The Forum

Low-flying plane spraying for gypsy moths

THURSDAY, May 29, 2008, 6:44 a.m.
By Linda Spice

Callers expressing concern about a low-flying plane over Shorewood and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee about 6 a.m. today learned from Milwaukee County Sheriff's dispatchers that the pilot is spraying for gypsy moths in the area.

"There is no cause for alarm," a dispatcher told deputies on the road over the scanner this morning, noting television news reports of what was occurring.

Sheriff's dispatch raised concerns that neither the department nor Milwaukee police were informed of the plane's intentions and found themselves with citizen phone calls questioning what was happening. They received information from TV choppers in the air this morning but were attempting to get more details from airport officials.

The plane this morning is moving further south toward the downtown Milwaukee area, according to the sheriff's office.

Shorewood Village President Guy Johnson will be running for Rep. Sheldon Wasserman's open WI State Assembly seat this fall.  According to the WI State Elections Board website, Johnson has filed papers to run in the election as a Democrat.  The current slate of candidates includes 5 Democrats and 1 Republican.

Wasserman is vacating his seat to challenge Alberta Darling for her State Senate seat. 

At this Monday’s Meeting, the Village Board decided to appoint a Village Trustee to fill the seat vacated by Michael Phinney.  Other options would have been to hold the seat vacant until a special election could be held, or for the duration of the unexpired term. 

The appointment process for the new Trustee will be identical to what was done in 2006 for Trustee Dawn Anderson.  Anderson was appointed to fill the balance of then Trustee Guy Johnson’s term after his election to Village President.

An application process will be open to interested and eligible Shorewood residents.   The process will include a questionnaire, interviews, and then a vote by the board.   Last time, the questionnaire included several open ended questions, as well as an attached resume.  Following the application process, the Board will conduct 30 minute interviews of all candidates at a Village Board meeting in June.  The Board will then vote on the applicants and make their choice that same evening as the interviews.

Interested residents should call the Village Manager's office at (414) 847-2700 for more information.  The application forms will be posted on the Village Website in the near future. 

At last night’s meeting, the board approved two new consulting projects worth $26,000. 

1. The first ($16,000) is for a plan related to bluff improvements near the Sunrise Facility.  While the details of the study were not at all clear to me, it has something to do with planning for bluff stabilization and foot/bike bath construction.  The purpose of the study was similarly confusing to the members of the board, prompting 30+ minutes of discussion between members of the Board and Village Manager Chris Swartz.  Vote passed: 6-0. 
   
2. The second ($10,000) is for a consultant to create a village-wide plan for bicycle traffic.  This study is prompted by the upcoming changes to Capitol Drive, and the desire to study the possibility of including bike lanes.  This study may not actually occur, since the vote yesterday was to authorize the Village Manager to commission such a study, if necessary, rather than a vote to make the study happen.  Vote passed: 6-0.

A number of streets over here have been in complete darkness for the last few nights.  Driving home tonight, I noticed the lights were out on Congress, Kensington, and the 4400 block of Woodruff.