HELP US STOP OUR VERY OWN ENVIRONMENTAL, CULTURAL AND TAXPAYER DISASTER OTHERWISE KNOW AS ‘THE MILWAUKEE STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT”

 

THE SAVE NAGAWICKA PROJECT believes GOOD ECOLOGY IS GOOD BUSINESS.

It’s a story you may have seen if you’ve noticed our signs. Perhaps they’ve even ticked you off. Sorry about that, but what should really tick you off is that pretty soon, those trees won’t be there to hold the signs and you’ll pay in many ways for that. 

The abuse of taxpayer funds begins with the needless, harmful removal of the Milwaukee streets historic tree canopy. But the real victim is Lake Nagawicka, the Bark River, and our watershed environment. The City Council has  swelled road resurfacing into a cozy deal for the city engineering firm, Yaggy Colby who will directly profit from a million dollar-and-counting deal that has NO environmental proof of ‘doing good’ behind it whatsoever, but loads of permanent harmful potential in increased silt and phosphorus, oil and gas going into Nagawicka.

This is certainly is NOT about public safety. There are low cost ways, like speed limits, if that' the concern. We are not sure that the project is even legal. It’s just a boondoggle. It’s opaque. And it’s devastating for those of us who depend on the area’s lake health for our livelihoods, weekends, retirement, or children. We’ll even lose tax base -- homes without trees devalue. ALOT, and that means lost tax revenue…..over a million in lost taxes.

We’ve asked the Delafield City Council many times for documentation about the WHYS of the Milwaukee Street “Improvement Project” What documentation supports it as an improvement? We’ve received nothing. Microphones have been cut off, promised hearings haven’t been materialized. In short, contempt for public buy-in. So now, public, we’re asking you. We’re asking YOU to help by:

1.      Showing up at City Council meetings -next one Oct. 15th, 7pm sharp at Council Chambers

2.      READ OUR blog, http://blacktopparadise.blogspot.com/ for DETAILED INFORMATION AND LEAVE A COMMENT

3.      Be ready to sign our forthcoming petition to put this mess to direct referendum. We’ll be asking for signatures before the Nov. 5 budget is approved

4.      Tweet us on blacktopparadise@MilwaukeeSt ask  questions and comment

5.      HELP US STOP AN ENVIRONMENTAL AND CULTURAL AND FINANCIAL DISASTER. WRITE to YOUR ALDERMAN TOO.

Mayor Ed McAleer 3413 Lake Drive Hartland, WI 53029 (262) 367-5234 emcaleer@ci.delafield.wi.us	DISTRICT 1 Jeff Krickhahn, President 4506 Vettelson Road Hartland, WI 53029 (262) 510-5613 jkrickhahn@ci.delafield.wi.us
DISTRICT 2 Jim Behrend 757 Garrison Court Delafield, WI 53018 (262) 646-4599 jbehrend@ci.delafield.wi.us	DISTRICT 3 Jane Lazynski 722 Main Street Delafield, WI 53018 (262) 646-3320 jlazynski@ci.delafield.wi.us
DISTRICT 4 Michele DeYoe 225 Glen Oak Court Delafield, WI 53108 (262) 646-2907 mdeyoe@ci.delafield.wi.us	DISTRICT 5 Gerald MacDougall 300 Fieldstone Road Delafield, WI 53018 (262) 646-8774 gmacdougall@ci.delafield.wi.us
DISTRICT 6 Lynn Morrison 2366 Lakeview Court Delafield, WI 53018 (262) 646-2826 lmorrison@ci.delafield.wi.us	DISTRICT 7 Tim Aicher 211 East Laurel Circle Delafield, WI 53018 (414) 313-6004 taicher@ci.delafield.wi.us

COME AND JOIN US. WE CAN STOP THIS TOGETHER.

WE HAVE TO AND WE WILL.

Any preventable traffic death is one too many

Any preventable traffic death is one too many

The goal of Wisconsin's Department of Transport (WisDOT) is to pursue a vision of achieving zero deaths on Wisconsin roads, a goal that I am in complete accord with.

By 2013, WisDOT aim is to reduce traffic fatalities, injuries, and crashes on Wisconsin roadways by 5% from rolling 5-year averages.

Safety is the primary reason for the improvement project and development of Milwaukee Street in Delafield; that is the reason given by according to the Public Works Committee at the last public works committee meeting held on the 5th September in Delafield (click here for the meeting notes).

In fact 3 key members of the committee cited it as the single most important reason for undertaking the project and in no order they were Dan Jashinsky (the chairperson) , Art Baumann and Pat Hawley. This was reiterated many times in the meeting. Tom Hafner referred to the City's 2010 Comprehensive plan which under Goal 2 (A) Establish a safe pedestrian and bicycle circulation system throughout the City that connects neighboring communities. The system should consist of a combination of sidewalks, off-street trails, and paved shoulders on collectors and arterials. And at the conclusion of the meeting Pat stated that the main job of the engineers was to provide safety for all.

So that's that, lets go ahead with this because it part of the Comprehensive plan and it will enhance the safety of the City's citizens.............

A man with a hammer

Well, it struck me after the meeting, that on more than one occasion Dan referred to the need for balance in the planning process. However I would question this balance, not least because 57% of the committee are engineers.

To a man with a hammer; the world is made of nails. If you have a committee made up almost entirely of road engineers then their world will be one of roads, road furniture and infrastructure.

This leaves me kind of cold.

So with this in mind and with good advice from Tim Aicher (Tim suggested that we make suggestions to help improve safety a few residents got together to brain storm a new fresh solution.

And this is what we came up with and presented to the city council on the 1st October

  

It incorporates safety first and foremost, accommodates the increase in traffic flow that will come from the new Delafield Woods development and it ensures that the City council behaves in a fiscally responsible way.

Did the city Councillors and the Public Works Committee even consider this? No they haven't and you know they need to because if it is safety that is driving this project then they it needs discussing. After all if a death can be prevented then it needs to be, and if this is not discussed, and there was an accident that could have been prevented, how will Pat, Art, Dan, Tom and the city council feel?

Oh have a look at this:

Tom Hafner refers to the city's master plan which clearly states that Milwaukee Street was not a designated trail route.

 I'm not so sure that this is about safety you know, there is other stuff going on that might have an impact on Milwaukee Street. Take 2 minutes out to view this

And given that the award winning Sanctuary (it was designed for 20 homes with none sold and only 2 built ) is just down the road, perhaps this is about something else..........

A bit of a disaster really and it dumps water onto both Main Street and Milwaukee Street

  And finally don't think I have given up on Trees. Two of Milwaukee Streets oldest trees have been nominated as being Champion Trees, tress that the State recognizes that unfortunately the City Council doesn't .

In fact the more you delve into the whole thing something just isn't right.

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