Shorelines

Big Ugly Gray Boxes are cropping up in Shorewood, and AT&T is certainly not scoring any points with those. And while Shorewood should look at ways to mitigate that blight, the larger issue is one of new technologies, competition and taxes.

Time Warner cable has a monopoly on cable TV and a near monopoly on “pay” TV services in Shorewood and most other communities in this area, and they want to keep it that way. Their only competition is satellite TV, such as Direct TV, and that is not an option for most renters, and involves installing a dish which can be pointed in a certain direction.

Time Warner (TW) pays Shorewood for its cable monopoly here. On the cable bills TW sends out, there are two separate itemized charges, one for the “Franchise Fee”, usually about $5 per month, and one for the “Community TV” Fee, usually about 15 cents per month.

These “fees” are a sweet deal for elected officials who want more money to spend, but don’t want to be seen raising property taxes. The Franchise Fee, of course, is a TAX – and it is also what is considered a “regressive” tax, as it taxes the least affluent in the community the same amount as the most affluent – where as property taxes are set up “progressively” taxing higher valued property more.

This monopoly situation also includes a “Hidden Cost”. According to some studies, communities that give cable providers a monopoly, pay as much as 25 % more for their service. IE. if the average monthly cable bill in Shorewood is $70, this would amount to an additional cost of $17.50.

Based upon the example above, putting together the Obvious Tax of $5.15 per month, plus the Hidden Cost of $17.50, means that in Shorewood we are paying an average of $271.80 more per year, for Time Warner to have the monopoly.

Hence the problem that AT&T poses to both Village Politicians and Time Warner. With new technological advances, AT&T can offer the same viewing as Time Warner, over the telephone lines. This new competition threatens the higher fees that Time Warner can charge, and it forces the politicians to look for other ways to feed the tax machine ! That is why Shorewood, along with other local municipalities, are trying to sue AT&T, to either keep their new service out, or to agree to charge a tax to the end users (that be Us !).

In my opinion, I think we should see what we can do about the Big Ugly Gray Boxes ………. but let’s give a little thought to our response to new technologies, and look for ways to enhance and encourage them. New technology and information are the keys to tomorrow’s success for ourselves and our children. Let’s not look at them as simply possible new sources of taxes.

At its last meeting the Village Board voted to authorize bids for the new Streetscape Plan. Preliminary estimates for the first phase are in the $3 million range.

Many of Shorewood’s residents probably remember the last time Shorewood had a major renovation project, It was the streetscaping of North Oakland Avenue in 1996. That renovation replaced the street, sidewalks and all the streetlights. Also installed were sidewalk pavers, benches, planters and trash receptacles.

We now find, barely more than 10 years after spending all that money on North Oakland Avenue, that all those nice new street lights, pavers, benches and trash receptacles are obsolete !

Apparently everybody involved failed to notice that we have winters in Shorewood, we use salt on our streets, and all those nice new fixtures, made of cast iron, are prone to rust. Reportedly, they have rusted to the point that they need to be replaced.

Our weather has not been especially kind to all of those pavers that were installed along the sidewalks either. Walking on what is left of the pavers, is taking a risk to breaking an ankle ! Patterned cement, in hindsight, would have been much more economical to install and maintain, while achieving the same decorative look.

The average taxpayer probably imagines that when the Village Board was informed that all the tax money that was spent 10 years ago has rusted away --- literally --- the Board was upset, and determined to find out how and why such a major mistake was made, and that the Board decided to get those answers and to thoroughly examine the new proposals, before committing to any new multi million dollar projects.

Unfortunately, the average taxpayer would be wrong !

The only Board Member who dared to rock the boat during the discussion to approve the bid process was Jeff Hanewall. He brought up concerns about the designs that were being proposed for the new streetscaping, and asked questions as to whether they were appropriate for Shorewood. It is noteworthy that Trustee Hanewall is an architect and is well versed in such matters, albeit that design is always of a subjective nature.

In the following discussion, it appeared that all the other trustees and village management considered the plan, as presented, to be a “done deal”, with no room for discussion or dissent.

When the slide show presentation of the plan was made to the board (you can view the same presentation on the Village’s website), there was a heavy emphasis on the fact that the CDA conducted a number of public meetings, and that Shorewood citizens in study groups, actually voted in favor of the plan that was presented.

That story, however, quickly changed upon questioning.

Trustee Hanewall questioned how the process was actually run. He questioned whether the design firm involved limited the selections available to the participants of the groups, and whether the selections were made without the context of viewing the elements as a whole. He pointed out that a popular vote of approximately 20 volunteers was going to be the deciding factor for a multi million dollar project for a village of 13,000 plus residents.

This was when a whole new description of the process by the CDA was quickly offered.

The new line given was that although there was a popular vote of citizen volunteers, the CDA and designers didn’t “really” let that be a deciding factor. They said that they had actually limited the information available to the volunteers, and that they never intended to, nor did they, abide by the consensus of the study groups.

Going on the appearances and actions at the Board meeting, it would be a good guess that the project is pretty much a “done deal”. There does not seem to be any appetite on the Board to study what went wrong with the North Oakland project --- nor to examine in any depth, the proposed elements for the new project.

And that begs the question of whether we in a rush to more obsolescence ? Are all those street light and poles rusted beyond redemption ? Have any restoration experts been contacted to examine the existing poles and assess whether there are any methods which can restore them --- and how that would compare in cost to replacing them with new ones ?

It has been said that we live in a “throw away” society. And perhaps all those nice “10 year old new” light poles are destined to our landfills.

But shouldn’t we expect better in Shorewood --- shouldn’t the Village Board examine this issue much more carefully before actually committing the millions of dollars it will cost --- with at least a minimal expectation that the new streetscape will have a useful life of more than 10 years before it is obsolete ?

In an earlier posting on this blog, I advocated for creating a Green Commission to be a permanent part of Shorewood government. I proposed that the Green Commission have a very broad portfolio, to review all actions and proposals of departments, panels and other commissions, for the affect they will have on the environment.

The need for more space for the Shorewood Police Department would be an excellent start for the Green Commission. Whether it is decided to build a new facility for the Shorewood Blues, or to modify the existing Village Campus, the Green Commission should be an integral part of the process.

Studying how various proposals for SPD’s new facility will affect our environment, and how to limit adverse affects in an economically feasible way, will take a good deal of study and expertise. Some of the ideas that may be considered in such an undertaking could include some of the following:

HEATING AND COOLING

In discussions for modification of the existing Village Campus, the shortage of parking at that location has often been addressed. One of the solutions discussed was to make the existing parking area a two story parking structure. And as the parking area takes up a rather large footprint, there may be an opportunity to exploit what lies beneath it --- which is the stable temperature found underground, even in climates such as ours, that is used for Geothermal Heating and Cooling.

Geothermal Heating and Cooling works by pumping water through a closed loop of pipes buried in the ground. In heating mode, heat is extracted from the water as it passes through a condenser, and released through the evaporator coil. For air conditioning, heat is extracted from the evaporator coil and released into water through the condenser.

So one possible scenario would be to excavate the existing parking lot, bury the Geothermal Loop, and put a two story parking structure over it. Depending upon the physics involved, we may find that our Geothermal source to be large enough to also heat and cool the other existing buildings, such as the Village Hall and the Library.

GREEN SPACE AND WATER RUN OFF

If we have a two story parking structure, and we take the opportunity to excavate the site for our Geothermal source, we can also consider having all the parking underground. The top of the structure can be Green Space, with the added benefit of soaking up rain and snow runoff, instead of having it run off into the storm sewers.

By having underground parking, a couple of other added benefits would be that no snow plowing or salting of the parking lot would be necessary. And the truckloads of snow that the DPW currently hauls by dump truck to the river would not be necessary.

PLUGGING INTO THE SUN

Solar energy is becoming increasingly more practical and efficient. Any new or remodeled structure could incorporate Solar panels into the roofing. The Solar Electricity that we capture can be used for the lighting of the Village Campus, and perhaps even contribute to the electrical needs of the Geothermal System.

GREEN ECONOMICS

According to the Federal Department of Energy
“In large commercial installations, the initial costs of
GHPs are very competitive with boilers and cooling
towers. Major projects (larger than 300 tons) often
attract bidders from all over the country for designing,
drilling, and installation, thereby achieving very competitive
prices.

All these economies add up to a handsome return on
investment for businesses that choose GHPs. If the initial
cost of installing a GHP system is higher, these systems
typically pay for themselves in reduced energy and
maintenance costs in less than five years.”

IN SUMMATION

For the purposes of this posting, I am only able to scratch the surface of the options and benefits that a Green Commission would address. For instance, all the buildings on the Village Campus could have multiple heat exchangers, with excess heat from one zone having too much heat, perhaps from its particular sun exposure, sent to another zone that needs more heat !

If you would like to learn more about Geothermal Heating and Cooling, or other related topics, here are some sources listed by the DOE.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
Office of Geothermal Technologies, EE-12
1000 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20585-0121
(202) 586-5340
http://www.eren.doe.gov/geothermal/

The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Clearinghouse (EREC)
P.O. Box 3048
Merrifield, VA 22116
(800) DOE-EREC (363-3732)
Fax: (703) 893-0400
E-mail: doe.erec@nciinc.com
http://www.eren.doe.gov/consumerinfo

Geo-Heat Center
Oregon Institute of Technology
3201 Campus Drive
Klamath Falls, OR 97601-8801
(503) 885-1750
http://www.oit.osshe.edu/~geoheat/

Geothermal Heat Pump Consortium, Inc. (GHPC)
701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004-2696
(888) ALL-4-GEO (255-4436)
http://www.geoexchange.org/

International Gr

In regards to my candidacy for Village Trustee, a few supporters have commented that my opponents have started putting up signs, and they wanted to know where they could get some of my signs to display.

Signs, campaign literature, advertising --- they all cost money. And after giving it a lot of thought, I have come to the conclusion that on an philosophical basis (and perhaps a very naive basis) I don't think that large sums of money have a place in a Trustee Election in Shorewood.

I am not saying that each candidate shouldn't have some modest literature, at a nominal cost, from their own pocket. But you can't do signs and fancy glossy brochures without spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

I do think signs have a place in races with larger population bases, but in a village the size of Shorewood, I think it distracts from issues ....... we are small enough that our citizens should be able to discern between the candidates based upon their stances on the issues.

I would encourage my opponents to open a blog, as I have done here on Shorewoodnow.com, and put their thoughts and positions on the issues to the test of the light of day and open dialogue.

I know a candidate blog can be a dangerous thing --- it is pretty hard to re-spin something that you already committed to writing ! But that is exactly why I think it makes for good politics --- as it gives the electorate a True Picture of where each Candidate stands on the Issues.

I would like to offer a true Grass Roots alternative to my supporters who would like to post a sign.

Instead of looking for a fancy printed and expensive sign for your yard, how about saving a tree, and taking some of your used cardboard, and recycling it by printing Tatarowicz 4 Trustee on it with a magic marker.

It will make a much greater statement for someone to go to the effort to make their sign and plant it on a stick in their yard, than to simply give a candidate permission to have one of their signs put there

Shorewood is currently exploring how to update the police facilities. For as long as I have lived in Shorewood, I have heard that the police department has inadequate room and facilities.

Although I did not doubt that the department may be a little cramped, until I had an opportunity to tour the facility, I had no idea just how antiquated their facility actually is.

From the outside the “safety” building looks quite large and adequate. But in reality the police department is sandwiched in between two Northshore Fire Department equipment bays, and the fire department has all the space on the floor above as well. The police department is left with the space in the center (at some points no more than 15 feet wide), a small garage which is also the Sally Port (where prisoners are transported in and out of the building), and the basement.

There is a cramped office space on the first floor in which officers have no privacy for sensitive conversations, a couple of small holding cells, only one of which is operational with the other two being used for storage, and a small interrogation room, which shares space with a great deal of the electronics systems that the department depends upon.

On the lower floor are two small locker rooms which make your average high school locker room look luxurious, a work room for the detectives, a small firing range, and a labyrinth of space that is not useful for much more than storage.

Of considerable note is that there is no space for privacy in interviewing or counseling crime victims or witnesses, other than a small cramped room, with seating for one person. Very cold comfort if you are the victim of a crime.

Equally distressing is the physical condition of the building itself. I daresay that if the building inspector were to find the same conditions in a commercial establishment, with paint and plaster peeling and falling off the walls, work orders would be summarily issued. A great deal of upgrading on the physical plant, electrical, plumbing, heating, and ventilation is way past due. Of concern also are signs of potential lead and asbestos hazards I observed.

The police chief, David Banaszynski, has done a wonderful job in working with a consulting firm, the Zimmerman Architecture Studies company, in identifying various sites that would be suitable for a new police department, costs that other departments have incurred in modernization, and rough ballpark figures on what the costs would be for the various options studied here.

Of the scenarios considered, the police department could be relocated away from the Village Campus. Just north of Kensington on Oakland, and the Post Office being a couple examples. Other scenarios encompass various additions to the present site, a possible multi level parking structure, and a number of other variations.

The only scenario that has not been considered yet is the relocation of the Northshore Fire Department, which would give the Shorewood PD the entire structure to work with. Along with a two level parking structure, there would be more than adequate room for the PD, much needed additional parking for the Village Campus, and a centering of the departments, services and facilities that the Shorewood residents use the most.

There is much left to be studied, but there has been a very good start to the process. I would like to see the scenario of the fire department being relocated however, before coming to any conclusions as to what will work best for Shorewood. In the long run though, it has been too long that the Shorewood PD has had to deal with the inadequate facilities we have given them to work with. This should be a priority for the Village, with thorough but timely due diligence, and an action time frame that is realistic and cost effective, but not drawn out.

Think Globally and Act Locally .........

Everyone has heard the Mantra --- but how does it, or should it, affect us in Shorewood ?

It is easy to say that we need clean air, clean water and less pollution. Unfortunately, it is even easier to say that the responsibility for the quality of our air and water lies in state, national or international action. After all, what kind of affect can a small village of some 13,000 people have on such a worldwide problem.

The answer is that Shorewood may be one of the best places to address environmental issues, for several reasons (not all inclusive) noted here:

1)We are small enough to be build a consensus in a much shorter time than larger communities.
2)Our smaller size allows us to be flexible --- to continue with those ideas that work, and discard the ones that don't.
3)Shorewood is big enough to test the viability of ideas and ensure they are practical on a large enough scale.
4)With our unique position geographically on Lake Michigan, and as a part of MMSD, and with our sections of antiquated sewer lines, we can have a larger impact on water quality than our physical size would belie.
5)The population of Shorewood is reportedly over represented by academia, scientists, engineers, physicians, and others who can bring a wealth of expertise and innovations in addressing the challenges of a Green Village.
6)Our population typically expresses itself as politically progressive, which would be needed to empower the political will necessary to enact change.

Our present Village Government is composed of the Village Board, and a number of panels and commissions, such as (just to name a few):

o Board of Appeals
o Board of Health
o Community Development Authority
o Design Review Board
o Park Commission
o Plan Commission
o Police Commission

I propose that a new commission, perhaps known as the Green Commission or Ecological Review Commission be created.

I also propose that this Commission have a very broad portfolio, to review all actions and proposals of departments, panels and other commissions, for the affect they will have on the environment.

An example of how this Commission could work, would be if DPW needs a new truck --- a review would be made of the types of trucks that would be suitable for the tasks the truck will be used for, and an analysis would be made of the impact each different type would have on the environment.

Maybe among the types of suitable trucks would be gasoline, diesel or bio-diesel fueled vehicles. A simplistic thought would be that the bio-diesel is the way to go, but perhaps there are other factors which are not so obvious, such as lack of sources for fuel. Or maybe the bio-diesel is an inferior engine that would need to be replaced sooner than a more conventional one, and therefore actually use more fossil fuel energy in the long term, when the replacement and salvage components of the equation are factored in.

Or maybe, bio-diesel is the best choice for protecting the air we breathe and having the least adverse affects on our atmosphere.

In any case, the Green Commission would ensure that Environmental Concerns are part of the equation.

What do you think ? Please e mail me with your comments and ideas.

Shorewood citizens hear quite a bit about the Shorewood BID, but in talking to many residents, I have found that they really don't know exactly what the BID is, how it is funded, or what it does. This is understandable, as the BID Tax does not apply to most Shorewood residents.

In short, the BID district is a Taxing Body, that only taxes Commercial Property owners in Shorewood. If you own a Residential property, you do not pay the BID tax. If you own Commercial property (or mixed used), you pay hundreds or thousands of dollars per year to the BID tax.

The purpose of the BID is purportedly to "help" Shorewood businesses.

In this blog, I have already listed many of the reasons I believe that the BID in Shorewood is not needed, and how it actually hurts Shorewood business. Adding to those reasons is a look at the BID sponsored events for 2007 --- and how they do Nothing for the average Shorewood business --- at best --- and actually Hurt Shorewood Business --- at worst.

One of the big events that BID sponsors is the Shorewood Criterium (bicycle race) that is planned for July 19th. For this event, the race course is closed most of the day with no parking allowed (much of Oakland Avenue). This is obviously bad for the businesses on Oakland, as their customers have nowhere to park. As the race time approaches, traffic is totally closed for an even larger area of Oakland, to facilitate tents and displays, etc.

There are a few businesses which may see a small increase in their business, such as coffee shops --- but by and large, it is a lost business day for most businesses on the race route.

Perhaps if the Criterium brought a lot of folks from other communities to Shorewood, for the novelty of seeing a bike race, there could be some benefit to the exposure. But the Criterium is run virtually everywhere ! There is no need for folks from other communities to come see ours --- they have their own. Except for spectators who may follow the bike circuit (which from my observations couldn't be too large), the race isn't attracting "new" prospective shoppers to Shorewood.

Listed here are the dates of the Criterium in the various nearby communities, surrounding our date in July:

July 9th Menasha
July 10th Manitowoc
July 11th East Troy
July 12th Burlington
July 13th Hales Corners
July 14th Shorewood
July 15th Milwaukee - Schlitz Park
July 16th Waukesha
July 18th Hartford
July 19th Milwaukee - Lakefront
July 20th DePere
July 21st Sheboygan
July 22nd Kenosha
July 23rd Milwaukee - Downer Ave
July 24th Whitefish Bay

Obviously, this is not a unique event which showcases Shorewood.

Another event that BID sponsors is the Art and Craft Fair on the lawn of the Shorewood High School. After last years Art and Craft Fair I did an informal poll of business owners situated nearby the high school, as to whether this event helped their business. To the contrary, they told me that they noticed a drop in business, as folks who might drop in to browse and buy something, where at the Art Fair instead.

Also, the Art Fair was composed primarily of business people from "Outside of Shorewood" --- our BID money was enhancing businesses from other areas, in competition with our Shorewood based businesses !

In all fairness, at least two of the planned events, the Artwalk on April 7th and the Holiday shopwalk on December 1st basically have the right idea of getting actual potential shoppers out in front of the shops.

On the other hand, the small business group that we had before the BID, sponsored the same kind of events, for an annual dues cost of about $70 --- while the BID is spending tens of thousands of dollars to achieve the same result. And although every commercial property is paying the BID tax, these walks are focused on North Oakland and East Capitol --- so the businesses in other areas are paying in --- but getting nothing out.

I believe it is time to do some serious reconsideration of the entire BID. We don't need an additional tax on business in Shorewood --- especially with ill-conceived events that do more to hurt, than they do to help, the very businesses paying the BID Tax.

(Note to readers: I had posted this earlier in the articles section before my blog was up and running --- but I think it is too important not to include on the blog)

NEED A BUSINESS LOAN --- DON'T ASK A BANK, ASK SHOREWOOD --- WOULD YOU LIKE $25,000 OR MAY $50,000 ?

Under a new loan program approved by the Village Board, WE --- the taxpayers of Shorewood --- will make loans of between $25,000 and $50,000 to both existing and new Shorewood businesses.

The loans can be used for almost any reason, including for "working capital". There are no requirements that the loans be secured by collateral, or even by personal guarantee.

Speaking as a Shorewood citizen, property owner, and small business owner, I am very much against this program, for several reasons. First and foremost, when did this need to subsidize Shorewood businesses develop ? Has there been a single instance in which someone closed their Shorewood business, or decided against starting a business in Shorewood, because the village would not lend them money ? And if they cannot get a loan from a bank, why should the Village take a risk that a bank will not take.

Secondly, how do we decide which businesses to subsidize ? Should we help a new liquor store get started or how about a tobacco shop? We do have more than a number of places in the Village to get a bagel or a croissant, but don't we really need a good donut shop ?

In Shorewood we have a great place to live - we have one of the best school systems anywhere, and our Residential - Urban - Sidewalk - atmosphere is almost "Norman Rockwell" in its flavor.

Our underlying strength is not the businesses that are in the Village. Shorewood is not a shopping destination in itself. We have some destination shops here, such as Goldi's, Harley's and CC Conrad, but for the most part, businesses which locate in Shorewood are here to serve the people of Shorewood. Shops and businesses that fill the need of our population, with a convenience of being close to home.

It is no secret that our population is lower now than at our peak, and that our schools have excess capacity to serve more students. And there are steps we can take to help make Shorewood even stronger and more desirable.

We are foremost a residential community, and we have a larger than average stock of rental units. If we are to use TIF money to strengthen Shorewood, it should be used to help property owners to improve the housing stock --- ie. energy efficient furnaces, newer copper plumbing and updated electrical. We can promote energy systems that are affordable for the landlord to include heat in the rent. We can develop programs to encourage owner occupied duplexes. And we can develop programs that work with both landlords and tenants, to make Shorewood the number one rental option in the Milwaukee Metro area.

As Shorewood has grown more mature, there is also a greater need for housing that serves the needs of our senior citizens who would like to stay in Shorewood, but don't necessarily want the responsibility of a large property to maintain. As I can attest to, after both a hip and a knee replacement, a two story house with a basement, is not very user friendly to those with older joints !

(And by the way --- as a residential, sidewalk friendly community --- we need to resume show removal !)

Our focus in building a stronger Shorewood should be on our housing, and filling the needs of all the different segments of our community, higher and lower income, younger families with school children and seniors with mobility needs.

The next time you walk or drive through the Village, look around and see what kinds of business is here in Shorewood. It is business that is primarily focused on the needs of the neighborhood --- grocery stores, coffee shops, dry cleaners, barbers, hair stylists, pharmacies, insurance agents, realtors. We don't have any of the "Big Box" stores, ie. Target, Home Depot, Best Buy --- and we don't want them --- where would everyone park ?

If the Village really wants to help Shorewood business, it should disband the BID District. When I first came to Shorewood about 15 years ago, we had a local business association, that most of the businesses belonged to. It cost about $70 a year to belong, and we would get together once in a while, share ideas and conversation, and put together occasional events. All in all, the association didn't do too much --- but then again, it didn't cost much either.

Unfortunately, the Village decided that whatever the local businesses were doing, it could do better. Thus the Shorewood BID District was born. Now anyone who owns commercial property in Shorewood pays a tax, for the Village to spend for our business welfare. Whereas business property owners paid about $70 to belong to the business association, they now pay more like $700 or $800 to the Village BID.

We still don't get much --- but we sure pay a heck of a lot more for it !

The best t