July Tidbits: Road Construction, Police Consolidation

ROAD CONSTRUCTION

A road-construction note: Last year, Whitefish Bay endured a few months of having Lake Drive detoured during construction season.   North/South traffic was a mess, and we received many complaints. 

This year, we have construction in a different location on Lake, but fortunately engineered it to allow traffic to remain. I know the two narrow lanes are not fun during rush hour, but it's far better than the alternative.

Bad news: Starting on Monday, Lake will again be detoured, starting at Hampton, to Marlborough, back on to Lake at Silver Spring.

Good news: The detour is scheduled to last only four days, Monday-Thursday.

NEW EMPLOYEES

After losing our longtime clerk and an intern, we'll have some new fresh faces at Village Hall in the next few weeks.  Taking their place is new Deputy Clerk Heather Miller, a recent UWM grad, and a new intern, Mike Cherubini, who has his undergrad from Notre Dame, and a graduate degree in urban planning from UW-Milwaukee.

POLICE CONSOLIDATION

I wanted to comment on this article. In it, Shorewood's chief of police explained that a consolidation with Whitefish Bay's Police Department would save money each year, but the article contained this quote:

Banaszynski said talks with Whitefish Bay have stalled because Whitefish Bay officials are worried about losing local control over their police department.

This is false, and in a follow up email with Chief Banaszynski forwarded to Whitefish Bay Trustees, he said: "I did not say that. One commissioner asked what I believed was the biggest hurdle and I said that in any consolidation the perceived loss of local control and local identity."

Back in February, Chief Banaszynski kicked off these consolidation talks and, speaking for myself, I was and am interested in the possibilities. 

At the moment, with a Health Department consolidation and Dispatch consolidation, not to mention an election and a new Village Manager selection, sewers issues and extra budget work being needed, the plate has been pretty full these past few months.

Truth is, with North Shore Fire, Dispatch, shared Health Departments, North Shore Water, sharing DPW equipment, and a host of other smaller agreements, the North Shore communities are often seen as leaders in the consolidation movement. I think these agreements get made because of the very fact that our communities and leaders ARE open to a "greater good" and cost savings, instead of protecting their fiefdoms, as we're all comfortable with our village identities. 

SEWER PRESENTATION

Mark August 22nd on your calendar for a presentation on our sewer system and flooding issues.  Our consultants, Donohue & Associates, will be on hand to present their findings and solutions. Part of the meeting will be the typical PowerPoint slide presentation, but they will then break out into smaller rooms/groups for further discussions. 

The exact time and venue has yet to be determined. We'll prepare for a large crowd of interested Villagers.