Deciding not to let the voters of Shorewood elect a trustee to replace Phinney who resigned his seat, the Village Board interviewed 12 applicants ..........

 

( I believe none of the twelve have ever subjected themselves to the bright light of the election process and found this back door way to office to be more palatable !)

 

The Village Board Members selected Sean Cummings, who is the co-chair of the D2D Committee. 

 

The D2D project, replacing the SHS natural field with an artificial field, and possibly adding a big dome for winter, was touted as a private contribution project that would cost in the $3 million range.

 

The "private contribution" aspect of the project may have been well intentioned at first, but the D2D Committee, with Sean Cummings in the lead, quickly acquired about $1 million in taxpayer money from the School District, the Village Board and the CDA.

 

In the meantime ---  the School Board is cutting back programs like music, arts and languages, and is trying to figure out which school building to close for the lack of students and money  ..........

 

Mr Cummings should fit right in with the present Board Trustees, who have a penchant for overlooking the mundane every day needs of the Village of Shorewood, for the bright lights and glamour of the Big Dollar Projects.

 

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ?  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 !

Whether it is the Village spending money or the School District --- it all comes from the same pocket --- Ours !

The Schools say they do not have enough students to use all the building capacity they have.  And unless we import even more students from Milwaukee, it does not look like our student population is going to grow anytime soon, if ever.  Especially as the Village Board is now entertaining thoughts of reducing the housing units in Shorewood, by subsidizing the transformation of duplexes into single family homes.   

Fewer housing units = fewer families = fewer students

And yes I know --- if we build enough High End Condos and Nursing Homes --- the case can be made that housing units will actually increase --- but I doubt we will see many students spawned from those kinds of developments.

The Village has a problem in that the Police Department is housed in facilities that are too small. 

 Just maybe the Two Problems that need to be Solved ---  can be Solved using Existing Facilities. 

One Possible Solution to the School Problem that has been Floated is to Close SIS and convert Lake Bluff and Atwater to K through 8 Schools.

 This would result in an Empty Building !!

A building that on the surface appears to be of Adequate Size for the SPD --- has an expandable receiving area and drive for covered parking and Prisoner Intake --- room for the Municipal Court --- and plenty of Parking in the area.

I know this is Not the Sexy kind of Project that our Village Board and School District Board prefer ---

Why Keep a Perfectly Good Building When It Can be Torn Down and a New Building Put Up ........................

An added bonus to the use of the SIS building, is that it is Not on the Tax Rolls now ---- whereas, if we used a Site like the one on Kensington and Oakland where the Mobil Station is --- we Lose Taxable Property !!

 WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ???

 MYSPACE: 
A Must Read for All 

EVERYONE 
NEEDS TO READ ALL OF THIS and HAVE CHILDREN READ I TOO! 

After 
tossing her books on the sofa, she decided to grab a snack and get on-line. 
She logged on under her screen name ByAngel213. She checked her Buddy List and 
saw GoTo123 was on. She sent him an instant message: 


ByAngel213:
Hi. I'm glad you are on! I thought someone was 
following me home today. It was really weird!

GoTo123:
LOL You watch 
too much TV. Why would someone be following you? 
Don't you live in a safe 
neighborhood? 

ByAngel213:
Of course I do. LOL I guess it was my 
imagination cuz' I didn't see anybody when I looked 
out.

GoTo123:
Unless you gave your name out on-line. You haven't 
done that have you?

ByAngel213:
Of course not. I'm not stupid you 
know.

GoTo123:
Did you have a softball game after school 
today?

ByAngel213:
Yes and we won!!

GoTo123:
That's great! 
Who did you play? 

ByAngel213:
We played the Hornets. LOL. Their 
uniforms are so gross! They look like bees. LOL

GoTo123:
What is 
your team called?

ByAngel213:
We are the Canton Cats. We have tiger 
paws on our uniforms. They are really cool. 

GoTo1 23: 
Did you 
pitch?

ByAngel213:
No I play second base. I got to go. My homework 
has to be done before my parents get home. I don't want them mad at me. 
Bye!

GoTo123:
Catch you later. Bye 

Meanwhile.......GoTo123 
went to the member menu and began to search for her profile. When it came up, 
he highlighted it and printed it out. He took out a pen and began to write 
down what he knew about Angel so far. 

Her name: Shannon
Birthday: 
Jan. 3, 
1985
Age: 
13
State where she lived: North 
Carolina

Hobbies: 
softball, chorus, skating and going to the mall. Besides this information, he 
knew she lived in Canton because she had 
just told him. He knew she stayed by herself until 6:30 
p.m. every afternoon 
until her parents came home from work. He knew she played softball on Thursday 
afternoons on the school team, and the team was named the Canton Cats. Her 
favorite number 7 was printed on her jersey. He knew she was in the eighth 
grade at the Canton 
Junior High 
School . She had told 
him all this in the conversations they had on- line. He had enough information 
to find her now. 

Shannon didn't tell her 
parents about the incident on the way home from the ballpark that day. She 
didn't want them to make a scene and stop her from walking home from the 
softball games. Parents were always overreacting and hers were the worst. It 
made her wish she was not an only child. Maybe if she had brothers and 
sisters, her parents wouldn't be so overprotective. 

By Thursday, 
Shannon had forgotten 
about the footsteps following her. 

Her game was in full swing when 
suddenly she felt someone staring at her. It was then that the memory came 
back. She glanced up from her second base position to see a man watching her 
closely.

He was leaning against the fence behind first base and he 
smiled when she looked at him. He didn't look scary and she quickly dismissed 
the sudden fear she had felt. 

After the game, he sat on a bleacher 
while she talked to the coach. She noticed his smile once again as she walked 
past him. He nodded and she smiled back. He noticed her name on the back of 
her shirt. He knew he had found her. 

Quietly, he walked a safe 
distance behind her. It was only a few blocks to Shannon 's home, and once 
he saw where she lived he quickly returned to the park to get his 
car.

Now he had to wait. He decided to get a bite to eat until the time 
came to go to Shannon 's house. He 
drove to a fast food restaurant and sat there until time to make his move. 


Shannon was in her room 
later that evening when she heard voices in the living room.

'Shannon, come here,' her father 
called. He sounded upset and she couldn't imagine why. She went into the room 
to see the man from the ballpark sitting on the sofa. 

'Sit down,' her father 
began, 'this man has just told us a most 
interesting story about you.'

Shannon sat back. How 
could he tell her parents anything? She had never seen him before 
today!

'Do you know who I am, 
Shannon 
?' the man 
asked. 

'No,' 
Shannon answered.

'I am a police officer and your online 
friend, GoTo123.'

Shannon was stunned. 
'That's impossible! GoTo is a kid my age! 
He's 14. And he lives in Michigan 
!'

The man 
smiled. 'I know I told you all that, but 
it wasn't true. You see, Shannon 
, there are people on-line who pretend to be kids; I was one of them. But 
while others do it to injure kids and hurt them, I belong to a group of 
parents who do it to protect kids from predators. I came here to find you to 
teach you how dangerous it is to talk to people on-line. You told me enough 
about yourself to make it easy for me to find you. You named the school you 
went to, the name of your ball team and the position you played. The number 
and name on your jersey just made finding you a breeze.' 


Shannon was stunned. 
'You mean you don't live in 
Michigan 
?'

He 
laughed. 'No, I live in 
Raleigh 
It made you feel safe to think I was so far away, didn't it?' 


She 
nodded.

'I had a friend whose 
daughter was like you. Only she wasn't as lucky. The guy found her and 
murdered her while she was home alone. Kids are taught not to tell anyone when 
they are alone, yet they do it all the time on-line. The wrong people trick 
you into giving out information a little here and there on-line.. Before you 
know it, you have told them enough for them to find you without even realizing 
you have done it. I hope you've learned a lesson from this and won't do it 
again. Tell others about this so they will be safe too?' 

'It's a 
promise!'

That night Shannon and her Dad and Mom all knelt 
down together and thanked God for protecting Shannon from what could have been a tragic situation.

 

*****NOW****

EVEN 
FORWARD THIS TO PEOPLE WITHOUT KIDS SO THEY CAN SEND IT TO FRIENDS THAT DO 
HAVE CHILDREN OR GRANDCHILDREN 

  

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 ? 

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 ?

During the Cold War, there was a real possibility of armed conflict between the NATO Forces and the Warsaw Pact Forces.

Among other considerations if such a conflict occurred, was that the battleground would have been in Europe, with a fairly dense population living in cities.

Having recently gone through the nearly total destruction of many European cities in WWII, NATO Forces developed a nifty little nuclear bomb (called the Neutron Bomb) that killed people with radiation, while leaving the buildings standing! 

Fortunately in the political and military world, the conflagration in Europe did not happen (albeit due to millions of lives lost in various wars fought by the surrogate forces of the Super Powers and the threat of MAD - Mutual Assured Destruction ) .

But in the business world, Jack Welch the former CEO of GE  earned the nickname of ''Neutron Jack,'' due to a series of dramatic restructurings and layoffs he instituted, that cut over 100,000 jobs - cuts that  were so painful to employees that they began referring to him as  ''Neutron Jack,'' after the nuclear bomb that vaporizes people but leaves buildings standing.

Soooooooo about now, you are asking yourself "just what does Jack Welch or neutron bombs have to do with Shorewood Schools "?

The Connection between them became apparent to me as I contemplated the Dis-Connect of the messages that the Shorewood School Board has been sending to us over the past few months.

Just last September (07) the School Board was saying that we have to seriously look at closing a school due to falling enrollment. 

From an article by Dave Fidlin,  dfidlin@cninow.com published September 5, 2007 :

Shorewood school closing possible

Reconfiguration scenarios created for district

Dropping enrollment

http://www.shorewoodnow.com/story/index.aspx?id=657702

"Based on its examination, administration found that the district's four schools are currently at 75 to 80 percent capacity. By 2010-11, those figures could dip to 65 to 70 percent if the schools were to stay as is."

One of the options discussed was closing the Middle School. Superintendent Blane McCann said  "If the district were to close SIS, it could result in a savings of $622,000 in operational and staffing expenses." 

At the time, the School Board was of the opinion that it needed to go slow in reviewing the options and doing more research before taking action.

Back then Board  Member Paul Zovic said "I think we need to have some real numbers for all these options -- These are big decisions. We're not in planning mode."

Superintendent Blane McCann was quoted as saying "I would advocate careful planning,"

But now - barely 5 months later --  the School Board is asking for about $10,000,000 from Shorewood Taxpayers to Remodel and Upgrade the schools !

The message we now hear from the Shorewood School Board members is one of Urgency!  We need $10 Million NOW!

As quoted in http://www.shorewoodnow.com/  January 30, 2008:

"Board member Paul Zovic said he favored investing in the technology upgrades, for which the district will ask for $1 million.  (It is) something we not only haven't been keeping up with, but have been chiseling away"

"We're addressing some really, really old problems," board member Michael Mishlove said. "We're dealing with infrastructure that is ancient relative to the rest of the state. We need to take action. We can't hand it down to the next generation."

"Superintendent Blane McCann said there would be some reconfiguration of the north gym, with lockers and classrooms in new areas. The library remodeling, meanwhile, would encompass the construction of stadium seating and modifications to the computer lab. "

BTW (by the way) --- the School Board decided to request $9.65 million from taxpayers in a referendum, as "During deliberations, a consensus was reached that a referendum of less than $10 million would stand a greater chance of being approved by constituents."

I Am Wondering What Happened To The Slow And Steady Approach Of 5 Months Ago That Was Concerned With Dropping Enrollment And The Need For Consolidation --- And Taking Actions That Are Well Thought Out And Will Address The Future As Well As The Present ?????

Is the School Board "Neutroning" our schools?  We have already eliminated clerical, maintenance and librarian personnel among others --- and our student population is on a decline (in part from the inability of school age families to pay Shorewood taxes??).

 The student population that we do have is highly dependent upon Open Enrollment and Chapter 220 Students --- both programs which are vulnerable to the vagaries of political action in Madison and the decisions by the Courts!

The Village of Shorewood and the Shorewood School District are inextricably linked and co-dependent.  If the Shorewood Schools develop a cough, the Village gets the flu, and when the village has a temperature, the schools develop a fever.

We currently have a Village Board that is betting the economic future of the Village, with a plan that in a flat realty market could backfire into big time loses for the taxpayers.

 In one scheme the Village Board  is looking at, it will pay  duplex property owners to convert their buildings to single family residences, making living in Shorewood even less affordable --- and further diminishing the student population.

 Now the School Board wants to spend $10 million on buildings that are under-utilized, and may become more so, as families with children cannot afford Shorewood's taxes.

As our good friend and fellow blogger Joe Mangiamele wrote in his  Spirit of Shorewood blog on Monday, Jan 28 2008 

"We have acquired stacks of stodgy documents called plans, none interrelated nor integrated nor linked  to each other within a spirit of what is Shorewood. We have no "visible component" within our village that brings all of these together, to express the total of our community spirit.  We have no code or ordinance and no commssion or commission head to give us direction and leadership. "

http://blogs.shorewoodnow.com/from_the_village_square/archive/2008/01/28/spirit-of-shorewood.aspx

In summation, I urge the Shorewood School Board to step back, reconsider, and look at our school system from a "sum zero" perspective.  Don't "neutron" the system, saving the buildings at the sake of the students and teachers. 

If it costs more money --- so be it --- as long as the investment is the result of a unified plan, with the Village, in making our schools the best they can be - now and for the future - and maintaining our school system as one of the major factors in making Shorewood a place people want to live.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ?  PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW.

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

http://nonconventionalwisdomperspectives.blogspot.com/

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/

Stupid Parent Tricks is a segment that David Letterman will  never have on his show.  The Stupid Pets Trick segment probably keeps his staff more than busy enough --- they couldn't possibly handle the volume that they would surely be inundated with, if they resorted to the low hanging fruit of Stupid Parents.

Of what seems to be endless controversy in the media, and the topic of discussion around the water coolers and latte machines is how our kids now are supposedly doing much worse in school than their predecessors  - how they are becoming obese couch potatoes - how they are oversexed and violent - how they dis-respect their  teachers and other authority figures --  on and on, ad nauseum ..........

Part of the controversy is whether these perceptions about our kids are true --- some of which I believe are, while others I believe not --- with the other part of the controversy being What is (are) the cause(s)?

In the Spirit of David Letterman's Top Ten Reasons segment, I am going to do a Top Ten on Stupid Parent Tricks.  I will spread this out over the next several months of postings.

As part of this Thread of Postings, I will try to address how we are raising our kids today, in comparison to other generations, places and times; I will try to separate some of the facts from fiction, as to what our kids are really doing and capable of, and how we help or hinder them; and I will postulate on how we are shaping the future for our kids through our actions now.

It of course would be impossible to tackle this kind of project without commenting on schools, teachers, the legal system, and a host of other Institutions and Players, who have an impact on Kids' lives. 

I am taking the attitude however, that whatever action those other Players take, it all comes back to the Parent(s).  The Buck stops with the Parent(s) - if they want to see changes in the institutions that affect their Kids lives --- they can do so through the Political Process, and more importantly and effectively, through the Social Consensus to which those Institutions and Players look to for guidance (fingers in the air - seeing which way the wind is blowing).

DISCLAIMER:  AUTHORITY AND VALIDITY OF MY OPINIONS

• 1) They are MY opinions (other than the comments readers may submit), and I do not claim to have any special credentials for their validity.
• 2) I am a parent --- and I would need a lot more numbers than Ten for the Stupid Parent Tricks I have performed.
• 3) There are probably a whole lot of folks out there who will have better opinions and advice than I have --- and I invite them to toss their hat in the ring and give their opinions in the Comments Section. (I do not censor comments to my blog unless patently offensive or spam)

The number one rule that I will follow in this exercise is that it is going to be flexible --- I will start with the Top Ten Countdown of Stupid Parent Tricks --- but reserve the right to add as many numbers as is necessary.

NOW ..............

The NUMBER TEN STUPID PARENT TRICK:

 Hannah Montana

Check out todays' Metro Section in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel www.JSonline.com/Milwaukee , page one HANNAH OVER YOUR WALLET.

First of all, I don't think the kind of concert that Hannah Montana - a fictional Disney Pre-Pubescent Femme Fatale - is the kind of fare that 9 year old girls should be dying to see, and their parents encouraging them to do so.

And I certainly as a Parent would not pay some scalper $700 - $900 - $1000 for tickets for such trash!

What is the lesson here Parents that you are trying to teach their child ?  If it was Disney on Ice --- there is something to be said about the athleticism of the skaters, and possible inspiration for young girls to engage in athletics.

With Hannah, is the point to teach 9 and 10 year old girls how to Vamp and look Sexy ?

What is the value of money being taught them ?  When they have graduated from college (which less than half of them will do) and they are in some job that barely lets them meet normal living costs - what kind of financial (realistic) role model was set for them ?

For a Parent who does spend that kind of money a whim of their 9 year old --- maybe they can make a lesson out of it and take a  drive through the parts of Milwaukee where people are not as fortunate - with an unemployment rate over 50% -- and if you are really lucky, you can show them a family being evicted because they didn't have $700 for their rent - a least that can give them some perspective on the Real World.

What do YOU think?  Please give your thoughts in Comments below.

For some thoughts on the current presidential race, visit my other blog at

http://nonconventionalwisdomperspectives.blogspot.com/

In researching WHO can afford to buy a house or duplex in Shorewood, the best breakdown of the various criteria that may be relevant in the planning of any type of incentive program I found was at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States

and all the information contained in this posting (parts taken directly in italics) is from that web publication.

I think it would be fair to say that Shorewood schools and their economic viability  are (and have)  been a major concern to the residents of Shorewood, and are always listed as a concern in relationship to the various tax/building/planning incentives, conceived by the Village Board and its appendage bodies. 

The major concern with Shorewood schools and their continued independent existence is directly affected by the number of students enrolled. 

And the number of students enrolled in  Shorewood's schools, is directly affected by the population mix --- and by the percentage of that population mix that is within the normal child bearing years --- and which has the financial resources to buy property in Shorewood.

In my previous posting, I pointed out that a minimum household income of $79,000 was needed to come into Shorewood, at the lowest entry level cost of buying, which is a median priced  duplex --- living in one unit while renting out the other unit to subsidize the costs.

In order to afford the median cost single family house in Shorewood, a household income of $110,000 is necessary.

Per the "Age of Householder" information below (assembled from the U.S. Census Numbers by the web publication listed above) - the highest median household income age group is between the ages of 45 and 54 --- well past the biological clock for giving birth, and assuming a prime childbirth age of 30 years (my assumption), the children in these households would range from 15 to 24 years of age. 

The age group between 35 and 44, which would be a good prime age group for the likelihood of having school age children (my assumption), has a median income of $56,785 --- which is also well below our threshold of $79,000 noted above for base entry level buying in Shorewood. 

As the median income means that half are above that number, and half below that number --- not even ½ of the age group between 35 and 44 can find affordable housing in Shorewood as the lowest entry level buyers.

Age of householder

Household income in the United States varies substantially with the age of the person who heads the household. Overall the median household income increased with the age of householder until retirement age when household income started to decline.^[24] The highest median household income was found among households headed by working baby-boomers.^[24] Households headed by persons between the ages of 45 and 54 had a median household income of $61,111 and a mean household income of $77,634. The median income per member of household for this particular group was $27,924. The highest median income per member of household was among those between the ages of 54 and 64 with $30,544. The group with the second highest median household income, were households headed by persons between the ages 35 and 44 with a median income of $56,785, followed by those in the age group between 55 and 64 with $50,400. Not surprisingly the lowest income group was compromised of those household headed by individuals younger than 24, followed by those headed by persons over the age of 75. Overall households headed by persons above the age of seventy-five had a median household income of $20,467 with the median household income per member of household being $18,645. These figures support the general assumption that median household income as well as the median income per member of household peaked among those households headed by middle aged persons, increasing with the age of the householder and the size of the household until the householder reaches the age of 64. With retirement income replacing salaries and the size of the household declining, the median household income decreases as well.^[24]

Population Diversity by Race

In the same web publication, the chances for diverse homeownership in Shorewood is even less likely, with Black households having a median income of a little less than $30,000 per year, and Hispanic household being just a little over $30,000.

In conclusion --- if Shorewood truly wants to be a Diverse Community --- as measured by Income and Race --- we need to concentrate our Residential Incentive Programs to provide Affordable Housing for those groups !

In future posts, I will propose some ways that I think will help in achieving those objectives --- and I hope that readers will offer their suggestions also.

 

According to stories in the Current Issue of  ShorewoodNow (http://www.shorewoodnow.com/) , the Shorewood Village Board is contemplating a new loan program targeting residential housing. 

As reported by Dave Fidlin -- staff writer :

" outlined in a draft document, the village would disburse as much as $360,000 in loans to nearly 40 home owners if the program is enacted. Applicants must own and live in the homes to qualify for improvement loans.

Loans would be offered in one of four categories: down payment assistance for a single family or duplex, a loan for converting a duplex to a home, attic improvements and exterior maintenance.

Trustee Margaret Hickey said at a board meeting this month that a good target population for the loans would be elderly residents on fixed incomes who sometimes find it difficult to obtain bank loans.

"It's going to be a pilot program," Trustee Dawn Anderson said. "We're going to have to have some faith that the eligibility requirements will work."  "

The Loan Program as described above, in my opinion, is seriously flawed, and will result in the loss of a lot of affordable housing in Shorewood, and will adversely affect the enrollment in the Shorewood Schools.

There is no question that Shorewood needs to work on improving its housing.  When I ran for the Village Board in the last election, I made this issue a prominent point in my campaign.  I especially decried that the Village Board was focusing on the "business environment" in Shorewood --- including a Business Loan Program that would provide up to $50,000 in unsecured loans to businesses....

Unfortunately, at the time, my opponents Phinney and Eckman, and other Village Board members such as Anderson and Hickey did not agree, preferring to concentrate on ineffective business programs, and large grandiose expenditures, such as the multi million dollar Streetscaping.

An obviously logical question  would be, if I was proposing housing improvement programs just a few months ago,  why am I criticizing the program that is now being floated out for consideration ?

The program that I proposed would "enhance" the existing housing stock, making it more efficient, up to date, and  appealing for both buyers and renters. 

But I did not propose that we change the character or nature of the housing that currently exists.  Encouraging the transformation of existing duplexes to single family homes, will drastically reduce the population of Shorewood, and make Shorewood more un-affordable for young families - especially the kind that have school age children.

The program I proposed concentrated upon the infrastructure of the existing housing, which is rapidly becoming obsolescent - with outdated electrical, plumbing and heating. 

The program being touted now by the Village Board, concentrates on cosmetics and attics --- not the features, in my experience as a Realtor, that are of the greatest concern of school age families.

Encouraging the transformation of duplexes (which Shorewood has more of per capita than any other community in Wisconsin) into single family homes, will price most families with school age children out of the market !

Over the next week or so, I will be making postings that examine the affordability of housing in Shorewood , and the differences in costs and demographics in relation to renters and buyers of single family homes and duplexes.

 

I don't think anyone would argue that the common consensus is that Shorewood is known as a bastion of liberals.  At least when we look at past elections and which candidates Shorewood voters cast their lots for - if you are a liberal candidate, you needn't waste too much time in Shorewood - you've got that vote in the bag.

In actual practice, however, how well does Shorewood score on "acting Liberal" ?

In today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (http://www.jsonline.com/) on page 7 of the Metro Section, is an article regarding Minority Enrollment in Milwaukee County suburban districts.

Of the 17 districts identified, 8 of them increased the percentage of Black students in their district in the school year 2006-07 compared to what it was in 1996-97. While 9 of the districts had a lower percentage of Black students.

Shorewood was one of the 9 districts that has fewer Black students in the comparison.  Going from 13.8% in 1996-97 to 12.9% in 1006-07.

It would be interesting to find out what percentage of our Black students actually live in Shorewood, and what percentage come from Milwaukee ?

And how do these statistics reflect on the "perceived" Liberalism of Shorewood ?

Kirk Juffer, the principal of Lake Bluff grade school makes his job look easy --- probably because he loves what he does --- and he has the experience and wisdom to see problems while they are still in a potential state.

 

I believe I have met Kirk about half a dozen times --- mostly, just “hello – how’s it going”.  Additionally, I have probably seen two or three presentations he has made over the years.  I don’t remember the exact topics of those presentations, but I know that each time, I thought “wow” this guy is good --- and he even has common sense !

 

Of a much more recent nature, I now have a student enrolled at Lake Bluff, who transferred in last year from the Mequon system. 

 

What is at best a traumatic experience for any child  leaving old friends and coming into a new environment, was turned into a  positive experience. This positive transition was in no small part due to Mr Juffer, taking a personal interest,  including pep talks and encouragement for the student.

 

In addition, Mr Juffer consulted several times with my wife, via phone and e mail, in helping to coordinate the transition from both the home and school perspectives. 

 

I have lived only a ½ block from Lake Bluff for the past 15 years, but  didn’t really notice until my new student started there, that the students gather outside each morning for about 20 minutes prior to the doors being opened.

 

Every morning, there is Mr Juffer, doing a “walk and talk” with the students in the morning chill.  I would be surprised if he doesn’t know virtually every student’s name and grade !

 

Kirk is obviously an “old school” type of principal. who actually interacts with his kids, on a personal basis, and doesn’t view them as simply numbers.

 

In the recent Community Now edition, I read that Lake Bluff is experimenting with a Charter School concept of multi grade and age grouping.  In the article Mr Juffer was quoted as reporting: 

 

 "A mainstay of the school is flexible, multiage grouping," wrote Lake Bluff Principal Kirk Juffer in a report to the board. "This means that students are grouped at different times with different peers according to their readiness levels, interests, learning styles or learning needs."

 

Having seen new educational systems come and go (my oldest is now 31), I have learned that there is always an intangible that makes some schools work wonderfully --- while their seemingly identical counterparts are disasters.

 

I think it is safe to speculate, that whatever system they decide to use at Lake Bluff, it will be successful in great part, due to the presence of an “Old School” principal, who is not afraid to work with “New School” ideas.

  

 

Absolutism surely must be one of the primary symptoms of a disease often referred to as a “Lack of Common Sense”.

In Shorewood, police officers are called to the High School to issue Disorderly Conduct tickets to students who have already left for the day, for being involved in a VERBAL altercation.

In Shorewood the school administration is using the Police as a “First Resort” disciplinary tool, instead of the Common Sense use of the police as a “Last Resort”.

At MPS they decided to authorize the use of Plastic Handcuffs by Security Aides to restrain “out of control” students, when those students pose an immediate physical threat to themselves or others. A very Common Sense Approach --- especially as MPS may use the restraints, at times, in order to Avoid calling the police.

Unfortunately MPS has now Rescinded the plastic cuff authorization --- in a bow to Absolutism, which indicates that their newly found Common Sense was all too fleeting.

When I posted my comments on the SHS incident and police involvement, I invited readers to send their comments for publication. Here is one I received from Nancy Darrow. What is YOUR opinion ? Please feel free to join in the discussion.

"Dear Dave,

My opinion? Your insouciant attitude is unwarranted and contributes to an unfortunate lowering of community standards.

It's easy to be dismissive of the perceptions of teachers who are caught between angry adult-sized students trading barbs or swings. We don't know the specific circumstances that caused the SHS administration to call the police regarding a “shouting match.” And who wants to live in a community where the police dispatcher doesn't send a squad car to investigate a report of an altercation on the city streets involving 20 students? Or where officers breaking up a brawl don't issue disorderly conduct tickets? I choose to give the administration and police the benefit of the doubt.

Furthermore, yes, many years ago, in what you dub “the good old days,” schoolboys resolving a dispute with fisticuffs was considered a harmless, “boys will be boys” behavior (although I'm sure that even then, kids caught on the wrong side of a fist or intimidated by their classmates' behavior would disagree with your flippant attitude toward school violence). Times have changed, thank goodness. Most would say that respect matters, even among “mere” schoolchildren, and that allowing children to resolve disputes with violence is not exactly good character training for adult life in the workplace, the community, or the international scene. As a community, we should hold ourselves and our children to higher standards of behavior than brawling in the mud, even if you find such behavior “refreshing.” Surely teenage boys who have the language skills to handle the academic curriculum at our high achieving high school have the language skills to negotiate a resolution to a dispute over an unpaid loan.

Your reasoning reminds me of the ridicule that Mayor Giuliani and Police Chief Bratton received when New York City first began cracking down on quality-of-life crimes, including clearing the streets of menacing squeegee men. As soon as you say the little stuff is “no big deal,” erosion of public behavior begins, and when you address it in a measured way, you see improvement in quality of life. I don't laugh off young people eagerly goading others into fighting, teenagers resorting to fistfights, or weaponless assaults. I think what happened at the high school should lead to making sober assessments, paying attention to what messages we're sending our kids about conflict resolution and what we expect them to do when they see trouble brewing, and thinking again about whether or not we're teaching children the skills they need to be good citizens. I'm glad to hear that the administration is doing just that.

Yours,
Nancy Darrow"

Almost daily, it seems, there is a news story about some kid bringing a gun to school, or a student being shot or shooting someone. And when a discussion of these incidents comes up, it is not unusual for someone to say “ in the Good Old Days --- we had our fistfights, but nobody was shooting at anyone”.

Yessiree --- in the Good Old Days ! We kind of looked at kids getting into fights in the way that Ole Sheriff Taylor, would have,.

If little Opie got into a scuffle at school, Andy would have been mostly concerned about whether the fight was fair, and he might even have talked to the school principal or teacher about the situation --- not as a Sheriff, but as a Parent.

It was almost refreshing a couple of weeks ago when two students at Shorewood High School turned to fisticuffs to resolve a dispute. No guns, knives, bottles, sticks or stones --- and it seemed (from the video) that both guys were about the same size --- probably not a “bully” thing.

Yep refreshing --- versus the continuous reports of guns and shootings, right next door in Milwaukee at MPS schools.

But wait --- some kid had a video camera, so the scuffle became a news lead on probably every TV channel for days. At the same time that there was real violence going on in Milwaukee, with people dying, our news channels thought two teenagers rolling in the mud was worthy of countless re-showings as a “major” news story.

Additionally, this Non-Event-Phenomena-News-Sensation however, got the Shorewood Police Department involved. Apparently the school officials felt the scuffle was a criminal issue, that needed to be dealt with by the legal system.

It is hard for me to imagine police involvement in an occurrence of this nature 40 years ago when I was in high school in the 60’s. And I don’t imagine that back then, the police in Shorewood would have normally been called for something of this nature.

Nowadays, though, it seems that the high school officials turn to the police for almost all disciplinary situations. According to my information, the police have even called to the high school to issue tickets for disorderly conduct to students involved in a shouting match --- no hitting or physical contact involved --- 100% verbal !

Why ? Why do we now involve the police in school disciplinary matters now, when we didn’t do so years ago ? Is it because of a new racial mix in the high school … are our school officials now lacking in skills necessary for dealing with such situations … have our laws tied the hands of school officials ?

What? What does this tell the kids in school ? Break a school rule and you will be punished in the school system --- and have to go to court too ! Break a school rule and we will call someone with a badge and a gun to deal with you … proportionality to the infraction does not apply !

Should kids fight in school (or off school property) --- NO. Will kids sometimes fight --- YES. Is it a situation for the Police --- sometimes --- but in my opinion, probably not this time.

Of concern to me about this fight, was when some o