Alderman Wade - 7th District

City Hall, Room 205, 200 E. Wells St., Milwaukee, WI 53202   |   (414) 286-2221
E-mail  wwade@milwaukee.gov

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Sewer Lateral Demonstration Project

In the City of Milwaukee, a joint demonstration project between the city and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) is tackling the largest contributor of damaging basement backups during and after heavy rain events. Clear water flow into the sanitary sewer system (sometimes referred to as “inflow and infiltration” or I&I) from private property sources causes devastating damage to basements during and after heavy rain events.

Alderman Wade is joined at the rollout of the sewer lateral demonstration project by Jerome Flogel - MMSD Senior Project Manager, DPW City Engineer Jeff Polenske, Alderman Jim Bohl and Mayor Tom Barrett.

View the Basement Connection website  |  Learn more about the Cooper Park Pilot Project  |  JSOnline: Lateral Repairs to start on West Side

Housing Resource Fair A Success

Alderman Willie C. Wade and Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs sponsored a housing resource fair in October at the COA Youth and Family Centers and several hundred residents participated. Several key organizations were on hand to explain how they can assist with home repairs, home buying and foreclosure information. Organizations at the resource fair included: Habitat for Humanity, Select Milwaukee, Department of Neighborhood Services, Career Youth Development, Riverworks Development Corp., Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA), Another Hand Foundation, Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA), YWCA-NIP Program, Marine Credit Union, Safe & Sound, Harambee Ombudsman Project, Inc., Me2 Energy Efficiency program and Summit Credit Union.

“Bringing together available resources and making them easy to access for residents is one thing we can do to remain proactive and vigilant in the support of our neighborhoods,” Alderman Wade said. “Whether you need to prevent the foreclosure of your home or you’re interested in investing in your area, the city wants
to help and information is the first step.” For more information about the Housing Resource Fair, contact Coretta Herring at 286-5812.

Job Creation – Youthbuild

Youthbuild, a Wisconsin Fresh Start Initiative, is a workforce development program that provides low-income, at-risk youth and young adults, ages 18 to 21, with comprehensive training and employment services in order to help them lead responsible lives. The Milwaukee Christian Center and the Northcott Neighborhood House are the two agencies that sponsor Youthbuild. Participants receive academic assistance so they can earn their GEDs, as well as hands-on construction skills through the building or rehabilitation of houses. For more information, contact Milwaukee Christian Center at 645-5350 or Northcott Neighborhood House at 372-3770.

Jackie Robinson Senior Living

The doors of the former Jackie Robinson Middle School have remained closed for years, but thanks to Youthbuild, they are about to reopen. The plan is to turn the school into a 68-unit affordable, independent senior living facility and construction has already begun. Alderman Wade said, “We judge a culture by how they care for their seniors - and we want to ensure ours have safe, affordable living and this project is a great example of collaboration with MPS and the city.”

Amenities in the facility will include a state-of-the-art fitness center, community center and business center. There will also be dedicated space in the facility for the vocational and health services to be provided directly to the residents to help them find jobs and health care. Most importantly it allows seniors in Sherman Park to remain in the place they call home. Construction is expected to be complete by August 2012. The senior living center will also have an impact on the economy as it will bring in about 100 construction jobs and 85 full-time jobs.

If you are a senior citizen and you would like to learn more about Jackie Robinson Senior Living, call (920) 966-9905.

Foreclosure Help for Homeowners

The City of Milwaukee is committed to helping our neighborhoods remain healthy for generations to come. We are coordinating with various organizations, government agencies and private lenders and reaching out to homeowners facing foreclosure. For access to more resources, visit www.milwaukeehousinghelp.org.

The Common Council voted to fund a new foreclosure mediation program through the Department of City Development (DCD). The program offers legal aid to homeowners facing foreclosure and helps them negotiate solutions with their lender. Also, neighbors should report problems with boarded up houses to the Department of Neighborhood Services. Call (414) 286-2268 with the address of the property in question or visit www.milwaukee.gov/dns for more information. DCD also provides programs like the Buy in Your Neighborhood program and other stabilization options.

Go to www.milwaukee.gov/dcd for more information. The following organizations also offer foreclosure solutions:
Select Milwaukee • (414) 562-5070 • info@selectmilwaukee.org • www.selectmilwaukee.org
Neighborhood Stabilization Project • nspinfo@milwaukee.gov • www.milwaukee.gov/NeighborhoodStabilizationProgram.htm
Take Root Milwaukee • (414) 921-4149 • www.takerootmilwaukee.com

Tip Hotline Means $$ for Reporting Illegal Dumping

The Common Council has approved a tip hotline whereby callers can be eligible to receive reward money after anonymously providing information on incidents of illegal dumping of debris and/or hazardous materials. Illegal dumping includes dumping of items, brush, and/or materials on streets, sidewalks, parking lots, vacant lots, alleys, or at vacant properties. The 2011 city budget appropriated $25,000 in funding for the tip hotline, and on March 1 the Common Council voted to get the hotline up and operating.

If you see or know of illegal dumping, call WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME.

If the information provided leads to a conviction, you may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000. If you witness illegal dumping, please provide a detailed description of the vehicle(s) (license plate info, make/model, etc.) and the individual(s) involved. If possible, also provide a description of the items and/or material that was dumped. The hotline is answered by bilingual operators 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are taken for all crimes. All calls are anonymous, not just confidential.

Finding Your Polling Station

Don’t know your polling station on election day? Go to www.milwaukee.gov/election to use their interactive street address system to find your representatives and where you vote. Call 286-3491 to speak to someone about your election day questions!

Petition to Oppose Post Office Closings

Please help in the effort to let the U.S. Postal Service and elected officials know you oppose any closures or consolidations of inner city Milwaukee postal stations! Please print, sign, and circulate the advisory petition here opposing the closings or consolidations of five inner city Milwaukee postal stations. Please return completed petition forms by December 7, 2011 to: District Discontinuance Coordinator, 350 W. Saint Paul Ave., Suite 650, Milwaukee, WI 53203-3009.

See the Flooding Study Task Force Report & Recommendations

The report and recommendations of the Flooding Study Task Force were approved by the Common Council’s Public Works Committee in July 2011.

View the task force’s report and recommendations:
File #100666  |  Report  |  Report-Appendices

The task force was created after last summer’s devastating flooding and basement backups resulted in millions of dollars in property damage and eventual disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The task force was charged with recommending remedies for storm water and sewage backup flooding of city residential and commercial properties, and flooding of streets and alleyways.

Alderman Willie Wade said hundreds of children are waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister in Milwaukee, including more than 80 who live in the 7th Aldermanic District. “Most of us were fortunate to have loving and devoted parents who taught us how to live and who spent time with us each and every day,” he said. “Today, that’s not always the case, and many boys especially are in need of positive male mentors.”

Amy Chionchio, president and CEO of BBBS of Metro Milwaukee said: “The need for volunteers, especially males, is critical. Your generous gift of mentoring a child can help increase their ability to succeed in school, gain greater self-confidence, make positive choices, and change their lives for the better, forever. ”

BBBS volunteers mentor children one-on-one, three to four times a month, and scheduling is based on the availability of the volunteer. Activities may include going to the park, sharing a meal, working on schoolwork, and attending sporting events, or participating in simple everyday activities and hobbies such as cooking and gardening. Men and women may volunteer individually or as a couple. The minimum age for volunteers is 21.

BBBS of Metro Milwaukee is an affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the largest donor- and volunteer-supported mentoring network in the nation. In 2010 BBBS of Metro Milwaukee served more than 1,500 children in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties.

For information, contact BBBS of Metro Milwaukee at (414) 258-4778, online at www.bbbsmilwaukee.org, or on Facebook or Twitter.

How to Report Potholes
If you have a pothole on your street, report it to the Department of Public Works for repair.

To report a pothole or other street maintenance problems:
• Call Infrastructure Services Division - Field Operations at (414) 286-CITY (2489)
• Submit an online service request

While we use preventive maintenance to avoid severe pothole problems, potholes usually develop in older pavements as water in cracks in the pavement expands and contracts as it freezes and thaws. Heavy traffic also causes fatigue in pavement weakened by age and frost action.

We regularly check for surface problems on streets with older pavement to keep ahead of any problems. We welcome calls from citizens to report situations in their neighborhood or on their traffic routes. If you notice a pothole in a street or alley, please report it right away.

Letter From Alderman Wade Regarding Flooding
Click here to download a letter and storm update from Alderman Wade regarding the Milwaukee flooding that took place on July 22, 2010.

Have You Experienced a Basement Backup?
If you experienced a basement backup as a result of the exceptionally heavy rain in the area, we want to hear about it. Your input is valuable in determining where backups occurred and how to possibly prevent future problems of this nature. Call 286-CITY (2489) to report your problem 24/7.

Claim Flood Damage on Your Taxes
According to the IRS, “You may deduct the loss or partial loss of your home, household goods, and motor vehicles from disaster damage on your individual federal income tax return (pg. 7)." Here’s a link to the 2009 IRS Disaster Assistance document that details the process: www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p2194.pdf. If you have a specific question or are not sure how to proceed, there is a phone number to call for more information.

In the past, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) has opened offices in disaster areas to help people fill out tax forms and answer questions. It is still not clear whether FEMA will do this in Milwaukee.

Here’s an article that shows how the deduction calculation works: www.kiplinger.com/columns/ask/archive/2008/q0827.htm.

NOTE: Personal casualty losses are a deduction on your income tax return. They are deducted on form 4684 and Schedule A of your 1040. There is a $100 minimum and the losses need to exceed 10% of your adjusted gross income. Business or income producing property are deducted elsewhere, and are calculated differently. But they too are deductible. To deduct your loss you must be able to show that there was a casualty. You must also be able to support the amount you take as a deduction.

You need to be able to show the following:
• The type of loss—flood, and the date that it occurred;
• That the loss is a direct result of the flood;
• That you were the owner of the property or you leased the property from someone else;
• That you were contractually liable to the owner for the damage; and
• Whether a claim for reimbursement exists for which there is a reasonable expectation of recovery.

MORE Ordinance Earns National Diversity Honors for Milwaukee

The City of Milwaukee has earned top prize in the National League of Cities’ City Cultural Diversity Awards. The award goes to cities recognized for implementing quality and innovative programs in communities to enhance and promote cultural diversity. Milwaukee earned the first place award in its population category for implementing the Community Benefits ordinance, known as the MORE ordinance (Milwaukee Opportunities for Restoring Employment). Read more...