Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn has had his new police district boundaries approved by the Common Council Public Safety Committee.  The new boundaries will have the most significant affects on the East and South sides of Milwaukee.

A looming issue with the construction of the new UWM dorm on the Hometown site on North Avenue was that it it will sit on the dividing line of the first and fifth districts.  Concerns were raised at the public meetings preceding the approval of the dorm that policing may be an issue in the area.  The new boundaries should eliminate any potential communication issues by placing officers near the new dorm in the same district.

The existing UWM Riverview Residence Hall will be now be in District 5, which will encompass all of the Riverwest, Brewers Hill, and Harambee neighborhoods as well as a few more neighborhoods to the northwest.  While the existing Riverview Residence Hall was originally on the North Avenue dividing line as well, it did not draw the same concerns from neighbors as no one lives south of the dorm until you hit Commerce Street and the Beerline B neighborhood.

Old Districts

New Districts

Larry Sandler at the Journal Sentinel has more information on the South Side redistricting.

It’s certainly good that we value our parks, public places, and the lakefront, so a public debate over the appropriateness of placing UWM’s School of Freshwater Sciences on Lake Michigan is worth having, but the downtown lakefront is the right location.

Yes, other sites have been suggested, such as the vacant land near the Milwaukee Water Works purification plant on Lincoln Memorial Drive, the port-owned property near the Lake Express terminal, the parking lots just west of the Henry W. Meier Festival Park, sites near the existing Great Lakes Water Institute, and even the Port of Milwaukee Headquarters, but building the facility on any of these sites won’t give the new school the prominence of place the way the Pieces of Eight location will. Unfortunately, it would just be another example of when Milwaukee does something half right.

The Great Lakes Water Institute has been operating in one form or another since the 70’s, at 600 East Greenfield Avenue, and certainly has been involved in important research, but during that time Milwaukee’s hasn’t become the focal point for water research. Of course there are a lot of factors that have held back the institute from rising to greater prominence including the lack of proper funding, and the need for a graduate level school, but also hiding it away where it isn’t visible, where it isn’t prominent, and where it isn’t integral to Milwaukee and Lake Michigan detracts from its ability to be the symbol of Milwaukee’s commitment to water research.  Locating the School of Freshwater Sciences near the Milwaukee Art Museum and Discovery World right on Lake Michigan will only add to its prominence, and help to insure its place as part of Milwaukee’s new image.

If Milwaukee is to become the water capital of the world, then its leading institution needs prominence and visibility. You might say it needs a postcard location.

To learn more about this proposal and possibly lend your support, the Harbor Commission will be holding a public hearing Thursday May 28th, at 6:00 pm at City Hall Room 301-B, 200 E. Wells St. on this proposal.

“Today I’m a little disappointed in my alma mater,” said Supervisor Lipscomb at the Thursday, May 21st Milwaukee County Board Meeting during the discussion of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s purchase of part of the Milwaukee County Grounds for an engineering school.  As a graduate of UWM’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning his words and actions showed he understood how this proposal flew in the face of the school’s own teachings.

The concept sounds good, build an engineering school and business park close to GE Medical and the Medical College of Wisconsin in an effort to expand UWM’s research in the medical field, and there’s no doubt that some research and jobs will come out of this effort, but the bigger picture is that the continued hollowing out of the urban core isn’t good for UWM, the City of Milwaukee, or the region.  That by design this site will inherently have issues with pedestrian access, transit, and forced auto dependence.  That by developing this site natural habitats will be lost, congestion will be created, and additional pollution will be generated.  That this site would further discourage and disenfranchise minorities and limit their ability to attend the school.

Supervisor Lipscomb wasn’t the only board member to see the bigger picture.  In fact Supervisor Weishan did all he could to improve the deal or slow the process to allow time for further improvements to the agreement.  He offered multiple amendments, one which tried to specify the allowable uses for the purpose of encouraging the development to be more mixed-use in design, and another that would have created a scholarship fund for minorities to attend the engineering school.  Both of these amendments attempted to address some of the big picture issues regarding the proposed school location, but received little support from other members of the county board.  He went on to make it entirely clear as to why he felt other members of the board supported the proposal, stating that he felt “the majority of this board has made up their mind that they just want the money.”

As this proposal has been an topic we’ve felt strongly about we do appreciate that Supervisors Dimitrijevic, Larson, Lipscomb, and Weishan voted against this proposal, and do hope UWM works to provide better transit access to the area, creates a facility that respects the Monarch Trail, expands other programs in the city, and finds a way to diminish the environmental impacts of this development.

As the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors barrel ahead towards Thursday’s vote on the Milwaukee County Ground land sale to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee word comes, according to the Daily Reporter article Main Campus Still in Play for UWM Engineering Building, that UWM’s own planning includes possible development sites for College of Engineering and Applied Science buildings on the East Side campus.  I’ve long suggested a variety of sites downtown and near downtown as better options for expansion than the Wauwatosa site, but expanding on the current campus is of course a logical choice as well.  This site make sense because the issues of the lack of affordable housing, limited access to transit, and the negative environmental impacts of sprawl are alleviated by developing within the urban environment.

That said, these plans, although great and preferred, and confusion to the issue and clearly bring up a series of questions that deserve answers.  Why hasn’t this idea been thoroughly investigated by the UWM?  What exactly is UWM proposing to build on the Milwaukee County Grounds?  What is the rush to close on the land acquisition if these plans are a possibility?  There has been a lot of discussion about collaboration and research within the areas of bio-medical research, but what about computer, chemical, civil, construction, and the numerous other fields of engineering will they be staying on the East Side?  At first UWM proposed the land would be used for the “engineering school,” then it was “just graduate students,” still later “just research,” but at the same time the discussion expanded to include a boutique hotel and restaurant.

It appears the “plan” has gone through significant changes from the beginning until now, and more questions have arisen than have been answered, all of which need to be answered and spelled out clearly for the public prior to any approval or land sale.

In what can only be characterized as a transparent attempt to prop up Milwaukee County’s budget, the Board of Supervisors and County Executive Walker appear poised to push the Milwaukee County Grounds land sale to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee through, despite the concerns of citizens, the City of Milwaukee, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s own staff.  Residents of both Wauwatosa and Milwaukee have spoken out in opposition to this proposal.  The City of Milwaukee formally adopted a resolution opposing this proposal, and according to a recent survey even many members of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s staff oppose this proposal.

So what is the really reason to approval this land sale and move forward?  Why do members of the Milwaukee County Board and County Executive Walker think it’s such a great idea in the face of all of this opposition?   Money.  Money.  Money.  $13.6 Million reasons to be precise.

During a year that saw Supervisors Clark and Coggs fly off to D.C. on the taxpayer credit card, and County Executive Walker preparing to ride off on his taxpayer funded bike ride, the Milwaukee County budget faces a shortfall that forced Milwaukee County to order unpaid furloughs for half of all county employees.  Instead of looking at how this proposal will negatively impact the core of the county, or what it does for the long-run future of the region, while at the same time ignoring the negative impacts to the environment, such as increased pollution, and increased congestion, Milwaukee County looks at it as a way to pay off a couple of bills.  It’s a shame our county services are going to suffer due to a budget shortfall, but using one-time deals to pay off on-going expenses is a concerning one to say the least.

Although, they took more time by utilizing a series of options, in truth the County Board acted similarly on the Palomar and RSC & Associates proposals in the Park East.  Bad deals, with poor results, done in order to prop up the Milwaukee County budget.  This Thursday May 21st at 9:30 AM the County Board of Supervisors will vote on this proposal, and all indications are that it will receive approval, so all I can say is, here we go again.

Yes.  The single most important expansion of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee currently underway is the proposed School of Freshwater Sciences.  We’ve all heard it “water is the new oil.”  It is true, fresh water just might be the key to future growth in Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin, and with 120 water-oriented companies and facilities for five of the eleven largest water companies in the world, not to mention UWM’s existing Great Lakes Water Institute, Milwaukee is poised to become the world leader in this industry.  Not necessarily in the traditional model of simply selling water, but in the research that will help communities efficiently, and cleanly utilize fresh water.  In the research that will allow companies to cost effectively use water and properly return it back to its source.  In the research that will keep our water clean.  How better to protect and preserve Lake Michigan for recreational and public uses, than to have Milwaukee become the leading city for research into proper, clean, and efficient use of fresh water.

Already the world is watching, just recently the U.N. named Milwaukee a Global Compact City, making Milwaukee one of thirteen cities in the world with this designation.  This designation depends on Milwaukee’s commitment to water quality and water research.  Clearly the race is on, and the economic future of Milwaukee will be deeply impacted by the decisions we make today.  The next step for Milwaukee is to build the headquarters for the School of Freshwater Sciences.  Currently, UWM and the M7 Water Council are looking into the former Pieces of Eight site to locate the landmark facility, the window on Milwaukee, the cornerstone of the capital.  Could this facility be located somewhere else as some suggest?  Yes, it could, but this time UWM has picked the right site.  Because image matters.  In the real estate world the phrase “location, location, location,” is an often repeated mantra and when corporate, educational, or political leaders visit Milwaukee to learn about our research efforts the location of this landmark facility will help sell Milwaukee as the water capital.  When potential graduate students visit Milwaukee, this location will help sell them on our city and our university.

We’ve all heard the talk about how Miller Park should have been downtown, and how Milwaukee always seems to not get it “just right”.  Well this is a chance to get the right idea, in the right place, at the right time.

To learn more about the proposal and lend your support, the Harbor Commission will be meeting Friday May 8th, at 8:00 am at the Port Authority, 2323 S. Lincoln Memorial Drive, to hear presentations from UWM and the M7 Water Council.

Despite the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s efforts with the Center for Sustainability Education (CSE), the hiring of a sustainability coordinator, construction of a green roof on Sandburg Hall, and maintain of the 11.1 acre Downer Woods the leadership at UWM who are pushing to develop an engineering school on the Milwaukee County Grounds seem to be missing the larger point, that there is nothing green about greenfield development.  You can build all the retention ponds and green roofs you want, but greenfield development is inherently not environmentally friendly.  You might even construction a building or two, maybe the proposed boutique hotel, that achieve some level of LEED certification, but understand because of the location and development style it brings with it negative consequences to the environment.

A greenfield is already green, when you develop it you destroy the natural habitats, increase storm water runoff, and significantly encourage, if not require, more automobile use.  In recent years we’ve seen coyotes and deer find there way into urban areas, this happens because as we continue to sprawl outwards more and more natural habitats are eliminated.  In the case of the Milwaukee County Grounds the habitat in question is the landing place of the Monarch Butterfly.  Although, this is not something that impacts me personally, it is important to realize that by displacing this creature we do lose something of value to many people and to the ecosystem as a whole.  It is also obvious just by looking at the massive MMSD retention ponds, which are being constructed on the site, that development of greenfields has a direct impact on the ability of the earth to take in and filter rainwater.  Finally, when a development is placed outside the realm of a walkable community its environmental impacts go far beyond “paving over paradise.”  This is true because it actually encourages people to drive, even if there is a bus stop “across the street.”  When you can’t walk to lunch or to the store, and buildings are surrounding by acres of parking you are truth, required to drive.  If researchers need to “collaborate” with the folks “kitty corner across the freeway,” at GE Medical, they will drive, even if UWM provides an occasional shuttle, because sprawling development insures it is inconvenient to get around any other way.

I don’t believe UWM should be expanding in Wauwatosa, for reasons far beyond being environmentally friendly but one way this project could be a touch more environmentally friendly and truly be about collaboration, not development, would be for this research facility to be built on the parking lots bordering the Medical College of Wisconsin and not on the Milwaukee County Grounds.

To see what could be impacted by UWM’s proposed Engineer School we’ve provided a photo gallery of the Milwaukee County Grounds.

“Kitty Corner, Across the Freeway.”  This is how County Executive Scott Walker described just how close UW-Milwaukee’s new Engineering School could be from the Milwaukee County Research Park.  I don’t think I could of summed it up much better myself.  Kitty corner, across the freeway.  That was actually used as a reason given by our County Executive as to why this is such a “great” site for UW-Milwaukee to build its Engineering School.  Kitty corner, across the freeway.  Not across the street, around the corner, or down the block, but across the freeway.  This speaks directly to the inherent problem of UW-Milwaukee expanding in Wauwatosa.  Because it sure sounds to me, like requirement number one to take part in all this collaboration and education will be ownership of a car.  This requirement brings with it a checklist of “features” in the same way that new products from Microsoft include a list of “features.”

1. Higher cost.  Check.
2. Decreased accessibility.  Check.
3. Increased congestion.  Check.
4. Increased pollution.  Check.
5. Lost opportunity.  Check.

It appears that UW-Milwaukee and the Milwaukee County Board are on the fast track to check each and every one of these “features” off the list, which is a shame because ten years from now when Chancellor Santiago has long since left Milwaukee for greener pastures, all of us, will be stuck paying the tax bills.  All of us, will be left wondering if there was a better plan and why wasn’t it researched?  All of us, will wonder if there was a checklist that would of included lower costs, increased accessibility, decreased congestion and pollution, and the opportunity to truly grow our region by building our core.  Of course we all know, there was one.  Downtown Milwaukee.

A group of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Student Association Senators, Tyler Kristopeit, Matt Capristo, Anthony Dewees, and Travis Romero-Boeck, and Jimmy Lemke will be proposing a bill at the March 29th Student Association Senate meeting to consider changing the university’s name from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to the University of Milwaukee.

Really though, does the name matter?  Is this just some college students’ crazy idea?  No, I don’t think so, because brand matters even to a university.  This idea that brand and image matters came up a few years ago when a group pushed for a change to Wisconsin State University.  This seemed like a move in the right direction but much like hyphenated schools “State” schools sometimes have a bit of a second class status as well.  For example, to this day if I tell someone that I went to “Iowa State University” it turns into a ten minute discussion explaining “No, not the Hawkeyes,” with followup questions such as, “why didn’t you go to Iowa?”  Don’t get me wrong I’ll always be a Cyclone and I am aware of a few high profile “State” schools, but my experience leads me to think that Wisconsin State University wouldn’t of been much an improvement over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

This time a group of students have suggested the right name, the University of Milwaukee.  It clearly sheds the technical school sound by dropping the hyphen and avoids the “State” school stigma by avoiding a Wisconsin State University or worse Milwaukee State University name.  Further this name ties the school directly and tightly to what makes the school unique, the fact that is located in the middle of a dense urban environment, the City of Milwaukee.

Companies control their brand to increase sales and build loyalty.  The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee needs to consider the value of its brand for similar reasons, for recruitment and to strengthen its ties to the community.  I know students are supposed to look at where they go to to college rationally by looking at which school best meet their requirements but I think it is fair to say this just isn’t always true.  Further, it is possible that out of state students who aren’t all that familiar with the UW system overlook the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee because they think it is a technical school, or that it is a smaller branch of the University of Wisconsin.

I know to alumni this might sound like a challenge to their personal history and could in the short run weaken their connection to the university, but overtime this can be repaired.  While the bigger picture is that this could be one of the steps, as well as the expanded research initiatives, that the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee should make to improve its image in an attempt to recruit more students and possibly more qualified students.  It might not be the game changer that significant expansion would be, but as part of a process of creating a new identity for the university, names matter.

That said, if they were to approve this name change I do wonder what they would do with UW-Tosa?

Normally people oppose projects because it is in their backyard, I oppose UW-Milwaukee’s expansion in Wauwatosa because it isn’t in my backyard.  I know that’s a strange concept but the list of reasons to build the Engineering School in downtown Milwaukee, my backyard, are numerous.  It’s not just my backyard, but the backyard of 600,000 residents of the City of Milwaukee.  It is these very residents who’s elected officials just this year passed two separate resolutions stating it was the City of Milwaukee’s position that UW-Milwaukee should expand in our backyard.  So if and when the County Supervisors vote to support this land sale to UW-Milwaukee understand that it is a vote against the wishes of the residents of the City of Milwaukee.

Not only does voting for this project fly in the face of the citizens of Milwaukee, but it is also clearly a vote against the environment.  Because with it comes additional congestion, pollution, storm water retention needs, a loss of parkland, and low-density sprawl.  According to the most recent amendment to the proposed contract UW-Milwaukee intends to develop up to 853,271 square feet of the total 88.99 acres.  This is the definition of sprawl.  This style of design is inherently not green as it paves over large areas for parking, and requires the ability drive from place to place.  Following the Park East guidelines this square footage could fit on Blocks 2 and 4 with room to spare.  This would encourage people to commute by mass transit, bicycling or even walking, all of which would be better for our environment.

It will also be a vote against the students and employees of UW-Milwaukee, because it will add cost by requiring a car to access the new campus.  The idea of putting such a great distance between the campuses essentially creates two separate institutions.  This could hurt student retention by decreasing the number of undergraduates that continue on at UW-Milwaukee because it will require a complete life style change.

Despite these issues it appears likely that UW-Milwaukee will soon expand into Wauwatosa’s backyard, I wonder how soon we will realize this mistake as the fire pit so many install and never use.