Alderman Kovac - 3rd District

Joel Van Haren of WUWM's Lake Effect produced this interview with Milwaukee 3rd district Alderman Nik Kovac on East Newberry Boulevard. The boulevard between Lake and Riverside parks was named one of the “10 Great Streets for 2009” by the American Planning Association.

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  District 3 Neighborhood Associations   |   286-CITY... One Call, That's All   |   Call For Action: Governmental Phone Directory

“Solar Riverwest” Group Purchase Program Information Sessions 

Home and business owners in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood have an opportunity to take advantage of record low solar pricing through a new, limited-time solar group purchase program. "Solar Riverwest is" being led by the Riverwest Cooperative Alliance, with support from the City of Milwaukee’s solar program, Milwaukee Shines, and the Midwest Renewable Energy Association (MREA). The program will make it easier and more affordable for residents to add solar to their home or business.

Residents of the entire city are invited to learn how to take advantage by attending one of the spring educational sessions:
 - Thursday May 9--6:00 p.m. at Pink House, 608 E. Wright St.
 - Wednesday May 22--6:00 p.m. at Jazz Gallery, 926 E. Center St.

Milwaukee Small Business Week - May 20-23 Small business is the engine that drives the American economy and the economy of the City of Milwaukee. Join us as we celebrate National Small Business Week in Milwaukee: Monday, May 20 - National Small Business Week Kick-off, News Conference and Reception Tuesday, May 21 - Milwaukee Small Business Conference Thursday, May 23 - Thinking Outside the Box: Creative Funding Options for Small Businesses Learn more about the events & register online  Download flyer

East Library Will Relocate to Temporary Facility This Summer  - Library Will Use Temporary Site During Construction of East Branch

Milwaukee Public Library’s (MPL) East Library will be relocated during the construction phase of the new East Branch at 1910 E. North Ave. The library will move to a temporary site located at 2430 N. Murray Ave. this summer. The temporary site will include: onsite parking, ADA accessibility, laptop computers, a collection of popular materials for check-out, hold pick-ups and an external book drop. There will be limited service interruptions during the move. Dates for closure of the current library site and opening of the temporary site will be announced later this spring.

East Branch is part of a multi-use development featuring 99 apartments, a 16,000 square-foot library and retail space on the first floor and underground and surface parking. The new branch will have dedicated surface parking. The development project, headed by HSI Properties LLC, is targeted for completion in late 2014. The architectural firm Hammel Green & Abrahamson Inc. (HGA) was selected by the Board of Trustees to design the new library space.

“Since the beginning, we have committed to making this an open and informed process by gathering public input,” said Library Board Trustee and Alderman Nik Kovac. “We want residents to feel a sense of ownership and pride that translates to greater use of their new library.”

Project Clean & Green

The citywide spring clean up program starts April 15 and ends June 4. This is your opportunity to throw out excess trash and debris at no extra cost. To learn more, visit the DPW Project Clean and Green webpage. You can also enter your home address to find out when PCG is scheduled for your block/street/neighborhood.

If a neighborhood organization wants to schedule a group clean-up, please contact Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful or call (414) 272-5462 for clean-up bags, gloves, or to borrow a limited number of clean-up tools, such as rakes, shovels, and brooms.

Humboldt Apartments coming to Riverwest

View the proposed plan for 31-unit Humboldt Apartments at 2650 N. Humboldt Blvd.

Call For Action – Governmental Phone Directory

This PDF printable version is arranged alphabetically by specific topics and problems, and it provides phone numbers and web addresses to help you reach the people who perform hundreds of services in city government. The back pages also include county, state, and federal phone numbers, and additional numbers and web addresses of other frequently requested, non-government services and organizations.

The City of Milwaukee takes pride in its reputation of providing efficient, high quality, responsive, and cost-effective services to
residents and businesses. The Call for Action booklet is well organized and can quickly connect you to the services and information you need.

A limited number of booklets can be obtained by contacting my assistant at 286-3447.

An online version of the Call for Action is also available at www.city.milwaukee.gov/callforaction

DNS Offers Graffiti Removal Kits

Why pay big bucks to deal with nuisance graffiti when you can do-it-yourself, with a little help from the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services?

DNS is offering reduced-price graffiti removal sample kits, valued at $35, for the low price of $15. The kits include sensitive surface graffiti remover, Feltpen Fadeout, Bare Brick stone and masonry graffiti remover, a graffiti Safewipes citizen’s pack, a spray bottle, goggles, a paint brush, plastic gloves, a terry towel, a DVD training video on graffiti removal methods and a convenient bucket to hold it all.

To order your kit, contact Herlyn Roberson at 286-3326 or Angela Ferrill at 286-5938. Residents can pay with checks made out to the City of Milwaukee.

For more technical advice on graffiti removal, visit the National Ace Hardware at N. 4th St. and W. McKinley Ave. (278-3800).

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 Milwaukee Residents Can Now Keep Chickens
City of Milwaukee residents can now keep chickens - hens only - for egg production. A July 28, 2011 ordinance outlines the rules for this practice, including proper care of the chickens, approval from all adjacent neighbors, and obtaining a permit, which once revoked cannot be reinstated. View Common Council files 110088 and 101416 for more information.

Beekeeping in the City of Milwaukee brochure

Beware the bees
By now you’ve probably heard about the Mequon man killed by an insect sting around the Labor Day holiday. Indeed, after a hot summer, the population of bees, wasps and yellow jackets can often remain active and even aggressive well into the fall. Property owners can be a big help to their neighborhood by being aware of any insect nests on their property and disposing of them safely.
The Journal Sentinel offered this expert advice about dealing with stinging insects, from Milwaukee physician Matthew Arens, Madison entomologist Phil Pellitteri and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
• How to avoid them: When outdoors, watch out for bees and wasps that may climb into an open can or bottle of soda or juice and sting inside your mouth. Stay away from garbage cans and keep food and beverages covered as long as possible.
• How to kill them: Don't try to chase or swat at wasps and bees. Pellitteri recommends catching them in a butterfly net and then stepping on them.
• What to do if you get stung: Try to remove the stinger with a fingernail or gauze, not tweezers. If you feel your throat tightening and your breath getting short after a sting, seek medical attention immediately. If you have had previous allergic reactions, carry an epinephrine auto injector, or EpiPen, to inject yourself.

Share the road with bicycles

More and more, Milwaukeeans are turning to bicycles to commute to work and enjoy recreation throughout the city. But riding in traffic can be a tricky or even dangerous task sometimes. The State of Wisconsin asks motorists to remember these simple guidelines for safely sharing the road with bicycles:
• Bicycles are vehicles. They belong on the road, too.
• Cyclists need room to get around potholes, sewer grates and other obstructions.
• Drivers should leave at least three feet to spare when passing bicycles, and more room at higher speeds.
• Drivers should change lanes to pass any bicycle traveling in a narrow lane.
• Train yourself to scan for fast moving (it's hard to tell speed) bicycles and motorcycles in the opposing lane when turning left, and scan sidewalks and crosswalks for pedestrians and bicyclists using the sidewalk and crosswalk as a pedestrian. Always scan to your right side sidewalk before you leave a stop light or stop sign, and to the left and right side sidewalks when on a one-way street.

Down on Dumpers

A comfortable bench on your front porch can really enhance the enjoyment of an evening outdoors—a dilapidated couch dumped on your front lawn does not.

A handful of dumping complaints, particularly along Newberry Blvd., has prompted the City of Milwaukee to remind residents that it’s illegal to dump old furniture, tires or other waste in vacant lots, in lawns or on the median. Violators face up to $5,000 in fines or up to 100 days in jail.

If you see dumping in your neighborhood, you could be eligible for a reward up to $1,000 if your tip leads to a conviction. Just get a detailed description of the cars or people involved and call the WeTip line at 1-800-78-CRIME.

If you have old furniture or other large items to dispose of, you can learn more about the proper methods at the Department of Public Works web page.

East Side Business Improvement District Proposal for Design and Development Guidelines (DDG)
View the following link for more information: www.theeastside.org/categories/14-design-and-development-guidelines-project

East Greenwich Park Apartments

You may remember this proposal from this past spring, when Mercy Housing, a national nonprofit developer of workforce housing, requested a zoning change for the US Bank and City owned parking lots on the triangle between Murray, Thomas, and Farwell Avenues. Back then they were asking for 9 stories and 85 units and were leaving the 6-lane drive through as is. Responding to community feedback, Mercy Housing has since modified this original design, bringing the building height down to 5 stories, reducing the density to 54 units, creating a more pedestrian friendly streetscape, and engaging the massing with nearby properties.

View renderings or read more about this proposal on Legistar.

Cambridge Commons UWM dorm

If you want proof that a thorough and flexible public process can produce a better building, look no further than this 700 bed dormitory, which engages the North Avenue streetscape to its south while respecting and embracing the unique river valley to the west. The entire pose of the $50 million structure was designed to be consistent with the height and setback guidelines of the Greenway Overlay. The landscaped lawn for student recreation is tended with gray water from underground cisterns which collect all of the roof rainwater. More parking spaces – and a stoplight – were gained on Cambridge, as well as a coffee shop and bookstore, both open to the public. The new traffic signal and an ADA compliant path down to the river valley and arboretum will be installed later this fall.

Milwaukee River Overlay Zone

 After years of community outreach and negotiations with property owners and the Department of City Development, the Common Council passed legislation to convert the temporary study overlay into permanent zoning and design guidelines on May 25, 2010. This zoning would help to preserve the aesthetic and function of our river and can provide for continued use of and greening of the area.

 The Milwaukee River Greenway Master Plan was created shortly after the river zoning change and provides a long-term vision for how the river greenway will attract even more recreational visitors, while still protecting and restoring the unique and native ecological habitats along it, and ensuring that mountain bikers, dog walkers, and bird watchers can crisscross the valley without bumping into each other.

The accomplishments have also helped attract a major private investment. The Rotary Club of Milwaukee is creating an arboretum in honor of its centennial, which will stretch from North Avenue to Riverside Park.