Maple & Main

My stupidity got the best of me this weekend. I should know better.

Sunday seemed a great day to clean my fish tank. It was getting difficult to see the fish through the green haze on the glass, so I changed the water, cleaned the rocks and plants, and began to refill the tank.

My final step is to change the filter bag. That’s when I realized I was out of filter bags.

Two doors down from my house is The Aquatic Emporium Fish Store. It’s where I buy all my fish. Filter bags at the Fish Store are $8 and change for four.

At Wal Mart, I can get a dozen bags near the same price.

Now let’s stop and think- I own a local business. I should support other downtown business! I should walk right over to the Fish Store and get my filters.

I began to make excuses. “While I’m at Wal Mart, I could pick up some other things too. That’ll make my trip worth while.”

So off I went.

For starters, I am an impatient driver. A Sunday afternoon drive can be a
test of my patience- and this Sunday tested them well. Upon arriving at
Wal Mart, I was already in a foul mood.

Next, I get behind a woman who is following a departing shopper to their car, I guess in hopes of getting a good parking spot. I don’t blame her, it was 70 degrees and sunny at the time, hardly the kind of weather you want to walk in.

On the way into the store, I was greeted by a solicitor wanting money for abused kids. He was two seconds away from becoming one himself- I have a short fuse for solicitors.

Once in the store, I begin my search for a hand basket. There is no way on earth I am going to push a full size cart through Wal Mart on a Sunday.

To this day, I have not successfully located the area where they keep the hand baskets. It’s a modern mystery. That’s when the “guy” in me takes over- “I don’t need a hand basket. I can carry everything.”

The fish filters are 3 miles east and ten clicks south in Wal Mart. I would recommend a pack-lunch for your journey. Include a flare gun and a two-day supply of water in case you get lost.

On the way to the filters, I am accosted by numerous televisions hanging down from the ceiling, yelling at me about some stupid CD I should buy while I’m there.

There are people EVERYWHERE. The shortest checkout line is 10 deep. Kids are running amuck. Fluorescent lights are buzzing! There is someone on the intercom every five seconds. Shelves are being stocked around every corner!

That’s where I lost it.

I took a deep breath, calmed my nerves, and exited the store. I drove back to Downtown Waukesha and parked my truck. I walked over to the Fish Store and got my filters.

The filters are 20 feet from the front door. A gentle hum of bubbling fish tanks fills the room- it’s very relaxing. The only real light in that place comes from the display tanks; which are spotless and stocked with really cool fish. The guys that work there really know fish.

Fish filters are more expensive there, but in return for paying more, I received excellent customer service, it was convenient, and I bought another fish, an algae eater, to help tidy up the tank between cleanings.

Let’s face it, it’s not like I won’t ever shop at Wal Mart again. However, I will definitely give more thought to my decisions to shop there for items I can get Downtown, sold by people who know the products they sell, and who care about their customers.

Please learn from my short sidedness.

If you haven’t yet heard, Waukesha has a new resident in the 300 block of East Main. Why is this significant?

On account of the fact that this man is a sexual offender, who has violated his parole twice in the past, and now resides among the general public again.

Why do I know this? For starters, the Waukesha Police Department took the time to notify me, as well as the other neighbors within a certain block radius.

Also, my neighbors told me he would be released. Furthermore, I make it a part of my day to check the sex offender registry online to keep updated on the location of any new offenders.

That’s what happens when you live in a City that takes proactive steps to keep the community safe. The Police talk to the neighbors, the neighbors talk to each other, and instead of running to hide, we make ourselves aware and safe.

It’s a reality, people. After serving their sentence, sex offenders are being released back into the communities (counties) they are from. There is nothing that will stop this from happening.

The way I see it, you have two choices in dealing with this situation. You can choose to whine, cry, and complain about it, or you can step up to the plate and become informed and aware.

If you choose the first, stop reading here, lock all of you doors and windows, and don’t ever leave the house. Start your own support group of narrow-minded individuals that choose to bury their heads in the sand.

If you chose the second, please read on.

Before anything else, it is important that you educate yourself on the issue. A great way to get up to speed is to check out the Wisconsin Department of Corrections website (www.offender.doc.state.wi.us/public).

Here you will find access to the names and addresses of the offenders in your area and, most importantly, an excellent question and answer section. Read it! Understand the levels of sexual offences. Not all offenders are rapist. Take a minute to look at the photos and rap sheets of the individuals in your area.

If you are still with me after that step, let’s move on.

Next, bring up a map of your area that shows where they live in proximity to your address (www.familywatchdog.us). This may freak you out a bit. Keep in mind- we are educating ourselves and we can do so because the Department of Corrections, the Police Department, and the City of Waukesha, work together to give us this information.

At this point, you have just bombarded yourself with information you probably would rather not want to know about. It’s important that you continue on.

Now talk about it. Discuss it with your spouse or call a neighbor. Most importantly, educate your kids about it. You don’t have to freak them out, just make them aware. Ignorance can be dangerous.

After all of this, sit back and congratulate yourself. You are taking positive steps to ensure you and your families are safe. You are aware. An aware community is a safe community.

If you have made it this far, then I want to reward you a small ray of hope in all of this.

A group called The Citizens Initiative for a Stronger Waukesha (CISW) is working toward developing solutions to the ever-increasing population of sexual offenders in Waukesha.

What is the CISW? It’s a grassroots volunteer group organized to better understand current issues that could affect the health, safety, welfare, and economic viability of the citizens of the City of Waukesha.

Sexual offenders in our community qualify as a current issue. Currently, the CISW is working with citizens and city officials to ensure that the City of Waukesha doesn’t become overwhelmed with sexual offenders. They have to go somewhere, but there needs to be a balance!

For more information on the CISW or if you would like to be in attendance at the next meeting, stay tuned to this blog.

None of us want to be experts on this. I don’t enjoy spending my free time discussing sexual offenders and researching their backgrounds.

However, today’s world demands it. Working together will make it a safe place to be.

My thanks to the City of Waukesha Police Department for taking the time to contact us, the Department of Corrections, for posting updated access to sex offender information on the web, and to my neighbors, for choosing to do something about this instead of ignoring it.

When we settled in Waukesha back in 2004, one of my first assignments was to develop a walking pattern for my two dogs.

I was excited because I had never walked the dynamic duo in a city setting before. From what I had seen driving around town, Waukesha was an urban development balanced well with green space.

I was spoiled in California. In our town center was a manmade lake. A typical evening would find the likes of rollerbladers, walkers, and fellow dog exercisers wandering the path around the water. Another great feature were the conveniently placed dog bag stations.

Every 100 yards or so, a box of dog “refuse” bags was available for use by the public- and, believe it or not, people actually used them. It was common courtesy.

So I set out through Waukesha to establish a dog route. Thirty yards behind my building is a portion of the Riverwalk. There are no dogs allowed there. There are no dogs allowed anywhere along the Fox Riverwalk.

I walked up Maple towards the library; no dogs allowed in Cutler Park. You can get drunk on the Indian Mounds (B.Y.O.B.), but do not walk your dogs there.

I continued through the neighborhoods and came upon Bethesda Park.

Don’t even try it.

The neighbors will call the police if they see you enter the park with a dog. Maybe they should have been that fast to call the cops when the taggers sprayed painted over the mural on the Bethesda bridge- twice.

Funny thing about that neighborhood- on the outskirts of the park I passed a guy with two dogs who said to me, “Hey, buddy, they don’t allow dogs in this park.” After my initial confusion, we both laughed. It was nice to talk to someone with a sense of humor on the dog walking matter.

To this day, I have no idea where to walk my dogs. I don’t want them to relieve themselves on Main Street, but if that is what the City wants…

Waukesha wants more people to move into its City. They want more people to discover it’s Downtown. Unless you have a dog. Then go to some other town, and bring your four-legged friends with you.

A City Worker told me that Waukesha has dog runs in various locations around town. I live downtown, work downtown, spend my money downtown, but I have to drive my dogs somewhere else to walk them.

I understand the City’s frustration with dog owners. I watch from my window every day as ignorant dog owners let their dogs “deposit” on the City landscaping and just walk away.

I once chased a lady to her front door with a steaming pile of poop she “accidentally” left in the middle of the sidewalk. It is my pet peeve!

But seriously folks, can’t you give us a little space down here. Let’s meet half way- we will keep our dogs leashed and clean up after them, and Waukesha will open some of its green spaces to dogs.

And let me issue tickets to those that don’t clean up their poop. I will volunteer! The money raised can go towards keeping the streets clean.

If you haven’t been to Downtown Waukesha on a Friday night in the summer, then you are truly missing out.

This Downtown is alive on Friday nights!

My wife and I closed up shop a little early and wandered the streets for a while. Friday Night Live was in full swing at this hour. What is Friday Night Live you ask?

Throughout the streets of Downtown, various musicians play live from 6PM until 8PM. The music varies from Friday to Friday, and it is always entertaining.

Some stores are open late, the coffee shops serve up a variety of drinks, and there are a couple of places to scoop up really good ice cream. The Fox River Walk is teeming with families both walking and biking, enjoying the sights and sounds of Downtown.

It’s outstanding! If you haven’t experienced it yet, get down here and do so.

Our foot tour of the City eventually developed an appetite, so we ended our trek at Daddy O’s Restaurant on Broadway for their Friday night fish fry. It’s always good.

I have yet to check out the newest addition to Broadway, El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant, just across from Daddy O’s. From the looks of things last night, it seemed they had a good turnout as well. I also understand that Rochester Deli, further up Broadway, has a really good fish dinner.

Mia’s Pizza on Clinton is delicious. Eric’s Porter House on Wisconsin has good prime rib and serves a mean Jack and Coke. Neighbor’s Bistro on Main has tasty burgers; get there while the grill is open, and Sprizzo and the Steaming Cup offer a variety of coffee drinks, food, desserts, and live music.

We have two great sub shops, and one of the best candy stores ever, Amy Lyn’s Fine Candies.

If the nightlife is your thing, Downtown Waukesha offers an excellent late night venue. One of the reasons I moved here was the fact that the House of Guinness was only a few doors down from us. A stellar Irish beer selection and cool live music make the House a distinguished nighttime destination.

Also gaining notoriety is the new cigar bar, Nice Ash. Overstuffed leather chairs and a sweet humidor beckon the cigar aficionado. Hannon's, across the river form Waukesha State Bank, presents a mixed crowd and very friendly barstaff.
Tip well and they, too , will serve a mean Jack and Coke.

We’ve got it real good down here. If one-way streets and parking are and issue for you, then you haven’t been down here in a while. The City has worked hard to make Downtown accessible to all. Check out the City of Waukesha Website for parking maps and directions.

Come experience Downtown Waukesha this Friday. I am sure you will be surprised at all it has to offer.
And if you think Friday night is good, you should see Saturday morning! Stay tuned for more.

I love this city...today. Ask me tomorrow and I may have a different opinion.

I live and work in downtown Waukesha. Throughout the day I experience this city at its best and worst.

This blog will be a combination of both. I enjoy and support Waukesha's renaissance. It's a great place to live and our business flourishes here. The people in this city are diverse and make it interesting.

I think it's important that others are introduced to ALL Waukesha has to offer. Its merchants, its artists, its beauty, and its crime.

Downtown Waukesha has all the flavor of cities ten times its size, but is contained in a much more manageable setting. As the Fox River Project enters its final stage of completion, it acts as the icing on the cake for Downtown's revitalization.

But Waukesha isn't done yet. The next few years will bring more projects that will stimulate the Downtown.
However, these years will include hurdles this City will need deal with.

All in all, I hope this blog will entertain, excite, upset, and provoke conversations about the City and all it has to offer.