Drivers and workers for Waste Management in the Milwaukee area were on strike due to Waste Management making offers that attacked the benefits they had won in previous contracts.

With the current credit and financial crisis, and the threat of hiring Permanent Replacment Workers by Waste Management --- the striking workers were left with no choice but to capitulate and accept a junk contract from Waste Managment.

The five-year contract cuts back on wages and healthcare benefits and establishes a new 401k program for the workers.

BTW retired workers will also be affected, as the new 401K program that Waste Management insisted upon will cut benefits for current retirees.

Have you ever  wondered what the constant pounding that the Middle Class is taking from all sides --- Factory Relocations to Foreign Countries, Diminished Health Care Benefits, Lower Wages, Privatizing of Public Services to Companies that will pay a Fraction of the current wages, Union Busting Techniques such as those used by Waste Management --- means to you ?

 If you are a Teacher, don't hold your breath waiting for better wages --- the Middle Class is running dry.

 If you are a Doctor or Dentist, you will see fewer patients as the Middle Class can't afford your rates or the Insurance Company Co-pays.

If you are an Engineer --- don't be surprised if you can't find work at local manufacturers --- those factories are gone, and if not they are outsourcing your work overseas on the internet --- or bringing in Cheap Foreign Engineers --- because they can't find enough qualified Engineers here (wink, wink immigration laws)

 If you are a Shopkeeper --- when your Customers have less money --- they go to Wal Mart and buy goods from Chinese factories.

If you are a Police Officer --- your job prospects will look good in the short term, as the differnence in the "haves" and "have nots" grows --- but don't get too comfortable, a lot of folks will do your work for a lot less --- and the 'haves" can live in cheaper tax districts in Gated Communities with Rent a Cops who make a fraction of your pay and get no benefits.

 Hopefully I think the point is made ...........

A vibrant Middle Class is what Makes Life Good in the USA !!

When Shorewood's contract with Waste Management comes up for renewal --- maybe we can find a company that respects their workers and compensates them fairly.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ?  YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME !!

 

CAN I GET AN AMENT FOR BROTHER WALKER ? 

Read all about it on my Google Blog at   

http://nonconventionalwisdomperspectives.blogspot.com/

Yes, Yes, Yes ---- I know that Bureaucratic and Lunacy is  redundant ---- and most other local municipal governments will give Germantown a good run for its money for this dubious distinction.

 

In the Metro section of today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, were two articles that put Germantown in the current lead. 

 

On page B1 was an article about the dangers of backyard pools for little kids.  It was noted in the article that:

 

"Fencing and other safety measures are recommended by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for large inflatable's as well as conventional in-ground and above-ground pools"

 

Further noted in the article:

 

"Safety standards vary widely, and their enforcement is far from vigorous in some communities".

 

Giving an example:

 

"Capt. Craig Evans of the Germantown Police Department said his department lacks the resources to patrol neighborhoods for compliance with a village ordinance that requires fencing around any pool with water deeper than 18 inches".

 

 

SO - if enforcing the pool ordinance to protect youngsters from drowning is too time consuming for the Germantown police - what would be more important ??

 

Going to the next page in MJS Metro section, we find out that CELL PHONES IN SCHOOLS WILL SOON BE A POLICE MATTER IN GERMANTOWN.

 

Per the Article on page B2, :

 

"The Village is considering an ordinance that would allow police to issue tickets to students if they violate rules about the use of cell phones and other electronic devices in schools"

 

"Police chief Peter Hoell said he thinks the ordinance would be used only a couple of times a year"

 

"The Village Board is expected to approve the ordinance Aug 18, given that is was unanimously recommended this week by the board's Public Safety Committee"

 

SHAME ON THE SCHOOL BOARD FOR WANTING TO TURN MUNDANE DISCIPLINE PROBLEMS TO THE POLICE ---

 

SHAME ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE FOR ITS RECOMMENDATION

 

SHAME ON THE VILLAGE BOARD IF THEY ACCEPT THIS SUBSTITUTE FOR THE SCHOOLS DOING THEIR JOBS

 

AND SHAME ON THE POLICE FOR ENDORSING BIG BROTHER IN SCHOOLS WHILE NOT HAVING THE TIME TO ENFORCE AN ORDINANCE TO PROTECT --- AS IN PROTECT AND SERVE !!!

 

Helpful Hint to Germantown Police ----- Check out Google Earth ------- maybe one of your officers could be dragged away from doing the school's discipline duties, go on Google Earth and identify each house in Germantown with a pool, and then take a drive by them to verify their compliance.

 

WHAT DO YOU THINK ? 

 

MAYBE YOU HAVE A BETTER EXAMPLE OF BUREAUCRATIC LUNACY YOU WOULD LIKE TO PUT INTO CONTENTION FOR THE PRIZE !

 

YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOMED BELOW:

 

On   Whitefishbaynow.com is an excellent blogger, Kevin Buckley, who recently wrote a posting about getting a ticket for parking overnight in front of his house ----  (you can read his entire posting at:

http://blogs.whitefishbaynow.com/village_spillage/archive/2008/06/18/took-10-years.aspx)

Some excerpts from his posting:

 " We've lived in Whitefish Bay 10 years and it finally happened. 

I wrote some Comments back to Kevin regarding overnight parking ......

This hit the fan this afternoon just after 5PM right outside our front door!

I heard a car rev to top end, followed by two thumps and someone yelling:

GET ON THE GROUND!

 

 

 

 

The cop said it began as a domestic dispute, but the guy bolted when they showed up!

 

 

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 ???

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 ? 

 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/

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 of the onlookers decided to get involved by kicking the fighters. I still believe that the best venue for discipline and counseling for the fight is at the school level, and I believe that the four or so “kickers” deserve as much or more discipline than the actual combatants --- at least under the rules of the “Good Old Days”, that would be normal.

Perhaps we need a boxing program at the high school. In the “Good Old Days”, it was not unusual for the school coach to take the fighters to the ring, put the gloves on, and have them duke it out --- usually to end up shaking hands when it was all over. Besides, from the video that I saw, neither one knew how to throw a punch --- about all they were capable of hurting was their pride!

WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ?

Please e mail your opinion for publication: datdave2000@yahoo.com

In an earlier posting on this blog, I advocated for creating a Green Commission to be a permanent part of Shorewood government. I proposed that the Green Commission have a very broad portfolio, to review all actions and proposals of departments, panels and other commissions, for the affect they will have on the environment.

The need for more space for the Shorewood Police Department would be an excellent start for the Green Commission. Whether it is decided to build a new facility for the Shorewood Blues, or to modify the existing Village Campus, the Green Commission should be an integral part of the process.

Studying how various proposals for SPD’s new facility will affect our environment, and how to limit adverse affects in an economically feasible way, will take a good deal of study and expertise. Some of the ideas that may be considered in such an undertaking could include some of the following:

HEATING AND COOLING

In discussions for modification of the existing Village Campus, the shortage of parking at that location has often been addressed. One of the solutions discussed was to make the existing parking area a two story parking structure. And as the parking area takes up a rather large footprint, there may be an opportunity to exploit what lies beneath it --- which is the stable temperature found underground, even in climates such as ours, that is used for Geothermal Heating and Cooling.

Geothermal Heating and Cooling works by pumping water through a closed loop of pipes buried in the ground. In heating mode, heat is extracted from the water as it passes through a condenser, and released through the evaporator coil. For air conditioning, heat is extracted from the evaporator coil and released into water through the condenser.

So one possible scenario would be to excavate the existing parking lot, bury the Geothermal Loop, and put a two story parking structure over it. Depending upon the physics involved, we may find that our Geothermal source to be large enough to also heat and cool the other existing buildings, such as the Village Hall and the Library.

GREEN SPACE AND WATER RUN OFF

If we have a two story parking structure, and we take the opportunity to excavate the site for our Geothermal source, we can also consider having all the parking underground. The top of the structure can be Green Space, with the added benefit of soaking up rain and snow runoff, instead of having it run off into the storm sewers.

By having underground parking, a couple of other added benefits would be that no snow plowing or salting of the parking lot would be necessary. And the truckloads of snow that the DPW currently hauls by dump truck to the river would not be necessary.

PLUGGING INTO THE SUN

Solar energy is becoming increasingly more practical and efficient. Any new or remodeled structure could incorporate Solar panels into the roofing. The Solar Electricity that we capture can be used for the lighting of the Village Campus, and perhaps even contribute to the electrical needs of the Geothermal System.

GREEN ECONOMICS

According to the Federal Department of Energy
“In large commercial installations, the initial costs of
GHPs are very competitive with boilers and cooling
towers. Major projects (larger than 300 tons) often
attract bidders from all over the country for designing,
drilling, and installation, thereby achieving very competitive
prices.

All these economies add up to a handsome return on
investment for businesses that choose GHPs. If the initial
cost of installing a GHP system is higher, these systems
typically pay for themselves in reduced energy and
maintenance costs in less than five years.”

IN SUMMATION

For the purposes of this posting, I am only able to scratch the surface of the options and benefits that a Green Commission would address. For instance, all the buildings on the Village Campus could have multiple heat exchangers, with excess heat from one zone having too much heat, perhaps from its particular sun exposure, sent to another zone that needs more heat !

If you would like to learn more about Geothermal Heating and Cooling, or other related topics, here are some sources listed by the DOE.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Office of Geothermal Technologies, EE-12
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20585-0121
(202) 586-5340
http://www.eren.doe.gov/geothermal/

The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Clearinghouse (EREC)
P.O. Box 3048
Merrifield, VA 22116
(800) DOE-EREC (363-3732)
Fax: (703) 893-0400
E-mail: doe.erec@nciinc.com
http://www.eren.doe.gov/consumerinfo

Geo-Heat Center
Oregon Institute of Technology
3201 Campus Drive
Klamath Falls, OR 97601-8801
(503) 885-1750
http://www.oit.osshe.edu/~geoheat/

Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium, Inc. (GHPC)
701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004-2696
(888) ALL-4-GEO (255-4436)
http://www.geoexchange.org/

International Gr

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.