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By Janet Evans
Saturday, Sep 20 2008, 10:59 PM
By Janet Evans
Thursday, Sep 4 2008, 12:00 PM
I wasn’t able to attend the S. 27th. Street Corridor Steering Committee meeting yesterday, which took place in Oak Creek., at 8:00 a.m.
Luckily, Franklin blogger Fred Keller, was able to attend, and he has a report on his blog Bullseye.
You can read that HERE
My only comment I’ll make here is that the next meeting of the Steering Committee will mark the 120 days where the Committee is supposed to have a decision regarding “Boomgaard.”
The Steering Committee had made a point in May about involving the community. Well, they haven’t even discussed whether they are doing anything about Boomgaard in this 120 days let alone involving the community. They dropped the ball.
S. 27th St. Corridor Website
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Aug 22 2008, 04:46 PM
Well, not really.
But the quote is "So, put me in jail."
That from Franklin District 1 Alderman Steve Olson, the newly appointed member of the 27th Street Jt. Steering Committee.
Since there are only four members on the current Steering Committee, two of the members meeting together out of the four member committee to discuss business is a violation of open meetings law, is it not?
And Alderman Olson catches himself as he begins to report that he and Jim Rhiner met together or discussed increasing members on the committee. As I was not there, but have the tape provided to me, I can't tell you if he stopped himself, or was stopped. But the "So put me in jail," comes out, which acknowledges he is aware of the issue. So, possibly this was discussed between the two of them at some point.
This same issue was discussed at the Economic Development meeting briefly between Alderman Olson and Alderman Taylor - with reference being made by Alderman Olson that two bloggers were in the room.
You will also hear in the podcast which begins with scheduling of the next meeting, Alderman Olson, at over 2 hours into the meeting, bring up, with an apology, and terms it as an 800-lb. gorilla, the fact that something needs to be done regarding Boomgaard.
Yes...Boomgaard. Remember that Steering committee? How quickly we forget. Just brush it under the rug.
I guess "committee" meetings don't have to follow Robert's Rules of Order. They are more like a three ring circus. I don't know which city staffer gets the horrible job of filtering through the MESS of tape they are left with from these meetings, but there is no rhyme or reason to these meetings. Most of the time three people are talking at one time.
There are Rules for a reason.
There are Ordinances for a reason.
Alderman Olson seems to believe that fact - if you listen to his statement made at the Common Council meeting last Tuesday. "Ordinances come first." "If there is an ordinance violation alleged, this city owes it to its constituents and citizens to completely investigate it in a timely manner."
That said, you can listen to this brief podcast from the tail end of the Steering Committee meeting regarding these two issues.
HERE
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S. 27th Street Steering Committee - August 21, 2008
Jim Rhiner – Chairperson - EDC/CDA, Franklin
Steve Olson - Alderman, Franklin
Marie Myszkowski – CDA, Oak Creek
Tom Michalski – Alderman, Oak Creek
City Staff Doug Seymour –Dr. Dpt. City Development, Oak Creek Mark Luberda – Director of Administration, Franklin Also in attendance: Kristen Wilhelm - Alderman - Franklin Ron Romeis - Franklin Engineering Pat DeGrave - Oak Creek Administration Consultants- HNTB (3 Persons)Audience - Ted Grintjes, Scott Thinnes Note: Alderman Olson, or any other Alderman or Committee member is welcome to comment on my blog, or post a blog post as Common Council President Taylor often does. Just send it to me via email. I welcome their opinions.H/T: S. Thinnes
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Aug 14 2008, 06:50 AM
For your information, from the city website, here is a list of members of the Economic Development Commission (EDC). I really am not familiar at all with the Commission. This was the first meeting I have attended. You can only go to so many meetings.
Regular Economic Development Commission Meetings are held at City Hall the fourth Monday of each month at 6 p.m.
| Members |
|
Term/Expiration |
| Alderman Ken Skowronski, Chair |
|
3 Years/4-19-11 |
| Alderman Steve Olson |
|
3 Years/4-19-11 |
| Sharon Moulds |
|
3 Years/7-30-08 |
| Joe Haselow |
|
3 Years/7-30-08 |
| Jim Rhiner |
|
3 Years/7-30-08 |
| Mary Karolewicz |
|
3 Years/7-30-09 |
| Rosanne Burac-Englert |
|
3 Years/7-30-09 |
| Diane Oleson |
|
2 Years/7-30-09 |
| Vacancy |
|
3 Years/7-30-10 |
| James Kerr |
|
3 Years/7-30-10 |
| Norman Hintz |
|
3 Years/7-30-08 |
| Ruzica Bartoshevich |
|
3 Years/7-30-10 |
| Staff Support: Mark Luberda, Director of Administration |
|
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It looks like it is not easy to get a quorum together for meetings...or there is some other problem since there have been several cancellations of meetings. I can't say what the problem is, but I can say, even on the February 25th meeting that has minutes, it began at 6:00 p.m. and was adjourned at 6:30 because there was no quorum. What's up with that? The EDC does not appear to be a very productive Commission. Yet, the South 27th Street Steering Committee is a Sub-Committee of the EDC and it has members on it from the EDC. Sounds like the blind leading the blind to me.
| January 28, 2008 |
|
|
| February 25, 2008 |
|
|
| March 24, 2008 (Cancelled) |
|
|
| April 28, 2008 (Cancelled) |
|
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| May 27, 2008 |
|
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| June 23, 2008 (Cancelled) |
|
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| July 28, 2008 (Cancelled) |
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Economic Development Commission Meetings and Minutes
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The special meeting began with Alderman Skowronski stating that Ted Grintjes resigned and that a replacement needed to be appointed. He said the South 27th Street Steering Committee began with six members and ended up with only two...Grintjes and Jim Rhiner.
Next Jim Rhiner took the floor and discussed, in great length, how much time the new replacement would need to put into the job. Because the meetings are normally held during the working day, you need someone who is in a position to be able to arrange their schedule. This person would be putting in many hours in this position, especially in dealing with the D.O.T. He then immediately nominated Alderman Steve Olson for the job.
Chairman Skowronski interjected that he was not calling for nominations at this time, but he had one in mind.
Rhiner said he still thought Olson needed to be on the committee.
He said some day this wouldn't be just a committee, but would end up being a "Management Team.
Alderman Wilhelm, in the audience, spoke to say that she thought the 27th Street Steering Committee should have Policies and Procedures in place so that if something like this (losing committee members) should happen again, there wouldn't be the issues that there are now.
Alderman Taylor, in the audience, spoke to say he felt that since the 27th Street Corridor was part of District's 3 and 4, it might be wise for he and/or Alderman Wilhelm to be on the Committee. He said when he started getting calls about 27th Street, he would start sending them to Steve Olson.
Alderman Olson thanked Jim Rhiner for his confidence in him and said he would be honored to be on the committee. He said, "the train had left the station a while ago." Steve Taylor responded with," Alderman Wilhelm and I will be two of the drivers of that train for the next 2 1/2 plus years."
Mary Karolewicz questioned Alderman Taylor as to whether he could be impartial if he represented his District while on the Steering Committee. I thought that was out of line. You've got Pete Kosovich on the Plan Commission but he is a small business owner in the Corridor. You have Rhiner and had Grintjes on the EDC and on the Steering Committee....dual roles...You have the Mayor running the city but he chairs the Plan Commission. City officials have dual roles all of the time from what I see. It seems to be the norm.
James Kerr seemed to support having one of the Aldermen from District 3 or 4 on the Steering Committee. What I thought was bizarre was that he had no clue that there was a 27th Street Corridor website. Rhiner had mentioned the site and its functions and Kerr was in the dark. How can the EDC not know what their sub-committee is doing? A group that is spending so much of the taxpayer’s money? I wonder if they are even aware of the "Boomgaard" issue? It was acknowledged that there is a lack of communication between the EDC and the 27th Street Steering Committee.
Jim Rhiner explained the S. 27th Street Corridor website to James Kerr and then it was also mentioned that there were two-person sub-committee meetings held with Wheaton and NML executives that were not Posted/Given Notice. This brings into question the open meetings regulations. There may be some issues that need to be looked at in this area.
Rosanne Burac-Englert and Ruzica Bartoshevich both seemed in support of having an Alderman from District 3 or 4 on the committee also.
So what was the outcome?
Skowronski calls for nominations.
Rhiner nominated Olson.
Bartoshevich has said she supported one of the Aldermen...but she seconds the nomination for Olson.
Skowronski asks if there is any other nomination....dead silence.
Silence after Kerr and Burac-Englert had shown support for the Aldermen. Go figure.
And it was stated earlier that there was no limit as to only having one replacement...there was nothing stopping the Commission from putting two Committee members out there.
There was no talk of a citizen member except for Skowronski saying once that a citizen could be on the committee. No citizen name was brought up.
So that's it...Alderman Steve Olson is the new S. 27th Street Corridor Committee Member.
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jun 18 2008, 11:53 AM
Now that the Oak Creek Common Council has officially sent the name Boomgaard packing, (yes, they actually took a vote) it appears the Boomgaard District will be no more.
The power of the blogs….
As for Franklin, maybe it has something to do with "B" issues....
Boomgaard...Buckhorn...Budget (tax pledge)....
With the domain name “www.boomgaarddistrict.com” being of no use to the Franklin-Oak Creek Steering Committee, nor the cities of Franklin and Oak Creek, I was wondering what will now become it? It is registered under the Zizzo Group.
Most domain names cost only $9.95 for registration, but we have paid a pretty penny for the entire fiasco and will still be paying as a new name is sought. Perhaps some of the money could be recouped by selling the now infamous domain name.
You never know who might want www.boomgaarddistrict.com. Perhaps a real orchard may want to use it. Or a blogger. Actually, the possibilities are endless. May the highest bidder win…..if the committee/city is willing to sell.
Actually…I would place the first bid if they want to get something going. They’re auctioning off a house on the city website, why not a domain?
I would start bidding at let me think……$10.00!
That should start the ball rolling. So, let’s make a deal!
Boomgaard!
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By Janet Evans
Friday, May 30 2008, 05:42 PM
Since our Common Council has been silent regarding Boomgaard, even though they are aware of the feelings of some of the citizens of Franklin regarding the name for the 27th Street Corridor, and since we know it could be 30, 60, 90, 120 days before the 27th Street Steering Committee makes some sort of decision regarding the name, I think it can’t hurt to still think about incorporating some Boomgaard themes into our lives...just in case.
Look what popped up in the news today.
An environmentally friendly, gas saving, form of transportation that not only would help with the transportation problem for schools (parents could transport children to school, therefore reducing how many buses we would need) but with the price of gas, we could seriously think about using this bike and cart to go to the grocery store, to work, and to the apple orchard. And it only costs about $1,787.00! What a deal.
The Dutch Cargo Bike í Read about it here
 Oh mijn God. Een grap!
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By Janet Evans
Monday, May 19 2008, 11:25 AM
endorse
One entry found.
 endorse
Main Entry:
en·dorse
Pronunciation:
\in-ˈdȯrs, en-\
Variant(s):
also in·dorse \in-\
Function:
transitive verb
Inflected Form(s):
en·dorsed; en·dors·ing
Etymology:
alteration of obsolete endoss, from Middle English endosen, from Anglo-French endosser, to put on, don, write on the back of, from en- + dos back, from Latin dorsum
Date:
1581
1 a: to write on the back of; especially : to sign one's name as payee on the back of (a check) in order to obtain the cash or credit represented on the face
b: to inscribe (one's signature) on a check, bill, or note
c: to inscribe (as an official document) with a title or memorandum
d: to make over to another (the value represented in a check, bill, or note) by inscribing one's name on the document
e: to acknowledge receipt of (a sum specified) by one's signature on a document
2 a: to approve openly <endorse an idea>; especially : to express support or approval of publicly and definitely <endorse a mayoral candidate>
b: to recommend (as a product or service) usually for financial compensation <shoes endorsed by a pro basketball player>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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"Boomgaard District” Chosen for South 27th Street Corridor Development
4/23/2008
New Name Blossoms from Area’s History in Apple Orchards
and Vibrant Future in Economic Development
Milwaukee, Wis. – April 23, 2008 –
The Franklin Common Council and the Oak Creek Common Council both have endorsed the name "Boomgaard District" for the area surrounding the South 27th Street Corridor, which is located in both cities.
The word "Boomgaard" is Dutch for "orchard," and is significant to both the history and the vision of the South 27th Street Corridor development. | | Continue here Ã
~~~~~~~
Both Franklin and Oak Creek Common Council's "endorsed" Boomgaard District" as the name for the 27th Street Corridor.
From what we are led to believe, these endorsements took place during closed sessions in order to protect the name from "unscrupulous" individuals who might want to secure the URL.
Oak Creek clearly states their closed session discussion of the name was at their March 18th meeting.
The URL for Boomgaard District was secured before the April 2nd 27th Street Steering committee meeting.
Franklin also entered a closed session regarding the 27th Street Corridor on March 18.
Oak Creek's Mayor Bolender publicly stated at the May 13th 27th Street Steering Committee meeting that "half of the Council liked it, half didn't," regarding Oak Creek's Common Council. He also stated, "Franklin liked it."
From FranklinNOW blogger Greg Kowalski's meeting with Mayor Tom Taylor:
"Oak Creek's Common Council was evenly split 3-3, with Mayor Bolender breaking the tie by voting in favor. Franklin's Common Council, with Aldermen Hammelman and Kosovich still serving, voted unanimously on this name."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So, how exactly does a Common Council formerly "endorse" something?
According to Alderman Steve Olson no vote took place.
Okay....
Somehow, the group of Aldermen and the Mayor endorsed the name "Boomgaard."
Somehow they unanimously let each other know they liked the name.
Mental telepathy?
Did they know each other so well they could just read facial expressions?
Just a meeting behind closed doors and no one said "I don't like Boomgaard," so they went with it?
Someone told the media that the Franklin Common Council "endorsed" the Boomgaard District.
It was not discussed publicly, that anyone can see, at an open meeting.
The public only found out about the name when it was announced via the news.
A decision was made somehow.
If it wasn't a vote, just tell us what it was then.
Something is rotten in Denmark... Holland...Franklin....
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, May 15 2008, 09:23 PM
Before I begin this post, I would like to state that my main concern with the Boomgaard issue at this point isn’t the name, per se. Right now, it’s not Zizzo Group, either. It isn’t Zizzo’s fault they were hired. My main concern is the bad government behind this debacle.
The main issue is the gall of the Franklin-Oak Creek Joint Steering Committee to baptize the 27th Street Corridor with the name “Boomgaard,”and the Common Council’s of both cities blessing the christening without any input from the communities of Franklin and Oak Creek. Meeting minutes from the Steering Committee were not posted on a website to be viewed. Meeting dates were not posted in advance, even though meetings were planned weeks in advance. If these had been done in conjunction with each other, and the public had a clue as to what was going on, perhaps some public comment may have been given at Steering Committee meetings.
I question why at a minimum the 100 names that were chosen by the steering committee weren’t made public, at least for some basic input. Still worried that 100 URL’s would be purchased by an “unscrupulous” individual? Well, that would be $1,000. That’s a possibility. But you didn’t have to advertise the fact ahead of time that you were going to have a website for the Corridor. That didn’t occur to me, and I don’t believe it would have occurred to any other average person.
At any rate, I believe there was more to all this than is being said, and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. Now on to my post….
“Red Light” Means Stop…and Why “Boomgaard Must Be Stopped”
Red-light district of Amsterdam
It has been submitted that the designation of “Boomgaard” as a label for a section of one of the Red-Light Districts of Amsterdam is a falsehood.
As far as I am concerned, there is no proof of this either way. I will tell you now, that I believe it could very well be a distant possibility.
I will also tell you, I believe there is no way in hell that the Franklin-Oak Creek Joint Steering Committee should retain the name Boomgaard District as the name for the 27th Street Corridor.
And this, is why….
Red-light district.
A red-light district is a neighborhood where prostitution and other businesses in the sex industry flourish. The term “red-light district” was first recorded in the United States in 1894 …get this…in an article in the Milwaukee Sentinel (September 10, 1894). Other mentions from the 1890s are numerous, and located all over the United States.
It’s said that the red lanterns carried by railway workers would be left outside brothels when the workers entered. That way if the workers needed to be located when the trains needed to move, they could be easily found. Others attribute the red lanterns back to ancient China and where sensual red paper lanterns were hung outside.
The color red has been associated with prostitution for millennia: in Biblical story of Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho aided the spies of Joshua and identified her house with a scarlet rope. During World War I there were many brothels in Belgium and France; blue lights were used to indicate brothels for officers, red lights for other ranks.
In different cultures red-light districts are identified differently, the most common being “district of prostitutes.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The largest and best-known red-light district in Amsterdam….
De Wallen
Also known as Walletjes, it is a major tourist attraction and is located in the heart of the oldest part of Amsterdam. It covers several blocks south of the church Oude Kerk and is crossed by several canals.
De Wallen is a network of alleys containing several hundred tiny one-room apartments rented by females (and some “ladyboys”) who offer their services from behind a window or glass door, typically illuminated with red lights. The area also has a number of sex shops, sex theaters, peep shows, a sex museum, a cannabis museum, and a number of coffee shops that sell marijuana.
De Wallen, together with the prostitution areas Singelgebied and Ruysdaelkade, form Rosse Buurt (red light areas) of Amsterdam.
Location
The total area is approximately 6500 square, meters, limited by the Niezel in the north, the sea dike/Nieuwmarkt in the east, the Saint Jansstraat in the south and the Warmoesstraat in the west. Prostitution takes place within this area in the following streets:
Bloedstraat, BOOMSTEEG, Dollebegijnensteeg, Enge Kerksteeg, Goldbergersteeg, Gordijnenstee, Molenstee, Monnikenstraat, Oudekerksplein, Oudekennissteeg, Oudezijds Achterburgwal, Oudezijds Boorburgwal, Sint Annendwarsstraat, Sint Annenstraat, Stoofsteeg and Trompettersteeg.
Map of De Wallen
Organization
Prostitution is legal in the Netherlands, with the exception of streetwalking. However, only EU citizens can work legally in the sex industry, since no working permits are given for prostitution. While health and social services are readily available, sex workers are not required to undergo regular health checks. A study conducted before 2006 found that about seven percent of all Dutch prostitutes (including street prostitutes) have HIV/AIDS.
City authorities are concerned about reports of pimping and human trafficking in the area, although to what extent is uncertain.
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Above, I stated the following:
It has been submitted that the designation of “Boomgaard” as a label for a section of one of the Red-Light Districts of Amsterdam is a falsehood.
As far as I am concerned, there is no proof of this either way. I will tell you now, that I believe it could very well be a distant possibility.
I will also tell you, I believe there is no way in hell that the Franklin-Oak Creek Joint Steering Committee should retain the name Boomgaard District as the name for the 27th Street Corridor. And this, is why….
I believe the street “Boomsteeg” could very well have been confused with “Boomgaard.” If that is, in fact, not the case, I believe since there is, in fact, an actual street in Amsterdam, in the largest red-light district, named Boomsteeg, it is just too closely related to the name Boomgaard for us to disregard.
I have no idea what Boomsteeg means. I don’t even care what it means. It doesn’t matter at this point. I just know that this whole “Dutch,” “Amsterdam,” business has no place being used in relation to the 27th Street Corridor. Do we really want this stigma to be connected to Franklin-Oak Creek for all time?
I drive up and down 27th Street four times a day during the week. The only apple trees I see are a few landscape Chinese crab apple trees that were planted last year. Unless a billboard or monument is put up with the history of the apple “orchards” that once graced old 27th Street or Ryan Road, who will ever know what our Steering Committee had in mind when they made their landmark decision behind closed doors? People will always ask what “Boomgaard” means. I have no doubt about that. There will always be multiple answers.
So, I say scrap it.
You want to attract “international business” to 27th Street?
***Newsflash***
When you visit another country you don’t want to eat the same food you have in your homeland. You want to try new things. If businesses want to come to the U.S. let them invest in American.
We need an American name.
That’s what we need for the 27th Street Corridor.
Wake up, Franklin-Oak Creek Joint 27th Street Steering Committee!
This advice was 100% FREE.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Resources
Amsterdam Red Light District turns spotlight on its practice
Red Light District holds 2nd annual Open Day
Amsterdam's Red Lights: about to go out?
Information was gathered from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, May 13 2008, 09:32 PM
I attended the Franklin-Oak Creek Joint 27th Street Steering Committee meeting early this evening at 4:00 p.m. It was held at Oak Creek City Hall.
During the Citizen Comment period, I asked the Committee why the minutes of meetings were not posted on the City of Franklin website, next to the agendas. After making my comment, which was actually a question, there was no response from the Committee. I was the only citizen to make a comment. Chairman Grintjes then closed the comment session and asked the Committee if anyone had anything to say, and Kristen Wilhelm asked whether anyone was intending to respond to my question. Oak Creek Director of Community Development, Doug Seymour, stated that meeting minutes are always available upon request. That was it. No one went into why they are not posted, etc.
FranklinNOW blogger Greg Kowalski covered most of the points of the Boomgaard issue in his blog. Basically, there was nothing Earth shattering. Mayor Bolender was forthright in his comments.
Here is some of what he said:
"The name in my situation did not appeal to me and like a good soldier you fall on your sword once in a while. And so I did that, and basically I received a lot of criticism for that, which I understand. I was never nuts about this but I ‘m a team player and I thought O.K., Franklin likes it; half of the Council liked it, half didn’t and we could have went through that all week. So, the idea I have is you should never do anything knee-jerk because knee-jerk never gets you any place you really want to go. It just postpones failure generally. So, I’m with you people if you’re in the same pew I am in church here in that we should be looking at this and if you know if it doesn’t sit right with us, and we think about this and we get some input from the citizens. And you know I look at it in today’s world if kids who are text messaging each other talking a different language than us old people do and I look at it that that can be changed to several different things and I think that’s part of what we also have to guard against."
"I don’t think that we want to make a giant mistake and then say O.K. I’m just going to show you I can make a mistake, and I think that this would be the dumbest thing we ever did is to just proceed on and say well too bad, that’s what we want. And I just want to look at this and get some feeling for it because like I say, nobody’s convinced me yet. "
"And I always tell everybody I’ve got this little voice in my head that kept me alive and well in the service. It tells me what to do and what not to do. And I think this is about the second or third time that I went against that little voice. And it happened just like the other times. And I just want to review this. And I’m making this public and I don’t care what people think about this. It’s not a switch. I never was nuts about it but I did it for the good, the common cause of pushing 27th Street forward which is very good for the region and our two cities. But to keep it in the suspension and to think about it for 60 days or 30 days or whatever the councils want to do, I think that’s just the smart thinking. And if this name is a failure, then plan B comes jumping out at us and I don’t see any problem with that. And I don’t believe to run…because people call me up….Saturday with the Mayor two people came in and made a joke and laughed, but after I explained it to them I said I’m not for this thing but I did it for the good of the group and I said you can’t be too strict so we’re going to think about it. They respected the idea that we’re going to think about it. If it doesn’t appeal, it doesn’t appeal. But to just say O.K. drop it and let’s go to something else doesn’t show our maturity. So that’s my stance on this thing."
After Mayor Bolender commented, Jim Rhiner, and the rest of the Committee commented about a timeline. The Committee wants to take their time...60 days...90 days...120 days...150 days....this time it isn't as important to move things along from the sound of it. And, just how will input from citizens be gathered? That's what I would like to know. That wasn't mentioned. I heard mention that "feedback from the business community" is needed. Specifically "Milwaukee" businesses and developers.
I'm going to fast forward to the end of the meeting. When it was over I approached Ted Grintjes and he offered to email me past meeting minutes. I asked why they aren't posted. He said they don't work the same way as other committees. I asked if the minutes that were approved at today's meeting were available, and could I have a copy of those? He said yes, and those (April, 18th) are printed below. He said he would talk to a few people to see what would be best, posting the minutes on the "web site" or emailing them to me. I told him I felt if they could be emailed, that they could be posted just as easily. Meeting minutes need to be made public before a meeting so citizens may review them in case they have any issues they may want to address the committee about.
Next I asked about the Agenda. Why are dates and times of the next meetings not posted sooner if meetings are supposedly decided at the current meeting? Ted Grintjes confirmed the meetings are set far in advance. He said they aren't posted in advance because then the agenda would have to be posted, and it might change. I said that a meeting date could very well be posted ahead of time without an agenda. It's done all of the time. The agenda does not have to be posted until closer to the meeting. In looking at the meeting minutes below, today's meeting was decided upon back on April 18th. There is no reason the public had to find out about the meeting yesterday. People need to plan ahead if they want to attend meetings, especially if they are meetings that are held during the day. The next meeting of the Steering Committee is going to be held June 12th, at Franklin City Hall, at Noon. Most people are working at that time or may want to plan a lunch hour around that meeting time if they know ahead of time.
That said, here are the meeting minutes from April 18, 2008:
FRANKLIN-OAK CREEK
JOINT 27th STREET STEERING COMMITTEE
Franklin City Hall
Hearing room
9229 West Loomis Road
Franklin, Wisconsin
Friday, April 18, 2008
4:30 p.m.
Meeting Minutes
Approved
I. Call to Order and Roll Call
Chairman Grintjes called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. Members Grintjes,
Rhiner, Michalski, and Myszkowski all present.
II. Citizen Comment Period
No citizens came forward to speak.
Chairman Grintjes introduced new Franklin Alderman Kristen Wilhelm, followed
by introductions of Committee members.
III. Meeting Minutes
a. March 12, 2008
Motion to approve by Rhiner, second by Michalski. All voted aye;
motion approved.
b. March 19, 2008
Motion to approve by Myszkowski, second by Rhiner. All voted aye;
motion approved.
c. April 2, 2008
Motion to approve by Michalski, subject to “context sensitive design” being
changed to “community sensitive design” where it appears under item IV-B
of the draft meeting minutes from April 2, 2008. Second by Myszkowski. All
voted aye to approve the meeting minutes as amended; motion approved.
IV. Business
A. Future reconstruction of South 27th Street by the Wisconsin Department
of Transportation. Between West College Avenue and the southern boundary
of Milwaukee County.
No action taken.
B. Design and implementation of streetscape features for the South 27th Street
Corridor plan Area.
No action taken.
C. Context Sensitive Design for improvements to the I-94 freeway I-94, between
General Mitchell International Airport and the southern boundary of
Milwaukee County. This item will include, but not be limited to, cost,
timetable, and creative input.
Discussion of Community Sensitive Design cost share on major roads
between South 27th Street and I-94, and the proposed freeway interchange
at West Drexel Avenue.
D. Third-party development review process for the South 27th Street Corridor
Plan Area.
No action taken.
E. Nominations for “Salute to Local Government Awards: from the Public
Policy Forum.
The Committee directed staff from the City of Franklin to proceed with the
proposed nomination for planning of the South 27th Street corridor.
F. Nominations for the “Excellence in Economic Development Awards “from the
International Economic Development Council.
The Committee directed staff from the City of Oak Creek to proceed with the
proposed nomination for planning of the South 27th Street corridor.
G. Availability of Transportation Enhancement (TE) funds through the Wisconsin
Department of Transportation for projects within the South 27th Street Corridor
Plan Area.
Member Myszkowski requested a funding timeline for Wisconsin Department
of Transportation grant programs from HNTB. Ashley Booth of HNTB agreed
to provide this at a future meeting of the Committee.
H. Marketing, branding, positioning, and public relations activities for the South
27th Street Corridor Plan Area. This item will include, but not be limited to, an
update on marketing activities from the Zizzo Group. The Committee may
enter into closed session pursuant to 19.85(1)(e),Wisconsin Statutes, to
deliberate on matters concerning investment of public funds relating to strategy
for naming, branding, and marketing, for competitive and bargaining reasons,
and to reenter open session at the same place thereafter to act on such matters
discussed therein as it deems appropriate.
Motion by Myszkowski to enter closed session, to deliberate matters concerning
investment of public funds relating to strategy for naming, branding, and
and marketing, for competitive and bargaining reasons. Second by
Rhiner. The Committee entered into closed session at 4:40 p.m.
The Committee returned to open session at 6:15 p.m.
V. Next meeting date(s) and location(s)
The next meeting of the Committee was scheduled for May 13 at 4 p.m. at
Oak Creek City Hall.
VI. Adjournment
Motion by Michalski to adjourn, second by Grintjes. All voted aye. Meeting
adjourned at 6:43 p.m.
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, May 11 2008, 04:04 PM
That’s not so far fetched. With a name like Boomgaard District, two Journal Sentinel articles, all of the local blogging, and the controversy that’s already surrounding it, word can certainly travel quickly on the web.
I recall this from my interview with Franklin's Mayor Taylor, before the spring election:
Mayor Taylor has visions for Franklin. His model would be a Palo Alto or Charlottesville. Cities with the right balance of business, green space, a center for the city for people to meet – a city with character. He would also like Franklin to be a city that is known not just to us, the residents, but to people from all over; a city that is recognized.
Mayor Taylor repeated the Palo Alto and Charlottesville reference at the Candidates Forum before the election. He had also mentioned “Silicon Valley” to me.
How in the world do you equate old world orchard “Boomgaard” and the prospect of setting up “apple carts” on 27th and Rawson with those references? How does “Boomgaard” relate to that “vision” except for the fact that we are now going to be a city that is “recognized?”
The Zizzo Group may believe the name Boomgaard will grow on the community, but I don’t think so. At best, it will just be somewhat forgotten. But the taste will be left behind, which won’t be that of mom’s all-American apple pie. You see, citizens who care about their community don’t take it lightly when they aren’t heard by their elected officials or when they are given the shaft, in general. That’s when they talk the most. They’ll remember it again at election time, though. That’s when they get the final word.
We can’t ignore the fact that our city officials were elected by the people. The people deserve answers when they ask questions.
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, May 7 2008, 05:24 PM |
