Inside Greenfield

This will be my last Inside Greenfield blog post as I have been asked to change beats for CNI.

It's a bittersweet change for me, as I truly love Greenfield and its people and places. But I'm alwaus looking to challenge mysekf and getting to know an new community - in this case Wauawatosa - is definitely a challenge.

I take solace in the fact that while my professional life will take me away from Greenfield, my personal life will remain rooted in the city. I'm still a resident who does her grocery shopping at Sendik's, eats out at Champps Americana and buys supplies for her hobby at The Scrapbook Store.

So please, don't be afraid to say hello if you see me around town. As a resident, I will try to stay on top of what's going on within the city and school district. I hope you will do the same.

Again, it has been a pleasure writing this blog and hearing from the residents who are reading.

While Greenfield may be seeing cold weather, the races for mayoral and aldermanic seats is already heating up the city.

So far, incumbent Mayor Michael Neitzke has filed his candidacy paper, signaling he has officially thrown his hat in the ring and will be seeking re-election this spring.

But City Clerk Jennifer Goergen reported that former mayor Timothy Seider, who lost to Neitzke in 2005, and District 2 Alderman Tom Pietrowski have taken out campaign papers. They are not officially on the ballot, though, until they file paperwork with the clerk, a task that must be accomplished by Jan. 6.

Of course, with several weeks left before the filing deadline, it is possible other mayoral candidates will emerge.

As for seats on the Common Council, incumbents Donald Almquist and Karl Kastner have filed the paperwork to run for re-election for aldermanic 4th and 3rd districts, respectively.

Almquist could see some competition. Resident Pamela Gerber-Sobieszyck has taken out papers but not yet filed.

District 5 Alderwoman Shirley Saryan has also taken out papers.

As for the Greenfield School Board, as of Monday morning, no one has taken out papers for the three positions that are up for election.

We have not yet heard about the status for Whitnall School Board candidates.

You may have read my story online about the United Seniors of Wisconsin getting a special use permit that would allow it to serve beer at the bingo hall between noon and 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The article will also be in tomorrow's NOW newspaper.

But the issue had many facets to it - so many that writing about them all in a single article may have gotten confusing to readers - so I'm going to discuss a fcouple of other aspects to the special use permit approval.

First off, some city officials worried that the permit would be granted to the facility, so if United Seniors left the building on Forest Home Avenue, it could easily become a bar or other business that serves alcohol.

Not so, said City Attorney Roger Pyzyk. The permit goes to the organization. So if United Seniors leaves or ceases to exist, so does this permit.

Secondly, Greenfield Plan Commissioners had been interested in seeing some facility improvements and the Fire Department recommended the building - which allows smoking and draws many seniors - get a sprinkler system to assist in the case of a fire.

Carolyn Klements, daughter of U.S. Seniors of Wisconsin founder and president Dorothy Seeley, said the group cannot afford to do renovations at this time.

"We will make improvements when we have the money," she told the Common Common.

She was hopeful the parking lot pavement could be fixed by spring, but aspects like the roof, ventilation and sprinkler systems would have to wait.

Mayor Michael Neitzke said he didn't think it was a fair tradeoff to require "tens of thousands of dollars of improvements to sell beer for a couple of hours each weekend.

The Greenfield Plan Commission tomorrow will discuss whether an ordinance is needed that would restrict where check-cashing/payday loan type businesses can be located.

A draft ordinance has been prepared that borrows from language used by West Allis and Wauwatosa on the same issue. It states that any such business must be located at least 2,500 feet from each other and 250 feet from residential districts. The businesses would not be allowed to operate between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m.

Any proposed payday loan business operator would be required to come before the commission to request a special use permit, so an ordinance wouldn't just allow any such business to move in. They will still be considered on a case-by-case basis.

An ordinance would limit the number of such businesses, which some commissioners say is not an indication of a thriving community. In addition, they tend to be targets for crime.

The draft ordinance also includes facility requirements such as a minimum 1,500-square-foot operating space, a glass entrance/exit door and windows free of signage. This is meant to make it easier to see if a crime were in place and deter criminals. Business owners would also have to provide a security plan to the Greenfield Police Department and work with officers in the case of crimes.

The city had a moratorium on such short-term loan businesses that expired in May. The issue has appeared on Plan Commission agendas since then, but had been put off because of other development issues that took precedence.

The city is defining payday loan businesses as any that "provide unsecured loans with an initial term of 91 days or less in which amount borrowed does not exceed $2,000 and is usually for a period from the time of the loan until the borrowers next payday for which the lender changes either fees or interest for the loan."

The draft also covers currency exchange, money-order and car title loan businesses.

Banks, credit unions and other licensed savings and loan institutions are not part of these regulations. 

If the commission supports the draft, it would get forwarded to the Legislative Committee for further review. It would go to the Common Council before any final action is taken.

A vacant storefront on Layton Avenue could soon be used as classrooms to accomodate growing enrollment and programming at nearby ITT Technical Institute.

The school is looking to expand into the 10,068-square-foot space at 6102 W. Layton Ave., which has remined empty for more than three years since West Marine relocated to 76th Street. ITT Tech has been operating at 6300 W. Layton Ave. for many years with classes going on from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. weekdays.

Last month at the Plan Commission, Thomas Bernacci with Towne Investments requested a zoning code amendment that would allow colleges and universities to operate in certain commercial districts. The city's zoning code has ITT Tech classified as an institutional use not allowed in commercial districts.

If the code gets amended, Towne Investments would have to apply for a special use permit before moving into the space. The development company is slated to come before the Plan Commission on Tuesday night to request that permit.

City staff and some commissioners supported the code change last month because they saw a benefit to filling the vacant space and allowing an educational institution grow within the city.

 However, others did not feel such uses were a good fit in commercial districts.

The commission recommended approving the amendment to designate colleges and universities as a special use within in C-2 commercial districts and forwarded the issue to the city's Legislative Committee for further discussion. The zoning code amendment and special use permit would have to go to the Common Council for final approval, which would likely not happen until January.

The Plan Commmission meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 7325 W. Forest Home Ave.

A few weeks ago, this blog talked about a budget discussion during which at least one city official questioned whether money should spent on planting trees in the city next year.

The Greenfield Common Council included funding for trees in the 2009 budget that was adopted last month.

During the same meeting, the council approved awarding a $43,000 contract to Dan Larson Landscaping to install street trees in 2009.

During a public hearing, City Forester Dennis Fermanich talked a bit about how these funds get spent to better the city

Sixty percent of the trees will be planted on reconstructed streets, and they will help extend the life of those new road, Fermanich said

"If we shade a road surface, it typically lasts two to four times longer than totally exposed pavement," he said.

Trees absorb ambient noise and stormwater run-off.

Fermanich said the money spent on trees is a bargain, pointing out that 1.1 percent of the upcoming Pallotine Drive reconstruction project will go toward trees.

"For that 1 percent, we made this city cleaner, quieter and healthier," the city forester said.

Fermanich added that trees help retain a community's value. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates street trees can add $15,000 ti $25,000 in value to a property.

However, Alderman Tom Pietrowski said trees have a "hidden cost," the thousands of dollars it costs to remove them when embarking on a street project.

Still, he voted with the rest of the council to award the contract.

Fermanich also mentioned that some of the funds go toward replacing trees hit by cars, although the city does receive funds if an accident report is filed or a person charged for the damage.

The clock is ticking on the time left to dine at the Prime Quarter Steak House on Highway 100.

The owners of Schlossman's Honda City "Intend to tear it down immediately" they told the Greenfield Common Council on Tuesday night. The site will become part of the car dealership, serving as a parking lot.

The restaurant site is part of an improvement plan that received unanimous approval from the council.

At the Plan Commission, some members voiced concern about replacing an operating business with a parking lot. But Mayor Michael Neitzke told the council that the parking lot - when landscaping and buffering features are added - will have a value in excess of the existing Prime Quarter building, so the change wouldn't negatively affect the city's tax role.

The first of the two-phase project will include razing the steakhouse, creating the parking lot and expanding the showroom, the parts of the project that will be most-noticed by customers.

Plans also call for improving the back service bay, but that work may not be completed until fall 2011. Represerntatives for the dealership said the sluggish economy combined with the state of the auto industry led them to ask for leeway on the completion deadline. Although Honda is doing better than some of its automotive company counterparts, the Scholossman's also have Chrysler and Dodge deadlerships to worry about.

Greenfield Police Officer Michael Reddick will be honored for quickly locating the men who had robbed the TCF Bank, 4375 S. 76th St., on Nov. 26.

He spotted the getaway vehicle in the parking lot of a CVS Pharmacy on 27th Street and Howard Avenue, which led to the immediate apprehension of three men, and later the apprehension of a fourth man. All the parties have been charged.

Reddick will receive a Distinguished Service Award from the city at the Dec. 16 meeting of the Common Council.

The city will also recognize Milwaukee Police Officer Thomas Canzoneri, the primary witness in the case. While off duty, he happened to be at the bank at the time of the robbery. He was able to provide information that led to the apprehension.

These officers were alert and professional and got the situation under control quickly. Thanks to both officers from GreenfieldNOW.com.

Now that the city is covered in white, it really feels like the holidays are upon us.

Speaking of snow, Glenwood Elementary School principal Jeff Krumbein sent me a few pics from the first measurable snow fall that landed a week ago. The students made snowmen during their recess periods. Krumbein brought out carrots and other items to give Frosty's friends some faces.

While the white, powdery stuff will come and go for numerous months to come, the holidays only have about a month left, and locally there are a lot of festive activities to pack into that timeframe.

Caitlin York of Greenfield will appear on stage in Acacia Theatre's production of "It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play" from Dec. 6 to 14 at Concordia University's Todd Wehr Auditorium, 12800 N. Lake Shore Drive, Mequon.

She portrays Trixie Devine, a  musician with WFBR radio in New York, where the company is putting on a "Live" broadcast of the Frank Capra story in the 1940s.

Tickets cost $10 and can be purchased online.

The city will hold its annual tree lighting ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday, so come down to City Hall for music, snacks and a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Finally, Greenfield Beautification Committee members will scout the city for the best lights and decorations in the coming weeks. Check out GreenfieldNOW.com for an annoucement of the winners.

Do you have a holiday activity to promote or a want to pay tribute to an individual or group who is giving back this season. Send me an e-mail and it might make it into the Inside Greenfield blog.

After filling our tummies with turkey and trimmings, my family has another tradition, we go page-by-page through the Journal Sentinel's retail advertising inserts. Imagine 20 people fighting over the fliers, tearing out items so they can establish their Black Friday plan of attack.

Some will head to big-box electronics or department stores, while others will peruse the mall. For info on what this holiday means to retailers, check out fellow NOW Staff Writer Julie Becker's story on Southridge Mall.

Many retailers will offer exceptional deals on the day after Thanksgiving in an effort to get consumers to part with their hard-earned dollars during a bad economy. But it may be wise to put off at least a few purchases, because the National Retail Federation is predicting that even bigger sales lurk around the calendar corner in December.

I also thought I'd share some "smart holiday shopping" tips from the National Retail Federation so local shoppers have fa-la-la on their tongues not bah-humbug.

• Shop after 6 p.m. the evening before a sale is advertised to begin. Many retailers program their registers the night before so the sale may already come up in the register even if they have not changed out the signs on the selling floor yet. Ask the associate in advance for any possible upcoming sales, especially on big-ticket items.
• Prepare a list to use while shopping, including alternative selections in case you are unable to find some items.
• Avoid crowds by shopping during stores' early and late extended hours.
• If you are looking for specific advertised items, take the complete ad with you so you don't end up in the wrong store looking for a specific price.
• Staple a gift receipt to the merchandise tag in case it needs to be returned. Keep original receipts with any warranty paperwork for the life of the warranty.
• Watch personal belongings at all times including handbags and purchases. Stores are not responsible for lost items so be careful, especially at the register where people can easily get distracted by transactions.
• Let a charity group at the mall wrap your gifts. This will save time and provide money to a good cause.When shopping online, have a credit card and address book handy. Many Web sites have timed windows to complete a transaction, so you need to have shipping information at your fingertips.

So Greenfield residents, I wish you a happy Thanksgiving and a fruitful Black Friday. See you in the stores.

An opinion is needed as to whether a larger stormsewer pipe was installed as part of the Greenfield High School renovation and reconstruction project because the facility warrants it or simply because the city told them it was required.

The Greenfield School District is looking for $60,000 from the city to pay for increasing the pipe's radius from 48 inches to 54 inches.

"If the city said you had to have an oversized pipe but the developer demonstrated 48 (inches) was sufficient than the policy would clearly would apply in my mind," Mayor Neitzke said at last week's Common Council meeting.

Back in March City Attorney Roger Pyzyk warned the council that if they ruled that redevelopment was a form of development, which the council did on a vote of 3-2, then the city would have the responsibility to pay the cost of increasing the pipe size due to a policy on development. At the time the dollar amount wasn't know so there was no obligation to pay immediately, he said.

Aldermen Tom Pietrowski and Karl Kastner contended they don't feel redevelopment and development were one in the same.

Pyzyk likened the work going on at the high school - tearing down portions of the building, putting up new portions and gutting other portions - to that of what's occurring at the old Pabst Brewery property downtown Milwaukee.

"I don't see how anybody could say that is not redevelopment," he said.

In addition, the two dissenting aldermen said the district could have placed the building elsewhere, which would not have required the oversizing.

But all of those arguments are moot points if in fact the city told the school district they had to make the pipe bigger, the mayor said.

John Foster, a representative from the construction management firm, CG Schmidt, which is working on the high school project, said he believed the pipe would have worked at 48 inches, but the district was told they had to go bigger to meet city standards.

However, City Engineer Curt Bolton said a consultant hired by the city said the location and elevation of the pipe required something larger.

So another opinion is needed before the Dec. 2 council meeting to determine who was right before any payments are made.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned Mayor Michael Neitzke was looking for a few good men and women to serve on the Community Development Authority.

He's had five qualified candidates submit their resumes for consideration.

On Tuesday night, he appointed one of those candidates, Steven Piotrowski, to the CDA. He told the Common Council Piotrowski's experience includes a bachelor's degree in finance and a master's of business administration.

Neitzke said another seat on the CDA is expected to be open very soon and he has already set his sites on a replacement. He told the council he expects his next appointment will be Rebecca Foerst, a Greenfield resident with significant experience in project and operations management and strategic planning.

The mayor also asked the Legislative Committee to make provisions to have alternates for the CDA. The Plan Commission has alternates who attend meetings to stay up to date on issues, but they only vote if they are filling in a member's absence. Having two alternates to the CDA would keep from having to cancel meetings for lack of attendance.

I'd like to encourage other residents to get involved in their city's government by volunteering to sit on a committee or board or at least attending meetings at City Hall so you can be aware of the issues facing Greenfield.

The holidays have always been a time for giving. So in the next weeks, I will write at least a few blog entries on people or groups who give back to the community and those who benefit from the generosity.

First up is a plug for Greenfield High School's annual Holiday Sharing, a project that helps numerous families and individuals in need during the holidays.

National Honor Society members are already collecting gently used clothing of all sizes, nonperishable food items, money and gift certificates to local stores and new toys. GHS classrooms will also adopt families to help out, an annual challenge to see which students can show the most generosity.

Due to the poor economy, NHS members say they are expecting a record number of requests from help. They hope to raise $3,000 and collect 2,500 food items and 5,000 clothing items.

Already they have a  recipient list of more than 25 local families, 80 foster children from Milwaukee, the St. Alphonsus Parish Emergency Food Pantry in Greendale, terminally ill and pediatric patients at St. Francis Hospital and Repairers of the Breach homeless shelter in Milwaukee. NHS Adviser Donna Crnovich is expecting the list of those looking for help to keep growing in the next few weeks.

Every item gets used, she said.

Let me give you an idea of what a school group can do to make the holidays brighter for the community. Last year, $3,000 were converted to gift cards, 800 stocking caps were purchased or knit, poinsettias and boxes full of food were given to 46 families, 250 new stuffed animals were given to St. Francis Hospital, 1,700 bags of candy were given to elementary children in the poorer neighborhoods of Milwaukee who may not have been getting much else for Christmas and a large moving truck full of gently used clothing was delivered to Repairers of the Breech. This was just a portion of the items NHS collected and distributed last year.

This year's Holiday Sharing is headed up by NHS President Liz Sikorski and event co-organizers Lauren Lehrer and Michael Brandon.

They ask local residents to consider cleaning out their closets and food pantries and purchasing a new toy or two. In addition, local organizations can hold clothing or food drives; collections for toys, disposable diapers, crayons and coloring books, candy or loose change; hold knitting circles to make mittens and hats; or hold a bake sale to raise money. All cash donated gets spent on gift cards for grocery and department stores.

Donations are needed by 2 p.m. Dec. 11, so the students sort through the offerings and distribute them to local families, shelters and organizations that assist people in need. Students can pick up items from local households or businesses. Call GHS at 281-6200 between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. weekdays and ask for Crnovich. All items are tax deductible and checks should be made out to Greenfield High School. People can also drop off nonperishable food items and new toys at M&I Bank on 76th Street and Layton Avenue or Baker's Square on 76th Street.

Greenfield School District administrators have spent the past several months looking at how students during the 2007-08 school year performed on the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam. They've identified trends and areas for improvement.

Beginning Nov. 24, administrators will be sharing that information during School Board meetings during the next couple of months.

The WKCE, as it's commonly referred to among educators, measures a child's performance in the areas of English, math, social studies and science. It's administered to students in third through eighth and 10th grades.

While most administrators will tell the community that the WKCE counts as only one assessment tool among the many - think classroom tests and projects, districtwide assessments and grading - that they use throughout the school year. But for the state and federal governments, WKCE is THE measurement of how well a public school district meets No Child Left Behind standards and goals.

Administrators have analyzed, charted and written explanations about the proficiency of the general student population. But the data gets broken down by grade levels and subgroups of race, ethnicity, family income and students who fall into categories of special education or English language learners.

On Monday night, Directors of Education John Thomsen and Todd Bucknacki handed board members large binders full of information on the topic and asked them to read through so administrators could field any questions and discuss the findings at the next meeting.

But they also gave a few examples of what they learned through the data analysis. For instance, when it comes to elementary school reading (grades three through five), 86 percent of all students scored proficient or advanced in the subject area. When broken down, the number climbs to 91 percent for students without disabilities and  falls to 50 percent for those with disabilities.

Students - no matter what their learning abilities - are expected to meet the same goals,Superintendent Conrad Farner said. All students are expected to be proficient in all areas of the test by the year 2013-14, a goal many educators find very implausible.

The good news is that the general school population continues to see progress toward moving students from minimal and basic scores into the proficient and advance levels. But many of the subgroups fall farther behind.

Stay tuned to Inside Greenfield and the Greenfield NOW newspaper as we report on the upcoming WKCE results discussions.

For the past few years, many high schools have started implementing lifestyle fitness courses, those that show students physical education activities that can lead to a lifetime of health and wellness.

Since Greenfield High School will have more gym space after the renovation is finished next year, administrators are "making sure the curriculum is read for our new learning spaces," John Thomsen, Greenfield School District director of secondary education told the School Board tonight.

He recommended some revisions to an existing elective course, Strengthening and Conditoning I and creation of a Strengthening and Conditioning II and Body Sculpting. Two of the courses deal with weightlifting and one features low-impact aerobics, all activiities students could continue in adulthood.

The board unanimously approved the courses, which should be offered for the 2009-10 school year.

Now that the election is done and a president has been named, many of the political pundits are droning on about what went right or wrong for each candidate and his party.

But I'm looking at the effect the election process had locally.

Absentee voters came in droves 

The Greenfield City Clerk's Office learned that many people wanted to vote early, many to avoid long lines at the polls. But the lines turned out longer at City Hall than at the polling places. 

"Unfortunately, my office is limited in size and resources, and our size limits us to the
number of staff who can assist with voting at our customer counter," City Clerk Jennifer Goergen said. "Thus, it takes us longer to assist voters in our office and the wait
becomes much longer here than at the polls. At one point we were told by a voter that they had waited in line for two hours and 15 minutes at City Hall, when people voting on Tuesday went to the polls and voted in less than five minutes."

She said she does have some ideas that she will research before the next major election, but added it's too early to discuss them at this point.

Few problems on Election Day 

The actual Election Day went off smoothly at the polling places, with just one hiccup when a tabulator machine broke down. But Department of Public Works staff quickly replaced it with a spare machine, Goergen said.

"My office had help from poll workers who assisted voters at the counter and helped with other election paperwork," Goergen said. "We had help from other city employees, some of whom donated their time after hours to assist us with miscellaneous election work. My office could not have handled the workload without assistance."

New polling places possible

In the future, polling places could be relocated from at least some of the schools. Earlier this year, district administrators said they'd like to see a reduction in the number of school facilities used for voting sites, which can disrupt the school day and create potential security issues. Alternate polling sites have been recommended for Edgewood Elementary, Greenfield Middle School and Greenfield High School, each of which only host one voting ward.

"I agreed that reducing the number of schools used for voting would also benefit the city because it will save resources," the city clerk said.

Polling places could be moved to the new Law Enforcement Center, the now under construction new Greenfield Public Library and City Hall. Until recently, most city buildings didn't have space to accomodate polling sites, but that is changing.

The curtain rises today at 2: 45 p.m. on Greenfield High School's production of "Cheaper By the Dozen," a true story of a the Gilbreths and their 12 kids including amusing anecdotes of raising a large family.

This is not the stage version of the 2003 Steve Martin movie by the same name. Instead, it's based on the 1950s release featuring Myrna Loy set in the 1920s. But there is one big difference.

"Pop the collars," students directed each other as they posed for a cast photo. Quickly, they all turned up the collars of their Polo shirts, a nod to '80s fashion.

The GHS production has modernized the story's setting by 60 years. Instead of the '20s, the Gilbreths live in 1988, the year that GHS Drama Director Brooke Bross got married.

"It's so much more fun," said Assistant Director Lynn Ludwig, as rocker Bryan Adams' "Summer of '69" started playing over the sound system.

The costumes, soundtrack and plot points have been updated to fit the retro theme.

"We researched what happened that year," Ludwig said. "We just sat down one afternoon and went through the entire script looking for things that could be changed."

Junior Mindy Medrow wasn't even born in the 1980s. But she embraced the fashion as she walked out of the dressing room with heavily hairsprayed, sky-high, ratted bangs.

Mindy calls her character "spunky, sarcastic and boy crazy, much like myself."

In the show, the father works as an efficiency expert and keeps the kids in line and focused on school until his eldest takes interest in the opposite sex.

This is Mindy's third show at GHS. She started as part of the stage crew, then had a bit part and made her way into a lead role.

"The people on the last show gave me a lot of pointers," she said of her growing acting acumen.

Now she can share some of her experience with first-time cast members like Hope Brandt, a sophomore playing her little sister Martha.

"She wants to be like her big sister," Hope said of her character. "She is always like three steps behind."

Hope's character must cry at the end of the story, but because of the sad ending she doesn't have much trouble during practices, she said.

Since her outgoing personality keeps her from having stage fright, she decided to become part of the school's drama program and already plans to participate in the spring production of "Cinderella."

"This has been a great experience for me," she said.

The public is encouraged to attend any of the four shows: 2:45 p.m. today, 7 p.m. tomorrow, and 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday in the GHS auditorium.

Tickets cost $10 for adults, $7 for students at the door.

CAST LIST

Mr. Gilbreth (father)  ... Franco Verges

Mrs. Gilbreth (mother) ... Jaime Elftman

Ernestine ... Samantha Gager

Anne ... Mindy Medrow

Frank ... Michael Lynn

Bill ... Kyle Musolf

Martha ... Hope Brandt

Frieda ... Brianna Lopez

Lillian ... Brittney Lopez

Mary Lopez ... Brianna Luna

Danielle ... Emily Do

Jackie ... Chi Huynh

Mrs. Fitzgerald (the maid) ... Morgen Clarey

Dr. Burton ... Seth Kaempfer

Joe Scales (daughter's suitor) ... Nate Greski

Larry (daughter's suitor) ... Kevin Rhode

Miss Brill (guidance counselor) ... Jenny Plazek

Understudy ... Lorna Williams

Student directors ... Lorna Willams and Lauren Evans

CREW LIST

Stage manager ... Rachel Bobinger

Assistant Stage Manager ... Anjelica Bailey

Crew members: Patrick Bruyette, Emilie Brandt, Andrea Procarione, Ashley Chartier, Jamie Allison, Milkia Miller, Taylor Musolf, Jessica Medrow, Corey DeWitt, Jolene Klatt, Ashley Silga, Ashton Rollings, Brittany Montgomery, Sam Solum and Ellen Brunner.

The Greenfield Common Council could decide to adopt an ordinance that would deem blocking stormwater drainage a public nuisance.

Prior to last summer's major storms and flooding, numerous residents had been calling the city's Engineering Department to complain about stormwater run-off and ponding in their backyards and side lots, City Engineer Curt Bolton said. While state law prohibits blocking drainage, he had no real recourse to help those residents.

The June floods only magnified the problems, especially when pumps stopped working and water ended up coming into basements through the floor drains.

Much of the problem comes from yard fill and other structures or material blocking the water's pathway from the yard to the street, which transports the drainage away into the stormwater system. By filling in yards or placing accessory structures, such as garages and sheds, too close to lot lines, property owners impede the water flow and it can get stuck - all too often in a neighbor's yard.

A complaint would cause city staff to come out to a property and assess the situation, giving the parties a deadline to resolve the issue.

"We want to the neighbors to work together to rectify the problems," he said.

Blocking stormwater drainage can not only cause water to seep through a house's floor drain, but it could kill the grass, create swamp-like conditions and attract mosquitos. None of which prove very neighborly, Bolton said.

But if action is not taken by the residents, the city could start assessing a daily fine until the violations are corrected. A financial incentive might help more people comply, he told the Legislative Committee.

In addition, Engineering Department staff hope to work with city inspectors to prevent new accessory structures from going up closer than five feet from the property lines in the future.

The Legislative Committee recommended creating the ordinance. The Common Council will likely take up the issue at its Nov. 18 meeting.

Each year, Greenfield's budget allocates money to purchase trees to plant throughout the city. For 2009, the proposed amount to spend on trees is $43,000.

But at least one Board of Public Works member would like the city to rethink how those dollars get used.

Alderman Tom Pietrowski on Tuesday suggested the funds could be better spent going toward other capital improvement projects such a roadwork.

To do that would likely require the city to stop collecting money for trees from developers when they build a project within the city, said Rick Sokol, Neighborhood Services Department director.

There have also been suggestions to seek out private funds rather than city dollars to buy any new trees.

Sokol suggested organizing a joint meeting of the BPW and the city's Tree Commission to discuss tree needs and budgets before any action is taken.

Greenfield has earned the designation of Tree City USA for many years, due in large part to its dedication of planting and caring for trees within the city.

As people prepare to decorate their homes for the holiday season or look for a unique gift, they may seek out one of the many craft fairs going on within the city during the next six weeks.

Many of these events make money for nonprofit groups from vendors who rent booths, admission from attendees and sales that go beyond crafts like food or raffle tickets. The following are some of the events coming up.

The shopping fun kicks of today, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a 32-vendor craft fair and bake sale at Our Father Lutheran School, 6023 S. 27th St.

On Nov. 8, craft enthusiasts have two options to chose from: St. John the Evangelist Church, 8500 S. Cold Spring Road, will hold its Harvest Craft Fair from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Over at Clement Manor, 9405 W. Howard Ave., the Holiday Bazaar will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the show will continue Nov. 9.

More than 150 crafters will line the halls of Whitnall High School, 5000 S. 116th, during the Whitnall Park Rotary's holiday craft fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 6. During the fair, a Belgian waffle breakfast with Santa and pictures with the Jolly Old Elf will take place. The Hales Corners Woman's Club will be selling baked goods.

From wreaths to decorative sweatshirts and doll clothes to candle holders, local craft fairs offer a variety of items for purchase.