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Without question however ---- the New Streetscape is Obsolete ----- before it is even finished !!!!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

 Frequent readers of my blog --- both of you :-) --- may recall that last fall when the Village was starting the Streetscape project, they had NO PARKING signs all along Oakland Avenue --- for days at a time when NO WORK was being done.

 

This week --- AGAIN --- on the 4400 block of North Oakland, which is heavily concentrated with small businesses that rely on walk in traffic --- the street has been marked NO PARKING all week although there has been NO WORK done.

 

Obviously, when they are working in the area, the construction crews need to have the street cleared of parked cars.  

 

But when they are not working in a retail area --- even if it is for one day only !!!! --- why can't they take the signs down or cover them.

 

Again --- let me ask of the  Village Government --- the Village Board Members --- the Administration ........... do ANY OF YOU REALLY CARE ABOUT THE SMALL BUSINESSES IN SHOREWOOD ????

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?  PLEASE LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW ! 

Just about 10 years ago the merchants on North Oakland had to endure a disastarous summer of (non) business as Shorewood tore up the street and sidewalks and made North Oakland the "Jewel of Shorewood" !!

Now Shorewood is at it again (obviously they didn't get it right 10 years ago) as the street is a two lane mess, sidewalks and crosswalks are torn up --- and the business owners are Hurting .....

But according to recent comments from the Shorewood BID reported in Shorewoodnow.com  ---

"We are turning what could be somewhat of an inconvenience into an exciting way to attract customers and keep them coming back for the quality products and personal service that Shorewood is known for," BID member Barb Caprile said."

Barb --- you just Don't Get It !!!  It is NOT an "inconvenience" for the merchants on North Oakland --- it is a Financial Disaster. 

Talk to the guys at Mautz Paint -- this should be one of their busiest times -- and their business is way down.  If you don't have GPS with the optional topographical map feature --- trying to patronize the Wick Family's store is all but impossible. 

And just in case the project moves along too quickly --- according to the Village Website, construction will be suspended for most of the month of July to accomodate the 4th of July parade and the Criterium Bicycle Race.

Hmmmmm --- did the BID ever think of re-routing the Bike race so that the Oakland merchants can get back to business as soon as possible ?  As I noted in my blog last year, the Bike Race actually Hurts the Majority of the Businesses on Oakland -- yet the BID keeps it going, and against all evidence otherwise, the BID claims they do it for the Businesses !!!

Why not relocate it to another business area in Shorewood and let them enjoy all the boost to business the Bike Race brings -- NOT !

And since the 4th of July parade is Mobile by Nature --- how about a different route so work can continue on the Oakland Construction. 

I think most of my business neighbors would agree we with me when I say --- Let's Get the Damn Thing Done and Give Us Back our Customers ----  Please !!

 WHAT DO YOU THINK ?  YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS 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 !

  

  You Paid for It: A Shining Shorewood

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

http://nonconventionalwisdomperspectives.blogspot.com/

 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/

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/

As I was driving on North Oakland the other night, I suddenly realized that even though the Village has torn out half of the streetlights --- there was more than enough light for driving and pedestrian purposes.

Even though the lights on the west side of the street are gone - the ones on the east side do more than an adequate job. The question I have therefore is  -- why do we need so many lights ?

In an earlier posting to Shorelines, I had questioned whether "light pollution" had been considered in the Streetscaping plans --- and I would guess probably not !

Another question that I have about the  proposed lights is whether  new technology was considered ?  Why are we going with the same old electrically hard wired lights --- is there a solar alternative ?

Doing a little research on the internet, I came across a plethora of manufacturers, distributors and information on solar powered street lights.  I have copied one of the pages below as an example of the information that is out there.

Is it too late to reconsider the streetlights ?  Since we have only starting tearing things up, and it appears that no work will be done before Spring 08 at the earliest --- why not do a study on solar lighting.

Just think - no electric bills to keep them running.  No burning of fossil fuels.  No trenching or wiring needed.  In a Power Outage --- the street lights will still be on !

Wouldn't Shorewood be proud to light the way for other villages, towns and cities in the Progressive use of Solar Power for Streetlights  ---  or do we just talk a good talk ?

What are your thoughts on whether we have enough light or need more, and whether solar should be in the equation.

 FOLLOWING IS WEB PAGE FROM INTERNET

SOL's products have historically withstood high wind conditions in hurricanes and typhoons around the world. NOW Independent structural engineers have certified that SOL's SLH series far exceed the 150 MPH, Schedule D wind event requirements as per Chapter 6 of the ASCE 7-05 specifications. The patented SL product series uses a flat panel design. Not only is the solar lighting system certified to this high standard, but the attachment to the pole has also been certified, eliminating any weak points that may cause the system to not withstand the high winds.   Click here for Product PDF Click here for Press Release Founded in 1990 as Solar Outdoor Lighting, SOL INC. is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial grade solar powered lighting products and systems. All of our commercial grade solar powered systems are customized to ensure they meet the needs of each project. SOL develops and markets the most efficient and reliable solar powered systems for lighting applications including parking lot, street lighting, security lighting, general area lighting, trail and pathway lighting, outdoor advertising, billboard and sign lighting, and transit applications. Solar powered systems help people feel safe, lighting up dark areas with dependable off-grid solar power. The systems install easily with no trenching or wiring. SOL's systems have the longest warranty, the most reliable service and the best prices in the industry. SOL INC. customers have enjoyed millions of hours of trouble-free service. We have an international website for solar powered projects outside of the continental United States. This website addresses the special needs of projects outside of the continental USA. International Representatives and Distributors are welcome. Please visit http://www.solarlighting.com/international/ or click on the link provided on this page. Headquartered in Palm City, Florida, SOL's patented products are installed in over 50 countries on 6 continents world-wide.

 

In today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, was a proposed Light Rail plan by Michael  Cudahy. 

I won't repeat his reasoning for Light Rail here.  If you are interested and don't have today's paper, you can look it up online at http://www.jsonline.com/

The initial line he proposes, in part, comes from downtown up Farwell and Prospect (one way on each), joining up on Oakland Avenue, to terminate at the Shorewood / Milwaukee boundary line.

Now let's imagine that the line would continue up Oakland Avenue, through Shorewood to Hampton, then west Santa Monica, north to Silver Spring, and then west on Silver Spring to Bayshore.

Since we are going to tear up Oakland Avenue anyway, wouldn't this be the ideal time to explore the Light Rail option ?

If the plan goes ahead as Michael Cudahy proposes, and the heavy infrastructure costs are covered by the Federal Money that he has identified, perhaps Shorewood can participate at not much more of a cost than including the rails in the Oakland Makeover. 

I would be willing to bet that  Mr. Cudahy and Mayor Barrett, would be very interested in working with Shorewood --- and perhaps our neighbors in Whitefish Bay and Glendale.

For Whitefish Bay and Shorewood, Light Rail would help their shopping districts compete with Bayshore ---  even as folks  ride the rail to Bayshore, they will have the opportunity to shop Shorewood and Bay's more boutique offerings along the way. 

For Glendale, it would make Bayshore a more viable destination for shoppers from the East Side and Downtown.

If we are serious about increasing Shorewood's residential appeal, and building up our retail markets, I believe Light Rail will do much more than our current plans for new street lights and garbage cans along Oakland and Capitol ---- or  artificial turf  and a second dome at the high school.

 

 

 

 

THIS IS AN E MAIL I RECEIVED FROM A READER COMMENTING ON THE RECENT STREETSCAPE WORK, D2D, ETC 

READERS COMMENTS:

So the SHS lot is once again accessible after only a short time in spite of the earlier dire predictions of a far more extended closure! While part of me is glad the 'crisis' there is over, another part is concerned that it seems like for the most part, there seems to be no real concept of a time frame for any part of this project! Looking at the piecemeal way things are proceeding on Oakland Avenue, per your pictures and my own firsthand viewing, and the lack of knowledge of such things as who actually decided to close the SHS lot and for how long, I'm beginning to wonder how things are being coordinated!
In addition, before viewing your blog today, I saw the ShorewoodNow picture of the groundbreaking ceremony after the final home football game weeks ago and I note daily, while driving past the field, that seemingly nothing has begun on the D2D front, either!! As this is some of the most favorable weather we'll probably see before winter, shouldn't things be in a more 'git 'er done' mode?!?

 RESPONSE TO READER

Dear Reader

 It does seem amazing that "voila" the SHS lot was open a couple of weeks before schedule.  It does bring to question whether the Powers Who Be put the pedal to the metal when they starting getting complaints --- or if they folks in charge of the work are that incompetent that they could be that far off in their projections for the time required.

Interestingly, the Village put out a Streetscape Update at the end of September, saying that the whole time schedule was being re-evaluated and could be changed --- while at the same time, the BID Director was telling folks that the work was being stopped and put on a new schedule --- all of this was while Trustee Dawn Anderson was writing a comment to defend the NO PARKING in areas where NO WORK was being done --- kind of sounds like Board Members were not kept updated and in effect got Blindsided !!

Regarding D2D -- it appears the School District is no better at handling a Public Works project, than the Village is.

It is obvious that the only work they have done is the Ceremonial Groundbreaking --- but they have stopped playing their games on the Home Field.

 From what I have heard, the High School has incurred a lot of new expense by transporting everyone --- including the band --- to home games played on other fields.  This is not an expense that was budgeted --- and seeing how there is no work being done on the field -- it is an obvious waste of taxpayers' money.

If any readers out there actually knows what is going on with these projects --- please write in and share the information with us !

Thanks

Dave 

Amazingly Shorewood Village Officials have still not addressed the parking situation on North Oakland despite NO CONSTRUCTION WORK HAPPENING. 

The NO PARKING signs are still up --- prohibiting customers of the local businesses from parking.

 I thought for sure that after Trustee Dawn Anderson commented about the parking situation, that SOMEONE from the Village would have the common sense to take the no parking signs down UNTIL THERE IS ACTUALLY CONSTRUCTION.

 For some reason, the Village has decided to PUNISH the MERCHANTS and restrict parking.

 Who will take charge of this FIASCO ???

 Village President Guy Johnson ?

Village Trustees ---  Dawn Anderson ?  Ellen Eckman?  Jeff Hanewall ?  Margaret Hickey ?  Michael Maher ?   Michael Phinney ?

Village Manager Chris Swartz ?

I know you are all interested in bringing NEW Business to Shorewood -- but won't you HELP THE EXISTING BUSINESSES FIRST ?????

  ONE BRAVE SOUL PARKED ON EMPTY STREET DESPITE THE NO PARKING SIGNS

For a few weeks now, whenever I have been on north Oakland, something has just seemed to be different.

It started as just a feeling – something different here … somehow it seemed the vibrancy of the street was missing.

Finally I realized that the “old” streetscape (just put in about ten years ago) had been pillaged.

In anticipation of the “new” streetscape --- all the nice benches, flower beds and trash receptacles have been taken away.

The street now looks barren and ugly …….. with paint marks all over the sidewalks and curbs.

But other than some minor work done by the gas company and the paint markings --- there has been no construction going on since the benches, plants and bins have been removed.

So why were they removed so far ahead of the scheduled work ?

I wonder how this drab look is affecting the merchants on the street ?

Email me your comments

Is it just coincidence that the two top articles in today’s NOW Northshore edition were:

1) New ATHLETIC FIELD which has over $1,000,000 of our tax dollars going to pay for it, has Groundbreaking Ceremony this past Friday ………..

2) School District announces that we don’t have enough students to fill the schools we have (75 to 80 percent of capacity) and that it may have to CLOSE ONE OF OUR SCHOOL BUILDINGS to save money.

For some reason, I just don’t remember the need to close one of our schools coming up, when the D2D group was beseeching the Village Board for a $465,000 handout.

During his pitch to the Village Board for the tax money, Superintendent Blane McCann didn’t mention a need to close a school, but it was reported that he said --

"When I arrived as superintendent I recall this board wanting to find a way to help, wanting to find a way to contribute and alleviate some of the school district's problems and this is a perfect way for that to take place,"

Trustee Michael Phinney said $600,000 is an "appropriate investment." --- was he aware that the School District was so desperate for money that it was considering closing a school ?

Some of the questions for our elected officials that come to mind are:

WHO of our elected Village and School Board Officials, knew that our schools are in such dire straights, when they decided to spend over a $1,000,000 of our tax dollars on an athletic field ?

WHY did they keep it a secret until the Field was a Done Deal ?

Did our Elected Officials ask the Right Questions --- or didn’t they Want to Know ?

And Wouldn’t it have been nice --- if the Voters of Shorewood, knew about the schools, and were offered the opportunity to decide if their $1,000,000 in tax money should go to new dirt --- or keeping a school open ?

Email me your comments

Well --- did that headline get your attention ? If it did, then I succeeded in doing what the Village Board is so successful at – only in reverse.

I had maintained throughout the recent trustee campaign that the Village Board was overly obsessed with “business” in Shorewood, to the detriment of the “residential” component of the Village.

Focusing on business makes the Village Board look good. We all traverse the main streets of the Village --- and the business facades are prominent and easy to visualize. In contrast, there is not the same visualization factor of the residential infrastructure --- which is actually the Backbone of Shorewood.

In Steve Koczela’s critique of the Legion Post debate, in his blog he posted ( in part):

“While Michael Phinney insisted that he has been a champion of business in Shorewood, Eckman pointed to her vote against the smoking ban as evidence of her pro-business stance…..

Eckman also claimed credit (somewhat dubiously) for some of the new businesses in Shorewood, at least one of which is actually located in a building owned by Dave Tatarowicz.”

Knowing that *Success has many Fathers, but Failure is an Orphan* --- I thought it would be interesting to note the businesses that have recently closed, and/or left the village, and/or moved and the landlords have not been able to quickly fill the spaces. With the loud rhetoric emanating from the Village Board on how well it is doing for business, through its own actions and vis-a-vis the BID ---- I wonder who will offer to adopt the following Orphans !

4517 N Oakland Stone Age Jewelers
4144 N Oakland Carriage Cleaners
4522 N Oakland ???
3575 N Oakland 8,000 SF Street Level Retail
1808 E Capitol Cajun Food
1926 E Capitol Irish Dance Studio (moved to larger quarters, space still vacant)
1522 E Capitol Phone Store
3801 N Oakland Coffee Café
4013 N Oakland Shorewood Wine Bar
4022 N Oakland Red Rock Café

The BID does have an excellent section on its website, under the Business Opportunities Section, for Space Available --- but it has never listed any of these spaces for potential businesses to find !

PLEASE NOTE: I am not advocating that there is really a lot that the Village or the BID can or could do in relation to these businesses closing, or the spaces that remained vacant so long. Actually, just the opposite --- businesses will come and go, when it is in the best interests of the business owners, landlords, and patrons. And the effect of Village government in exactly how those dynamics work out, is extremely limited.

Unfortunately, as long as there is the “wow” factor involved in such highly visual projects as the Streetscape Program, the BID, and now the threatened diminution of Wilson – that is where the efforts and our taxes will go.

At its last meeting the Village Board voted to authorize bids for the new Streetscape Plan. Preliminary estimates for the first phase are in the $3 million range.

Many of Shorewood’s residents probably remember the last time Shorewood had a major renovation project, It was the streetscaping of North Oakland Avenue in 1996. That renovation replaced the street, sidewalks and all the streetlights. Also installed were sidewalk pavers, benches, planters and trash receptacles.

We now find, barely more than 10 years after spending all that money on North Oakland Avenue, that all those nice new street lights, pavers, benches and trash receptacles are obsolete !

Apparently everybody involved failed to notice that we have winters in Shorewood, we use salt on our streets, and all those nice new fixtures, made of cast iron, are prone to rust. Reportedly, they have rusted to the point that they need to be replaced.

Our weather has not been especially kind to all of those pavers that were installed along the sidewalks either. Walking on what is left of the pavers, is taking a risk to breaking an ankle ! Patterned cement, in hindsight, would have been much more economical to install and maintain, while achieving the same decorative look.

The average taxpayer probably imagines that when the Village Board was informed that all the tax money that was spent 10 years ago has rusted away --- literally --- the Board was upset, and determined to find out how and why such a major mistake was made, and that the Board decided to get those answers and to thoroughly examine the new proposals, before committing to any new multi million dollar projects.

Unfortunately, the average taxpayer would be wrong !

The only Board Member who dared to rock the boat during the discussion to approve the bid process was Jeff Hanewall. He brought up concerns about the designs that were being proposed for the new streetscaping, and asked questions as to whether they were appropriate for Shorewood. It is noteworthy that Trustee Hanewall is an architect and is well versed in such matters, albeit that design is always of a subjective nature.

In the following discussion, it appeared that all the other trustees and village management considered the plan, as presented, to be a “done deal”, with no room for discussion or dissent.

When the slide show presentation of the plan was made to the board (you can view the same presentation on the Village’s website), there was a heavy emphasis on the fact that the CDA conducted a number of public meetings, and that Shorewood citizens in study groups, actually voted in favor of the plan that was presented.

That story, however, quickly changed upon questioning.

Trustee Hanewall questioned how the process was actually run. He questioned whether the design firm involved limited the selections available to the participants of the groups, and whether the selections were made without the context of viewing the elements as a whole. He pointed out that a popular vote of approximately 20 volunteers was going to be the deciding factor for a multi million dollar project for a village of 13,000 plus residents.

This was when a whole new description of the process by the CDA was quickly offered.

The new line given was that although there was a popular vote of citizen volunteers, the CDA and designers didn’t “really” let that be a deciding factor. They said that they had actually limited the information available to the volunteers, and that they never intended to, nor did they, abide by the consensus of the study groups.

Going on the appearances and actions at the Board meeting, it would be a good guess that the project is pretty much a “done deal”. There does not seem to be any appetite on the Board to study what went wrong with the North Oakland project --- nor to examine in any depth, the proposed elements for the new project.

And that begs the question of whether we in a rush to more obsolescence ? Are all those street light and poles rusted beyond redemption ? Have any restoration experts been contacted to examine the existing poles and assess whether there are any methods which can restore them --- and how that would compare in cost to replacing them with new ones ?

It has been said that we live in a “throw away” society. And perhaps all those nice “10 year old new” light poles are destined to our landfills.

But shouldn’t we expect better in Shorewood --- shouldn’t the Village Board examine this issue much more carefully before actually committing the millions of dollars it will cost --- with at least a minimal expectation that the new streetscape will have a useful life of more than 10 years before it is obsolete ?

Shorewood is currently exploring how to update the police facilities. For as long as I have lived in Shorewood, I have heard that the police department has inadequate room and facilities.

Although I did not doubt that the department may be a little cramped, until I had an opportunity to tour the facility, I had no idea just how antiquated their facility actually is.

From the outside the “safety” building looks quite large and adequate. But in reality the police department is sandwiched in between two Northshore Fire Department equipment bays, and the fire department has all the space on the floor above as well. The police department is left with the space in the center (at some points no more than 15 feet wide), a small garage which is also the Sally Port (where prisoners are transported in and out of the building), and the basement.

There is a cramped office space on the first floor in which officers have no privacy for sensitive conversations, a couple of small holding cells, only one of which is operational with the other two being used for storage, and a small interrogation room, which shares space with a great deal of the electronics systems that the department depends upon.

On the lower floor are two small locker rooms which make your average high school locker room look luxurious, a work room for the detectives, a small firing range, and a labyrinth of space that is not useful for much more than storage.

Of considerable note is that there is no space for privacy in interviewing or counseling crime victims or witnesses, other than a small cramped room, with seating for one person. Very cold comfort if you are the victim of a crime.

Equally distressing is the physical condition of the building itself. I daresay that if the building inspector were to find the same conditions in a commercial establishment, with paint and plaster peeling and falling off the walls, work orders would be summarily issued. A great deal of upgrading on the physical plant, electrical, plumbing, heating, and ventilation is way past due. Of concern also are signs of potential lead and asbestos hazards I observed.

The police chief, David Banaszynski, has done a wonderful job in working with a consulting firm, the Zimmerman Architecture Studies company, in identifying various sites that would be suitable for a new police department, costs that other departments have incurred in modernization, and rough ballpark figures on what the costs would be for the various options studied here.

Of the scenarios considered, the police department could be relocated away from the Village Campus. Just north of Kensington on Oakland, and the Post Office being a couple examples. Other scenarios encompass various additions to the present site, a possible multi level parking structure, and a number of other variations.

The only scenario that has not been considered yet is the relocation of the Northshore Fire Department, which would give the Shorewood PD the entire structure to work with. Along with a two level parking structure, there would be more than adequate room for the PD, much needed additional parking for the Village Campus, and a centering of the departments, services and facilities that the Shorewood residents use the most.

There is much left to be studied, but there has been a very good start to the process. I would like to see the scenario of the fire department being relocated however, before coming to any conclusions as to what will work best for Shorewood. In the long run though, it has been too long that the Shorewood PD has had to deal with the inadequate facilities we have given them to work with. This should be a priority for the Village, with thorough but timely due diligence, and an action time frame that is realistic and cost effective, but not drawn out.