Dear friends in the Village of Shorewood and Shorewood Village Trustees

Many of you have already informed me of Sunrise Senior Living's recent pullout from the property where I used to live and where the Riverbrook Restaurant was located.  For those of you who haven't, here's the story:

http://www.jsonline.com/business/34467754.html

My final words at the Village Board Meeting that decided this were: "I really hope I'm wrong on my concerns and that this development ends up being successful, butSunrise does not have the Village of Shorewood as it's primary concern, it has it's shareholders."  During discussions I had brought up several cases nationally where Sunrise did this exact same thing - bought property, pulled out and sold.  Someof you assured me there was more oversight and this wouldn't be the case.

It is distressful that a Milwaukee Landmark was closed and that many low-income and diverse families were forced out of Shorewood and this latest development rubs salt in that wound.

The reason I'm writing is two-fold: 1) to encourage you to watch this development closely and to keep pressure on the Village to make smart decisions on this valuable piece of riverfront property, and 2) to give you a final rundown on how I thought the players, our elected and appointed officials, handled this case.

Winners:  Trustee's Jeff Hanewall and Dawn Anderson

These two Board Members answered my concerns in a respectful and thoughtful manner.  I didn't always agree with them but I knew that they heard my concerns and addressed them.  Justice Hanewall actually spent a half-hour with me on the phone - very well appreciated. 

Trustee Anderson addressed the concerns about credit and finances of Sunrise at the Board Meeting - and I'm not sure her concerns, prophetic as they were, were adequately addressed by the others.

The verdict is still out:  Trustee's Margaret Hickey and Michael Maher, President Guy Johnson, Village Manager Cris Swartz

Trustee Hickey was the only other person to respond to my e-mail, which I appreciated, but I was disturbed by an incident that happened at the final Board Meeting.  After the public input session while the Board went into closed discussions, one "public" individual, who appeared to be a developer  very close to Village government, was allowed to speak.  When the apartment manager later tried to do speak, Trustee Hickey shot back in an angry tone "Public input is over!".   (But apparently only for some)

Trustee Maher and President Johnson were silent observers.  Neither replied to my concerns.  I reminded all the Board members, and this is also addressed to the new Trustee, Sean Cummings, It is infinitely better to get a reply that I don't like then no reply at all.

Village Manager Swartz was respectful throughout the process.  The only thing I didn't like was his periodic comment to the effect that "either you're getting Sunrise or you're getting a huge condo".


Most frustrating: Pete Petrie, Chair CDA, Trustee Ellen Eckman, Trustee Michael Phinney, Laura Hester, Sunrise Senior Living

Pete Petrie was by far the most frustrating figure to work with.  He produced these terrible ad-hoc "studies" that showed that 100% of the communities that Sunrise were located in benefited.  Of all the people he appeared most driven to plow this thing through - and I don't know what he had to gain.  His constant threat: if we don't get Sunrise in this property, it could be five years before another proposal came through.  Not the kind of forward-thinking and patience I want from a government official over a project that will be around for many years to come.

Trustee Eckman also did not reply to my e-mails, and after I called her and the others out at the meeting, I got a list of excuses but not an apology.  Please, just be honest and straightforward.  She was also frustrating at the CDA meetings.  Her response to our concerns: "The public brought up the same concerns over a development by Downer Woods and everybody ended up loving it".  Not sure what to make of that, are you saying the public shouldn't bring up concerns and just trust the board?  (By the way, I checked with many of you residents over that development and there are a lot of people that are still very bitter about the process and the development - I don't think we can count them among the everybody who loved it)

Of course Laura Hester, the representative at Sunrise was just plain awful.  In fact, her associate came to me after a meeting saying Sunrise is working out a compensation plan for the residents of the apartment - clearly an attempt to appease and quiet us as nothing was ever in the works.  When things didn't go her way at meetings, her ire would come out, threatening to pull out, and being appeased by certain members of government.


So there you have it.  I have sinced move from Shorewood, but I hope that something good can finally come from this mess.  I hope that all of the Village Board Members take my criticism in a constructive way and that in the future you do your best as elected officials to respect and acknowledge the people you represent.  If you feel I have been unfair or misrepresented the situation I will gladly discuss things further.

For those of you who supported me and the other tenants of the apartments - THANK YOU!  Thank you for coming out to the meetings, for writing letters, for helping to spread the word.  It meant a lot to us.

Sincerely,

Tim Vargo

 WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ?  YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME !

 When you see a Waste Management truck in Shorewood, chances are that it is a scab driver who was hired by Wasted Management as a Permanent Replacement Worker during the recent Teamster strike.  Thirty Eight of the Teamster Drivers were shafted by WM.

Waste Management decided the time was right this year to beat down the Teamsters on benefits they had negotiated over the years.  In today's economy Waste Management did not have too much trouble finding drivers who would work for less than the Union Drivers.

Since Ronald Reagan set example of how to break a union (air traffic controllers) private industry has followed his example in questionable negotiating tactics ever since --- and with the blessing of Federal Regulators who are suppose to assure that Union Workers' Rights are not violated.

Must be the same Federal Regulators watching over the Financial and Securities Industries that now need a $700 Billion Bailout !!

I have heard (to be confirmed) that Waste Management has a 10 year contract with Shorewood. 

I wonder if Shorewood gets a discount for the lower costs Waste Management now has ?  

I wonder how Shorewoodians like the idea of a Union Busting Company as one of our Vendors ?

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?  YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME !

Read all about it on my Google Blog at   

Drivers and workers for Waste Management in the Milwaukee area were on strike due to Waste Management making offers that attacked the benefits they had won in previous contracts.

With the current credit and financial crisis, and the threat of hiring Permanent Replacment Workers by Waste Management --- the striking workers were left with no choice but to capitulate and accept a junk contract from Waste Managment.

The five-year contract cuts back on wages and healthcare benefits and establishes a new 401k program for the workers.

BTW retired workers will also be affected, as the new 401K program that Waste Management insisted upon will cut benefits for current retirees.

Have you ever  wondered what the constant pounding that the Middle Class is taking from all sides --- Factory Relocations to Foreign Countries, Diminished Health Care Benefits, Lower Wages, Privatizing of Public Services to Companies that will pay a Fraction of the current wages, Union Busting Techniques such as those used by Waste Management --- means to you ?

 If you are a Teacher, don't hold your breath waiting for better wages --- the Middle Class is running dry.

 If you are a Doctor or Dentist, you will see fewer patients as the Middle Class can't afford your rates or the Insurance Company Co-pays.

If you are an Engineer --- don't be surprised if you can't find work at local manufacturers --- those factories are gone, and if not they are outsourcing your work overseas on the internet --- or bringing in Cheap Foreign Engineers --- because they can't find enough qualified Engineers here (wink, wink immigration laws)

 If you are a Shopkeeper --- when your Customers have less money --- they go to Wal Mart and buy goods from Chinese factories.

If you are a Police Officer --- your job prospects will look good in the short term, as the differnence in the "haves" and "have nots" grows --- but don't get too comfortable, a lot of folks will do your work for a lot less --- and the 'haves" can live in cheaper tax districts in Gated Communities with Rent a Cops who make a fraction of your pay and get no benefits.

 Hopefully I think the point is made ...........

A vibrant Middle Class is what Makes Life Good in the USA !!

When Shorewood's contract with Waste Management comes up for renewal --- maybe we can find a company that respects their workers and compensates them fairly.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?  YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME !!

Read all about it on my Google Blog at   

In my last post on this blog I started a thread about the dire straights of our economy.  I intended to work up from the 70's to today, to show how changes in our government and culture have put us in this precarious position.

Eventually I would have reached the time when Union Busting came into vogue (think Regan and Air Traffic Controllers) --- and how Unions are an intricate part of our economy that We Have All Benefited From ..........

I believe in a Healthy Dynamic Tension between Management and Unions --- Both Sides are Important --- but if it were not for Unions, the Miracle of the American Middle Class would Never have Existed !!! 

As I see the present conflict between Waste Management and the Union, the Union Members have no Moral Alternative but to reject Waste Management's insistence on setting up a new pension plan that would incorporate a 401 K system.

Right now the Central States Pension Plan is assuring Current Retirees of a pension they were promised.  If the Waste Management Employees are pulled out, the Current Pensioners will Suffer.

All to often we have seen recently BIG companies file bankruptcy --- specifically to rid themselves of the Promises they made to Retirees.  I believe this is the same type of Play by Waste Mangement --- just in an innovative way.  

Within the last hour, the Union Members have rejected the Waste Management proposal --- and now Waste Mangement is threatening to hire PERMANENT REPLACEMENT WORKERS aka SCABS !!! (see story below from WWW.JSONLINE.COM)

Shorewood uses Waste Management services.  

As Shorewood has the reputation of being extremely Liberal --- and Pro Union --- what will the average Shorewood Resident do ?

Will Shorewood residents boycott Waste Management services ?

If the Union puts a picket line at the DPW -- will the Union DPW workers cross the line ?

Will Shorewood residents contact the elected Village Board officials and urge them to put pressure on Waste Management to Bargain in Good Faith ?

(By the way, the CEO of Waste Management, David P Steiner, according to Forbes had compensation in 2007 of $5,300,000 and owns $10,100,000 in stock.  I wonder what his Pension Plan is like ???? )

WHAT DO YOU THINK ? 

YOUR THOUGHTS IN THE COMMENT SECTION AT THE END OF THIS POST ARE WELCOME !

THE ARTICLE FROM JSONLINE.COM FOLLOWS ... 

SUNDAY, Sept. 21, 2008, 2:43 p.m.
By Don Walker

Teamsters reject contract again

Striking Teamsters today rejected the latest contract offer from Waste Management.

The vote was 199-24, a Teamster official said.

Waste Management officials said the vote taken Sunday was actually on the same contract offer union members had rejected on Friday. Members of Local 200 were supposed to vote today on the company's original Sept. 10 offer, but instead decided to vote again on what the company had called a modified version of the Sept. 10 offer.

In light of the union vote on Sunday, Waste Management had said that it would offer "less generous" terms to striking workers. The company also said it would begin to hire permanent replacement workers.

An estimated 240 Teamster drivers, equipment operators and maintenance workers walked off the job on Aug. 26 in a dispute over pay and pensions. Both sides have accused each other of bad faith bargaining.

Waste Management spokesman Lynn Morgan said the company was disappointed with the vote. "The contract on the table was fair to everyone," she said Sunday. "The employees would have taken home market-leading pay and benefits and gained better protection from the Teamsters' failing pension fund."

Waste Management has thousands of commercial and residential accounts in the counties of Kenosha, Racine, Ozaukee, Milwaukee, Washington and Waukesha counties.

Union officials said the charge before the National Labor Relations Board accusing Waste Management of bad faith bargaining prevents the company from hiring replacement workers.


CAN I GET AN AMENT FOR BROTHER WALKER ? 

Read all about it on my Google Blog at   

 Shorewood had finished Streetscaping North Oakland Avenue just a little over 10 years ago, when it decided the multi-million dollar project was obsolete. 

Other than a need to level the pavers in the parkway, most folks did not think there was a need for a total redo.

Ironically, most of what Shorewood deemed to be obsolete --- benches, planters, trash containers  and street lights --- are now being productively used by the Shorewood School District.  They must have a different definition of obsolete over there.

Without question however ---- the New Streetscape is Obsolete ----- before it is even finished !!!!

As part of the project, giant concrete borders were put around all the trees in the parkway. 

Aside from the questionable aesthetics of the hard surfaced smooth borders clashing with the rustic look of the pavers and concrete walks --- the borders are too high for cars to park alongside them.

The absolute need for maximum parking on Oakland is well known and acknowledged.  But with the new concrete borders:

1) Cars with passengers will not be able to park next to the curb, as the passengers will not be able to exit the car.

2) A lot of nice cars are going to have serious damage to their doors as folks try to open them and they get crunched on the concrete borders.

3) Cars that do park so that passengers will be able to exit will have to be far away from the curb -- which will probably result in parking tickets and be a hazard to bicycle riders.

4) There will be traffic backups and the potential for accidents, as cars have to stop in the driving lanes to let out passengers before they can park.

Below are pictures of the new concrete borders and how they affect car doors:

Any by the way --- what do you folks think of the new benches ?  In my opinion the new black benches are smaller and uglier than the green benches they replace. 

And I pity the poor soul who happens to sit on one of those black benches on a hot sunny day while wearing shorts

----- ouch !! 

 WHAT DO YOU THINK ?  PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT BELOW !

 As readers of this blog know, I have written "ad nauseam"  :-)  about the lack of consideration for small business parking in areas where there is No Construction Work being done, but No Parking signs are left posted --- and tickets are written for patrons of businesses and residents who might have "logically" thought if there is No Work going on, parking for a few minutes should be ok --- Wrong !!

Contacting the Officials that Be had not been very productive, as the finger pointing (Construction Crews, DPW, Administration, Police, BID) invariably followed a circular pattern, 

I am happy to report that Guy Johnson, the Shorewood Village President, as he promised,  has taken an interest in this situation and is reviewing it with the Village Administration and DPW.

Will there be an immediate change to the current practices ? 

I don't know ---- but I am encouraged the process is being reviewed ---- and that the plight of the hapless small business owners is now a consideration.

WHAT DO YOU THINK.  PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT BELOW.
 

The Village is finally getting serious about providing the Shorewood Police Department with some decent facilities.  The present building they work out of is totally obsolescent for a police force their size in this day and age.

I had previously suggested that the Village talk to the School Board about the SIS building, as the school system has too much space for too few students.  The main drawback to that idea would be getting the School Board and the Village Board to come to a consensus within a reasonable amount of time. 

As the Village Board has been so delinquent in addressing this problem, and with all the different considerations that have to be taken into account by the School Board, it is probably not a solution that can happen in a timely manner.  Which is unfortuanate, as more than likely we will have the problem of what to do with the SIS building in the next  few years.

A viable site for the new police station that is going to be looked at is the AB Building at 4057 N Wilson Drive.  At first blush, it appears this is a site that can meet the physical requirements of the SPD.

The downside is that it will mean a loss of $63,000 in property tax revenues.  Considering all that the Village is doing in trying to increase tax revenues, this would be a step backwards.

I don't think though, that the site should be dismissed out of hand because of the tax consequences, if the Village can get innovative and perhaps make up the difference in other ways.

For instance, it has been mentioned in the past that perhaps the Whitefish Bay PD would be interested in sharing space with the SPD.  If the 4057 building has enough room, the combination of savings by both departments through shared resources, and the rental income from the Bay PD could offset the tax loses.

Other possibilities that could be explored would be rental of space to the Sheriff's Dept for a substation --- or possibly other law enforcement organizations.

If there is a decent gun range in the new facility, NRA hunter training programs and possibly range rental time for pistol leagueS could generate some additional revenue.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?  PLEASE COMMENT BELOW !

The current Shorewood Village Board is spending some big dollars and planning to spend more, and gambling that increasing property values will pay the bill.

Shorewood is using what is called a TIF (tax incremental financing) as a Financing Tool to pay for various projects, such as Streetscaping, the River Project, Condo Development, etc. 

According to the information published by the Wisconsin Dept of Revenue, a TIF works like this:

"Tax Incremental Finance, or TIF, is a financing tool that allows municipalities to invest in infrastructure and other improvements, and pay for these investments by capturing

property tax revenue from the newly developed property. An area is identified (the tax

incremental district, or TID) as appropriate for a certain type of development, and

projects are identified to encourage and facilitate the desired development. Then as

property values rise, the property tax paid on that private development is used by the

municipality to pay for the projects."

There is a risk though, that IF property values Decline, rather than Increase --- All the Property Tax Payers will pay for the expenditures through Increased Property Taxes, as explained here by the Dept of Rev:

" Municipalities can invest significant amounts of money  into  these infrastructure

improvements in hopes that growth will follow (sometimes called the "build it, and

they will come" strategy). However, if little or no private development occurs after the

improvements are made, there may be no tax increment revenue with which to pay for

the investment. If there is no increment revenue, the bonds used to pay for the

improvements will have to be paid for with general tax revenue. Paying for these bonds without a larger tax base means a higher tax burden. Another risk of over-investing can be that the site is improved, but the improvements actually prevent some types of development from being able to use the site."  

The Big Question now becomes --- are Shorewood Property Values Increasing or Decreasing ?

There are many different ways to calculate the values, and with the current volatile real estate market --- it is anybody's guess of what the values will be by the end of the current year. The basic method of calculating property values, involves what is termed "Market Value", and changes in what the sales prices are in comparison between two comparable time periods.  (Other methods of valuation, "replacement" and "income" are not commonly used for residential property appraisals or assessments).

Taking a snapshot of Single Family Home sales in Shorewood for the time period of January 1^st of this year (2008) to date, compared with the same time period for last year (2007), there is a notable trend:

JANUARY 1 TO MARCH  26, 2007 --- SINGLE FAMILY HOMES SOLD IN SHOREWOOD (17 sales)

ORIGINAL ASKING PRICE             DAYS ON MARKET             SALES PRICE

189,900                                               24                                            192,100

214,900                                               169                                          180,000

224,900                                               114                                          215,000

230,000                                               16                                            221,500

259,900                                               126                                          235,000

289,900                                               183                                          237,000

289,000                                               13                                            289,000

298,000                                               46                                            298,100

329,900                                               99                                            295,000

309,000                                               20                                            310,000

320,000                                               45                                            320,000

339,000                                               42                                            335,000

364,900                                               43                                            356,000

387,900                                               68                                            350,000

449,000                                               10                                            460,000

749,000                                               18                                            750,000

1,495,000                                            62                                            1,425,000

Tot  6,740,200                                     1098                                        6,468,700

Avg 396,482                                        65                                            380,511

THERE WAS APPROX A 4% DECREASE BETWEEN ORIG PRICE AND SALES PRICE

JANUARY 1 TO MARCH  26, 2008 --- SINGLE FAMILY HOMES SOLD IN SHOREWOOD (9 sales)

ORIGINAL ASKING PRICE             DAYS ON MARKET             SALES PRICE

279,000                                               112                                          237,000

314,900                                               146                                          290,000

399,900                                               141                                          300,000

415,000                                               181                                          376,500

424,900                                               172                                          417,000

479,900                                               91                                            449,000

589,900                                               88                                            555,000

599,900                                               31                                            560,000

1,349,000                                            204                                          1,000,000

Tot  4,852,400                                     1166                                        4,184,500

Avg   539,155                                      130                                          464,944

THERE WAS APPROX A 13% DECREASE BETWEEN ORIG PRICE AND SALES PRICE, AND DAYS ON MARKET DOUBLED OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?  YOUR COMMENTS ARE APPRECIATED !

When I wrote a number of postings concerning the lack of snow and ice clearing on sidewalks throughout Shorewood, it became apparent from responses I received from Readers and postings from other bloggers, that a lot of us don't know how the system actually works here in Shorewood.

 I contacted Chris Swartz, the Village Manager, who explained that the task for enforcing the ordinance regarding snow and ice removal is in the purview of the Shorewood Police Department.  I confess that up to that point, I was under the impression that it would have been the Building Inspection Dept that would have been in the forefront.

I contacted the Lieutenant on duty today, Terry Zimmerman, who explained how the actual system works.  Lieutenant Zimmerman also shared that he personally has found it frustrating that property owners do not clear their walks, as he is a runner, and has found it hard to find suitable surfaces to run on this winter.

The systems works like this:

1) If there is a property owner who is not clearing their walks within 12 hours of the snow fall or ice situation, you should contact the Shorewood Police Department, their non-emergency number is 414-847-2610.

2) SPD will assign the complaint to an officer.  Upon inspection, if the walkway has not yet been cleared, the officer will contact the resident, and if no one is home, will post a notice with a 24 hour warning to remedy the situation.

3) If after the 24 hour period, the officer finds that the situation has not been remedied, he or she will write a citation against the property owner.

4) The fine for a first offense is $109.

On a personal note, If I continually find that one of my neighbors is not clearing their walkway, I would contact them and ask them to do so --- maybe there is a problem with an illness or an elderly person --- maybe it is a situation that neighbors can help each other with.

But for someone that just flouts the law, while endangering the safety of pedestrians and eschewing the Shorewood Walkable philosophy --- drop the dime --- call the Shorewood Police and they will do their job.

BTW -- there had been some discussion as to whether it is the Village or the School District that is responsible for the sidewalks surrounding the schools.  Per Mr Swartz and Lieutenant Zimmerman, it is the School District that is responsible.  If the school walks are not cleared, they too are subject to a citation and fine from the Village.  

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ? 

It has been very obvious that Shorewood has not been enforcing its ordinance regarding the clearing of walkways of snow and ice.  Despite all of our tax money spent on advertising Shorewood as a Walkable Community --- the Village Administration has truly fallen down on the job of actually making Shorewood Walkable.

Two of the Shorewood Trustees who have touted Shorewood as a "Walkable" Community, and who have voted to spend our tax dollars advertising Shorewood as Walkable, have not cleared their own sidewalks in front of their houses.

Taken yesterday (Sunday) at about 5:00 Pm are pictures of Trustees Hickey and Phinney's ice covered sidewalks.

These 3 pictures are of the sidewalk in front of Trustee Hickey's house.

The following pictures are of Trustee Phinney's sidewalks

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?

I have been astounded by the lack of concern for dealing with the Snow and Ice and making Shorewood a Truly WALKABLE Community.

I have to admit that I was becoming discouraged about the lack of response and discussion to my postings on the subject, until Suzanne Rosenblatt added a posting to her blog about the dangers in trying to navigate Shorewood this winter, and the indifference that the Village Administration has shown.

I then met Suzanne and her husband at Schwartz's yesterday --- and after reading her posting, and knowing they had to walk down the middle of the streets to get there as the sidelwalks are Not Walkable --- I knew that this issue has to be pursued further.

(To read Suzanne's posting click here on Thin Ice)

Reading about the Official Indifference by the Village Administration in Suzanne's blog, I wondered just how conscientious the Members of the Shorewood Board of Trustees  are in following the laws they set. 

There are 6 Trustees, and 2 of them have sidewalks covered with Treacherous Ice -- that makes them all but impassable.

To be more than fair, I waited until 5 PM today (Sunday), just in case they needed the weekend to get their salt, ice melt, or just get out there with an ice chopper.  I then took pictures of the offending walks to document their condition.

 To complete my Due Diligence, I am going to cross reference the addresses on the tax records, to ensure I have not taken a picture of a house that someone no longer lives at, or was listed in error on their address listing. 

 After the double check of ownership of the properties, I will post the photos and the names of the Trustees here tomorrow.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?

Driving by the Lake Bluff school this morning, I observed that the sidewalks were still covered with hip breaking ice and snow --- and at the front entrance on Lake Bluff, there is such a large patch of ice --- almost pond size --- that the kids could go skating during their break !!

The School District is not alone in making Shorewood dangerous to walk in winter --- driving through the Village, it seems about 60% of the homeowners have not made their sidewalks safe either.

What is the Village doing about this situation ?  The rules are quite clear that sidewalks must be free of snow and ice within 12 hours.  It is disappointing that the School District is setting an example of ignoring the law --- and especially disappointing that the Village still holds itself out as the "Walkable" community, while doing nothing about the scofflaws !

VILLAGE ORDINANCE CONCERNING CLEARING SNOW AND ICE FROM WALKWAYS

  466-27. Removing snow from sidewalks.

A.	Every owner or occupant of every lot or parcel of land abutting upon any sidewalks within this Village shall keep the sidewalks abutting upon such lot or parcel of land clear of ice and snow and shall clear off the ice and snow upon such sidewalks within 12 hours after the same has been deposited or formed upon such sidewalks.
B.	Further, within the same twelve-hour period, every owner or occupant as aforesaid shall sand, salt, or place approved chemicals on said sidewalks for the purpose of making the same reasonably safe for pedestrian travel thereon.
C.	Further, the Director of Public Works shall keep the sidewalks of the Village clear of ice and snow in all cases where the owners or occupants of abutting lots fail to do so. The expense of so doing shall be charged as a special tax against the abutting lots or parcels of land and entered on the tax roll, all in accordance with the authority granted under the provisions of § 66.0907 Wis. Stats.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ?  PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS.

Did my civic duty at the Lake Bluff school --- and was amazed that the lot had not been cleared of the snow and ice.

Once you get close to the entrance, there was some clear pavement, but the rest of the lot is a broken hip waiting to happen.

Talking to the Poll Workers --- they said that when they first got there in the morning, even the entrances were treacherous.

Whose responsiblity is it to make sure that the voters --- old and young, able and infirmed --- have adequate access to the Polling Places.

I drove by the Village Hall, and it appeared that a much better job was done there near the entrance, although the crosswalks could have been done better.

Driving by the other Shorwood Schools --- I can see that the School District does not clear its sidewalks.  All of them, Lake Bluff, Atwater, SHS and the Middle School were all surrounded by slippery sidewalks.

Just for comparison, I drove past Riverside School in Milwaukee --- their sidewalks were nice and clear.  The same with the grade school on 9th street just south of National.

It is nice that the School District is going to have Artificial Grass and possibly a Dome at the SHS Athletic Field ---- in the meantime, maybe they can comply with the Village Ordinances and clear their walks !

 WHAT DO YOU THINK ?

 Why haven't Trustees Johnson (pres), Eckman, Hanewall, Hickey, and Phinney responded to Snow Problems in Village ?

Perhaps it is because of what they know that the most of us in the Village don't.

Quite simply Shorewood no longer has the equipment to deal with large snowfalls and the mountains of snow and ice they leave between the street and the sidewalks. 

When the snow accumulates to the point where there is nowhere left to push it --- we cannot remove it to clear the business districts and the crosswalks, as the DPW use to do. 

 Over the past decade or so, the Village Board has spent millions on Streetscaping, Ad Campaigns touting our Walkability, and High Profile but useless events, such as the bike race. 

But they have neglected such mundane issues, as ensuring that the Village has the equipment, budget and resources that a community in Wisconsin needs, when Mother Nature decides to remind us that we still keep records of yearly snow accumulation.

Unfortunately, the Board's lack of attention to the mundane maintenance issues goes beyond the Village's preparedness for Snow. 

Take a tour of the Police Station (of a voluntary nature !) for a discouraging view of an outdated facility, that is barely being held together with the equivalent of baling wire and stop-gap measures.

Shorewood's Board of Trustees needs to pay as much attention to the steak as the sizzle --- especially when we pay taxes more in line with a dinner at Mo's than a lunch at McDonalds !

 As always please feel free to leave your Comments below --- and if your one of the Trustees who have yet to Respond to my inquiries, please share your thoughts with us.

For some thoughts on issues other than Shorewood, visit my other blog at

http://nonconventionalwisdomperspectives.blogspot.com/

After all the problems Shorewood has had with piles of snow and ice througout the Business District, the delay in clearing Crosswalks, and the Free Show Removal for St Roberts, I sent the following questions to all the Trustees:

 Do you think that St Roberts should be charged for that service.  Do you think that service should be expanded to other private lots.

This past December was a good reminder that we really do live in an area that gets snow !  Yes, here in Wisconsin, Mother Nature has been known to make life miserable by dropping a whole lot of wet sloppy snow, and then freezing it all into frozen slush.

 On December 20th I wrote a posting to this blog noting that the merchants on Capitol Drive were still hampered by the mounds of snow and ice piled up at the curb.  Shorewood had cleared the mounds along North Oakland Avenue, but hadn't gotten to Capitol Drive.  In previous postings, I had noted that crosswalks in the business district remained treacherous and needed clearing.

 On December 22nd, Tim Fotjik noted in his blog that it appeared that the Village was clearing snow for St Roberts from their lot. 

http://blogs.shorewoodnow.com/neighboring/archive/2007/12/22/if-you-were-looking-for-a-village-dump-truck-on-friday.aspx

Following up with Tim, he never heard from anyone as to why, or who paid for it. 

 Doing an Open Records request, I found out that YES, Shorewood did clean the lot at St Roberts at No Charge !

In fairness to those who are sometimes put on the spot to make a controversial decision, there was a safety element involved in the decision to clear St Roberts lot.  I think though, that Village Officials should bill St Roberts for at least the labor costs and nominal equipment costs involved.  And that if this is to be a policy, it should be extended on an impartial basis to other private property owners.

The Village Board also needs to recognize that snow and ice removal in the Business District is a priority, not only for the business owners to be able to engage in commerce, but also for the safety and welfare of the pedestrians.  Shorewood cannot be a "Walkable" community only in Good Weather !

We have seen in the past year that this current Village Board (which will also be the next Village Board due to no new candidates) has had no qualms about spending large sums of money on questionable projects.

Millions of dollars are going to a Streetscaping that is only about 10 years old.  And the Village Board Members voted to spend about Half a Million Dollar$ for plastic grass on the High School Field !

It is time that this Board gives the proper resources to the DPW to make Shorewood safe for its pedestrians in winter --- and for businesses to be accessible to their customers.

 WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ?  --- YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME

For some thoughts on issues other than Shorewood, visit my other blog at

http://nonconventionalwisdomperspectives.blogspot.com/

Two nights ago, on the 18th, the Shorewood DPW committed a large crew during the night to do a snow removal operation in the Business District.

Hooray !!!!!

On my block (4400 N Oakland)  and south, they did a great job.  Shoppers can actually get from their cars to the shops now.  

However -- (you knew there was going to be a however) -- the Merchants on Capitol Drive have nothing to cheer about.  As of this afternoon, their stores and the street are still separated by mounds of ice and snow.  

I wonder if anyone on the Shorewood Board of Trustees has ever had any retail experience (other than shopping).  If they ever depended upon retail sales for their livelihood, they would know that this week -- the week before Christmas -- can be a make or break event for many of the merchants.

With the high rate of property taxes that are paid for commercial property in Shorewood --- in addition to the BID tax that commercial property owners pay --- it is outrageous that these merchants are not taken better care of by the Village.

Note to Village Trustees:  Forget about bicycle races, and forget about artist displays by outside vendors at the high school, and forget about spending Tens of Thousands of Dollars Advertising how Friendly Shorewood is to Pedestrians and how Upscale the stores are for Shoppers --- try spending the money on clearing the snow banks so the merchants can make a little money and keep their businesses open.