April 2007 by Katherine Keller

Beach Litter Transformed Page 15

Why are diatoms vanishing? Page 10

Volume 4 • Issue 4

April 2007

From Bay View to Baghdad Bucky’s reaches out from the home front

By Michael Timm enee Cook didn’t know what to do or where to go. She felt disconnected from an increasingly faceless and confusing war as tens of thousands more American troops make their way to Iraq. She wanted to help but wasn’t sure how. She remembered her own brothers, who served in Vietnam. Most of all, she didn’t want to forget the sacriﬁce of the troops—and, if possible, she wanted to remind them other Americans hadn’t either.

Jerry Serdynski recently retired from his business of 30 years. ~photo Samantha Lukens

Farewell to Jerry’s Hobby By Stephanie Harling

ven though the Bay View renaissance draws in new neighborhood businesses, it’s still hard to say goodbye to longstanding businesses when they close. Jerry’s Bay View Hobby Shop, 2633 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., is one such unique neighborhood treasure that has just said goodbye. At age 70, Jerry Serdynski and his wife Ellen have decided that it’s time to slow down and spend more time enjoying their grandchildren. After 30 years of tireless devotion to the store and his customers, Serdynski retired at the end of March, closing the doors to his hobby shop. Exploring the shop and eavesdropping on Serdynski’s conversations with his friends and customers, it was clear that his passion for

trains and various hobbies was contagious. Looking at the rows of model trains, road racing accessories, and hobby kits, it was also clear Serdynski was a business owner serving a unique niche of customers who share his passion for model trains. “It was a great leisurely hobby, but now life is too fast-paced, people want to buy trains ready to run. People don’t take the time to really enjoy the craft. That’s not good for manufacturers.” —Jerry Serdynski A Milwaukee native, Serdynski grew up in the heart of Milwaukee’s south side near Muskego Avenue. His passion for hobbies and trains was born out of his ﬁrst job at SEE PAGE 6

Late last year, she did something about it. Cook, a two-year employee of Bucky’s Super Video, 1601 E. Oklahoma Ave., started an in-store donation drive for the troops in Iraq. She knows it won’t stop the killing or bring the soldiers home, but it created a small token of goodwill, and a connection between the home front and the battlefield. With the support of her boss, Tom Ebert, Bucky’s sent its first care package into the Green Zone in December. In February, they received thank-you emails back. “And this puts me into connection, it hits more closer to home, with the letters and stuff and the pictures, it makes it more personal, like wow, you know,” Cook said. With the help of Army National Guard Captain (Ret.) Dan Buttery, Bucky’s customer and Iraq War veteran, Cook is organizing a second drive for the troops. They will send the next shipment by May 31. A camouflaged barrel near the store’s entrance is the repository for donations. Suggested items include beef sticks, pumpkin seeds, DVDs, toiletries, toothbrushes, coffee, small flashlights, soap, sunflower seeds, tea bags, Kool Aid, video games, dried fruit, and granola. “You know,” Buttery said, “the important thing to always remember is, yes you’re in a combat zone, and the stress is very high, but when there’s downtime, you have time

Renee Cook by the donation barrel for troops in Iraq. ~photo Michael Timm

to think. And that can kind of be your own worst enemy. And so some of the things that you try to do for the wellbeing of the soldier, sailor, airman, or marine, is to try to give them something, to try to keep them connected to home.” Buttery ensured the first care package was sent directly to a person, in this case, his friend “Captain Jon,” who’s set up a library to share items among the troops. “Jon even pushed back a little bit [initially],” Buttery said. “He’s like, look, we’re not looking for handouts. I came back and said, Jon, you don’t understand. If there are things that you could use, and we’ve got people back here who just want to send our appreciation to you, that’s what we’re saying.” Buttery said Jon’s selflessness is characteristic of the service members he knows, even in a conflict with a high proportion of reservists, an unknown timeline, and where extensions are common. SEE PAGE 8

Departure of Army Reserve base presages KRM development By Michael Timm

ince 1953, the U.S. Army has maintained an Army Reserve base at 2372 S. Logan Ave. But by the end of 2007, that base will probably be demolished and the Army gone from the site bounded by Lincoln Avenue to the north, Logan Avenue to the west, Conway Street to the south, and Bay Street to the east. “The Army has elected to exercise their option to cancel their lease as of May 9,” Eric Reinelt, Port of Milwaukee director, said. The Army leases the property from the city through the Port of Milwaukee. Reinelt said the Army provided its threemonth notice in February. On May 9 their lease is up, which would allow the city to take over the buildings. But port oﬃcials toured the site with the Harbor Commission and the city’s Department of City Development. Their consensus was that reusing the Army structures was not desired, Reinelt said.

So the port is exercising its option to have Army take down the buildings within six months of May 9. Negotiations about that process are ongoing. Under the terms of the lease, the Army has to return the land to its initial condi-

tion, Reinelt said. That likely means it will be ﬂattened, the asphalt parking lots and structural foundations removed. The Army would also be responsible for any environmental clean-up required. A 2006 consultant’s report on port land use estimated the base’s value at $90,000 per acre. Developers may scramble to acquire this property because of its proximity to the proposed Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) commuter system, with a rail station proposed near the present intersection of Lincoln and Bay. The site is one of two parcels considered key for transit-oriented development (TOD) near the station. The other is the Lincoln Avenue viaduct, whose removal is considered a “cornerstone” to TOD near the station. That’s according to a January 2007 “Transit-Oriented Development Portfolio” land use concept plan document, composed by Earth Tech Inc. for KRM’s project manager, the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC). The document urged the city to obtain control of the Army Reserve site, proposing “higher density multi-family residential uses” for it. The document also recommends extending Linus Avenue one block to the east, bisecting the Army Reserve property into two

smaller city blocks to improve pedestrian and neighborhood connectivity to the proposed station. Support for KRM In early April, District 14 Alderman Tony Zielinski authored a resolution to support KRM. He hopes it will be considered at the city’s Public Works Committee in late April, with a vote by the Common Council in late April or May. Zielinski added the timing is important because SEWRPC wants to meet the require-

INSIDE Pg 4 Pg 4 Pg 5 Pg 6 Pg 7 Pg 8 Pg 9 Pg 10 Pg 11 Pg 11 Pg 12 Pg 12 Pg 14

Public Education Group Arrests, Charges in Robberies Temporary Art on KK High-tech Fitness Franchise What is a CSA? Ongoing KK River Cleanup Kinnickinnic Crash Data Changes in Lake Food Web Responsible PC Disposal Trowbridge on Chopping Block Cable TV Legislation Parks District Legislation Passante’s Book Reviewed

ments of the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) New Starts program so the project can be eligible for discretionary capital funding, considered essential for KRM to happen at all. The FTA looks to TOD and land-use plans to determine ridership for proposed projects. Zielinski’s resolution would endorse the KRM TOD land use plans as consistent with city goals and objectives, and resolve that the city “will take appropriate steps toward implementation as [they] recommended,” according to a draft of his resolution. Bay View Compass PO Box 070645 Milwaukee WI 53207-0645

P UBLISHER & E DITOR

Katherine Keller

Just Like A Column

C HIEF

A SSISTANT E DITOR Michael Timm P RODUCTION D ESIGNER Dan Gautraud CONTENT CONSULTANTS Greg Bird, Jason Haas, Jennifer Krueger, John & Penny Manke

Do you think Bay View businesses have been affected by the recent string of hold-ups?

C OLUMNISTS Jay Bullock Marina Dimitrijevic Jason Haas Katherine Keller Jeff Plale Bob Reitman Jon Richards Chris Sinicki Tony Zielinski

us in a posi tive and a “The robb eries have affe cted they have help ed us negative way. In a posi tive way esse s. Some of us have to enfo rce [pro tect] our busin of us have gotten gotten secu rity cameras, some decided to get cani nes, secu rity guards, some of us have mak e ours elve s safe r. So it and we’re all doing things to of crime. I don’t thin k we made us become more awa re . On a negative note , it’s were so befo re the robb eries got robb ed, and that ’s thre atened us, and some of us unit y.” horr ible. It affe cts the comm ue —Areka Ikeler, Russell Aven Owner, Fashion Ninja

C ONTRIBUTING W RITERS Ben Gramling Stephanie Harling Paul Jakubovich Michael Timm Casey Twanow Jimmy von Milwaukee Mary Vuk Ron Winkler

“I deﬁnite ly thin k they have been affe cted . Peop le are a little apprehen sive abou t com ing to this area because of what’s been happ ening. Luck ily, we have a num ber of cust ome rs that kno w that they can call us ahead of time , and we get thei r orde r read y. The store owners arou nd here are real ly grou ping toge ther and watchin g out for each othe r.”

C ONTRIBUTING P HOTOGRAPHERS Melody Carranza Dan Gautraud Jason Haas Katherine Keller jw lawson Samantha Lukens Michael Timm Jimmy von Milwaukee

Milwaukee loves eclectic mix

Interviews & Photos by Jason Haas

—Karen Kellen, Oak Cre ek Owner, Signature Designs

By Bob Reitman Who is listening? That question has been in my head since It’s All Right Ma, It’s Only Music started up again in January. Who is listening? What do they want to hear? I have asked for and received many musical requests. I am starting to get a partial idea of “what you want to hear.” Only partial, because I am sure a good percentage of people don’t email to make a request. Keep writing. I want to hear what you want to hear. Below is a list of requests I have received in the last 30 days to give you an idea of what listeners are requesting. Reitman’s show is Thursday nights from 7 to 9pm on 89.7FM. Send him your suggestions. Go to wuwm.com and follow the links to the show’s webpage.

Requests I have received in the last 30 days

John Prine Kinks Mountain John Renbourn Moody Blues Cream Donovan Dylan—“Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts” Lots of Dylan (no such thing as too much Dylan) Brian Auger & the Trinity Robert Palmer—“Who’s Fooling Who?” Johnny Cash—“Rusty Cage” Pretenders—“My City Was Gone” Paul Weller—“Standing Out In the Universe”

Genesis—“Back in N.Y.C.” Joan Osborne—“Man In The Long Black Coat” Ray Davies—“Thanksgiving Day” Robbie Robertson—“Somewhere Down the Crazy River” English Beat—“Twist and Crawl” Poi Dog Pondering—“Big Constellation” Dire Straits—“Water of Love” Chris Spedding—“Hey, Miss Betty” Richie Furay Alejandro Escovedo Bruce Cockburn Bruce Springsteen

ore DestinationRYSANoDuVISthITOSR’ShGUIDE BUSINESS DIRECTO

G ET I N!

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“I think it affects the businesse s, but I don’t think it’s stopping the ﬂow of business at this time. We have a lot of that happening up in Walker’s Point too, and, of course, we’re always concerne d about this kind of thing going on. There’s a lot of vigilance . The crime spree that you’re referring to hasn’t affected us down here [at the Beulah Brinton Communi ty Center], but I am concerne d about these car break-ins that have been happening during the day. We’ve had a couple, and we’re watching to see what happens.” —Dennis Dykestra, Beulah Brinton employee Walker’s Point

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“As a new business owner I can’t real ly speak for prev ious business, but now we take prec autions, mak ing sure the secu rity lights are on all nigh t long , and nobo dy ever close s by themselve s. If some body actually makes it thro ugh the door with the inte ntion of holding you up, there’s not much you can do at that poin t. But I think ever yone’s deﬁnite ly a little more caut ious.” —Marisa Lange, Illinois Avenue Owner, Classic Slice Pizz a

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s. “I don’t think busines s has been affecte d by the hold-up There sure was a lot of talk about it, but it didn’t seem to keep too many people away. There seems to be more communication betwee n the busines ses lately, and the increase d police presence continues, and it brought the mayor to walk the street. You don’t need a string of if robberie s to bring good news for the neighborhood, but ” few. a are those side, bright the on look to you want —Matthew McClutchy, Bay View Owner, Anodyne Café

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Name “We’re deﬁnite ly affe cted by it [at Sven’s], and I thin k the peop le of the area are deﬁ nite ly thin king abou t it, and it’s on thei r mind , but I don’t thin k whe n they go out to eat, they thin k, ‘Hmm , am I in danger of being shot ? Shou ld that affe ct my decis ion of whe ther I wan t to go to this location or that location? ’ I don’t thin k that ’s real ly an issue .” —Alex Montezon, Sven’s emp loyee Pine Avenue

Volume 4 • Issue 4

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Expiration Date April 2007

Ahoy! Spring in Wisconsin—trilling house ﬁnches, pretty yellow crocuses, the brain’s happy-chemicals returning to normal levels, and…a snowstorm that obliterates.

The military is featured in two stories this month. The ﬁrst, on page 1, is Renee Cook’s project to collect donations for troops in Iraq. Many of you will recognize her as one of the people at Bucky’s Super Video. Thank you to Dan Buttery for bringing this story to our attention. The other is also on page 1 and reports that Bay View’s Army Reserve base will soon end its lease.

I exaggerate, yes, but I am concerned about the effect of this late snow on budding apple and fruit trees, grapevines, and the delay that the soon-sodden fields may cause farmers in their effort to prepare and plant their fields.

Cultural events abound in Bay View with spring’s advent. Autthor Anna Passante talks about architect Peter J. Brust this week at the Bay View Historical Society, Outpost is oﬀering a free ﬁlm festival, Bay View Arts Guild stages a show at Apple A Day Massage, IN:SITE’s temporary art will soon appear in Bay View, and Historic Milwaukee’s Spaces & Traces tour features Bay View. Learn about these on pages 4 and 5. (There is more information about the tour in Ron Winkler’s Historic Bay View column on page 9.)

Unless from farm country, I don’t think most city dwellers have much understanding about the effect on Wisconsin farmers by our variable spring seasons. A few years ago when I grew heirloom tomatoes and other vegetables for one of the farmers markets in the Loop in Chicago, I was aware of the weather each and every day. Do I smell rain? was a common thought that year, which was dry. (In the country, you learn to feel and even smell oncoming rain, often hours before rain clouds arrive.) That first year, I lost almost all of my enterprise when a violent straight-line wind storm flattened my garden, lifted a heavy, sturdy garden shed into the air, and floated it about 70 yards uphill before dropping it back to earth, which smashed it beyond repair. Part of the garage roof was destroyed. Hundreds, if not thousands, of oak and maple trees in the area were downed. Power poles snapped in half. The entire local population of bobwhite quails vanished. A nearby barn was flattened. It was an August weather event that ripped all hope of a profitable year out of my grasp and scattered it across the township along with the contents of my garden shed. As the snow swirls around our office building I think of our farmers, those with 1,000 acres and those with less than five. I hope this storm has arrived early enough in the season to cause the least amount of harm (and grief ) to farmer, field, bud, and seedling. As it happens, this issue features a story about Community Supported Agriculture. Mary Vuk introduces CSAs, on page 7, and includes information about four farms that offer their products to those of us in the Bay View area. We celebrate Earth Day with a feature about the KK River, on page 8, this time about the work of many volunteers and the support of the city to make the river look less like a dump and to return it to a more natural, healthy state. Jimmy von Milwaukee writes about local “outsider” artist Ringo on page 15. Ringo walks the lakefront from Bay View to St. Francis to collect colorful litter that he incorporates in his work. There is information about responsibly recycling or disposing computers and household electronics, on page 11, in Towards A Conservation Ethic. And before leaving the subject of our planet and its resources, this month’s H20 column addresses the impact of invasive mussels on the lake’s food web. We bid farewell to Jerry Serdynski, who closed his hobby shop on KK and Potter last month. Many will miss him and the offerings of his store. His story starts on page 1.

Letters Outraged litany of MPS complaints: violence, safety, student disconnect, lack of communication Dear Editor, I need to speak out and voice my concern about the direction that the MPS system is going in. I understand that they claim change is good but in this case it’s not good! The level of violence that is going on in and outside of the classrooms is shameful, uncalled for, and must be addressed in a very strong manner. We all remember the Bay View brawl. The media made sure we didn’t forget that and I apologize that I am bringing it up again. What about the incident at Fritsche with the teacher being hit over a cell phone? How about the latest at Pulaski? Where was the teacher when that ﬁght broke out? Then the biggest mistake was the teacher seeing a gun on a student but didn’t take appropriate action! The teacher that left the classroom unsupervised should be severely punished and the teacher that spotted the gun and didn’t take immediate action should be ﬁred! The entire school was in harm’s way. Do any of you see the direction we are headed in with all the latest outburst? Outburst is putting it mildly. It is time to start holding MPS accountable for the safety of the children and to ensure they are given the best education

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Volume 4 • Issue 4

Bay View Area Redcats Ron Bird/Jerry Fritsch (414) 482-7264 Bay View Arts Guild Linda Beckstrom (414) 482-1543 bayviewarts.org bvarts@yahoo.com Bay View Bicycle Club Dan Krall (414) 321-5212, (414) 299-0317 bayviewbikeclub.org membership@bayviewbikeclub.org Bay View Business Association bayviewbusiness.com Bay View Community Center 1320 E. Oklahoma Ave. Linda Nieft, (414) 482-1000 bayviewcenter.org

I would also like to direct your attention to Jay Bullock’s column, Hall Monitor, on page 11, where he discusses Trowbridge’s uncertain future in light of MPS’ Right Sizing program. How many readers are aware of the school’s precarious future?

Bay View Compass P.O. Box 070645, (414) 489-0880 Bay View Garden and Yard Society Lorraine Heins, (414) 482-3796 bvgays.com bvgpresident@bvgays.com

I draw your attention to page 9 where we report about the new pedestrian safety signs popping up in Bay View. (Popping up—figuratively and literally. I saw an SUV run over one of those signs on KK and Homer last week. Although defaced, the sign stalwartly righted itself and went back to work.) I am glad to see the signs, and from my vantage point overlooking KK, I can attest to their efficacy. It seems to me people are crossing KK with less trepidation, with more of a sense of security. I hope the effect of the signs doesn’t wane as they become less novel to those of us who drive on Bay View’s streets. Also on page 9 is a report, with crash data, that we prepared after the fatal hit-and-run accident on KK about 50 yards south of our office. Michael Timm studied the data and prepared an excellent summary of 990 (!) automobile-related crashes on Kinnickinnic since 1994.

Bay View Historical Society Mark Nitka (414) 483-8881 bayviewhistoricalsociety.org

Before closing, I ask that drivers watch out for the safety of bicyclists, whether they are in bike lanes or riding streets without them. Be especially careful before you (illegally) pass on the right and drive into their bike lane. Check your mirrors and look over your shoulder before you open your car door or pull out of a parking space to ensure you won’t slam a biker. I also ask that bicyclists show drivers respect and use hand signals before making turns or lane changes into the traﬃc ﬂow. Happy Earth Day, Katherine Keller Editor & Publisher

Beulah Brinton Community Center 2555 S. Bay St. Bob Gavronski (414) 481-2494 milwaukeerecreation.net/beulah-brinton

possible. It’s time to bring back community schools to the community. It saddens me to hear a parent or faculty from a grade school say they won’t send their children to Bay View because of the bad publicity it has gotten. Also because Bay View is not a specialty school of the arts like it used to be. I am a proud graduate of Bay View High School, class of 1977. I was appalled to learn that a majority of the Bay View High School student body does not know their school alma mater! That only goes to show that these students are not connected to the school and, for that fact, not connected to the community. I can’t only point the ﬁnger at MPS. I am also pointing my ﬁnger at some school staff and the lack of communication with each other and with the community. Why is it that I can call a grade school, middle school, or a suburban high school and get a hold of the principal or at least get a phone call back but I can’t get a call back from my own alma mater? Bay View High School needs to stay in communication with people who are trying very hard to promote it in a very positive way. I have said this before and I will continue to say it…MPS should have left well enough alone. Stop the busing and bring back the community schools. Sincerely, Sonia Simko Bay View Class of 1977

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I am glad to welcome jw lawson to the paper this month. He photographed Ringo and his work. Lawson is an artist from east Tennessee who recently settled in Bay View and opened an art gallery on Delaware. There is a brief about his gallery on page 6.

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Bay View High School Alumni Association Sonia Simko (414) 379-3541 basketbabe53207@yahoo.com

Bay View Lions Club Joe Klinkiewicz (414) 282-1980 Bay View Matters groups.yahoo.com/group/bay_view_matters Bay View Neighborhood Assn. (BVNA) Stephanie Harling (414) 744-5343 stephharling@hotmail.com gobayview.org For Bay View Bash Info, see bayviewbash.org

District 2 Community Liaison Officer (MPD) Jose Arzaga (414) 935-7228, jarzag@milwaukee.gov Forward Bay View forwardbayview.org P.O. Box 70027 Milwaukee, WI 53207-0027 Humboldt Park — Bay View Ice Skaters Greg Stilin (414) 483-2493 Humboldt Park Fourth of July Association Carolyn Selimi (414) 744-7095 Humboldt Park Watch Ruth Simos, (414) 483-9330 Interorganizational Council of Bay View Lee Morbeck (414) 282-7733 Italian American Mutual Aid Society Giuseppe Garibaldi Martin Martinetti (414) 482-1898 Louis Travis Post #14 AMVETS Martin Martinetti (414) 482-1898 Marian Center for Nonprofits 3195 South Superior St. (414) 483-2430, mariancenter.net South Community Organization Terri Toporsch (414) 643-7913 South Shore Farmers Market Kathy Mulvey (414) 744-0408 South Shore Garden Club Sharon Napierala (414) 769-6418; smnsn@msn.com; Paula Grosenick (414) 482-1256 South Shore Park Watch Kathy Mulvey (414) 744-0408 southshoreparkwatch@yahoo.com South Shore Speculators Investment Club John Shefchik (414) 817-1450 St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care Sr. Edna (414) 977-5000 stanncenter.org

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T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

April 2007

History lecture on local architect

The Bay View Historical Society will present a lecture and slide show about prominent Milwaukee architect Peter J. Brust and his work Thursday, April 19 at the historic Beulah Brinton House, 2590 S. Superior St. Local author Anna Passante will speak at 7pm. Admission to the lecture is $5; space is limited. To make reservations, call Mark Nitka at (414) 483-8881. Passante, Bay View resident and retired MPS librarian, spent the past two years documenting his life and work. Her recently published book—A God Given Talent: Peter J. Brust, Architect, His Work and Legacy, 1906-2006—will be available for purchase at the event. Passante’s husband, Ron Passante, is the great grandnephew of Peter J. Brust. Passante will sign books purchased at the event, and donate 40 percent of the proceeds that evening to the society. Brust was born in Bay View in 1869. He is recognized for his beautifully designed churches, schools, libraries, and homes throughout the state. In the south shore area, his work includes local landmarks like St. Augustine of Hippo Catholic Church, St. Mary’s Academy, and the St. Francis Seminary Sisters’ House/Infirmary. A respected civic leader, Brust helped formulate Milwaukee’s first building code and was a member of the first Milwaukee County Park Commission. (See page 14 for review of Passante’s book.)

School board election recap

April 3, Terry Falk unseated two-term incumbent Joe Dannecker for MPS school board in District 8, which includes Bay View. Falk garnered 4,515 votes (56 percent) to Dannecker’s 3,525 (44 percent). Both are Bay View residents. Because Dannecker was also school board president, the new board will elect a new president. Citywide, Bruce Thompson defeated Bama Brown-Grice for the at-large school board seat. Thompson won 20,432 votes (53 percent) to Brown-Grice’s 18,199 votes (47 percent). Falk is set to be sworn in 10am, April 20 at Bay View High School.

Public education concern group seeks help

In December 2006, Milwaukee education advocate Tom Phillipson lassoed together a group to explore the needs and plans of local public schools—and to discuss the possibility of establishing a local tax district to benefit Bay View schools. In 2007, the group has merged with Bay View High School Principal Barbara Goss’ community meetings and evolved into a discussion/action forum, meeting every two or three weeks at BVHS. The group recently selected the name Bay View Community Partnership. School board candidates, area principals, concerned citizens, local legislators, and MPS representatives have attended past meetings. Thus far, it has discussed how to improve music and fine arts at BVHS, how to reduce truancy, how to better prepare high school students for good jobs in local industry, how to get good news about the high school into the community, how to improve the BVHS climate, and how best to collect and respond to public opinion about local public education. Community Partnership is currently developing committees for specific Bay View projects and seeking citizens to help tutor students and act as mentors. The group has also helped bring an In Health Wisconsin training session on teenage depression to BVHS staff, appealed to the superintendent to include BVHS in an expanded federal School Safety Improvement Project, and participated in the Milwaukee Alliance for Attendance Education Committee. It also has planned a book drive led by BVHS chemistry teacher Terry Schwantes. And Phillipson indicated the group is actively working to address the truancy issue. Bay View Community Partnership’s next meeting is April 18 at 4pm at Bay View High School, 2751 S. Lenox St. All are welcome.

Correction

Due to an editing error, “Political trafﬁc jam over mass transit’s future” in the March issue stated that the Common Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing the Regional Transit Authority’s recommendation to increase rental car fees by $13 to fund the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail because it did not fund the Milwaukee County Transit System. The resolution in question passed 114, with Aldermen Bohl, Dudzik, Puente, and Zielinski opposed.

Free ONF film festival Six charged in area Independent America—Sunday, April 15 robberies at 1pm (81 min.) in the Outpost Bay View Community Room, 2826 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. This feel-good documentary about two award-winning journalists chronicles their journey across America in search of independent businesses. The Future of Food—Friday, April 20 at 7pm (88 min.) in the Outpost Bay View Community Room. An in-depth look into the controversy over genetically modified food and the large multinational corporations that seek to control the world’s food system. Seating in the community room is limited to 30; first come, first served; free popcorn. An Inconvenient Truth—Sunday, April 22 at 1:30pm (100 min.) in the Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse, 6823 W. North Ave. Al Gore’s Oscar-winning documentary of global warming. My Father’s Garden—Friday, April 27 at 7pm (56 min.) in the Urban Ecology Center, 1500 E. Park Pl. This emotionally charged documentary tells about the use and misuse of technology on the American farm. Seating is limited to 100; first come, first served; free popcorn. .

Chapel of the Cross celebrates milestone

Volume 4 • Issue 4

They are Paul Brian Asik Jr., 30; Angel L. DeJesus, 21; Brendaly Gonzalez, 19; Xavier Luis Perez, 18; Carmelo Vaszquez Jr., 32; and Christian R. Colon, 19, who is also charged with murder in the fatal shooting of a man at Marty’s Party Jan. 7 during an attempted robbery. At the March 21 District 2 crime analysis meeting, Detective Sharon Hess stated that 13 people had been arrested in relation to some 40 Milwaukee robberies and 15 to 20 in surrounding jurisdictions. She also said police at that time were still searching for six other suspects. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm joined over 30 community members at that meeting. Police did not then elaborate on what led them to the suspects. At the meeting, Hess clarified that police considered the “gang” of robbers not necessarily connected to a specific street gang. The arrests followed another armed robbery with a similar modus operandi at the St. Francis Blockbuster, 2300 E. Layton Ave., March 14. After March 13, police presence was noticeably amplified throughout Bay View. In late March, police told jsonline.com that the suspects appeared to be linked to the Spanish Cobras gang.

Lutheran Chapel of the Cross, 3353 S. Whitnall Ave., celebrates its 50th anniversary this month. The history of the congregation dates back to Aug. 3, 1938 when its name was South Shore Lutheran Church and the congregation was located in the “Welsh Church,” now the Christian Science Reading Room, at 2739 S. Superior St. Groundbreaking for the present worship facility was Feb. 12, 1956 and the building dedicated April 7, 1957. It will be rededicated April 29, 2007. The cross theme is carried out in the church’s architecture and its chancel, where there are three crosses: the brass cross representing Christ, the red the repentant thief, and the black the unrepentant thief. Stained glass windows behind the altar commemorate the six chief parts of Martin Luther’s small catechism: the Ten Commandments, Apostle’s Creed, Lord’s Prayer, baptism, confession and absolution, and the Lord’s Supper. The Christian Growth Center was begun in 1973 and dedicated Oct. 20, 1974. This center oﬀered additional classroom and meeting space, an oﬃce suite, and additional restroom facilities. It was pushed into additional service in the fall of 1983 when Chapel joined with two other congregations to form a school. In the summer of 1989, Chapel began its own school in this facility. That school continued until 1996.

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH

Six Milwaukeeans have been charged so far in relation to armed robberies across the south side including Bay View, according to the police and district attorney’s oﬃce.

Four pastors have served the congregation in its present location: Rev. Harvey A. Krueger (1953-68), Rev. David R. Oswald (1968-77), Rev. Robert K. Dehnke (197783), and Rev. David A. Wood, (1984 to the present). Mr. Gary A. Plopper served as lay minister from 1967 through 1987. The anniversary service and luncheon will be held Sunday, April 29. For more information call (414) 481-1880. .

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

Apple A Day Massage, recently moved to 437 E. Lincoln Ave., was robbed March 28 by two men who loitered before buying lotion and then pulled a gun on the trainee at the register. No one was physically harmed and police told Apple A Day they did not suspect these robbers were related to the string of south side robberies.

New oﬃcers at BV Arts Guild

The Bay View Arts Guild elected new oﬃcers at their April 9 meeting. They are Amy Olson, chair; Gregory Juris, vice chair; Linda Beckstrom, secretary; Victoria Schaefer, treasurer; Anita Burgermeister, development chair; Michele Bohlmann, Frolics chair; and Shelly Rosenquist, website designer.

Highlights of the forthcoming year include a food pantry beneﬁt and exhibition at Apple A Day Massage, 437 E. Lincoln Ave., Saturday, April 28 from 10am to 5pm. Guild members’ work will be displayed. The public is invited to bring a food or cash donation. St. Ann’s Center for Intergenerational Care Spring Fine Art Show features the work of guild members at St. Ann’s, 2801 E. Morgan, Saturday, June 16. For event hours and other info contact Nancy Macek, (414) 483-4623. South Shore Frolics Festival of Arts Fair, presented by BVAG, will be Sunday, July 15 at South Shore Park, 10am to 5pm. The work of 70 regional artists will be featured. Applications are available at BayViewArts. org or from Michele Bohlmann, (414) 481-4544. BVAG membership is open to the public to artists in all media. Members are not required to live in Bay View.

April 2007

Temporary art on KK Robotics team Beginning May 5, Kinnickinnic Avenue recognized will host seven installations of temporary

South Shore Gallery & Framing, 2627 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., will present a pictorial history program. Puddler’s Hall, 2461-63 S. St. Clair St., also has a permanent collection of historic Bay View photos on its walls.

BVNA approached IN:SITE, a volunteer organization fostering temporary public art in Milwaukee, to host a community-building project to bring Bay View countywide exposure and attract visitors to the neighborhood. The seven sites are among 11 IN: SITE plans throughout the city.

Tickets are available at the Historic Milwaukee oﬃce, Boston Stores, Winkie’s, and several Bay View businesses: $25 for nonmembers, $20 for members. Members may purchase advance tickets for $15 prior to May 12. For more information call (414) 277-7795.

public art, sponsored by the Bay View Neighborhood Association (BVNA).

Darryl Jensen’s installation, “Flight,” will adorn the Avalon Theatre, 2473 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., featuring old film stills and a parachute, which Jensen considers a symbol of the Milwaukee landmark entrepreneur Lee Barczak is renovating. “The parachute is a dramatic metaphor that combines both the willful risk of chance, along with the anticipation of rescue. The rehabilitation of the Avalon Theatre is a similar risk of investment,” Jensen said. Another cutting-edge piece along KK is the “Urban Radio Network” (URN) by MIAD artists Bridget Quinn and Jessica Vandevort. Two-way radios will be mounted in aesthetic cases and labeled with a talk button and a statement to explain their use by the general public. The strategically mounted radios are interactive, allowing pedestrians to transmit messages from one to another. “The globalization of media and industry has made it very easy for us to communicate with people at great distances, but people are ever more isolated from their communities,” said the artists in a statement. As old media presented in a new way, they want URN to provide temporary relief from the isolation between strangers and neighbors. Bay View will also host a second “PARK(ing)” project, a California-based art movement, in partnership with the Bay View Garden and Yard Society. Local landscape artist Rosheen Styczinski will install a temporary urban park in a metered parking spot along the avenue. On the exterior of Wild Flour Bakery, 422 E. Lincoln Ave., Chicago artist Michael Genovese will install 30 individual mixed media pieces connected to form a necklace, a mural with the materials representing each calendar year from 1976 to 2006. The pairing of objects is intended to celebrate life bound together and to provoke curiosity and wonder through a visualized history. Oasis Coffee & Vending Services, 300 E. Bay St., will host a Phytoremediation zone, where Racine artist Benjamin Martinkus will plant hybrid poplar trees. The zone depollutes soil, water, and air, and the poplars are intended to cleanse toxic materials from the soil. A ribbon path will weave through the trees to create the art space inviting the community into it. And at an empty storefront at 2219 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., local artist Carrie Hoelzer will run two videos inside the storefront windows at night. The videos reflect a private action in public, watching a woman digging a hole and burying objects and subsequently franticly unburying the same objects. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will also host a workshop on public art and public space. Participating artists and IN:SITE members will lead walking tours of the installations May 5. They will also host a forum on public art 2pm, May 5 at 2219 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

More Robotics Team 1714 poses after success at the Buckeye Regional. Back row: team leader Mike Wittman, Joey Laabs, A.J. Rehfeldt, Nathan Peter, Karl Akert, Jeff Krawczyk, Matt Schultz, Patrick Carroll, Jared Verba. Second row: adult coach Mary Jo Wittman, Nate Schaefer, Beth Burton, Mara Mamerow, Megan Czaplewski, Jamie Coyne, Joseph Grilli, Jenni Rehfeldt, adult coach Bob Grilli. Front row: Sarah Wittman, Mary Sowinski, Matt Kallerud, Abby Schaefer, Dustin Holzhauer, Ken Leung. Steven Lynch, who did not attend the Buckeye Regional, is not pictured. ~courtesy Thomas More High School

A team of 22 students from area schools recently earned several awards for their entrepreneurial and engineering efforts building a robot to compete in specific challenges. More Robotics Team 1714 also competed in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome April 12-14 at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) international championship. At the Buckeye Regional competition in Cleveland, Ohio March 22-24, More Robotics competed against 58 other teams in this year’s challenge, “Rack N Roll,” where student-designed robots worked in an alliance of three to hang inflated colored tubes on pegs on a 10-foot rack structure during each two minute and 15 second match. At the Wisconsin Regional in Milwaukee’s U.S. Cellular Arena March 8-10, Team 1714’s robot, nicknamed Prog, performed well. The team finished in fifth place after the qualifying rounds and became the fourth ranked alliance, losing in the quarterfinals in three games.

At press time the locations of the following free talks May 19 had not been determined. History of Bay View, 11am, by John Gurda, author and the leading expert on the city’s history. Street Names: the Key to Bay View’s History, 1pm, by Ron Winkler, Bay View Historical Society. Slide presentation unlocking the mysteries behind the unique names of Bay View streets. Added bonus: Why you get lost whenever you come to Bay View. Bay View Yesterday and Today, 3pm, by Ron Winkler, Bay View Historical Society. Slide presentation contrasting Bay View’s buildings and streets today with how they looked in the past using current photos and historic photos from the historical society’s archives.

Milwaukee mass portrait photo shoot Be immortalized—join the throngs of Milwaukeeans June 16 in Menomonee Valley Community Park for a mass portrait. The event is a city of Milwaukee public art project that will create a humongous

group portrait to include everyone who turns out for the event. The portrait will be taken in Milwaukee’s newest recreation site, the 60-acre Menomonee Valley Community Park located at 35th and Canal streets. The park, still under construction, already sports a system of walk/bike trails, picnic areas, and the Hank Aaron State Trail that winds through the valley. Postcards will be made from the mass portrait, to be distributed free of charge to the public. Everyone is invited to participate. Registration begins at 9:30am; the photo will be shot at 11am. The rain date is Sunday, June 16. Participation is free. Find more info by following the News & Events link from the home page at renewthevalley.org.

Riley ﬁned $10,000

Bay View resident Donovan Riley, a Democrat who last year launched an unsuccessful bid to unseat incumbent District 7 state Senator Jeff Plale (D-South Milwaukee), pled no contest to a charge of election fraud-falsify voter registration Feb. 6. State of Wisconsin vs. Donovan W. Riley Sr. was adjudicated in Waukesha County because Riley allegedly voted twice in the 2000 election, once in Oconomowoc and once in Chicago. He was found guilty by reason of his plea and fined $10,000 cash bail as part of the plea agreement. “Cash bail of $10,000.00 was applied to fine as part of plea agreement. After agreement obligations were met, charge was amended down. Whereupon judgment shall enter, imposing court costs ($80.00) but no further obligations or restrictions on defendant,” according to court records available online.

Team 1714 includes students from Thomas More, Oak Creek, and Cudahy High Schools and Oak Creek and Cudahy Middle Schools. Teachers from Thomas More and Oak Creek High Schools along with engineers from Rockwell Automation, Quad Tech, Marquette University, and American Acrylics, USA, LLC led and mentored students. FIRST Championship: For up-to-date results from Atlanta go to http://www.morerobotics.org or usfirst.org. Buckeye Regional: Engineering Inspiration Award, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship Award. Wisconsin Regional: Best Website Award, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers Entrepreneurship Award, Motorola Quality Award, Underwriters Laboratory Industrial Safety Award.

Spaces & Traces tour, history lectures

Historic Milwaukee, Inc. will hold its annual Spaces & Traces tour Saturday, May 19 from 9am to 5pm. This year’s tour focuses on Bay View. The tour will feature approximately 15 architecturally interesting buildings, including private residences. Other historical sites will be noted on the tour. John Gurda and Ron Winkler will present several lectures on the history of Bay View.

Volume 4 • Issue 4

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T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

April 2007

Trade Winds B U S I N E S S

S E C T I O N

24-hour fitness franchise Schwartz’s McCarthy Guanajuato Mexican resigns to abut pizzeria Restaurant L

ike the ubiquitous Lucky Dragon from a William Gibson novel, a high-tech and well-branded franchise is set to sprout in Bay View’s midst.

Snap Fitness, the Twin Cities-based business projecting 1,000 locations by the end of the year, will open its first Milwaukee location at 2797 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in “early May,” according to the franchise owners. Snap is a 24-hour fitness club, providing members with 365-day-a-year access. The facility, continuously locked and secured with six surveillance cameras, operates on a keycard entry system for members only. Two Milwaukee businesswomen, Carrie Steinberger and Jill Zimmerman, are the local co-owners. They hope to draw users from the Bay View neighborhood and surrounding communities, which Steinberger described as “up-in-coming.” They also plan to open two other area Snap locations in the near future, one in West Allis, with the third location not yet determined. Steinberger and Zimmerman most recently ran Five Starz, a kids’ clothing business with no retail location. As stay-at-home moms on the northeast side, they operated Five Starz for four and a half years, buying inventory in New York or Chicago and selling out of their homes or at other social or charity functions, Steinberger said. Now that their kids are in full-day school, the friends were looking to start a new project. They attended a Wauwatosa franchise seminar in January, found Snap’s prospects appealing, and things developed quickly from there. “We both grew up in Milwaukee and feel that by bringing Snap Fitness to our communities, we are giving people an alternative to the larger health clubs in town,” said Steinberger. “We are providing a service that no one else in the area provides—24hour convenience, flexibility, and affordability.” Snap will also offer all Cybex exercise equipment with free weights and a complete cardio center. Each of the 13 cardio machines has its own personal television. Unlimited tanning is available. Snap’s website attributes its success to “hard work, Christian principles, and a continuing dedication to our fundamental mission.” The Snap SWAT (“swift and turnkey”) team is anticipated to swoop into town the week of April 16 with a semi trailer to complete build-out, with machines arriving in late April, Steinberger said. Bay View memberships start at $26.21 per month for individuals and $37.46 per month for families. Snap Fitness will share a wall with Bay View resident Marisa Lange’s pizza-by-the-slice restaurant, Classic Slice, which opened in late March. For more information, call (414) 351-5009 or visit snapfitness.com/bayview.

McCarthy had been with the company for six years, and led the bookshops after owner David Schwartz’s death in 2004. Many know her from her list of favorite books that she discussed on WUWM.

With a clean diner-like feel and the inviting smell of refried beans in the air, Guanajuato occupies the southwest corner of Lincoln and Howell avenues in the building vacated by XelHa, when it moved up the street to become Riviera Maya on Kinnickinnic Avenue last year.

“Since it’s small, shows can be really concise and tight, not a lot of ﬁll,” Lawson said.

Guanajuato oﬀers breakfast items including huevos rancheros. House specials include various quesadillas, ﬂautas, enchiladas, tacos, burritos, gorditas, tamales, and chiles.

Currently Lawson’s own photography of Memphis, Tenn. and the Mississippi Delta is on display. “Delta Work” will be out through April 21 with a reception for Gallery Night, April 20.

arch 16, Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops announced that Mary McCarthy resigned her position as the company’s vice president and chief operating oﬃcer.

“She did her work with dedication and sincere commitment, and kept the bookshops infused with connections to their various local communities,” a Schwartz press release on her resignation said of McCarthy.

Gamino said patrons have appreciated good food at low prices. House specials range from $6.25 to $7.95. The most expensive menu item is $10.95, for shrimp fajitas de Camaron, shrimp fajitas served with rice and refried beans. There is a children’s menu.

Classic Slice starts strong

The restaurant is open 10am-10pm Sunday through Thursday and 10am-11pm Friday to Saturday. (414) 482-2269.

he classy high-ceilinged Classic Slice Pizza, which transports the eater to a hip but casual grotto of metal and earth tones, activated its neon “open” sign the last week of March. Bay View resident Marisa Lange, who owns the pizzeria at 2797 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., said that good word-of-mouth in her ﬁrst week of business led her to hire two additional employees. She’s thinking about hiring a third. An outdoor patio and beer and wine are hoped for later this year. Classic Slice: Tuesday through Saturday, 12pm to midnight; Sunday and Monday, 12pm to 10pm. (414) 530-3917.

Rishi Tea expands R

ishi Tea, based in the old Louis Allis plant at 427 E. Stewart St., expanded in early April into another 6,800 square feet of space that had been vacated by Warpdrive Music LLC’s warehouse when the Warpdrive/Cream City Music store moved to Brookﬁeld, Mike Doro, vice president of Industrial Properties LLC, which owns the 507,000 square-foot complex, said. Rishi adds the new space to its 27,000 existing square feet. Rishi imports, processes, and distributes tea and associated products. The new space will be used for additional warehouse space as the result of increased business, said Benjamin Harrison, Rishi’s co-owner and managing director.

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arolina Gamino and Julio Lopez opened Guanajuato Mexican Restaurant Jan. 28 at 2301 S. Howell Ave. It is Gamino’s ﬁrst business.

Carol Grossmeyer, Schwartz president and David’s widow, has assumed the management of Milwaukee’s oldest independent bookstore, founded in 1927 by Schwartz’s father.

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Southern flair at compact gallery

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Volume 4 • Issue 4

250-square foot art gallery opened quietly in January at 2925 S. Delaware Ave.

JW Lawson Fine Art showcases primarily solo shows, with a photography show planned for every January, gallery owner and director Jon Lawson said.

Opening May 3 is “Southern Comfort,” the works of Memphis painter Bobby Spillman, with a reception June 22. Lawson, originally from east Tennessee, studied in Knoxville, Tenn. before moving to Milwaukee. He lived in Bay View for two and half years, then moved to Riverwest, then moved back to Bay View before opening his Bay View gallery. JW Lawson Fine Art: Thursday to Saturday, 11am-4pm or by appointment or “whenever the lights are on.” More info: (414) 562-4568 or gallery@jwlawson.com.

Jimmy John’s coming A

Jimmy John’s sub shop will occupy the 2,100square foot building at 2242 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., the Small Business Times reported in March. Corporate Jimmy John’s, based in Illinois, did not respond to a Compass inquiry by press time.

Farewell to Jerry’s Hobby FROM PAGE 1 Casanova’s, a gun, game, and hobby store that was located near 14th and Muskego, where he began working as a young man and carved out a 21-year career. When the store closed its doors, along with the urging of his children, Serdynski decided to start his own hobby shop. He leased the space that was formerly the House Pharmacy on Kinnickinnic and Potter avenues and his store has been a staple in Bay View ever since. If you look closely you will see the letter H in the railing of the old pharmacy. Serdynski thought that was a happy coincidence for his hobby shop. Serdynski has witnessed the hobby industry change through the years. In the past, assembling model trains was truly a craft. Much of the enjoyment was in watching something that you build begin to run, he said. “It was a great leisurely hobby, but now life is too fast-paced, people want to buy trains ready to run. People don’t take the time to really enjoy the craft. That’s not good for manufacturers,” said Serdynski. According to Serdynski, the model train industry is not capturing the interest of the younger generations. His youngest repeat customer was 32 years old. He attributes this to the distraction of video games, the internet, and the desire for immediate gratiﬁcation among young people. In spite of that fast-paced trend, Serdynski captured the loyalty of his existing customers. Customer John Barrick and his friends travel from West Allis every Saturday to “talk trains” with Jerry. “I come from a small town, and going to Jerry’s shop was like going to one of the businesses from my small town,” Barrick said. “Jerry’s always there with a smile ready to help. It’s his customer service that makes him stand out from other hobby shops. We’ll really miss the store.”

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

Jerry’s was the first choice for Wayne Dunbar from South Milwaukee. Dunbar also attributes the success of the hobby shop to great customer service. “He’ll get you any part you need for your model. I’m sorry to see it go,” said Dunbar. When asked what he will miss most about running the hobby shop, without hesitation Serdynski said seeing his customers of 30 years. Though his store has closed, Serdynski’s passion for model trains will live on. Continuing a 30-year tradition, you can find Serdynski displaying his trains at the annual Trainfest held at State Fair Park in November. America’s largest operating model railroad show, Trainfest attracts over 15,000 model train enthusiasts each year. Much of life will not change for Jerry and Ellen. They have been Bay View residents for 40 years and plan to remain in Bay View. “It’s a great neighborhood to live in. It was a great run. The people have been good to me,” Serdynski said. Jerry and Ellen have five children, four sons and one daughter. They also enjoy their 10 grandchildren and one greatgrandchild, ranging in age from 3 to 32 years old. The future of this soon-to-be-vacant storefront is uncertain. Shelly La Londe, the building owner, reflects on her years with Serdynski as a tenant. “Jerry has been such an awesome tenant and a steadfast community member. People seem to be really upset that he’s leaving. I wish him the best in his retirement.” La Londe would prefer to rent to another retail tenant. The well-maintained space is just over 700 square feet, with additional basement space. “The corner location has great potential for a retailer given the traffic counts and visibility,” said La Londe. The space is expected to be available by June 1.

April 2007

Trade Winds

Sharing the farm CSAs gain momentum By Mary Vuk

vest costs.

mall farms are failing in Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest, but one sector of the small farming population, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), is growing in response to increasing demand for organic, locally produced food and because consumers want to know and buy directly from the farmers who grow their food.

Buffington said CSAs serve several important purposes: encouraging diversified crops, helping farmers share the financial risk for their crops, and providing the consumer with fresh, organically-grown, local produce. High-yielding crops—usually of one variety, and grown on huge farms—require irrigation, mechanization, fertilizer, and pesticide to produce, she said, thus degrading the soil, water, and air. Buffington also noted that produce bought in the grocery store is transported an average of 1,800 miles before reaching the consumer.

What is a CSA?

According to the USDA, the CSA concept originated in Switzerland and Japan, where consumers interested in safe food CSA farmers factor the cost of producand farmers seeking stable markets for their tion into the price of a membership and produce joined together in economic partnerships. The CSA Some CSAs serving Bay View movement has been gaining Little Truck Farm momentum since its introduction to the United States from Ben and Heidi Kreuter, Europe in the mid-1980s. 2684 County Road D, Belgium, Wis.

Christina Buﬃngton, pro(414) 704-8746, littletruckfarm@gmail.com gram director of the ConserPinehold Gardens vation and Environmental David Kozlowski and Sandra Raduenz, Science Department at the University of Wisconsin-Mil1807 E. Elm Rd., Oak Creek, Wis. waukee, who spoke recently (414) 762-1301, info@pineholdgardens.com at the Urban Ecology Center, Rare Earth Farm said that the CSA concept was Steve Young, 6806 Hwy KW, Belgium, Wis. originally conceived in the 1960s by Japanese homemak(262) 285-7070, rareearthfarm@verizon.net, ers who asked local farmers Tipi Produce to grow certain types of food Beth Kazmar and Steve Pincus, for them. The membership of 14706 W. Ahara Rd., Evansville, Wis. these Japanese teiki (meaning “partnership”) clubs eventu(608) 882-6196, tipi@ticon.net, ally grew to 50,000. In 1990, there were only 50 CSAs; today thereby minimize some of the risk associthere are over 1,000. Wisconsin is the curated with traditional farming. rent leader in the country, with the largest number of CSAs. “CSA farms are among the more successful agricultural operations outside of large How They Work industrial dairies,” said David Kozlowski, City dwellers who care about eating truco-owner with Sandra Raduenz of Pinely fresh and generally organically-grown hold Gardens in Oak Creek, a CSA farm. food buy a share in a CSA farm and beKozlowski is also director of the Milwaucome member/shareholders. Memberkee CSA Initiative and board member of ships/shares are usually one season long Slow Food of Southeast Wisconsin. and are renewed the following year. For “CSAs are among the segment of the ag20-26 weeks, each member receives a box ricultural population that is actually makof vegetables, fruit, eggs, and/or meat fresh ing money. CSAs are a story that is putting from the farm the member invested in. sort of a happy ending on the farm future Each member pays the farmer somewhere in this country. We are losing so many between $300 and $500 per share (i.e., family farms every day. There are hunfor weekly food boxes), often in the fall or dreds we lose every year in Wisconsin,” winter preceding the growing season. Kozlowski said.

“CSAs are among the segment of the agricultural population that is actually making money. CSAs are a story that is putting sort of a happy ending on the farm future in this country. We are losing so many family farms every day. There are hundreds we lose every year in Wisconsin.” —David Kozlowski The farmer, in turn, is able to buy seeds and pay for planting costs with the money raised in fall and winter by the sale of the shares and does not have to worry about getting bank ﬁnancing to cover pre-har-

CSAs are often associated with upperincome individuals and families, but Kozlowski notes that different CSAs target different groups of people who perhaps require different kinds and quantities of food. At Pinehold Gardens, for example, there are two sizes of shares. The smaller share is designed for one or two people; the large share is 50 percent larger. Some CSAs offer half shares. Besides offering paying memberships, CSAs also offer work memberships. In exchange for work, workers receive food boxes. Kozlowski, who runs a mediumsized CSA, offers 155 memberships, including 12 worker shares. The workers help with picking, sorting, washing, and

Volume 4 • Issue 4

packing produce for the boxes. Many CSAs oﬀer payment plans or oﬀer share assistance funds on a limited basis.

one of the most important things to happen along with addressing energy issues in this country,” he said. “It’s approaching its climax in Madison right now but in Milwaukee we’re just getting started.”

CSAs range in size from 30 to 40 memberships to 600. Springdale Farms of Plymouth, Wis., has 600 memberships and is the largest and oldest CSA in the state.

Why are CSAs becoming increasingly popular? “It’s [because] local food is important for the community,” Kozlowski said. “Local farms are important for the community, and communities based around the producing and the eating of food [are] important to the community. The food is fresher. It’s healthier. You’re keeping small farms in business. You’re helping to develop a social network as a food network.”

The fourth annual CSA Open House & Seasonal Food Tasting held March 31 at the Urban Ecology Center was attended by 600 people, up over last year’s attendance of 400. Eleven area CSA farmers participated in the event. Kozlowski believes the CSA movement has not yet caught ﬁre in the Milwaukee area. “I think the idea of locally-grown, and preferably organically-grown, food is just beginning to catch on and I think it may be final_Superior_Ad_4.75x7_1006.qxp

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T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

April 2007

Ongoing KK River cleanup By Ben Gramling key stretch of the Kinnickinnic River has received a regular makeover during the past two years. Thanks to the use of heavy construction equipment, close coordination among a number of agencies, and the tireless eﬀorts of hundreds of volunteers, recent river cleanup endeavors have become much more sophisticated in their approach, and the environment has beneﬁted. More than 150,000 pounds of debris has been removed during just three cleanups dating back to the fall of 2005. A consortium of partners, the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, the Sierra Club, the Bay View Neighborhood Association, Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers, and United Water (the contracted operator for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, MMSD), planned and coordinated the river cleanups.

Heavy Equipment Needed The recent approach to extreme river cleanups emerged from the frustration that organizers faced during the summer of 2005. At that time, tires, shopping carts, bicycles, and all sorts of other large items were breaking the backs of even the hardiest of volunteers.

Finding trash was not a problem for volunteers. ~photo Melody Carranza

Finding the trash was no problem—it was everywhere. The real challenge came when workers labored to dig this trash out of the river’s muck, then struggled to haul it up the river’s steep banks. To solve this challenge, United Water donat-

ed the use of a 65-ton crane to raise and lower 20-yard dumpsters to the riverbed. Volunteers were able to focus on removing trash from the river and let the crane do the heavy lifting. In past cleanups, literally hundreds of shopping carts and tires were removed. “If volunteers pulled one shopping cart out of the river bed, they removed 200; if they removed one tire, they removed a hundred,” said Lynn Broaddus, executive director of Friends of Milwaukee’s Rivers. “In the fall of 2005, A crane lifted large trash items to city dumpsters. ~photo Melody Carranza volunteers removed a guard more dumpsters. “Without the support rail. And in 2006, we removed a mesh trash of the city’s sanitation bureau, the cleanup can that was embedded in the sediment. We would have ended before 10am and a lot of must move beyond cleaning the rivers. We trash would have been left behind.” need to preserve and protect our rivers.” LeCapitaine thanked the city for its addiRosemary Wehnes, Sierra Club associate tional assistance providing more dumpsters. Midwest representative, added that participating in physically removing debris brings needOutlook Greener ed attention to the river so advocates can talk The cleanups are tied to a coordinated efabout the next steps in pollution abatement. fort to improve the physical and environ“We are concerned about the broader goal mental conditions of the river corridor, and of restoring Lake Michigan,” she said. “Polto link those improvements to the health luted runoff from sources like parking lots and wellbeing of nearby families and new and construction sites flow[s] from the Kinbusiness development. nickinnic River into Lake Michigan. Attention needs to be focused on not only removing the debris, but on reducing the source of stormwater pollutants in the watershed.” During the October 2006 cleanup, over 120 volunteers showed up. More than 150,000 pounds of debris has been removed during just three cleanups dating back to the fall of 2005. “Unfortunately, there was so much debris and trash in this reach of the river that the volunteers filled two 20-yard dumpsters in less than 45 minutes,” said Jane LeCapitaine, United Water spokesperson. But fortunately the city intervened and provided "�#�$��%��&��

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Despite its reputation, the Kinnickinnic does have some scenic stretches. ~photo Melody Carranza

Getting involved in a river cleanup also gives nearby residents an opportunity to help reclaim their neighborhood river, which will be important in the years to come as major new projects take shape. While volunteers get knee deep in debris near Chase Avenue during Earth Day weekend, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and local property owners are making plans to remove contaminated sediment from a stretch of river further downstream. The city of Milwaukee is also poised to construct the two-mile Kinnickinnic River Trail for bicyclists and other users. And, MMSD is evaluating the possibility of removing concrete from more than two miles of river further upstream. The next cleanup is planned to coincide with Earth Day. Interested volunteers should come to the UMOS parking lot, 2701 S. Chase Ave., Saturday, April 21 at 9am. Gramling works for the Sixteenth Community Health Center’s Department of Environmental Health.

From Bay View to Baghdad

FROM PAGE 1 Buttery was a field commander in the Army engineer corps during the first year of the war. He said he had to leverage the civilian skill sets of his reservists to help the Iraqis rebuild. “They were drinking out of the canals, which are flowing downstream through Baghdad, through all these other industrial spill areas, and it got to the point where we were…working on a daily basis on a project to improve a village,” Buttery said. He said this improved relationships in Iraq.

“As you might imagine, the beef sticks and pumpkin seeds went pretty quickly, as did the DVDs, which were immediately absorbed into the rotating library of night shift entertainment. Our game systems are currently non-mission capable due to the dust so the junior soldiers have not yet had a chance to take advantage of them, but once the replacements come in I am sure they will be put to good use. The toiletries and toothbrushes were actually handy, and even though we joked about the pack of white socks, they also mysteriously disappeared from the box within a day, so I am sure someone is glad they were sent.” —“Captain Jon,” U.S. forces in Baghdad, Feb. 13, 2007

“It would get to the point where the sheik and I…we’d be exchanging cigarettes and drinking chai and near the end you got to the point where these local leaders, you’d ask them, How are we doing, is this good? And they’re like, you guys, you’re family, you’re fine.” That was in 2003-04. Buttery brought all 125 of his soldiers home alive. Buttery was “medically retired” following a medical review board Jan. 19, 2007, having herniated two discs in his lower back when jumping out of a Humvee in Iraq in December 2003. Back home in Bay View, he now owns and operates his own home inspection business, Argus Inspections, which donates to the VFW’s Unmet Needs program. “And now all I want to do is put my energies behind continuing to support the guys and gals who continue to be on point, doing what they’re doing. True sacrifice…” he said. “It’s amazing. Mentally. Not just physically but mentally what some of these people have given. And they just, once their service is done, they just want to quietly go back to their life of normalcy.” For donations of $3 value or more, Bucky’s will take $1 off a five-day movie rental. Buttery will throw in a $20-off gift card for home inspections for gifts valued $10 or more.

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Volume 4 • Issue 4

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

April 2007

Historic Bay View

Pedestrian safety signs installed

Sneak peak of a neighborhood tour

arch 29, the city of Milwaukee installed eight ﬂuorescent yellow pentagons in the middle of Kinnickinnic Avenue, reminding motorists that state law grants pedestrians in crosswalks the right of way. Five others are planned for busy spots along Howell Avenue as well, according to a map provided by District 14 Alderman Tony Zielinski’s oﬃce.

By Ron Winkler

istoric Milwaukee, Inc. has chosen Bay View for its 26th annual Spaces and Traces neighborhood tour. The following is a preview of some of the buildings and homes on this year’s tour. I hope you will join us Saturday, May 19 as we explore Bay View’s rich history.

Zielinski said he’s playing phone tag with city traﬃc engineers to get another one stalled at KK and Otjen (although there is currently no pedestrian crosswalk stripes at this intersection), by the Bay View Library and near where pedestrian Charles Perry was struck and killed last fall in a hit-and-run accident.

Pioneer Bay View pioneer Elijah Estes arrived in 1835 from North Carolina. His 160-acre farm along Lake Michigan included what today is South Shore Park. Estes built the Italianate Victorian Estes House at 2136 E. Estes St. in 1881 for his oldest son, Ren. In South Shore Park, across the street from 2116 E. Estes, is Wisconsin’s champion European copper beech, probably planted by the Estes family. The tree is 61 feet tall, 180 inches in circumference, and has a spread of 71.5 feet.

The signs have been something the city has been investigating for some time, however, and their placement is the result of a process following input from traﬃc engineers, aldermen, and the public, Zielinski said.

Kinnickinnic crash data

By Michael Timm

s promised in our December 2006 issue, the Compass takes a brief look at traffic accident statistics relevant to Bay View’s Kinnickinnic Avenue following the tragic hit-and-run fatality near the Bay View Library in December. From 1994 through 2005, there were 990 reported automobile-related “crashes” somewhere on Kinnickinnic Avenue in the city of Milwaukee, 30 involving pedestrians and 32 involving cyclists. That’s according to data provided by the state’s Traffic Operations & Safety Laboratory out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The lab collects its data from local reporting agencies, in this case, the Milwaukee Police Department. Although perfectly accurate tabulation is difficult because reporting agencies often misspelled Kinnickinnic or abbreviated it, the Compass studied the available data to bring you a summary. For the purposes of the accompanying chart, crashes include those on Kinnickinnic from Greenfield Avenue (inclusive) south to the Milwaukee city limit with St. Francis. (That includes a few crashes logged at First and Greenfield, First and Mitchell, etc., given that some crashes are logged at First and Kinnickinnic or Kinnickinnic and Greenfield.) Crashes logged at nonexistent intersections—such as Stewart and Russell, Oklahoma and Rusk, or Oklahoma and Lin-

coln—were not included even though these reports may actually have signified crashes on Kinnickinnic. One pedestrian-related crash was reported at each of the three preceding intersections. Crashes do include those in parking lots or on private property along Kinnickinnic, including one in a parking lot at 2771 S. Clement Ave. It’s difficult to project any trends over time given the data because changes may reflect changes in recording practices rather than actual changes in traffic behavior. But according to the available TOPS lab data, at least this many crashes have occurred. There was one fatality recorded over the time period; a cyclist was killed in 2004 near the intersection of Kinnickinnic and Stewart. Alcohol was involved in 61 of the total reported crashes.

Rolling Mill The State Historical Society marker on the northeast corner of Superior Street and Russell Avenue commemorates the Bay View Rolling Mill that stood on this site and extended onto Jones Island from 1867 to 1939. The skilled steelworkers at the mill were called puddlers and their modest Italianate homes are known as “puddler’s cottages.” The George W. Edmunds Home, built in 1873 at 2550 S. Shore Dr., is a ﬁne example of one such puddler’s cottage. A more elaborate home, also built in 1873, is the Victorian Gothic Beulah Brinton Home at 2590 S. Superior St., headquarters of the Bay View Historical Society. Across Superior Street in the 1700 block of E. Pryor Avenue is the Pryor Avenue Well, the only remaining artesian well in Milwaukee. It was drilled in 1882-83 as ﬁre protection for Bay View’s school, once located nearby on Wentworth Avenue. Although the Gothic revival Dennis/Taylor Home at 2760 S. Superior St. was built in 1890 for W. Dennis, a supervisor at the Bay View Rolling Mill, it has been associated with Herman and Hattie Taylor who purchased the home in 1912 and lived there for 60 years. Puddler’s Hall, 2461-63 S. St. Clair St., built in 1873, was the old union hall. In the early days, it was the only gathering place in Bay View, but since the late 1880s it has housed a tavern and residences. There are historic photos of Bay View on the walls. The Church Two of the many churches established on land donated by the rolling mill will be on the tour. German immigrants organized St. Lucas Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2605 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., in 1871. The present cream city brick Gothic revival church was built in 1888.

Old time Bay View on Kinnickinnic Avenue looking south to Logan.

St. Lucas Lutheran Church and Dover Street School are visible in this pre-1910 photo. ~photos courtesy Bay View Historical Society

Also in 1871, Irish mill workers founded Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 1023 E. Russell Ave. The present church, in the neoclassical style, was built in 1907 and remodeled in 1958. Wine and Movies German immigrant Frederick Keller founded the Keller Winery in 1910 at 324 E. Deer Pl. The wine cellar was dug into the side of the hill to eliminate the need for artificial cooling. The property still contains the wine cellar, stable, home, and some of the grapevines. The Avalon Theatre, 2473 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., undergoing renovation and scheduled to reopen in 2008, is the only remaining atmospheric theater left in Milwaukee. The Spanish architecture transports the patron to the Mediterranean region. Nordberg Home The Bruno and Helena Nordberg Home, 2940 S. Logan Ave., was built in 1902 on a hill overlooking Humboldt Park. Bruno V. Nordberg came to the United States from Finland in 1879. He worked as a draftsman for the E. P. Allis Company before founding Nordberg Manufacturing in 1886. By using the original plans, the current owners have restored the home to its former magnificence, doing the majority of the work themselves. Highlights of the home include rooms with 10foot ceilings, a grand staircase, vaulted wood ceilings, and red oak floors in the foyer. The library has a vaulted ceiling and fireplace. The living room and dining room also have fireplaces. Red oak, birch, and maple have been used throughout the house for floors, wainscoting and trim.

From 1994 through 2005, 307 of reported crashes involved injuries to 423 people and 28 crashes involved injuries considered incapacitating. Of those 28 crashes, four involved pedestrians and three involved cyclists. Seven of the 28 involved wet road conditions. Based on a ﬁve-year summary of crash data for Milwaukee County from 1997 through 2001, there are an average of 24,000 crashes per year within the county, involving an estimated $375 million in economic loss.

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April 2007

zooplankton are consumed by small ﬁsh, like perch and alewives, which are consumed by larger ﬁsh, like trout and salmon.

Tracking changes in Lake Michigan food web By Casey Twanow

or more than 10 years, Great Lakes WATER Institute scientists Carmen Aguilar and Russell Cuhel have made monthly rounds to several offshore Lake Michigan sites between Milwaukee and Fox Point. From the research vessel Neeskay they collect water samples, and scoop sediment and organisms from the lake bottom. The samples, including some they can’t see without a microscope, help Aguilar and Cuhel track changes in the lake that can affect the entire ecosystem via its food web. In recent years, they have recorded a shift in the phytoplankton—tiny, drifting algae. Diatoms, a key algae group, have significantly declined. Aguilar calls diatoms “juicy” because they provide high-quality nutrition for tiny animals— zooplankton. In the lake’s food web,

This figure shows Diporeia density based on sites (marked as red dots) that were monitored over time.

No one knows if the diatom decline is a lakewide phenomenon—because of limited funding, few areas are monitored year-round. But a change in food availability for zooplankton has the potential to reverberate through the food web. If there is less quality food for zooplankton, prey fish and predatory fish could feel the impacts.

Cladophora, a wispy, green algae washing up on beaches. As mussels filter the lake’s naturally cloudy shallow waters to Caribbean-like clarity, the extra sunlight reaching Cladophora may fuel vigorous growth. A significant decline in Diporeia—shrimp-like Lake Michigan bottom-dwellers—may also be related to invasive mussels. Diporeia are an important food source for many native fish, including lake whitefish. Historically, most deep parts of the lake supported several thousand Diporeia per square meter. Aguilar and Cuhel still find them in high densities on their rounds, but lakewide samples from NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory suggest they’ve disappeared in the northern and southeastern parts of the lake. The connection is not yet understood, but the mussels might negatively impact Diporeia by competing for similar food

No one knows if the diatom decline is a lakewide phenomenon because limited funding permits only a few areas to be monitored year-round. But a change in food availability for zooplankton has the potential to reverberate through the whole food web. If there is less quality food for zooplankton, prey fish and predatory fish could feel the impact. One possible explanation for the diatom decline involves the voracious appetite of the quagga mussel. Like other mussels, a quagga eats by sucking water into a feeding siphon and filtering out food particles, including diatoms. Just one inch-long quagga mussel can filter over a quart of water each day, and Aguilar and Cuhel have found more than 25,000 in a square yard of lakebed. Like its more familiar cousin, the zebra mussel, quaggas are native to Europe’s Black and Caspian Seas. Both species, like an estimated third of Great Lakes invasive species, hitchhiked here in the ballast water of overseas ships. As a Lake Michigan invader, the hardier quagdiatoms are pictured at 400 times actual size. Many microscopic diatoms have ga has outdone the zebra mussel. Cuhel calls its These beautiful, geometric shapes. spread “ecologically fantastic.” The quagga arrived in Lake Michigan in 2002, trailing the zebra mussel by 13 sources, or through their feces and other wastes. The Diporeia years. Since then quaggas have displaced zebra mussels from density decline has progressed from shallow to deeper waters, all waters deeper than 20 feet. While zebras only thrive in paralleling the spread of zebra and then quagga mussels. rocky shallows, quaggas have colonized sandy habitat and Diporeia scarcity, in turn, may play a part in the declindeep, cold areas. ing health of lake whitefish, which support Lake Michigan’s Collectively these mini-Hoovers might be clearing diatoms, most important commercial fishery. The Diporeia decline many of which are just the right size for mussels to vacuum up. could be causing whitefish to compete for a limited food But Cuhel says, “Diatoms can grow incredibly fast and bloom source or depend on less nutritious prey. to extremely high densities, so there’s more to it than that.” To date, scientists have identified over 180 invasive species in the A compounding factor might be the quagga’s ability to feed in Great Lakes. No one can predict the impacts of future invasions. cold water, an advantage over zebra mussels, which feed less in The next species might not have the ecosystem-wide impacts of winter. Each spring and fall, when changing water temperatures invasive mussels—some foreign species don’t thrive, or are quietly absorbed into the food web. But the next invader could also cause mix lake layers together, zebra mussels are still fasting. Invasive mussels may contribute to nuisance blooms of irreversible damage to an already stressed ecosystem. The Great Lakes WATER (Wisconsin Aquatic Technology and Environmental Research) Institute is the largest freshwater academic research �� institute in the Great Lakes region. More information: glwi.uwm.edu. ��

A quagga mussel (actual size 1 inch).

Carmen Aguilar is an associate scientist at the Great Lakes WATER Institute. Her research is focused on biogeochemistry of freshwater and marine environments and research education. Russell Cuhel is a senior scientist at the Great Lakes WATER Institute. His major interests are the physiological ecology of aquatic microorganisms and undergraduate research opportunities.

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Volume 4 • Issue 4

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April 2007

Toward A Conservation Ethic

Electronics disposal—be responsible By Katherine Keller

hat do you do with outdated computers, televisions, VCRs, and electronics? Do you sell them online or drop them off at the thrift store? Or do you, like so many Milwaukeeans, set them at the curb to be picked up by the city and bulldozed into the landfill with the rest of your garbage? There are good reasons to keep electronics out of the waste stream. One of the best is to prevent their toxic chemicals from leaching into the ecosystem. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, computer monitors and older TV picture tubes contain an average of four pounds of lead. Electronics also can contain chromium, cadmium, mercury, beryllium, nickel, zinc, and brominated flame retardants. When relegated to the landfill, these toxic substances leach into the soil and waterways. Another reason not to consign computers to the garbage heap is the thousands of children and adults in Milwaukee who can’t afford to purchase them. Local nonprofits collect computers and rehab them for those in need. But what if your computer is so ancient that you can’t sell it and the nonprofits won’t accept it? What are your options? Did you know that there is an electronics drop-off booth right here in Bay View, on the east side of First Street half a block south of Becher? It belongs to Midwest Computer Recyclers. Individuals—not a business with a pick-up full of equipment—may drop off computers and other electronic equipment including VCRs, stereos, radios, and telephones, etc. There’s no fee. Midwest’s website states they break down the equipment they collect into recyclable components and sell what they can; the rest is disposed of in accordance with state and federal laws. Another option is to take your PC to the waste disposal site, known as the Self Help Station, at 3879 W. Lincoln Ave. This facility is for city residents only. (Prepare to be stopped at the entrance to prove your residency with your driver’s license.) Rick Meyers, the city of Milwaukee’s recycling manager, said the city recycles computer equipment received at the Self Help Station. It is processed at Cascade Asset Management in Madison. Cascade looks for “anything that is of resale value” and resells it. Of the “demanufactured components,” Myers said, Cascade recycles “well over 99 percent.” Responsibly dispose of your own equipment, but why not be truly virtuous? Take a moment to pick up a PC left at the curb and take it to First Street booth or to the Lincoln facility. Each time you make the effort there will be one less PC leaking chromium and lead and mercury into the earth and water.

HALL MONITOR

Trowbridge on MPS chopping block By Jay Bullock

arents at Trowbridge Street School got more than they expected at a recent parent meeting: principal Ella Hayes explained why the school just might disappear.

Electronics drop-off booth in Bay View on the east side of First Street half a block south of Becher. ~photo Katherine Keller

A few options close to Bay View Independence First This nonprofit’s staff of volunteers builds PC systems from donated units for people with disabilities who qualify according to income and disability. They Accept: Pentium II or faster desktop systems with min. 64 RAM and 10 gig hard drives, with or without peripherals or modem. Prefer color displays. They accept Macs but they pass them to the nonprofit, Tech Transfer, in Chicago. How to Donate: Call (414) 291-7520 and ask for Tom Uyehara (yu-hara) to arrange drop-off at their location, 600 W. Virginia St. Midwest Computer Recyclers Drop-Off Booth 2172 S. First St. (414) 541-1716 They Accept: Household electronics (see above).Business with more than one PC should contact Midwest. Fees apply. New Horizons Un-Limited This nonprofit refurbishes PCs and Macs to get people with disabilities online. Equipment they cannot refurbish is passed to local metal and computer recyclers. How to Donate: Make an appointment to drop equipment by calling (414) 299-0124. They Accept: G4 or higher Macs; Pentium III or higher PCs. Self-Help Center, City of Milwaukee Sanitation Dept.

Closing and changing schools are the new reality of the Milwaukee Public Schools. MPS brags about its more than 200 different programs for parents to choose from, but you don’t get that many programs by maintaining some quaint status quo. The charters, K-8s, 6-12s, multiplexes, and partnership schools are constantly replacing the old, familiar models. If Trowbridge disappears, there will be no replacement. At best, K-8 Trowbridge might merge with Dover Street School— just across KK and several blocks north geographically, but worlds apart in educational philosophy. Dover students learn to read through phonics-only Direct Instruction, for one thing; for another, Dover doesn’t offer middle school grades. Dover’s principal, Jackie Laber, first proposed a merger five years ago, to save costs. Trowbridge staff rejected the idea then, citing that difference in philosophy. If Trowbridge disappears, there will be no replacement. At best, Trowbridge might merge with Dover Street School—just across KK and several blocks north geographically, but worlds apart in educational philosophy. According to Laber, Dover parents “know there are not enough kids in the neighborhood to support two schools,” and have reacted favorably to the merger idea. Trowbridge parents, though, are wary, with many upset after the March meeting with Hayes. PTA President Linda Denison called the possible closing of Trowbridge unfortunate, citing everything from the loss of diversity and innovative reading programs to the building itself— wood floors, new playgrounds, and historic character. One advantage to merging, Laber noted, is returning specialty teachers lost due to low enrollment and budget cuts at both

Low enrollment was just one reason Trowbridge was the top south side school in last fall’s round of “Right Sizing,” the process MPS uses to identify excess capacity. Also damning is its historic character. Repairs and improvements are more costly because it’s a landmark building. Laber was quick to point out that Dover was the next south side school on that same list. On the day I spoke to her, Laber and Hayes were meeting with Superintendent Andrekopoulos about their options, though Hayes insisted “nothing is etched in stone yet.” This would not be MPS’s ﬁrst merger. The new Carver K-8 and Fletcher Elementary schools are the result of similar mergers. MPS Director of Finance Michelle Nate explained that savings from a merger get reinvested in the new merged school for three years, resulting in annual boosts for Carver and Fletcher of $196,000 and $139,000 respectively. Nate cautioned that mergers, if they happen, require time and feedback from parents and community, as well as approval of the administration and Board of School Directors. Denison told me some Trowbridge parents aren’t waiting for that process, though, signing their children up for Burdick, IDEAL, or other nearby schools. Denison said she was not likely to send her child to Dover, either. “But,” she added, “I hope the Trowbridge traditions can continue if a merger happens.” The next parent meeting at Trowbridge is April 17, from 5:30 to 6:30pm. Jay Bullock is a Milwaukee Public Schools English teacher at Madison High School with a blog at folkbum.com. Got questions, suggestions, or tips? Contact him at mpshallmonitor@gmail.com.

3879 W. Lincoln Ave. (414) 286-3737 Mon.-Sat. 7am-7pm Sun. 7am-3pm W.E. C.A.N. Wisconsin Exceptional Children Advocacy Network is a network of parents, professionals, and volunteers who advocate for and support children who need special or modiﬁed services to thrive in school. They donate computers to children who don’t have one in their home. (414) 342-4375.

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schools. Both Hayes and Denison recognize that Trowbridge is well under capacity, perhaps because many neighborhood parents choose charter schools or programs like Fernwood Montessori. Despite recruitment attempts all over Bay View, the school is not attracting new parents.

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Making cable competitive, aﬀordable S TATE S ENATOR P LALE

competition for their cable television dollar. In addition, cities like ours will reap the rewards of millions of dollars in new investment and job creation by new video service providers.

by Jeff Pale

ver the course of the last decade Wisconsin consumers have seen a dramatic increase in their cable television rate. That is due in large part to a lack of competition in that market. Since the early days of cable TV, cable companies have operated in a near monopoly created by the municipal franchise system. Currently, when a cable company wants to offer services to residents of a given community, it must negotiate a franchise agreement with that community. It is a slow, arduous process and the nature of the agreement makes it nearly impossible for more than one service provider to do business in any community. As a result, consumers must take what’s offered to them by the current cable company or turn to the unreliable, totally unregulated satellite TV market. This process is outdated and unnecessary. Wisconsin consumers deserve better. In an effort to offer Wisconsin families real choices, I have introduced Senate Bill 107, the Video Competition Act.

This legislation will allow new video service providers eﬃcient entry into the television market by creating one statewide franchise system. A company interested in developing and deploying a new service will only have to meet the terms the state of Wisconsin requires. Since it eliminates the lengthy municipal process, Wisconsin consumers, especially in urban areas like Milwaukee, will enjoy the beneﬁts of real

Since the early days of cable TV, cable companies have operated in a near monopoly created by the municipal franchise system. It is a slow, arduous process and the nature of the agreement makes it nearly impossible for more than one service provider to do business in any community. While this legislation dramatically decreases the bureaucratic red tape involved in the municipal process, it maintains several significant benefits for Wisconsin municipalities. Cities, towns, and villages will still receive a franchise fee from video service providers who serve their residents. In fact they will still receive a full 5 percent of each provider’s gross revenues in that community. Local government will be able to control the placement of new equipment those companies need to offer service. Lastly, the new statewide system will maintain the channel space needed to offer public access, education and government channels. This legislation will also contain an amendment that will require explicit customer service guarantees and remedies for consumers who experience difficulty with their providers. Too often technology advances in leaps and bounds and public policy crawls behind. With all the options we have seen for phone and internet service it should be no surprise that there are new options for cable and video service as well. It would be a shame if consumers were unable to realize the lower prices and enhanced service available to them because it got caught up in a monotonous and unnecessary townby-town franchising process. Once the state Legislature passes the Video Competition Act and it is signed by Governor Doyle, Milwaukee households will have new options, better service and lower prices. Finally, the law will start to catch up with the marketplace. If you would like further information on SB 107, please don’t hesitate to contact my office. I look forward to your feedback on this momentous legislation. Regards, Jeff Plale 7th State Senate District Jeff Plale is the state senator for Wisconsin’s 7th state Senate District, which spans from Milwaukee’s East Side to Oak Creek, including downtown, the Third Ward, Bay View, St. Francis, Cudahy, and South Milwaukee. He can be reached at (800) 361-5487 or sen.plale@legis.wisconsin.gov.

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Parks district could save county parks R EPRESENTATIVE S INICKI by Chris Sinicki

or a number of years now, a group of Milwaukee area citizens who love urban parks, including south siders, have called for a return to citizen governance of our county parks. I and other state legislators from Milwaukee County have been approached about this proposed public policy change by members of the area chapter of the Park People, which supports and advocates for the health of municipal parks. As a result of their advocacy, state legislation is now being introduced for the third legislative session that would allow, but not mandate, local governments to transfer management of their parks to a separate parks district. In Milwaukee County, operation by such a standalone district would be a return to the citizen oversight that ended in 1981. In that year, 26 years ago, the county executive took over duties from the citizens’ Park Commission, including appointing the parks director.

The proposed legislation makes it possible for park districts to be created in Wisconsin; it does not mandate them. They would not be able to levy taxes any greater than the municipality that previously ran the parks. And the prior owner would be mandated to decrease its tax levy by the amount it previously budgeted for the parks. However, since the county’s assumption of total parks management, it has been unable to increase the park system’s operating budget. In fact, in 2000, the parks section of the county budget actually amounted to less than it did 20 years earlier (1980: $38.2 million vs. 2000: $37.6 million). Over those years the parks have also seen a steady decrease in staff, resources for staff, visitor services, access, and usability. Examples include lifeguards being removed from all south shore beaches, sporadic weed removal, and decreased hours at county pools. These days, it’s not unusual to find some parks are uninviting because of lack of basic up-keep and problems like Canada geese and invasive species. The proposed state legislation has been refined over two prior sessions of debate. It takes as its models similar laws in other states. It makes it possible for such districts to be created in Wisconsin; it does not mandate them. If separate parks districts are created they would not be able to levy taxes any greater than the municipality that previously ran them. And the prior owner would be mandated to decrease its tax levy by the amount it previously budgeted for the parks. All parks staff would become employees of the new districts, with labor agreements and future rights to organize intact. Municipalities could transfer their parks to a new district by resolution or by citizen referendum. The new district commissioners would be elected, work part-time and without pay, meet at night, and be held accountable to the public for how well the parks are run. And, the new district

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budgets would be protected from the ﬁscal needs of other municipal programs. Standalone parks districts have existed for some time in Illinois and Minnesota, and produce thriving park systems. The proposal has sparked some controversy here primarily among those who hold the powers of the County Board dear, and who, I believe, fear change will bring a worse outcome. I ask those people, show me a better idea. Call me, write to me, email me your ideas about ways we can bring back our county park system to the quality of two and a half decades ago. Chris Sinicki is the state representative for Wisconsin’s 20th state Assembly District, which includes southern Bay View, St. Francis, Cudahy, the airport, and other parts of the near south side. She can be reached at (888) 534-0020 or rep.sinicki@legis.wisconsin.gov.

Framing the complex public safety discussion A LDERMAN Z IELINSKI by Tony Zielinski

n order to successfully address public safety issues there must be a comprehensive attack on all fronts from prevention to accountability. First, prevention begins in the home with youth ideally being brought up with morals, values, and principles. This is accomplished through responsible parenting. Next, education is key in order to provide a positive outlet and direction for the excessive energy of youth. Youth investing signiﬁcant time in getting a good education have healthy and positive goals to strive for. Those youth need not rely on gangs and other conduct detrimental to society. This is accomplished by providing an educational environment that is safe, conducive to learning, and intellectually demanding. Lastly, government needs to provide them economic opportunities through familysupporting jobs in the private sector. These jobs are often attained by those individuals with the training and education in ﬁelds such as the trades and technology.

The sweat-free purchasing ordinance will not only help prevent the exploitation of workers but also will allow the U.S. to be more competitive in the global marketplace and thus help retain jobs here. Unfortunately, there are some individuals, who, no matter what their environment is like, still have a penchant for criminal activity. Thus, swift and sure police action followed by strong criminal sentencing guidelines is necessary to protect society. To encourage better parenting, I cosponsored a “Parental Responsibility Ordinance” that cites parents when their children are found guilty of two ordinance violations within six months or three violations within a year. This will not solve the entire problem, but it is a small step in a whole series of steps that government on all levels needs to promote. In order to create a better linkage between education and employment, I have been working on an apprenticeship pro-

April 2007

gram at Bay View High School for welding and nursing. Both of these fields are experiencing severe worker shortages and they also provide more than family-supporting wages. I also strongly supported getting Milwaukee police officers into schools. This helps with school safety, but the primary statutory authority to provide safe and intellectually demanding schools rests with the school board. As far as government ensuring and providing family-supporting jobs, I am working on a sweat-free purchasing ordinance that will level the playing field with countries paying their workers less than poverty-level wages. That is, the city will require that its purchases come from places meeting certain fair wage standards. This will not only help prevent the exploitation of workers but also will allow the U.S. to be more competitive in the global marketplace and thus help retain jobs here. Meanwhile, I have led the charge for more police and I will continue this fight so we can better hold lawbreakers more accountable. But tougher laws need to be passed on the state and federal levels so criminals know crime will not pay. Another proven way the city deals with problem properties and fights crime is using the “Nuisance Abatement Ordinance.” If there are three police calls about a property within 30 days, then the property owner gets a letter from the captain of the police district stating that the owner’s property is in danger of being designated a nuisance property and therefore the owner will be billed for every police call thereafter. Tony Zielinski is the city’s alderman for District 14, which includes Bay View. He can be reached at tzieli@milwaukee.gov or (414) 286-3769.

Milwaukee Public Museum in jeopardy S UPERVISOR D IMITRIJEVIC

In my opinion, this is a clear example of a privatization effort that went bad. There was a lack of accountability to the taxpayers by the private firm that was supposed to be managing the public museum. In my opinion, this is a clear example of a privatization effort that went bad. There was a lack of accountability to the taxpayers by the private firm that was supposed to be managing the public museum. We are now left with some difficult policy decisions, and I want to assure the residents of the 4th District that my goal is to gain financial stability for the Milwaukee Public Museum in order to preserve this cultural institution and educational resource for future generations to enjoy. Marina Dimitrijevic is the county’s supervisor of District 4, which includes Bay View. She can be reached at mdimitrijevic@milwcnty. com or (414) 278-4232.

How to reduce neighborhood crime R EPRESENTATIVE R ICHARDS

the manpower it needs to do its job. This proposed state budget includes important dollars from the state that Milwaukee and other communities can use to fund vital police services. I will work to keep these important dollars in the budget as it moves through the legislature in the coming months. Third, we must rein in the availability of handguns. Right now a person who buys a gun at a store, and is required to clear a criminal background check, can walk out to that store’s parking lot 10 minutes later and sell that gun to someone else. This second person is not required to pass any kind of background check at all. That means a person who has a record of violent crime can easily get a gun in Wisconsin. We must stop this. I am currently working on legislation to close this loophole to make our streets safer.

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Fourth, we must get a handle on truancy—the gateway to youth getting caught in a life of crime. Too often, a child and their parents suffer no serious consequences if a child is truant. We must enact tough, new truancy procedures to rein in this problem in Milwaukee. I am also working with local leaders to find solutions to this problem. The fifth step is communication. I am holding a town hall meeting on the state budget at the Bay View Library Monday, April 16 from 5:30 to 7:30pm. I look forward to talking with you in general about the state budget, but I would also like to hear your views and your ideas on ways we can make Bay View safer. Your involvement and your input helps me do my job. I hope to see you April 16. Jon Richards is the state representative for Wisconsin’s 19th state Assembly District, which includes Bay View, the Third Ward, eastern downtown, and the East Side. He can be reached at (888) 534-0019 or rep. richards@legis.wisconsin.gov.

Advertise on a Bay View Compass newspaper rack that will be located in a high-trafﬁc supermarket. Simple and inexpensive! Call for more information.

(414) 489-0880.

by Jon Richards

by Marina Dimitrijevic

he future of our world-renowned Milwaukee Public Museum is in jeopardy.

As you may know, Milwaukee County owns the land, the building, and all artifacts in the Milwaukee Public Museum. The museum is operated, however, by a private, nonprofit board. In 2005, Milwaukee County was notified of the major fiscal problem the museum was having under this private leadership. As a result, Milwaukee County stepped up and guaranteed a $6 million loan to the museum, in addition to the annual budget support of $3.3 million. Also, Milwaukee County performed an audit, the union employees gave up over $3 million in wages and benefits, and a Museum Recovery Committee and Oversight Committee were commissioned to respectively negotiate a financial recovery plan and oversee the $6 million loan. Since then, the former chief financial officer has been criminally charged by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office and this case is pending. Due to lower-than-expected attendance, fundraising, and various other obligations, the museum is once again at a critical point and forced to make some tough fi-

nancial decisions. One option that is being considered, which most would like to avoid, is bankruptcy. This option could result in a major reorganization and a possible Milwaukee County takeover to avoid closing the doors for good. The museum is unable to pay its debt and is working with Milwaukee County on a comprehensive plan that includes a slightly higher county budget commitment, a new fundraising plan, and lastly debt restructuring with the banks to reduce the interest and loan payments.

he string of armed robberies in Bay View in the past few months was appalling. The Milwaukee Police Department did a commendable job of tracking down and catching the circle of thugs committing these crimes, and they deserve our thanks. But even though the criminals have been caught, we must continue to work together and take new steps necessary to tackle future crimes in Bay View and Milwaukee.

The ﬁrst and most important step in reducing crime is citizens being engaged— willing to organize block watches, come forward as witnesses, quickly report crime, and cooperate with the police. Bay View is blessed with countless people who already do all of these things regularly. On a cold, rainy night in early March, several of us gathered at Bella’s Fat Cat on Kinnickinnic Avenue and walked the street to keep an eye on things. That kind of care for a community is inspiring and something we need more of.

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We must rein in the availability of handguns. Right now a person who buys a gun at a store, and is required to clear a criminal background check, can walk out to that store’s parking lot 10 minutes later and sell that gun to someone else.

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Second, we must ensure that our police department has the resources and

Volume 4 • Issue 4

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

April 2007

Local author honors local architect who contributed to city’s sense of place A God Given Talent: Peter J. Brust, Architect, His Work and Legacy, 1906-2006 By Anna Passante ElexDay Publications, 2006

By Paul Jakubovich

nna Passante has turned out one of the best books yet about how architecture has helped to shape the city and state we live in today with her remarkably detailed account of the life and work of Bay View-born architect Peter Brust (1869-1946). It is likely the most extensive work ever published solely about a Milwaukee architect. Brust is effectively propelled back onto a list of “who-was-who” in Milwaukee, as he is credited with designing or assisting with some of the city’s most cherished structures that contribute to Milwaukee’s unique sense of place. Passante’s profusely illustrated book takes us back to the golden age of Milwaukee architecture more than a century ago when Brust began his career working as an apprentice in the offices of prominent Milwaukee architects before he established his own private practice in 1906. Brust was fortunate to train with the best and brightest firms of his day including George Bowman Ferry and Alfred Clas, who designed the Pabst Mansion in 1893 at 2000 W. Wisconsin Ave. and the Milwaukee Public Library in 1895 at 814 W. Wisconsin Ave. It is likely that Brust had a hand in working on the designs of both landmark buildings. When he established his own practice along with partner Richard Philipp, Brust had a full range of experience working on the designs of houses, churches, and commercial build-

ings. Together the men built one of the biggest architectural firms in the state and their work was often in the national spotlight. Highlights of their design work over the next two decades include the impeccable English Cotswold style house begun in 1922 for dairy owner William Luick at 2602 N. Wahl Ave. This must-see stone house with its graduated slate roof is regarded by some architectural historians as one of the finest of its kind to be found in America. Perhaps the crowning glory of their church work is the St. Joseph Convent Chapel, built in 1917 at 1501 S. Layton Blvd., which was featured in American Architect magazine when it was finished. They also designed most of the Village of Kohler, Wis., which ranks as one the most significant experiments in city planning of its day. Kohler is now a national landmark district and the subject of continued study by contemporary architects and historians. Not all Brust and Philipp designed buildings have survived, and it is sad to see that Milwaukee lost the original Mitchell Park Boat House, but it should also help compel us to preserve the city’s remaining architectural legacy. Brust’s talent has been honored with what is likely the most complete biography of any Milwaukee architect. Thanks to Passante’s thorough research we are better connected with the man behind the buildings and the human element that is present in good design. Ultimately the best architecture has a timeless quality and that is why Brust’s buildings continue to enrich our lives today. Jakubovich is a city of Milwaukee historic preservation planner. His opinions are not necessarily those of the city of Milwaukee.

Wrestlers excel at Cudahy tournament The Cudahy Dragons Youth Wrestling Club hosted a kindergarten through eighth grade wrestling tournament at Cudahy High School April 1. About 100 boys and a couple girls turned out for the meet. In addition to many local athletes from South Milwaukee, Cudahy, Bay View, St. Francis, and Milwaukee, the meet also attracted athletes and their parents from as far north as Hartford, Wis., as far west as Janesville, Wis., and as far south as Zion, Ill. Cudahy Dragons Youth Wrestling Tournament Results Wrestlers were divided into four-person groups based on their age and their weight. Below are the ﬁrst place winners for each group within each class. Kindergarten

43 lbs. Parker Bevilacqua, Cudahy Dragons

1st-2nd grade 46 lbs. 49 lbs. 54 lbs. 59 lbs. 69 lbs.

Mitchell Landgraf, South Milwaukee Rockets Jaziah Hubbert, South Milwaukee Rockets Noah Acevedo, Milwaukee All-Stars Jacob Rashka, Pewaukee Pirates Conner Goodman, Pewaukee Pirates

3rd-4th grade 57 lbs. 61 lbs. 64 lbs. 67 lbs. 77 lbs.

Tyus White, West Allis-West Milwaukee Terr White, West Allis-West Milwaukee Zachary Miller, Milwaukee All-Stars J.J. Wolfe, Panthers Wrestling Club Brandon Driessen, West Allis-West Milwaukee

90 lbs. John Proschinske, Eagle 98 lbs. Jerin Frey, Team Excel 133 lbs. Nicholas Gottfried, Oak Creek

5th-6th grade 65 lbs. 68 lbs. 83 lbs. 112 lbs.

Rob Anheier, Port Washington Piranhas Zachary Cruz, Mukwonago Elijah Rosado, Port Washington Piranhas Kevin Wesley

7th-8th grade 95 lbs. 111 lbs. 115 lbs. 130 lbs. 154 lbs. 158 lbs.

Sam Kortes, Ringers Elite Club (Franklin) Jordan Freyer, South Milwaukee Rockets Tyler Symoens, Kenosha Taylor Frane, Lisbon Brett Hochstaetter, South Milwaukee Rockets Eric Magerowski, Franklin

Classiﬁed Ad Order Form DEADLINE: First Friday of the Month for the Issue that You Want Ad to Run (We publish on the 15th of each month.) RATE & Payment: 50 cents per word; PAYMENT: Your payment must accompany ad. (More info below.) YOUR CONTACT INFO:

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Volume 4 • Issue 4

April 15 Independent America, 1pm (81 min.) in the Outpost Bay View Community Room, 2826 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Documentary about two journalists searching America for independent businesses. Free. April 16 Town hall meeting on the state budget, safety with Rep. Jon Richards, 5:30-7:30pm, Bay View Library, 2566 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. April 17 Parent meeting at Trowbridge Elementary School, 5:30 to 6:30pm. Love and Logic Parent, Humboldt Park School, 5:30-7:15pm. $10 fee covers parent handbook and materials. Free childcare avail. Open to anyone in community. Pre-registration requested. Interested parents/grandparents/ teachers: contact Mary Bergeson, 294-1725. April 18 Bay View Community Partnership meets at 4pm, BVHS, 2751 S. Lenox St. Discuss how to improve local public education, ﬁght truancy, help students.

May 4 Board of Harbor Commissioners meeting, public, 8am, 2323 S. Lincoln Memorial Dr. May 5 Starﬁsh Walk. Three-mile charity walk begins at Cudahy’s Changing Lives Assembly of God, 4970 S. Swift Ave., and goes through Warnimont Park. Registration is 9am; walk starts at 9:45am. Donations will send 30 foster care children to Royal Family Kids’ Camp this summer. More info: cudahy. rfkc.org. Artists and IN:SITE members lead walking tours of the Bay View temporary art installations along KK. Forum on public art 2pm, 2219 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

Chicago’s Bruce Olds reads from The Moments Lost, novel of early 20th century journalist in midst of labor struggles. 7pm, Bay View Schwartz, 2262 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

May 6 121st Commemoration of Bay View Tragedy, 3pm, Rolling Mill Historical Marker Site, S. Superior St. and E. Russell Ave. Event commemorates May 5, 1886 deaths of at least seven persons by the state militia during a march on behalf of the eight-hour-day. Info: Ken Germanson, Wisconsin Labor History Society, (414) 687-6954.

April 19 Bay View Historical Society lecture and slide show on Milwaukee architect Peter Brust and his work, 7pm, $5, 2590 S. Superior St. Reservations: (414) 483-8881.

May 19 Historic Milwaukee, Inc. Spaces & Traces tour 9am to 5pm. This year’s tour focuses on Bay View. For more information call (414) 277-7795.

April 20 Terry Falk to take oath for District 8 school board seat, 10am, BVHS, 2751 S. Lenox St. The Future of Food, 7pm (88 min.) in the Outpost Bay View Community Room, 2826 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. An in-depth look into genetically modiﬁed food and corporations that seek to control the world’s food system. Free. April 21 Kinnickinnic River cleanup. Meet 9am at UMOS parking lot, 2701 S. Chase Ave. Oak Creek watercourse cleanup, 8am to noon. Meet in South Milwaukee High School parking lot, 805 15th Ave. (NE). Safety vests, bags, water, vinyl gloves, lunch provided by Friends of the Mill Pond & Oak Creek Watercourse, Inc. Bring boots, enthusiasm.

CLASSIFIEDS MASON Becchetti Concrete & Masonry StepsSidewalks-Patios-Driveways. New & Replaced. Tuckpointing & Brick Repair. Retaining walls, etc. ALL TYPES of CONSTRUCTION & RESTORATION. Chris: (414) 481-9373.

BEAUTY Sharon’s Salon Services In-home Hair Care. (414) 483-4420 (414) 483-2496

PLANTS FOR SALE HOSTAS. You dig. $5-$10. (414) 483-2496

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April 22 An Inconvenient Truth, 1:30pm (100 min.) in the Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse, 6823 W. North Ave. Al Gore’s Oscar-winning documentary of global warming. Free.

Compass classiﬁeds are inexpensive and in print/circulation 4 weeks. Use classiﬁed form on this page. We distribute 13,000 copies including our racks in area grocery stores. Only 50 cents a word.

April 23 Neighborhoods visual preference survey, 3:30-5:30pm or 5:30-7pm. Robert Anderson Municipal Bldg., 4001 S. Sixth St. Your participation is invited in a survey to inform the city of Milwaukee Southeast Side Area Plan, part of city’s comprehensive plan. See also related market study: www.mkedcd.org/planning/plans/Southeast.

ROOMS FOR RENT

April 24 Love and Logic Parent, Humboldt Park School, 5:30-7:15pm. $10 fee covers parent handbook and materials. Free childcare avail. Open to anyone in community. Pre-registration requested. Interested parents/grandparents/ teachers: contact Mary Bergeson, 294-1725. April 26 Great Lakes WATER Institute scientists Carmen Aguilar and Russell Cuhel will bring live zebra and quagga mussels to the hands-on annual Earth Day celebration at South Shore Park. Students will learn about invasive species, and ﬁnd out how scientists study Lake Michigan.

Walker’s Point Mansion -✰✰✰✰✰5-Star Rating. Extra Clean, Quiet, Furnished. Shared Kitchen. $63 & Up/Week. (414) 384-2428.

ADVERTISE HERE Compass classiﬁeds are inexpensive and in print/circulation 4 weeks. Use classiﬁed form on this page. We distribute 13,000 copies including our racks in area grocery stores. Only 50 cents a word.

$ CLUB Interested in learning about stocks and having some fun? SOUTH SHORE SPECULATORS INVESTMENT CLUB meets at 6:30pm on March 26 and April 23 at Bella’s Fat Cat 2737 S. KK Avenue. Call (414) 817-1450.

SUBSCRIBE Support an independent newspaper— subscribe to it. First Class delivery: the best way to get the Compass and good way to SUPPORT the Compass. Find the subscription form on page 2. We accept Visa, and Mastercard.

April 28 Neighborhood cleanup, 9am to 1pm. Meet in Immaculate Conception Church parking lot, 1023 E. Russell Ave. Coffee, lunch, bags, and gloves provided by BVNA and Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful.

2) Calculate Cost: Number of words x $.50 x Number of Months ad will run. EXAMPLE: 20 words x $.50 per word x 3 months: 20 x $.50 (=$10) x 3 = $30 total. 3) Circle months below that you wish your ad to run in Bay View Compass: JAN

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April 27 My Father’s Garden, 7pm (56 min.) in the Urban Ecology Center, 1500 E. Park Pl. Documentary about the technology on the American farm. Free.

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May 1 Love and Logic Parent, Humboldt Park School, 5:30-7:15pm. $10 fee covers parent handbook and materials. Free childcare avail. Open to anyone in community. Preregistration requested. Interested parents/ grandparents/ teachers: contact Mary Bergeson, 294-1725.

April 29 50th anniversary service and luncheon. Lutheran Chapel of the Cross, 3353 S. Whitnall Ave.

T H E B AY V I E W C O M P A S S

SEE YOU NEXT MONTH April 2007

Every day is Earth Day for artist Ringo White

By Jimmy von Milwaukee y first memories of Milwaukee artist Mike “Ringo” White are seeing him down at Bradford Beach in the 70s along with that other Milwaukee beach boy icon, sun worshiper Dick Bacon. (May he rest in peace in sunbathing heaven.) Since then Ringo has developed into one of Milwaukee’s more renowned outsider artists, known for his assemblages and sculptures made of recycled litter.

he works with trash that he finds on the beach, then glues all the pieces on a board and frames it. He uses shiny gloss medium and dull matte medium over some of his work, finding that shiny gloss medium helps bind the objects together. His art studio houses the refuse he finds, sorted into jars and pails. One pail is full of fishing lures. There are red and white bobbers in another. His works are modest in size but not in their conceptual content. Going outside, being in nature, and going to art shows inspire him, Ringo said. His imagination is unbounded, as are the endless color combinations in Ringo’s recycled works.

His work incorporates and is drawn from the wealth of junk he picks up on the shore in Bay View. He uses the colored plastic bottle caps, hair barrettes, shards of glass, cigarette lighters, pens, pencils, straws, and other detritus that floats or blows onto the shore in his two- and three-dimensional works. Ringo also incorporates nature’s discarded objects—like pinecones, wasp nests, shells, and trilobites—into his assemblages.

I consider some his work sculpture because he incorporates found-object elements like the Dadaists before him. “I find most of my objects in Bay View on both sides of Texas Rock, from the South Shore Yacht Club beach, south, all the way down to St. Francis,” he said. “Those are some of my best spots where I find the plastic caps, colored glass, and rocks. Just about everything I need is there.”

There is a playful and childlike quality to his art that reminds me of something Picasso said—“It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child.” At times his work can get pretty campy, reminiscent of another Wisconsin icon, Liberace. Some of Ringo’s collages are made out of rhinestones, glitter, and little girl’s barrettes in pinks, yellows, and purples. Some of these pieces combine Las Vegas glitz with Paris haute couture, with titles like Observer of Planetary Winds or The Power of Three.

Ringo is self-taught. “[My work] started as an experiment. I’d find all these different colored pieces [of] glass and stuff on the beach and all this junk [lying] around and I decided to make artwork out of it! I was really inspired to do this by Milwaukee poet and artist Bob Watt, who made art out of paintings that people threw out. He’d also make these totem poles and Indian mummies out of found garbage. So Bob Watt inspired me to make recycled art,” he said.

I asked him what he thinks about all the litter that people create. He said, “What turns me off is when I go to Florida and hear about the manatees, sea turtles, and birds that swallow the bottle caps and cigarette lighters and die.”

Where Watt’s work is often based on American Indian art and is representational, Ringo’s work is abstract and nonrepresentational. Instead of paint,

Ringo’s work can be seen on the cover of a who’s who book about Wisconsin artists called Miracles of the Spirit: Folk, Art, and Stories from Wisconsin (authors Don Krug and Ann Parker) published by the University Press of Mississippi in

~All photos by jw lawson, except artwork in green frame, which was photographed by Jimmy von Milwaukee October 2005. Ringo’s work is featured along with his mentor Bob Watt, who is also prominently featured. Jimmy von Milwaukee is an artist, former Bay View resident, world traveler, and proprietor of River Rat Gallery. He has exhibited Ringo’s work at River Rat and at his former gallery, Leo Feldman. He still misses his favorite neighbor of all time, Audrey, and her cat, Shadow, on Mabbett Avenue.

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