developer, said that houses would likely start at the $500,000 price point, with higher prices for riverfront lots.
The Plan Commission recommended that the Common Council approve a zoning change from the current 1-acre lot minimum to a planned unit development designation. That would allow lots of varying sizes, with the average lot size 1-acre. Whether developed as a planned unit development conservation subdivision or under the current zoning, there would be 19 houses in the area. Part of the 42 acres is in the floodway and is not buildable.
The Common Council will schedule a public hearing on the proposed zoning change at its Oct. 11 meeting.
Brown Deer community says goodbye to Dean Elementary
Brown Deer — Marching and laughing and crying and hugging and singing, a crowd of students, teachers and parents said their goodbyes to Dean Elementary Thursday.
Their sendoff, which wound its way through the school as a parade and concluded outside with the release of golden balloons — many of which sported the names of students and teachers, alongside messages — marked the last day in the building before the gutting and demolition occur in October.
"It's the last time these kids will be walking down these hallways," Superintendent Deb Kerr said as the parade marched by.
Dean Elementary opened in the fall of 1959, home of the kindergarten through eighth-grade Dean School District, which was one of several such area districts that fed into the Granville Union Free High School District. As time wore on, several of the then-seperate districts consolidated into one composed of Dean Elementary, Brown Deer Middle School and what was originally called Granville High School and later Brown Deer High School.
In light of the 2011 referendum to consolidate Brown Deer schools into two buildings, the fate of the aging and maintenance-prone Dean Elementary was sealed.
» Read Full ArticleThiensville farmers market touches the senses
Thiensville — Through the warm summer air of Thiensville Village Park on Tuesday morning, the sounds and smells of dozens of different vendors mingled with the strum of guitar and the laughter of children.
It all heralded the opening of Thiensville's Village Market, a farmers market which for years has been hosted at the Walgreens at Main Street and Freistadt Road.
More than 250 patrons had made their way through the market by 11 a.m., market volunteers reported.
"They're coming in droves," said Thiensville Business Association President Jesse Daily, grinning behind the bright green uniform and cashier's smock of the volunteers.
So far 41 total vendors have signed up. The market is open every Tuesday through Oct. 29, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
» Read Full ArticleGridlock continues as Mequon officials fail to fill alderman vacancy
Mequon — The 1st District aldermanic seat remains vacant after the Common Council on Tuesday, repeating the results of its Committee of the Whole meeting May 29, failed to select a candidate by the required five-vote majority.
The one vote the council took Tuesday reflected the three votes taken by the committee, a 4-3 gridlock. Aldermen Ken Zganjar of District 2, John Leszczynski of District 4, John Hawkins of District 6 and Andrew Nerbun of District 7 voted for Robert Strzelcyzk, who garnered 47 percent of the vote in the April election but lost out to Dan Abendroth — who turned down the spot when he unseated Mayor Curt Gielow.
Aldermen Dale Mayr of District 3, Mark Seider of District 5 and Pam Adams of District 8 voted for attorney Robert Holtz, who is representing his and eight other families in the suit between the city and River Club of Mequon owner Tom Weickardt.
Nerbun, Zganjar, Hawkins, and Leszczynski all endorsed Strzelcyzk vocally before the vote. Nerbun said, unlike popular opinion suggests, Strzelcyzk isn't a "Curt Gielow devotee.... I think we're getting an independent thinker." Zganjar, Hawkins and Leszczynski all called on Strzelcyzk's near successful campaign against Abendroth as reason to appoint him.
Strzelcyzk 'more unbiased'
» Read Full ArticleNSFD's unfunded retirement liability looms
A recent study by the actuarial firm Milliman Incorporated calculates the North Shore Fire Department's 30-year retirement liability at approximately $44 million, about $30 million of which is unfunded.
Retirement liability, commonly referred to as Other Post Employment Benefits, comprises health insurance which bridges retirement age and Medicare eligibility, as well as sick leave payouts, among other things, depending on the benefits an organization provides. While OPEB liabilities have existed as long as employers have offered the benefits, the precise long-term ramifications of those liabilities haven't been clear until legislation has required governmental bodies to commission actuarial studies every three years, beginning in 2009.
"It's only the second time we've seen this," NSFD Finance Director Lynn Burton said.
As the cost of health care has increased over the years, so, too, has the department's OPEB liability. NSFD's unfunded liability was approximately $21 million when the first actuarial study was done in 2009, and has since increased to the present value of approximately $30.4 million.
The amount NSFD would need to sock away each year to fully fund OPEB, referred to by actuaries as the Annual Required Contribution is approximately $2.7 million. Fire Chief Robert Whitaker said that the department typically spends about $900,000 annually on retirement, between the current out of pocket costs of retirees claiming their OPEB benefits, and the $400,000 the department began putting away annually last year to help cover the benefits over the long term.
» Read Full ArticleMequon office building approved by Plan Commission
A 12,000-square-foot office building proposed for Mequon has been approved by the city Plan Commission.
Concord Development Co. plans to develop the one-story office building at 10606 N Port Washington Road, near where two other commercial buildings have been developed by the firm, according to a commission report. Prospective tenants haven't yet been disclosed.
Construction is to begin this fall, and Concord is expected to seek city financing assistance through a tax incremental financing district on Port Washington Road, the report said. The project would be part of a series of new developments along a 2-mile stretch of the road that was rebuilt in 2011.
The commission approved the development at its Monday night meeting on a 7-1 vote.
First to reach mandated racial integration threshold, Brown Deer 'graduates' from Chapter 220 program
Brown Deer — The stage at graduation represents change, bridging what was and what will be, showcasing young men and women as they walk from one life to the next.
When Michael Snowden walked the stage Friday at Brown Deer High School's graduation ceremony, with him crossed the legacy of almost 40 years of progress, racial integration and justice, signaling the end of one era and the beginning of another.
Unknown even to Snowden until recently, he is Brown Deer's very last student funded by the Milwaukee Voluntary Integration Program, commonly referred to as Chapter 220. Passed by the state Legislature in 1975, Chapter 220 provided an ostensibly simple mechanism to grease the wheels of racial integration in one of America's most segregated cities. Students in the Milwaukee Public Schools system could enroll in the outlying suburban districts, and likewise suburban students could enroll in Milwaukee schools. Wherever the students went, so did their their funding, and once each suburban district reaches 30 percent minority enrollment — a benchmark established to reflect Milwaukee's minority population in 1975 — funding ceases for additional Chapter 220 transfers.
While MPS, the participating 23 suburban school districts, and Chapter 220 itself have all weathered significant changes, challenges and criticisms since the program's inception in the 1976-77 school year, overall minority enrollment has crept upward year after year in the suburbs, with Brown Deer leading the pack.
 Hunt for missing elderly man ends when he's found in neighbor's apartmentAn 84-year-old man with dementia was found safe in his Thiensville apartment building about 8 a.m. Monday, though in the wrong room, after he was reported missing about Sunday night. George Mayer left his apartment at Willowbrook Place, 205 Green Bay Road, to take out the trash, and when he didn't return, his wife alerted authorities, sparking police to issue a call for help from the public. The search paused about 3:30 a.m. Monday and resumed four hours later. The entire apartment building was searched and police took a head count of residents. A mix-up occurred, however, when authorities searched an apartment unit with two names on the door and counted two residents, one in each of the unit's bedrooms, Thiensville Police Chief Scott Nicholson said. What police didn't know was that the male resident listed on the door had died last year, the chief said. When the woman in that unit woke Monday morning, she found Mayer in the other bedroom. » Read Full ArticleGraduation in the suburbs photo gallery now onlineIt's not all pomp and circumstance, but that might be how it felt for suburban high school graduates this weekend. Students from Nicolet, Germantown, New Berlin and more crossed across stages around the suburban Milwaukee area signifying their high school success. You can view photos of those proud graduates in our photo gallery. Shorewood schools to hire development leader to find new revenueThe Shorewood School District plans to bring aboard a director of development for the 2013-14 school year, an innovative move for the relatively small district that is looking to develop an additional revenue stream through professional fund raising. District officials said the move will help to offset rising costs in the future. “This move has been in the works for several years in our long-range planning,” Rob Reinhoffer, Shorewood’s Board of Education president, said Friday. “Going over revenue outlooks, we came to the realization that we need new revenue sources.” Reinhoffer and Shorewood School District’s Superintendent Marty Lexmond said the move was made after considering the strong support the district already receives from the community. Initially, the board has committed two years to the position, which they expect will sustain itself and more through the funds it will bring in in future years. “We already have a very active community of volunteers and fundraisers,” Lexmond said. “Now we’re hoping to bring in some extra reach.” The proposal was not a direct response to recent state cutbacks in school spending, the officials said. » Read Full ArticleBrown Deer delays action on apartments proposalThe Brown Deer Plan Commission is delaying action on a proposed apartment development that has drawn opposition from residents. Meanwhile, a village official tells me the development firm is planning to seek financing assistance from Brown Deer. The commission will not be reviewing the 44-unit Beaver Creek Apartments proposal at its Monday meeting, the village has announced. That delay was requested by development firm General Capital Group in order to work on details of the project's operations. "We feel it is important to document the details of the operation including management, security, trash removal and so on," said Sig Strautmanis, of General Capital, in a letter to the village. » Read Full ArticleBrown Deer delays Plan Commission review of Beaver Creek proposalBrown Deer — At the request of developer General Capital, the village has put its consideration of a Bradley Crossing-like apartment complex on hold, Village Manager Michael Hall announced in a news release. The Plan Commission, scheduled to review on June 10 General Capital's 44-unit rental expansion at the Beaver Creek site on 60th Street and Brown Deer Road, will take the matter up at a later date. The Community Development Authority will still review the underlying financial agreement between General Capital and the village June 13, as scheduled. In a letter, General Capital Partner Sig Strautmanis requested the review be held until "the next available Plan Commission once the details of the Operational Development Agreement are worked out... Based on feedback we received at the May 28th public hearing, we would like to work with staff to draft the full Operational Development Agreement before proceeding to the Plan Commission for review and referral. We feel it is important to document the details of the operation including management, security, trash removal and so on." Plan Commission meetings are usually held the second Monday of any given month. Barring a special meeting, that would make the next regularly scheduled commission meeting July 8. Mequon-Thiensville School Board urges legislature to increase fundingMequon — The Mequon-Thiensville School Board is urging the state legislature to approve a per-pupil increase for the 2014-15 school year that aligns with the consumer price index. The board met with Rep. Dan Knodl and Sen. Alberta Darling on May 18 to discuss developing a sustainable kindergarten-through-12th-grade funding formula and providing more local control to school boards in governing their own districts, according to a news release from the School District. Per-pupil increases on the revenue limit have historically been tied to CPI, but that is no longer the case. The board expressed their concerns in a letter they are sending to legislators as they hash out final details of the 2013-15 biennium budget. The letter addresses a few key points, including local control over school schedules, as well as the need for an increase to per-pupil funding. The district has seen budget reductions over the last 10 years. The board asked legislators for an increase of at least $150 in per-pupil funding. The letter also notes that the district does not benefit from additional revenue unless the per pupil increase is $275 or more. In the letter, the School Board asks that the Joint Finance Committee recommend a change in the legislation that dictates when the school year will begin. School, legally, cannot start until Sept. 1. » Read Full ArticleDecision could be close on River Club suitMequon — Ozaukee County Circuit Court Judge Tom Wolfgram, faced with a pile of legal briefs, decided at a motion hearing and scheduling conference on Monday that he will take time to review the filings before either issuing a written decision or bringing the case back to court. In recent weeks River Club of Mequon owner Tom Weickardt's attorneys, Mequon City Attorney John DeStefanis, and attorney Robert Holtz, representing nine families in the Deer Trail Estates subdivision of the Ville Du Parc neighborhood, have submitted a flurry of filings, with the last coming from Holtz early Monday morning. The lawsuit itself strikes at the heart of an issue dating back to 2011, when Weickardt submitted plans to develop a 19-lot subdivision and 12-acre park on a 42-acre lot south of Friestadt Road he had purchased along with what was then called the Mequon Country Club. His plans stalled when city officials discovered an open space easement which, depending on which of the lawyers you talk to, either does or doesn't guarantee Deer Trail Estates residents — and potentially even all Ville Du Parc residents — access to the land. Enjoy the scenic viewWeickardt's suit, originally filed in December, at first attempted to compel the city to enforce Weickardt's property rights against trespassing on the 42-acre lot. In April, Weickardt's attorneys re-framed the argument, requesting Wolfgram to solidify through declaratory judgment an interpretation of the easement that only guarantees the neighbors "the right to enjoy the scenic vista of (Weickardt's) property as open space." » Read Full ArticleShorewood Schools will add development director to rosterShorewood — The Shorewood School District will add a development director to its staff for the next two academic years in an effort to bring more donations into the district. The estimated annual salary range for the position is $110,000 to $120,000. At the recommendation of the Finance and Facilities Committee, the School Board on Tuesday agreed to add the position to the budget and maintained flexability to use reserve funds if needed. Show me the moneyFinding the money for the post proved controversial. Board member David Cobb explained that the committee grappled with the idea of paying for the position strictly with reserve fund dollars, as a matter of accountability. » Read Full ArticleThree local businesses pitch downtown Thiensville developmentsThiensville — Three local businesses are vying for the chance to develop prime downtown Thiensville real estate along Pigeon Creek. At a special joint meeting of the Committee of the Whole and Plan Commission on Tuesday, Thiensville-based CORE Consulting, Mequon-based Knobloch Nelson Architects, and Thiensville Family Health Care Clinic all presented multi-level, mixed-use plans for consideration. In 2012 the village purchased the sites of Riemer's Flowers, D & D Electronics and Sea N' Sand Scuba for a combined total of $297,000 with the intent of razing the buildings to make way for redevelopment. After the presentations Tuesday, village officials convened in closed session to consider the proposals and begin brainstorming over the village's bargaining position in the sale of the properties. Contractors are removing asbestos from the sites now, said village administrator Dianne Robertson, who expects demolition to occur within a few weeks. Village officials mentioned several times that it's in the interest of the village to go bigger rather than smaller on the sites, to get a better sale price and maximize the village's investment. Throughout the meeting, Village President Van Mobley said things like whether the developer or village will pay for the properties to be elevated out of the Pigeon Creek flood plain, and the particulars of the developers' financial backing, among other details, will likely be points of negotiation going forward. He also mentioned that there are several other village sites that could potentially house the two applicants who lose out on the bid for Main Street. » Read Full Article
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